The night outside the apartment was still, but inside the air was thick with tension, as if the very walls were waiting for a decision.
The girl could no longer see clearly; the world around her began to fade into a dark blur, leaving only two faces: Freed's twisted smile that threatened to swallow her, and the stranger's silver features gleaming through the darkness with an obscure chill.
Her trembling lashes fluttered as she tried to gather the last of her courage, then she whispered so faintly it was almost inaudible:
"I want… to live."
Her words hung in the air like a weak yet sincere declaration of defiance. The handsome young man smiled calmly, closed his eyes for a moment, then raised his hand higher.
At that instant, milky white light erupted from his palm and shaped itself into a simple bubble that radiated a warm, bright aura, as if the star-filled sky had spilled into the apartment. Every tiny mote of light touched her wounds: the congealed blood began to evaporate, the torn flesh slowly knitted together.
What Ren used was nothing but a Reverse Cursed Technique — although he wasn't exceptionally skilled at it, it was good enough to heal the girl's wounds and restore the blood she had lost with ease.
"My name is Kurosaki Ren. Pleased to meet you." Ren said with a lazy smile as he introduced himself to the girl, who was stunned to see the hole in her lung and the pain and cold that had dominated her senses vanish, replaced by warmth and comfort as if she were soaking in a hot spring.
The girl opened her eyes slowly, as if she couldn't believe what was happening to her body. The pain that had torn her chest away disappeared completely, and the cold that had gripped her limbs faded, giving way to a gentle warmth spreading through her veins. Her breaths became deeper and more regular, as if she had been reborn.
"K… Kurosaki… Ren…?" she muttered, trying to process the name he had given. Her trembling voice was not only fear but amazement as well.
Ren nodded lightly, his crystalline eyes staring at her with an obvious indifference, while he continued to ignore Freed as if he were nothing more than dust.
"Yes… and I'm your rescuer as well, so don't forget the condition." he said, exhaling lazily, then slowly withdrew his hand from the sleeve of his robe as if the whole thing were a routine.
The girl stared at him for a long moment, then placed her hand on her chest where the wound had been, feeling that everything had returned to normal… even better than before. Unexpected tears fell from her eyes — a mixture of relief, confusion, and fear of the unknown.
But Freed would not allow himself to be ignored any longer. His voice rose, full of fury:
"Enough with the arrogance, you wretched Shinigami! Do you think your sudden appearance lets you steal my prey right before my eyes?!"
"Freed Sellzen…" A displeased scowl spread across Ren's face as he glared at the repulsive-looking Stray Exorcist.
"Oh~ looks like the filthy Shinigami already knows my name." An arrogant smile spread across Freed's face as he opened his black coat to reveal three oddly-shaped swords at his waist that radiated a pure, powerful holy light — Ren could easily identify them as Holy Swords.
"Sort of — I received a report from the Church about a bug that stole Excalibur fragments from the Church and ran off. If I remember correctly, they were Excalibur Nightmare, Excalibur Transparency, and Excalibur Rapidly."
His voice was indifferent; he didn't even look at Freed as he reached toward the girl, who stood in shock, staring between the two while whispering, "Bakudō #41. El Escudo."
A faint golden reiatsu glowed at Ren's fingertip as a green, translucent barrier appeared around the girl to protect her. Although Freed was just an annoying weak pest, the Excalibur fragments were somewhat troublesome and might try to use the girl as a hostage, so it was better to protect her while the other party had not considered the matter.
A hardened smile crossed Freed's face as he lightly touched the hilt of one of the three swords hanging at his waist, his eyes full of wickedness shining with a feverish desire to spill blood.
"Oh, so the Church is watching me closely… wonderful, marvelous." he laughed madly; the apartment's walls trembled with his loathsome voice. "But a Shinigami showing up in my area? That's… an unforgivable insult!"
He drew a sword in a flash; it emitted a blinding holy light for a moment before subsiding to reveal a blade that dripped with an aura unlike any human weapon — Excalibur Nightmare. The air around it shivered as if the shadows in the room had come alive and moved slowly.
Ren, however, showed no interest. He stood in the same lazy posture, his hands still in the sleeves of his robe, his eyes watching Freed the way one watches an annoying insect.
"You scream a lot for someone living off stolen swords." he said coldly; his words dripped with cutting sarcasm.
Freed screamed again, his face contorted with rage:
"I'll tear you apart with my three swords, you filthy Shinigami! You'll beg me before I turn you into a cold piece of meat!"
He swung his second sword — Excalibur Transparency — and his body vanished from sight. His laughter mingled with the darkness, the air around Ren grew colder, and the girl inside the barrier trembled in terror.
"He's gone?!" she gasped, her eyes searching the room, but there was no trace.
Ren let out a heavy sigh, as if annoyed by a child's game.
"What a nuisance…"
He raised his hand slowly; golden lines of reiatsu gleamed on his fingers, then he snapped lightly in the air. The next moment the floor beneath the apartment quivered and an invisible wave spread through the room.
Tch!
Freed reappeared suddenly behind Ren, his third sword — Excalibur Rapidly — vibrating at incredible speed as it lunged to stab Ren in the back. But the moment the blade touched Ren's body, the metallic sound rang out:
Tang!
The Excalibur blade trembled as if it had struck an invisible steel wall, while Ren did not move an inch. He turned his head slightly, his crystal-blue eyes glinting with an inhuman coldness:
"Too slow."
He raised a finger, and in an instant a crushing spiritual pressure exploded around him. Freed screamed in pain as he was hurled across the room and slammed into the concrete wall with a force that shattered half of it. Dust and debris scattered into the air while the whole place shook.
The girl, protected inside the barrier, clapped a hand over her mouth in astonishment. She couldn't comprehend what she was witnessing… how people could possess such supernatural strength, even beings not quite human like Shinigami, in this world — she had intended to summon a Devil without truly expecting it.
"I was going to let you live, but you cause more trouble than necessary."
As he spoke, he reached toward Freed again, and it was clear he had no intention of drawing his Zanpakutō against the mad Stray Exorcist.
"Hadō #4. Byakurai!"
A white flash tore through the apartment's darkness in an instant; a concentrated bolt shot from Ren's finger at lightning speed, cutting through the air in a merciless straight line.
Tshhht!
The Byakurai pierced Freed's body from shoulder to hip, his ripping scream shaking violently as black smoke rose from the burning wound. The walls shuddered again when his body hit the floor, leaving behind a trail of blood and evaporated vapor.
The girl inside the barrier gasped, her eyes wide and fixed on the scene. To her, Ren looked like a celestial being who had descended to end the chaos; his power was unlike anything she had known in her life.
"Hahahahaha!"
A disturbing, grating laugh filled every corner of the apartment as the burned, punctured body of Freed vanished — it had been an illusion perfectly created using the power of Excalibur Nightmare.
"You do not seem to be a mere ordinary Shinigami to display such power from a low-ranked Kidō." Freed's voice echoed from everywhere, and suddenly dozens of Freed clones began appearing across the room, their faces twisted into sickening smiles as they stared at Ren with repulsive glee.
"Well, I may not look like it, but I am strong — and I even hold a high rank in the Gotei 13." Ren said calmly, not surprised or astonished by the turn of events; he had known from the beginning that the Freed body that attacked him was an illusion, but he had decided to humor the game a little.
"Really?! But you don't look it — powerful Shinigami use Zanpakutō which bestow mighty abilities, and you don't seem willing to use yours. Maybe you're lying and don't even know your Zanpakutō's name?" Freed taunted with twisted amusement, clearly enjoying pressing Ren like a pathetic insect before killing him, especially since he was standing next to the subject and apparently didn't realize it — all thanks to Excalibur Transparency's power.
"No need to use a Zanpakutō on an insect I can kill easily." Ren said quietly, ignoring the dozens of Freed clones scattered everywhere. He suddenly turned to his side and with a swift motion his hand pierced the air.
"Arrrgh!" A howl like a wretched animal burst out, blood appearing on Ren's hand — but it did not seem to belong to him; the source of the blood quickly appeared: Freed, whose heart had been pierced by Ren.
...
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