In the Regional Chat Channel.
The JK girl (Tian Wenwen)’s message quickly caught everyone’s attention, and replies started pouring in.
“A lone figure on a rooftop late at night…” “Crap, she might have actually run into a pro!” “Pros aren’t that easy to find.
Looks to me like someone about to jump and end it all.” “Probably not a suicide attempt.
The roof in that photo doesn’t look very high.
Jumping from there probably wouldn’t even kill you.” “Wait, could he be the Shinigami mentioned earlier?” “The photo’s too blurry.
Can’t make out his build, his face, or even his clothes.
@Tian Wenwen, can you get closer and take another picture?” “Go apprentice yourself to him!
What are you waiting for?” “@Tian Wenwen, you can’t handle this pro.
Let me do it!” …
The JK girl, Tian Wenwen, looked at the messages in the chat with a conflicted expression.
A faint unease lingered in the air, as if something beyond ordinary perception was subtly pressing against her senses.
The idea of going out alone at night suddenly felt heavier than before, as if the world itself had grown slightly distorted.
If she went, she might be walking straight into danger if he turned out to be a bad person.
But at the same time, missing the chance to meet a real pro might be something she would regret for the rest of her life.
If she didn’t go, but Ren Kurogami really was a pro, then she would have missed a chance to get stronger.
He noticed the message.
His expression shifted slightly, becoming sharper, as if something in the atmosphere had subtly changed.
Even though the photo was blurry, he immediately recognized himself in it.
Following the angle of the photo, he looked toward Tian Wenwen’s location.
Soon, he saw her standing by her window, looking conflicted.
Unlike Tian Wenwen, he, enhanced by Gilgamesh’s character template, could see her figure and face very clearly.
Tian Wenwen seemed to sense something.
She instinctively looked back at him.
She couldn’t see him clearly, but she knew he was looking at her.
The fact that he could spot her from such a distance made her heart race.
In her mind, the probability that he was a pro shot way up.
Gritting her teeth, she finally made up her mind.
She would go find the pro.
But before leaving, she needed to change.
Her JK outfit wasn’t suitable for going out late at night.
As for the private messages asking for her address, she ignored them completely.
Many of those messages promised rewards, but Tian Wenwen came from a wealthy family and didn’t need the money.
Meanwhile, he noticed Tian Wenwen walk back inside and stopped paying attention.
It seemed she had given up, which was normal.
A girl going out alone late at night wasn’t safe.
A subtle shift lingered in the silence of the surroundings, as if the atmosphere itself had briefly tightened before settling again.
He turned his attention away from the chat.
A few minutes later, his expression suddenly sharpened.
His gaze darkened slightly, and his senses locked onto something approaching from far away.
He sensed a terrifying roar that ordinary people couldn’t hear, approaching Ichigo’s house fast from a distance.
He knew a Hollow was coming.
He stood up from the rooftop.
For a brief moment, the air itself seemed to grow heavier as the sound drew closer.
Ahead, a Fishbone Hollow over 3 meters tall slowly came into view, its silhouette emerging first before its details became clear, a gaping hole in its chest and a fish-skull-like bone mask covering its face.
Its presence was far more oppressive than words could describe.
Simply looking at it made the surrounding atmosphere feel heavier, as if invisible pressure had increased.
In the original story, the first time Ichigo saw a Hollow, his body froze instinctively, and fear took root in his heart.
But he remained completely unaffected.
There was no fear, only a calm, detached observation, as if the creature before him was no different from any ordinary existence.
That was the power of Gilgamesh’s perspective and experience.
Under this calm observation, everything unfolded according to the original story.
The moment Ichigo resolved to let Rukia’s Zanpakutō pierce his body, a terrifying surge of Reiatsu, invisible to ordinary people, erupted.
Sshunk!
Before the Fishbone Hollow could react, one of its arms was severed clean off at the root.
Just as Ichigo was getting used to the Shinigami power inside him, he seemed to sense something.
His gaze snapped toward the lamp post beside the Hollow.
He had landed there lightly.
For a brief moment, he stood in stillness, as if the space around him had shifted before his arrival.
He acted as if the Hollow did not exist at all.
He looked at Ichigo with feigned surprise.
“Ichigo, what’s going on?
Why are you wearing the same outfit as that onion head?” Then, as if noticing Rukia, he continued with more fake surprise.
“Huh?
Why is the onion head here too?
And why does she look so miserable?” Rukia’s forehead vein bulged.
A sharp flash of pride flared within her.
She bore the name of Kuchiki, one of the Four Great Noble Houses of Soul Society.
How could she tolerate such a crude nickname as “onion head”?
Her pride forced her to ignore her weakened state for a moment as she snapped at him.
“I am not an onion head!
My name is Rukia Kuchiki!” “Ren Kurogami, remember my name.
If you dare call me onion head again, I’ll make you regret it!” Ichigo watched this exchange, speechless.
It suddenly felt like he and Rukia were a pair of bickering rivals.
“GRAAAH!” A terrifying roar, invisible to ordinary people, erupted.
Ichigo remembered that the Fishbone Hollow hadn’t been dealt with yet.
The Hollow had already switched its target to him, who was closer and seemed easier to handle than Ichigo.
The Fishbone Hollow leaped high toward him, its remaining massive hand swiping at him.
Rukia gasped.
“Watch out!!” Even though she was annoyed with him, she didn’t want him to die at the Hollow’s hands.
Ichigo’s face changed too.
Without hesitation, he charged at the Hollow with his massive Zanpakutō, moving as fast as he could.
Unfortunately, Ichigo hadn’t learned Shunpo yet, and he wasn’t familiar with his newfound Shinigami power.
He couldn’t make it in time.
His eyes nearly split with rage.
“Damn monster!
Stop right there!” He finally seemed to notice the Hollow.
He turned to look at it.
His reaction wasn’t panic.
Instead, his gaze turned cold and slightly disgusted.
“You mongrel, neither human nor fish.
Who allowed you to approach me?” As he spoke, a spear suddenly materialized and impaled the Fishbone Hollow, pinning it to the ground.
For a brief moment, everything fell into silence.
The Hollow stared blankly, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Ichigo and Rukia were equally stunned.
Then, the next moment, their pupils sharply constricted.
Dozens of golden ripples spread out behind him, distorting the space with a faint shimmering pressure.
From those ripples, all kinds of weapons emerged.
In that instant, the Fishbone Hollow sensed mortal danger.
It thrashed violently, roaring in panic.
But its fate was already sealed.
Over a dozen E-rank Noble Phantasms summoned through Gate of Babylon engulfed it in an instant.