Chapter 70: Chapter 70: The Tsunayashiro Clan’s Unlucky Day
Chapter 70: The Tsunayashiro Clan’s Unlucky Day
"Shohei, how does it feel?"
Shingo Tsunayashiro sat on the sandy slope and patted his nephew’s shoulder. "Hueco Mundo is different from what you imagined, isn’t it?"
Shohei Tsunayashiro recalled everything that had happened over the past month and sighed hesitantly. "Yeah..."
"If you have something to say, just say it, Shohei. It’s just the two of us here."
"Yes, Uncle." The young noble steadied his nerves. "We’ve been in Hueco Mundo for a month now. Upholding our ancestor’s dying command—’the Tsunayashiro Clan must record the history that occurs in all worlds’—we have witnessed many things."
"The vast majority of Hollows here are mindless, following only their instinct to devour and evolve. They seem like beasts, fundamentally different from Soul Reapers and Humans."
"But there are also some high-level Menos Grande who form small groups to live together. They share their food with their companions, shield their friends from vicious enemies, and even sacrifice their lives without hesitation!"
"A very small number of Menos Grande live ascetic lives. They neither devour their own kind nor give in to their killing instincts. They wander Hueco Mundo, spreading their ideals."
"That pair of Adjuchas we encountered yesterday... it seemed like they had fallen in love with each other."
"This Hueco Mundo is truly completely different from what I imagined, Uncle." Shohei Tsunayashiro gripped his clothes tightly, his knuckles turning white. "I’m thinking... maybe what Shiba said was true. Do Hollows really have hearts? Perhaps imprisoning them in Hueco Mundo really was a mistake..."
"Shohei, say no more!"
"Uncle." Shohei snapped back to reality, breaking out in a cold sweat. "I am truly sorry, I don’t know why I..."
"It’s alright." Shingo Tsunayashiro shook his head, his tone not overly stern. "Keep those thoughts buried in your heart. As a member of the Five Great Noble Families, we cannot break the rules of this world. A stable system is above all else... Hmph, to think that I would actually parrot the words Kuchiki is always spouting."
"I understand, Uncle Shingo."
The middle-aged Gatekeeper smiled and patted his nephew’s shoulder. "When I first came to Hueco Mundo to record, I also harbored the same doubts as you. Bury them in your heart. Remember, our Tsunayashiro Clan has governed the Great Spirit Book Gallery for generations. Our duty is to record all the secrets and history of the Soul Society... Hmm?"
Halfway through his sentence, he sensed something was wrong. He stood up, shielding his nephew behind him.
Shohei Tsunayashiro wasn’t particularly nervous. After all, he was born into a Great Noble Family and was at Class 6 Rei-i. Translated to the Gotei 13, he had the strength of at least a 5th Seat. Coupled with his powerful Gatekeeper elder, it was highly unlikely for an accident to occur in Hueco Mundo.
However, when he clearly saw the situation in the distance, the hand gripping his Zanpakuto couldn’t help but tremble.
Deep within the white desert, a massive storm was swirling.
No, it wasn’t a storm. It was a hurricane of Spiritual Pressure, formed by the cumulative energy of countless Hollows gathered together!
Grotesque, ordinary Hollows; immensely powerful but slow-moving Gillians; Adjuchas who had developed intelligence and were obsessed with devouring...
All kinds of Hollows had converged. Their Spiritual Pressure tore through the air, forming a hurricane that was currently charging straight toward them.
"A Hollow tide?" Shingo Tsunayashiro grunted without looking back. "You should have learned about this phenomenon, Shohei."
"I know. This is a tide of fugitives caused by a top-tier Menos Grande hunting. So, Uncle... is it a Vasto Lorde?"
"Exactly."
The Gatekeeper drew his Zanpakuto and chanted its release command in a deep voice.
"Defend, Nigoritetsu!"
The blade thickened until it transformed into an octagonal metal solid, firmly protecting the two of them inside. Finally, it burrowed deep underground.
Shohei Tsunayashiro’s eyes lit up, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
His uncle’s Nigoritetsu was a defense-oriented Zanpakuto that also had the effect of suppressing Spiritual Pressure. Even with a Vasto Lorde’s sensory capabilities, they absolutely wouldn’t be able to detect them!
The two Tsunayashiros hid underground. Not long after, a thunderous, continuous booming echoed from above. The sound was incredibly dense and seemingly endless.
They knew this was the sound of countless Hollows trampling the ground as they passed over. They just needed to endure it. Once the Hollow tide had passed and the unknown Vasto Lorde had left, they could drill back to the surface.
However, right at that moment, an unexpected accident occurred.
The two Tsunayashiros suddenly felt the metal octahedron shake, as if it had been entangled by some sort of creature. This was immediately followed by a violent sensation of being lifted. Along with the released Zanpakuto, they were hoisted upwards.
"Not good!"
Shingo Tsunayashiro’s expression drastically darkened. Although he didn’t know why a Hollow was able to detect them, he still reacted correctly.
He chanted rapidly and slammed his hands on the ground.
"Bakudo #73: Tozansho!"
An inverted triangular pyramid defensive array appeared, enveloping the released Nigoritetsu. Acting as a cushion, it met the impact of the Hollow tide head-on.
Bang!
In the intensely violent collision, the Tozansho melted away like snow, and the metal octahedron instantly disintegrated, reverting back to its Zanpakuto form.
This wasn’t because Shingo Tsunayashiro’s defensive Zanpakuto, Nigoritetsu, was too weak. It was because the accumulated Spiritual Pressure of the Hollow tide was too strong, and the bodies of the Menos Grande were too hard!
Managing to protect the two people hiding inside at the cost of its own disintegration was already an impressive feat.
Struck by the immense force, the Tsunayashiros were sent flying far away.
However, before absorbing the impact, Shingo had deliberately calculated the angle, ensuring that he and his nephew landed in the empty area trailing behind the Hollow tide.
Rumble...
The two crashed, plowing deep trenches into the sand.
Shingo Tsunayashiro was, after all, battle-tested. He only shook his head to clear it, immediately controlled his body, and sprinted toward where his nephew had landed.
Shohei didn’t have his uncle’s resilience and had been knocked unconscious on the spot. Fortunately, aside from multiple bone fractures, he had no fatal injuries.
"Phew... Talk about bad luck." Shingo Tsunayashiro smiled wryly.
When encountering a large-scale Hollow tide, running away recklessly could easily lead to even more disastrous consequences. It was like being chased by hornets. Gathering Reishi to hide high in the sky was even more suicidal, considering many Hollows could fly!
Ending up like this, with just a few broken bones, was undoubtedly a very lucky outcome.
Shingo shoved a few pills into his nephew’s mouth, hoisted him onto his back, and used his Zanpakuto as a crutch. He intended to get as far away from this place as possible to avoid encountering the unknown Vasto Lorde.
As the Gatekeeper of the Tsunayashiro Clan’s Great Spirit Book Gallery, Shingo possessed incredibly profound knowledge. Even at this critical juncture, information he had read in the archives flashed through his mind:
’According to previous encounter records, Vasto Lordes generally survey their hunt from high in the sky. They do not appear at the rear of a Hollow tide. The last time an anomaly like this occurred was seven hundred and sixty years ago...’
The middle-aged Tsunayashiro slowly came to a halt.
"It seems that record needs a slight update, hah..."
He licked his cracked lips, set his nephew down, and drew his Zanpakuto once more.
Right in front of Shingo Tsunayashiro, a true Vasto Lorde was approaching.
She had blonde hair and a form that closely resembled a human female. White bone armor covered her entire body, leaving only the upper half of her face exposed. Even though they were in the desert of Hueco Mundo, her sheer presence caused a light, pattering rain to fall around her.
Her Spiritual Pressure was as vast as an ocean; her terrifying presence was like hell itself.
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