Shhh—
A flash of white light cut through the air as Shiba Miyako swung her Zanpakutō, cleaving a sheep-masked Hollow cleanly in two. The Hollow let out a final wail, its body slowly dissolving into the air.
It was already dusk. The sun tilted westward, and the once-scorching light softened, bathing the entire Soul Society in a warm, amber glow.
On the open fields outside East Rukongai, District 39, Shiba Miyako sheathed her Zanpakutō and gazed toward the lingering sunset. Her delicate brows were tightly knit, as if weighed down by unease.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
Three figures appeared one after another in the field. Upon seeing Miyako, one of the male Shinigami, Fujiwara Takuya, spoke first:
"Miyako-sama, all nearby Hollows have been completely cleared!"
"Good. Next, we head to provide support at East Rukongai District 46,"
Miyako nodded. Just as she turned to leave, something felt off. She stopped abruptly and asked,
"Takuya—where is Mitsui Sora?"
"Huh?"
Fujiwara froze for a moment, then replied instinctively,
"Mitsui came back before I did. Miyako-sama… haven't you seen him?"
"..."
Miyako shook her head, her brows tightening further.
"I've felt something wrong since earlier… as if someone has been watching us from the shadows.
"And recently, more and more Hollows have been appearing in Rukongai—some of them capable of completely concealing their spiritual pressure."
"Miyako-sama, what's so strange about that?"
A female Shinigami with a purple ponytail, Aida Yacha, stepped forward.
"Haven't there been records before of Hollows that could hide their reiatsu?"
"No…"
Miyako shook her head again. Seeing the confusion on the faces of the three Shinigami, she chose not to explain further and instead asked,
"Has anyone else seen Mitsui Sora?"
"..."
Aida Yacha and another young male Shinigami, Noda Tasuke, both shook their heads.
"Damn it…"
Fujiwara Takuya also sensed something was wrong. After cursing under his breath, he said,
"Miyako-sama, how about you and Tasuke go support District 46 first? Aida and I will stay behind to look for Mitsui."
"That works,"
Miyako nodded.
"Rukongai isn't peaceful right now. Be extremely careful."
"Yes, ma'am!"
As Fujiwara and Aida prepared to split up, the bushes nearby suddenly rustled, producing a faint shasha sound.
"Who's there?!"
Miyako instantly drew her Zanpakutō, pointing it toward the bushes as she shouted.
"It's me."
A low, hoarse voice answered. A tall male Shinigami emerged from the shrubbery—
It was Mitsui Sora, missing until now.
He wore a pitch-black Shihakushō, his head hanging low. In his hand, he loosely carried a white asauchi upside down, staggering as he walked toward them.
"Mitsui? Where did you go just now?!"
Seeing him return unharmed, Noda Tasuke let out a breath of relief and sheathed his asauchi.
"Kek… kek… go… die… Shinigami—"
Mitsui Sora suddenly lifted his head.
His eye sockets were sunken deep, and beneath the dim sunset glow, his pale yellow pupils shimmered with an eerie, unnatural light.
"What is that?!"
Seeing Hollow-like eyes on a Shinigami, Tasuke was shocked and stunned. Before he could react, more than a dozen crimson tentacles burst forth from Mitsui's back, shooting toward them!
"Watch out!"
Fujiwara Takuya and Aida Yacha raised their asauchi simultaneously, stepping in front of Tasuke and slashing at the crimson tentacles—
But the instant their blades made contact, the asauchi vanished.
As if they had never existed.
"What?!"
Both of them cried out in shock and leapt backward—but two tentacles suddenly wrapped around their legs, yanking them violently from the air and slamming them into the ground!
"Kekekeke—become my dinner!!"
Mitsui shrieked as the remaining tentacles lunged toward Fujiwara and Aida—
"Hadō #4: Byakurai!" Miyako arrived just in time, raising two fingers and firing a bolt of blue lightning that struck Mitsui's body head-on, paralyzing him and slowing his movements.
"Now!"
Noda Tasuke grabbed his Zanpakutō and slashed twice at the tentacles binding Fujiwara and Aida—
Only to freeze in horror.
His Zanpakutō was gone.
"Kekekeke—any Zanpakutō that touches my tentacles disappears!"
Mitsui snarled, suddenly charging forward and kicking Tasuke, sending him flying more than ten meters.
Then, using his tentacles, he hoisted Fujiwara and Aida upside down before him—
And right in front of Miyako—
Crack. Crack.
He twisted their necks, snapping them effortlessly.
"Damn it!!"
Miyako realized that "Mitsui Sora" had been possessed by an extremely powerful Hollow—one that could erase Zanpakutō entirely. She could only rely on Kidō now.
"Tasuke—run!!"
"No! No matter what monster this is... I'll kill it!"
Tasuke gritted his teeth and forced himself up. With his Zanpakutō gone, he could only fight using Kidō—
But at his level, Kidō without incantation was less than a tenth of its original power. How could he possibly harm "Mitsui"?
"Tasuke! This is an order—RUN!!"
Miyako shouted sharply. She knew all too well that the Hollow possessing Mitsui was far beyond them.
If they delayed any longer, they would all die here.
"Kekekeke… trying to run? That's impossible, you know, Shinigami—ROAR—"
Mitsui Sora licked his lips as the crimson tentacles on his back whipped and writhed, like a furious scarlet octopus.
He threw his head back and let out a Hollow's roar, then snatched up an asauchi. With the crimson tentacles shielding him, he lunged forward and slashed at Shiba Miyako!
"Miyako-sama—!" Noda Tasuke cried out in alarm.
"Run! Go! Report the situation here to the Captain... and to Kaien..."
Miyako dodged Mitsui's attack, raised her Zanpakutō horizontally before her chest, and began to chant in a low voice: "Become spring soil… Burn, flower!"
Whoosh—
A faint crimson glow flickered along Miyako's Zanpakutō. From the soil beneath her feet, enormous petals bloomed, wrapping tightly around Noda Tasuke. From afar, it looked like a peach blossom bud about to bloom.
"Tasuke! You must deliver the Hollow intelligence back to the division—please!"
With that, Miyako raised her Zanpakutō. Instantly, the three-petaled peach blossom shot into the sky, flying toward Seireitei.
"Miyako-sama!!"
Tasuke clung desperately to the petals, shouting her name—but as the blossom flew farther and farther away, her figure grew smaller and blurrier, until it finally vanished into a single black dot.
"I am not called Shinigami—
I am Shiba Miyako, 3rd Seat of the 13th Division!
Now then—come and fight!!"
Gripping her Zanpakutō with both hands, Miyako charged straight at Mitsui Sora.
"Kekekeke… the sanctimonious stench radiating from you makes me sick!
So die, Shinigami—!"
Mitsui's figure blurred. In an instant, he appeared behind Miyako as dozens of crimson tentacles shot forward with puff, puff, puff sounds.
"Hadō #58: Tenran!"
Knowing her Zanpakutō's abilities were useless against him, Miyako extended one hand and unleashed a massive cyclone.
BOOM!
A roaring green whirlwind instantly blew away all the red tentacles, fully exposing Mitsui Sora to Miyako's sight.
"It's over, Hollow!"
Miyako clenched her teeth, activated Shunpo, and appeared at Mitsui's side in a flash. She reversed her grip and slashed her Zanpakutō straight across his waist—
Shhk!
The white blade passed through Mitsui's body without the slightest resistance, like a knife through tofu. His body split cleanly in two and fell limply to the ground, shriveled and hollow—like two deflated humanoid dolls.
"What?! An empty shell?!!"
Miyako's heart lurched. Sensing grave danger, she prepared to Shunpo away—
But her Zanpakutō and both legs were suddenly bound tight by crimson tentacles!
"Kekekeke… I've got you now, Shinigami—"
Miyako followed the tentacles with widened eyes—and at last, the Hollow revealed its true form:
A grotesque, rodent-like crawling Hollow with six legs, its back sprouting countless crimson tentacles.
Its full name was—
Metastacia.