Chapter 120
The desolate outskirts of the East District 23.
The enormous, scorpion-shaped Giant Hollow suddenly stabbed at Soul Reaper, who had been toying with it for so long using its speed, with its tail hook.
Then...
And that was the end of it.
The poison needles, sharp as daggers, were easily grasped by Soul Reaper, and no matter how much the massive body rolled and thrashed, it couldn't budge them an inch.
"Hey!"
Unlike the Giant Hollow lizard not far away, which died prematurely while trying to escape by cutting off its tail, its scorpion tail was a crucial weapon that could not be discarded.
But.
If you had to choose between life and weapons—
"Whoosh!"
The Giant Hollow scorpion brandished its massive pincers, attempting to sever its own tail in two!
"Smack!!"
The next moment.
Its pincers detached from its body and flew off.
"It's a pity."
"I was originally planning to try it a little longer."
Haruto withdrew his outstretched finger.
He originally didn't want to use the Kidō to deal with the Giant Hollow.
Unfortunately, the attack range of the Hakuda was limited, and in order to prevent the prey he had finally found from escaping, Haruto had no choice but to use a blast to knock away its pincers.
"Since you're so disobedient..."
Bone tremors, blood rushing, tendons tangling, muscles tensing, skin contracting.
The overwhelming Reiatsu was not extracted from the Hakusui.
Instead, it surged forth from the deepest recesses of the constantly permeating and strengthening bones, bursting outwards layer by layer—
Finally, everything converged on the fist!
"Waaah!"
Step forward and throw a punch.
"Boom!!"
The colossal scorpion-shaped Giant Hollow was pierced through by an immense force, starting from its Visored, and shattered into countless pieces of flesh...
Accompanied by a brief shower of metallic, bloody scent.
"Whoosh."
Haruto removed the rain shelter from Tōzanshō from his head.
It's done.
"After practicing for so long, I've finally mastered the two Bone Strike techniques."
Haruto's true talent in Hakuda is only average.
Even with the combined benefits of the Heavenly Bedding Pill and his spiritual power, it still took him half a year to fully master the "strike" technique of Bone Strike.
Fortunately.
His physical enhancement is a passive skill, and the fusion of the two techniques didn't take much time.
"Compared to Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Ikkotsu, the only things he lacks are Reiatsu, experience, and physical attributes..."
"It seems like it's lacking in every aspect."
Haruto frowned slightly in dissatisfaction, but after remembering that his comparison was with Captain-Commander Yamamoto, he quickly relaxed with pleasure.
"In any case, I have indeed mastered a way of fighting without using Kidō."
Haruto gently gripped his Zanpakuto.
"If weapons are used, the power will increase by another three points..."
"I just don't know if you can hold on."
Haruto Zanpakuto to himself as he looked at his Zanpakuto.
Six months is not a long time, but six months of continuous actual combat is a privilege that probably only the Soul Reaper of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force can enjoy.
During this period.
As he continued to hunt down Giant Hollow, his Zanpakuto began to ring out more and more frequently.
Haruto also summarized a rather unique experience: his Zanpakuto was not actually absorbing the power or soul of Hollows.
It's more like...
Draw upon memories.
That's right.
The strength of the sword's cry in response to the call seems unrelated to the Giant Hollow's power, but rather to its experience and lifespan.
Those Giant Hollow that carried the aura of the World of the Living —that is, those that had clearly devoured humans rather than being whole—evoked a more intense sword cries than other Giant Hollow.
"Zanpakuto, oh Zanpakuto..."
Haruto's left hand gently brushed against the scabbard.
Was your past soul deeply entangled with your World of the Living?
While Haruto was still reflecting on it.
"Whoosh!"
A rather tall figure appeared Shunpo beside Haruto.
"Are you alright, Isane?"
Haruto is asking a question he already knows the answer to.
The two most troublesome Giant Hollow had already fallen beside him; the remaining two were no match for him.
"Um."
While fanning herself, Isane slightly loosened her tight collar.
The hunting robe, which I measured myself, was naturally the perfect size. The real problem was the size of Isane's body – in the summer, it would be difficult to avoid sweat buildup no matter what.
"This combination of Kidō is really powerful."
Isane took the handkerchief Haruto handed her... Her own handkerchief was already soaked with blood from wiping it on her way over.
"What would normally require many strikes against a Hollow can be resolved in an instant with the Rikujōkōrō and the Zanka no Tachi."
"But you need to be careful about your Reiatsu consumption."
After handing over the handkerchief, Haruto gently placed his palm on Isane's back to help her recover her Reiatsu. Defeating the two Giant Hollows didn't take much effort at all, and Haruto's health and mana bars were still at full capacity.
"If it's not a battle that needs to be resolved quickly, there's no need to fight in such a forceful way. A few more hits won't make a difference."
Haruto reminded.
Not everyone has such abundant Reiatsu as him. With the same combination of Kidō, an ordinary Seated Officer would run out of chakra after just two rounds.
Feeling the warmth coming from behind, Isane's face flushed slightly—physical contact was normal, but the key was that Isane's clothes were soaked through, and Haruto felt as if he had his hands directly pressed against her back.
That was so exciting!
――――
Volume 1: 075, Graduation Examination
"Isane?"
"..."
"Isane!"
"Ah!?"
Isane, who had been frozen in place, was finally woken up by Haruto... Haruto refrained from reminding her to wipe the drool from the corner of her mouth.
This doesn't seem to be because he's sleepy; it's purely because he's lost in his own fantasies.
Haruto never expected that Isane would have such a... adorable hobby, it's truly unexpected.
An unexpected joy.
"There's news."
Haruto pointed to the Hell Butterfly perched on Isane's shoulder.
"Oh!"
After reminding Isane, Haruto also saw the Hell Butterfly resting on his fingertip—only the Shin'ō Academy could transmit information to both of them at the same time: individual users of the Hell Butterfly do not have the authority to send group messages.
"..."
After connecting Reiatsu with the Hell Butterfly, the information contained within will be directly input into the mind in text form.
"A-Qing."
After finishing reading first, Isane turned around and looked at Haruto.
"Um?"
Haruto's expression was somewhat subtle.
What do you think?
Isane couldn't figure out what Haruto was thinking either.
"Either they haven't learned their lesson during their Konsō internship, or they've suffered too many losses and have no choice but to take this risky gamble."
The message that Hell Butterfly conveyed to all sixth-grade students was that the graduation exam would begin in a week.
But!
This graduation exam has undergone a dramatic transformation in every sense of the word.
The first task is invigilation.
In the past, this task was handled by teachers within the Shin'ō Academy. However, this year, the teachers can only be considered as exam assistants. The people truly responsible for proctoring the exam have become the three sages from the Central 46 Chambers.
That's right.
That's the highest judicial body in Soul Society.
The Central 46 Chambers were self-proclaimed by forty sages and six judges. Although these individuals came from different backgrounds and belonged to different groups, they all resided together in the heavily guarded Seijōtōkyorin after entering the Central 46 Chambers.
At least on the surface, it maintains absolute impartiality.
The Central 46 Chambers certainly have the authority to govern the Shin'ō Academy, but this area is, after all, Captain-Commander Yamamoto's sphere of influence. They won't go looking for trouble for themselves... unless they've already been involuntarily drawn into it.
"These three were supporters of Principal Mitarai's reform policies back then."
Haruto explained to Isane, who didn't know much about the situation, that the information all came from a man with the surname "Shiro" who wished to remain anonymous.
"Let's not worry about who's standing behind them for now."
"At least on the surface, with the major problems arising from the Konsō internship and the resignation of Principal Mitarai..."
"The three sages' plan can no longer be implemented."
Haruto chuckled.
"But..."
"Those in positions of power always manage to salvage their image; otherwise, they would definitely fail the next selection of sages."
"Fortunately, the people we have left seem to have some merit."
Most of the weak were eliminated, and those who remained naturally appeared to be "all" elites.