Chapter 59: Desperation

Chapter 59 - 59: Desperation The sky suddenly darkened. More precisely—it tore open. A gigantic white skeletal claw reached out from the rift. Gripping the edges of the tear, the bone-white claw violently ripped the sky apart as though it were nothing more than a curtain. A pale mask emerged from the rift. A terrifying, raging spiritual pressure came crashing down from above. A monstrous shadow, large enough to blot out the sun, slowly extended out of the rift in the sky. The four members of Squad Two instantly felt as though a mountain had landed on their backs. The short-haired young man looked at the horrifying scene in front of him and stammered, "That pressure... there's no way we can handle something like that, right?" "Black cavity rupture..." For the first time, Yoruichi wore a grim expression in front of the others. "That's a Gillian—a Menos Grande formed from the fusion of many Hollows... and there's more than one!" Faintly visible within the rift, it was clear there wasn't just one Menos Grande. The doll-faced girl said blankly, "Aren't Menos Grandes supposed to be handled by nobles or several captains? Why would we run into something like that...?" Yoruichi shook her head. "It's not as exaggerated as the textbooks say. Vice-captains or senior seated officers can take on Menos Grandes too." "But this is beyond us. We need to move, now!" Seeing that Hoshino Rie was badly injured, Yoruichi slung her over her shoulder. After a moment's hesitation, she couldn't bear to leave the other girl behind either, so she picked her up as well. If a soul is purified by a Shinigami, it can pass on to the Soul Society. But if it gets eaten by a Hollow, it becomes part of the Hollow's spirit particles. The group hurried to escape. The Hell Butterfly flying beside them continued relaying Katori Nanatsuki's voice: "Don't head back to the base! There are enemies along that route. Find a hidden place and lie low—I'll come to you as soon as I can!" The short-haired youth quickly asked, "Big Sis, what should we do? Are we still heading back to base?" Yoruichi didn't hesitate and made a quick decision: "We listen to the teacher. We're switching directions!" The group fled in a new direction. By then, the curtain of the sky had already been torn into a massive rift, and the silhouettes of the Menos Grandes were clearly visible. Yoruichi looked back, cold sweat dripping down her neck—there were fourGillian-class Menos! 'Even if Katori-sensei shows up... can he really take on that many?' she thought. But after changing course, they were suddenly blocked by a group of Hollows. Though these were ordinary Hollows, ones that Yoruichi could easily dispatch under normal circumstances, being surrounded by them now was a deadly situation—especially with four Gillian right behind them. "Damn it! Why are there so many Hollows?!" the short-haired youth cried in despair. "Break through now—or we all die here!" Yoruichi drew her Zanpakutō, slashing an incoming Hollow clean in two. But the moment she cut one down, three more lunged at her. "Katori-ryu: Quadrant Shun Strike!" Four blurs flashed past. One Hollow was cleaved at the waist, another was beheaded, and the last was cut into three parts in a pincer attack. Yoruichi unleashed her full physical potential. A sword technique she had nearly mastered now burst forth—even while carrying someone. Feeling the strain, she handed off her burden to a teammate. "I'll break through—stick close!" Unburdened, she became like a spearhead, plunging into the Hollow horde. The others followed closely behind. After cutting down over a dozen Hollows, Yoruichi suddenly froze. A suffocating spiritual pressure behind her forced her body to halt on instinct. She turned her head. The four Gillian-class Menos had descended from the black cavity. Worse yet—one of them was staring directly at their position. In its massive white-masked mouth, a swirling orb of black and crimson light was forming. "Damn it—that's a Cero!" Yoruichi's heart pounded wildly. 'They noticed us!' she screamed, "Run!" The black-red beam poured down like a raging flood. Boom!!! The Cero was too fast! Other than Yoruichi, no one else could react in time. She stepped forward, blade held across her body, blocking the front line to buy her teammates a chance. She managed to hold it off for just two seconds—before being blasted away. BOOM!!! The entire street was blown apart—stones, shingles, and even houses launched into the air from the shockwave. Fragments of stone and wood became a torrential storm. Dust filled the air—completely blotting out vision. Outskirts of Karakura Town— As soon as Katori Nanatsuki sensed the unusual spiritual pressure, he immediately set out for Karakura Town. During the practical exam, aside from the first two days, instructors didn't stay with students the whole time—students had to follow the orders of active Shinigami. That's why Nanatsuki hadn't been in Karakura today. But an unexpected development had occurred—the spiritual pressure within Karakura had exceeded what the students could handle. This should've been dealt with by the two assigned active Shinigami. However, when Nanatsuki tried contacting Yamashita and Kawada , he found both had gone silent. He had no choice but to step in himself. And Nanatsuki wasn't the only one heading to Karakura—Kuratani Yūjirō had followed him. With Yamashita and Kawada missing, it was clear something serious had happened, and he had to rescue his subordinates. There was a small forest between the base and Karakura. With their speed, it would only take a few minutes to cross. As they neared the edge of the woods, Kuratani Yūjirō suddenly stopped. "Sensei, wait. Something feels off up ahead," he said. Once Katori Nanatsuki stopped, Kuratani continued, "It's too quiet. There are usually birds here." Nanatsuki nodded. "I can feel spiritual pressure up ahead. Someone's fighting." They exchanged glances and moved forward cautiously, hiding their presence. A hundred meters ahead, after pushing through the underbrush, they saw figures at the edge of Karakura Town. Nanatsuki paused when he saw what they were wearing. Among the bodies lying on the ground, two wore Shinigami uniforms—Yamashita and Kawada. The others, also Shinigami, wore black clothing and masked hoods. —It was the Onmitsukidō. These were the agents sent by the Shihōin clan to secretly protect Yoruichi. As the heir of the Shihōin family, her safety was of utmost importance to the clan. Nanatsuki had already confirmed over the past few days that the Onmitsukidō were shadowing her. And the other official Shinigami at the base knew this as well. But now, those who were supposed to protect her in Karakura... had been wiped out here. Nanatsuki looked toward the only two standing figures. Their attire was completely out of place for this era. They wore crisp white uniforms, tall boots, and wielded long swords with handguards. The black-haired man pulled his sword from a corpse. With a flick, blood flew off the blade. With his other hand, he brushed a lock of hair behind his ear. Then he tilted his head toward the forest. "Hmm? More people here to die?" Nanatsuki narrowed his eyes. "Quincy..."