"What?!"
Soichiro's expression twisted as his strike missed its mark. He whipped his head around, staring at the sabertooth Hollow that had already launched an attack on Seff.
"What kind of movement was that?!"
Even as the words left his mouth, he sensed something was off. That Hollow hadn't used footwork at all. What it had done felt closer to spatial displacement, something like instantaneous relocation.
Only something on that level could have slipped past his attack so cleanly.
Soichiro's knowledge of Adjuchas-class Hollows was limited. He knew of them, but only as legends.
Most Shinigami dealt with ordinary Hollows, creatures that didn't even qualify as Menos. For the average captain, being able to handle a Gillian was already considered impressive.
Adjuchas, on the other hand, were almost mythical.
In reality, Hollows of that level rarely appeared within Soul Society at all. To encounter one, you'd have to venture deep into Hueco Mundo, and even there, such beings were said to be extremely rare.
In that sense, the textbooks at the Shinō Academy weren't entirely exaggerating when they stated that "Great Menos must be handled by the Royal Guard."
If not for the overwhelming spiritual pressure radiating from this sabertooth Hollow, and its distinctly non-Gillian physique, Soichiro wouldn't have dared draw that conclusion so quickly.
Seff's arms were trembling.
Normally, he could wield his blade effortlessly with one hand, unleashing sharp, decisive slashes at will. Now, he had both hands locked around the hilt, barely managing to brace himself, just enough to keep the razor-sharp claws from tearing his chest open.
Even so, his body was being shoved straight backward, skidding dozens of meters across the ground.
An almost unbearable force crashed into him. The savage, feral face of the Hollow loomed inches away.
Those golden eyes were filled with arrogance, open disdain and contempt for the weak.
Since arriving in Soul Society, this was the first time Seff had felt the sensation of true death so clearly.
It was different from the man he had fought in Zaraki.
Back then, the danger had come from parity, from dancing on the edge of a blade, where a single mistake could mean death.
But this was different.
What pressed down on him now was absolute superiority.
Pure, overwhelming power.
Seff had to admit it, this so-called Adjuchas, smaller than most Hollows he'd seen, had completely shattered his assumption that "Hollows are just trash mobs."
After killing the Gillian, he'd already burned through nearly everything he had. The little strength he'd managed to recover was now being spent just to block this one casual strike.
For Seff, this was everything he had.
For the sabertooth Hollow, it was nothing more than a basic attack.
An ordinary swing, one it could repeat as many times as it pleased.
This was the most dangerous situation Seff had ever faced.
If he were alone, he might as well have closed his eyes and waited for death.
But the problem was,
Could Soichiro handle something like this?
"Pointless. A dying struggle."
The sabertooth Hollow didn't even bother giving Seff a look of contempt. The moment Seff barely managed to block its first strike, the Hollow unleashed another, at point-blank range.
Should he leave this to Soichiro?
But earlier, even when Seff had been standing right beside him, Soichiro hadn't been able to stop that attack. Now, with this distance between them,
The Hollow's claws flashed like lightning, ripping toward Seff.
And then,
The world slowed.
As if someone had pressed a pause button, everything around him decelerated. Seff could actually see the Hollow's claws inching forward, frame by frame.
"…What is this?"
[Hmph. You can't handle even this much?]
A voice sounded behind him.
A voice that felt strangely familiar.
And yet, Seff couldn't recall where he'd heard it before.
Before he could speak, the voice continued.
[I was curious how long you could last relying solely on yourself. Turns out… this is your limit.]
In an instant, something deep within Seff stirred.
A surge of power burst forth from somewhere inside his body, flooding him in a heartbeat, refilling the spiritual pressure he had completely exhausted killing the Gillian.
No.
It didn't just refill it.
It exceeded it.
It felt as though this power had always been there, hidden somewhere within him. As if Seff had simply never noticed it, or never thought to use it.
Mixed into that spiritual pressure was something unfamiliar, something he'd never encountered before.
And yet, strangely enough, he didn't reject it.
On the contrary, it felt natural.
As though he could command it as easily as moving his own fingers.
[You still need me.]
The voice spoke softly.
[For now… I'll lend you my power.]
The world snapped back to normal.
The sabertooth Hollow's claws tore through the air, ripping the wind apart as they surged toward him with terrifying force.
But the crushing pain was gone.
The sensation of his organs being squeezed vanished.
His limbs no longer felt heavy, as though filled with lead. His arms no longer trembled under the strain.
In a single instant, Seff tightened his grip on his blade. He twisted his wrist, turning the sword toward the Hollow at point-blank range.
The blade became an extension of his arm, the focal point where power poured forth.
Steel met claw.
A sharp, ringing clang echoed through the air as sparks exploded outward.
This time,
The one sent flying was the sabertooth Hollow.
The Adjuchas flipped midair with feline agility and landed smoothly on the ground. When it looked at Seff again, something had finally changed in its gaze.
Seff's spiritual pressure was completely different now.
It wasn't a matter of quantity.
It was quality.
If before, Seff's spiritual pressure had felt incomplete, fragmented, then now, it was finally whole.
"You-"
The Hollow started to speak, then stopped.
There was no need for words.
Its mission hadn't changed. And whatever had happened to Seff, one thing was certain.
This was far better than killing him in a single blow.
"Ha!"
With a low shout, the sabertooth Hollow did the opposite of retreating, it charged straight at Seff.
There was no reason to fear.
Even if Seff's strength had increased, he was still nowhere near its level.
<><>---------------------------------------
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🚨 TL/N 💥
Hello guys Fanfic recommendation!
Check out my other work:
💥> Naruto: Mind Control (Highly Recommended)
💥> HP: The System Made Me a Tyrant King
If you like smart and strong MC, this fanfic is for you.
It's Peak.
Give it a chance and you won't be disappointed