Chapter 18: Become a Reaper, Young Man!

Chapter 18: Become a Death God! Boy!

“Are you alright, kid? Pfft!” After waiting for a long time without a single attack from the opponent, a familiar voice rang out.

Looking up, the sight before me was Lolita, wielding a katana to block the massive fist of the Hollow, blood spurting all over her body...

“It’s you! Hey! Your injuries...” Ichigo called out, staring at the girl before him who was still smiling faintly.

“Well, it hurts a lot! But I’m not going to just leave you be! ...Although right now, I can’t stand a chance against it...” Lolita glanced back with a smile, then continued grappling with the Hollow. Then...

*Bang!*

“Whoa!”

The Hollow’s other massive fist slammed down hard, sending Lolita flying backward. She spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsing onto the ground in a pitiful state, her Shihakusho stained crimson from the blood...

“Hey! Are you okay?” Ichigo quickly got up and ran over, helping Lolita to her feet.

“I’m fine! You’d better take your family and run... Leave this to me here...” Lolita propped herself up with a crackling thunder and pushed Ichigo away. Although she said this, facing the Hollow before her, she didn’t even have a fifty percent chance of winning.

Years of exposure to the miasma of Hell had corroded her; combined with the energy depletion from breaking through Hell’s gate, her energy was nearing a critical limit. Her source of power was half damaged, and without at least two months of rest, she couldn’t restore herself to peak strength. Unless she forced open the system’s seal, but the price would be a year spent as an ordinary human...

“Don’t joke around! Who could stand by and let you face this thing alone?” Ichigo shouted. But the next second, he froze, a trace of shock lacing his nervous voice: “Whoa! What is that thing?”

“Huh?” Lolita raised her head, her expression stiffening. Before them, the Hollow opened its giant mouth, condensing a red energy sphere inside...

“That’s... a Hollow Flash!? This Hollow is about to evolve into a Gillian!?”

“Evolve?”

*Boom!!*

Before Ichigo could understand, the Hollow Flash inside the Hollow’s mouth completed, releasing a massive pillar of fiery red light surging toward them. The chaotic pressure forced Ichigo to close his eyes...

Seeing the approaching Hollow Flash, a flicker of hesitation crossed Lolita’s eyes. She clenched her eyes shut, gathering the last bit of magic into a thunderous armor and stood shielded in front of Ichigo...

*Crash!*

The piercing Hollow Flash collided like a stone skimming a lake surface, completely decomposed by Lolita’s thunder armor that she protected with both hands.

Since this Hollow hadn’t yet fully evolved into a Gillian, the Hollow Flash lasted only seconds before vanishing. It was precisely because of this that Lolita dared to gamble by turning her last ounce of power into the thunder armor shielding Ichigo. But the moment the Hollow Flash dissipated, Lolita’s energy supply faltered; the armor shattered violently, sending her flying against a nearby wall with a mouthful of blood expelled...

“Lolita!” Ichigo immediately rushed over, supporting her body. “Hey! Are you alright?”

“...” Lolita shook her head, trying to get up.

“Damn it! Just wait!” Seeing Lolita injured once again while protecting him, Ichigo clenched his fists, ready to charge and fight the Hollow to the death. But Lolita, regaining some strength, grabbed his arm.

“Wait!” She weakly held Ichigo’s hand. He looked into her strained expression and gritted his teeth, voice trembling, “Even if I can’t win... it’s better than doing nothing, right?” Memories of his mother’s passing flooded his heart with bitterness...

Adjusting his breath, Lolita said, “This Hollow, even though your spiritual power is higher than most, you can’t win with your current strength... you should know that.”

“Is that so...” Seeing the sorrow flicker in Ichigo’s eyes, Lolita’s gaze hardened. “...Do you want to save your family?”

“Of course!”

“Then... accept my power, the power that will let you protect your family!”

“Power to protect my family... do... do I have such power?”

“There’s only one way...” Taking a breath, Lolita lifted her heavy Zanpakutō and pointed it toward Ichigo. “See this? The power I use to fight Hollows... this is the power of a Death God. I will pierce this sword into your chest, and through its blade, transfer this power to you...”

“...” Ichigo hesitated for a moment, staring at the beautiful, razor-sharp Zanpakutō in Lolita’s hands. A flash of determination sparked in his amber eyes. He stepped forward and grasped the blade with both hands. “Give me the sword!”

“Are you sure? One last warning: as you gain this power, you must bear the corresponding responsibility. Your life will never be peaceful again... you may even die because of this power...” Lolita looked deeply into Ichigo’s eyes and quietly said, “It’s not too late to regret it now...”

“Don’t underestimate me! If it comes to death... if we don’t do this now, both you and I will die! Now... it’s my turn to protect you!”

“You...” Lolita looked at his resolute face and couldn’t help but recall the one who had held on for five and a half years to protect her in the gates of Hell...

Seeing Lolita’s faintly surprised expression, Ichigo smiled softly and pressed the blade against his own chest: “My name is... Ichigo Kurosaki!”

“Roar!” At that moment, the furious Hollow lunged toward the two of them with its massive body. Simultaneously, the glimmering blade of a moonlit katana pierced Ichigo’s chest, radiating a stunning light...

*Boom!*

A pillar of blue-white light shot up into the sky, tearing through the clouds with a powerful spiritual pressure storm, as if announcing to the world the arrival of one who could change it...

“That spiritual pressure is...!” Kisuke Urahara, who was having dinner at home, suddenly sensed this unfamiliar, immense spiritual pressure. He exchanged a glance with Tessai, then vanished from where he stood, swiftly heading toward the source...

At the same time, a black cat lifted its head and looked toward the spiritual pressure, displaying an almost human expression of surprise, then sprinted toward the scene...

*Pfft!* Two giant sword beams flashed, and the Hollow charging forward had both arms blown into the sky, completely turned into spiritual particles. It was utterly defeated.

“Yo! Monster... did you have fun hitting me just now?” Ichigo’s eyes gleamed with killing intent as he looked at the Hollow before him, clad in black Shihakusho, hair a warm orange, wielding a massive Zanpakutō. “Now it’s our turn! I’m going to make you regret hurting my family!”

“Roar!” Feeling the sudden surge of spiritual pressure, the beastly Hollow instinctively took a half-step back, sensing the threat to its life and the vast power gap...

‘As expected, the last remaining bit of spiritual pressure was completely taken away... what on earth did it feed on to grow so strong?’ Sitting on the ground, Lolita’s once-dark Shihakusho now gleamed pure white and flawless. She looked at her hands, feeling no trace of spiritual pressure within her body. She gave a small bitter smile and shook her head, glancing at Ichigo, who was overwhelming the Hollow with overwhelming power from their first battle...

‘But it’s fine. My goal was achieved anyway... Kurosaki Ichigo, how you choose to walk from here is up to you...’

Leaning against the corner wall, watching Ichigo about to finish off the Hollow, Lolita dragged her exhausted frame away. After turning several corners, she suddenly saw a... cat...

“Heh, well well... long time no see, cat demon...” After saying the last words, darkness clouded Lolita’s eyes and she collapsed forward, losing consciousness...

Just before Lolita fell, the black cat transformed into a voluptuous woman, catching her in her arms. Looking at Lolita, who was unconscious and completely devoid of spiritual pressure, a flicker of significance passed through the woman’s eyes. Then she pressed her lips together and instant-stepped, carrying Lolita toward her own general store...

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I am saving part of the content for the next chapter.

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The next day...

“I heard your house got hit by a truck last night, Ichigo?” In the classroom, Keigo Asano and several of Ichigo’s close friends gathered around his desk...

“Something like that...” Ichigo leaned back in his chair, answering absentmindedly, memories of last night still feeling like a dream... Where did she go after that? Why did she leave without a word? Is she alright after such severe injuries...

“Is it already cleaned up?” Mizuiro Kojima glanced at a message on her phone and asked in passing.

Ichigo sighed, “It’s not that easy to fix...”

A shadow blocked Ichigo. He tilted his head 84 degrees to finally see the person’s face...

“Need some help?” Kagero Shido asked in a deep voice.

“Uh, no thanks...” If he was sent to help, it would probably mean demolition rather than tidying up...

...

“Hey, are you Kurosaki-kun?” A familiar and pleasant female voice sounded behind him. Ichigo turned around in confusion...

“Eh, second tone? Eh, fourth tone!!” Looking at the girl in front of him, dressed in a school uniform, her magnificent silver hair and exquisite face so beautiful it was unforgettable at first glance, Ichigo exclaimed in surprise.

As if ignoring his astonishment, Lolita continued, “I’m sitting in the seat next to you now. My name is Kuchiki!”

“Ah, you... you little...” Ichigo suddenly stood up, pointing at the Lolita who was shorter than him.

“W-what’s wrong, Ichigo?” Keigo Asano asked.

“Have you two met before?” Kagero Shido asked in his usual deep tone... Speaking of which, he always seemed to speak deeply...

“No! It’s our first time meeting! Right, Kurosaki-kun?” Lolita said seriously.

“She’s the transfer student, Kuchiki,” Mizuiro Kojima added.

“Right! Lolita-kun,” Keigo said.

“Please take care of me!” Lolita extended her hand, magic writing appearing on it: “Say one wrong word and I’ll kill you...”

PS: This week’s featured cover is out, everyone keep it up—I will write even better! Thank you all for your support!

PS2: Meow, I posted half of the next chapter in the review section! Feel free to check it out, meow.