The moment Emiya Shirō laid eyes on a Hollow for the first time, his knees nearly gave out beneath him.
Even though it was a familiar creature from anime, seeing it with his own eyes, and at such an immense size , sent chills down his spine. For someone born and raised in modern society, this wasn't just a spiritual pressure thing. It was pure visual shock, the kind that made you freeze on instinct.
To be honest, it wasn't even the Hollow's power that overwhelmed him, it was the absurdity of its very existence.
"I might be Superman… but this thing looks like something out of Ultraman! What kind of logic-defying monster is this?!"
But before he could even catch his breath, he saw Yoruichi, without hesitatio, charge straight in.
"Has she lost her mind?! No sword, no weapon, is she seriously planning to fight that thing barehanded?!"
Cursing under his breath, Shirō rushed after her.
He knew for a fact that Yoruichi owned a Zanpakutō, she just didn't bring it with her. And while she wasn't weak by any means, she wasn't invincible either.
This was Shirō's first time seeing a Hollow. He couldn't tell how powerful it was. Maybe Yoruichi could take it down. Maybe not. But he couldn't just watch from the sidelines.
If she could handle it, he'd stay hidden. But if she couldn't?
Then there was no question, he'd step in and help.
A guttural roar echoed through the outskirts.
Shirō had no clue how the Hollow even ended up here, but it wasn't his concern. He could only focus on the fact that Yoruichi, despite her skills, was clearly losing ground.
The Hollow didn't seem like one of those overpowered, story-breaking beasts from certain fanfics. But without her Zanpakutō, Yoruichi was struggling.
"Dammit, woman! Can't you just run for once?! If you can't beat it, at least outrun it!"
Muttering a frustrated curse, Shirō knew it was time to act.
He tore a strip off his sleeve, tied it over half his face like a makeshift mask, and leapt into the open.
With both palms raised toward the Hollow, he began to chant:
"O Lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, name of man! Truth and temperance, heat and chaos, across the sea, stride forth!
Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"
Boom!
The fireball burst against the Hollow's chest. Unfortunately, Shirō's spell lacked the raw power to do real damage.
The creature howled in pain, but it wasn't even close to being finished.
Yoruichi's eyes widened, and just as she opened her mouth,
"You, "
Shirō cut her off mid-sentence.
"Ahem! I am… Shijō Sōya! Just a passing soul who couldn't ignore injustice."
He had blurted the first random name that came to mind.
Yoruichi blinked at him, then almost burst out laughing.
That pathetic half-mask? That dangling sleeve he just ripped off to cover his face? Even a blind fool could recognize him.
She didn't need to see his face, she could feel his spiritual pressure as clear as day.
But Shirō stood firm. Even if the disguise was a joke, even if he looked like Usopp pretending to be Sniper King, he wasn't about to drop the act. Not when they were still on awkward terms.
Play it cool. Just play it cool.
Before Yoruichi could call him out, the Hollow roared again and launched another attack.
They had no time to argue.
"Run! We can't beat this thing! Let's just get backup!"
"No!" Yoruichi snapped back. "If we run, it'll start killing others. This is Rukongai, no one here can fight it. We have to hold it off until help arrives. You go if you want. I'm not running."
"You absolute idiot! Fine, I'll go get reinforcements!" Shirō shouted… then stopped in his tracks.
He groaned, stomped his foot, and turned back.
"I must owe you a massive debt from a past life…"
Raising his hand again, he began a new incantation:
"O Lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, name of man! Truth and temperance, the wall of sinless dreams, stand tall!
Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
Boom!!
This time, the Hollow screeched even louder.
"Still not enough! Your spells are too weak. You distract it, I'll handle the attacks!" Yoruichi shouted.
Shirō hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Sure, the Hollow was big, and terrifying, but it was slow. If Yoruichi could hold out this long, so could he.
With a deep breath, he sprinted in to draw its attention.
Except… nothing happened.
The Hollow didn't even look at him. It kept chasing Yoruichi like Shirō didn't exist.
"What the hell? I'm right here! Am I that unthreatening?!"
Apparently, the monster had made a tactical choice: ignore the annoying fly and focus on the real threat.
Shirō even tried climbing onto the Hollow's back, but all he got was a casual swat, like a fly being brushed away.
"This is so dumb…" he muttered.
"Just leave! I can handle this!" Yoruichi growled.
"You're the one being a stubborn mule!" Shirō yelled back.
Suddenly-
Shing!
A blade of ice-cold steel flashed past Shirō's face, so close he swore it nicked his scalp.
The Hollow froze.
Split down the middle.
The creature slowly dissolved into reishi particles, vanishing into the air.
Shirō dropped to the ground, stunned.
"What just… did a captain save us? That kind of plot twist actually happens?!"
Thankfully, unlike most cliché scenarios, neither he nor Yoruichi was mortally wounded. They could've run at any time , but Yoruichi simply refused.
A graceful voice called out:
"Captain Unohana, thank you," Yoruichi said.
From above, the calm and composed Unohana Retsu floated down like a falling petal.
"I was just out for a moonlit hike when I sensed the Hollow's spiritual pressure. You two did well."
Shirō twitched.
So that death-slice from earlier? That was her?
He could still feel his hair standing on end.
✦✦---------------------------------------------------------------------✦✦
Support me by adding this fic into your library!
150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter