Chapter 41: Sword Pressure!
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Could it be... a Greater Hollow?!
Shuhei Hisagi’s eyes widened in terror as he looked at the gigantic creature emerging halfway out of the black cavity.
How is this possible? How could a Greater Hollow appear here?!
A Greater Hollow is a collective term for powerful Hollows, divided into three ranks from low to high: Gillian, Adjuchas, and Vasto Lorde.
Even the lowest-ranked Gillian is far beyond what a group of Shinigami reserves like them could handle, and only a few members of the Thirteenth Division are stronger than a Gillian.
Hisagi quickly flew over to the group of stunned students, shouting loudly, “Run! Get away from here!”
Hisagi’s movements were swift as he rushed to each frightened student, shaking them awake one by one.
“Momozono! Run now!”
Momozono Momo looked at Hisagi in a daze, then pointed toward the rubble ahead. “The captain…”
Shin?!
Hisagi’s heart froze in shock and cold dread.
But the thought passed quickly; he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay calm, grabbing Momozono’s arm. “Move! Now!”
There was no time for anything else, nor could he afford to think about anything else.
As he pulled Momozono away, he took out his communication device to call for help.
“Barrier Squad! Barrier Squad, a Greater Hollow has appeared here!”
But only the crackling sound of a busy line came from the device; no one answered.
“Damn it!”
Hisagi delivered Momozono to Kira and Renji, instructing, “Take her and get out of here!”
At that moment, Aoshika approached Hisagi and asked, “Hisagi, what do we do?”
What could they do? A Gillian-class Greater Hollow was far beyond their ability to handle.
The students scattered in panic, chaos erupting everywhere, but this was a special training zone filled with Hollows. Although their strength was weak, their numbers were many. The students, still shaken, struggled to deal with the sudden onslaught of smaller Hollows and quickly suffered casualties.
“Where’s Kanisawa?”
Hisagi’s mind was in turmoil. He didn’t know what to do. For some reason, he couldn’t reach the Barrier Squad. How could they call for backup?
That Greater Hollow—if he put all his effort into stopping it, could he hold it off for a while?
Just as he pondered this, a figure suddenly charged unhesitatingly toward the Gillian.
It was Kanisawa!
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Hisagi’s heart jumped as he made out the figure.
The Gillian’s size was enormous, with only half of its body emerging from the dark cavity.
Kanisawa swung his blade at the Gillian’s arm, but the shallow strike couldn’t harm it at all. The Hollow’s tough body sent numbness through Kanisawa’s hands instead.
The Greater Hollow seemed angered by Kanisawa’s attack and suddenly raised its massive palm to strike down.
That palm was so huge that when it hovered above Kanisawa’s head, it felt as if the entire sky was collapsing down!
Kanisawa looked up in shock as the hand came closer. From a distance, Hisagi rushed over desperately, wanting to rescue him, but it was too late.
“Kanisawa! Quickly—”
Before he could finish, a dazzling white blade flashed upward, slicing the giant palm clean in two!
Boom!
The severed half of the hand fell beside Kanisawa’s head as the Gillian howled in pained agony.
From the ruins the Gillian had smashed moments ago, a figure slowly stood up.
Kanisawa and Hisagi were momentarily stunned, then both rejoiced.
“Shin!”
Shin let out a short breath, standing with his blade in hand. Though he had been struck into the rubble moments ago, he appeared unscathed, his clothes untouched.
“Shin! I’m so glad you’re okay!”
Hisagi and Kanisawa quickly stepped to his side.
“Shin, we can’t contact the Barrier Squad. We’re isolated here!” Hisagi quickly explained the situation.
Shin’s expression was calm. “You two guide and protect the others. Leave this place to me.”
“Alone?” Kanisawa couldn’t help but ask. She wanted to say this was a Greater Hollow, but then recalled how Shin had just severed the giant palm with near-physical sword pressure.
“Go!”
Shin was succinct, turning his gaze toward the Gillian.
By now, the entire body of the Gillian had fully emerged from the dark cavity. From such close proximity, its oppressive presence was overwhelming, towering as the largest thing in this seaside town.
Its glowing red eyes were fixed intently on Shin, furious that Shin had severed its hand. It roared and opened its colossal mouth, gathering a massive spiritual pressure within.
Shin did not rush to attack but instead assessed the surrounding situation.
The spiritual threads in the area were chaotic, and the Gillian’s spiritual pressure nearly blanketed the entire town.
Fortunately, Shin confirmed that no students had died yet, but among the Hollows, another creature of similar spiritual pressure to the first giant one had appeared.
Could Hisagi and the others handle this?
Shin frowned in thought, lightly gripping his blade Shallow Strike and slowly sheathing it. When he looked up, the spiritual energy gathered in the Gillian’s mouth was almost ready to be unleashed.
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The red spiritual flash was about to shoot forth.
In that instant, Shin leapt upward, converging spiritual energy beneath his feet to form his footing, instantly reaching the height of the giant’s head.
“This must be a special gift sent for me... quite the grand gesture.”
In the darkness, two pairs of eyes locked onto each other. A faint smile appeared on Shin’s calm face.
Shing!
Shallow Strike was unsheathed, shining coldly in the night as it lunged straight at the Greater Hollow’s face!
The sword pressure tore through its mask, splitting its skull, and flew far away in the high air.
Shin landed gracefully and vanished in an instant before the giant’s body could collapse.
Meanwhile, Hisagi, protecting the students’ retreat, faced a serious challenge. This was a large Hollow, though not as terrifying as the Gillian. Its spiritual pressure was similar to the first one Shin had slain.
Hisagi, Kanisawa, and Aoshika struggled to hold it back, soon joined by Renji Abarai, Kira Izuru, and Momozono Momo.
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