Chapter 85
Shirou could feel the hollow coming from the distance and it was coming right at their direction.
'Not good.'
Orihime also seemed to notice it and looked at him.
Looking back at her, he gave a small nod. He would handle this problem.
"I just remembered that I need to buy something else. Can you go with Inoue first, Tatsuki?"
"Hm?" Tatsuki raised her eyebrows in question, "What is it? I can buy it for you. No need to make us wait."
"No need to. My house is close so it will be safer for you girls to just go there. It's already night after all. And what I need to buy is just... some spices." Shirou made up an excuse and showed her a smile.
Orihime immediately knew what was happening, and so she decided to help Shirou by adding her words to the conversation.
"Yes, I am scared walking at night alone." She said with a fake fear on her voice, "So please accompany me, Tatsuki-chan. I will feel safe with you there. It's okay, right? We will wait in Shirou's home with the others."
She tugged Tatsuki's shirt, causing her to sigh.
"Yeah yeah. Whatever. Let's go then." Tatsuki shrugged her shoulders, her eyes looking at Shirou with suspicion. "Just come back quickly. We are hungry, you know. Especially this glutton."
"Hey! Don't call me glutton!" Orihime protested but Tatsuki just chuckled and ignored her, walking ahead and leaving her behind.
Smiling wryly at them, he turned around to face where he felt the reiatsu was coming from. His eyes narrowed dangerously and he disappeared from where he stood with Hirenkyaku, appearing high in the sky above Karakura.
From this position, he could easily spot the Hollow. A strange creature that had a white skull as a mask, and its body was black, covered with a hole on their chest.
Its shape was like a bird's with wings and claws on its legs. It had a long beak, sharp and pointy.
However, its reiatsu was higher than a normal hollow. Most probably it's strong enough to take on a Shinigami officer, which was not good at all.
But he was not scared. Instead, he was calm. His face showed no emotion as he looked down at it.
"Trace, on."
A black bow appeared in his hand, with blue light dancing on the tip of his finger. The spiritual pressure around him became thicker, almost visible to the eyes as the air itself became heavy.
He aimed his arrow, his gaze was focused on the enemy. He traced an arrow and knocked it to the bowstring.
Light danced around him as he reinforced the bow with his magic. He took a deep breath, calming himself and he could feel the world around him becoming still, waiting for him to take his action.
Shirou's mind was now blank. Everything around him became nothing, as he only focused on the hollow, which noticed him as soon as he traced his weapon.
It screamed loudly, its voice distorted like it came out from an old radio. The Hollow turned around and flew at Shirou, aiming its sharp beak to stab him.
Shirou took a deep breath and exhaled. His eyes focused on the hollow and then...
Thwang!
The arrow was released and it hit its target right in the middle of its head.
"Gwaaakk!" The hollow screamed as the arrow destroyed half of its mask.
Usually, hollows would die after a fatal injury like that, but this hollow didn't. Instead, it seemed to have gone into a frenzy.
"You!" It growled at Shirou. "I will kill you!"
Its reiatsu suddenly spiked up as it grabbed a sword that Shirou somehow missed on his waist. From the shape of it, the sword should have a considerable length and looked eerily similar to Zanpakutou.
Even when Shirou used structural grasp on it, he could only deduce the sword as a Zanpakutou. Just that it was still not bonded perfectly yet, a normal weapon that couldn't even turn into Shikai. A weapon that couldn't even match against a Shikai, or so he thought.
More importantly, 'What the hell? How could a hollow get a Zanpakutou?!'
Something like this wasn't supposed to exist in this world. Or was it a case where someone dropped their Zanpakutou in this world? It's not something that could happen, but it's not like Shirou could deny it.
Not when the Hollow had a Zanpakutou on his hand.
Shirou dodged a horizontal slash that could have cut his torso in two if it hit. He jumped back, maintaining the distance between them and creating more arrows, firing them in quick succession.
The arrows split the air and left a red trail behind. It pierced a few parts of the Hollow's body, creating another hole like the one in its chest, but it's not enough to bring it down.
The Hollow roared, its beak opened as if it was going to devour him. Its claws glinted with bloodlust, and it charged toward the boy.
'Its attack is getting wilder, but its power is getting stronger. Is this hollow's ability?' Shirou mused.
The Hollow swung its sword, cutting the air as it tried to slice Shirou in half.
At that moment, the black bow disappeared and was replaced by a twin sword.
A loud clang resounded as the swords met, sparks flying and a metallic smell permeating the air. The force behind the strike caused Shirou's arm to feel numb, his muscles screaming at him to let go of the swords.
He jumped back, his body twisting to dodge another swing of its blade.
'This is not a good time to hold back. It's too strong for a normal Hollow.'
Maybe this was the new hollow that Ichigo talked about.
'I need to face this one seriously.'
Standing on top of a platform he created from Reishi, Shirou reinforced his body and disappeared. He reappeared behind the Hollow, and with Kanshou and Bakuya, Shirou struck the Hollow from both sides of its body, making a cross shaped scar on it.
Its body was cut into four pieces and disappeared into the air. The fate of its soul was unknown because what Shirou used was not a Zanpakutou.
Shirou watched the disappearing Hollow before sighing.
This hollow was definitely a strange existence. Something stronger than a normal one yet weaker than a seated officer from Gotei 13.
'I will have to ask dad or Urahara-san about this.'
Unfortunately the former was busy and he didn't know whether the latter would tell him or now. And it was already night so it's not really the best time to visit his store.
He then jumped down from the platform and landed on the street.
For now he would make the best sandwich he promised Inoue.
Chapter 86
Arriving at his home, Shirou noticed the rowdy atmosphere inside. Chatters could be heard, along with a loud bang and some shouting.
A normal occurrence in Kurosaki's household, and he was sure it was his brother who caused it. Well, that's Ichigo for you.
The difference was that the other party was not his father but someone else.
Shirou walked into the house, his feet carrying him to the living room, which was full of people today.
Karin, Yuzu, Orihime, Tatsuki, and Ichigo. They sat around in the living room with Karin playing a game on her handheld, Orihime chatting with Yuzu excitedly about her favorite food, while Ichigo and Tatsuki were wrestling with each other.
Well... It was mostly Tatsuki who attacked while Ichigo just casually deflected or countered every attack. It's clear that she was toying with him, and Shirou knew it.
"I am back." He announced himself.
"Welcome home, Nii-chan!" Yuzu greeted, "I've heard you're about to make sandwiches? Do you want to eat together?"
"Yes, let me cook it. You can continue to chat with them, Yuzu."
"O-Okay, then! Do you need help?"
Having been satisfied with teasing Ichigo, Tatsuki fixed her clothes and asked.
"Of course. Can you help me wash the vegetables while I prepare the ham?"
Shirou accepted Tatsuki's help and they entered the kitchen. He took a few ingredients and placed them on the table. He also prepared some plates and started preparing the food.
His hands moved swiftly, his body was moving with efficiency and grace, almost like he was dancing as he made the sandwiches.
Tatsuki watched him as he worked with an amazed expression on her face. The sight was a pleasant sight, but something bothered her mind, and she spoke up.
"You're really skilled. How long have you been cooking for?" She asked while helping him prepare the meal.
"I have been cooking since I was child. So... 9 years, I think. I have a lot of experience."
Not to mention his previous life experience, where he spent more than a decade to perfect his craft. He might even pass as a professional chef in this world.
"I see. You must be a prodigy in the kitchen. To think you're this good at a young age, it's impressive." Tatsuki said, her eyes filled with admiration and curiosity. "I have been cooking for 2 years already, and my skill is still nothing compared to yours."
"It's just a simple sandwich."
"You know I don't mean that, right? You've got the talent and experience, you should be proud of yourself." The black-haired girl said.
"Thanks, I guess." He smiled and said.
They finished cooking the sandwiches, and they were pretty good.
The taste of the bread mixed perfectly with the filling, the sauce made from a secret recipe that was given by the old lady of a restaurant where Shirou worked before, made the whole dish tasted delicious.
They ate their meal together with the others and chatted a bit.
Time flew, and the clock struck ten.
Tatsuki and Orihime stood up from their seats, ready to go back home.
"It's already late. I need to get going."
"Let me take you home." Ichigo offered.
"Then I will escort Tatsuki." Shirou added, rising from his seat.
"You don't need to." Tatsuki rejected, "We can go back by ourselves. You guys need to go to sleep, right?"
"It's dangerous at night, especially with Hollows running rampant." Ichigo replied.
He had already told all of our friends about the hollow and soul, but only a few of them could actually see it, like Orihime, Sado and Uryu.
Tatsuki wasn't one of those, but at least she had some basic spiritual awareness and could feel something dangerous when hollow was around. So it was a logical thing for Ichigo to take Orihime home. Shirou would escort Tatsuki then.
However, telling them about it didn't mean that they would believe it fully. Tatsuki hadn't seen a hollow and didn't know what kind of creature it was. So she still rejected his offer.
Shirou wouldn't usually push it if he hadn't met a Hollow earlier, "Well, I am free right now and it will make us calm if you let me accompany you. What do you say, Tatsuki? Just take this as my favor."
Not trying to force her by saying it was for her own good. But by making her accept his offer as a favor. He was also free so there was nothing to lose.
"...Fine." She relented and agreed, "Let's go, Shirou. See you tomorrow, Ichigo, Orihime."
"Let's go too, Inoue." Ichigo walked to the front door and turned to look at the girl, "I will make sure you arrive home safely. Let's go."
"Umm, thank you, Ichigo-kun." Orihime smiled and waved her hand at them. "Bye, Shirou-kun, Tatsuki-chan!"
The four left the Kurosaki's household, parting their way on the street. Shirou left a message to Karin to lock the door as he walked with Tatsuki to her house.
Shirou accompanied her in silence, the night air felt comfortable for them.
Tatsuki glanced at Shirou who seemed to be deep in thought, and asked, "Hey, Shirou."
"Yeah?"
"Is your business earlier related to that Hollow thing?" Her voice sounded serious and her gaze was fixed on the road, avoiding Shirou's gaze. She seemed to be somewhat hesitant in asking him that.
And Shirou's silence confirmed it. He only smiled bitterly at that, "...You really don't have to know about that stuff. I have handled it already. It will not harm you."
"That doesn't change the fact that there are dangerous things in our world. How many times have you risked your life just to keep us safe, Shirou?" Tatsuki continued, "Ichigo too. How many times did he go and risk his life? I know Orihime and Sado also do the same thing, right?"
"Well, it's true."
"That only made me feel a bit useless." Tatsuki clenched his fist tightly. "You all are fighting against something that I can't even see. Karate is useless, even. And that frustrates me."
Silence filled the air between them, Shirou could only watch her quietly, thinking about the best words to answer her, "...I am not a good talker, but let me just tell you this, Tatsuki."
The raven haired girl looked up at him, "What?"
"You don't need to worry. A Shinigami will be dispatched from their headquarters to protect everyone in the town. Ichigo, and of course me too, will not fight that much anymore. Hollows will not be able to hurt you. Not in the slightest, I assure that. You can rest easy now."
What happened before was just an exception, and he wouldn't let anyone be involved in that matter ever again.
Tatsuki smirked at him, "Heh, that's not like you."
"Hmm?"
"I know you enough to tell you that." Tatsuki said, stopping her step. "I know you're hiding something. I don't know if Ichigo is aware of it or not, but I am. So please, be honest with me. Don't tell me some bullshit about being safe and shit. I can protect myself just fine!"
She raised her fist and smiled, her expression showed nothing but confidence in her skill, "So please, tell me everything. I will not let my friend fight alone!"
"...You're really stubborn."
Tatsuki chuckled, "Well, of course. I can't lose to my friend, right? You're stubborn too."
"I can't say that. You have a talent for Karate and I can't beat you in that." Shirou complimented, "Anyway, there is nothing to talk about, Arisawa. There will be nothing dangerous anymore, and your normal life can continue. That's all."
"Your, huh?" She muttered under her breath.
"Huh? What did you say?
"...It's nothing." Tatsuki looked at him and grinned, hiding her real feeling behind it. "Let's hurry, I want to sleep. My home is right in the corner. Thanks for escorting me."
"Yeah. Goodnight, Arisawa." He smiled at her and waved.
With a final goodbye, they parted their ways. Shirou was now alone on the street, walking to his house.
Chapter 87
Just like Shirou told Tatsuki that night, days passed by quietly and peacefully. There was nothing that happened. Hollow didn't attack and everyone was safe, not counting small events that usually happened in Karakura.
It was a normal and mundane life.
There were still a few days left until vacation was over. However, that didn't mean Ichigo would stop training and hunting hollow. There were some appearing , a few weak ones that were easily killed.
It was the opposite for Shirou. He hadn't encountered a single Hollow after that day.
Maybe because Ichigo and Sado, who had been actively patrolling and hunting them. Not to mention that he had spent most of his time in the mountain to train his Blut and Spirit Weapon.
Thwang!
A blue arrow created by Reishi pierced the tree cleanly, leaving a small hole in it.
'Well... That's an improvement.' Shirou thought, 'Maybe it's because I am used to the training, or my control over reishi is improving.'
After training for a week, he progressed enough to make an arrow without using the Quincy Cross as a medium.
Although the shape and the power was not yet perfect, it was enough to fight low level Hollow. He could split the arrows in the middle of its path by modifying its composition slightly, thanks to Uryu's pointer.
"Huh, I guess you did improve." Uryu commented from the side.
Every time Shirou trained, he would always watch for a while and give some pointers before disappearing. While he looked cold, he was actually kind of caring. Or maybe, it was just his comradeship as Quincy that made him want to help Shirou.
"Thank you for the compliment." Shirou said, "But this is still far from your level."
"Of course, it is far. It will take years before you can master it." Uryu pushed his glasses up, looking at Shirou with his sharp gaze. "You can't split your arrows easily yet. You need to spread the Reishi into more points to make a rain of arrows."
Saying that, he created a Spirit Weapon and demonstrated it.
He pulled the bowstring and a white arrow formed on his finger. He fired the arrow, which flew into the sky. A moment later, the arrow splits and a rain of arrows rained down on the trees, piercing through their trunk with ease.
Holes appeared on every tree and ground in a circular pattern, and a cloud of dust rose from the point of impact.
"See? You have a long way to go before you can reach my level." He said, "But you can do it."
"Right..." Shirou trailed off seeing the technique.
That would be useful to fight against a large number of enemies. Though the power was weak compared to the usual arrows, the sheer amount of it would be more than enough to compensate for that.
Using Noble Phantasm would be overkill. Not to mention, tracing it would need more Reiryoku than just using Spirit Weapon.
Indeed, very useful.
"I think it's enough for today. We should go home now. The sun is setting." Ishida Uryu said.
"Uhh, I guess you're right." Shirou looked around, his eyes looking at the darkening sky, "I think we should. It will be hard to train in the dark anyway."
They walked together out of the forest. Shirou and Ishida were silent for most of the time. Ishida wasn't a talkative person and he preferred to stay in his own world, unlike Shirou who could adapt to any situation and made some conversation.
This time was different though.
A topic was made from an earlier discussion.
As a newbie at using Quincy technique, Shirou had many to ask. Such as why he still had to use his own Reiryoku to form a weapon when he had Reishi around him.
The reason was that without his Reiryoku as a medium, it would take longer time to gather the Reishi and create a weapon. And that the process was not as efficient as using your own Reiryoku, because the amount was too much and the quality of the Reishi from nature wasn't that dense.
Controlling Reishi was an easy task. But when the Reishi was taken from another place and the quantity was a lot, it would be a different story.
He learned many things about Quincy. And he also shared his knowledge with others. It was a win-win situation for both of them. He knew more and could teach the other more stuff too.
When Shirou arrived at his home, he could already smell the scent of food from outside.
Opening the door, he heard his mother's voice from the kitchen.
"Is that you, Shirou?"
"I am home. Are you cooking?"
"I'm making your favorite food. You're just in time, Shirou." Masaki peeked out from behind the kitchen door, smiling brightly at him. "Can you call Yuzu and Karin for dinner? They are playing outside and haven't come home yet."
Shirou was a little surprised by this request but nodded nonetheless and replied with a smile of his own. "Alright."
Stepping out of his house once again, Shirou walked down the street to the park where his sisters usually played.
Twilight was fast approaching as the sky darkened into a deep shade of blue. Stars were already shining in the night sky and the moon was already visible above the horizon. The air felt a little cold against his skin, making Shirou shiver a little bit.
Soon, night would arrive.
It was not a very long walk, but the distance felt longer due to his tiredness from earlier training. It took about ten minutes to get to the park.
From afar, he could already spot two familiar figures in front of the park. One of them was wearing a white shirt while the other was wearing a blue shirt.
It was Yuzu and Karin. They played ball with other kids, their smiles were visible even from afar. Shirou smiled, watching them for a bit. They were still young.
And even if Karin had spiritual awareness and could see ghosts, he hoped that they would never get involved with supernatural stuff.
"Yuzu, Karin! Time to go home!"
"Ah! Nii-chan!" Yuzu waved her hand to him. She was holding a ball in her hand while talking to Karin about something or another. "We'll go back soon!"
Shirou walked toward them and patted Yuzu on the head, causing her to smile happily. Her smile was like bright sunshine and her face radiated joy.
Meanwhile, Karin just grunted as she turned her face away from Shirou, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Don't pat me in front of my friend." She said, blushing lightly.
"Okay, Karin." Shirou smiled, ruffling her hair one last time. He turned around and said, "Mom is waiting. She's cooking your favorite food."
Karin's expression instantly changed and her face brightened up. Her eyes were shining with excitement and anticipation as if she couldn't wait any longer.
She immediately started walking faster towards home. Yuzu giggled at her sister's antics as she ran after her, catching up quickly as well.
Shirou watched his sisters' interaction fondly before following them.
It was always like this every evening after school or during weekends when it was Masaki's turn to cook.
"So what are you playing today?"
"Ah, we were playing baseball." Yuzu replied cheerfully, her face filled with happiness, "Karin is really good at hitting the ball. She scored four home runs in just three games! It's amazing, right?"
Shirou glanced at Karin who looked annoyed and muttered under her breath. "...It's not like it's anything special."
"It's not something you see everyday." He praised.
Karin huffed, looking away in an embarrassed manner. She was blushing slightly.
"You don't have to be modest. I am praising you." Shirou smiled, patting her on her shoulder, "It's a good achievement."
"It's not." She said firmly, "It's not like it matters. No one else cares about it anyway."
Her words left him speechless for a moment before Shirou let out a small laugh. He ruffled his hair playfully as he said, "Don't say that. It matters to me and your friends."
"Yeah yeah, whatever." She brushed off his compliment and continued to walk forward without another word. Shirou sighed in exasperation at his sister's stubbornness.
Sun had set and it was already night.
And night turned into days again.
One day, Tatsuki contacted Shirou for something.
"... That's how it is. Can you help the Karate Club with their outdoor training? I don't know anyone to ask but you!"
Chapter 88
Tatsuki clasped her hands in front of her chest and bowed down in an earnest manner. She begged him with pleading eyes.
'Why me? I am not good at karate.'
Someone from the karate club apparently had an injury during practice, leaving the teacher short-handed for their training session next week.
Tatsuki, as a member of the club and their ace, asked her friend for help.
The first one flashing in her mind was Shirou or Ichigo. But since Ichigo was out with Sado, the choice was narrowed to Shirou.
She had asked the other members but they couldn't do it due to their schedule. Shirou was the only one free at that time, and so she was here.
"Are you sure about it?" Shirou scratched his cheek, feeling awkward, "I don't think I am the right person to do that."
"You will do just fine." She raised her head and smiled at him, "Just help them train. That's all. You can do the training method you use to kill that Hollow or anything. Just for today, okay?"
She pleaded to him again and again until Shirou sighed.
"I have nothing like that, but... Well, I can just join them in their training, right?"
"Yes! I really owe you one, Shirou! That will do just fine." She beamed at him.
Shirou just shrugged at her.
"Whatever. I hope this training is going to be a success. When will it happen?"
"Right now."
"Now?"
This time, he couldn't help but rub his temple.
Why did everyone like to do something so suddenly?
Heaving a sigh of defeat, Shirou followed Tatsuki from behind. Their destination was a mountain area located behind another park near the edge of town.
It was a place that wasn't frequented much and it was the ideal location for an outdoor activity like training.
Tatsuki led the group wearing karate gi as she guided them through the forest, her eyes were sharp and alert, and the others were also cautious. The air was thick with tension as they trekked further in the forest.
After some time of walking and running, the Karate club and Shirou reached a clearing near an observation area overlooking the town. There, they decided to have their break. Tatsuki then ordered them to sit down while she began to explain about their training.
"Everyone! Today we will start our special outdoor training! As you all know, we are short-handed and have a special helper. Shirou will help us today!"
"Hi." Shirou raised his hand, waving lightly. "I won't be able to help much, though. I am more of an observer, but I'll make sure you get through this training safely. My advice will help you improve yourself and your technique. That's all."
Tatsuki continued with her explanation after that, "Our training will start after the break."
"Well, you will run from here until you reach that big tree." She pointed to a large, ancient tree located at the end of the path leading out of the forest, "And then we will practice some karate techniques to test your stamina and endurance."
"Yes!"
Following her instructions, everyone began to move and started running towards the tree she had pointed out earlier.
Some were panting hard as they tried their best to keep up with the others and some were barely sweating even after a few laps around the park.
Shirou stood next to Tatsuki, watching them run.
The training itself was nothing special. Just a few physical exercises, and a practice on basic movement and stance. Though there was one part that Shirou didn't expect.
"Let's have a spar, Shirou."
It was the fact that Tatsuki would drag Shirou to spar.
Facing each other in the circle created by the members of the Karate Club, Tatsuki was in her fighting stance. She had her fists raised high and ready to strike anytime. Her eyes were sharp and filled with determination.
Meanwhile, Shirou just stood in his place, his posture was straight but he was still in a relaxed position, his face showed no sign of worry as he stared at his friend.
After looking at each other for a second... They moved.
Tatsuki's fist went straight at his chest. But it was easily blocked by his palm, the force was not even enough to make him take a step backward. She immediately pulled back and swung a kick toward his side.
He jumped back to dodge the kick and she quickly followed him with a barrage of punches. He dodged and weaved through them all with his own strikes, deflecting or parrying each one.
Somehow this felt like child play. His physical abilities were way above her, even without using Reinforcement.
Fighting a normal human felt pretty much the same.
In his previous life, Shirou had also joined Kyudo and was pretty serious about it until he quitted due to some personal reason. So he understand the feeling of being a competitive athlete.
However, his experience was still lacking compared to Tatsuki's. She made a feint punch and tried to trip his foot when he wasn't looking.
Shirou smiled upon noticing it, and he took a step backward to dodge the attack instead of blocking it.
Such an attack was easy to dodge for him. But he suddenly felt a shiver down his spine as a dense reiatsu suddenly came crashing down from above.
"Ugh!"
People suddenly fainted, and Tatsuki fell on her knees.
"Arisawa!" He raised his voice in worry, but Tatsuki couldn't move at all.
The reiatsu pushed her down and made it hard for her to breathe. Cold sweat poured out from her forehead and she was gritting her teeth. She tried her hardest to move her body, but it didn't listen to her.
She could only stay still and stare at the ground.
Gritting his teeth, Shirou stood in front of her and looked up. The sky was split open like a tear, and it was filled with a black and purple light.
The opening looked similar to an eye, with two people wearing full white clothes standing inside it. One had a thin frame with black hair. A half bone helmet covered the left side of his head, and he had a hole on his neck.
The second person was a muscular man with tanned skin. His jaw was covered with bone-like structure, and he had a hole on his chest.
Shirou was familiar with this type of opening, it was called Garganta and it was used to travel between worlds, especially to Hueco Mundo and back to the world of living.
And if it appeared, it could mean nothing other than a hollow.
That or the traitor Aizen Kisuke.
'No! This is bad! This is really, really bad!'
The pressure was not the problem for him.
However, other people who gathered around here could be killed. And it seemed Tatsuki was also not an exception as she could barely move.
Both people stepped out of the Garganta and stood in the sky. The opening closed just as they were about to land on the ground, the sky returning to normal.
The large man smirked as he noticed Shirou standing there, his face contorted with amusement as he bellowed, "Hey, that human is still standing! He is not a normal human!"
Following that, the thin man glanced at Shirou and nodded.
"He's one of the targets, Kurosaki Shirou. Aizen-sama wants him. We should capture him and kill everyone else." The man said.
Hearing the word Aizen and capture, Shirou immediately became alert and narrowed his eyes.
"Ulquiorra." The tanned man turned to him. "That human is mine. Don't interfere with my fight."
"Suit yourself. I don't want to get involved with your fight." Ulquiorra replied.
Grinning widely, the large man suddenly disappeared from where he stood and reappeared beside Shirou.
His eyes widened slightly as he quickly traced his beloved twin swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, to defend against the incoming punch.
Fist and swords met, and he was blown away at a great speed. The air rushed past his face as he crashed onto a nearby tree, cracking the wood in half.
Shirou groaned, pushing himself up to his feet, his hands trembling slightly from the shock of impact, he could feel blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
What a strong attack!
His body ached and hurt all over as if someone had hit him repeatedly with a sledgehammer.
However, the next attack had already arrived.
A red ball flew toward him, destroying everything on its way.
He rolled to his side and barely avoided it.
"Run away." He shouted at the club member. "You all will be killed if you stay here! Go!"
They didn't move an inch though. Even though some had woken up, the reiatsu from those two men with bone mask and hole still made them unable to move. They were all just scared, looking up at the figures in fear, even Tatsuki.
Shirou clicked his tongue. He couldn't fight while protecting them. He didn't even know if he could defeat them or not, not to mention that he needed to protect someone at that time. He was at a severe disadvantage here.
But, before he could do anything...
"Yo."
Someone arrived to help.
"You look like a wreck, Shirou."
"Ichigo..."
His brother had arrived, holding a large Zanpakutou in his hand. He looked at both men in the distance and said.
"I take the small one."
Shirou wiped the blood from his mouth and stood up, his eyes focused on the large man. "And I will take care of the large one. We should prioritize their safety and move the fight somewhere else."
Ichigo nodded, and without a word, they both dashed to different directions.
Chapter 89
Focusing his attention to his enemy, Shirou traced his weapon once more. He gripped them tightly in his hand and used Hirenkyaku to get closer.
He appeared behind the enemy and attacked with a slash.
But the enemy reacted faster and swung a fist toward him. Shirou raised his twin sword to block it, and it clashed with a powerful impact that sent a shockwave across the area.
The air vibrated with the sound of metal colliding against metal and sparks flew from where the blades clashed against his skin. It was like a sword was clashing with an armor.
"Hahaha! What's that, boy?" The hollow laughed at his feeble attempt, his grin widening. "Is this how humans attack these days? With a weak weapon like that?!"
Shirou didn't answer. He deflected his arm and kicked him in the chest, sending the large man stumbling backward.
Using this chance, he pushed forward, his feet carrying him toward the hollow at high speed, his blade slashing through the air with a cold and sharp sound.
He slashed, and he stabbed.
But it was all deflected by the enemy's tough body, his attack could only leave scratches on his body. It was as if his sword was useless against his body, a body of pure iron.
'He is so tough.' He thought as he jumped away from the enemy, his feet touching the ground once again.
A distance was created between them in the air. Before they knew it, the battlefield had shifted to an abandoned park with no one in it, where there would be no casualty in the fight.
A perfect place to fight without holding back.
The large man's laugh echoed in the empty park, and it sent shivers down his spine.
Shirou's expression turned grim and his lips curled up into a sneer. He relaxed himself for a moment as he assessed his situation. His eyes were sharp and cold as he watched the man carefully, not daring to let his guard down.
This guy is strong. Too strong for a normal man.
Not to mention, he had a sword strapped on his waist, so maybe he could use that instead of punching.
'This reiatsu is similar to Hollow. Could it be he's one?'
Everything from the man's hole, the sword, the bone mask, everything was similar to a hollow. But at the same time, something was off.
How could a Hollow look like a human?
Shaking his head, Shirou stopped his thinking and focused on himself.
When he did so, he saw a red ball coming right toward him. It was pretty fast that he almost had no time to react.
Boom!
Cloud of smoke appeared, covering Shirou's surroundings.
The man's laughter could be heard echoing throughout the place.
"Hahaha! How pathetic!" He exclaimed, raising his fist to the sky. "You can't even see my Bala coming at you! No one can beat Yammy Llargo!"
The cloud disappeared after a second, showing Shirou standing in the air with blue circuits running through his body. His clothes were burned slightly, but there was no damage on his skin.
Blut Vene, Quincy's defensive ability to block any external attack from harming their body. He managed to use it to defend against the attack at the last second.
He had a second of delay because of his unfamiliarity with it, but it was already enough to make his body as tough as armor.
The man's face twisted in rage upon seeing him unharmed.
"Bastard! How..." His face suddenly froze as he felt something wrong.
"How, indeed?" Shirou deactivated his Blut Vene and traced a weapon.
"I am the bone of my sword."
Red spear appeared in his hand—Gae Bolg. A Noble Phantasm that could always deliver a fatal blow to his heart with a 100 percent probability if he called its name.
The enemy was confirmed to be some kind of Hollow, albeit he was humanoid and had a Zanpakutou strapped to his waist. So, Shirou wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
Spinning the spear in his hand, he took a stance and dashed forward.
The enemy, who was now called Yammy, didn't expect him to suddenly close in. He was still in shock upon realizing that Shirou had survived his attack, and he couldn't react in time to block or evade the incoming spear.
He opened his eyes and roared. The spear was too fast for his eyes to catch up and before he could even react, the sharp tip pierced through his body.
Blood spurted from his mouth and the spear was stuck deep in his stomach, just inches from his heart. He managed to shift his body and avoid getting hit on his vitals.
Yammy growled, grabbing the spear and trying to pull it out of his stomach.
However, Shirou didn't give him a chance. He released the spear and jumped up, drawing Kanshou and Byakuya once more before throwing them down to the hollow's head.
"Bastard!"
Yammy growled and swatted away the twin blades, and then, he was greeted with a flying kick. His eyes widened at the sudden attack, but it was too late. His fist couldn't even reach Shirou as his body was thrown backward by his kick.
Shirou jumped up and grabbed his spear, following his enemy's trajectory and thrusting it to his heart.
But the Hollow roared and forced Shirou to stop with his reiatsu blast, blowing him away. Shirou flew in the sky, tumbling around until he managed to regain his balance. He looked down to see Yammy standing with his Zanpakutou in his hand. His reiatsu was increasing at an insane rate and the sky was shaking from its power.
Shirou was familiar with this sensation, this pressure and power increase.
"Die you bastard!"
A red beam of light was shot from his mouth—a condensation of pure reiatsu that destroyed everything on its way. The red Cero was too big to be avoided. It had a radius of a few dozen meters. If Shirou jumped away, he would just be blown by the aftershock.
So he did what he thought best at the moment.
"I am the bone of my sword."
Raising his hand, he traced the strongest conceptual shield he knew, and then, he called the true name.
"Rho Aias."
Seven pink petals bloomed beautifully, spreading its wings in front of Shirou and blocking the cero. The beam shattered the outer layer of the petals but couldn't even scratch Shirou in the slightest.
Yammy roared, releasing another blast of reiatsu to destroy the Noble Phantasm.
He didn't expect Shirou to be able to defend against it, nor that he would still be standing there unharmed. And he definitely didn't expect Shirou to counterattack him.
Behind the petals, Shirou gathered his power over the spear. Red light swirled around him as he called out the True Name.
"Gae Bolg!"
The spear turned into a beam of light as it flew at Yammy. While it didn't carry the sure death probability as it should be because it was thrown, its destructive power was greater than its thrust version.
Streak of light flew across the area, leaving destruction behind. Yammy screamed in agony as he was pierced and his left arm was destroyed, leaving nothing more than a bloody stump on his left side.
Blood spurted out of his body and the spear stuck to the ground behind him and exploded, causing massive damage to the park.
Gae Bolg disappeared as Yammy groaned in pain, holding his wounded side.
Shirou descended to the ground and watched Yammy with a cold look. He was ready to trace another Noble Phantasms in case the Hollow attacked.
Yammy glared at him, gritting his teeth and roaring with rage. "Bastard! How dare you do this to me!"
He stood straight with a pained look, blood still flowing out from his left arm.
How dare he do this to him?
"Someone who was about to kill many innocent people has no right to say that." Shirou replied.