Hollowfication!

Death was a mirror, reflecting every futile posture life struck before it.

Yet even futile struggles were life's silent resistance against the world, a sobbing kind of sorrow!

And those cries of grief would become an abyss of pain within the heart. It would seize your ankles and drag you down to the deepest layer of the abyss!

"Move! Move! Ah! Roar!"

The black sun drew ever closer to Yingkou Hui. Its scorching heat even singed his hair into slight curls, cracked his lips, and made his throat ache. He was going to die!

But he didn't want to die! There were still so many things he had yet to accomplish! He had dreams of his own! He wanted to offer everything he had to that person!

He, too, was the protagonist of his own world!

He wanted to live!

And then kill him!

The fear of death in his heart gave birth to hatred, and hatred gave birth to monsters!

Accompanied by a wail that sounded neither human nor beast!

A large amount of white, flowing matter suddenly poured from Yingkou Hui's mouth. The white substance wrapped around most of his body, and with a roar like weeping, Reiatsu filled with death, ill omen, and strangeness blanketed the entire field!

Feeling that familiar Reiatsu, Asano Kiyoshi felt the world around him lose its color once again, leaving only that withered gray—and Bannai Daigo, dead before him after shielding him!

The warm bloodstain seemed to still linger at the corner of his mouth, making Asano Kiyoshi taste the bitterness bestowed by fate.

Sure enough, the worst outcome he had anticipated had appeared after all...

A Shinigami's Hollowfication!

Damn it! What rotten luck! The first time out, and he had run into something like this! Killing him was bad, but not killing him was worse!

Forget it. It was still uncertain whether he could even beat him!

After slightly calming the agitation in his heart, Asano Kiyoshi's Reiatsu stirred faintly. Yingkou Hui's current stats appeared on the Scroll:

Name: Yingkou Hui

Special Status: Hollowfication

Slash: 31 (Though his mind is unclear, his long-term swordsmanship training has left him with some muscle memory.)

Hakuda: 57 (The Hierro skill unique to Hollowfication has pushed his already impressive body beyond its original limits.)

Kido: 40 (After Hollowfication, he has lost most of his ability to cast Kido. Though he did not know many to begin with, he can use Cero and Bala.)

Movement: 49 (Sonído, the Hollow's unique movement technique, is more agile than Shunpo for a Shinigami, but places greater demands on the body.)

Reiatsu: Fifth-Seat Reiatsu (Because Hollowfication broke through his limits, his Hakuda has exceeded the maximum attainable with Fifth-Seat Reiatsu.)

Overall Rating: A soul consumed by hatred and fear, a soul crushed beneath hope and unwillingness. A pitiful soul, and an enemy you must treat with extreme caution at your current level! Right now, he is merely a mindless beast, and when facing a beast, you know that one misstep means death! (Combat strength of an ordinary Twelfth Seat: 170–180)

Looking at Yingkou Hui's stats after Hollowfication, a trace of bitterness appeared on Asano Kiyoshi's face.

Although Yingkou Hui's Hollowfication had not increased his strength as dramatically as Ichigo and the others in the anime, that was because their foundations were different. For Yingkou Hui, who had originally possessed only the combat strength of a Thirteenth Seat, to suddenly become someone nearly at the peak of the Twelfth Seat—such a boost was already terrifying!

After all, Asano Kiyoshi's own stats only added up to 144. Judging by the numbers alone, Yingkou Hui utterly outclassed him.

Fortunately, Yingkou Hui's combat intelligence was now practically zero, so victory was not impossible!

His thoughts moved quickly. It seemed as though Asano Kiyoshi had considered much, but it had all happened in an instant. The moment the analysis was complete, numerous cracks had already been squeezed into Rikujōkōrō by the Hollowfied Yingkou Hui. It was clearly about to collapse.

Seeing this, Asano Kiyoshi shook his head slightly. Only someone with a damaged brain would choose to brawl with something like that. He had to keep his distance and wear him down slowly!

Then Asano Kiyoshi raised an arm. Taking advantage of the time Rikujōkōrō still remained, he immediately began to chant:

"Self-destruct, Rondānini's Black Dog. Burn to ashes at a single glance! Cut your own throat!"

"Bakudo No. 9 - Hōrin!"

As the chant ended, a yellow chain as thick as an adult man's thigh formed in midair. With a sweep of Asano Kiyoshi's arm, the chain coiled toward Yingkou Hui like a python.

The yellow chain successfully wrapped tightly around Yingkou Hui's body at the moment Rikujōkōrō vanished. But even Bakudo enhanced by 140% could not restrain Yingkou Hui for long. His muscles bulged all over, white Hollow matter surged out, and nearly half the yellow chain was torn away in an instant.

What made things even worse was that the crazed Yingkou Hui actually opened his mouth and bit down on the yellow chain. Then, with a swing of his head, he violently smashed the chain toward Asano Kiyoshi!

The chain whipped through the air at tremendous speed! Although Asano Kiyoshi used Shunpo in time, the chain still caught around his ankle.

Seeing this, Yingkou Hui let out an excited, beast-like growl, then yanked Asano Kiyoshi toward himself with all his strength!

The force of the pull was so great that Asano Kiyoshi could not break free at all.

But Asano Kiyoshi did not panic. With the Scroll's assistance, he used two Kido at once:

"Bakudo No. 8 - Seki!"

"Hado No. 11 - Tsuzuri Raiden!"

The instant Asano Kiyoshi finished chanting, an ink-black Thunder Dragon roared and spread along the chain, engulfing both Yingkou Hui and Asano Kiyoshi!

Even though he had used Bakudo defensively beforehand, Asano Kiyoshi was still shocked so badly that his whole body spasmed, his muscles trembling uncontrollably. If not for his sheer endurance, he would have passed out long ago.

Yet Hollowfication had indeed granted him the skill of Hierro. Yingkou Hui, who had taken almost all of the attack alone without any defensive measures, was merely charred black all over, with some of his flesh and Shinigami Uniform melted together!

However, carried by momentum, the yellow chain still dragged Asano Kiyoshi toward Yingkou Hui.

As Yingkou Hui watched Asano Kiyoshi slowly approach, a human-like vicious grin appeared on the face covered by his mask. Then, in front of that mask, a terrifying sphere of energy condensed from blue Reiatsu appeared!

Asano Kiyoshi's eyes widened at the sight of that energy sphere!

Damn it! A Cero!

He wasn't the protagonist. If he took a Cero head-on, there probably wouldn't even be a body left to cremate!

Just as Asano Kiyoshi was preparing to flee at any cost, the Cero that was continuously gathering energy suddenly made him sense an opportunity to win...