Poof—before Rukia's stunned eyes, Reno's body vanished with a soft poof. He wasn't dragged into the Gate of Hell; instead, his Hollowfication had succeeded. Now he awaited the reconstitution of his Hollow form...
"Awooo~" Reno, having reformed into his Hollow state, reappeared in his original spot. This time, however, he lacked his former massive size. Though still in wolf form, his body was now the size of a human, covered in dark crimson fur.
His eyes, visible through the mask, glowed with the same crimson hue, staring at Rukia with bloodthirsty intensity.
Having fully merged with the Hollow's spiritual body, Reno finally learned the Hollow's past. It had once been a young man named Arizawa Shiro, who had committed the heinous crime of raping over a hundred young women. He had died chasing after another girl, struck by a car.
The Reno who reappeared was no longer the original Reno, but a hybrid spiritual body, a fusion of Reno and Arizawa Shiro, possessing all their memories. "Shiro Reno" was the new name Reno had given himself.
Staring at Rukia, clad in her Shinigami robes, Reno didn't call out her name. Instead, he rapidly recalled the current timeline. Judging by Rukia's appearance, she had only recently mastered her Shikai; otherwise, she wouldn't have been immobilized by Reno's earlier Reiatsu.
So the plot hasn't even started yet! But it shouldn't be more than fifty years away, though I can't say exactly when!
Reno thought to himself, gazing at Rukia before him. The urge to kill her had vanished. After all, Rukia was one of Reno's favorite female leads from the anime he used to watch!
Suppressing Rukia with his Reiatsu once more, Reno frantically considered his next move. Should he retreat to Hueco Mundo or return to the human world? He completely failed to notice that the Gate of Hell behind him had already opened!
"W-what... what's happening...?" Rukia stammered, utterly bewildered. How could the Hollow she had just slain reconstitute itself, its Reiatsu now even stronger—almost rivaling Lord Kaien's!
Boom! A deafening roar jolted Reno back to reality. He whirled around to see the Gate of Hell fully open, a swirling black vortex materializing. A powerful suction force began to pull him in!
"Agh...!"
"Fuck! I thought I was reborn! Why is the Gate of Hell still here?!" Reno cursed aloud, panic rising as the suction force behind him intensified.
I have to get out of here now!
Countless thoughts flashed through Reno's mind in an instant. He finally resolved inwardly, No matter where I go, I just need to get out of here first. If I get dragged into the Gate of Hell, it'll be too late to cry. Forget about picking up girls after breaking my mask—I'll be lucky just to escape suffering!
Whoosh! With that thought, Reno leaped forward without hesitation, desperate to distance himself from the Gate of Hell. He completely forgot that Rukia was directly ahead!
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"
Seeing the Hollow momentarily distracted, Rukia seized the opportunity. She gripped her Zanpakuto horizontally and swiftly uttered the spirit-releasing incantation.
A melodious, tinkling sound echoed as Sode no Shirayuki, renowned as the most beautiful Zanpakuto in the Soul Society, materialized in Rukia's hand. The entire blade, including the hilt and guard, transformed into snow-white, adorned with intricate patterns and a pristine white ribbon tied to the hilt.
"First Dance: Tsuki Shiro!"
Rukia's sharp voice rang out as her figure vanished in a flash, reappearing instantly behind Reno.
"Augh..."
Reno let out a pained roar.
"D-damn it..."
Reno cursed in terror, his stiff neck swiveling to glare at Rukia's retreating figure. He had never imagined that Rukia, whom he had always suppressed, would suddenly unleash such power. This was his own fault—he had completely forgotten that Rukia had yet to activate her Zanpakuto's Shikai!
If it had been just Arizawa Shiro, he would never have been so careless. But Rukia had already slain him, and the newly fused ShiroReno's new spiritual body was entirely dominated by Reno—a Reno with no combat experience, merely Reno who had absorbed Arizawa Shiro's memories!
Crack... crack... A circular, moon-white aura erupted from beneath Reno's feet, instantly encasing him in ice. Only his crimson eyes flickered, radiating terror.
Clang! Rukia sheathed her Zanpakuto and exhaled deeply. Finally, she had dealt with the Hollow before her. She had noticed earlier how the Gate of Hell was pulling the Hollow toward it. Now that Reno was frozen, she wouldn't need to strike him down; he would soon be dragged into the Gate of Hell anyway!
"No... I don't want to go to Hell..."
No matter how Reno screamed inwardly, his frozen body was gradually pulled toward the Gate of Hell. Just as he was a single step away from the abyss, his desperate will to survive shattered the ice!
Bang! The ice fragments exploded outward. Reno immediately realized he could move again, his heart pounding with exhilaration!
"Damn it..."
Rukia gasped in shock, never expecting the Hollow before her to be so tenacious. It had nearly been dragged into Hell, yet it still managed to break free!
The Hollow's bloodthirsty crimson wolf eyes locked onto Rukia, burning with unforgiving rage. It had nearly been pulled into Hell because of her! Reno, now fused with the memories of Arizawa Shiro, immediately envisioned his revenge: pinning Rukia to the ground, violently tearing apart her Shinigami robes, and then brutally defiling her—just as Arizawa Shiro had done with the human and Soul Reaper souls he had consumed. He would ravish her first, then devour her!
Boom! Reno's powerful hind legs propelled him forward, creating a thunderous sonic boom as he shot toward Rukia. His mind already conjured images of Rukia beneath him, humiliated and violated!
"Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!"
Despite her shock, Rukia reacted swiftly. Her snow-white Zanpakuto, Sode no Shirayuki, danced in her hand, unleashing a blinding white beam of icy energy toward Reno!
"Roar!" Reno roared, inhaling deeply. A crimson orb of condensed spiritual energy materialized in his maw, rapidly drawing in ambient spiritual particles. The orb coalesced into a crimson beam that collided violently with Rukia's white energy beam!
Bang! Rukia's Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren shattered instantly under Reno's Cero, but the Cero itself dissipated as well. Rukia's Hakuren had been too swift, forcing Reno to fire an incomplete Cero.
"Cero..."
Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, Rukia clearly recognized Reno's technique. It was undoubtedly a Cero. What level of Hollow was she facing? One that could even use Cero!
"Roar~" Reno roared again, paying no heed to Rukia's shock. He accelerated once more, transforming into a crimson streak of light that flashed before her, his face looming inches from hers.
"Hahaha... Die!"
Reno cackled wildly, his claws slashing at Rukia. He wasn't worried about killing her with a single strike; Soul Reapers were notoriously resilient.
The crimson claws tore through the air, rip! Rukia's Shinigami robes were instantly shredded, revealing her delicate, snow-white breasts.