Chapter 23
"Ha"
In the ruins on the other side, Shiba Isshin puffed heavily, sweat dripping down his face.
After a moment, he glanced at the girl next to him, who was vigilantly watching the shadows.
"A Quincy? What's your relationship with Kurosaki Masaki?"
"I'm Yuki Shiraki. In terms of seniority... she's barely my cousin."
Yuki Shiraki quickly replied in a cold tone while keeping her sharp gaze fixed on the darkness.
"How did you do that just now? Cutting straight into its chest like that?"
Isshin's curiosity was evident.
After all, he had seen it with his own eyes—his Getsuga Tenshō at point-blank range barely scratched the beast. Yet this Quincy girl had pierced straight through its defenses.
"That's not something a Shinigami needs to know."
Yuki Shiraki shot him a cold glance before her face suddenly shifted.
"It's coming!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The buildings in front of them shook violently!
That pale figure like a runaway tank—smashed through everything in its path, charging straight toward them.
They were locked on.
By "Hollow."
"It's already healed... High-Speed Regeneration, huh?"
Yuki Shiraki's face darkened as she saw the fully regenerated wound on "Hollow's" chest.
High-Speed Regeneration meant the beast could recover from injuries rapidly.
While they couldn't afford a single mistake.
Swish!
"Hollow" vanished from sight.
"It's gone? Damn!"
Both Isshin and Yuki Shiraki cried out at the same time—Only for the beast to reappear beside them, faster than before.
A powerful kick sent both of them flying.
Boom! Boom!
The two bodies crashed into walls before bouncing back onto the ground.
Isshin groaned, trying to pull himself up, only to see Yuki Shiraki sprawled in a crater nearby.
"Damn... We was careless..."
Blood trickled from Yuki's lips. She struggled to stand but couldn't.
Unlike Shinigami, who could reinforce their bodies with spiritual pressure, Quincies—especially those without a Blut Vene—still had human bodies.
No matter how powerful her Reiatsu was, her body was still fundamentally human.
That kick had nearly killed her.
"Damn it..."
Her vision blurred.
"Do I really... have to use that...?"
Isshin took a deep breath, staggering to his feet as he faced "Hollow."
"You have a trump card? Then why the hell aren't you using it?"
Yuki Shiraki forced the words out, glaring at him.
Was this guy stupid?
He had a hidden technique, and he was holding back now of all times?!
Then
To her utter disbelief Isshin closed his eyes, took a deep breath.
And roared:
"Kuchiki Shinji! If you don't show up right now, I'm really gonna die here!"
His voice echoed across the city, shaking the night air.
Yuki Shiraki: "???"
That was his trump card?
That was the "last resort"?
What kind of joke was this?!
Unable to contain herself, Yuki Shiraki coughed up a mouthful of blood, her face twitching in rage.
If she could stand up, she would have slapped him senseless.
Overwhelmed by frustration, she rolled her eyes—And fainted on the spot.
Isshin blinked.
"Hey, you're not dead, right? Don't die, brat! What am I supposed to do if you die? That bull-headed freak is scary, damn it!"
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Then—A familiar voice echoed from above.
"If you keep shaking her like that, she really will die."
Isshin's eyes widened.
Kuchiki Shinji?!
He looked up—Sure enough, Shinji stood on top of a nearby electric pole, gazing down at him.
"You finally showed up."
Relief flooded Isshin's face, and he collapsed onto the ground.
"If you came a second later, you really would've had to collect my body."
His grip on Engetsu slackened.
He was completely spent.
If Shinji had come even a moment later, Isshin would have been forced to use his actual trump card.
"Where's Matsumoto Rangiku?"
Isshin glanced curiously at the black cat perched on Shinji's shoulder. He didn't give it much thought—just another weird sight in this chaotic night.
He didn't realize that the cat was Shihouin Yoruichi.
"I had her stay in the city center. This Vasto Lorde Arrancar is way beyond her level."
Shinji's gaze remained locked on "Hollow" in the distance, whose roars echoed through the night.
The oppressive, crazed aura filled the air A battlefield straight out of hell.
Vasto Lorde Arrancars were truly terrifying beings.
Swish!
Kurosaki Masaki arrived slightly after Shinji, her eyes widening at the sight of Yuki Shiraki unconscious on the ground.
"Yuki! What happened to her?"
"She got kicked by that bull-headed Arrancar and passed out."
Isshin explained, his voice complicated.
If it hadn't been for this Quincy girl, he probably would've died.
Masaki sighed in relief, checking Yuki's pulse.
Meanwhile.
"Hollow" finished venting its rage and turned toward them once again.
Clutching its white bone blade, it charged forward.
"Be careful, Shinji! His Reiatsu is far above Captain-level—even beyond that!"
Isshin's voice was urgent. He feared Shinji would underestimate the enemy.
But what happened next made Isshin's eyes nearly pop out of his skull.
An invisible wall appeared in front of Shinji And "Hollow" slammed into it head-on, bouncing back like a ragdoll.
In the next instant, Shinji grabbed the beast by the horns.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, they disappeared—reappearing hundreds of meters away in midair.
Meow~
The black cat gracefully leapt from Shinji's shoulder, landing softly on the ground.
"Let's change locations."
Shinji's calm voice carried on the wind
he slammed "Hollow" head-first into the ground, creating a massive explosion that sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.
Even from hundreds of meters away, the impact was clearly visible.
Isshin's jaw hung open.
"That speed... Is that Shunpo?"
No.
That wasn't Shunpo.
That was teleportation.
Had Shinji... been holding back this entire time?
Was that sparring session just a warm-up for him?
Isshin clutched his aching chest, swearing under his breath:
"Shinji... you bastard... How much power are you hiding?"
At the same time, watching from the distance.
Shihouin Yoruichi's golden eyes flickered in admiration.
"He's even faster than I thought."
With a light smile, she purred softly:
"That's my fiancé, after all."
---
"Roar!"
A violent roar resounded under the moon.
"Hollow" howled toward the sky, attacking frantically.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of collisions echoed continuously.
Shinji and "Hollow" moved so fast that they seemed to vanish, leaving only the sounds of their battle in the air—no figures could be seen at all.
"What a crude way of fighting, completely driven by instinct..."
Shinji leaned back slightly, staring expressionlessly at the claw of "White Hollow" that had nearly grazed his neck.
Because he had completely lost his reason, "Hollow's" attacks had no strategy—only the pure instinct of a beast, aiming directly at Shinji's vital spots.
For an attack like this, Shinji saw nothing but flaws.
"Slow. Too slow. Still too slow."
Shinji continuously used Shunpo to move, his gaze calm, dodging the teleportation-like attacks of "Hollow" with ease.
Now that he had fully entered the Henger Fusion State, Shinji could clearly feel his newfound strength.
His dynamic vision and reaction speed had been enhanced to an unimaginable level.
"What kind of monster is this kid?"
From a distance, Shiba Isshin felt a headache coming on.
Watching the battle between Shinji and "Hollow," his eyes filled with disbelief, nearly questioning reality itself.
"Hollow's" attack pattern was simple—he only aimed at vital spots like the head, heart, and internal organs.
Shiba Isshin had also noticed this.
As long as someone knew this attack pattern in advance, evading it wasn't difficult.
But there was one crucial condition:
They had to be faster than "White Hollow" and capable of reacting to his attacks.
The problem was, Shiba Isshin's speed and reaction time weren't on par with "Hollow's," so he couldn't break through his attacks.
But Shinji—Shinji dodged all of them!
Not only that, but he even launched counterattacks while dodging.
This clearly meant that Shinji's speed and reaction time far surpassed "Hollow's."
In other words, Shinji had vastly outstripped even Shiba Isshin in speed and reflexes!
Realizing this, how could Shiba Isshin not be shocked?
Even from a distance, just watching this fight had an overwhelming impact on him.
"Hadō #4: Byakurai."
A faint voice rang out.
Shinji's figure suddenly appeared in midair, pointing his finger at "Hollow's" bull-headed mask.
"You idiot, Shinji! Don't use such a low-level Hadō against an enemy of this caliber!!!"
What was he thinking?!
Something like Byakurai wasn't even enough to deal with an Adjuchas, yet he was using it against a Vasto Lorde Arrancar?!
Just like Abarai Renji, Shiba Isshin couldn't hold back his shout of warning.
But then—his pupils shrank in shock.
Before his eyes.
The Byakurai, enveloped in blue-violet Reiatsu, struck "Hollow's" bull-head mask head-on.
Like a drill, it pierced straight through.
Cracking the mask.
Breaking through its defense?!
"What the hell am I looking at?!"
Shiba Isshin almost swore out loud.
Using Byakurai to penetrate the defenses of a Vasto Lorde Arrancar?!
No, even his point-blank Getsuga Tenshō couldn't break through that defense.
But Shinji's Byakurai did?!
Was this a joke?!
"Wait… that's not an ordinary Byakurai!"
Flames of Reiatsu erupted.
Staring at the blue-violet energy burning in the air, Shiba Isshin's eyes widened in realization.
The normal Byakurai was white.
But Shinji's Byakurai—was blue-violet!
Had Shinji… modified Hadō?
He actually altered Hadō?!
Shiba Isshin was in disbelief.
BOOM!
A crescent-shaped slash tore through the flames, violently cutting through the air.
Shinji remained expressionless, swinging his hand to cleave it apart.
Rumble!
The black-and-red Reiatsu slash struck a building, causing it to collapse instantly.
Debris rained down, slamming into the ground with loud crashes.
The abandoned building slowly crumbled into ruins.
"Are you copying my attack style?"
"And this slash… that was Getsuga Tenshō?"
Shinji narrowed his eyes, observing "White Hollow" emerging from the dust.
That slash.
It was undoubtedly the signature technique of the Shiba family.
And in just this short span of battle, "Hollow's" fighting style had also changed.
It was no longer the reckless, instinct-driven attack pattern from before.
"Hollow" was evolving—rapidly!
He was learning combat experience and assimilating techniques, continuously evolving mid-battle.
"That was… Getsuga Tenshō?!"
"He learned Getsuga Tenshō just from fighting me?!"
"I've only used it twice… and he already copied it?!"
Shiba Isshin was utterly stunned.
This Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar—Was actually learning from a Shinigami?!
At that moment.
A black-red light tore through the dust and darkness, flashing toward Shinji in midair.
Cero!
A black-red Cero—much faster than the red Cero from earlier!
"Shinji, watch out!"
"Shinji-kun!"
Shiba Isshin and Kurosaki Masaki shouted at the same time.
Shiba Isshin struggled to stand up, gripping his Zanpakutō.
Trying to release Shikai again.
Meanwhile, Kurosaki Masaki could no longer hold back.
She stood up, rushing toward the place where the Cero had exploded.
"Don't come any closer. I'm fine."
Hearing Shinji's calm voice, Kurosaki Masaki let out a sigh of relief.
Her small hand rested on her chest, eyes full of worry.
Shiba Isshin also took a deep breath.
As the smoke slowly cleared.
What they saw made both of their eyes widen in absolute shock.
There, in the center of the explosion.
Shinji stood with an expression as calm as ever.
His five fingers were spread open, gripping the black-red Cero in his palm.
Where it kept exploding with ultra-high-energy reactions.
The terrifying heat and energy distorted the very air and space around him.
Yet.
That same Cero, the terrifying attack of a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar, was completely stopped.
Crushed in Shinji's bare hands.
Extinguished.
The sheer impact of this scene froze both Shiba Isshin and Kurosaki Masaki's minds, rendering them completely speechless.
Taking a Cero head-on?
And not just any Cero.
A Vasto Lorde Arrancar's Cero?!
"This defense…???"
Shiba Isshin's eyes were stretched wide in shock.
And without thinking, he blurted out:
"Kuchiki Shinji… what the hell ARE you?!"