Chapter 347 B

Chapter 347

2-in-1 chapter:

---------------------------

*Rukongai, South District 1.*

On a peaceful street, a black rift had silently opened at some unknown time.

“Ugh… ohh…”

Strange sounds echoed from the darkness within.

The souls in the area turned their heads in confusion—only to see a massive white-masked head slowly emerge from the rift.

A large green hand extended alongside the head.

That hand gripped the edges of the rift with brutal force, making the very space groan from the strain.

For a moment, the souls were stunned, then screams erupted as they scattered in terror.

“A Hollow!!”

“It’s a Hollow!!”

“What?! How could a Hollow appear in District One?!”

Panic spread like wildfire.

Stalls overturned, shoes flew off, and everyone fled desperately, terrified of being devoured.

“Waaah!”

In the chaos, a child fell to the ground.

He tried to get up, but panicked people rushing past trampled him underfoot several times.

Though not fatally injured, he missed his chance to escape.

By the time the crowd cleared and he could barely push himself up, the Hollow—baring its white, fang-filled mouth—was already right behind him.

“Geh, fresh soul!”

The Hollow exclaimed gleefully, reaching for him.

Shing!

Just when the boy thought it was all over, a figure dropped from the sky.

The man wore a white haori marked with the number "5".

As the boy looked on in astonishment, the man spun his sword in a flourish and sheathed it.

The Hollow that had moments ago been roaring and menacing now collapsed to the ground, gushing blood, disintegrating into black ash.

The man turned toward the boy.

“Hmph. Kid, you alright?”

“...I... I’m okay. Thank you!”

The boy replied reflexively.

Hirako Shinji smirked, about to say something cool.

Then the boy added, “Thanks, bald Shinigami mister!”

“……”

Hirako fell completely silent.

His shiny scalp gleamed brightly in the sunlight.

Brilliantly.

Suddenly, Hirako turned to another direction.

He could feel more Hollow Reiatsu entering the area.

“Che. That’s fast.”

Grumbling, he prepared to move.

But just then, another Hollow pressure surged into the district.

Then a third. A fourth…

Multiple Hollow signatures were appearing throughout Rukongai!

“Damn it… Rukongai’s completely falling apart!”

Hirako’s face darkened.

Even though he’d mentally prepared for this, seeing the situation firsthand still shook him. No wonder Aizen had insisted he come to Rukongai. With this many Hollows running loose, without intervention, it would be catastrophic.

But if you're going to deploy forces, send more than just me!

What the hell is one sidelined captain supposed to do?!

Taking to the air, Hirako sped toward one of the sites.

He did a quick mental calculation. Even at full effort, he could only protect two, maybe three districts at once.

He could only hope Aizen had prepared a backup plan!

He spotted a Hollow chasing down civilians in the distance—eyes narrowing, he drew his Zanpakutō.

Kill!

……

*West District 1.*

Several massive Hollows, forty to fifty meters tall, rampaged through the streets.

Inside a modest home, a silver-haired boy stared at the destruction in disbelief.

“Oi oi, you’ve gotta be kidding me…”

The boy tried to remain calm, but his trembling hands betrayed his fear.

He rushed back inside.

An elderly woman sat kneeling inside, smiling gently at him.

“Tōshirō… you’re back.”

“Now’s not the time for that!”

Tōshirō interrupted anxiously.

“Come on, Granny—we have to go! Hollows are here! If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late!”

The old woman looked slightly startled.

Having lived her life in District 1, she had never seen a Hollow before.

After a brief moment, she smiled and shook her head gently.

“Tōshirō, you should go. Grandma can’t run. I wouldn’t make it far.”

“And besides, this house… I’ve lived in it since I was little. I’m used to it.”

“Even if it’s the end, I don’t want to leave.”

Tōshirō snapped, “Don’t say that! You’re coming with me!”

“If anything happens to you, Momo will be heartbroken when she comes back!”

Without waiting for another word, he hoisted her onto his back and bolted.

The old woman was frail and small, just barely light enough for a child to carry.

Tōshirō sprinted out of the house with her on his back.

But just then—a massive foot crashed down.

A cloud of dust and shattered stone followed, sending Tōshirō tumbling to the ground.

As he fell, he twisted his body, slamming his own face into the dirt to shield the elderly woman from harm.

A jolt of sharp pain erupted from his face, and blood gushed from his nose.

He might’ve broken a tooth too, but there was no time to check.

He pushed himself up using his feet.

As he rose, a huge white face was already looming before him.

“Ho ho… what a tasty soul!”

“This thick spiritual pressure… if I eat you, I might evolve on the spot!”

The Hollow was ecstatic. Afraid someone else might steal the prize, it lunged immediately.

The silver-haired boy stared wide-eyed at the incoming claws.

I’m going to die!

I’m going to die!

Thump thump!

With the beat of his heart, he felt something surge within him.

The air around him began to plummet in temperature.

The old woman on his back started to shiver.

Even the Hollow paused.

“Hm? What’s going on?”

It sensed something wrong in the air—an abnormal activation of ice-type Reishi.

Still—no matter what—eat the brat first!

It reached again.

But at that moment, a voice rang out:

“Entering Soul Society without Kaelith-sama’s permission—such a crime warrants death.”

“?!”

The Hollow’s head jerked up in shock.

Tōshirō also turned toward the voice.

There, at some unknown point, stood a brown-skinned woman with short golden hair.

Arms crossed, the collar of her white outfit covered the lower half of her face.

A short blade was strapped to her lower back, radiating dangerous intensity.

Seeing her, the Hollow recoiled several steps in fear.

“T-The Third General… Harribel!!”

“UWAAAH!!”

It turned and bolted, scrambling madly.

But before it had gone more than two steps, a torrent of gleaming water crashed down from behind.

The Hollow vanished—completely erased as if it never existed.

Harribel’s eyes, calm and cold, turned to the silver-haired boy.

“Hitsugaya Tōshirō?”

“Y-Yes.”

He nodded instinctively.

She glanced at the old woman on his back, then gave a barely perceptible nod.

“Not bad.”

Her words were short—it was unclear whether she praised the boy’s potential or his resolve to protect his family.

“You’re not bad. You’ve lived up to Kaelith-sama’s expectations.”

“In the future—remember to repay that debt.”

“For now… just stay there and watch.”

“I will restore order.”

With that, she vanished—reappearing high in the sky a moment later.

And then, before Tōshirō’s wide eyes, golden Reiatsu erupted from her body!

A crushing spiritual pressure bearing the weight of surrender spread across multiple districts in an instant.

“This territory belongs to Las Noches!”

“I, Tier Harribel, one of the Three Generals of Las Noches, declare—”

“All who trespass upon this sacred land shall be executed!!”

Across over a dozen regions, every Hollow present sensed the message.

Compared to Shinigami, Hollows were far more sensitive to spiritual pressure from their own kind.

And the moment they sensed Harribel’s Reiatsu, all of them—still hunting, devouring, destroying—froze.

They weren’t afraid of Shinigami. Even when outmatched, they would still fight.

But… Las Noches was different.

It was a primal fear etched into their souls.

The very symbol of Hollow supremacy—Kaelith Yurei’s will made manifest!

The moment they recognized her spiritual pressure, every Hollow turned and fled, ripping open Garganta and retreating in a frenzy.

The same scene played out across many districts.

Nelliel, Starrk, Grimmjow…

The top officers of Las Noches had descended upon Soul Society to quell the chaos.

In the World of the Living, it was Rudbornn leading the Purge Squad alongside Ulquiorra to suppress the invasion.

Standing on a ruined street, Hirako Shinji felt once again like he’d been punched by Komamura.

This was insane!

As someone who had once “toured” the grandeur of Hueco Mundo, these spiritual pressures were very familiar to him.

These were the elite Arrancar under Kaelith and Aizen.

Each of them possessed power on par with a captain.

Already, Divisions 2, 4, 6, 10, 11, and 12 were part of Kaelith’s faction.

Now with so many terrifying Hollows entering the scene…

Unless Yamamoto miraculously unleashed a godlike performance and suppressed all traitors single-handedly, Seireitei had no hope.

But to Shinji, the most outrageous part wasn’t the Hollow’s power.

It was their purpose in Soul Society.

A squad of Arrancar, powerful enough to obliterate half of Seireitei, had come to protect Rukongai instead.

Absolutely ridiculous. In all his years, he’d never heard anything so absurd.

While he was still stunned, an Arrancar landed beside him via Sonído.

The Arrancar eyed him cautiously.

Two seconds later, it relaxed.

“Oh, you’re one of Aizen-sama’s men… I thought a Shinigami had come to attack.”

It smiled, nodding at Shinji.

“This area’s yours then. Aizen-sama said to minimize civilian casualties—be careful when you fight!”

With that, the Arrancar vanished again with Sonído.

Shinji: “……”

An Arrancar—sent to protect Rukongai—had just reminded *him* not to cause unnecessary damage.

*What the hell kind of world was this?!*

……

*Elsewhere, Kaelith Yurei’s battle with Yamamoto had reached a fever pitch.*

Unlike their usual sparring, both were now fully committed. There were no teacher and student, no commander and subordinate—not even enemies or allies.

Only pure battle spirit, and the desire to crush the one before them.

Kaelith was already covered in several deep gashes. No blood flowed—the flesh had been instantly seared and carbonized. Any normal captain would’ve been incinerated a dozen times over already.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was covered in bluish-purple bruises. Each mark was the result of a devastating multi-force blow.

Any other captain would’ve been reduced to pulp.

They clashed violently, then recoiled from each other.

Yamamoto raised Ryūjin Jakka high overhead—flames roaring—then swung it down at Kaelith’s head.

Before the blade landed, Kaelith leapt upward and smashed his head into Yamamoto’s wrist, while whipping his leg at him like a flail.

Just from the sensation, Yamamoto knew that kick packed at least three layers of force.

Ordinary hand-to-hand strikes—transformed into devastating finishers by Kaelith’s mastery of stacked force techniques.

This crude, brutal style—Kaelith had truly made it his own.

Yamamoto’s eyes widened in fury. He released Ryūjin Jakka and flexed his arms—then threw both fists at Kaelith’s leg:

Double Bone!!

BOOM!!!

A massive explosion erupted again in the Dangai.

The sheer pressure could be felt across the entire Soul Society, despite the barriers of space.

In the human world, things were calmer thanks to Ukitake’s help holding the boundary.

Kyōraku raised an arm to shield his eyes.

As the light faded, he quickly looked again.

There, within the Dangai, Kaelith and Yamamoto had separated again.

Both were panting.

Yamamoto’s arms were trembling slightly.

Kaelith’s stance was a bit off-kilter—clearly, his leg had taken serious damage.

Kaelith grinned.

Crack!

A burst of explosive sound came from his leg.

Under Yamamoto’s disbelieving eyes, Kaelith’s leg seemed to return to perfect condition.

At least on the surface.

Yamamoto knew—the idiot had reinforced his fractured bone using shadow binding.

An act that could cause ordinary people to pass out from the pain, yet Kaelith’s face didn’t even flinch.

He still wore that excited grin, like he wanted to devour the world.

Yamamoto realized his own mouth was curved into a smile too.

Damn it. The idiot’s excitement was contagious!

Clicking his tongue, he prepared to launch the second round.

But then—he sensed something.

Kaelith’s Zanpakutō, stabbed into the ground nearby, was trembling.

On the other side, Kaelith also glanced sideways in confusion.

There, Ryūjin Jakka was vibrating where it stood, clearly trying to tell them something.