Shin's response was laced with pure contempt.
Rage boiled over in Daesle as he swung a massive fist straight at him.
That colossal hand was like a boulder crashing down, pounding into the sand where Shin had stood. In an instant, the impact erupted with a deafening boom, sand and dust exploding outward in every direction.
This was the essence of Daesle's Resurrección. No tricks, no special powers, just raw, overwhelming strength. One punch gouged a crater into the desert floor.
His tusked mouth curled into a smug grin, satisfied with his destructive might. That Shin had seemed so fragile made it hard for him to believe such power was even necessary.
But when he glanced back down, the crater was empty. Shin was nowhere to be seen.
Startled, Daesle lashed instinctively behind him with another fist.
Sure enough, Shin was there. A swift Sonído carried him out of reach, his form flickering like a blur.
He had been training relentlessly in recent days, refining each combat skill until it became second nature. Sonído especially, by now, he could flow between its motions with seamless ease, weaving through the reishi in the air as though dancing.
Suspended above, Shin bent the reishi at his feet and twisted sharply in midair. His body flipped in a graceful arc, and in the same motion he accelerated downward, leg whipping out like a hammer.
Daesle crossed his arms just in time to block.
The impact rang like thunder. Though he managed to guard, the sheer force drove his massive legs deep into the sand, burying him several feet down.
Before he could recover, Shin spun with sudden speed, landing a vicious roundhouse to his jaw.
The blow crushed bone and sent shockwaves rattling through his skull. A black shadow spun off into the night, a tusk, shattered clean from its root, flying with shards of blood and ivory to bury itself in the dunes far away.
Pain seared through him. Daesle howled, saliva stringing from his lips, his beastly nature laid bare.
Staggering sideways, he barely managed to stay upright. If not for his legs trapped in sand, he might have toppled outright.
He shook his head violently, trying to steady his reeling brain. One thought crystallized through the haze: Shin had to die.
Moments ago, this upstart had seemed weak, yet he struck with brutal precision. And the most galling part, he hadn't even released a Resurrección. If left unchecked, Shin would one day threaten even Nnoitra.
Blind devotion to his idol stoked Daesle's desperation. His obsession demanded that Shin be destroyed.
Locking his gaze on him, Daesle launched another full-force punch.
But Shin was calm. His body floated light as air, stepping effortlessly above Daesle's head and letting the strike crash harmlessly below.
That was the limit of Daesle's Resurrección: brute strength. As long as Shin avoided the frontal blows, there was little real danger.
They crossed paths midair, one ascending, the other descending, twisting instantly to strike again.
Daesle's knuckles cracked as he drove his fist with the same murderous power.
Shin slipped through with two quick Sonído bursts, closing the distance in a flash. His hand lashed sideways, striking Daesle square in the neck.
A flicker of alarm crossed the brute's mind. He stumbled, raising his guard, but after a few seconds of stillness, he realized nothing had happened. No pain. No wound.
Fear drained from him, replaced by a mocking grin. "Heh… what's wrong? Already spent the last of your strength on that pitiful blow?"
His mane bristled in arrogant triumph, one tusk left jutting crookedly from his mouth, making him look half-menacing, half-ridiculous.
But he never noticed: Shin hadn't struck with his fist, but with the hollow of his palm.
And within that still moment, Shin had already summoned the [Sword of Reishi].
Unlike other attributes, this one had fully fused with his body. He could bypass the system entirely, willing it into form through sheer thought.
From his palm, reishi surged, resonating with a metallic hum that echoed across the barren sands.
In an instant, light condensed into a blade, two meters of blue-white brilliance. The sword pierced clean through Daesle's neck, bursting out from his side in a spray of blood.
"Guh!"
Daesle's eyes bulged. Fixed in place by the blade, he could not move even an inch.
"Your hand… when did you…" His voice gurgled into silence as blood filled his throat.
Moments later, the light in his eyes went out.
"A small fry like you never had any reason to exist."
Those were Shin's parting words.
But caution held him steady. Some Hollows possessed terrifying regeneration. Unless their vital organs were destroyed, they could return again and again.
And Daesle, rarely seen and poorly documented, was too much of an unknown. Shin couldn't afford to underestimate him.
He prepared to finish the job, only to see Daesle's legs dissolve into drifting sand.
"…Oh? Already disintegrating? No regeneration after all. Seems I gave you too much credit." Shin muttered softly.
The sight confirmed his death.
Unwilling to waste any resource, Shin recalled the sword and opened the system the instant Daesle's body fell, pressing his hand onto the cooling flesh.
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter