“Ahhh—!”
Coulson let out a weak groan.
Nearly every bone in his body had been shattered, and the crushing force pressing down on him made him scream in agony.
An invisible enemy…
enormous in size…
possessing terrifying strength…
Everything about it pushed Coulson’s mind to its breaking point.
For the first time in his life, true despair crept into his heart.
No matter how desperate a situation had been in the past, Agent Phil Coulson had always found a way out.
But this time…
He couldn’t see any path to survival.
“Am I…
really going to die?”
His eyes were bloodshot from the overwhelming pressure, and his consciousness slowly began to fade, as though Death itself stood only a step away.
Yet strangely enough, the closer he came to death, the clearer his vision became.
At first, he had only been able to make out a blurry silhouette.
Now, standing at death’s door, he could see the monster perfectly.
“How ironic…”
A bitter smile formed on Coulson’s face.
“Is it only because I’m dying…
that I can finally see it?”
Beneath the Hollow’s long, clown-like mask hid a savage, bloodthirsty face.
Just as Jack had described, it was a horrifying creature beyond imagination.
“…Goodbye, Director.”
As his consciousness slipped away, Coulson vaguely saw a dark figure rushing toward him.
“Hadō #4: Byakurai!
(White Lightning!)”
Boom!
A brilliant white beam tore through the night like a bolt of lightning.
With incredible precision, it pierced straight through the Hollow’s wrist.
“ROAAAAAAAR!!”
The Gillian screamed in pain and instinctively released Coulson.
As Coulson plummeted toward the ground, the mysterious figure caught him effortlessly before landing gently on the street.
“Huff…
Huff…”
Having narrowly escaped death, Coulson gasped for air as he slowly looked up at his savior.
Silver hair.
Blue eyes.
A black kimono over loose black hakama pants.
And a wakizashi hanging at his waist.
He looked exactly like the Soul Reaper Jack had described.
“…A Soul Reaper?”
Coulson stared at him in disbelief.
“Are…
are you really a Soul Reaper?”
“Hm?”
Lorde raised an eyebrow, pretending to be surprised.
“You…
actually know about Soul Reapers?”
So it’s true…
He really is one.
Coulson’s heart pounded.
“I heard about you from Jack—the man you saved a few days ago.
We’ve been searching for you ever since.”
“Searching for me?”
Lorde looked genuinely puzzled.
“You’re humans.
Why would you seek out a Soul Reaper like me?”
Coulson coughed up a mouthful of blood before answering weakly,
“We have so many questions…
About Hollows, Soul Reapers…
and much more.”
ROOOAAARRR!!
The Hollow’s deafening roar interrupted them.
Lorde gave Coulson an apologetic smile before turning around.
“Sorry.
Now isn’t the time for questions.”
“I need to slay this Hollow first.”
“Hollow…”
Coulson looked toward the gigantic monster.
‘Large’ was definitely an understatement.
The creature towered over everything around it.
The moment it saw Lorde, its crimson eyes blazed with hatred.
Among the countless Hollows it had devoured, fragments of their lingering souls still remained.
And every one of them shared the same overwhelming resentment…
Toward this man.
It was him.
He was the one who had imprisoned them deep underground while they were still human, forcing their souls to mutate until they fell into despair and transformed into Hollows.
“…Kill…
you…”
The Gillian struggled to force the words from its mouth before charging at Lorde with murderous intent.
“Oh?”
Lorde smiled faintly.
“I didn’t expect a Hollow to retain fragments of its memories.”
“It seems your evolution wasn’t entirely complete.”
“KILL YOU!”
Whoosh!
The Hollow swung its massive pale arm, its razor-sharp claws tearing through the air.
“Look out!”
Coulson’s heart nearly stopped.
Seeing Lorde standing completely still, he shouted,
“Get out of the way!”
“No need.”
Lorde remained perfectly calm.
“This level of attack…”
“…isn’t even enough to make me move.”
“Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!
(Six-Rod Light Prison!)”
The instant he finished speaking, six glowing pillars of light appeared out of nowhere.
Like six massive stakes, they slammed into the Hollow’s body, completely immobilizing it.
Coulson’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
“What…
was that?”
“Magic?
Sorcery?
Some kind of energy technique?”
“No.”
Lorde lowered his hand.
“It’s Kidō.”
“A high-level spiritual art mastered by Soul Reapers.”
Coulson blinked in confusion.
“Kidō…?”
“ROOOOOAAARRR!!”
The Hollow struggled violently against the restraints.
Although it couldn’t move, the crimson glow in its eyes intensified.
Then…
A terrifying amount of spiritual energy gathered beneath its mask.
A brilliant crimson sphere formed before its mouth.
The air itself trembled.
“…Oh, no…”
Coulson’s face turned pale.
“That isn’t…
some kind of energy weapon, is it?!”
Lorde looked mildly surprised.
“So you’ve even learned that technique.”
Only true Menos-class Hollows could normally use Cero.
He hadn’t expected this artificially created fusion monster to master it as well.
“But…”
Lorde smiled.
“This makes things more interesting.”
He slowly raised his hand.
“Ye lord!”
“Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings; ye who bears the name of Man!”
“Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams…”
“Unleash your power!”
“Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!”
Brilliant blue spiritual energy surged from Lorde’s palm.
It condensed into the shape of a roaring azure dragon before exploding forward.
At the exact same moment—
The Hollow fired its Cero.
Blue and crimson collided.
BOOOOOOM!!
A deafening explosion shook the heavens.
The entire street collapsed.
Buildings crumbled.
Chunks of concrete and steel were hurled high into the sky as a hurricane-like shockwave swept through the city.
Coulson stared in complete disbelief.
So…
This is a battle between a Soul Reaper…
and a Hollow.
It looked less like a fight…
…and more like two cruise missiles colliding.
“As expected of a Cero.”
As the dust settled, Lorde stood calmly in midair.
His clothes were slightly torn, but he was otherwise unharmed.
“I was a little too optimistic.”
“Trying to overpower a Cero with a Hadō in the thirties was never going to work.”
Still…
That was within his expectations.
With only Sixth-Class Spiritual Pressure, his strength was merely comparable to a low-ranking lieutenant.
Once he reached Captain level…
His spiritual pressure alone would be enough to crush a Hollow like this without lifting a finger.
“ROOOOOAAARRR!!”
The Hollow erupted with spiritual power.
The sheer force distorted the surrounding air as it shattered the Six-Rod Light Prison.
Lorde slowly lowered his gaze.
“The commotion we’ve caused is more than enough.”
“Your purpose has been fulfilled.”
“So…”
“You may die now.”
He drew the wakizashi at his waist.
The silver blade reflected the moonlight with an icy gleam.
“Shoot to Kill…
Shinsō.”
A silver flash streaked across the night.
The blade extended at several times the speed of sound.
The Hollow’s roar stopped instantly.
Click.
Lorde calmly returned his sword to its sheath.
A second later—
The Gillian’s enormous head slid from its neck before crashing onto the ground with a thunderous boom.
The Gillian…
was dead.