Chapter Twelve: The Deadly Struggle Within the Dark Chamber

Chapter Twelve: Death Struggle Within the Black Cavity

“Something’s wrong.” As Rukia pondered, an unchanging, calm voice suddenly sounded from the portal. Everyone turned simultaneously to see Nianzhenli seated before a screen dotted with faint blue points, adjusting something with his hands.

“What is it, Captain Nie?” the group approached him. On the screen, the blue points suddenly became surrounded by countless dense red dots.

At the same moment, Aizen raised an eyebrow slightly, revealing a faint smile.

“I don’t know why, but the Kyouraku heir suddenly changed course on her return journey...” Nianzhenli slowly turned his head and said, “And within her black cavity, she’s surrounded by Hollows...”

“That’s impossible! Find a solution quickly!” Byakuya Kuchiki was stunned for a moment, then spoke with urgency.

“Huh?” Rukia was momentarily taken aback. At the same time, Suicho excitedly grabbed Nianzhenli by the collar and shouted, “Surrounded by Hollows! How can this be? Didn’t you say the passage you developed was absolutely safe?!”

“Let go!” Nianzhenli pushed Suicho’s hand away and straightened his clothes. “It is safe, yes, but I never said it was safe at every moment. Hollows are different from us Shinigami—they have the ability to tear through black cavities. Plus, the coordinates of black cavities are unstable. It’s not impossible for one or two Hollows to slip in occasionally...”

“But...” Suicho stared at the hundreds, even thousands, of red dots on the screen. “This isn’t just one or two! This many... Captain! I request permission to go support Vice-Captain Shuster!”

“I also demand to support my brother!” Byakuya turned to Captain Yamamoto.

“No, you may not!” Nianzhenli interrupted Suicho. “The black cavity’s space is fragile, unlike the fault lines you’re used to. If powerful spiritual pressure erupts inside...”

“Boom!” At that moment, the blue point on the screen suddenly flared with golden light, cutting off Nianzhenli’s words. After five full minutes of golden light, all the red dots and even the blue point representing Shuster vanished as if they had evaporated into thin air.

Seeing this, the group fell silent. Nianzhenli’s eyes reflected the residual light from the screen as he said, “Just like this... the space collapses! Everything returns to nothingness...”

“No... this can’t be...” Suicho stepped back several paces, staring in disbelief at the now pitch-black screen. Their friend who was just here—now gone...

“How is this possible...” Byakuya was stunned, then silently left without a word.

At the same time, Rukia stood frozen, her eyes dulled with despair... Why—why even her brother...

Let us now shift the scene to several minutes after Shuster entered the black cavity.

“Who are you?” Shuster drew his blood-red weapon, Crescent Moon, and asked the figure clad in deathly armor before him.

“Long time no see, kid! How have you been these years?” A warm, cheerful voice echoed, accompanied by footsteps along the path of spiritual particles. In front of Shuster stood a man wearing a tall cylindrical mask...

“...Aroniro! You bastard! Don’t think I don’t know who you are. You think disguising yourself as Shiba Hayate will fool me?” Shuster was momentarily stunned, then shouted angrily.

“Huh? You know me? Have we met before?” Aroniro looked surprised as he removed the mask, revealing Shiba Hayate’s face.

“Sorry about that last strike, but I still want you to die! You bastard! To toy with the dead is a grave sin! Judgment! Thunderstrike!!” A powerful spiritual pressure erupted from Shuster, and in an instant, he was behind Aroniro, slashing down...

“Hey kid, your gravity tricks don’t work on me! Are you going to use your Shikai against me?” Aroniro blocked Shuster’s flash of light with one hand and said.

“Then try me!” Shuster transformed into a streak of lightning and charged.

“Tch. The same attack missed once, it won’t hit the second time, don’t you know that, kid...?” Suddenly, a wound appeared on Aroniro’s chest, and his entire body stiffened.

“Hm? Using attribute spiritual pressure to slow me down? Too bad your pressure is too weak! Let the Reverse Waterfall flow! Jugehana!” Aroniro ignored the wound and released a massive spiritual pressure.

“You say you’re Shiba Hayate, so you should know...” Shuster lightly brushed aside the sweeping Jugehana and continued, “Jugehana is just a common spear before my Thunderstrike!”

“Ugh!” Facing Shuster’s assault, Aroniro gritted his teeth, fighting while retreating. Jugehana is a unique high-stance spear technique, relying on wrist rotation as the main attack, a dance-like spear art that uses waves swirling with the strikes to crush and sever enemies. But now, the most powerful wave of the spear was sealed by Shuster’s lightning, rendering its power less than half. Aroniro felt cornered... a spearman’s fate, I suppose.

“What’s wrong? Slowing down, huh?”

“What?!” Realizing the increased electric current, Aroniro couldn’t stop the flow of water he summoned and was instantly paralyzed by the accelerating lightning. Shuster’s blade fell on his shoulder.

“Is that all? Having Hayate’s body, and still relying solely on his old skills with no improvement! If it were Hayate himself, Jugehana would have long ignored my electric currents.” Shuster said coldly, swinging his sword faster and faster.

As time passed, Aroniro’s wounds multiplied, and his spear swings slowed. Just as Shuster said, since inhabiting this body, he hadn’t deeply developed its capabilities but relied on constant absorption to accumulate spiritual pressure.

Seeing Shuster completely unaffected by Hayate’s appearance and relentlessly striking without mercy, Aroniro could only resort to creating openings by enduring injuries.

Again, Aroniro sacrificed his entire left arm, eyes flashing fiercely, and activated the spatial shift, vanishing into the pitch-black black cavity.

“Today, for Hayate, I won’t let you escape!” Escaping in the black cavity is a foolish and naive act. Though the darkness impairs vision, there are no obstacles, spiritual pressure detection is more sensitive than usual, and to walk inside, one must lay a visible trail of spiritual particle light beneath their feet.

Thus, Shuster followed the glowing trail Aroniro left behind. In terms of movement skill, Shuster was unsurpassed. Even facing spatial ability like the shift, his speed did not diminish, steadily closing the distance.

“Turn to ashes here! MAX Thunder God Strangle!!” Drawing the long-unused Heaven’s Spark, Shuster infused it with magic and fired.

“Bang!” The gunshot tore through the wind. Feeling a powerful threat from behind, Aroniro’s eyes narrowed. He did not turn or dodge but accelerated forward.

“Hm?” Shuster hesitated briefly, then just a meter away from his target, the Thunder God Strangle was blocked by a vast dark red barrier. The collision generated a massive explosion of wind and force.

“Boom!” Spreading his Fallen Angel Wings, Shuster enveloped himself, resisting the oncoming pressure and flames.

“Oh? Planning a pincer attack? No wonder you dared to come alone before...” As the dust cleared, countless pairs of red eyes filled with violent malice came into view. The dark red barrier earlier was clearly the Hollow Flash, a technique only the strongest Hollows could wield.

“Phew, that was dangerous, dangerous... almost got baited...” Aroniro smiled and turned, raising his rapidly regenerating left arm with a hearty laugh. “Well, kid, using such a dangerous move on me, you’re really cheeky... You... You... That person is you!”

“That’s right. Back then, fighting three at once was tough! So now, isn’t it time I returned the favor? By the way... do you really think sheer numbers can defeat me?” Shuster looked around at the surrounding Hollows, then licked his lips.

Aroniro shrugged with a grin. “Heh heh, isn’t that the truth? There are over a thousand Hollows here. Even if you’re strong, and you manage to wipe them all out, your spiritual pressure and stamina will be drained to the limit... Attack!”

With a flourish of his spear, the Hollows surged forward like a tidal wave, overwhelming Shuster.

“Well then, I’ll accept your gift. Geass, activate!” A blue bird soared from Shuster’s left eye...

“Ah!” “Uwaa!” “Ya!”

Such cries echoed repeatedly within the black cavity.

“Retreat! He’s a devourer of the Hollow Realm!” A newly promoted Hollow dashed forward, saw Shuster’s face, then fled in panic shouting.

“Annoying pest...” Shuster shot the Hollow in one shot, absorbing its soul, then turned to glare at the other Hollows who dared not advance.

“Clap clap clap.” Aroniro watched the surrounding Hollows dissipate into black particles and smiled wryly. “Impressive, really impressive. Your Shikai controls all the spiritual particles around you as your energy. That way, no matter how strong the spiritual pressure, the black cavity won’t collapse, and you slowly absorb these Hollows? The same ability as me. Interesting...”

P.S.: I really hate this tentacle monster! Better let him die! Neru, patch me up!