Time didn't slow.
It snapped.
The Hybrid's claws tore forward, air ripping around them. Rukia shouted something—maybe his name, maybe a warning—but it was lost under the collapsing pressure.
Ethan felt the world close in on him.
And the Panel answered.
---
Emergency Protocol: Initiated
A soundless shockwave burst from the space behind Ethan's eyes, expanding through his vision like a sunrise breaking through fog.
> [EMERGENCY PROTOCOL: SAFEGUARD]
[INITIATING FORCED OVERDRIVE ACCESS]
[RESTRICTIONS TEMPORARILY OVERRIDDEN]
Reality buckled.
Light—not bright, but dense, like compressed reishi—wrapped around Ethan's arms and chest in geometric lines. Not kido. Not Hollow energy. Something structured, mathematical, alive.
Ethan didn't feel stronger.
He felt guided, like someone invisible had reached from behind his shoulders and placed his body on a track.
His right hand snapped upward with inhuman precision—
And caught the Hybrid's claw.
Caught it.
Rukia's eyes widened so sharply it looked painful.
"What—Ethan?!"
The Hybrid snarled—more of a vibration than a voice—and pushed down, claws screeching against a barrier of pale-blue hexagonal light flickering over Ethan's palm.
Ethan didn't know how he was holding it back.
He didn't even know what his body was doing.
The Panel was steering him like a puppeteer without strings.
> [ASSIST MODE ACTIVE.
Movement overrides engaged.]
His legs bent.
His spinal alignment shifted.
His arm rotated with perfect leverage.
Like he had trained for decades.
But this wasn't skill.
This was programming.
The Hybrid recoiled slightly, confused.
Rukia stared from a few feet away, frozen. Her hand hovered near her sword, but she didn't move.
Not out of fear.
Out of total shock.
---
Ethan Moves Like Something That Shouldn't Exist
The Hybrid lunged again, swiping with its other arm—faster, heavier.
Ethan stepped aside in a fluid, unnatural pivot. He didn't stumble. Didn't strain. His body moved in a perfect arc, retaliating with a palm strike to the Hybrid's sternum.
A palm strike that was reinforced by the geometric field.
WHUMPF!
The Hybrid was blasted backward, smashing through a mail storage box and skidding across the ground, digging trenches in the asphalt.
Rukia's mouth parted.
"That was… That was a Shinigami counter-technique. But—no. No human can channel reishi like that."
Ethan didn't respond.
He didn't even look like he heard her.
The light crawled up his arms in fractal patterns, branching like circuitry.
The Panel's voice continued, calm as ever:
> [Overdrive Mode: 12%.
Body synchronization stable.
Reaction time enhanced x4.]
Ethan suddenly dropped to one knee, grabbing his temple.
"Agh—!"
Rukia jolted forward.
"Ethan!"
He gritted his teeth as more data flooded into him—dozens of thin lines and indicators hovering around the Hybrid's silhouette, predicting movement vectors.
The Panel wasn't helping him fight.
It was forcing him to.
---
Rukia Intervenes
Rukia moved between Ethan and the Hybrid, sword raised. She didn't like being in the dark—especially about something this dangerous.
"Ethan! Talk to me. Is this—are you being controlled?!"
"Not—controlled—" he hissed, breath ragged. "Just—boosted—!"
Another giant swipe from the Hybrid came crashing toward Rukia.
She reacted instantly—
But Ethan moved sooner.
> [ASSIST: PREDICTION MODEL — ENGAGED]
He lunged past her and intercepted the Hybrid mid-swing, catching its claw again and twisting its wrist with flawless technique.
The crack echoed through the street.
Rukia stumbled back, startled.
Ethan didn't fight like a newbie.
Or a medic.
Or someone gaining raw power.
He fought like someone who had been drilled by a machine.
"I told you—stay back!" Ethan growled, voice layered with something metallic, like two tones overlapping.
Rukia's eyes sharpened.
That wasn't just adrenaline.
There was power in his voice that didn't belong to a human throat.
---
The Hybrid Adapts
The Hybrid shrieked in frustration—its first true vocalization—and its mask cracked down the side as a second layer of Hollow reiatsu erupted beneath it.
It blurred, moving faster.
Rukia watched Ethan's body track it automatically, shifting to intercept before the creature even finished accelerating.
"Impossible…" she whispered. "He's predicting its movements. He's—reading it like a data stream."
Another Panel message flashed.
> [Threat level recalculated:
Hybrid combat potential rising.
Switching to Phase 2 assistance.]
Ethan's body locked—then surged forward, faster than his muscles should allow.
He delivered a precise, brutal strike to the Hybrid's shoulder joint, dislocating it with a sickening crack.
Rukia flinched.
Not from the violence.
From the realization.
This wasn't a technique she recognized.
Not Shinigami.
Not Hollow.
Not Quincy.
Something new.
Something engineered.
Her voice was tight.
"Ethan… what are you?"
---
The Panel Pushes Too Hard
The Hybrid staggered but didn't fall. Its remaining arm lashed upward, claws slicing across Ethan's chest. The barrier absorbed most of the blow, but a deep cut still tore through his uniform, skin burning.
Ethan coughed.
Blood hit the pavement.
The Panel reacted immediately.
> [Integrity drop detected.
Increasing Overdrive to 24%.]
"No—NO—stop—!" Ethan shouted, clutching at the glowing lines crawling up his neck now.
Rukia froze.
That wasn't him yelling at the Hollow.
He was yelling at the Panel.
Suddenly, he gasped and collapsed onto one knee again, trembling violently. Light from the emergency mode flickered unstable across his limbs.
Rukia didn't hesitate—she stepped in front of him, blade raised.
"You're done. Leave the rest to me."
"But—" Ethan wheezed.
"No. I don't know what's happening to you, but if that power keeps climbing, it'll tear your body apart."
Her voice was firm.
Protective.
The Hybrid shrieked and charged Rukia—
And she met it with a burst of shunpo, slashing across its torso in one devastating arc.
The Hollow stumbled.
Its mask began to crack.
And the strange, Shinigami-like part of its body flickered away like mist.
Ethan, shaking, looked up at her.
At the glowing blade.
At her stance, unwavering.
"…Rukia…" he breathed.
She didn't look back.
"You can explain everything later. For now—stay alive."
---
Ending Scene
With one last, clean strike, Rukia shattered the Hybrid's mask.
It dissolved into smoke—leaving behind no corpse.
No residue.
Nothing.
Ethan collapsed backward, panting as the Panel's emergency light faded from his skin.
Rukia turned, blade still raised, eyes still sharp.
And for the first time since meeting him…
She looked at Ethan like he was something she didn't understand.
Something dangerous.
Something hidden.
"Ethan," she said quietly. "What was that?"
He swallowed.
The Panel flickered once more, weakly:
> [Emergency Protocol terminated.]
Ethan closed his eyes.
"…I wish I knew."