Throwing it out today too!
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Yeriel, her head gripped tightly by the Hollowfied Engetsu, poured all her strength into the sword she held despite the searing pain, plunging it into her opponent's abdomen.
"Urgh!"
Splat.
Despite it being an attack that caught the monster off guard, only the very tip of the blade managed to sink in. The sword failed to fully pierce the Hollowfied Engetsu's skin, merely getting stuck slightly. However, thanks to that, Yeriel noticed the grip on her head loosen ever so slightly. Seizing the moment, she kicked off against the Hollowfied Engetsu to tear herself away from its grasp.
"Pant, pant, pant..."
Even though she had released her Bankai for this battle, it was Yeriel who was being pushed back. Furthermore, the Hollowfied Engetsu didn't seem to feel pain at all; despite the sword having pierced its stomach and blood leaking out, it didn't let out a single groan or show a flicker of agony on its face.
"Honestly, you're a monster."
While catching her breath, Yeriel began to organize the information she had gathered while fighting the Hollowfied Engetsu.
'Fire-based attacks don't work on the opponent. The proof is that it didn't have a single singe mark even after taking the second form of the Engetsu Kenmu and a zero-range Engetsu Ten’en. Also, that thing knows how to use the Engetsu Kenmu. I’ve only seen one form so far, but it can undoubtedly use others. From this last exchange, it appears it doesn't feel pain. However, I can't be sure if it truly doesn't feel it or if it’s just suppressing it. Most importantly, the opponent isn't tired. Even though it must be consuming a massive amount of Reiatsu, its breathing hasn't faltered once. It might even possess infinite Reiatsu. Ultimately, the gap between us is clear. I’m managing to keep up with its strength and speed using Bankai, but as time passes, that gap will only widen. I have to end this fight now while our power is still somewhat comparable. But wait, what’s this? Why isn't it moving?'
Yeriel quickly assessed the situation while analyzing the Hollowfied Engetsu. While she watched intently to react to any sudden move, she found it strange that the Hollowfied Engetsu, which had been moving so fluidly until a moment ago, had suddenly gone still.
'What is it? Did that attack actually work?'
Yeriel stared at the motionless Hollowfied Engetsu with tension-filled eyes. Like the eerie silence before a storm, the sight of the monster standing vacantly felt even more terrifying than when it was actively attacking. Carrying the dread that it might strike at any second, Yeriel kept her gaze locked on the Hollowfied Engetsu.
Vrrrrrrrm.
Feeling as though she would die if she relaxed for even a second, Yeriel couldn't take her eyes off the Hollowfied Engetsu. She began to inch forward, narrowing the distance between them.
Slide, slide, slide.
At first, she moved cautiously with quarter-steps, but when there was still no reaction, she began to close the gap more quickly. In that instant, the Hollowfied Engetsu suddenly erupted into a monstrous scream.
"Kuraaaaaaaaargh!"
"Wh-what?!"
Along with the roar, black flames suddenly surged from the Hollowfied Engetsu’s body. Startled by the sudden change, Yeriel immediately leaped back to reclaim her distance, bracing for the coming onslaught. However, for some reason, the attack didn't come; the black flames vanished as quickly as they had appeared, and the Hollowfied Engetsu’s head slumped forward.
"Ta... tsu.... ki..."
"Ms. Engetsu...?"
Yeriel asked back, surprised to hear her own name being called by Engetsu’s voice. When the Hollowfied Engetsu lifted its head, she saw that its eyes were no longer gold but had returned to their original red. Approaching cautiously in case it was a trick, Engetsu spoke to her.
"Right now... something strange has entered me... By using the opening created when Tatsuki stabbed me in the stomach... I fought that thing and managed to surface again... Tatsuki, there’s no time. You remember the final Esoteric Art of the Engetsu Kenmu, right?"
Thanks to Yeriel's previous strike to the abdomen, Engetsu's suppressed will had managed to push back the Hollowfication and resurface. That was why the Hollowfied Engetsu had stopped moving earlier, allowing her to painfully squeeze out these words.
"Yes."
"Listen carefully... there won't be a second chance. You have to finish it in one blow... Aim for the spot Tatsuki just stabbed... Stabbing there again will be faster than trying to pierce anywhere else. Then, use the Ultimate Esoteric Art to end it all at once. It's true this body has high resistance to fire... but that resistance isn't perfect on the inside. If you burn it completely from the internal core, you can definitely kill it... So, while I’m out like this, kill me quickly..."
"Th-then does that mean you'll die too, Ms. Engetsu?"
"Who knows? As long as my master, Tatsuki, is alive, I likely won't disappear. So don't hesitate, Tatsuki. Stab me with the same determination to kill that you've shown until now."
Saying that, she spread her arms wide. Seeing this, Yeriel raised her sword without a shred of hesitation. Knowing that the Zanpakuto spirit wouldn't truly vanish, Yeriel charged at full speed.
"Engetsu Kenmu! Ultimate Esoteric Art!"
As she invoked the final technique and the Ultimate Esoteric Art, Tenpa Jōsai, Yeriel’s blade began to glow with a brilliant crimson light, a radiance that soon spread across her entire body as if contagious. As a result, the charging Yeriel transformed into a single streak of crimson flash, plunging her blade into Engetsu’s stomach.
"Tenpa Jōsai!"
The crimson light condensed back into the sword. Tenpa Jōsai—meaning Sky-Shattering Earth-Crushing—erupts flames from the point of impact that instantaneously form a massive pillar of fire reaching the heavens. It was a terrifying technique that burned away even the soul of anything within that pillar. Since it consumed every ounce of spiritual power in the body, there was no 'next' after using it.
"Haaaaaaaah!"
Having pulled every remaining drop of Reiatsu from her body, Yeriel watched as the fire pillar finally began to subside. By the time the flames vanished completely, the figure of the Hollowfied Engetsu that had been impaled by the sword had disappeared without a trace.
"Is it... over?"
With those words from the victorious Yeriel, her world slowly began to fill with light.
However, Yeriel didn't know that because Engetsu and the Kodoku Hollow had become one, even Engetsu's soul could have been obliterated if things went wrong... Thus, she remained unaware of what the consequences of this outcome might be...
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Throw! Throw! Throw!
Bad boy Lucifer's project to turn Yeriel into a munchkin is in full swing!
The reason Yeriel was able to win was thanks to Engetsu, who seized a momentary timing to retake control of her body! However, since the souls of Engetsu and the Kodoku Hollow have merged, no one knows what will happen next except me, kehehehe. Also, Lucifer is currently fighting hard on the outside. He just hasn't appeared yet...
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