Rescue

Kamisawa saw that Yamagata and the others had escaped safely. Though he knew there was no chance of getting out alive himself, he still smiled with relief. It wasn't the worst way for things to end.

That almost-laughing whimper sounded again. Kamisawa turned and saw the Gillian standing behind him, grinning with its head tilted as it stared at him, as if seeing him for the first time.

In truth, ordinary Gillian couldn't tell one Soul Reaper from another. Meat was meat; the patterns on it didn't matter. Its instincts told it that all it had to do was reach out and put its food in its mouth.

As the enormous pale hand drew closer—the same hand that had taken the lives of his teammates not long ago—Kamisawa felt no fear. He swung the Chain Hammer in his hand and charged at it.

"Just sitting here waiting to die isn't my style. If you want to eat me, you'll have to lose a couple of teeth first!" Whether he could actually pull it off or not, that was what Kamisawa thought. Breaking one of its fingers would do, too.

The collision he expected never came. Just as Kamisawa was about to meet the giant hand, a figure appeared out of thin air between them and forcibly pushed them apart.

"Long time no see, Kamisawa." The figure slowly turned his head. Hongjiang's face, barely changed from seven years ago, came into view. "You're looking pretty good."

"Hong...jiang?" Kamisawa's mouth fell open. He rubbed his eyes without thinking, his face full of disbelief. "Chōzuka? Hongjiang!"

"That's right, it's me!" Hongjiang stroked the stubble on his chin and said earnestly, "I haven't shaved in half a month, so it's no wonder you didn't recognize me. I do look pretty different from before."

Hongjiang did look different from seven years ago, but not so different that Kamisawa wouldn't recognize him at a glance. What truly shocked Kamisawa was his strength. He'd always known Hongjiang was strong, but he'd never imagined he was this powerful.

Nearly every Soul Reaper knew the Four Basic Combat Techniques, but the gap between a master and a beginner was beyond imagining. Take Flash Step, for example. The technique involved moving instantly within a certain range, and Hongjiang had used it to get here.

But Flash Step only looked like teleportation; there was still a trail to follow. Kamisawa and the others were skilled at Flash Step, too. The reason they hadn't used it to break out when they were surrounded was that there were too many enemies. They would easily have been intercepted along the way.

Hongjiang was different. For one thing, he'd moved over a distance so great Kamisawa couldn't even perceive it. And then there was his speed. Kamisawa couldn't see his movements at all. In Squad 11, he'd only ever seen three people use Flash Step that beautifully.

Flash Step was one thing, but then there was his sheer strength. He'd stopped the Gillian in its tracks, yet Kamisawa hadn't felt even the slightest impact. Even a lieutenant shouldn't have that kind of strength, should he?

Kamisawa didn't dare think any further. He stared at Hongjiang, his feelings all mixed up. The kid wasn't even a hundred years old. Comparing himself to him was enough to drive anyone mad.

"What's with that look?" Hongjiang said irritably. He felt the force in his right hand suddenly increase. "Looks like this guy isn't patient enough to let us catch up. I'll take you out first."

Before Kamisawa could react, he felt his collar tighten. The scenery around him became a palette that had been knocked over, all the colors blending together in an instant. To be honest, it made him feel a little sick.

Luckily, the unpleasant sensation didn't last long. The world soon fell back into order. In the distance, he saw the backs of various Hollows. A deafening rumble filled his ears, coming from the Gillian, which was bent over.

A powerful gust of wind sprang up out of nowhere and stung Kamisawa's face, but he barely felt it.

"Were we just over there?" Kamisawa pointed to the place where yellow smoke was now billowing into the air, then turned stiffly to look at Hongjiang, hoping for an explanation.

"Whew, that was close! We almost didn't make it out!" Hongjiang said, then gave a casual whistle. His relaxed expression made it impossible to tell he'd been nervous at all. Kamisawa understood now. What close call? What almost getting killed? None of that had happened, right?

Hongjiang's whistle successfully drew the Hollows' attention. When Kamisawa saw them focus on him again, he grabbed Hongjiang's arm.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to run again!"

Hongjiang gave him a scornful look and peeled his hand off his arm. "Don't wait for me. Go on ahead by yourself."

"Can't leave all this garbage lying around, can we?" Hongjiang said, spreading his hands. Then his figure vanished from the spot.

Had he gone back again? Kamisawa hurriedly looked toward the Hollows. Hongjiang had somehow appeared behind one of them, both black hands pressed against its head, his fingers sinking deep into its smooth white mask.

"Where the hell are you all looking?!"

At Hongjiang's shout, the Hollow was forced into a backbend, its enormous head crashing hard into the ground. Its mask shattered on impact. It looked dead beyond any doubt.

That finally showed the Hollows where to look. They completely ignored their delicious meal—Kamisawa—and swarmed toward Hongjiang, who had taunted them.

Then Kamisawa saw how Hongjiang fought: an artistic, flowing style of combat that he would later regard as the pursuit of his entire life.

In the middle of the Hollow crowd, Hongjiang sometimes wielded a short blade, sending up a spray of blood. Other times, his gauntlets and boots turned all four limbs into the nimblest of weapons, making flesh and bone play an unusual symphony.

He darted through the Hollows, back and forth, like an ape swinging through the trees. To Kamisawa, Hongjiang didn't look surrounded at all. He looked like a butterfly flitting lazily among the flowers.

Fist, palm, elbow, and knee all came into play at just the right moment, as if everything had been planned long in advance. No matter how many Hollows there were, no matter which direction they came from or how close their claws and teeth got to Hongjiang, the next moment they were bound to go flying off somewhere unknown.

One of them even landed at Kamisawa's feet. With the professionalism of a seasoned Soul Reaper, Kamisawa casually cut it down and sent it to meet the Soul King.

Yamagata saw the scene from farther away, too. It was honestly astonishing. He hadn't expected Hongjiang, whom he'd considered a spoiled brat, to be this strong. Could Susumu Kao from his squad really be better than the young man before him? A huge question mark formed in Yamagata's mind.

Putting those thoughts aside, Yamagata wanted to join the fight, too—not to claim credit, but to lend some support to the young man fighting alone.

The problem was the Gillian. Yamagata gazed at the distant, enormous black shadow, which seemed to be watching the show, and hoped it would keep watching until more reinforcements arrived.

Yamagata's prayer seemed to have the opposite effect. The Gillian, which had been standing motionless for a long time, suddenly raised its head and roared with its mouth wide open. Even Yamagata, far away, felt the air tremble with the sound.

This wasn't the earlier almost-laughing whimper. This time, the sound was loud and forceful. Even though they were different species and didn't speak the same language, everyone present knew it was angry!