Chapter 75 The Black Mask
"Quincy? It's hard to believe there are more of them besides Ishida. "
The quincy hollows, finally revealed themselves and began their assault on Ichigo.
They donned long white hats with only two eye holes in the center, and their bodies were covered in white robes. Each one wielded a blue spiritual bow, attacking in a manner akin to the Quincy.
"Bawa Bawa, put in more effort, seize the moment, and let's charge through this dense fog! "
Ichigo lifted Zangetsu high, blue Reiatsu emanating from him, signaling Bawa Bawa beneath him.
"Getsuga tenso! ! "
A surge of blue Reiatsu surged from Zangetsu, and the powerful sword slash dispersed part of the thick fog, breaking through the barrier ahead.
" Bawa Bawa Let's go! ! "
"Bawa Bawa! ! "
Bawa Bawa swiftly navigated through the dense fog with astounding speed, leaving the Quincy hollows far behind.
"Gee, I can't see them anymore."
Bawa Bawa moved incredibly fast, propelling Nell's lower body upward as her hands clung tightly to Ichigo's garments.
Suddenly, Ichigo sensed a chill behind him and yelled, "Nell, careful! "
As he turned around swiftly, his Zanpakutō instinctively lifted to block.
Clang! !
A lightsaber forged from Reishi collided directly with Ichigo's Zanpakutō.
Upon examining the foe wielding the lightsaber, Ichigo noticed the group of Quincy hollows closing in again, this time at a higher speed.
As Bawa Bawa swiped at the attacking opponents, it abruptly halted, anxiously observing the sudden emergence of a dozen airborne fighters in front of it.
"Damn, are there really this many? "
With the flyers starting to encircle them, the surrounding fog began to draw nearer.
It made sense there were no other hollows in sight; this appeared to be the stronghold of this particular group.
"Nell, do these guys have any weaknesses? "
Ichigo carefully scrutinized the Quincy hollows encircling them, totaling over twenty, all prepared to pounce.
Like a pack of feral wolves, they were eager to strike, poised to pounce and tear them apart at any moment.
Suddenly, as if following a command, the group of flyers synchronously raised their spiritual bows, aimed at Ichigo and his companions, and drew back their bowstrings, releasing dozens of blue spiritual arrows.
Shhhhhhhh—!!
The Reishi arrows rained down like a storm, Ichigo did not hesitate; he placed his left hand on his right arm and activated Bankai.
Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu! !
A burst of black and red Reiatsu erupted as Ichigo swung his Zanpakutō rapidly into the air, intercepting the incoming arrows.
After unleashing a series of volleys, they suddenly launched an assault on Ichigo, wielding long arrows made of reishi.
"Getsuga tenso!"
The pitch-black crescent slash intercepted the two flying foes mid-air, cleaving them in half.
However, the fragmented bodies did not die; instead, they sped back toward Ichigo with increased velocity.
As they drew near, all remnants detonated simultaneously.
In a critical moment, Ichigo, utilizing Hollow powers, narrowly escaped the explosion's radius, though both his and Nell's faces were still smeared with dust from the blast.
"Cough cough! "
Nell let out a thick cloud of smoke, her face betraying a hint of panic as she exclaimed, "Wha-. . . they self-destruct! "
The Hollow mask faded from Ichigo's face, revealing an unpleasant expression as he furrowed his brow and replied, "So it seems. "
"Who would have thought such a tactic existed? Are all the Deadpools in the Menos Grande forest resorting to this desperate method? "
Nell couldn't respond to Ichigo's question; instead, she glanced at Bawa Bawa, who was impacted by the explosion, her face riddled with distress as she said tearfully, "Bawa. . . Bawa might be lost! "
"I'm sorry, Nell, but this is urgent—I can't afford to save him now."
"The priority now is to figure out how to tackle these numerous bombers. "
This group differs significantly from the massive yet sluggish Deadpool seen in the southern region.
While their offensive strength is relatively weak, their agility and self-destructive fighting approach render them far more challenging opponents.
Failing to kill them quickly will lead to your own downfall.
"Nell, could you get down, and hide yourself for safety! "
As Ichigo dodged yet another flyer, he refrained from directly attacking them with his Zanpakutō, opting instead to evade and kick them away.
With the dense fog no longer obscuring the Reiatsu detection, Ichigo noted that the Reiatsu emanating from these flyers was highly unstable. Their bodies resembled inflated balloons, and any external impact acted like a sharp object piercing one, causing their already precarious souls to burst. . .
"Alright, let's do this! "
Nell sensibly nodded, slipping off Ichigo's side and scampering to hide behind a boulder situated over ten meters away.
Once Nell vacated the battlefield, Ichigo refocused on the swarm of flyers.
"Now, I must act decisively! ! "
As Ichigo brought his hands to his face, a pitch black hollow mask materialized.
Witnessing Ichigo's transformation, the flyers, poised for action, appeared to be stimulated, quickly joining hands and launching toward Ichigo in unison.
"Getsuga tenso. . . Fire! ! "
Without warning, Ichigo propped his head against his hand while gripping Tensa Zangetsu with his other hand. In a motion too swift for the eye to catch, he unleashed a multitude of afterimages, black slashes searing with black flames, enveloped the nearby Quincy hollows, consuming them entirely.
Shhhhhhh—
As the last hollow was entirely incinerated, a fissure appeared in Ichigo's black mask, which then shattered into spirit particles that dispersed into the air.
"That was incredible! "
Watching Ichigo dispatch the enemies so quickly, Nell exclaimed before she approached him.
However, Ichigo warned darkly, "No, stay back Nell! ! "
Nell stood frozen, staring vacantly at Ichigo, who was hunched over, panting heavily.
At that moment, Ichigo's eyes had transformed into two golden orbs resembling those of a dragon, with the whites of his eyes entirely filled with black.
This black mask was bestowed upon him by the hollow within him when he was mastering his Hollow abilities. Among the black mask's abilities, is the black flames that envelop Reiatsu to incinerate everything.
Nonetheless, the repercussions of employing this technique are substantial. During the time the mask is absent, Ichigo's control over his body is completely compromised, often leading him to rampage uncontrollably during training.
According to White, he is not a the one manipulating Ichigo's body, but rather a different kind of power—one that instills profound fear within him.
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