The familiarity of my abandoned building that has become my pseudo home for the time being. I was absolutely ecstatic about my gains, but I was also kind of tired at this point and the thought of just throwing myself into my bed sounded great.
Right, Zanpakutō, Kido, and even some other things I didn't quite anticipate but am happy to have taken.
Things didn't really go as planned…..
[Yeah, what happened to quiet and subtle infiltration?]
"I kind of stopped giving a shit halfway through after seeing the state of that place." I admitted completely.
Why the fuck is there poverty in Heaven?
…I lied by accident to that little girl. I can only hope that she passed through the cycle of reincarnation and didn't get stuck in Soul Society. She didn't have that much Reiatsu, so I'm hoping she didn't get dropped somewhere, least of all, the outer districts that were literally slums.
Finding her would be practically impossible. There had to be tens of millions of people in the Rukongai. And It's not like that wisp of Divine Power stayed with her, that was just asking for trouble. It was dispersed as soon as she entered the realm that encompassed Soul Society.
What an absolutely cluster fuck that afterlife is.
God, and I'm going to have to explain this whole thing to Izzy. I have no idea how a Death God would react to how shitty that place is. Yomi isn't really a place for people to live¸ so the comparison isn't really honest. But even compared to Hades, Soul Society was absolute trash.
When I point out that the Greek Gods are better...you know it's pretty messed up. Though Hades isn't nearly as bad as his Olympian family.
But I shouldn't get too worked up. It's really none of my business, they've been operating for an undetermined amount of time, clearly this is just how things work here. Could I even overturn this whole process if I wanted to?
I don't have the means or the time to recreate a system of the afterlife.
Sure, I could ask Izzy for help among others, but I don't really feel like it's right to meddle with it unless things really turn pear shaped later.
I'll just keep an eye on the situation for now, no need for me to make a bigger mess than I already have. I freely admit that I ran a little rampant in Soul Society, but there's a fine line between what I did and truly causing damage.
Ugh, just thinking about it is going to annoy me more.
I'll just take a nap and see how I feel later.
Thankfully I keep a spare bed stored away. I need to get the Archmage something nice for the Ring he made me. Otherwise I may have taken a lot longer to do something similar.
…there is the Peach Wine I still need to ask Venelana to make. I think it's safe to say that he has a jar reserve with his name on it. He was so extraordinarily helpful to me when I was in desperate need of support.
Getting ready to just jump right on my newly placed bed, I heard a familiar roar reverberate outside.
That was definitely a Hollow.
….and I did just get a new shiny Zanpakutō recently.
Fuck it, I can nap after grabbing myself a Hollow for later. Big G in my spear knows that I was having trouble finding a Hollow before.
I stepped outside to get some directions and vaguely sense out the Hollow until I stopped in my tracks.
I know I wasn't the most keen on sensing Reiatsu and such. Something I certainly need to train, and perhaps it was muddled based on being in a town full of above average for the people living here. But….what the fuck.
Hollows, Hollows everywhere.
I counted at least three dozen in the sky above the town, just sitting there. And I was absolutely positive that wasn't all there was running around the city.
So, I repeat, what the fuck.
The Lightning began crackling under my feet as I eyed the ones in my surroundings. Or rather, the closest ones I could reach at a moment's notice.
With a loud thunderclap, I moved towards the town, jumping across the rooftops to get a better view. I came to a stop to see a Hollow built like a Gorilla, showing some of the same mannerisms as it walked down the street, leaving cracked pavement in its wake.
My new Zanpakutō was already in my hand as I shot down at it, leaving a trail of lightning in my wake. It didn't have much of a chance to even roar in defiance as I slid across the ground, slicing at it from underneath, leaving a large wound on its underbelly.
I flicked my wrist, cutting through its nearest leg, making it fall to the ground and finishing it off with a quick slash at the back of the neck. The massive Hollow thumped to the ground, dissipating within moments.
For a second, I briefly admired how clean it felt to use this Zanpakutō as opposed to a 'normal' sword of mine. A tool specifically designed for such a thing; I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise.
I couldn't even properly admire my new treasure at the moment, it was making me a little annoyed.
And to my surprise, I saw another Hollow out of the corner of my eye. Not that it was surprising to see a Hollow, but this one was tiny.
"Bakudo #1, Sai." I cast, pointing my finger at a little gecko-like Hollow that was climbing a nearby building.
Its limbs immediately became bound and it fell down. It was smaller than a person, maybe about the size of a dog. Which….was large comparatively to its animal counterpart, but it was tiny compared to every Hollow I've met thus far.
I took the extra moment to inspect it just because I didn't want to be surprised if there was something strange about it. It had a hole just like a normal Hollow, and it had a Mask, like a normal Hollow.
Though, it opened its mouth and breathed fire when I got close. I flared my Aura to negate it, but it was still something that caught me mildly off guard. I could more or less gauge its strength by how much my Aura depleted, so it was weak enough not for me to consider it any longer.
I slammed my Sword through its head when I got close, killing it easily.
I hesitated just a little because the next closest one was more inside the actual town, and it was the middle of the day. The Hollow can't be seen by normal people, even if they can feel the effects. But they'll see me performing supernatural feats…..
Annoying.
Just as I was about to decide on a course of action, I noticed an abyss open up in the sky. Space was being torn open on a massive scale. A black void devoid of life revealed itself and a hand reached through unto our world. The space around the abyss cracked, the large white hand grabbing at the seams of reality that blended at the two points of collision. Another Hand soon made its appearance, also grabbing at the edges, and something pulled itself through the void.
A gigantic face appeared, donned in a White Mask.
Its size gave me pause.
The void that it emerged from began to enlarge, shattering the normal space as to make room for its massive form to step through.
To call it big was a bit of an understatement here. It was bigger than the form that Susanoo took when I fought him. It easily dwarfed the tallest buildings in this town. Hell, the big hollows I've faced so far were smaller than merely its head.
The thing was…odd in shape. It was a little elongated as it mimicked the form of a humanoid. It was as if someone wore a costume, a black cloak with an attached Mask as there were no other predominant features beyond the huge hole on its chest and the white feet and hands.
The most color came from its glowing red eyes that seemed to scan the city below.
A single step it took onto this plane of reality shook the city itself.
And like that, my plans slightly changed.
I looked around and found a good target a little ways away and moved with haste.
[***]
I had been eyeing that thing since it emerged from where it had been hiding.
It hadn't moved in the past couple minutes, which I was thankful for. I was confident in being able to deal with it….but I also had concerns.
Just….how many souls did that thing make up? Hollows should grow in strength by consuming souls, how many did it take for that disgusting creature to be born? How many would I doom if I destroyed it for the sake of this town?
Sure, I had a Zanpakutō, but there's only so much I can do about that gigantic fucking thing in the middle of the day with everyone being alert.
It was a really shitty situation, not to mention there were still dozens of Hollows running rampant.
Really, it seemed like that big fuck off Hollow wasn't that intelligent. Perhaps when that many Souls converge into a single being, it loses its own coherent thought process?
These other Hollows were animalistic in nature, but they still retained some degree of thought. This one just seemed…..mostly vacant.
But, I sorta had a plan, I think.
However… I did stop for a moment as someone familiar approached.
A little black cat jumped up to the building I was standing on.
"Yoruichi?' I looked over.
"Hey, I noticed you up here! Guess you saw the Hollows everywhere."
"You mean the dozens of building sized ones casually hovering and walking the city looking for meals? Or the big fuck off Hollow that could use those Hollows as snacks?" I said dryly. "What the hell is going on? I had trouble finding a Hollow here or there the other day and now…this?"
"Well –" Yoruichi paused. "Is that a Zanpakutō." He looked at my sword.
"Yes, it is. Now focus on the problem at hand." I knew for a fact that he would bring it up later, but now was obviously not the time.
"But…how…?" He opened his mouth after a moment and closed it. "Later, alright. Yeah, don't worry too much about the Hollows, we have it handled."
"Have it handled?" I looked out at the town. "Yoruichi, that's not gonna cut it. I killed some Hollows on the way here, and there are still more. What the hell is going on?"
"A Quincy brat that lives in town used some Hollow Bait. He was competing with Strawberry for some reason or something, and then all these Hollows popped up and the Menos Grande appeared, which shouldn't have happened. Hollow Bait doesn't work that well." He briefly explained.
"Menos Grande? Why is it Spanish?" I questioned, looking at the big huge Hollow looming over the town. "It doesn't matter. Hollow Bait? The fuck is that?"
"Right, you're new to this stuff. Uh, it's exactly as it sounds, bait to attract Hollows. It's good for seeking them out of hiding places."
"And this….kid? Quincy kid – I thought they were extinct or something." I shook my head, ignoring that because it didn't matter at the moment. "He….knowingly used something to attract Hollows – Soul Eating monsters – into a city filled with souls that have above average Reiatsu due to this place being the highest concentration of Reishi, probably in the entire world. Did I get that right?"
"It's fine, we got it handled."
"This doesn't look like it's 'being handled." I snorted. "You know this kid? Wait, are you involved?"
"Not really involved, but we're paying attention, it's fine."
"Yoruichi, what the fuck? There are literal soul eating monsters walking around, that's not fine." I spat out at his utter disregard. "This is very much not okay. I can't claim to be the most morally upright person, I've done things I regret, and I've killed many people. However, Yoruichi, this crosses a line. You're a little shit, but I do kinda enjoy having you around. But if you're actually involved in something like this, for what ever reason, helping bring in Monsters that could eat random and innocent people….."
"Look, I wasn't involved, alright? We're trying to clean this up as best as possible, but my friend also is trying to help the kids out with something." Yoruichi sighed. "It's not like I let Hollows eat people, I was a Shinigami for a long time and took my duties seriously. I'm mainly the person who cleans up the Hollows that appear every night!"
"….I'm going to put a stop to this. I don't care what's going on, I'm ending it. Bringing innocent people into messes like this is a line I draw and will hold everyone accountable for."
"Fuck, if you wanna take them out, I won't tell you not to. It's not like I want them here any more than you do." He grumbled. "I was killing them before I came over. But how are you going to 'end' this?"
Well, that was a thought I had myself a few minutes ago, and I had a solution I believe would work.
The important thing was making sure that I didn't harm the souls within the hollow that it consumed. Destroying a Hollow improperly would damn those souls just as much as its own.
Hence, a Shinigami's Zanpakutō purifies the Hollows it kills and frees the souls to properly move on.
My Divinity should be more than sufficient.
I already tested it, my Divinity has that kind of reaction on Hollows from what I've discovered.
I held my hand up to the sky and my Divinity bubbled to the surface as I called upon the barest hint of my Authority. I didn't have to actualize it into the world, I had a perfect medium to tap into its power.
"Strun Ba Qo!" I announced with a thunderclap and the sky immediately darkened.
"What the hell!?" Yoruichi exclaimed at the sudden change. "Did you just change the weather!?"
The Storms answer my call, I just need the quickest method to gather it.
The air above crackled violently with the barely contained power.
I looked at the Hollows in the air, and eyed everyone I could see from up here. I made a mental note of them then clenched my hand tight. "Strike." I commanded, and the storm answered.
Every Hollow I saw was targeted.
Lightning rained down from the sky, smiting every unholy spirit that existed with my vision and my domain.
Even the big guy got hit, a large bolt of lightning slamming down above.
It was almost knocked off balance, its massive form stuttering, and it nearly fell over before catching itself. Each movement bringing about a small earthquake to the surroundings.
"Holy shit!" Yoruichi looked at me in shock. "But a Menos needs a little more than that to take it out. But holy crap, that was insane! Can all Wizards do that? What did you say? I didn't understand those words, but they felt heavy." Yoruichi prattled on.
"I cleared up the majority of them. You said that you had it handled, I assume you have helpers?" I asked, ignoring his question for now.
"Yeah, we had people going around taking care of them. This should be – "
The Massive Hollow turned its gaze towards us and its mouth opened, revealing a gathering of Reiatsu at an impressive quantity. It condensed and took form into a huge ball of energy.
"Shit, that's a Cero! And it's pumping a shit ton of Reiatsu into it. If it hits the city, it'll take out a few blocks easily." Yoruichi looked like he was about to make a move, and while I was curious to see what he would do, my trust right now was at its lowest at how this whole thing was handled.
At this point, I was already this knee deep into whatever was happening, may as well clean up properly.
I held up my hand to the sky again. "Come." I commanded, and a bolt of Lightning fell from the sky and I squeezed it between my fingers.
I drained what power remained within the clouds for this bit and condensed it into a usable form. It took shape, crackling along a bright shaft-like amalgamation, vaguely resembling a spear.
Taking a step forward, I reeled my arm back and threw it towards the Hollow.
It soared through the air, and slammed right into the conglomeration of energy it was gathering, dispersing it and continued onward, erupting into a sphere of electrical discharge within the massive maw of the thing.
The head of the Hollow exploded with a loud thunder clap, the remains of the massive thing swayed back and forth, dissipating quickly under the command of my Divine Lightning, properly sending off all the contained souls it had devoured of its existence.
I was prepared to intervene, but the body didn't collapse downward before it fully dispersed from the mortal world.
"God damn." Yoruichi muttered. "Are you really human?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" I looked at him.
"….That isn't something a Human should be able to do..."
"I know plenty of humans who can accomplish similar feats."
Yoruichi looked at me silently, apparently having trouble formulating a response.
"The kid who used this 'Hollow bait', is he nearby?" I asked.
"…He's down below with Strawberry, why?"
"I'm going to have a chat with him about his actions." I put away my Zanpakutō, kind of wishing I had my brick at this moment because I felt like I was going to need it.
"….alright, but I'm coming with."
"That's fine, lead the way." I gestured.
[***]
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