Yan Si spoke again. "Who are they in contact with?"
His voice was calmer than before, with little emotion in it.
As the final resting place of the dead, Soul Society had the fundamental duty of managing the cycle of souls.
Openly interfering in wars among people in the Human World, and even tacitly allowing humans to imprison souls in such a cruel manner so they could keep fighting—this went against the most basic rules.
Especially given that Captain-General Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni was known for his unyielding integrity and iron-fisted approach. He would never tolerate such behavior.
Anyone with the nerve and the means to carry out this kind of scheme in secret, and even make Shinigami on duty turn a blind eye to it...
They couldn't possibly be ordinary squad members. They might not even be regular members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
Could they be... certain Nobles?
The thought flashed through Yan Si's mind.
The Nobles system in Soul Society was vast and complex. Certain great Nobles did enjoy many privileges and wield hidden powers. If they were involved...
The goateed Onmyoji's expression darkened. He seemed reluctant to be too specific, but wanted to intimidate Yan Si into backing down.
He pointed toward the main battlefield outside and warned him, "Look carefully. Have any of the other Shinigami come to stop us? Can they not see what's happening?
Can they not sense it? Since none of them came, you should understand where the line is!
There are things you shouldn't meddle in! Leave now. That's all I can tell you!"
After the two Onmyoji finished speaking, they straightened up and stood there, staring at Yan Si. Even the last trace of tension had vanished from their faces, leaving only brazen confidence.
They knew the rules governing Shinigami: they couldn't attack living humans. It was an ironclad law.
So no matter how dangerous the Shinigami before them seemed, as long as they were alive, he couldn't really do anything to them.
Well, aren't you tight-lipped—and stubborn, too? Yan Si turned to the side and looked toward the distant main battlefield, still in an uproar. It seemed as if he were searching for something, or perhaps thinking.
His Reiatsu sense quietly spread outward.
He quickly located his target at the edge of the battlefield: a soul whose chain had just snapped completely, its chest hollowing out as resentment and the surrounding negative emotions hastened its transformation. Its body began to twist and swell, and a pale, bone-like mask gradually appeared on its face.
It let out an unconscious roar, staggering as it tried to lunge at another bewildered soul nearby.
That one would do.
Yan Si vanished from in front of the two Onmyoji without warning.
In the next instant, he was beside the newly formed Hollow, which had just completed its fall and was still in its weakest, most confused state.
It was not large, resembling a stretched, twisted ape. Its movements were sluggish, and its mind was clouded.
Yan Si didn't draw his sword. He simply extended his right hand toward it, palm facing the creature.
"Bakudō #8: Repulse."
A flexible yet powerful shockwave burst from his palm and slammed into the newborn Hollow's chest.
Bang!
The Hollow let out a muffled cry of pain as the force sent it flying through the air. It traced an inelegant arc before landing squarely a few paces in front of the two Onmyoji, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
The Hollow seemed dazed from the fall. It shook its head, then struggled back to its feet.
All that remained in its confused mind was a hunger for spiritual beings. As soon as it raised its head, it "saw" the two living humans in front of it—the Onmyoji, whose faint spiritual power made them seem like little snacks.
"Roar!"
The Hollow let out a much clearer roar than before, filled with greed and savagery. It dropped to all fours and lunged at the two "meals" just a few steps away!
It was more than twice as fast as when it had been stumbling around moments ago!
"Spir... Spirit Pellet!"
The two Onmyoji had never expected such disaster to strike out of nowhere!
One moment, they had been brazenly threatening a Shinigami. The next, a hideous monster radiating an ominous aura was lunging at them, claws bared!
The two were terrified out of their wits, their faces turning pale. Almost instinctively, they fumbled to use their most practiced—and only—means of attack.
They hastily raised their hands, palms facing each other, and desperately squeezed out the meager spiritual power within them. Between their palms, they condensed two fist-sized balls of white energy, their light dim and unstable.
"Go!"
Together, they hurled the Spirit Pellets at the charging Hollow.
These so-called "Spirit Pellets" were simply the most basic, crude form of releasing spiritual power as an attack. They didn't even qualify as Kidō, let alone possess any added properties from an incantation.
They had merely compressed the spiritual power in their bodies and thrown it. Its power, speed, and controllability were all pitiful.
Bang! Bang!
Both Spirit Pellets hit their target, striking the Hollow's bone-masked head with two dull thuds.
The Hollow's charge faltered. It seemed to feel pain, and paused for a moment.
Taking advantage of the opening, the two Onmyoji scrambled backward several steps, gasping for breath, cold sweat running down their foreheads.
Those two Spirit Pellets had already drained their meager reserves of spiritual power. Now their hands and feet felt weak.
"Hmph, just a little Hollow..." The goateed Onmyoji tried to put on airs, but his voice trembled badly.
"Aaoo!"
The Hollow answered with an even angrier, more ferocious howl.
The pain hadn't frightened it off. If anything, it had roused its predatory instincts.
It suddenly spread its hands, already beginning to mutate into long, sharp claws. Moving like lightning, it seized one Onmyoji in each hand, gripping the two men who hadn't managed to get far!
The sensation of its cold, tainted spiritual power struck them. The two Onmyoji were completely terrified.
"H-help! Shinigami! Help!"
At last, they remembered the Shinigami nearby, the one they'd told not to meddle. They screamed desperately for help, tears and snot streaming down their faces. A large patch darkened around their crotches, and a foul smell rose into the air.
The Hollow paid none of that any mind.
It opened its mouth, revealing row upon row of sharp, shark-like teeth, and without hesitation bit down on the goateed Onmyoji's head!
Crack!
The sickening crunch of breaking bones rang out.
Crack!
With another bite, the younger Onmyoji suffered the same fate.
Blood and other matter splattered across the ground, staining the Hollow's mouth.
The two headless bodies twitched feebly in its claws, then were tossed carelessly to the ground.
The Hollow licked its lips, seemingly satisfied with the taste of its "food," and prepared to feast on the rest.
At that very moment.
A tightly focused silver-white bolt of lightning, moving at blinding speed with a shrill whistle, pierced the Hollow's bone-masked head from the side and blew it to pieces!
The lightning continued on, gouging a shallow, scorched furrow in the ground.
The Hollow's headless body stood rigid for a moment, then dissolved into black Reishi particles and drifted away on the wind.
At some point, Yan Si had appeared nearby.
He slowly lowered his right index finger, still wreathed in faint sparks.
He looked at the two Onmyoji's bodies on the ground, already losing their warmth and growing stiff, then at the spot where the Hollow had vanished. He sighed softly, with little regret in his voice.
"I was a step too late."
He turned around.
Shiba Kaien appeared nearby at almost the same moment.
The Thirteenth Division's Third Seat looked grave. His gaze swept quickly over the bodies on the ground, the Hollow's lingering presence, and Yan Si, who stood calmly to one side.
His brows knitted tightly. He had evidently sensed how complicated and unusual the situation was.
Yan Si looked at him and spoke in a calm voice.
"Third Seat Kaien."
Before you continue