"Split up! Break through and call for backup!"
"Yes, sir!"
With no time to strategize, Ōmaeda gave the order, and everyone scattered, dashing in different directions.
Ōmaeda deliberately chose a route leading directly away from the Seireitei.
As he fled, he glanced back. As expected, the Hollow's white body was swooping through the night sky, chasing him like a bat.
This meant his tactic was correct.
A higher-ranking Shinigami was a more enticing target.
So, he would use himself to draw its fire and let his subordinates escape.
His men, having narrowly escaped death, wouldn't betray his "sacrifice." They would immediately use their Denreishinki to call for help from the Seireitei.
Junrinan was close to the Seireitei.
By using his superior Shunpo to skirmish with the enemy, he could surely stall until reinforcements arrived.
But... running in the opposite direction, while it made the enemy chase him, also meant he couldn't link up with the arriving backup. He had to change his route.
Just as Ōmaeda made a sharp turn, the Hollow fired another Cero.
Its purpose wasn't to kill, but to block his path.
The sudden explosion and shockwave severely hampered Ōmaeda's Shunpo.
The Hollow seized the opportunity and closed the distance.
"Gegentsuburi!"
Ōmaeda swung his massive iron ball, but this move, while effective against ordinary foes, was useless here. This Hollow was an experienced fighter. It dodged the blow with a simple, light sidestep.
It then followed the chain, closed the distance, and kicked Ōmaeda in the face like a soccer ball. The Vice-Captain was sent flying a hundred meters into the forest, carving a bloody path through the trees.
"Bastard! You hit my face!"
Ōmaeda wiped the blood from his nose, cursing verbally, but his heart grew heavy with dread.
It's too strong.
Aside from being a little slow, I can't find any weaknesses.
The probability of winning was low. The probability of dying was high.
Running was the only option.
Just as Ōmaeda prepared to flee again, the Hollow suddenly exploded with speed, moving twice as fast as before!
"What?!"
This change made Ōmaeda's pupils shrink.
In the next instant, the Hollow was right in front of him.
How can you call this speed 'a little slow'?! It's insanely fast!
"You wanted to buy time. I wanted to get further from the Seireitei, so my secret wouldn't be discovered."
The Hollow grabbed the wrist of Ōmaeda's sword arm, which had instinctively tried to counterattack, and clamped it in mid-air.
Secret? What secret?
Ōmaeda didn't understand, but he knew he'd been tricked.
The enemy had only seemed slow because it was herding him, making sure none of the Onmitsukidō members escaped to report its "secret."
It wanted a private, one-on-one environment where it could act without restraint.
"You bastard..."
Suddenly, Ōmaeda caught that strange gaze again.
This close, he finally understood what it meant.
The curses on his lips turned into a cry of shock.
"You bastard... you're after my Zanpakutō?!"
Yes. The creature was staring at his Gegentsuburi with an unnatural, covetous hunger.
"See? Too easy to discover. But this instinct... it's hard to control. I have to be careful. If the Shinigami found out, it wouldn't be good for me."
The Hollow grinned.
All three of its heads smiling at once was a terrifying sight.
But its motive was even more terrifying.
"What good does that do you?!"
A trace of panic entered Ōmaeda's heart. This was the first time he'd ever heard of a Hollow coveting a Shinigami's weapon. Could it be...
"Isn't it obvious? To... eat."
The Hollow stuck out its three tongues and licked its teeth, its gaze sweeping over Gegentsuburi with cruel greed.
"I was surprised myself. A Hollow that can evolve by eating a Shinigami's weapon. But it's probably related to my ability to devour metal, and the fact that Shinigami swords look like they're made of metal."
"Zanpakutō taste so much better than metal. Especially those wielded by
powerful Shinigami. It's a shame I only discovered this a few years ago. If it had been a thousand or two thousand years ago, I'd already be the King of Hueco Mundo."
"So the missing students and the manager... you captured them, stole their swords, and then brutally murdered them!?" Ōmaeda's pupils quaked.
"My original plan was to capture them and force them to lure stronger Shinigami. But those brats were unexpectedly difficult. Even when at odds, they showed no sign of submission. So uncooperative."
"The older Shinigami, on the other hand, was much better. He was showing signs of softening. I locked him in the cave, intending to 'persuade' him."
The Hollow's voice was full of regret.
"And then you showed up. Honestly, I was both angry and happy. My plan was interrupted, but my goal was achieved."
"So, how about it? Want to cooperate? You're much stronger than that guy... who's probably buried under the rocks by now. You should be more cooperative. You're a more suitable partner for me, the future King of Hueco Mundo—Cax Cucabro."
Ōmaeda froze, then realization dawned.
"Is that why you've been talking so much?"
"So, your answer is—?"
Cax's expectant expression was laced with a chilling killing intent.
To be honest, being this close to such an ominous, powerful Reiatsu was unbearable.
A knife to the throat would be more comfortable.
But, strangely, Ōmaeda showed no fear. He almost wanted to laugh. His rough voice was filled with contempt.
"Hey, Hollow."
"It's Cax Cucabro."
"I don't care what your name is. To me, you're just a savage Hollow. I don't know what that unlucky bastard who got crushed would have chosen. But if I, of all people, gave you the impression that Shinigami—especially high-ranking ones—are soft... my Captain would kill me."
"So, you're refusing?"
"If I have to say it... I'm making the same choice as those two stubborn brats."
"...I see. Then you can all die together."
Cax was silent for a moment. Then, his left and right heads began to gather a blinding, crimson light.
"Well, I figured as much."
Ōmaeda took a deep breath. He couldn't just sit and wait to die. He flared his own Reiatsu to its peak.
"To think you could 'recruit' a Shinigami... A clueless Hollow like you needs to be shown the backbone of the 2nd Division!"
Pfft!
Suddenly, with almost no warning, a sharp blade tip burst from Cax's chest.
A few drops of blood splattered onto Ōmaeda's face.
He was too shocked to speak, his raging Reiatsu faltering for an instant.
"What?!"
This time, it was Cax's turn to be shocked and enraged.
He grabbed Ōmaeda's arm and threw him backward.
But the attacker had already anticipated this, retracting the blade and ducking low, avoiding the blow.
From his form and posture, it was clearly Shigū Takeru.
"Waaaaah!"
Ōmaeda, now a human cannonball, screamed in mid-air, all his previous bravery gone.
Takeru's pupils glowed blue as his Reiatsu surged.
His low stance exploded upward like a hunting cheetah. His Zanpakutō flashed in an upward arc, a cold light more beautiful than the moon, and sliced open the inside of Cax's wrist. The wound was deep enough to see bone, and dark blood sprayed into the air.
In agony, Cax released Ōmaeda, who went flying uncontrollably.
Fortunately, Yayahara reached out from a tree, precisely grabbing his collar and, like Tarzan, swinging him away into the forest.
"You'll die for that!"
The enraged Hollow tried to counterattack Takeru, but its feet were suddenly encased in rock bursting from the earth.
It only took him two seconds to break Rindo Itaru's full-powered, unnamed Bakudō.
But in that instant, a thick, golden bolt of lightning (Kūkaku's Kido) shot from the distance, striking Cax with the force of a thunder beast.
Amidst a blinding flash and the smell of scorched flesh, the heavily wounded Cax followed Ōmaeda's path, sent flying like a broken kite.
It still wasn't over.
Directly in his flight path, Ichigo—who had been waiting—did not miss his chance. He leaped from the bushes, flashed forward, and with a single horizontal slash, bisected Cax's ruined body.
-------
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