Daily release!
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“Hey, wake up.”
Poke, poke.
“Mmm? Who is it...?”
I had fallen into a deep slumber for the first time in a while when someone began poking me. Eventually, I was forced to chase away my sleepiness and rub my eyes. When I looked up at the person who had woken me, I was instantly and completely wide awake.
“Just get up already. It’s time to start the experiment.”
“You! You! You!”
The person who woke me was none other than Lucifer La El. Surprisingly, this was the first time I had seen him up close since our initial encounter when I first arrived here. He turned away, flipping through some papers held in his hand with an expression of sheer boredom.
“How long do you plan on sleeping? You’ve already wasted enough time for today’s experiment. Just follow me.”
“You pervert! I’ve got you now!”
I didn't miss this golden opportunity. I threw a punch toward that pervert's face. However, without even looking back at me, he began to effortlessly evade my strikes while keeping his back turned.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
“That’s it. Just keep following me like that.”
How was he doing it? Even with his back turned, that pervert didn't take a single hit. To make matters worse, his walking pace was so fast that I began to struggle just to keep up, let alone launch an attack. The pervert in front of me eventually muttered something under his breath.
“Hmm, as I thought, it’s slow since you haven’t mastered Shunpo.”
“Haa... haa... what did you say?”
“Nothing. Anyway, that thing over there is your experiment subject for today.”
I asked him to repeat himself since I hadn't heard clearly, but he completely ignored me and pointed at my ‘experiment subject.’ Looking around, I realized this was the first time I’d been brought outside. This place was an endless desert of white sand; the only structure was the massive white palace behind us, leaving nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. Strangely, there was even a sun hanging in the sky.
“Hey, focus on your opponent. You’re going to die if you don’t pay attention.”
“Hmph, a trash Hollow like that is no match for—what is THAT!”
I spoke with confidence as I drew my sword, but I couldn't help but be shocked by the thing before my eyes. It was a monster unlike anything I had seen before, nearly the size of a house. Only the hole in its chest and the white mask on its face confirmed that it was, indeed, a Hollow.
“It’s a creature known as a Huge Hollow. As you can see, it has a massive frame. Well then, do your best to fight.”
“Wait, where are you—?”
The moment he finished speaking, the pervert vanished into thin air. With his disappearance, the monster known as the Huge Hollow began to charge directly at me.
“Aaaaargh! Die, Soul Reaper!”
Whoosh!
I dodged the Huge Hollow’s reckless frontal charge. I’d felt this for a while now, but these things called Hollows truly hate Soul Reapers. I didn't know the reason why, but most Hollows I encountered attacked with a visceral amount of hatred and hostility.
Clang!
I dodged the first attack and tried to slash at the Huge Hollow’s back, but my blade failed to bite. For some reason, unlike the common Hollows I’d faced, my sword couldn't penetrate its hide. Stunned by something that had never happened before, I tensed up and leaped back to gain distance.
“Hmm, it looks like my stupid test subject has grown cowardly.”
Arisawa Tatsuki’s movements were different from her usual self. Even though the Huge Hollow was only performing simple, linear strikes that she could still dodge for now, there was no telling how long that would last. She was clearly intimidated by the Huge Hollow’s massive size and had become paralyzed with fear the moment her first backstab attempt was repelled.
“The Hollows she fought before had lower Reiatsu than her, but this Huge Hollow’s Spiritual Pressure is equal to or slightly higher than hers. That’s why her nerves caused her strike to falter against its skin.”
Hmm, if she stays in that state, continuing the experiment is pointless. You can't win a fight—even one where you have to give your all—if you’re that scared. It wouldn't do to have her ruin the fun of my experiment like this.
“Hey, Soul Reaper, what are you so afraid of? It’s just big. Stop being a coward and attack it with the same energy you used when you were trying to hit me!”
“Shut up! You pervert! Who are you calling a coward!?”
“Right. Then prove it and win.”
“Hmph! I’ll clean this thing up and then you’re next!”
Tatsuki’s stance became much more stable as she gripped her Zanpakuto with renewed confidence. However, just because her posture was stable didn't mean she could necessarily cut through the Huge Hollow’s Reiatsu.
“Phew... phew... who said I was scared? I’ll take this thing down in no time.”
To be honest, I was completely overwhelmed by the Huge Hollow just a moment ago. I’d fought large Hollows before, but this was my first time facing an enemy as large as a house, and it was true that I’d frozen up. When my attack failed, I might have actually been ‘cowardly,’ just as that pervert said. But with those few words he shouted, my tension and fear vanished.
‘Hey, Soul Reaper, what are you so afraid of? It’s just big. Stop being a coward and attack it with the same energy you used when you were trying to hit me!’
Hearing that pervert’s voice didn't just ease my tension; it made my heart feel much lighter. It was strange. He was the one who kidnapped me and forced these bizarre experiments on me, yet I wasn't actually afraid of him. Realizing he had only said those things because he noticed I was terrified... for some reason, it made me feel a little bit better.
“Alright! Bring it on!”
“Soul Reaper! Soul Reaper! Soul Reaper!”
The attacks from a creature the size of a house were definitely terrifying. If a single strike landed cleanly, my body would likely turn to dust. But instead of harboring that fear, I had to look at its size as its weakness.
‘It’s huge, and its movements are fast. However, I can move faster. And it has plenty of surface area to cut.’
With a target that big, any strike I made would land. Even if I couldn't cut certain spots like before, there was bound to be a weak point somewhere. Thinking this, I tightened my grip on my sword.
Whoosh!
‘I’ll cut it this time!’
Slash!
“Gyaaaaaaa!”
I lightly sidestepped the Huge Hollow’s reckless charge just as I had the first time, but this time, I slashed its back with everything I had. My sword didn't bounce off; it sank deep into the Huge Hollow’s flesh before slicing through.
“Come at me!”
Watching the blood spray from the wound I inflicted, I regained my confidence. As long as I kept dodging and attacking like this, victory was guaranteed.
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Release! Release! Release!
Mmm, I need to get her to perform Shikai quickly. I think I’ll have to teach her the method for Shikai in the next chapter.
In this chapter, I tried to portray Tatsuki feeling strangely drawn to the protagonist. How was it?
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