Chapter 18: Permanently Acquiring Destructive Death Beam

That smile was terrifying. Kawai's mouth stretched unnaturally close to his ears, his skin turning greenish-blue with crimson patches appearing on his face. Though clearly dead, he emitted a distorted, mechanical voice:

"HaRu ki! I won't let you escape! I'll be with you always—you can't run from me!"

As he spoke, a lump of red flesh emerged from his body. Haruki quickly sliced it in two, but to his horror, the severed pieces squirmed like worms and burrowed into the ground, disappearing.

"What... What was that?!"

Motooru Tani staggered back in shock. Other Shinigami rushed into the tent, panic spreading among them. None of them could believe that Kawai, who had fought alongside them for so long, had been a monster all along.

Haruki, however, remained calm. He had suspected Kawai's true identity for some time: Metastacia.

Haruki recalled Metastacia's soul ability: "Parasite", which allowed it to merge with a host's body and take over when the host weakened. The same ability had been present when he encountered the creature in West Rukongai.

But there was a troubling mystery. He had destroyed Metastacia before, blasting its brain with Destructive Death Beam. How had it survived?

The only explanation was Aizen. He must have recovered Metastacia and modified it further, enabling it to infiltrate their ranks and target them. Kawai was likely parasitized after entering the tent, as Haruki would have noticed the ability earlier otherwise.

What has Aizen done this time?

The commotion inside the tent drew the attention of the others. Shinigami pushed their way in, including Fujita Satoru, who exclaimed:

"What's going on here?!"

Motooru, now somewhat composed, explained: "Kawai was parasitized by a Hollow! We need to warn everyone—this Hollow can infect our souls!"

"What?!" Fujita and the other Shinigami paled.

Haruki added gravely: "The Hollow can also split its body. I cut it in two, but the pieces acted independently and escaped. If it can divide infinitely, it could infect multiple hosts."

Fujita and Motooru's faces turned ashen. They hurried to relay the information to the rest of the squad. Meanwhile, Gin Ichimaru approached the tent.

With his trademark closed-eyed smile, Gin asked casually: "What happened here?"

Motooru quickly explained, detailing how Kawai had been possessed. Gin's expression remained unreadable as he turned to Haruki and asked:

"Haruki-kun, how did you notice something was wrong with Kawai?"

Haruki smiled enigmatically. "That's the ability of my Zanpakutō."

"What? You've achieved Shikai already?" one of the other Shinigami blurted in surprise.

"Is that so strange? I am a ninth seat now," Haruki replied. "It'd be odd for a seated officer not to have unlocked their Zanpakutō."

"And what is its ability?" Gin pressed, still smiling.

"Unfortunately," Haruki replied after a pause, "my Zanpakutō's ability is a bit... sensitive. I'm not at liberty to share."

It was standard practice for Shinigami to report their abilities to their superiors, but they were not obligated to disclose them to everyone. Haruki knew he would eventually have to reveal his supposed Zanpakutō power to either Aizen or Yamamoto. For now, though, evasion would suffice.

Gin studied Haruki for a moment before giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Interesting. Well then, it looks like all our lives are in your hands."

"You flatter me," Haruki said with a polite bow.

Gin chuckled and turned to leave. "Make sure nothing else gets in, alright?"

As Gin walked away, Haruki let out a silent sigh of relief.

Motooru, still shaken, approached Haruki. "Haruki, you saved my life back there. If not for you, I'd already be dead."

His gratitude caused Haruki's affection rating to skyrocket to 80, granting Haruki permanent access to Destructive Death Beam.

Finally! Haruki thought, barely containing his excitement. A long-term plan had borne fruit. Now he possessed one of the most potent offensive abilities he'd ever encountered.

Though he currently benefitted from the temporary boost granted by Gaming Prodigy, that ability would wear off once this "game" ended. The Destructive Death Beam, however, was his to keep forever.

"Thank you," Haruki said, hiding his elation. "But let's focus on the bigger threat. If this Hollow can infect a soul, it's bad enough. If it manages to parasitize one of us seated officers, the consequences could be catastrophic."

Motooru nodded grimly. "You're right. We need a plan."

Motooru quickly called in the others, including Fujita Satoru and Tanaka Kōhei, the fifth seat. Tanaka's soul ability, "Fireball", was another skill Haruki had been eyeing.

Haruki explained the situation. "Since I'm the only one who can detect this Hollow, the rest of you should stay close to me. If it tries to parasitize one of you, I can stop it before it takes control."

Motooru and the others agreed. With the group reassembled, Haruki felt a surge of determination.

This mission was becoming more dangerous by the minute, but with his growing arsenal of abilities and temporary boosts from Gaming Prodigy, he was confident they could see it through.

For now, his goal was clear: survive, protect his allies, and uncover whatever scheme Aizen had planned for them.