Chapter 11: Yoruichi Shihoin |
The 2nd District of the southern Rukongai.
Accompanied by a violent surge of Reiatsu that enveloped the open square, a black rift tore through the sky, vomiting a horde of terrifying monsters. These creatures varied wildly in size and shape, yet all shared pitch-black bodies and wore distinct white masks.
Hollows from Hueco Mundo!
When the soul of a deceased human fails to pass from the living world to the Soul Society due to lingering regrets, it undergoes a period of spiritual torment. Eventually, it loses its heart and transforms into a malevolent spirit capable of traversing freely between the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo.
Over time, simply devouring ordinary human souls in the living world is no longer enough for some Hollows. They venture into the Soul Society to hunt and consume souls with more potent spiritual energy—sometimes even targeting the Shinigami of the Gotei 13.
Hollows, souls, Shinigami, humans.
In the grand design of the current world, the Soul King established a nearly perfect balance between them.
At that moment, dozens of powerful souls clad in the black robes of the Shinigami were engaged in a fierce struggle against the invading Hollows. The once peaceful and spacious square of the 2nd District had been instantly transformed into a bloody and merciless battlefield.
At the center of the vast square stood three towering Hollows, radiating far more oppressive Reiatsu than the others.
When hundreds of Hollows ruthlessly devour one another, a Gillian can be born, possessing spiritual power far exceeding that of any ordinary Hollow.
Typically, a Gillian's strength is comparable to that of a Lieutenant of the Gotei 13!
Boom!
Marenoshin Omaeda, Lieutenant of the Second Division, was locked in a grueling battle with two of the Gillians. His facial muscles were taut with strain, and cold sweat beaded on his cheeks, betraying the dire nature of the situation.
Marenoshin was confident he could defeat a Gillian in a one-on-one fight, but two at once was a different story entirely. It was beyond what an average Lieutenant like him could handle. Even temporarily holding them back was an exhausting feat, let alone securing a victory.
"Lieutenant! We can't keep this up! We need to do something!"
The third and fourth officers of the Second Division, who were busy containing the third Gillian, looked anxiously at the Garganta hanging in the sky. Hollows continued to pour through the rift. "The Hollows are drawn to the high concentration of Reishi, and we don't have enough hands to close the Garganta..."
"Don't panic! Just keep your opponent busy!"
Marenoshin Omaeda barked, blocking another strike from a Gillian with his Zanpakuto. "The Captain has already been notified! Support should be arriving any moment now!"
It was reasonable to expect swift reinforcements, given that the 2nd District sat in the shadow of the Seireitei.
Marenoshin addressed his officers while struggling against the pair of Gillians. "Exploit their slowness and stupidity to buy time. Luckily, there are only three of them—"
However.
Just as the words left his mouth, a massive skeletal hand reached out from the black Garganta, prying the rift wider.
Moments later, the hulking head of yet another Gillian emerged from the void!
"Damn it..."
The Second Division Lieutenant gritted his teeth and cursed. Exactly what he feared most had happened right after he'd spoken!
'I probably should have kept my mouth shut...'
Whoosh!
The new Gillian surveyed its surroundings before swinging its massive arm directly at Marenoshin.
Since the Lieutenant was already occupied with two Gillians, the arrival of a third immediately put him at a severe disadvantage. Marenoshin leaped aside and swung his Zanpakuto, but he couldn't entirely evade the third Gillian's blow.
Thud!
Marenoshin’s arm shuddered violently, and his Zanpakuto slipped from his grasp as it collided with the Gillian's massive limb.
Fling!
The disarmed Zanpakuto spun dozens of meters into the air, leaving its master completely defenseless.
'Looks like I'm in trouble...'
The Lieutenant gritted his teeth and looked up, intending to snatch his falling sword, but two massive Gillian palms swept toward him from different directions, forcing him to retreat.
Marenoshin could only watch helplessly as his Zanpakuto cartwheeled through the air several times before burying itself in the ground to the left of the giant Gillian.
He had barely held off two Gillians with his blade; facing three of them without a weapon was out of the question.
"Lieutenant!" "Lieutenant Omaeda!"
The Shinigami nearby shouted in alarm. Their hearts sank and cold sweat broke out on their brows as they realized their leader had lost his primary weapon.
'It's over! We're finished!!'
As Marenoshin stared at the three Gillians who had no intention of letting him retrieve his sword, only one brief thought crossed his mind.
But at that exact moment, a figure behind one of the massive Gillians caught his eye. The stranger calmly reached out, gripped the hilt of the Zanpakuto, and pulled it from the earth in one smooth motion.
Marenoshin shouted, grasping at this sudden lifeline, even though he could see the stranger wasn't one of his men. "Great! Throw it to me!"
"Catch."
Yeruashi replied calmly and stepped forward, hurling the blade toward Marenoshin.
However.
One of the Gillians sensed the movement behind it and lashed out with a massive hand, intercepting the flying sword.
"No!"
Marenoshin went deathly pale.
But just as the Lieutenant imagined his Zanpakuto being batted away by that massive skeletal hand and the three Gillians subsequently crushing him into the dirt, something incredible happened.
His Zanpakuto, which seemed to be spinning slowly through the air, didn't fly off when it struck the Gillian's arm. Instead, it sliced right through the bone!
What was more, the blade didn't slow down in the slightest.
The spinning sword cleaved through the Gillian's body without any visible resistance, arced through the air, and thudded into the ground directly in front of the Second Division Lieutenant.
"What the hell..."
Omaeda stood frozen in shock.
The other Shinigami, who had been watching in terror, dropped their jaws. They slowly turned their heads to stare at Yeruashi, who stood relaxed behind the bisected Gillian, as if nothing of importance had just occurred.
The most fundamental aspect of the conflict between Hollows and Shinigami is the clash of Reiatsu. If there is a massive disparity in spiritual pressure, the weaker side cannot inflict even a scratch on the stronger side, no matter how hard they try.
While Marenoshin’s Zanpakuto was certainly sharp enough to pierce a Gillian's hide, it usually required the hand of its master—someone with the Reiatsu of a Gotei 13 Lieutenant—to do so. An ordinary soul without sufficient spiritual pressure shouldn't have been able to damage a Gillian at all, regardless of the weapon!
In other words...
The fact that Yeruashi could bisect a Gillian simply by throwing a sword proved that his Reiatsu was at least on the level of a Gotei 13 Lieutenant. Anything else would defy common sense.
As Omaeda reeled from the absurdity of the situation, the remaining Gillians swung their massive skeletal arms at him, completely indifferent to the death of their 'comrade.'
!"
The Gillians were eager to crush the Lieutenant into a bloody pulp and feast upon his potent spiritual energy.
Marenoshin Omaeda quickly regained his composure, but by then, the Gillians' skeletal claws were already looming over his head. He swung his sword up to meet the falling limbs, but it only marginally slowed their descent.
Yeruashi, still standing behind the monsters, casually lowered the hand he'd used to throw the sword and turned his head toward a specific point on the horizon, showing no intention of taking another step.
Flash!
At that precise moment, a blurred silhouette appeared at the edge of the square from that very direction. The dozens of Shinigami present saw nothing; they only felt a vague sense that something had flickered past them.
The blur swept past the two remaining Gillians and skidded to a halt about ten meters behind them.
Yeruashi saw a petite woman with purple hair and a stunning physique. She was dressed in tight black pants that accentuated her slender legs and narrow waist.
The Captain of the Second Division of the Gotei 13—Yoruichi Shihoin!
The massive skeletal claws that were about to crush Omaeda froze mid-air. Then, the giant Gillians simultaneously shattered into fragments and dissolved without a trace, as if they had been dipped in invisible acid.
"Captain!"
Omaeda felt like he could burst into tears.
Yoruichi flashed a smile at her Lieutenant and vanished. She blurred across the square, weaving between the dozens of Hollows like a weightless leaf dancing in the wind.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
As Yoruichi moved, the last Gillian fell, followed by every other Hollow. None of them could offer even the slightest resistance to the fastest Captain of the Gotei 13.
Every Hollow was ruthlessly purged within seconds.
Whoosh.
Yoruichi then returned to the center of the square and looked at Yeruashi with interest, her hands resting on her slender hips. "You have some impressive Reiatsu if you can kill a Gillian so easily using my Lieutenant's Zanpakuto. It's been a while since I've encountered such a strong soul on the streets of the Rukongai. I assume you're a local?"
In the Soul Society, Reiatsu is the ultimate measure of a soul's strength and potential. While most powerful souls are concentrated in the Seireitei, the Rukongai is vast enough that formidable individuals like Zaraki or Toshiro Hitsugaya occasionally emerge from its fringes.
Yoruichi immediately concluded that Yeruashi was not a Shinigami. His Reiatsu was diffuse and unrefined, and his application of it was quite crude.
The fact that even with such poor control, Yeruashi's Reiatsu reached the level of a Gotei 13 Lieutenant spoke volumes about his latent talent.
"I literally just arrived from the 3rd District."
Yeruashi replied calmly.
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes and circled Yeruashi, inspecting him thoroughly. She suddenly stepped closer and lightly brushed a finger against his cheek. "...And you're quite the handsome one, aren't you?"
"..."
The Second Division Captain was undoubtedly telling the truth, a fact that was beyond dispute, but Yeruashi simply stepped back with an impassive expression, clearly signaling he had no intention of engaging with the flattery.
Yoruichi smirked at his reaction. "Hmph, you’re an interesting one. Become a Shinigami if you want to move from the Rukongai outskirts straight into the Seireitei."
Ordinary souls can move freely between districts, but entering the Seireitei is another matter entirely. For a common soul without special connections, there is only one way into the heart of the Soul Society: becoming a Shinigami.
Yeruashi nodded. "I do indeed want to enter the Seireitei."
Yoruichi smiled. "It's not currently the enrollment period for the Shin'o Academy, but as a thank you for saving my Lieutenant's life, I can give you a direct recommendation. With it, you won't have to deal with the usual entrance exams and bureaucratic red tape."
Normally, a Captain of the Gotei 13 wouldn't bother with such things for someone who was just slightly stronger than average. However, having Lieutenant-level Reiatsu without formal training or a Zanpakuto changed the calculation entirely. Such potential demanded the attention of a Captain.
Yeruashi smiled relaxed and nodded. Joining the Gotei 13 aligned perfectly with his goals. Since he had stumbled upon this situation on his way to the Seireitei, he was more than willing to experience life as a Shinigami.
"In that case, I appreciate the favor, Captain Shihoin. By the way, this is my sister; she also intends to become a Shinigami."
As Yeruashi spoke, Lilith, who had been waiting nearby, appeared behind him.
Yoruichi took a sharp breath, her eyes widening as she sensed Lilith's presence.
The Reiatsu radiating from this girl was even more potent than Yeruashi's!
A soul possessing Lieutenant-level Reiatsu before even becoming a Shinigami or receiving an Asauchi is a generational genius—the kind seen once in a century.
And today, she had encountered two of them at once.
"No problem."
Yoruichi smiled at Lilith before turning to her Lieutenant. "Marenoshin, take these two to the Shin'o Academy. Make sure they know it's my personal recommendation."
Omaeda nodded and offered Yeruashi a friendly smile. "Thank you for the rescue. Please, follow me."
He was truly grateful to Yeruashi for saving his life. Moreover, with potential like theirs, there was a good chance they would both become Captains one day. Consequently, Omaeda felt no need to put on airs or display the typical pride of a Gotei 13 Lieutenant.