In Soul Society, All I Want Is to Coast into Retirement — Chapter 4

The Hollows refused to show themselves. Kofuku Mountain was so vast—where was he supposed to find one?

Just as Yamabuki Chidori was at a loss, a barefoot child timidly approached and asked, "Excuse me, are you a noble?"

Yamabuki Chidori answered gently, "I'm not a noble. I'm a Soul Reaper from the Gotei 13, here specifically to slay Hollows!"

Though the child had no idea what the "Gotei 13" was, he became excited when he heard that Yamabuki Chidori specialized in slaying Hollows. "Then can you help me save Hanako? She was taken away by a Hollow. If you're willing to save Hanako, I'll give you all the money I have!"

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Chapter 7: Hey, You're Really Unreliable!

The barefoot child pulled several coins covered in green patina from his clothes.

It was Yamabuki Chidori's first time seeing Soul Society currency. They were oval-shaped Bronze Coins.

"Little brother, what's your name? Have you eaten? I have some food here!" Yamabuki Chidori handed him a rice ball, which had originally been part of his rations.

"My name is Chōjirō... Can I really eat this rice ball?" The little boy looked as though he had not had a full meal in a long time. After seeing Yamabuki Chidori nod, he wolfed down the rice ball in just a few bites.

"Little brother, can you tell me exactly what happened? What did that Hollow look like? Where did it appear?" Yamabuki Chidori began gathering information.

After all, there was no Research and Development Department a thousand years ago. They could not monitor the entire Soul Society and could only gather intelligence the old-fashioned way.

After a brief conversation, Yamabuki Chidori learned that Chōjirō and Hanako were siblings. Though they lived on Kofuku Mountain, their lives were extremely difficult. Three days ago, while they were digging for wild vegetables, a Spider-shaped Hollow appeared and took his little sister away...

"Wait." Yamabuki Chidori immediately spotted the issue. "Are you sure that Hollow took your sister away? It didn't eat her on the spot?"

Chōjirō nodded forcefully. "I'm sure."

Based on his understanding of the story from his previous life, combined with his close observation of Hollows in this life, Yamabuki Chidori came to a conclusion: most Hollows had no intelligence. If food was right in front of them, they would eat it immediately. They would never save it for tomorrow.

Yet this boy said his sister had been taken away by a Hollow.

There were only two possibilities.

Either the boy's memories had become confused. His sister had died horribly before his eyes, but deep down, he refused to accept it and believed she had merely been taken away, that there was still hope she had survived.

Or this Hollow had evolved intelligence.

That was the outcome Yamabuki Chidori least wanted to see.

Moreover, according to the boy, his sister had been taken away three days ago. The odds of the little girl still being alive were infinitesimal.

Yamabuki Chidori had already made up his mind. If he could rescue Hanako unharmed, then everyone would be happy.

If the girl had already died, Yamabuki Chidori would tell the boy, "Your sister escaped. As for where she went, I don't know. Go look for her yourself."

He would leave the boy with a sliver of hope.

Even if life had only the tiniest shred of hope left, it was far better than utter despair.

Still, luring out this Hollow would probably not be easy.

"Chōjirō! I can promise to help save your sister, and I don't want your money. But you need to do me a small favor!" A wicked smile appeared on Yamabuki Chidori's face.

At this point, the boy had yet to realize the severity of the problem.

"As long as you can save my sister, I'll agree to any condition!"

Scene break.

"Help! Why did you tie me up? Don't tell me you're using me as bait? I'm still just a kid! How can you treat me like this? Let me go!" Chōjirō was tied up like a fish and hung from a tree, thrashing nonstop!

"You can't catch wolves without sacrificing a child. Don't worry, with me here, any enemy will either flee in panic or be utterly defeated. Once that Hollow comes, I'll just cut it down with one slash! Achoo! I didn't sleep well last night, and early this morning that old man Yamamoto dragged me up for training. I'm going to catch up on sleep. Wake me when the Hollow gets here!" Yamabuki Chidori hugged his Zanpakuto and took a nap beneath the tree!

"Wake up! Don't sleep! Are all the people in the Gotei 13 as unreliable as you? Let me go already! What if the Hollow comes?"

Only Yamabuki Chidori's snores answered him.

No matter how Chōjirō called out, it was useless.

Just as Chōjirō had given up struggling, rustling came from the distant grass. He stared tensely in that direction. "Hey! That Soul Reaper... something's coming... Wake up!"

Yamabuki Chidori snored even louder, with a snot bubble hanging from his nose!

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

The sounds in the grass grew louder and louder. Just as Chōjirō's fear reached its limit, a kitten leaped out of the grass.

False alarm!

It was just a cat...

No, the cat had come out, but the rustling in the grass had not stopped. What else was in there?

Very soon, a monster wearing a white mask crawled out of the grass. Chōjirō was so frightened that the blood in his body seemed to freeze. He wanted to shout for Yamabuki Chidori, but he was too terrified to make a sound.

The Hollow ignored the kitten in front of it and stared straight at Chōjirō. But soon, it shifted its gaze to Yamabuki Chidori.

The stronger a person's spiritual power, the more easily they became a Hollow's prey.

Yamabuki Chidori now possessed Lieutenant-level Reiatsu, making him even more likely to lure a Hollow in.

The Hollow extended its pale tongue. Its demon-like face seemed to sneer as its limbs pressed down hard against the ground, making it look like a gigantic praying mantis!

Just as the hooked blades on its arms were about to slice Yamabuki Chidori apart, a silver flash of sword light suddenly flickered, instantly severing both hooks. Before the Hollow could react, the Zanpakuto had already pierced its mask and impaled its skull!

And the Zanpakuto's hilt was in Yamabuki Chidori's palm.

"Kid! Don't yell so loudly! I can hear you!" Yamabuki Chidori sharply raised his blade, splitting the Hollow's head in two. "Job done! This is the Hollow that took your sister, right?"

Chōjirō's expression turned grave, his forehead covered in cold sweat. "No, no! This isn't the Hollow that took my sister!"

"Hm?" Yamabuki Chidori froze, then revealed a startled expression. There might be more than one Hollow!

In the instant Yamabuki Chidori hesitated, a strand of spider silk as thick as a baby's arm shot from the distant grass and tightly bound his wrist.

"Not good..."

Then, an enormous figure appeared.

It was a gigantic spider-like Hollow over five meters tall, with its eight spider legs spanning more than ten meters.

A strange human face grew from the Spider Menos Grande's abdomen, wearing half a mask.

"Idiot. Tossing out a random piece of cannon fodder was enough to make you lower your guard!" The Spider Menos Grande sprayed out a massive amount of spider silk again, almost completely wrapping Yamabuki Chidori up.

Yamabuki Chidori struggled with all his might, but the more he struggled, the tighter the remaining spider silk cinched around him.

The Spider Menos Grande let out a wild laugh and dragged Yamabuki Chidori toward the depths of the mountains. With such a nourishing meal in hand, whether or not it ate the boy tied to the tree no longer mattered.

Only Chōjirō remained, staring into the boundless darkness in terror.

Chapter 8: Gillian Appears

Yamabuki Chidori was wrapped head to toe in spider silk as the Spider Menos Grande dragged him deeper into the mountains.

After being tossed about the whole way, Yamabuki Chidori was brought into a cave.

There were many cocoons woven from spider silk inside the cave. They appeared to contain people captured by the Spider Menos Grande.

"Self-righteous Soul Reapers, just wait obediently to be eaten!" The Spider Menos Grande opened its huge mouth, revealing two rows of sharp venomous fangs as it prepared to inject venom into Yamabuki Chidori's body.

Suddenly, a blade flash tore through the cocoon, and Yamabuki Chidori easily broke free from the spider silk.

"So this is your lair! Nice location. It'll make a fine grave for you." Yamabuki Chidori smiled at the Spider Menos Grande.

The Spider Menos Grande stared at Yamabuki Chidori in horror. "My spider silk has a powerful anesthetic effect. Why are you fine?"

"Why don't you look at how much higher my Reiatsu is than yours? A Soul Reaper's battle is a battle of Reiatsu. The same applies to Hollows. If I weren't trying to rescue people, do you think I would have let you capture me on purpose?" Yamabuki Chidori sneered.

"But you still have the habit of storing food like a spider."

"You tricked me! You actually dared to trick me!" The Spider Menos Grande let out a piercing roar. Its eight legs moved in unison as it charged at Yamabuki Chidori.

Yamabuki Chidori used Flash Step to appear directly above the Spider Menos Grande and brought his sword down, cleaving it in two. Only then was the battle truly over.

The Spider Menos Grande's two halves twitched on the ground for a moment before finally lying still, ending its wicked life.

Yamabuki Chidori used his Zanpakuto to slice open a spider cocoon. Inside was a middle-aged woman in a semi-conscious state. She was still breathing, and as long as she was alive, that was enough.

The Spider Menos Grande's venom was anesthetic. These people would wake up soon enough.

There were more than a dozen spider cocoons in the cave, containing men, women, the elderly, and children. He just did not know whether Hanako was among them.

After being freed from their cocoons, the stronger people woke first. Seeing that they were alive and finding Yamabuki Chidori beside them with a sword, they assumed nobles from the Seireitei had rescued them.

This was a great chance to advertise the Gotei 13, so Yamabuki Chidori immediately took the opportunity to promote them.

"You don't need to thank me. I'm a Soul Reaper from the Gotei 13. Slaying Hollows is our duty. Is there a girl named Hanako among you?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

The youngest girl raised her hand and said timidly, "I'm Hanako."

The girl was only six or seven years old. She was very cute, with two little horn braids and a pair of oversized shoes.

"Your brother is waiting for you at home. Let's go back together." Yamabuki Chidori said.

Hearing that they could return home, everyone became excited.

But Hanako alone said fearfully, "But, but..."

"What is it, Hanako? Is something wrong? Don't be afraid. I already killed the Hollow." Yamabuki Chidori said gently.

Hanako said softly, "But if we leave the cave, will an even stronger Hollow eat us? On the day I was captured, I saw that spider kneeling before an incredibly huge Hollow!"

The moment she said this, the cave fell silent.

Yamabuki Chidori furrowed his brow.

"I should have realized it sooner. How could a Hollow resist eating food right in front of its mouth? A higher-ranking Hollow ordered it to gather the food here." Yamabuki Chidori forced himself to remain calm. If even he panicked, these ordinary people would panic even more.

"It's fine. I'll protect you. That Menos Grande may not come right now, so let's take this chance to leave first." Yamabuki Chidori told them.

The moment the group left the cave, Hanako suddenly said, "Look at the sky. Why is there a red moon?"

Everyone's attention was drawn by Hanako's words, and they looked up. A scarlet moon hung in the sky, falling at an incredibly fast speed.

Yamabuki Chidori's expression turned extremely ugly. That was no moon—it was a Cero!!!

"Get back! Hurry, get back inside the cave." Yamabuki Chidori drew his Zanpakuto, gathered all his Reiatsu, and leaped into the air, slashing at the Cero.

If that Cero hit the ground, everyone except him would die!

An unprecedented sense of danger washed over him. His blade struck the Cero, and the tremendous pressure made Yamabuki Chidori grit his teeth. Finally, he used all his strength with both hands and knocked the Cero away.

The Cero arced into the distant forest, where a massive explosion instantly leveled the trees.

"So this is the power of a Cero?" Yamabuki Chidori's expression was grave as he looked up and saw a Menos Grande staring directly at him.

"A Menos Grande actually appeared in the Soul Society!" Yamabuki Chidori had thought there were only ordinary Hollows in the Soul Society.

But then he slapped his forehead. How could he be so stupid? In the early years, an ancient Menos Grande had come to the Soul Society, defeated the still-young Yamamoto, fought its way to the Soul King Palace, and had even swallowed the Soul King.

Fortunately, the monk of Zero Division intervened in the end and rescued the Soul King. He also took away the ancient Menos Grande's name, and it was ultimately forged into a Zanpakuto by the Sword God: Ise-Ise-Iseba.

Since a Menos Grande of that level could enter the Soul Society, then a low-level Menos Grande like a Gillian could naturally enter the Soul Society too.

"Good thing it's only a Gillian. I can handle it." Yamabuki Chidori relaxed slightly.

With his Lieutenant-level strength, dealing with a Gillian would not be difficult. It seemed this Gillian was the final boss of this mission.

Just as Yamabuki Chidori prepared to fight the Gillian, he suddenly noticed that the Menos Grande was smiling at him.

In that instant, Yamabuki Chidori felt a chill run down his back.

It was actually smiling at him!

Could this Menos Grande possess intelligence?

Most Hollows had no intelligence and could only act on instinct. After devouring a certain number of Hollows or spirits, they evolved into low-level Menos Grandes known as Gillians.

Gillians generally had very low intelligence as well, but among tens of thousands of Gillians, one or two would always develop intelligence. They would devour their own kind, and after consuming hundreds or thousands of them, they could evolve into Adjuchas.

Adjuchas possessed Captain-level strength.

Beyond Adjuchas were Vastolorde, possessing strength that surpassed ordinary Captains.

This Gillian was actually smiling at him, which meant it likely possessed intelligence. If left alone, it would most likely evolve into an Adjuchas, and then it would surely become a major threat.

That made it even more imperative not to let it go!

Sekienton!

Yamabuki Chidori released Kidō to conceal his tracks, then used Flash Step to appear behind the Menos Grande, preparing to finish it with a single slash!