"By the One-Eyed Great God above, I'll definitely settle accounts with Kaoru-sensei when I get back!" Akira grumbled, hanging up the phone with a throbbing headache.
Half a year ago, he was a weak youth who had to run away even from ordinary Hollows. Now, he had to survive being hunted by both a Menos Grande and a group of Hollows.
Senjumaru really thought highly of him.
"This Hadō can temporarily hold back the Hollow group, now we just need to focus on dealing with the Menos Grande. Though it's unclear whether we're facing a Gillian or an Adjuchas..." Aizen analyzed calmly, showing no signs of panic.
"Could it be a Vasto Lorde?" Akira chimed in, immediately receiving looks that suggested he was an idiot.
Whether they could survive an encounter with an Adjuchas was one thing, but if it was a Vasto Lorde, they'd only need to consider which way of dying would be more dignified.
As the two were conversing, the distant ground began trembling again. Reiatsu solidified and spread through cracks in all directions like ripples, causing everything in its path to shudder.
Witnessing this scene, Akira exclaimed how terrifying it was. He had imagined encountering a Menos countless times, but none of those scenarios matched the current situation.
Heavy pressure continuously extended from underground. The ground collapsed into huge holes as fresh soil sank in, and sharp limbs gleaming with cold light crawled out until fully revealed before the two.
It was still a member of the Gillian family, but its body was several times larger than its relatives, with limbs on either side being several meters tall.
When it appeared completely, its massive body cast shadows, bringing a suffocating sense of pressure. On its pale mask, two crimson lights flickered, emanating the cruelty of an apex predator.
Menos Grande — Adjuchas!
"Sōsuke, this time..."
"You take the lead attack, I'll support with Kidō."
"???"
You're stealing my line, aren't you?
He seriously suspected that Aizen had secretly learned some forbidden Kidō technique to read others' thoughts. Otherwise, why would he say exactly what he was thinking?
"Are you sure you're not joking?" Akira raised his right hand, pointing at his bulging bicep, "With those skinny arms and legs of mine, I might fall apart from just one hit."
Aizen glanced at him and replied gravely, "I still need to maintain the Daichi Ten'yō (Hadō), or we'll face attacks from both the Hollow group and the Menos Grande at once."
"If you can guarantee... Ha! Watch me cut down this mere Adjuchas in one strike!" Akira's expression hardened as he rolled up his sleeves, his Reiatsu beginning to surge.
The Adjuchas fixed its gaze on the two insects before it, letting out a roar that materialized into sound waves. These waves pierced through the forest, drilling holes through thick trees as they rushed toward Akira.
Countless trees swayed and fell, dust billowing amid the rumbling.
⤫ Tenrin Raikou ⥤ Celestial Lightning Arc! ⤬
With barely a moment to react, Akira gripped his sword with both hands, unleashing a powerful slash that struck the incoming sound waves head-on.
Boom!
The collision between lightning and sound waves sent invisible shockwaves in all directions, tearing cracks in the ground.
"Tch, so this is an Adjuchas?" Akira stared at the furrows beneath his feet and his trembling hands, a wave of helplessness washing over him.
He couldn't even withstand the enemy's roar. He was too weak. At this rate, would there ever be a place for him on that throne in the sky?
Self-doubt gnawed at his heart.
"Sōsuke, don't forget to support me!" He forced his confidence to resurface, his fighting spirit surging as his Reiatsu fluctuated wildly.
The Adjuchas's limbs began moving, charging at their position like a runaway truck.
Akira let out a low roar to steel his nerves, then charged forward with his sword, ready to face death.
Aizen watched his back, words caught in his throat. He wondered whether to tell the priest that the sound wave attack he'd just blocked was actually the Menos's primary attack — second in power only to the charging Cero.
From Akira's reaction, he had clearly misunderstood something.
Still, blocking an Adjuchas's full-power attack was remarkable. With merely a Seated Officer's Reiatsu, he had managed this much. Perhaps he wouldn't need much help to defeat this enemy...
Akira's body tensed like a tightly drawn bowstring, his powerful Reiatsu flowing continuously like rippling water.
⤫ Jigoku Raijin Zan ⥤ Hellish Thunder God Slash! ⤬
As he approached, Reiatsu burst from his blade in scattered arcs of lightning, cracking like thunder before a storm.
Boom!!
Blade met limbs with a metallic clash that echoed through the forest.
Akira poured every ounce of his Reiatsu into the strike. Though far weaker than the Adjuchas, his unusual Spiritual Body helped bridge the gap between them.
Their forces locked in stalemate.
⤫ Hadō #31: Shakkahō ⥤ Red Fire Cannon! ⤬
Aizen's calm voice rang out from behind as his support arrived.
A blast of scorching energy struck the Adjuchas' pale mask with perfect accuracy, erupting into a torrent of flames.
Boom!
The pale mask, now covered in scorch marks, opened wide as the Adjuchas roared.
The battle's intensity surged to new heights.
To Akira's surprise, this Menos Grande wasn't as formidable as he'd imagined. Its massive body limited its mobility in close combat, making hit-and-run tactics highly effective.
Despite his modest Hohō skills, Akira's powerful Spiritual Body, light frame, and Byakurai traits allowed him to dart in and out of range. There was just one problem — his Reiatsu was running low.
As a Rank 10 Spirit Class holder, the realization hit him — his MP was nearly depleted.
"Sōsuke, draw its aggro for a bit." He called without looking back, "I need to charge up a big move."
Though Aizen didn't fully grasp the gaming terminology, he understood the intent. He glanced at their crumbling barrier — the Hollow group was approaching, and time was running out.
"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six."
A calm, unwavering voice rose amid the deafening roars as Aizen gazed steadily ahead.
Since Hadō spells of equal level hadn't been enough to kill the Adjuchas, he would have to place his hopes in his unreliable friend...
⤫ Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō ⥤ Six Rods Prison of Light! ⤬
Brilliant beams of light descended from the sky, sealing both the creature's foremost limbs and temporarily binding its grotesque head in place.
As Aizen completed the incantation, he noticed an absolute darkness beginning to envelope the battlefield.
With Akira at its center, black ink flowed continuously from the single-eye decoration on his white clothing, tracing an otherworldly shadow behind him — sacred yet eerily disturbing.
The very Reishi in the air began to distort...
⤫⤬⤫
T/N: Terms to remember:
Menos Grande or Menos — Are conglomerations of hundreds of normal Hollows, resulting in a single composite entity of far greater strength than any normal Hollow.
Gillian — Lowest Great Hollow
Adjuchas — Intermediate Great Hollow
Vasto Lorde — Highest Great Hollow
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