"What happened?"
"What's going on?"
"Look at the northern sky!"
Everyone looked towards the north. In the sky, a monstrous head, its gaping maw roaring, was visible.
"A giant Hollow," Rukia murmured, her gaze unfocused, instinctively recognizing the threat. Her position was closest to this enormous Hollow.
Instantly, this terrifying beast fixed its gaze upon her. Its blood-red eyes were devoid of any emotion, expressing only a ravenous hunger for souls. A massive claw slashed through the air, heading straight for Rukia.
BOOM! The fragile floor, under the giant Hollow's claw, crumbled instantly like tofu. The building collapsed.
Battle was imminent!
Rukia narrowly avoided this first attack, her expression growing grave. With the appearance of the giant Hollow, other large Hollows began to materialize throughout the city. Besides their terrifying appearances, the immense pressure of their spiritual energy was their most striking characteristic.
"Requesting Soul Society support!"
"World of the Living, designated location 1026, northwest direction, 2128 coordinates, under attack by a giant Hollow!"
The battle scene became exceptionally brutal. Rukia barely managed to dodge the giant Hollow's attacks, her attempts at using Kidō to fight back proving completely useless.
"Rukia," a gentle voice called out from behind her.
Rukia turned, surprised. "Ka—Callum?!"
Kyōraku Callum, a smirk playing on his lips, approached Rukia confidently. "Leave this to me."
"Hadō #4. Byakurai!"
Untamed lightning crackled and twisted at Kyōraku Callum's fingertips. With a pointed finger, a lightning dragon-like blast of energy erupted, instantly engulfing the giant Hollow in expanding light. The sound of searing flesh filled the air. In the blink of an eye, the giant Hollow dissolved into spiritual particles, vanishing into nothingness.
"Th-that was Hadō #4, Byakurai?!" Rukia could hardly believe her eyes. She had been desperately struggling for survival, barely managing to dodge the Hollow's attacks. Yet, Kyōraku Callum, her former classmate, had effortlessly reduced it to spiritual particles with a single Hadō #4. The difference in their abilities was simply immeasurable.
Rukia's face paled; she was speechless. Kyōraku Callum, sensing her distress, offered comfort.
"It's alright, Rukia," he said gently. "I'll protect you from now on."
His soft words were like a mountain spring, soothing Rukia's troubled heart.
"Wh-who needs your protection!" Rukia's cheeks flushed, vehemently denying it. "I can handle this myself!" Her strong-willed nature made her stubbornly refuse his help.
"There's more than one giant Hollow," Kyōraku Callum said, shifting his gaze to the distant sky, his expression changing. This situation differed slightly from his memories. Aizen had deployed far more giant Hollows than he'd anticipated—at least ten were visible.
"What is he trying to do?" Kyōraku Callum mused, suspecting, "Is he trying to kill all the students here?"
These giant Hollows posed no threat to Kyōraku Callum, but they were a deadly danger to the intern Shinigami. Even a single giant Hollow, given sufficient time, could kill every one of them. This sheer number of Hollows was undeniably accelerating their deaths.
Rukia's face was tight with worry as she stared intently at the distant sky.
"Why are there so many giant Hollows here? What kind of scouting did the Academy do?"
Kyōraku Callum placed his hand on her head, gently stroking it. "I'll go help the intern Shinigami escape." He couldn't possibly just save Rukia alone.
Just as he was about to activate Shunpo, a simple Senkaimon appeared silently in the sky near his location. The moment the door opened, a blinding white light shot out from within! The speed was beyond the limits of normal perception.
Roar! A crab-like giant Hollow, its massive claws spread wide, prepared to crush the Shinigami in front of it, ready to feast on its soul.
Slash! A sharp white light sliced through the Hollow's mask without resistance.
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