Seff studied the massive, bone-white creature before him.
It stood roughly five meters tall, even while half-crouched like a reptile. If it ever stood to full height, it might've towered even higher.
But unlike any conventional animal, it bore no skin, no fur.
Instead, its entire body was covered in a hardened, armor-like shell of white bone.
Its fingers, if they could still be called that, were long, deadly claws, each one over twenty centimeters, razor-sharp like forged steel blades.
But the most disturbing feature…
Was the hole.
Right through its chest, where a heart should have been, gaped a wide, empty void. A clean, circular hole so vast you could see the forest through it.
Its entire form was white.
A color normally associated with purity, beauty, or even righteousness. The opposite of darkness.
But here, that same white, unbroken, untouched, carried only the stench of corruption, of madness, and of a devouring emptiness.
"You… Are you a Soul Reaper?!"
The monster's voice rang out, startled.
Though it had backed off, it wasn't looking at Seff himself, it was watching his blade.
Of course.
The sword Seff held had once belonged to a dead Soul Reaper.
It wasn't unreasonable that the creature would mistake him for one.
Still, seeing this Hollow, this thing, finally answered a question that had lingered in Seff's mind.
In this world where only a few individuals could become Soul Reapers, these black-robed, sword-wielding beings who acted as agents of force…
Who were they fighting?
There were no mentions of rival factions.
No opposing class or structured enemies.
As far as Seff could tell, this world, the Soul Society, was both primitive and overly centralized.
So then what justified the Soul Reapers' violence?
What were they created to destroy?
Now, standing before him, was perhaps not the final answer, but certainly a part of it.
"No. I'm not a Soul Reaper."
Seff's tone was calm.
He had no reason to pretend.
The moment he intercepted that attack with one arm, he could already tell, this thing looked terrifying… but it wasn't that strong.
He hadn't even used both hands.
Maybe it had held back since it was toying with a kid.
But for something so massive, its strike was still too light.
If Seff had felt outmatched from the start, he would've taken the kid and run.
But instead, he'd stood his ground. And now… he was changing plans.
At first, he'd considered a quick interception, rescue, then retreat.
Now?
He was going to fight.
So there was no need to pretend.
No need to hide behind the borrowed authority of Soul Reapers.
A grin tugged at the corner of Seff's mouth.
Something stirred within him, hot, electrifying.
Battle-lust.
This creature…
This Hollow…
Was the strongest thing he'd encountered since arriving in Soul Society.
Unlike the street thugs of Rukongai who fell with a single slash,
This thing might actually take a few hits.
Seff lifted his sword.
Not in any standard stance, but held it beside his face, at an odd angle.
His right hand supported the left, like he was casually bracing a tool.
"Just a nosy passerby who doesn't know how to mind his own business."
"You bastard… You messing with me?!"
The Hollow's expression twisted in fury.
"A soul like yours! There's no way you're just an ordinary spirit! I… I can't wait to devour you!!"
Its face split wide, almost like a mask cracking apart, a grotesque tongue lashing out between jagged bone-like teeth.
Its eyes gleamed, not with intelligence, but pure, hungry greed.
From the moment Seff had appeared, the Hollow had forgotten all about the child.
He wanted to tear Seff apart.
Rip him limb from limb.
Drink his blood.
Feast on his soul.
"Reaper or not, GO TO HELL!!"
Gone was the playful cruelty it had shown before.
Now, it was drooling, driven by hunger.
It wasn't bluffing, it meant to consume him.
The massive beast lunged.
Its monstrous body launched upward, blotting out the sun as its shadow swallowed Seff and the boy behind him.
"Heh."
A low chuckle escaped Seff's lips.
He didn't even move to meet the attack.
Instead, he turned his head slightly, glancing at the child crouched behind him.
He looked completely unbothered.
As if he and Yui were just… out for a walk.
"Things might get dangerous here. If you've got any strength left, try to crawl to the side."
Yui couldn't even answer.
Because a moment later,
The Hollow came crashing down.
The explosion of impact shattered the ground like brittle glass.
The forest floor caved inward by several inches.
Dust and dirt exploded into the air like a grenade had gone off.
Yui, already barely conscious, was thrown like a ragdoll by the shockwave, landing across the creek on the opposite bank.
He was lucky not to fall into the water,
At this point, even a shallow pool might've drowned him. He couldn't move.
Using everything he had, Yui forced his eyes open.
Dust swirled in the forest air, slowly thinning.
And then,
A shape emerged from the haze.
Yui's eyes widened.
But what he saw…
Wasn't the monster standing over another corpse.
It was Seff.
Standing tall.
Calm.
Unshaken.
His slim blade locked against the Hollow's massive claws,
And holding.
He wasn't faltering.
He wasn't pushed back.
He stood firm, like a statue of war.
But while Yui was in awe, the Hollow,
Was in shock.
"Wh… What is this?!"
"Was that supposed to be serious?"
Seff looked up at the monster, blue eyes cool, almost playful.
"Or are you just waiting until you're about to die to take things seriously?"
Something shifted.
Not physically.
But emotionally.
Spiritually.
An invisible pressure burst outward from Seff's body.
It was presence.
Undeniable, unshakable presence.
Dominance.
In sheer size, the Hollow had the advantage.
It towered over Seff.
But in that moment,
The battlefield belonged to Seff Yoshiro.
"This… this can't be happening!"
The Hollow screamed.
That oppressive aura,
That impossible weight,
It had only ever felt this once before.
From one being.
And now it came from this… stranger?
But Seff had no intention of dragging the moment out.
With a soft snort, he twisted his blade.
The Hollow's claw was knocked aside.
A flash of light.
Wind howled like it had been cut.
The swing came, faster than the wind itself.
A streak of silver split the air.
A flower made of slashes bloomed on the Hollow's chest, dozens of strikes manifesting in a single instant like silver petals exploding outward.
And then, impact.
A raw, immovable force slammed into the Hollow.
It flew,
Like a baseball slammed by a bat.
Crashing through the forest.
Tree after tree exploded as its body tore a straight line through the forest…
Until it finally… stopped.