Chapter 168
Using the Soul Reaper's Kidō as an analogy, it falls into the category of intermediate Bakudō Spells; moreover, Lily's proficiency in using this technique is clearly very high, from the speed of its construction to the strength of its Shibari, all of which are enough to easily suppress a full-force attack from Giant Hollow of the same level.
The golden light quickly receded, and blue-green ripples flowed from the tip of the horn.
"Magic #28"
The demonic weapon, like Zanpakuto by Soul Reaper, fiercely attacked the Hollow Inu, who was being pushed back by the impact!
"Rainy Wheel!"
The water element circular saw, shaped like an eight-part halo, struck Inu no Kyo's head squarely.
"Sizzle!"
Amidst the noisy and ear-piercing friction sounds, Inuhou's Visored rapidly tore apart and disintegrated.
"The final blow!"
Lily leaped off the white dragon she was riding.
"Call--"
From the inside of her vest, a graffiti-filled bottle appeared in Lily's hand, replacing the magic artifact.
"Hiss!"
As it fell freely, the paint sprayed from the can formed an irregular, enormous magic circle in the air.
"Bite."
"Reverse Release #2028"
The halo of light flickered for a moment, then a torrent of paint, carrying distorted characters and chaotic, mixed colors, poured down.
"The Curtain of Greed!"
"Sizzle!!"
The waterfall of dye instantly enveloped Inuhou.
Its enormous size was dissolved in just a few seconds, leaving only a pool of viscous liquid on the ground that was still slowly wriggling.
"Thump."
Lily pinched her nose and landed on her feet.
"Flying very well, Marshall!"
"Hmph~"
Under Lily's caress, the red and blue dragon showed a joyful expression.
"Knock knock!"
Lily stomped her feet hard on the ground twice.
"The Magic Circle Squad's moves are quite useful in situations like this."
High-concentration magical pigments are compressed and stored in spray cans, then released via high-speed spraying (chanting) when needed.
This is the product of nearly a century of continuous innovation by the Magic Circle Squad.
But.
If other members of WB were here, they would definitely be surprised by Lily's move: as the signature ability of the Magic Circle Squad, the members of the Pipers have no way of learning it... even though she has the status of a first-class protector.
Unless...
This person once served in the combat unit, the Magic Circle Squad.
There were few eyewitnesses around.
Lily looked around; the open space on the riverbank was even "cleaner" than she had imagined.
Unlike the Soul Reaper of the Gotei 13, the Witches of WB are all human beings with flesh and blood, so they are often more cautious when acting in the World of the Living.
"I wish there were places like this everywhere."
"..."
One last look at the spot where the Curtain of Greed had disappeared.
"Let's go, Marshall!"
"Hmph!"
Lily leaped lightly onto the white dragon's back, her graceful figure swiftly flying towards the Seitō Academy.
Just then...
"Gala."
Where the paint of the Curtain of Greed disappears.
The sand dunes, crushed into powder, trembled slightly.
A dog-like head with a long, gaping wound emerged from it...
"Buzz!"
Blue light, blue flame, blue smoke.
Inuhou's Visored, along with his body, vanished completely from this world.
"Whoosh."
Haruto's figure appeared on the river.
"That move just now was equivalent to a proper high-level Hadō, and its strangeness was even greater than the Raikōhō."
"The Eishōhaki..."
Haruto chuckled softly.
"Miss Lily is indeed exceptionally talented, but unfortunately, she lacks some combat experience."
The variant of the Dark Dragon from the West Branch Bureau differs from the Void in many ways:
Losing the head of the former does not affect the battle, but defeating the latter requires confirming that his Visored has been successfully shattered; moreover, Hollows possess unique special abilities, and in battles of the same level, those abilities that cannot be confirmed require extra caution.
The Inu no Kyoukai that was just killed by the Byakurai had an ability related to the ground-attribute "Earth Release," which is why the Curtain of Greed failed to deal its full damage.
"..."
Haruto casually waved his hand.
The Reishi that scattered after Inu no Kyou's death quickly returned to the earth.
"Is it a ghost that emerged from someone who tortured and killed animals, and was ultimately bitten to death by a dog?"
After merging with the Soul King Hakusui, Haruto could subtly sense the manner of the Hakusui's death each time he killed Zanpakuto with his Zanpakuto; more precisely, it was the intense resentment the Hollow felt when it became a Hollow.
Logically speaking, similar abilities can only be occasionally realized when a normal soul Konsō, so Haruto's is somewhat special.
"..."
"The English lesson has only lasted ten minutes."
Haruto glanced down at the watch on his wrist.
"Never mind."
Haruto could only shake his head with a wry smile.
Let's just wander around the neighborhood for a bit.
――――
Evening.
Let's go out for a meal together!
The school bell had just rung.
Before the male and female classmates could even begin to invite Lily and Sōken Ishida, the former had already grabbed their sleeves and started a three-person meeting.
"Ah?"
The blonde girl from London was so overly enthusiastic that Haruto, who was used to Ayaka's Kiyone, found it a little hard to adjust.
Sorry, we're not going the same way.
Sōken Ishida was extremely decisive in rejecting Lily's invitation.
This person's judgment of character is quite accurate; they had already gathered relevant intelligence before Lily took action.
The roster provided by the homeroom teacher only contained photos and names; this information was clearly obtained through illegal means.
"Can we go to your house?"
Sōken Ishida's reasoning clearly wouldn't work with Lily.
"... May I have an objection?"
Haruto seized the opportunity and tentatively raised her objections.
Why?
Seeing that Haruto was also unwilling to cooperate, Lily's enthusiasm finally waned a bit.
"Wouldn't it be strange if they agreed?"
Haruto explained.
"Japanese people are rarely outgoing, and we've only just met. Even if it's a beautiful girl inviting us, we should still be a little hesitant... But Lily, why did you insist on organizing a party with us?"
Invite?
Given Lily's cheerful personality, if she had just stayed in her seat for ten more seconds after school, she would have been bombarded with invitations.
"That's why I came to Japan!"
Lily didn't give Haruto the explanation he wanted, not because she intentionally hid it, but because Haruto's question was rather vague.
"For what?"
Haruto asked.
"Of course, it's the Japanese high school life I've never experienced before!"
Even if it's only three months?
"Three months is enough to celebrate youth!"
"..."
There are many high-achieving male and female students in this class, so there's no issue of favoritism based on looks.
A greater possibility...
Haruto didn't think that someone with her careless personality would be good at hiding her true feelings; he could only say that she relied entirely on her intuition—just as Stand users are attracted to each other, the same applies to those who possess Reiatsu (magic power).
Since that's the case.
"Ishida- kun."
Haruto spoke to Sōken Ishida remained seated motionless.
"I've changed my mind. Since Miss Lily has extended such a warm invitation, I think I can spare some of my personal time."
Even if it's a slightly longer route...
What do you think?
Using Lily as an excuse, Haruto could take the opportunity to test Sōken Ishida's true abilities; he thought it was actually a good idea.
As for the possibility of being targeted— Lily's outburst when she attacked the Hollow Inu had definitely exposed her Reiatsu to the Quincy hiding in the city— Haruto actually thought this was a good opportunity to expose her to the light of day.
"..."
Faced with the relentless pursuit of the two, Sōken Ishida remained silent for a moment.
"I am married."
"... Ah!?" x2
Sōken Ishida's answer was a resounding revelation.
The problem is, this guy didn't lower his voice at all. Not only Haruto and Lily, but also the other classmates who were watching the show and glancing over could hear it clearly... Now they were all dumbfounded.