This Hollow was extremely unusual and dangerously powerful.
Its ability was bizarre even by Hollow standards.
It possessed the capacity to devour reiryoku-based attacks. Any technique formed from Reishi, whether it be Zanpakutō strikes infused with spiritual pressure or Kidō would be absorbed upon contact. It was precisely because of this abnormal ability that most Shinigami found their attacks rendered ineffective against it.
Miyako Shiba, as the Third Seat of the Thirteenth Division, was by no means weak.
Yet even with her strength, when she led two seated officers to confront this Hollow, the outcome had been disastrous. The enemy's nature completely neutralized conventional combat methods. She had been gravely wounded, left on the brink of death.
When Shiba Kaien arrived, he immediately released his Zanpakutō, Nejibana.
But the result was the same.
His attacks, empowered by his vice-captain level Reiatsu, felt as though they had sunk into nothingness like striking water that swallowed everything without resistance.
Under normal circumstances, the outcome would have been inevitable.
Kaien would watch helplessly as his wife was devoured before his eyes. Consumed by rage, he would continue fighting without understanding the enemy's ability. Eventually, he too would fall his body taken over, his identity twisted into something monstrous.
That tragic chain of events… belonged to another possibility.
Because now
Everything had changed.
The sudden appearance of Gosuke Shigure had completely altered the course of fate.
The earlier strike Hadō #63: Raikōhō had descended with overwhelming speed and precision, leaving the Hollow no time to fully absorb it. Though not entirely effective, it disrupted the creature just enough to break its hold on Miyako.
And now, the follow-up
A direct, unrestrained blow.
Unlike Kidō or Zanpakutō techniques, this attack contained no structure for the Hollow to "devour." It was a pure Hakuda strike, reinforced by dense, controlled Reiatsu.
No conversion. No dispersal.
Only impact.
Even a Menos-class Hollow, despite possessing High-Speed Regeneration, did not inherently possess absolute durability.
When Shigure's fist connected, the effect was immediate.
The Hollow's body partially collapsed, its structure violently rupturing as it was blasted backward across the battlefield.
Yet It did not die.
The torn sections of its body began to writhe unnaturally. Pale regenerative matter filled the gaps, rapidly reconstructing its form. Within moments, it had recovered.
High-Speed Regeneration came at a cost—normally.
But this Hollow had just devoured multiple Shinigami. Its Reiatsu remained dense and active, showing no signs of depletion even after regeneration.
It was, in every sense, a troublesome opponent.
Not far away, Kaien held Miyako carefully, his expression tense.
Only now did he properly observe the man who had intervened.
Shigure's attire was unusual. Over casual outer clothing, one could still see traces of the black Shihakushō beneath. He bore no visible Zanpakutō.
Yet his presence was unmistakable.
Kaien's eyes widened slightly as recognition dawned.
"Kenpachi… Shigure."
The former Captain of the Eleventh Division.
A man who once bore the title Kenpachi, a name reserved for the strongest combatant of his generation.
Though retired, his legend had not faded.
Kaien had encountered him a few times within Squad Thirteen's quarters usually alongside Kyōraku Shunsui, often during visits to Ukitake's recovery chambers. Still, their interactions had been limited.
Now, faced with this situation, Kaien hesitated briefly over how to address him.
"Please… be careful," he said finally, choosing his words with care.
Shigure gave a slight nod, acknowledging the warning.
Then his Reiatsu surged.
It erupted outward in a controlled yet overwhelming wave, pressing against the surroundings like a tangible force. Even Kaien, a vice-captain, felt the weight of it.
So this… is Kenpachi-level power…
Kaien's grip tightened unconsciously.
He had heard the stories that Shigure relinquished the title after being defeated by Zaraki Kenpachi. But feeling this Reiatsu firsthand, it was clear even in retirement, he remained a monster.
The Hollow reacted immediately.
Its crimson tendrils lashed outward, extending like whips toward Shigure, attempting to bind and consume.
But Shigure did not retreat.
Instead, his body became enveloped in a concentrated aura of Reiatsu.
Shunkō.
A technique combining Hakuda and Kidō, compressing spiritual energy directly onto the body to enhance physical combat capabilities.
Without a Zanpakutō, and facing an opponent capable of devouring energy-based techniques, Shigure had already chosen the optimal method.
Close combat.
Absolute force.
In an instant, he vanished.
Shunpo carried him forward faster than the eye could follow.
He appeared directly before the Hollow.
The tendrils collapsed under the pressure of his Reiatsu before they could even make contact.
Then he struck.
A single punch.
No flourish. No wasted motion.
But behind it lay over a century of mastery in Hakuda, reinforced by precise Reiatsu control and Shunkō amplification.
The air itself seemed to rupture.
The Hollow's body was engulfed in the impact, its regenerative structure overwhelmed by raw destructive force.
This was not an attack it could absorb.
Nor one it could easily regenerate from.
Shigure's voice was calm, almost indifferent.
"Try enduring this."
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