As the leader fell, its body already beginning to disintegrate, Kiyota leapt back with a backflip, barely sticking the landing. Kiyota winced in pain from his previous injuries.
"Level up."
"Level up."
"Level up."
"Level up." Siri's voice rang four times, back to back.
'Damn, that hurt,' Kiyota thought, clutching his shoulder. 'But I did it. I killed the leader! One down, two to go.'
His happiness was cut short as the remaining two hollows turned towards him, their eyes filled with rage as they roared.
'Shit, they're fast...'
Kiyota's mind raced as the two enraged hollows charged towards him. 'I need to act fast!'
With a burst of reiatsu, Kiyota created an illusory clone of himself, standing bravely in front of the approaching hollows. As they focused on the clone, Kiyota vanished, using his invisibility technique to circle around behind them. The humanoid hollow with multiple arms reached the clone first, its claws slashing through the illusion.
"What?!" it roared in confusion as the image dissipated.
Seizing the moment of confusion, Kiyota reappeared behind the humanoid hollow, his hand crackling with the intense energy of his Chidori.
"Die!" he shouted, driving his lightning-covered palm through the hollow's back and out through its mask.
The humanoid hollow let out a piercing shriek as it disintegrated, but Kiyota had no time to celebrate. The lizard-like hollow, reacted immediately to the humanoid hollow's death, it whipped its head around to face Kiyota and spewed a stream of corrosive green acid from glands near its jaw.
"Level up."
Kiyota attempted to dodge, launching himself into an awkward backwards cartwheel. He landed gracefully, but not before the acid caught the left side of his face. The pain was immediate and intense.
"AAARGH!" Kiyota shrieked, clutching his burning face. The acid sizzled against his skin, leaving angry red welts and blisters.
Fighting through the agony, Kiyota forced himself to focus. 'I can't stop, I don't have, time. I have to end this now!'
With another burst of reiatsu, Kiyota turned invisible once more. The lizard hollow's eyes darted around frantically, searching for its prey.
Drawing on his last reserves of strength and reiatsu, Kiyota created one final giant illusion. A perfect replica of the recently slain dinosaur hollow leader. The image flickered into existence right in front of the lizard hollow.
The effect was immediate. The lizard hollow recoiled in fear and confusion, its reptilian eyes wide with shock. "B-boss? But how...?"
Taking advantage of the hollow's distraction, Kiyota silently circled behind it. With a final surge of energy, he dispelled his invisibility and lunged forward, his Chidori blazing.
"DIE!" Kiyota yelled, driving his lightning-covered hand through the back of the lizard hollow's skull. The hollow didn't even have time to scream, as Kiyota's attack shattered its mask and obliterated its head, spraying a fountain of blood.
As the final hollow disintegrated, Kiyota collapsed to his knees, exhausted and in excruciating pain. The left side of his face throbbed and burned from the acid, and his entire body ached from the intense battle.
"Quest complete, rewards given."
"Level up."
"Level up," Siri's voice chimed, but Kiyota barely registered it.
'I... I did it,' he thought, his vision blurring.
As the adrenaline faded, the full extent of his injuries became apparent. Kiyota's once handsome face was now destroyed on the left. His skin was waxy and pink with charred spots and bubbles. The immense amount of pain caused kiyota to pass out.After a few hours, Kiyota's eyes fluttered open. He groaned, his body stiff from sleeping on the hard, rocky ground of Hueco Mundo. As consciousness fully returned, he braced himself for the pain that had overwhelmed him earlier, but to his surprise, it was significantly reduced. Kiyota sat up, his hand instinctively going to his shoulder where the deep cut had been. His eyes widened in disbelief as he felt smooth, unbroken skin.
"What the...?" he muttered, examining the area closely. There wasn't even a scar.
'This is impossible,' Kiyota thought, amazed. 'A wound like that would take months to heal for a normal human, and it would definitely leave a scar.'
However, as he touched the left side of his face, he winced. The acid burn was still there, though it felt less severe than before.
"Siri, open status panel," Kiyota commanded, curious about what had happened during his rest.
The familiar holographic panel appeared before him:
---
---
Host: Kiyota Jin
Level: 10
EXP: 10/500
Health: 170/250
Dexterity: 240
Strength: 210
Reiatsu: 0/750
Remaining status points: 15
Skills: Danger Stop, Basic Genjutsu, Chidori, Regeneration
Shop: Unavailable (Unlocks at level 25)
---
Kiyota's eyes widened as he saw the new skill. "Regeneration? Is that how I healed so quickly?"
"Affirmative," Siri responded. "The Regeneration skill was acquired as a reward for completing your quest. It allows for accelerated healing of injuries, but at the cost of reiatsu."
Kiyota nodded, understanding why his reiatsu was completely depleted. "So it uses reiatsu passively to heal me, even when I'm unconscious?"
"Correct," Siri confirmed. "The more severe the injury, the more reiatsu it consumes. Your shoulder wound required a significant amount of energy to heal completely."
Kiyota touched his face again, feeling the rough, damaged skin. "But why isn't my face fully healed?"
"The acid burn is a more complex injury," Siri explained. "It will take more time and reiatsu to heal completely. Additionally, your reiatsu was depleted before the healing process could finish."
Kiyota sighed, but felt a surge of relief and excitement.
"Well, at least I'm not in constant pain anymore," he said, slowly standing up.
"5 hollows within a 200-metre radius, rapidly approaching." Siri said.'What the hell?! Again?' Kiyota exclaimed, his heart racing.
He quickly scanned the area, his eyes landing on a small opening in the wall a short distance away.
'I don't have any reiatsu...'
"There is only one way..." Siri replied.
'Fine, let's do the hollowfication.'
"I'll make sure you won't turn into a full hollow," Siri said, assuring Kiyota.
Kiyota closed his eyes, suddenly a wave of pain assaulted his body. His head was spinning, his eyes felt heavy. Suddenly, the world turned black. A scream escaped kiyota's lips as he fell to the floor. Kiyota's body was twisting and morphing horrifically, and he felt his insides on fire, melting and reshaping. Kiyota's scream vibrated on the walls, and it slowly transitioned into a screeching roar.
"Hollowfication has been completed." Siri's voice whispered in Kiyota's ear.