Muten missed his strike, but used the momentum to twist his body. The left arm formed of black flames stretched in an unnatural way, whipping out like a long tail and lashing across the lizard Hollow's body, carving open a gruesome wound.
"Hah…" The lizard Hollow staggered upright, clutching the injury. "Hahahahaha!" It laughed with genuine delight. "I see it now. Look at your shoulder. Keep using that black fire, and it'll swallow you too."
Muten glanced at his left shoulder. Black flames were already eating away at it, a thin thread of fire creeping closer to his collarbone.
"I've been beaten to this extent. You've had your revenge already. There's no need to force yourself any further," the lizard Hollow urged earnestly. "You're still young. Don't let hatred cloud your judgment."
Muten lowered his gaze slightly. "You're right…"
He had a clear feeling that once the black fire reached his chest, he would never be able to put it out.
But…
His crimson eyes flew open.
In an instant, Muten closed the distance. His burning left hand clamped around the lizard Hollow's neck and slammed it viciously into the ground.
"Sorry," he said, his icy voice overlapping with a violent roar as he dragged the Hollow across the ground by the throat. "I really couldn't hold back. But you understand, right? When the one you want to kill is right in front of you, it's hard to resist."
The lizard Hollow struggled desperately, claws reaching for Muten.
Just as they were about to touch him, Muten abruptly stopped, twisted his body, and hurled the Hollow into the air.
The lizard Hollow adjusted its posture midair, frantically scanning its surroundings.
Left… right… behind… above!
Muten, wrapped in black flames, descended from the sky. His blood-red eyes stretched into fierce, sinister lines as he crashed down, stomping the lizard Hollow into the ground.
That overwhelming force became unbearable pain. The lizard Hollow opened its mouth to scream, but the burning arm jammed straight inside, choking the sound off.
"No… don't… please…" The bone-deep cold flooding its mouth blurred its words as it begged. Panic-filled eyes reflected Muten's face at point-blank range. "Spare me…"
"Those who kill must die. Those who wound must be punished." Muten's voice was quiet, yet behind the mask a savage roar churned like thunder. "I could spare you, in exchange. Can you bring them back to life?"
The fear in the lizard Hollow's eyes froze, then twisted into vicious resolve. Its newly regrown tail shot forward, stabbing straight at Muten's chest.
"So you really can't…" The black flames on Muten's left arm surged violently. "Neither can I."
Never.
I will never forgive you.
Icy black fire poured into the lizard Hollow's body without restraint, locking it stiff in an instant.
The flames devoured its flesh and blood, hollowing it out, then filling it again.
Its already massive body swelled further, and further still, until it reached a critical point—
Boom!
Muten frowned slightly…
And slowly opened his eyes.
Staring at the familiar ceiling, the chaos in his mind gradually settled.
He had dreamed of something from long ago again.
Turning his head, Muten saw Orihime Inoue and Rukia Kuchiki by the bedside.
The night outside was deep. They must have been keeping watch for a long time, until exhaustion finally overwhelmed them and they fell asleep leaning against the bed.
Muten barely moved, and Orihime Inoue startled awake.
"Muten?" She rubbed her eyes. "You're awake? How do you feel? Does anything hurt especially badly?"
A light screen appeared before Muten's eyes, displaying his current condition.
[Head contusion]
[Cranial contusion and laceration]
[Skull fracture]
[Concussion]
[Facial soft tissue contusion]
[Facial fracture]
[Corneal rupture]
[Eyelid contusion]
[Orbital fracture]
[Rib fracture]
[Intrathoracic hemorrhage]
[Cardiovascular dysfunction]
[Pulmonary tissue rupture]
[Vascular rupture]
[Hepatic hemorrhage]
[Splenic laceration]
[Intestinal rupture]
[Right arm fracture]
[Ligament injury]
The list was so dense it made his eyes spin.
"It's fine now." Muten blinked. "I feel pretty good."
That wasn't entirely bravado.
The Hellish Flames had done serious damage to his body, but at the same time, they'd solved a lot of problems.
Bruising and pooled blood, that sort of thing, had been burned away completely.
It prevented a whole list of nasty complications to a large extent: blood building up in the chest, pneumothorax, intracranial hematomas, bleeding inside the eye, fluid collecting in the abdomen, and more.
With Rukia Kuchiki's timely treatment on top of that, Muten's condition had basically stabilized. And with the Zanpakutō's ability to absorb Reishi assisting, everything was moving in the right direction.
Rukia Kuchiki woke up as well. She frowned slightly as she looked at Muten, like she wanted to say something, but in the end she stayed quiet.
"Are you hungry? I'll make you something…" Orihime Inoue stood up, then immediately felt her legs go numb, like she'd been jolted by electricity. They wouldn't listen to her at all, and she pitched forward uncontrollably. "Wah!"
She flailed, trying to catch herself, but her arms were numb too from being used as a pillow and couldn't support her weight.
Pluuush~
Thankfully, Rukia Kuchiki reacted fast. With a Shinigami's physical conditioning, she managed to catch Orihime Inoue in time, successfully preventing her from falling onto Muten.
"That was close~" Orihime Inoue steadied herself with Rukia Kuchiki's help, then patted her chest, still rattled. "Muten, are you okay?"
Rukia Kuchiki glanced at something on Orihime Inoue that she herself didn't have, then looked back at Muten. "I think he's fine. Other than… being a little disappointed."
Orihime Inoue blinked. "Huh?"
"I actually am a little hungry." Muten gave a light cough and rubbed his stomach. "I'm counting on you, Orihime."
"Leave it to me!" Orihime Inoue clenched her small fist.
Once she left, Muten's room fell quiet.
Muten looked at the silent Rukia Kuchiki. "Say something. My injuries aren't so bad that you need to hold a moment of silence for me, are they?"
"If you keep forcing yourself like this, they'll be bad enough soon." Rukia Kuchiki shot back, clearly annoyed. The deep purple in her eyes dimmed. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had to…"
"I took your power, so your responsibility naturally falls on me," Muten said. "Besides, killing Hollows helps me recover my strength. Even if you hadn't shown up, I would've done the same thing."
He looked out the window.
"This is where I live. I'm willing to fight to protect the beautiful things around me."
Rukia Kuchiki corrected him at once. "Borrowed."
"I wasn't planning on giving it back."
Rukia Kuchiki pressed her lips together, gave a small huff, and replied pointedly, "Yes. It really is 'beautiful.'"
Muten: "…"