Chapter 58: Predicament

Chapter 58 - 58: Predicament The little girl stood frozen in place, clutching her newborn baby brother. Far too young to make a rational decision in this kind of situation, she could only stare blankly at the scene in front of her. But she quickly realized that her mother had been hurt by this monster and cried out in panic, "Mama!" "Ma'am... Ma'am!" Some of the servants and the midwife in the room tried to flee in the face of this bizarre situation—but just then, the door burst open. A young man, having heard the commotion inside, pushed his way into the room. "What happened?!" "Young Master, there's... there's something invisible in the room—it's like a ghost!" a servant stammered. None of the people inside the room could see the Hollow or the girl. All they saw was a table suddenly smashing against the wall, followed by the wife—who had just given birth—getting pierced by something, then lifted into the air by some unseen force. At that moment, the long-tailed Hollow's grotesque mask twisted into a terrifying grin, its fangs fully exposed. "A whole family? Then let me help you all reunite!" the Hollow let out a grating laugh. "Be sure to thank me properly!" It swung its tail, hurling the impaled woman toward the young man. He was just an ordinary human, with no time to react—his wife's body crashed into him. Their blood and flesh merged. Both were dead in an instant. The horrifying scene pushed the remaining people in the room to their limit. They surged toward the door in terror, but there were too many of them. They ended up getting stuck in the doorway. "Move!" "Let me through!" "I have to get out!" The girl broke down completely. Her parents had just died a brutal death right before her eyes, and now she was holding her newborn brother—yet she had no power to protect him from this nightmare. A wave of hopelessness surged through her, and the Chain of Fate around her chest began to corrode and dissolve rapidly. "How interesting," the long-tailed Hollow sneered, ignoring the humans bottlenecked at the door. Instead, it turned its head toward the girl. It had suddenly grown curious—would this girl turn into a Hollow right here? And for some reason, the newborn in her arms was especially enticing. Its hunger surged. That was the real reason it had come. It extended its claw, lunging straight for the baby in her arms. The girl tried to run, but her speed meant nothing to the Hollow. Escape was impossible. Whoosh— Suddenly, the girl vanished. The Hollow whipped its head around—there, the Shinigami it had struck earlier now stood holding both the girl and the infant. But she was in terrible shape. Her right arm hung limp, blood pouring freely. Her breathing was ragged, several ribs in her chest visibly broken. "Still alive, huh? I guess I should've hit you harder," the long-tailed Hollow growled with a vicious grin. Hoshino Rie was panting. Her legs trembled. The brief use of Shunpo had already pushed her injured body to its limit. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead—unresponsive. She quickly assessed the situation. Even the tendons in her legs might have been damaged. Gritting her teeth, Hoshino Rie forcefully raised her Reiatsu, held the children tightly, and crashed through the wooden window, fleeing outside. But as soon as she escaped the house, despair gripped her again. A massive figure crouched atop the rooftop opposite her. It was a gecko-like Hollow—far larger than the one inside. The eyes on its mask alone were bigger than a full-grown adult's. Boom— The wall behind her exploded. The long-tailed Hollow stepped through the debris. "It's... it's over..." Hoshino Rie had hoped to make enough noise to alert her teammates and call for backup. But now, she was completely trapped. She didn't even have the strength to run anymore, let alone escape from two Hollows. She probably wouldn't survive long enough to be rescued. "That one's mine!" the long-tailed Hollow barked at the gecko-like one, then lunged its claws at Hoshino Rie. Just then— Shnk— Splurt— The Hollow's claw suddenly split open, severed into pieces. Standing before Hoshino Rie now was none other than Shihōin Yoruichi. 'We're saved...' Hoshino Rie's heart steadied. She was familiar with her senior's power. Yoruichi turned her face toward her and flashed what she clearly thought was a dashing grin. "Yo, I'm not late, am I?" "Watch out!" Hoshino Rie cried. "Why you... Die!!" the long-tailed Hollow howled, swinging its long tail at Yoruichi. Thud! Yoruichi pressed her Zanpakutō down with one hand, halting the strike in place. "Heh—small fries need to learn their place. Quit causing trouble for people!" With a push, she knocked the tail aside and vanished using Shunpo. In the next instant, she appeared behind the long-tailed Hollow. A hairline crack split across the Hollow's mask—and then its entire body split in two. "Boss lady! We need help over here!" Hoshino Rie looked up. Her two teammates were locked in combat with the gecko-like Hollow. "Coming, coming!" Yoruichi joined the fray. The gecko Hollow was stronger than the long-tailed one, but with Yoruichi's help, the three quickly brought it down. Only then did Hoshino Rie have a moment to treat her wounds and check on the little girl. But by that time, the girl had already lost consciousness. Even in her fainted state, she hadn't let go of the baby. The Chain of Fate at her chest had nearly dissolved completely. When Hoshino Rie lifted the infant from her arms, she realized he had already lost all signs of life. She clearly remembered not letting the Hollow touch the baby—yet he still died. "She's going to turn Hollow soon. Let's perform a Soul Burial quickly," the round-faced girl said. "What's wrong, Rie?" Yoruichi noticed her downcast expression. "I shouldn't have brought her here. She ended up getting hurt like this... If I were stronger, maybe that tragedy wouldn't have happened..." Hoshino Rie said quietly. Yoruichi was silent for a moment, then said, "This one's on me. I shouldn't have sent someone with a medical support role out on solo missions." "At least she wasn't devoured. I'll do the burial." The round-faced girl raised her Zanpakutō, aiming the hilt at the girl. "Wait—don't you remember? A Wholesoul with strong attachment can't be soul buried!" Yoruichi stopped her hand. "So what then? Just let her turn into a Hollow and cut her down afterward?" the round-faced girl asked. "She's still just a child. She can't have committed any real sins. Even if she becomes a Hollow, purifying her will just send her to the Soul Society," the short-haired boy replied. When a Shinigami purifies a Hollow with their Zanpakutō, they're not destroying it completely. Rather, they cleanse the sins the soul accumulated after death. A Hollow purified by a Shinigami returns to a soul state—and to the spirit realm, Soul Society. However, if the person bore sins in life, even purification would only send them to Hell. "Alright. I'll report the situation to our teacher." Just as the round-faced girl was about to summon a Hell Butterfly, a voice came from it first. Katori Nanatsuki's voice rang out: "2nd Group, there is a high-risk spiritual pressure signature at your location. Evacuate immediately!"