At the same time, on the other side of town, Inoue's Brother was already closing in on Orihime Inoue's home.
Inside Orihime's house, Orihime Inoue and Tatsuki Arisawa were chatting together, completely unaware of what was happening. They hadn't yet been affected by Kurosaki Ichigo's spiritual pressure, so they still couldn't see Hollows.
Even after Inoue's Brother had entered Orihime's house through a black hole, neither girl sensed a thing. They only realized something was wrong when a small teddy bear was torn apart by the Hollow's massive body as it brushed past.
"Huh?" Orihime hurried over and picked up the toy. "Enraku, how did you get torn like this?"
If she'd been able to see spirits, she would have found a colossal figure looming before her, its head pressed against the ceiling. Inoue's Brother's blood-red eyes fixed on Orihime, filled with complex emotions.
Emptiness, greed, loneliness, isolation—an entanglement of complicated feelings.
Hollows were formed from some of the souls of the dead. Because they were attached to the Human World, couldn't bear to leave it, or were held back by other obstacles—such as ghosts like Earth-bound Spirits—they couldn't ascend to heaven and instead lingered in places that drew them.
Some of them eventually fell and became Hollows after years of torment and resentment. But not all Hollows were like that. Orihime's brother belonged to a second type: his soul had been taken over and merged with another Hollow, turning him into one against his will.
No matter what kind of Hollow they were, the moment they became one, instinct drove them to devour souls. Souls with strong spiritual power were naturally their first choice. But if they couldn't find any, they attacked the person they had loved most in life, trying to fill the hole in their chest!
Tatsuki stepped closer and examined the tear in the teddy bear. Her brow furrowed slightly. The rip didn't look at all like natural wear; it looked more like a blade had sliced through it.
But the girls' confusion was cut short when the invisible Hollow took a step. The room shook, and panic spread across both their faces. Meanwhile, where they couldn't see—
Inoue's Brother reached out his enormous hand toward Orihime. In an instant, it pierced her chest. Her body showed no sign of injury, but where no one could see, her soul was knocked straight out of it.
With the sound of chains rattling, Orihime's body crumpled to the floor. An invisible chain appeared at her chest, its other end attached to her soul, which stared in terror at the monstrous figure in the room.
"Orihime!" Tatsuki was startled and rushed over to check on her. But Inoue's Brother swept a hand at her, sending her flying.
What? What happened? What is that monster?
Orihime's soul trembled uncontrollably as she watched the monster attack Tatsuki.
Inoue's Brother had already knocked Tatsuki to the ground. His claws had torn into her shoulder, leaving it slick with blood. His terrifying hands clamped around her neck, and her face turned purplish as she struggled to breathe!
"Now's not the time to think about this!" Seeing Tatsuki in danger, Orihime sprang up and rushed forward.
Smash—
Just then, every window in Orihime's house shattered. Someone with both hands shielding his face, his features impossible to make out, burst through the window. The two girls and the Hollow all froze in shock at the sudden turn of events.
"Hahaha, found you!"
It was Wu Biao. After rolling to his feet, he grabbed the Hollow by the tail and swung it around with all his might.
Orihime stood frozen, staring blankly at the monster as it was flung into the wall with a crash. For a long moment, she couldn't speak.
Tatsuki couldn't see the Hollow, but she could feel the pressure around her neck disappear as soon as the unfamiliar man made a swinging motion.
Wu Biao grinned as he swung Inoue's Brother around. He was getting a little too excited, though, and forgot how small the room was. With one mighty swing, Inoue's Brother slammed straight into the wall.
CRASH!
With a deafening bang, dust flew into the air. As Inoue's Brother screamed, the entire wall burst apart, and the chilly night air poured through the gaping hole.
I'm screwed...
The instant he saw the wall collapse, Wu Biao knew he was in trouble. He'd have to pay for the damage!
His grip on the Hollow's tail loosened, and Inoue's Brother shot away like a cannonball, smashing into the wall outside the Inoue home and bringing it down.
"..."
Wu Biao's mouth twitched. He silently pulled a cigarette from his white coat and lit it. After taking a long, desolate drag, he turned to the two girls inside.
"Actually... sometimes what you see isn't real. Everything that just happened was an illusion. You understand what I mean?"
Both girls shook their heads. How could they possibly understand?
"Anyway, I'm broke. Go ask the guy downstairs to pay for the repairs!"
"..." The girls were speechless. After all that had happened, who could possibly care about the house? And what kind of mind did this kid have? He looked younger than they were!
Tatsuki stared at Wu Biao. What had just happened still felt like a dream, and her mind was full of questions.
But Wu Biao's arrival had given those questions somewhere to go.
"Who are you? What just happened? It felt like something invisible was squeezing my neck! And what happened to Orihime?" Tatsuki fired off one question after another.
She didn't just stand there, though. Despite her aching body, she dragged herself over to Orihime's body.
"No idea!"
"Huh?"
"I just got here. How could I possibly know what kind of argument you two girls had that made you fly into a rage and kill that orange-haired girl?" Wu Biao looked at the scene and took a puff of his cigarette as he offered his analysis.
He had to be said... his deductions always managed to veer off in the strangest directions!
Tatsuki was at first speechless, then startled. "You mean... Orihime's dead?"
"Obviously. Her ghost is right beside you, staring at you with a resentful look!" Wu Biao said, looking at Orihime, who was gazing blankly at her own body behind Tatsuki.
This is my body. So am I a ghost now?
Orihime stared blankly, then blinked at Wu Biao after hearing what he said. "Tatsuki didn't kill me!"
"Oh, so that girl didn't kill you." Wu Biao nodded without a care. Tatsuki, meanwhile, turned around in alarm and looked behind her. "Orihime?"
"Roar—" Inoue's Brother's roar rang out. His enormous body rose into the air and charged straight at Wu Biao. By now, he had no time to worry about fear.
He'd failed to devour a soul with strong spiritual power, and now even his attempt to reach his beloved little sister had been obstructed. The last scraps of thought in his mind snapped, and he lunged at Wu Biao, all murderous fury and snapping jaws.
"You two, back up!" Wu Biao snarled.
"What is it?" Tatsuki was startled. Remembering what had happened earlier, fear rose in her heart, and for a moment she forgot to obey Wu Biao.
Orihime's soul saw the Hollow coming and immediately grabbed Tatsuki, pulling her back.
"Ah!" A terrified cry rang out, but Tatsuki swallowed it almost at once. Remembering Wu Biao's words, she hesitantly looked at her shoulder. "Orihime?"
The Hollow had already charged. His huge mouth gaped wide, his upper jaw stretching all the way to the top of his head. He looked ready to bite Wu Biao's head off and chew it up.
Wu Biao didn't panic. Just as the gaping jaws were less than half a meter from him, he sprang forward, ducking low and rushing in beneath Inoue's Brother.
"Fly!" With a furious shout, Wu Biao drove a heavy punch into Inoue's Brother's lower jaw. His mouth snapped shut, his teeth shattered, and his body shot into the air.
Wu Biao saw Inoue's Brother flying straight toward the ceiling and his expression changed. He hurriedly leaped up, dug his hand into the Hollow Hole, and yanked him back down. Then he swung him toward the already-broken section of wall.
"You scared the hell out of me! A broken wall is one thing, but if the ceiling breaks too, I'll tear you to pieces!" Wu Biao muttered as he watched Inoue's Brother crash heavily onto the street.
"Brother Biao!"
Kurosaki Ichigo had arrived too. Taking in the wreckage of the Inoue home, he couldn't help twitching his mouth. He asked Rukia, who was on his back, "Um... can you fix this?"
"Think about your own house..." Rukia replied irritably.
"..."
Kurosaki Ichigo was speechless. His house had just been repaired today!
"Oh, you're here!" Wu Biao leaped down from the second floor of the Inoue home and planted his foot on Inoue's Brother's head. As the Hollow screamed, his huge head was stomped into the ground.
"Hahaha, you're late!"
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