Elsewhere, Hirako, whose injuries had yet to heal, retreated with his friends. Ragged Hollows kept closing in on them, and all they wanted was to survive. Four Giant Hollows that had retained their sense of self were still pursuing them.
The Giant Hollow beasts stood around fifty meters tall. They were smaller than Gillians, but they were already too large for an ordinary Soul Reaper to deal with alone, let alone Hirako's group, which didn't even have a Soul Reaper among them.
They grabbed ordinary souls fleeing along the road and stuffed them into their mouths. Their orders were to capture souls with Reiryoku for Lord Yanis to devour, while they could dispose of ordinary souls however they pleased...
Hirako had never longed for power as desperately as he did now. Several companions who knew they would struggle to escape lured the Giant Hollows away from them. They hadn't gotten far before screams rang out, and the Giant Hollows caught up.
Hirako had killed quite a few Ragged Hollows, but that couldn't change the fact that they were still prey. Gillians, even larger than the Giant Hollows, were also slowly approaching. The Soul Reapers stationed in the area had been held up by the Ragged Hollows, and no one was coming to help them...
Rei and Yanis were locked in a fierce fight, and the Ragged Hollows nearby didn't dare approach them. The Gillians, which had been destroying everything at will, kicked Rei away under Yanis's control.
He can command the lower-level Menos Grande, the Gillians. He must be an Adjuchas...
"An Adjuchas actually came to Soul Society? Even a Vasto Lorde died here. Aren't you afraid the Soul Reapers will gang up and kill you?"
Rei was struggling badly and wanted to shake him a little. Yanis was a mid-level Menos Grande, and his combat strength was terrifying.
"So you actually know about Menos Grande? You know a thing or two... Don't worry about me. I'll eat you all and leave, hahahaha! Gillians, use Cero."
Yanis forced Rei back with his bladed hand and retreated himself, then ordered the Gillians to charge their Ceros. This time, five charged them at once. Three would fire first, while the other two aimed for an opening in Rei's defenses.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three red Ceros plowed like lasers through the town's streets and houses. Everything in their path was blasted to ashes, and the surrounding thatched houses were set ablaze by the intense heat.
Rei dodged those three Ceros, but the other two followed close behind. Unable to use Shunpo, Rei dodged one but was caught by the other. As before, he had no choice but to feed his sword his own blood and unleash Blood-Coagulating Slash to counter the Cero's damage.
Yanis knew full well that time was running out and that the powerful Soul Reapers would arrive soon. He moved swiftly toward Rei and struck with his bladed hand.
Rei had been burned again, and the blood groove on his sword was completely empty. His Reiatsu had weakened to the extreme. Unable to fend off the attack, he was sent flying by Yanis's strike.
"Hahaha, it's over, nameless soul!" Having landed the blow, Yanis let out an excited, sinister laugh.
After crashing through two thatched houses in succession, Rei fell onto the street, his eyes bloodshot from the pain. Five Hollows were sharing a meal nearby, several Pluses clutched in their hands.
"Die!"
Yanis's bladed hand lengthened and stabbed toward Rei, who lay on the ground covered in blood. Bang! The bladed hand shattered several paving stones and plunged into the earth.
Rei avoided the blow with the martial world's ultimate technique, the "donkey roll." With no time to think too much, he returned the favor with a Coagulated Blood Slash.
Squelch!
"What? You're still not dead! Damn it..."
Yanis's own extended bladed hand had blocked his view, leaving him no time to use Sonído to dodge. The blow struck him squarely in the shoulder.
A gash more than a meter long tore through his hard, thick skin, and blood poured out. Even at ten meters tall, Yanis was in plenty of pain from a wound of that size.
Rei seized the chance to charge at the nearby Hollows and Pluses, raising his sword and hacking at them whether they were humans or Hollows...
Together with the blood Yanis had just shed, it instantly filled more than half of Blood Drink's blood groove, and Rei's injuries healed once again.
Ever since the surprise Cero attack, Rei had been suppressed by Yanis and hadn't managed to cut him to replenish the blood groove. Now the chance had finally come. As long as the groove on his sword was full, his Reiatsu could reach its strongest state, and he might be able to win.
"Don't even think about it!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Yanis saw through Rei's plan and aimed his left hand, which hadn't turned into a blade, toward him, unleashing Bala. The attack was much weaker than Cero, but twenty times faster.
Under the indiscriminate Bala bombardment, everyone over there, human or Ragged Hollows, was blasted to bits. Only Rei jumped clear.
Yanis chased after him again. Although Rei couldn't use Sonído, he could keep up with Yanis's movements. As long as he fought Yanis at close range, he had a chance to wound him too.
While dodging the attacks, Rei slashed several more Ragged Hollows. Their blood turned into a red mist of Reishi and was absorbed by Blood Drink. The blood groove filled further, and Rei's slashes grew sharper.
While Rei was cutting down the Ragged Hollows, Yanis took the opportunity to bring the Gillians over again. Their terrifying Ceros fired in another volley, clearing the ground of Pluses, Ragged Hollows, and buildings alike.
After those rounds of Ceros, the town had been almost completely destroyed. The fleeing souls gradually moved farther away, with the Ragged Hollows pursuing them.
Yanis had also seen the blood turn into Reishi mist and get absorbed by the red greatsword. Now, whenever Rei cut someone, Yanis followed up by blasting them apart with Bala, preventing Rei from absorbing their blood.
The blood groove's progress bar finally reached ninety percent, but it still wouldn't fill completely. Rei also seized an opportunity to kill the five troublesome Gillians, and several Soul Reapers who had arrived ahead of the others witnessed him in action...
"Who's that? He's that strong? He must be a lieutenant at least!"
"I don't know him... He got hit! Hurry, back him up!"
"This is bad, Giant Hollows!"
The Soul Reapers were just about to go support Rei, but several Giant Hollows closed in on them...
While killing the Gillians, Rei had also been hit three times by Yanis's Balas, but this time was different. Rei no longer chose to consume the blood groove's supply to heal himself. Instead, he intended to defeat Yanis with his strongest attack.
The main force of Soul Reapers finally arrived and rescued the few survivors in Hirako's group. Yanis, however, now wanted to retreat, and Rei pursued him...
"Pah, now it's finally one on one, hehe..."
Rei spat out a mouthful of blood. The Balas had shaken and injured his internal organs. He and Yanis had reached the forest to continue their duel, because the main force of Soul Reapers had already begun appearing in the town.
"Either way, you're no match for me!"
Yanis had originally wanted to eat Rei, but he discovered that his opponent was stronger than expected. Now he only wanted to kill him. In his eyes, Rei had gone from food to an opponent.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Although Yanis's bladed hand was formed from his arm, when Rei struck it, it was still like clashing with a weapon of refined steel. Both of them intended to finish the fight quickly.
Yanis was afraid the Soul Reapers would catch up, while Rei felt that, after fighting in Shikai for so long, his own Reiatsu was also nearing its limit.
The right bladed hand lengthened and stabbed at him again. Rei dodged left and right, then closed in on Yanis. He raised his greatsword, Blood Drink, high, intending to strike the wound opened earlier by Blood-Coagulating Slash.
Yanis couldn't let Rei succeed. His left hand clenched into a fist and smashed in from the side, forcing Rei, who had jumped up, back down to the ground. Then Yanis executed a beautiful "rat tail sweep," whipping Rei away once more.
The skin on Yanis's left hand was also very hard, but not as hard as his right hand, which could transform into a blade. His punch struck Rei's sword edge, causing his left hand to bleed...
Pressing his advantage, Yanis charged a Cero in his right hand and fired it in the direction Rei had been sent flying. However, the blood that had just flowed from his fist had filled Blood Drink's blood groove. Rei unleashed all his Reiatsu once more and used his speed to dodge the attack.
Before Yanis had finished firing the Cero, Rei had already rushed to his side. He unleashed Blood-Coagulating Slash, aiming to shatter Yanis's mask with a horizontal strike.
At the critical moment, Yanis raised his hand and blocked the slash. Rei followed and swung his greatsword again, but missed once more. Yanis had used Sonído to get away again!
"Huff... huff... huff... damn you!"
Both Cero and Sonído required Reiryoku. After fighting for so long, Rei wasn't the only one who had expended a great deal; Yanis had also used up quite a bit. With his wounds added to that, he had begun to gasp for breath. Not every Hollow possessed High-Speed Regeneration.
Yanis's left hand was still dripping blood, a two-meter-long sword wound stretching from his wrist to his elbow. With that supply of blood, Blood Drink could keep its blood groove full while also healing the injuries Rei had suffered from the earlier Balas.
"Hahaha, looks like I have the advantage now. Die!"
Rei sliced open his palm again, and the red Reiatsu blade wave released by Blood-Coagulating Slash flew out once more. He charged forward right behind it.
Instead of retreating, Yanis advanced, using Sonído to move to Rei's side and strike down hard with his bladed hand. Rei reacted quickly enough, dodging the blow and raising his sword to stab at Yanis's mask.
But Yanis was prepared. He opened his left hand and let Blood Drink pierce it, then pinned Rei and his sword to the ground together, giving him no chance to dodge.
"Got you!"
Yanis thought exchanging one hand for Rei's life was well worth it. He drew back his right bladed hand and stabbed at Rei.
The green blade tip grew larger in Rei's eyes. He could only turn his head aside to avoid it, but a large gash was opened in his left shoulder, almost severing his entire left arm. Only a bit of sinew kept it attached.
Fortunately, the blade was still embedded in Yanis's left hand, absorbing Reishi from his blood to quickly repair the wound. Yanis didn't care. Another strike now would definitely kill Rei.
"Can you still dodge?" Yanis pressed down harder with his left hand, then held his right bladed hand horizontally. "How are you going to dodge this time?"
Rei's spirits, lifted by gaining the upper hand, sank to rock bottom again. He might really die here this time, but the unwillingness in his heart kept him from giving up. He strained his mind to think of a countermeasure...
As if he had thought of something, Rei pressed the fingers of his right hand, which he could still move slightly, against the blade. His Reiatsu erupted, and a flash of red light burst from the sword.
At that moment, Yanis's body was leaning slightly forward, right where the blade was pointing. The red blade wave burst out and pierced the mask at Yanis's chin, the red light emerging from the back of his head...
"Aaagh..."
The strength seemed to drain from Yanis's body. His right hand returned to normal, and he clutched his chin tightly as he screamed. The agony sent him crashing wildly into the surrounding trees, until he finally fell, powerless.
"Huff... huff... ha... I still won!"
Rei slowly got to his feet. Though he felt exhausted, joy showed on his face. The feeling of successfully surviving when he had been powerless filled him with delight. This was the kind of battle he sought.
"A technique... you figured out... at death's door?"
Yanis had fallen on his side, facing Rei, but he had yet to dissipate. His voice was feeble, and he had one last breath left.
His judgment was correct. If Rei had already known this move, he could have unleashed it when Yanis pressed down on his Zanpakuto, piercing his forehead rather than his chin.
"I have to thank you for letting me experience such unprecedented joy. Let me send you on your way!"
Rei walked over with Blood Drink in hand. Its blood groove had been emptied, and the wound on his left shoulder had healed.
"Thank you... hmph! Your body... is mine!"
The eyes Yanis had closed as he gave his thanks suddenly snapped open. A red Reishi needle extended from the tip of his tail, rose from the ground, and stabbed toward Rei's head.
Rei only had time to raise his left hand to block the tail needle. His palm was pierced, the Reishi needle vanished, and Yanis's eyes had gone dull and lifeless...
Furious, Rei cursed, "Bastard, you're about to die and you still stung me like a bee?"
In his anger, Rei swung Blood Drink and shattered Yanis's mask, turning him into Reishi that dispersed.