Gillian

The night was dark and cloudless, a waning moon hanging high.

Several figures raced across the rooftops. Renji Abarai gripped his Asauchi, his eyes brimming with excitement as he pursued a Hollow roughly the size of a person. It resembled some kind of crawling beast, yet under the coordinated assault of Renji, Hinamori, and Kira, it fled in panic in every direction.

The three of them were already among the best of the first-year students, and their performance during this field training was equally impressive.

Hinamori cut it off from the front, a Crimson Cannon striking the Hollow squarely in the face. However, the Crimson Cannon she released with her spiritual pressure had limited power and caused no real damage.

As the smoke cleared, Renji and Kira attacked from both sides, slicing it directly into three pieces.

Watching the corpse on the ground slowly dissolve into spirit particles, Renji sheathed his Asauchi on his back.

"You move pretty fast, Kira, but I could've handled it easily by myself."

Izuru Kira said with a cheerful smile, "Don't say that. It was everyone working together."

Renji said rather smugly, "I'm at the level where I can actually fight Hollows. Training like this is way too easy."

Hinamori, who had walked over as well, rolled her eyes. "That mouth of yours is really something."

Renji was slightly annoyed. "I'm serious!"

Hinamori Momo gave him no face at all. "Obviously, it takes all three of us every time, yet you always make it sound like it was all your doing. When we report back, are you only going to praise yourself too?"

Renji was left speechless. He turned his head aside and looked toward the upperclassmen on a nearby platform.

He changed the subject. "They're really taking it easy."

Kira said, "This training was prepared for us. The upperclassmen don't need to interfere; they'll only step in if we're in danger."

Renji snorted. "How could Hollows at this level possibly be dangerous?"

Hinamori rubbed her forehead helplessly. "Here he goes again."

Not every student was doing as smoothly as they were. Some were facing Hollows for the first time and were so nervous and afraid that they nearly forgot everything they had learned in actual combat.

Fortunately, upperclassmen had been protecting them in secret, keeping anyone from getting hurt.

During this field training, the upperclassmen were responsible not only for assisting the first-years when necessary, but also for recording each student's performance.

As for Xin's side—

That large Hollow from earlier had been cut down by Xin before it even showed itself, so it had not drawn much attention.

Xin and the other two also had no plans to spread the matter for now.

As for the response from the Kekai team, they could only choose to trust it for the time being.

"Kira and Hinamori are performing very well."

Their position gave them an excellent view, and Shūbīng had been watching Hinamori's group the whole time.

Hinamori's proficiency in Kido was already far ahead of her peers. The girl was exceptionally gifted in that regard, limited only by her spiritual pressure.

Although Renji looked reckless, his practical combat skills were actually very strong. His only weakness was Kido.

Izuru Kira was well-balanced in every aspect. Whether it was swordsmanship, Kido, or Shunpo, he was equally outstanding.

Hisagi Shūhei held a document in his hand, recording Hinamori's group's performance and adding brief remarks.

Kanazawa was also watching the entire area with full concentration. Aside from the large Hollow that should not have appeared at the beginning, everything had gone smoothly so far. This gradually led her and Shūbīng to believe that it really had only been an accident.

Xin remained silent, his gaze fixed on the oppressive night.

"Xin?"

After receiving no response despite saying quite a lot, Shūbīng looked at Xin curiously.

"What are you looking at?"

It was normal for Kanazawa to be quiet, but Xin was not usually like this.

"Nothing. Just looking around," Xin said.

Shūbīng looked thoughtful. "What are you worried about?"

Xin neither confirmed nor denied it.

After thinking for a moment, Shūbīng decided that Xin's caution was not a bad thing.

It was only the first night. There was still a long time before the field training ended.

At that moment, Xin was closely monitoring every fluctuation of spiritual pressure within the Kekai, wary of any further abnormalities.

By the latter half of the night—

The exhausted students gathered at the meeting point to rest and eat, replenishing their strength.

The class chatted excitedly among themselves. This Human World field training was a novel and thrilling experience for them, though some looked listless and dejected.

Xin, Shūbīng, and the others also arrived there. Shūbīng encouraged the students and praised their performance, while warning them not to let down their guard in the coming battles.

While everyone rested, Hinamori Momo suddenly approached Xin of her own accord.

"President!"

She greeted him with a bright smile, then greeted Kanazawa beside him as well. "Senior Kanazawa."

Kanazawa merely nodded with an indifferent expression.

Hinamori wore an expression that practically begged for praise. "President, did you notice our group's performance?"

A faint smile finally appeared on Xin's face. "I saw it. Your coordination was good."

Hinamori took the opportunity to complain. "We were originally working together pretty well, but that Abarai guy always wants to show off. A lot of times, he runs off to chase Hollows by himself without caring about us. We've warned him so many times, but it never works."

Xin raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is that so? Call him over."

Hinamori perked up at once, but quickly hesitated again. "Forget it. I'll talk to him myself later. If you scold him for me, President, he'll definitely curse me to death in his heart."

Xin could not help but laugh. This girl really thought things through.

"Keep working hard, and be careful."

Hinamori nodded with a serious expression. "I'll work hard, and I'm not afraid either! Because..."

As she spoke, a radiant smile bloomed on her face. "President will definitely protect me!"

But in the next instant, her smile froze. In her field of vision, a long, narrow horizontal black rift suddenly tore open in midair behind the President and Senior Kanazawa. A giant white mask emerged from it, its glowing red eyes open wide in terrifying fashion.

What was that...

Her thoughts stalled for a second before she instantly realized what it was.

Among Hollows, some of the more powerful ones possessed a special ability: opening a Garganta!

Like the Senkaimon used by Soul Reapers to travel to the Human World, a Garganta could also be used to traverse space.

Xin almost instantly sensed the enormous spiritual pressure surging from behind him. He spun around at high speed and saw a massive hand bearing down on him like Mount Tai.

Boom!

The enormous palm, as large as a house, slammed into the ground and shattered the earth.

"President!"

Hinamori cried out.

Kanazawa was flung away, crashing heavily into a nearby wall. When she raised her head and looked back at the spot, her pupils suddenly contracted.

The palm had smashed a deep pit into the ground. Other than the scattered stones and broken bricks, there was no sign of anyone.

Only then did she remember that, in that moment of crisis, Xin had grabbed her and thrown her clear.

Then what about Xin...

Xin?!