Hollowfication or Resurrección?

Just as the Visored were mobilizing in full force, Tsuna crouched calmly not far from Muguruma Kensei, watching as Hirako and the others reinforced him with Bakudo.

Tsuna's behavior had initially drawn scolds from Hirako and the rest, but seeing him unmoved, they simply stopped bothering with him—what mattered now was Muguruma Kensei.

More and more white, representing the Hollow, surged forth from Kensei's body, gradually enveloping the last remnants of the object representing him. His fists transformed into a pair of white blades, the armor on his back bulged into pillars that gathered Hollow Reiatsu, and his ribbon-like treads were completely altered by the Hollow's power, turning white.

Violent Reiatsu erupted from Kensei's body, accompanied by a series of inhuman cries. The Bakudo Hirako and the others had placed on him cracked inch by inch, and a hole opened in his chest—a Hollow Hole. Kensei was about to become a Hollow!

"Not good, Hachi!" Hirako shouted, seeing the iron pillars pressing down on Kensei already teetering. He quickly called for Hachigen Ushōda to reinforce the Bakudo.

But it was too late. The fully Hollowfied Kensei slammed his fist against the ground with all his might, triggering a massive explosion—the blast force of Tekken - Danpū. By applying his Bankai to the earth, Kensei broke free.

As the smoke cleared, a creature appeared before them, its features barely human except for the mask on its head. The white substance on its body continued to erode Muguruma Kensei; once it consumed even his head, he would become a complete Hollow.

"Troublesome," Hirako said. Was it really time to cut down a comrade with his own hands?

Without hesitating like Hirako over whether to act, Tsuna appeared instantly before the Hollowfied Kensei. This was enough—if Kensei Hollowfied any further, Tsuna would become a sinner.

He threw a punch packed with force into the Hollowfied Kensei's body. To Tsuna's surprise, the blow didn't budge Muguruma Kensei an inch; instead, it tore a wound across his own arm.

Tsuna recognized this injury—it came from the blast force of Tekken - Danpū. But now, Kensei could inject that power into an opponent's body without even throwing a punch?

Tsuna stared at Muguruma Kensei, whose power had been elevated once more. Was this still Hollowfication?

This form, where the blade's power was released into the entire body, carried a faint hint of Resurrección.

"Get back, Tsuna brat! This is beyond you now!" Hirako shouted, making a judgment the moment he saw Tsuna's attack fail and even backfire.

Hirako's only thought now was to use Sakanade's power to stall Kensei, hoping he could hold out until Urahara arrived.

As for fighting Kensei to the death with the Visored? Hirako didn't think they could withstand Muguruma Kensei in this state.

As if answering Hirako's judgment, Muguruma Kensei swung a punch at Tsuna. The fist's wind pressure alone made the air explode, striking the dodging Tsuna from a distance.

Blood dripped from his arm, but Sun Attribute flames quickly healed Tsuna's wound. In that moment, he was certain: Tekken - Danpū's power had been elevated—even the force of exploding air could now harm him directly.

"It has to be this way," Hirako decided, seeing Tsuna injured. "Fall..."

Before Hirako could finish his Shikai, he felt a chilling Reiatsu. Its appearance was so abrupt, as if plunging from a warm winter sun into an arctic ice cave.

"Hollowfication? Like I can't do that!"

Following the arrogant tone, Hirako saw a half-Hollow mask appear on Tsuna's face. The warm sun and icy cave Reiatsu both emanated from Tsuna, the shift occurring the moment he donned the mask.

That was it. Hirako understood now. Why Tsuna had been provoking them to use Hollowfication—there was only one reason: Tsuna himself already mastered that power.

Combined with the fact that Tsuna was Hollowfying while in Bankai, Hirako couldn't figure out why Tsuna had bothered picking a fight with them. His control over Hollowfication had already surpassed theirs—at least none of the Visored dared to attempt Hollowfication in Bankai.

With the mask on, Tsuna's Reiatsu shifted from the warmth of Sun Attribute to a hint of icy cold, but its intensity had undoubtedly climbed another level. This cold-sun Reiatsu pressed toward Muguruma Kensei with an overbearing force.

Stimulated by Tsuna's Reiatsu, the Hollowfied Muguruma Kensei brought his hands together. A red orb of Reiatsu gathered in what could barely be called his hands—the Hollow's signature skill, Cero.

Yellow flames erupted from beneath Tsuna's feet. With the combined effect of his propulsion and Flash Step, he appeared before the Hollowfied Muguruma Kensei in a half-crouch. The flames on his left arm had already begun to spin, blazing like a great sun, and the edge of that golden fist, swinging upward, carried a trace of black.

Hollowfication · Sun Rising Fist!

A violent surge of Reiatsu erupted with the punch, all of it crashing into Muguruma Kensei's mask.

Tsuna's fist slammed hard into Kensei's jaw. The heavy blow shattered the Muguruma mask, revealing his original face beneath. At the same time, his entire body shot out of the Hollowfied shell like an ejected cockpit, plunging headfirst toward the ground.

Aikawa Love, wearing his tracksuit, reacted swiftly. He Flash Stepped to where Kensei was falling and caught him, preventing further injury.

Looking at Kensei's rolled-back eyes, Love checked him briefly with his experience and said, "Kensei seems fine. Just unconscious."

The injuries Muguruma Kensei had sustained from Tsuna earlier had already healed through the Hollow's high-speed regeneration; no wounds were visible on his body.

Learning that Kensei was unharmed, the Visored finally relaxed. Hirako approached Tsuna, his expression complicated. How to put it? Kensei's Hollowfication was caused by Tsuna, but Tsuna was also the one who helped save him.

"Thanks, Tsuna kid," Hirako said reluctantly.

Tsuna ignored Hirako, instead stepping on Reishi to hover in midair, searching for something within the Hollowfied monster shell before him.

Soon, Tsuna made a new discovery. At the opening where Kensei had broken free, an Asauchi-shaped blade was stuck inside the shell. When Kensei flew out earlier, he no longer had his Bankai form, so Tsuna guessed his Zanpakuto's power was still here.

He reached out and pulled the Zanpakuto free. As the blade left the shell, the Hollow-power-built construct before Tsuna collapsed, dissolving into countless Reishi fragments and vanishing.

Tsuna released his Bankai and examined Kensei's Zanpakuto closely. As expected, he sensed the flavor of a Hollow within it.

How could he confirm that the blade truly contained Hollow power? Vaguely, Tsuna's intuition told him that only a Zanpakuto could understand a Zanpakuto.

Without hesitation, Tsuna struck his own Black Blade against Kensei's Asauchi. The clash of the two blades produced a vibration, triggering a resonance. A white monster and an arrogant boxer appeared together in Tsuna's mind.

This must be the power of Kensei's Zanpakuto. The white monster closely resembled Kensei's Hollowfied form—that was the Hollow's power. The other boxer was clearly the Shinigami power of Tekken - Danpū.

In other words, this was a Zanpakuto that possessed both Bankai and Resurrección powers. The reason its combat performance had been lackluster was simply because Kensei was too weak.

"Interesting," Tsuna said.

"What?" Hirako didn't understand what Tsuna was up to. Was clashing two blades like this an attempt to break Kensei's Zanpakuto?

Tsuna's eyes flickered. He casually swung a slash at Hirako beside him. Hirako, true to Captain-level skill, was startled by the sudden attack but managed to react, blocking Tsuna's strike with his Asauchi-form Sakanade.

"Kid, have you lost your mind?" Hirako demanded. Tsuna's move put the Visored on alert again, and they all drew their blades.

"Strange," Tsuna said, not pressing the attack on Hirako. Instead, he sheathed his sword and handed Kensei's blade to Hirako. "Feel it carefully. There's a Hollow's flavor on it."

"What the hell?" Hirako didn't believe a word Tsuna said. As if he didn't know whether a Zanpakuto contained a Hollow?

In the past hundred years, every time the Visored Hollowfied, they drew the Hollow's power directly from within themselves. Did they think wearing those masks was just for show?

No—the moment he took the Zanpakuto, Hirako sensed something was off. Just as he believed he understood Hollowfication well, he felt a strange sensation from this blade, as if it were... a Hollow?

Without a second word, Hirako slashed across his own face. A mask resembling an ancient warrior with an eerie grin appeared on him—that was Hirako's Hollowfication. Borrowing the power of that Hollowfication, he indeed detected a trace of kindred power from the Asauchi.

Seeing the shift in Hirako's expression, Tsuna explained, "I used the Zanpakuto as a medium and sensed both Shinigami and Hollow power within it. Correspondingly, I felt nothing unusual from your blade."

"Of course—Zanpakuto are only for Shinigami..." Hirako trailed off mid-sentence. If a Zanpakuto could only contain Shinigami power, then what was the deal with this Asauchi?

"Of course, it's not only Shinigami who can wield a Zanpakuto. Otherwise, why do you think I came to find you?"

Tsuna drew White Blade in a reverse grip. Hirako's pupils dilated slightly—he didn't even need to look closely. The moment White Blade left its sheath, he felt the dense Hollow's power radiating from it.

Was this brat's Hollowfication power derived from that white blade?

Seeing that Hirako understood his meaning, Tsuna sheathed the blade and reverted to his casual clothes. His mind carefully reviewed the matters concerning Hirako and Kensei. From Hirako's words, it was clear that their group's Zanpakuto definitely lacked Hollow power.

As for why Muguruma Kensei's Zanpakuto had undergone a change, the only possible cause lay with Tsuna himself—this variable.