With the infusion of spiritual pressure, Yoruichi shuddered and came to her senses.
"I was on guard this time, but I still got controlled!" Yoruichi patted her chest, terrified. She was glad she hadn't chosen to continue exploring this glowing thorn jungle back then.
At that time, she had relied on the 'Tenzen Heisō' she carried to wake her up, but after it had awakened her, it had lost its effect.
If she had stubbornly chosen to continue exploring, she might have been enthralled again.
"These thorns affect the mind. There should be a Menos Grande hidden underneath. I can already sense its spiritual pressure," Sora deduced.
His expression shifted slightly, and he turned to look behind them.
A Gillian was slowly walking this way.
The Gillian had also seen the glowing thorns. Just like Yoruichi, it was enthralled as soon as it got close.
It ignored the two Shinigami and continued to walk towards the thorn jungle.
A moment later, the Gillian's body was pierced by the thorns, but it seemed completely unaware. It continued to throw itself into the jungle until its body was impaled by countless spikes, its mask shattered.
The Gillian collapsed amidst the thorns. As it fell, its massive body was torn apart by the hard, sharp spikes.
There was no cry. The Gillian died in silence.
Its flesh and blood stained a portion of the thorns red, but it quickly vanished.
"The 'Gillian' disappeared!" Yoruichi exclaimed.
"'It was eaten. I think this might be a rather strange-looking Menos. Confusing its prey and letting them impale themselves on the thorns is its method of hunting..." Sora speculated.
He thought for a moment and decided to try and draw this Hollow out.
After obtaining his Bankai and the ability to deploy a shadow space, he could now bring others into it.
Even if he couldn't win, he was confident he could safely retreat with Yoruichi using his shadow ability.
Sora waved his hand. Yoruichi understood and immediately followed him, retreating a hundred meters away.
Sora raised his hand and began to chant: "... Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
Suddenly, a blue beam of light flashed through the Forest of Menos.
The beam struck the glowing thorn jungle, and a deafening roar echoed.
—BOOM!!!
A violent airflow surged from the center of the explosion. Countless rock fragments were swept up in the shockwave. Yoruichi quickly hid behind a stone tree.
"The professor's Kidō is even stronger!" Yoruichi had seen him use this spell more than once. The most memorable was the blue beam that had cut across the sky in Karakura Town.
The tremors from the ground grew more intense, so much so that she could no longer stand steadily. She quickly created reishi footholds in the air and retreated upwards.
"ROOOAR—"
From deep within the dust cloud, a deep, hoarse roar was heard.
"Professor was right. There really is a Hollow hidden here!" Yoruichi stared intently at the site of the explosion.
The dust there was swirling. She could only see a glowing mass slowly rising into the air.
A rumbling sound came from underground, and the entire ground began to undulate like a stormy sea.
It was as if the earth itself was churning!
At the same time, the roars of Hollows could be heard from all over the Forest of Menos.
The two could faintly hear a sense of terror in those cries.
"There seems to be something incredible hidden down there..." Sora stared intently at the unfolding scene, ready to retreat with Yoruichi at the first sign of trouble.
The glowing mass rose above the cover of the dust.
The two saw that it was, in fact, the glowing thorn jungle.
It was rising because something was pushing it up from below.
Supporting the thorn jungle was a skeleton.
BOOM—
The skeleton's body was immense. The thorn jungle on its back had even reached the ceiling of the Forest of Menos—the desert layer!
Countless grains of sand and rock fell from above.
Sora got a clear look at its full form.
From its overall shape, it somewhat resembled the skeleton of a long-necked dragon.
This was a Hollow made entirely of bone. The glowing thorn jungle was just some of the bone spikes growing from its skull.
The skeletal Menos was extremely large. Its neck was so long that its head could reach the desert layer above the forest.
"An ancient Menos Grande..." A thought flashed through Sora's mind.
According to the ancient texts in the Katori Dojo, the ancient Menos were not like the ones today, which became smaller and more humanoid as they evolved.
In ancient times, some of the larger Menos had power comparable to the current 'Vasto Lorde'-class humanoid Menos.
"An injured ancient Menos..." Sora looked at the dilapidated skeleton and was certain.
He could now clearly sense its spiritual pressure. It was even more powerful than the few 'Adjuchas' he had seen before.
But looking closely, he found that the 'ancient Menos's' skeleton was severely damaged.
Its original body should have been covered in glowing thorn-like bone spikes, but now only a sparse few remained. The bones were covered in cracks. Only the skull was relatively intact, and the thorns on its head were the most complete.
This Hollow seemed to be severely injured. It had been staying underground, luring nearby Menos and using its thorns to absorb their flesh, blood, and reishi to heal.
Sora drew his Zanpakutō and inverted the blade. "Bankai: Shosō Kaijin!"
The Zanpakutō melted like ink and sank into the ground.
Then, the black shadow on the ground spread outwards at an imperceptible speed, pulling the 'ancient Menos' into the shadow space.
"So this is the professor's Bankai? It's so big! It's really amazing!" This was the first time Yoruichi had seen his Bankai, though she had heard about it from Kana and the others when they recounted their graduation exam experiences.
The 'ancient Menos' noticed the Shinigami who had disturbed it. Spiritual pressure gathered in its mouth, and a blue ball of light slowly formed.
A Gran Rey Cero!
Sora's eyes narrowed. This 'ancient Menos's' strength had indeed surpassed the 'Adjuchas' category. It could already use a 'Gran Rey Cero'!
Only a very few powerful Menos could use it. Its power was so great it could even distort space.
The upper part of Sora's clothes instantly exploded. A torrent of spiritual pressure and arcs of lightning erupted.
He instantly activated his 'Shunkō: Raikiri' form.
The next moment, he was behind Yoruichi, tucking her under his arm.
With the sound of tearing air, the blue flash arrived almost instantly.
BOOM!!!
A terrifying torrent of spiritual pressure swept through the entire shadow space, causing it to tremble slightly.
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