Madman (Two Chapters in One)

Chapter 14: Madman (Two Chapters in One)

The winged Bat Hollow drew closer through the air. But when it reached the space above them, it didn't descend. Instead, it watched the scene below with great caution.

That showed just how wary this Hollow was. Then again, it was no wonder. If it hadn't been careful, it would probably have been purified by a Shinigami long ago. As soon as it appeared, its attention focused on Kurosaki Ichigo and Rukia.

It had clearly recognized them, which meant it had encountered Shinigami before—and perhaps even killed one!

"Hahaha, interesting. So these are the reinforcements you found, kid!" The Bat Hollow laughed at the people below. Though it said that, it showed no sign of coming down.

Ichigo and the others' expressions darkened. Sado, standing off to the side, sensed a faint disturbance too, and followed everyone's gaze up into the air.

"So it's you?" Rukia stepped forward and glared grimly at the Bat Hollow above. "You tricked Yuichi into believing that if he hid from you for three months in the form of a parrot, you would bring his mother back to life."

"That's right!" The Bat Hollow didn't bother to deny it. A strange yellow gleam flashed in its eyes, and a cruel smile formed on its eerie mask. "Don't you think it's fun? The kid runs for his life, while I kill one by one everyone who tries to protect him. What a delightful game!"

"A game!!!"

Everyone's expression darkened. This Hollow called tormenting a child like that a fun game?

Wu Biao, who had been sitting on a stone post in the back with his head lowered as he smoked, slowly ground out his cigarette on the stone. Then he stood up without hurry and walked forward, not even glancing at the Hollow in the air.

"Move back... Hold on tight!"

Wu Biao's voice was utterly calm, devoid of any emotion, like an echo in a cave. It made everyone instinctively feel the air around them grow cold.

Everyone understood what he meant. "Move back" was directed at them, while "hold on tight" was meant for Yuichi, who was perched on his shoulder.

Wu Biao didn't tell Yuichi to get off his shoulder. Instead, he planned to let the child watch with his own eyes... and see how the Bat Hollow that had tormented him for nearly a month died!

Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a glance, then pulled Sado back with them. Since Wu Biao had warned them, the coming fight was bound to affect the people around him. The two of them would be fine, but Sado was here too.

The Bat Hollow in the air clearly froze at the sight of them retreating. Then a trace of mockery and disdain flashed in its eyes. It didn't know why the two Shinigami were obeying a human's orders, but a mere human was no reason for it to be wary. Though the man's aura was a little strange, it couldn't imagine that a human could pose any real threat to it.

"Hahahaha! Found yourself a new caretaker, huh? This kid looks delicious!"

"A caretaker...?" Wu Biao quietly repeated. He turned his head and looked at Yuichi, whose eyes were filled with fear. "You never thought of this kid as a person, did you?"

"A person?" The Bat Hollow paused, then burst into laughter. "Hahahahahaha! You actually called him a person? Don't make me laugh. Even if I hadn't stuffed his soul into a parrot, he still wouldn't be human anymore."

"Then what is he?" Wu Biao slowly lifted his head. His expression was more solemn than ever. His face remained calm, but the sight of his eyes sent a chill through anyone who met his gaze.

Because those eyes held nothing but... bloodlust, pure and unadulterated, without a trace of any other thought.

"You..."

Under Wu Biao's gaze, the Bat Hollow shivered despite itself. Fear rose in its heart. But then it shook its head. How could that be? It had to be an illusion. It couldn't possibly be afraid of an ordinary human.

So, to steady its nerves, the Bat Hollow replied in a cold, cruel voice, "He's a toy. A toy to amuse me. Anyone who gets their hands on this toy has to die. And you... you're next!"

As it answered Wu Biao, a faint yellow gleam lit its eyes. A large group of small, frog-like monsters appeared in the shadows of the abandoned factory. Concealed by the clutter, they silently crept toward Wu Biao.

No one noticed. Everyone was looking at the Bat Hollow above, listening to its cruel rules for the "game."

"Is that so?" Wu Biao murmured. The corners of his mouth slowly curved into a bloodthirsty, cruel smile. "Shibata Parrot, how do you want it to die?"

Yuichi was stunned. "Brother Wu Biao..."

"What an arrogant human. I don't know what makes you think you can say that, but... it's too late! Hahaha..." The Bat Hollow laughed, delighted with its own scheme.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

As it laughed, countless dark shapes leaped out from the shadows around Wu Biao. They cut through the air and, in an instant, surrounded him completely.

"Brother Biao!"

Ichigo shouted in alarm from behind and instinctively started forward, but Rukia held him back. "Don't worry. That man is strong, and now that he's angry, he's... terrifying!!!"

Before Rukia's words had even faded, a clear explosion rang out. The ground beneath Wu Biao's feet split into a web of cracks, and a white blur shot out like a cannonball, speeding toward the Bat Hollow.

"What?!"

The Bat Hollow's pupils shrank. Before it could even wonder how an ordinary human could move so fast, a searing pain shot through its jaw.

Splurt—

Blood sprayed as the tongue it had just extended, ready to detonate the leech bombs inside those frogs, was bitten clean through by its own snapping jaws. Its teeth clamped shut, turning its scream into a muffled groan.

"Since you won't tell me, I'll decide how it dies!" Wu Biao flipped in midair and landed on the Bat Hollow's back, grabbing the fleshy wings on either side of its arms.

The flapping wings immediately stopped. Shock and terror filled the Bat Hollow's eyes. Wu Biao's hands were like iron clamps; no matter how desperately it struggled, its wings wouldn't budge.

Without its wings beating, the Bat Hollow hung in the air for a moment, then plummeted toward the ground. It crashed down with a thunderous boom, sending up a cloud of dust.

"You'll die... torn to pieces!" Wu Biao's cold, brutal voice came from inside the dust cloud. The moment he finished speaking, a grating tearing sound rang out.

A shrill roar followed. Wu Biao shot backward, planted one foot firmly on the ground, and spun around before coming to a stop.

Drip...

In Wu Biao's hands were two bloody wings. He glanced at them with disgust, then tossed the huge appendages aside like garbage. His body sank low, like a compressed spring.

As the dust cleared, the Bat Hollow had somehow gotten back to its feet. Blood poured from the places on its arms where its wings had been, but it could no longer afford to care about the pain of having them ripped off.

Because... in the blink of an eye, Wu Biao had already launched himself forward. His terrifying speed stirred up gusts of wind that made his white lab coat flutter. In almost an instant, he was right in front of the Bat Hollow.

He stomped down hard, stopping in front of it. Then he drove a punch, packed with terrifying force, straight at the Bat Hollow.

The Bat Hollow was startled. It had no time to think and punched back, but a sneer instinctively tugged at its mouth. This human was strong, but how could an ordinary human dare to fight a Hollow?

Even without considering the difference in strength, its arm alone was thicker than the entire human.

But the moment their fists collided, the Bat Hollow's expression changed. A terrifying force that it couldn't possibly withstand surged up through its fist, followed by searing pain.

Bang—

With an explosive crack, its massive arm ballooned slightly in the middle, as if it were an overinflated balloon, then burst into a cloud of blood under Wu Biao's punch.

The Bat Hollow's mind went blank. It wasn't the only one stunned. At the sight of such a brutal, bloody scene, even Rukia and Ichigo couldn't help swallowing. They couldn't help imagining what would happen if that punch hit them... They might end up just like the Hollow!

A nonhuman shriek rang out, but it was choked off almost immediately.

Just before Wu Biao's fist struck the Bat Hollow's head, he changed it into an open hand and grabbed the Hollow's remaining left arm. His left hand clamped around its neck, and he pulled hard in opposite directions.

The terrifying force hit at once. The pain was so intense that the Bat Hollow couldn't even scream. It wished it could pass out, but the agony kept its nerves in constant torment.

Rip—

Starting at the shoulder blade, the Bat Hollow's left arm was torn off in a shower of blood. Wu Biao, who was standing right next to it, was drenched. With bloodlust filling his eyes and a cruel curve at his lips, he no longer looked like the chūnibyō hothead everyone knew.

Instead... he looked like a bloodthirsty madman!

Wu Biao held the Bat Hollow, now barely breathing, by the neck with one hand. Despite their wildly mismatched sizes, he seemed to tower over it.

His right hand tightened gradually. The Bat Hollow made a "gugugu" sound, with a string of bloody foam bubbling from its mouth.

When Wu Biao's hand reached its cervical vertebrae, his eyes sharpened. He summoned his strength and began to pull. If he succeeded, he would rip out the Bat Hollow's head along with its spine.

But at that moment, everything changed. Just as the Bat Hollow was about to die, an unknown force welled up inside it. A terrifying burst of power erupted from its body and sent Wu Biao flying.

Wu Biao's feet dug into the ground, carving two trenches nearly ten meters long before he finally came to a stop.

When he looked up at the Hollow, the coldness on his face crumbled. He stared at the enormous gate that had appeared out of nowhere, dumbfounded.

"Holy shit, what is that? A portal to another world?"

"The Gates of Hell!" Rukia and the others caught up. Looking at the huge gate, Rukia explained, "Hollows who committed grave sins in life are drawn through the Gates of Hell just before they die!"

Ichigo nodded when he heard this, but Wu Biao asked, "What kind of place is Hell?"

Rukia furrowed her brow. She didn't understand why Wu Biao was asking, but she answered anyway. "I don't know. Only Hollows who committed grave sins in life can enter. It's said that the Hollows who go there suffer torments worse than death!"

"So they don't die?"

"Right!" Rukia nodded without thinking. Then her expression abruptly changed, and a sense of foreboding rose in her heart. "You..." But before she could finish, a small black shape was thrown toward her.

She looked over and saw that it was the parrot carrying Shibata Yuichi's soul.

As soon as Wu Biao heard her answer, he had already charged toward the open Gates of Hell.

"Stop him!" Rukia cried in alarm, turning to Ichigo, who was still stunned by the sudden turn of events.

But even if Ichigo had reacted in time, it was already too late. By the time Rukia shouted, Wu Biao had reached the open gates. He looked at the huge hand extending from within, holding a massive spike meant to impale the Bat Hollow.

"Sorry, but I promised Shibata Parrot..."

As he spoke, Wu Biao yanked the Bat Hollow's Hollow Hole with his left hand, pulling it aside.

At the same time, he spun around and threw a swift right punch into the side of the spike, knocking it off course. It scraped past his body.

Wu Biao felt an unimaginably terrifying force sweep across his fist. Countless wounds appeared on his arm, as if it had been slashed by blades, and spread upward in an instant, ripping his white lab coat to shreds.

The next moment, his entire body was covered with countless blade-like wounds. In the blink of an eye, he had become a bloody mess. The agony twisted his expression, and pained groans escaped his mouth, but despite the unbearable pain, his lips curved into a victorious smile.

"...I'll be the one to tear this bastard to pieces!" He finished speaking and, ignoring the agony wracking his body, grabbed the Bat Hollow's Hollow Hole with both hands and yanked hard!

The Bat Hollow was already on its last breath. It managed only a faint, muffled groan before being torn completely in half. Blood rained down from above, drenching Wu Biao beneath it.

For the first time, Rukia felt... afraid of this human being!

Because he was a madman!

A madman who feared nothing when it came to keeping his promise!!!

With the Bat Hollow dead, the huge spike extending from the Gates of Hell paused in midair, then withdrew. But the gates didn't crumble and disappear. The red light in the skulls on either side of the entrance flared brightly.

Wu Biao felt an inexplicable gaze lock onto him. It came from the Gates of Hell right in front of him.

"Cough, cough... I won!" Wu Biao coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face showed no fear; instead, it was alight with excitement and fervor. He had kept his promise, and Brother Biao was clearly thrilled!

Rukia stared at the red gleam in the skulls' eyes, swallowing nervously. No one knew what would happen next, because... no one had ever dared to snatch someone away from the Gates of Hell!

Silence fell. The Gates of Hell kept Wu Biao locked in their gaze for nearly half a minute. Then the red light faded from the skulls' eyes, and the gates slowly closed. At last, they crumbled apart, turning into Reishi and vanishing.

Rukia and Ichigo both breathed a sigh of relief!

"Madman!!!"

But then Rukia stormed over, furious. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? Do you realize you might have dragged us into it too?"

"..."

But Wu Biao didn't answer. Rukia frowned and walked closer, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm talking to..." Before she could finish, Wu Biao toppled over when she patted him.

Ichigo reacted quickly and caught him.

Only then did they realize Wu Biao had already passed out. Yet he still wore a smug grin, and even his vacant eyes seemed full of triumph!