Shiba Kaien, Deputy Captain of the Thirteenth Division
In his moment of urgency, Shuhei spotted a figure with flowing black hair and dark bluish-gray eyes—someone with the archetypical appearance of a hero—hurrying towards him. Affixed to his left arm was a badge denoting his rank as vice-captain of the "Thirteenth Division. "
"It's Shiba Kaien, the newly appointed Vice Captain of Division 13! "
"Thank you, everyone, for your efforts. The Soul Society acted swiftly upon receiving your distress signal and sent me right away. "
With a grin, Shiba Kaien, wielding a nearly two-meter-long trident, began assessing the enormous hollows surrounding them. Observing their massive sizes, he couldn't help but express his concern:
"It appears there's an issue with the barrier established by the 12th Division; otherwise, such a multitude of colossal hollows wouldn't appear here without any prior warning. Clearly, their gathering purpose is far from ordinary. "
"Let's tackle these giant hollows first! "
"Nejibana, hit the tide! ! "
As Shiba Kaien raised his liberated Nejibana, the moment the base of the trident made contact with the ground, ripples like those on water radiated from his figure.
"Swish-Swish-Swish—"
With the ripples encompassing all the hollows, multiple waves surging over ten meters high, infused with Reiatsu, surged forth from Shiba Kaien and crashed into the hollows.
Upon impact, the waves obliterated all but two airborne hollows, which managed to evade the assault.
"Impressive! ! ! "
Witnessing Shiba Kaien effortlessly dispatch over a dozen hollows with a single strike, the four observers were left in awe.
"Did they not get completely annihilated? " Noticing two still flapping vigorously in the air, Shiba Kaien waved his trident and declared:
"Nejibana · Surge of the Waves! " As the vortexes launched skyward, they struck the remaining hollows, and after a shriek echoed in the air, the last two hollows were eradicated.
"That was exceptionally timely, Deputy Captain Shiba Kaien! We owe you our lives! "
Shuhei, who had been watching, rushed over to express his gratitude, bowing deeply for the assistance Shiba Kaien had provided in eliminating those hollows they were powerless against.
"Hahaha, you're welcome! By the way, I hurried here right after receiving the alert. Were there any casualties among the first-year trainees or the sixth-year students leading the squad? "
Shuhei quickly reported that aside from losing contact with the sixth-year student in charge of the enchantment group, two of his teammates had also fallen prey to a hollow. His eyes reflected an undeniable regret, as he realized that he held responsibility for this mission, even amidst the unfortunate events.
If Shiba Kaien hadn't arrived promptly, the aftermath would have been beyond comprehension. While a handful of individuals conversed post-battle, Fiander sat in midair, legs crossed, observing Shiba Kaien, who had swiftly eliminated the hollows, and pondered:
"So, this is why Lord Aizen requested I bring it." The Adjuchas had indeed been ready for this vice-captain.
"However… he is remarkably powerful. He has dealt with numerous hollows; can this Adjuchas really contend with him? "
"What if I added something? "
With this thought in mind, Fiander released the Adjuchas Menos Grande's neck that he had been gripping and unleashed a torrent of Reiatsu into its body, creating a dazzling blue light in the air. The Adjuchas, writhing in agony from the influx of Reiatsu, emitted howls of distress.
With the violent quaking of space surrounding them, everyone felt an overwhelming evil Reiatsu bearing down from above. The intensely negative energies caused Abarai and his companions, who had not yet fully become Shinigami, to feel lightheaded, their bodies trembling.
"What's occurring up there? " Kira Iziru, at the side, looked pale, yet was able to voice his thoughts amid the suffocating Reiatsu.
"Shuhei, a sixth-year student, correct? "
"Yes, what is your command? "
Shiba Kaien, eyeing the menacing Reiatsu in the sky with a grave expression, ordered, "Quickly organize the survivors to return to the Soul Society; this is your utmost priority! "
"Yes…"
Before Shuhei could finish his statement, a blue light crashed heavily from the sky, slamming into the ground and creating a massive cloud of smoke and dust.
As smoke and dust began to settle, Shiba Kaien and the others shielded their mouths and noses, revealing an upright hollow beast staring at them with greedy eyes. Strangely, more than half of the mask on this Hollow's forehead lay shattered, and the deep eyeholes glowed with a fierce red light.
"Retreat at once! ! "
This Hollow triggered a profound sense of dread in Shiba Kaien; while it appeared unassuming, the terrifying Reiatsu it emanated was unmistakably genuine.
"Nejibana Tears! "
Pointing his trident directly at the Adjuchas on the incline, a slender stream of water was fired forth. The water effortlessly penetrated the Adjuchas's body, prompting Shiba Kaien to exclaim, "Is it dead? " Yet, before he could fully comprehend, the wound made by the water stream swiftly healed.
While Shiba Kaien battled the Adjuchas, Shuhei led the Abarai trio toward the gate, encountering trainees scattered throughout the barrier. However, it seemed Shuhei had overlooked the fact that the giant hollow they had initially fought hadn't been vanquished by Shiba Kaien.
….
First-year students were being forced into the mouth of a hollow.
Witnessing this, Shuhei surged forward with his chest brimming with rage. "You bastard! " he yelled as he saw the hollow preparing to seize another trainee and stuff them into its maw.
Shuhei, filled with rage, drew his Zanpakutō and swung it down with all his might, successfully severing the hollow's arm.
"Ugh—" The hollow recoiled in pain, prompting Shuhei and the trio to quickly move in to confront it and prevent any further injuries.
"Quickly check for survivors and evacuate them immediately," Shuhei instructed the trio, urgency in his voice.
"Senpai, this hollow is powerful; we have no choice but to fight it," Hinamori Momo said, exhibiting no fear despite having felt the weight of Reiatsu from Adjuchas before.
"Absolutely not, we must work together and defeat it with Kidō. "
"Self-destruction, Rondanini's black dog, burn and cut your own throat at a glance! "
"Ninth of Bakudō—Strike! "
As Kira and Hinamori unleashed two red threads to bind the colossal hollow, Shuhei seized the moment to leap into the air, chanting while his palms faced downward:
"King's Lander! Mask of flesh and blood, Vientiane, soaring high! What bears the name of man! Truth and temperance, stand firm upon the wall of the dream of innocence! "
"Hadō's Thirty-Three: Blue Flame Pendant! ! "
A massive blue fireball erupted from Shuhei's palm, slamming into the hollow's body. The ensuing explosive blast sent the hollow crashing to the ground.
"Great, we did it! " After coming down, Shuhei felt utterly drained; the recent Hadō had completely sapped his spiritual energy, leaving him wanting to collapse on the ground to recuperate.
"Senpai, we succeeded! " Abarai noticed Shuhei's fatigued state and rushed over to support him, a smile on his face.
"Hoo-hoo--" Breathing heavily, Shuhei remarked with a somber expression, "Don't celebrate yet; the fight against Vice Captain Shiba Kaien is still ongoing, and the current situation remains perilous, we. . . "
Before he could continue, a tremor rippled through the air, and the giant hollow he had just defeated began to radiate powerful Reiatsu.
"Roar---" Having absorbed numerous spiritual entities, the giant hollow unexpectedly evolved into a Menos Grande, specifically a Gillian.
"It's all over now," Shuhei thought, frustration evident in his eyes, feeling as though he had failed to protect anything despite his efforts.
"Hadō no. 4 · White Thunder! " Hinamori Momo took the initiative to attack the Gillian while the others were momentarily stunned. Although the lightning struck the creature, it appeared to have no effect whatsoever.
"Senpai is exhausted, Renji, take him and leave at once; we will figure out how to stall it."
"Are you serious? You're just first-year students, I can't let you face that hollow alone. . . "
"But we'll be Shinigami too, won't we? " Before Shuhei could finish his thought, he noticed Hinamori Momo gazing at him resolutely.
"I. . . understand, my apologies! " After uttering this, Shuhei, who had been struggling to maintain his stance, finally succumbed and fell into Abarai's embrace.
"Hey! Just hold on; I'll sprint back after I take senpai to the teleportation gate. " Abarai took hold of the injured Shuhei and dashed away without hesitation.
At that moment, Gillian's focus shifted successfully to the two targets in front of him. As a massive black spike descended from above, Hinamori Momo and Kira Iziru swiftly split apart, yet the powerful shockwave from the attack sent both of them tumbling several meters away.
"Cough—" Once she regained her footing, Hinamori Momo glanced at Abarai's retreating figure, relief washing over her; at least she could defend the two of them. Just then, a tremendous red glow began to gather in Gillian's mouth.
As the energy orb formed, a beam of red Cero raced toward Hinamori Momo.
"Hinamori! ! ! ! " Kira, propped against a wall, could only shout in despair at the unfolding scene.
"Hadō No Ninety: Black Coffin! " An elegant male voice resonated from a distance, as a massive black cube exceeding ten meters in height rapidly ensnared Gillian, confining him within.
A figure clad in a white robe, wearing black-framed glasses and gripping a green Katana handle, stepped in front of Hinamori Momo to intercept the Cero.
The Captain of the 5th Division of the Gotei 13 in Soul Society's Seireitei, Aizen Sōsuke, had finally made his entrance.