Do You Know Which God is Most Annoying?

The scorching midday sun was cut by clouds, casting patches of light onto the vast plain. It was a fine day.

Though it was the time of day when one felt most drowsy, the plain was far from tranquil. Dozens of creatures with vastly different appearances, a circular hole in their chests, and varied white masks were roaring and attacking a man in the center. These creatures were invaders from the Soul Society—Hollow.

The man surrounded by these Hollow was dressed as a Soul Reaper. He had just punched a red Hollow resembling a goat away, and another Hollow, entirely brown and like a hairless, long-armed baboon, pressed in from behind.

Simultaneously, two Hollows attacked from the left and right, mouths agape. Their immense shadows, accompanied by hot, fetid breath, arrived in an instant. In the next second, he would be splattered with blood and torn to shreds!

However, the man didn't think so. He leaned forward, and the three Hollows behind him collided, missing their target.

That wasn't all. The man exerted force at his waist, bringing his feet together and kicking upwards. The jaws of the three Hollows were forced shut, their massive, shield-like teeth shattering. It looked like a heavy blow, and the clear sky, previously obscured by three large faces, once again shone down.

But the light lasted less than a second before being blocked again by eight white masks. Leading them was the red, goat-like Hollow. The remaining Hollows had arrived. Sticky liquid the size of a human head dripped from their mouths; they were ready for a feast.

"Ew~! Don't drip your saliva on me!"

The man yelled, pushing the filth in his eyes away with both hands, and inverted himself into a perfect "1." Then, spreading his legs and twisting his arms, a black storm erupted!

Almost simultaneously, the Hollows, who had been clustered together, were sent flying diagonally.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!...

Eleven loud bangs marked the end of this failed encirclement. Eleven giant craters, emitting yellow smoke, were scattered around the man, but none were within fifteen meters of him.

"What a shame! Just a little bit more!" The man widened his right eye, looking through the small gap between his thumb and index finger, and shouted, "Just a little bit more, and you would have eaten me! Try harder!"

What was going on?

If there had been an observer, human or Hollow, they would surely have asked this question. He was a Soul Reaper, yet he was encouraging Hollow to eat him. Was he tired of living and seeking death?

The man was certainly not seeking death. Although stubble had appeared on his chin and his face bore a few scars, his features hadn't changed much. Anyone who knew him could recognize him at a glance and call out his name in one breath—Diezuka Hiroe!

He had left Seireitei five years ago, or was it six? Hiroe couldn't quite remember. In the beginning, he used to count the days, but ever since he missed the first day, time had become a vague concept to him.

Life in the Plain of Slaughter was not like Seireitei. When encountering Hollow, battles sometimes lasted for days. The passage of time held little meaning here.

For these years, Hiroe had been alone. Of course, he wasn't always fighting in the Plain of Slaughter. The old man's order was for him to guard Rukongai, and he wasn't assigned to any specific district. Therefore, he would occasionally return to the vicinity of the fortieth district to rest and recuperate, but most of the time, he was honing his skills in the Plain of Slaughter.

In truth, having someone to watch his back in the Plain of Slaughter would certainly be better, but that was for ordinary Soul Reapers, not for Diezuka Hiroe!

Hiroe smiled and swatted away a Hollow that charged at him, then immediately turned and swept his leg, knocking away a one-horned, humanoid attacker from behind. Many things were easier to do without being disturbed.

"Why isn't it working again! If you cooperated more closely, coming one by one, I'd fall asleep!"

Many things were easier to do without being disturbed, just like now. If there were other Soul Reapers around, these eleven Hollow would have been gone long ago, and there would be no training effect.

Over the years, besides carrying out the tasks assigned by Old Man Yama, Hiroe had spent most of his time practicing Hakuda. Without releasing spiritual power, he fought Hollow solely with Jiagui and physical strength, using Hakuda.

The effect of this training was evident. Hiroe's Hakuda used to be called "giving it away for free" mainly because he had to go through the moves in his mind before fighting. In simple terms, he was too fixated on routines. This made him incredibly effective against weaker opponents, but when facing masters like Yoruichi, his moves were always a beat too slow, and changing them was even slower.

In Hakuda battles where life and death were decided in an instant, this was a disaster! It was equivalent to handing his life over to the opponent for nothing, so the name "giving it away for free" was truly fitting.

But that was all in the past. The current Hiroe only focused on the enemy's attack routes during combat, with no extraneous thoughts. The specific moves and responses relied more on his body's instinctive reactions, giving him a sense of "no moves defeating all moves."

Of course, this didn't mean Hiroe had become a Hakuda master. He could now barely be considered Hakuda proficient. Against a master like Yoruichi, he still wouldn't last ten moves.

Hakuda emphasized close-quarters combat, sticking and separating. Currently, Hiroe could only handle being stuck; he was still far from being able to stick and separate at will like Yoruichi. He still needed experience to control the rhythm of a battle.

"Why are you still coming one by one! Didn't I say it's ineffective?" Hiroe beckoned to the other Hollows who were watching, provoking them, "Come at me together, or you won't be able to eat me~"

"Don't listen to him, this Soul Reaper has no spiritual power left!"

"That's right! He's just putting up a front now, we just need to torment him slowly!" The long-armed baboon-like Hollow shouted, and along with another Hollow, they charged forward.

A war of attrition? Hiroe's lips curled upwards as he thought this. It was good to think of it this way; at least they wouldn't think he was a tough nut to crack and run away.

Should he feign some fatigue to match them? Forget it, I'll take a breather after another two hours of fighting. I'll deal with them when the sun is halfway down. Turning enemies to dust under the setting sun, that scene would surely be magnificent!

Having made up his mind, Hiroe also charged towards the long-armed baboon-like Hollow, his fists clenched. His long boots disappeared, and black Jiagui gauntlets wrapped around his hands.

Ding-a-ling... At this moment, a sound like wind chimes echoed through the air. Though faint, it reached Hiroe's ears clearly.

"It seems I can't play with you until dusk. What a pity."

Hiroe muttered softly, changing his fist to a claw and meeting the opponent's punch. His fingers clasped tightly, and he pulled backward.

Is that my hand? the baboon-like Hollow thought, looking at the object on Hiroe's left hand. He turned his head and saw that there was nothing left from his right shoulder down. No, there were a few blood spatters like threads connecting to that thing.

So, it really was my hand.

But? Why doesn't it hurt?

There were shouts to his right; they were his own kind, a creature with a head like a bird. Its sharp, shrill cries were always annoying, telling it not to shout, but it never listened.

The sound... disappeared...

This time, it finally listened!

The baboon Hollow looked up. That stupid bird-head had vanished. His own long arm, the arm he was so proud of, longer than his body, had smashed half of its body and was still moving downwards.

Hiroe finally reached the long-armed baboon Hollow. He pushed off with his right foot, leaping high, and swung his right hand like a blade outwards, leaving a black ink-like trail in the air.

The baboon Hollow felt very dizzy. Heaven and earth alternated.

There was also darkness, spreading like a rising tide across this world. No, the world was shattering piece by piece like peeling wallpaper. No, his own body was also breaking apart bit by bit.

So, it was myself that was dissipating~

Landing on the ground, Hiroe casually tossed the dissipating arm on his left hand backward. In an instant, he had turned two Hollows into dust, forever leaving them in the Soul Society.

The remaining Hollows didn't even have time to react; the roars of several had not yet fully faded.

"I told you, coming at me one by one is useless." Hongjiang tilted his head from side to side, his tone as gentle as a teacher instructing a hopeless student. Had it not been for those icy eyes, his words would have felt as warm and comforting as spring sunshine.

But those eyes were undeniably real, and so, at this moment, the Hollows felt as if they were standing upon a mountain of blades, not daring to move a muscle.

"Now, the roles are reversed!"

It changed! The Hollows present could clearly feel that Hongjiang's presence had shifted!

The air seemed filled with invisible blades, making their skin ache. What "exhausted"? What "no spiritual power left"? It was all a lie! Everything was a facade created by the man before them!

"Reiatsu!" a Hollow with four arms and a single black vertical line on its mask shouted, "Run! This guy is a captain—"

Before he could finish, Hongjiang blasted him away with a single punch. His body scattered into sand-like particles as it flew through the air, vanishing completely before even hitting the ground. It was unclear if he had been shattered or had simply dissipated upon death.

"A captain? I'm still far from that; I'm just an ordinary Soul Reaper." Hongjiang shook his head and charged toward the next Hollow. "But since I am a Soul Reaper, I can't just let you run!"

Before the words had even faded, another Hollow dissipated in mid-air. The dust kicked up by Hongjiang's feet hadn't even settled yet, and it was already gone.

Do Hollows feel fear? Without a doubt, they do. Death occurs every moment in Hueco Mundo, and the terror of being devoured is enough to chill one to the bone just by witnessing it.

But the fear Hongjiang brought was different. That calmness, that indifference, the way he brushed away his own kind with such nonchalance made the present Hollows feel that their deaths were utterly meaningless. To die for the sake of dying—death was their destination, the very meaning of their existence, and this man's duty was simply to grant it to them.

Run! This time, no one needed to shout; the instinct for survival drove them to make the right choice. Three of them even tore through space, attempting to open a Negacion to return to Hueco Mundo.

"Are you looking down on me? How could I possibly let you escape so easily!"

Hongjiang's gentle voice returned, and the three Hollows dissipated before they could even glimpse a crack leading to Hueco Mundo. When all was said and done, Soul Society was the home turf of the Soul Reapers; even in the Plain of Slaughter, tearing open a rift took more than ten seconds.

With that path blocked, the remaining Hollows began to flee in three different directions, praying that the man would head toward the others so they might successfully escape.

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you see something new." Hongjiang scanned the area and quickly decided to deal with the two fleeing alone first. "Jiagui Fourth Form—Thrust!"

The single-horned humanoid Hollow hadn't taken two steps before a black fist appeared before him. Then, the scenery on both sides rushed forward, and he was sent flying backward.

I'm going to die! That was his first thought. But after flying for a while, he hadn't dissipated, and he could still feel pain. I'm still alive! That Soul Reaper missed!

Before he could rejoice for long, the single-horned Hollow felt himself collide with something behind him. Turning his head, he saw it was the other lone fugitive, though the other's body was already fading away. That foolish guy had died at the hands of the Soul Reaper after all!

But why was the sky growing darker? It felt... it felt just like Hueco Mundo...

The two Hollows fleeing alone collided and dissipated just like that. By now, Hongjiang had arrived before the final two.

"Do you know which god people hate the most?"

The goat-like red Hollow froze, looking up to see the very creature that brought him such terror. His companion had already been sent flying, vanishing into thin air.

"It's the Soul Reaper. From the moment people are born, it follows them. No matter how much they curse, it won't leave; no matter how they hide, they can't escape."

"Spare me!" The goat Hollow knelt, slamming his head against the ground, his voice trembling. "Please! Spare me! I promise I will never set foot in Soul Society again! Or the World of the Living! I promise!"

The surroundings fell silent. Could he really be letting me live? The goat Hollow speculated, not daring to look up, waiting like a prisoner awaiting judgment.

"Do you know?" That familiar voice returned, but this time, the gentleness was gone, replaced by a faint, melancholy sorrow.

"Where I come from, there's a saying: because a snake's blood is cold, those who save the snake all die!" Hongjiang sighed and continued, "And what about you? Without hearts, can you truly feel gratitude?"

He won't let me go; he's going to kill me! The goat Hollow finally understood, but he didn't want to sit and wait for death. He would fight for his life.

As long as I plunge my hand into his chest, I can live! The goat Hollow thought. Just as he raised his head to act, a black hand appeared before him. He had seen this hand many times, but this time it was different—it seemed smoother, possessing an strange metallic luster that hadn't been there before.

The hand grew closer, larger, and more blurred. Then, the world before his eyes shattered into pieces!

"I'm in a good mood today!" Hongjiang looked at the mask fragments on his hand as they slowly faded away, muttering to himself, "So, you shouldn't have felt any pain."

Ding-a-ling... The sound of a wind chime echoed in the air once more.

"Alright, alright, I know you're here!" Hongjiang extended his index finger, looked up, and smiled. "Come down!"

A black butterfly followed Hongjiang's gaze, flapping its wings as it landed leisurely on his finger. The sound of the wind chime in the air vanished, and the surroundings fell silent once again—this time, truly silent.