Kurosaki Masaki (continued, 5,000-word chapter), second update, please vote

Kurosaki Masaki (continued, 5,000-word chapter), second update, please vote for me.

"Bastard, you... figured out how you want to die yet?!"

Wu Biao looked down at Grandfissure, motionless at his feet and seemingly dead. "Since you like playing dead so much, I'll make sure you're really dead!"

The foot that had been pinning Grandfissure's head lifted and came crashing down in an ordinary-looking stomp. But no one dared underestimate it.

Damn it!

Grandfissure had been waiting for Wu Biao to let his guard down so it could spring up and launch a sneak attack. It never expected the terrifying lunatic to give it no chance at all, immediately coming down with a kick meant to kill it.

There was no time to hesitate. Its fur bristled all over, gathering into a thick, several-meter-long spike. It thrust the spike straight at Wu Biao's foot, then seized the instant they collided to dart out of the kick's reach.

Boom—

The spike formed from its fur lasted only a few seconds under Wu Biao's kick before the stomp shattered it. The instant the blow hit the ground with a thunderous crash, Wu Biao shot forward like a cannonball.

At that speed, even his white coat rustled in the wind.

"Where the hell did this monster come from?!" Grandfissure glanced back while fleeing and cursed inwardly. It had never seen a human this powerful—not even heard of one!

Every punch or kick that landed felt like being hit by an intercontinental ballistic missile. How was it supposed to fight him?

Feeling the humanoid monster drawing closer behind it, Grandfissure grew new fur where Wu Biao had kicked it off. The fur stretched out into a sky full of spikes, but none of them attacked Wu Biao.

Instead, they scattered in every direction, burrowing into the woods around the cemetery and uprooting towering trees. Then the trees all came crashing down toward Wu Biao.

It had already started thinking about retreat. It wanted to use the chance to escape through a Garganta.

"Fuzzy, get back here!"

Fuzzy?

Grandfissure's mask twitched.

Crack—

Wu Biao's fists blurred into afterimages. As he chased Grandfissure, he smashed every incoming tree to pieces.

Wood chips flew everywhere, and leaves drifted through the air.

But Wu Biao's speed was indeed affected. For the moment, he couldn't catch up with Grandfissure, who was fleeing at full speed and throwing obstacles in his way. The man and the Hollow began a chase across the small mountain.

Wherever they went, leaves filled the air and crashes rang out. From a distance, it was easy to see paths being carved through the mountainside.

"At this rate, they'll strip the whole mountain bare!" Xitang watched the paths steadily opening up in the distance. He hesitated, then said, "Should we... go help?"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Go if you want. I haven't had enough use out of this Gigai yet!"

Interfering in that battle-crazed idiot's fight? She'd have to be out of her mind.

"..." Xitang blinked and immediately crushed the thought that had just occurred to him. If that Hollow hadn't shown up earlier, he'd be the one getting chased all over the mountain right now...

Rumble—

Grandfissure glanced at the enormous crater Wu Biao had made with a single stomp. Cold sweat streamed down its mask as it frantically used its fur to yank up trees and hurl them behind it.

But Wu Biao kept closing in. If it stopped throwing trees and opened a Garganta to escape, Wu Biao would drag it back out before it could get all the way inside. That was exactly why it didn't dare open one.

"You can't kill me!" Grandfissure kept running, its voice hurried as it shouted, "If you kill me for him now, that yellow-haired brat will lose his chance to avenge his mother forever!"

"I don't think I'm helping Ichigo kill you!" Wu Biao replied coldly.

Grandfissure scoffed. "If he weren't a match for me, would you have stepped in?"

"I never thought Ichigo couldn't beat you. I can tell... Ichigo's strong. I don't know why he hasn't shown it, but I can still tell he's strong."

Grandfissure's eyes filled with disdain. That yellow-haired brat was strong?

"Be good and stop. If you do, I won't kill you!"

"..." Grandfissure.

It was the classic big bad wolf tricking a little rabbit. Who the hell would believe that? It was sure that if it stopped, the lunatic behind it would tear it to pieces.

And this guy's stamina was ridiculous. After running for his life at full speed, Grandfissure was already breathing heavily. The guy behind it wasn't even flushed or out of breath. Its plan to wear him down had clearly failed too.

"I'm telling you, if you don't stop, I'll eat you when I catch you!"

Wu Biao shouted viciously. He was getting impatient with the chase, and a green gleam had appeared in his eyes.

It was unmistakably the green gleam of hunger...

Brother Biao was seriously starving. He hadn't eaten for most of the day, and now he'd been running all over the mountain for ages. For a guy who could eat a whole pot of food in one sitting, it was like going hungry for days.

If Grandfissure kept running, the famished Wu Biao might really take a bite out of it...

Feeling that ravenous gaze on its back, Grandfissure thought, What the hell? That look was exactly like the one it had when it was feeding.

Was this guy serious?

Was he really going to eat me?

Grandfissure suddenly felt like a disgrace to all Hollows. Other Hollows chased humans to eat them; it was being chased by a human who wanted to eat it. And the most infuriating part was that it couldn't beat the lunatic behind it...

But after sprinting for a while, Grandfissure panicked and lost its way, ending up back on a path it had already traveled. Anxiety rose in its eyes as it searched the surrounding area for trees it could grab.

The nearest trees were more than a hundred meters away. Grandfissure felt a surge of despair, but before it could think of a solution, Wu Biao came charging from behind with a ferocious grin.

He looked like a sleazy punk who'd finally cornered a helpless girl in a dead end!

"Hahahaha! Let's see you get away this time!"

The moment Wu Biao landed, he stomped and shot forward. Curling up his body, he slammed his shoulder directly into Grandfissure's back.

When the terrifying impact hit, blood burst from Grandfissure's mouth. It felt its internal organs shift from the blow. Its body flew nearly ten meters forward, then rolled along the ground like a gourd for several more meters before coming to a stop.

But before it could get back up, Wu Biao had already mounted its neck.

"Fuzzy, I told you not to run!"

Thud—

Before he'd even finished speaking, Wu Biao drove a punch into Grandfissure's mask. The muffled impact left fine cracks across it, and Grandfissure let out a shrill scream.

"Don't kill—"

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud—

Wu Biao ignored it, punching down again and again with both fists. Blood spurted up, splashing across his face.

Grandfissure's screams grew weaker and weaker, until at last all that could be heard was the spray of blood.

With one final, savage blow from Wu Biao's right arm, Grandfissure let out a mournful cry and dissolved into sparkling motes of light.

Wu Biao's fists stopped. Bathed in the rain of blood, he felt the immense surge of warmth enter his body. His exhausted mind and body were instantly refreshed.

But Wu Biao hadn't forgotten his original purpose. He controlled the immense flow of warmth, preventing the strange energy from merging into his body, and searched through it.

At last, he sensed a familiar trace within the warmth. It was the same scent as Kurosaki Ichigo.

Wu Biao carefully tried to separate the faint soul fragment from the energy, as he had done before with Inoue's Brother. The process went far more smoothly than Brother Biao had expected. It took little effort to isolate the fragment from the flow of warmth.

Sensing that faint wisp of warmth—what could also be called a soul fragment of Ichigo's mother—Brother Biao wore an expression of hesitation.

If Shyarly and the others had seen it, they would have rubbed their eyes in disbelief. That shameless, carefree, fearless chūnibyō battle maniac, Brother Biao, was actually capable of hesitation?

But Wu Biao really was hesitating, uncertain about what he wanted to do next.

"Wu Biao!!!"

A deafening roar rang out. Wu Biao looked toward the sound and saw Ichigo charging toward him, his face contorted with rage. Rukia and Xitang were right behind him, but neither could stop him!

Rukia's face was full of worry. With the person who'd killed his mother dead at Wu Biao's hands, Ichigo's pride and state of mind were both on the verge of collapse. At this point, he could do anything.

Just as she'd feared, when Ichigo saw Wu Biao covered in blood, he flung the two of them off and charged at Wu Biao, driving a fist into his cheek.

"Ichigo, no..." Rukia cried out. But before she could finish, Wu Biao was knocked to the ground without putting up any resistance, forcing her to swallow the rest of her protest.

He didn't fight back?

On the other side, Kurosaki Ichigo straddled Wu Biao and punched him in the face again and again.

Wu Biao didn't make a sound. He didn't even try to block the blows, simply taking Ichigo's furious attack.

Rukia couldn't figure out why Wu Biao wasn't fighting back. She instinctively wanted to step in and stop Ichigo, but Xitang held her back and gently shook his head.

"You knew how I felt, so why did you still interfere?!"

Thud, thud...

"That was my fight. Mom died because of me... because that Hollow killed her."

Thud...

"Why..."

Tears soon covered Kurosaki Ichigo's cheeks. They were tears of humiliation and resentment. Just as Ukitake Jushiro had said, some battles... absolutely could not be interfered with.

That earlier fight had been one of them. Wu Biao understood that, but in the end, he'd still chosen to step in.

"Fight back! You're so damn good at fighting, so why won't you fight back?!" Kurosaki Ichigo stopped punching and grabbed Wu Biao by the collar of his white coat, hauling him up to glare into his bloodshot eyes.

"Ptooey..."

Wu Biao spat a mouthful of blood to the side and didn't even look at Ichigo. "I'm hungry. Can't be bothered."

Ichigo froze at that. He stared at Brother Biao's profile for a long moment, then released his collar and punched him again. But he didn't follow up. Instead, he staggered a couple of steps and sank to the ground.

Tears streamed down Ichigo's cheeks and finally fell to the ground.

Wu Biao slowly pulled a cigarette from the pocket of his white coat. But just as he went to light it, he remembered that he'd already crushed his lighter.

He clicked his tongue, took a couple of steps, and plopped down beside Ichigo.

"I'm hungry. I don't have the strength to fight back right now. If you don't hit me again, I'm going back to eat."

Ichigo didn't hit him again. He wiped the tears from his face and looked once more at Wu Biao, who had a cigarette dangling from his lips. "I don't understand... Why did you step in when you were the one who supported me from the start?"

Wu Biao grinned foolishly, showing off his blood-red teeth. "Because of this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Biao slowly extended a hand. A milky-white glow began to emerge from his palm. As the light grew, Ichigo could already sense a bond of blood and flesh before he could make out its shape.

"What is..." Ichigo sprang to his feet, staring in delight at the soul gradually taking shape in Wu Biao's palm.

It wasn't just him. The other two were equally stunned.

"How did you do that?" Xitang came closer, wide-eyed.

"Don't know!" Wu Biao answered casually.

And he really didn't understand. He'd simply instinctively felt that this was the right thing to do. Though he'd hesitated, he'd ultimately trusted that instinct without question.

While Kurosaki Ichigo had been beating him up just now, he'd made his choice: to pour all the warmth transformed from that Hollow into Ichigo's mother's soul fragment.

Wu Biao had stumbled upon the only method that could work—or rather, the method only he could use.

No one else could separate such a tiny soul fragment. And even if someone managed to separate it, there was no way they could make that fragment absorb other energy.

But Wu Biao could. He had perfect control over the warmth within his body, allowing him to control that wisp of soul as it absorbed the other energy without being consumed by it in return. No one else could do that.

Of course, there was another crucial factor. Ichigo's mother had been consumed by this Hollow for six years, and she'd long since adapted to its energy. If it had been another Hollow, even if the soul fragment could absorb its energy, it would never withstand it.

Simply put, it was a reversal—a kind of counter-consumption.

In short, through an almost impossibly unlikely coincidence, Wu Biao had given that soul fragment—which had been completely and utterly incapable of recovery—a chance to recover.

Back to the matter at hand. As the glow gradually took shape, a woman in a pink dress lay on the ground with her eyes closed. It was Kurosaki Masaki.

"Mom!"

Kurosaki Ichigo rushed over, full of excitement. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he was afraid of disturbing Wu Biao. He was as restless as an ant on a hot pan.

"Done!" The milky-white glow in Wu Biao's hand gradually faded. The other three immediately crowded around, examining Ichigo's mother.

"Brother Biao, why hasn't Mom woken up?" Ichigo asked anxiously.

Wu Biao shook his head. "Don't know!"

"..." The three of them were speechless. Wu Biao had saved her, yet he couldn't even explain how he'd done it.

Rukia sighed and used basic healing Kidō to examine her. Her brows furrowed.

"How's my mom, Rukia?"

Rukia shook her head. "She's perfectly healthy, but I can't tell why she hasn't woken up either."

Ichigo's expression darkened.

"But... that person might know what to do."

"That person?"

"Anyway, there's someone who might be able to help!" As Rukia spoke, she looked toward Xitang. After all, the person she meant was a criminal wanted by the Soul Society. With someone from the Onmitsukido here, she couldn't say so openly!

Xitang first looked taken aback, then smiled and shook his head. "I need to go back and report too." He glanced at Rukia, who looked a little tense. "Don't worry. I'll make something up. It's going to come out sooner or later anyway!"

Rukia was momentarily at a loss for words. "Thank you!"

Xitang said nothing and walked straight away.

After he'd left, Rukia looked at Kurosaki Masaki's spirit on the ground. "Ichigo, bring your mother with me. We're going somewhere."

"Okay!" Ichigo hurriedly nodded and carefully picked Kurosaki Masaki up.

Wu Biao tilted his head. "Ichigo, tell the boss."

"Huh?" Kurosaki Ichigo was clearly taken aback, but then he shook his head. "I don't want Dad to know. Besides, he can't see spirits. He wouldn't believe me even if I told him!"

"She may be your mom, but she's the boss's wife too. I think he has the right to know. Besides... it looks like he already knows what happened." As Wu Biao spoke, he called toward the woods in the distance, "Boss, stop hiding. Your wife's about to leave!"

At his words, everyone froze and looked in the direction Wu Biao had called. Sure enough, Kurosaki Isshin stepped out from behind a tree.

His face was full of disbelief and anticipation. Although he couldn't see Ichigo or Masaki, he'd understood what had happened from Wu Biao and Rukia's earlier conversation.

He'd already forgotten all about staying hidden and had been about to rush out to ask what was going on. So when Wu Biao called him out, he simply stepped into view.

"Where's Masaki?"

As soon as Isshin reached Wu Biao, he asked anxiously. Ichigo's Hollow hadn't awakened yet, and Isshin's Shinigami powers had yet to return, so he couldn't see spirits.

"Dad?" Ichigo stared blankly at Isshin.

But he wasn't going to get an answer to that question!

Wu Biao pointed beside him. "Your eldest son's holding her."

Kurosaki Isshin immediately looked toward where Ichigo was standing, his face full of envy. The look he gave Ichigo made him shiver.

But Isshin soon looked away and turned to Rukia. "You're going to Urahara Kisuke's place, right? Let me tell Kon to take Yuzu and Shyarly home first. I'll go with you."

Kurosaki Ichigo and Rukia were both startled. Neither of them could believe that Kurosaki Isshin even knew about Kon.

Rukia was especially shocked. She hadn't even told Ichigo about Urahara Kisuke!

"Let's go." Isshin didn't explain. He simply led the way toward Shyarly and the others.

Rukia and Ichigo exchanged a glance, then followed him.

"Hey, miss, can I borrow a light?" Wu Biao sidled up to her with a sheepish grin.

Rukia helplessly conjured a small flame and used it to light Wu Biao's cigarette.

"Brother Biao, why didn't you say anything earlier?" Ichigo asked, looking at Wu Biao as he leisurely smoked beside him.

Wu Biao blew out a smoke ring and grinned.

"Brother Biao handled this badly. I deserved to get beaten."

Ichigo froze for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile. He really couldn't tell whether Brother Biao was clever or just plain foolish.

But still...

"Thanks, Brother Biao!"

"Of course!"

--

Xiao Jiao was feeling pretty down. Honestly, he'd spent a long time hesitating before writing this book. Shinigami was a niche genre these days, and he'd even considered switching to a different world.

He just hadn't expected it to be this niche. Most of his old readers had never watched the Shinigami anime, and a lot of the people he knew who ran book recommendation lists said they hadn't watched it either. They weren't adding it...

Even his editor wasn't optimistic. The first week after the book's status changed, it was supposed to get a trial recommendation on Friday, but today it hadn't even gotten that.

But there was no point talking about it now. Since he'd started writing, he had to finish the book. Xiao Jiao would try to post updates more often and write faster, aiming to get it on the shelves on the first of next month and start earning the full-attendance bonus. He wasn't expecting great results anymore.

So he'd have to count on everyone. Help him push the book a little higher! Right now, the new-book rankings were its only chance to get noticed.

Heh, please vote for it! I've always finished my books for free anyway, so I'll be satisfied if I can earn the full-attendance bonus!

(End of chapter)