Hollows are the most malicious creatures in the Three Realms, yet they are also the most ironic, for their origin is undeniably human.
However, when actually confronting a Hollow, the most important factor to consider is not their ironic birth, but the individual characteristics of each specimen.
While a Hollow's durability and regenerative abilities are the most prominent among all existing races, the reason they cause so many casualties is their special abilities.
Due to the influence of general Hollow classification (see Table 2.2), many have come to view ordinary Hollows or Huge Hollows as absolute lower-tier entities compared to the Menos Grande.
But as I have emphasized repeatedly, the most important things in combat are strategy, variables, and compatibility.
A Hollow's abilities possess almost absolute influence, particularly in the realm of variables.
This includes not only physical attributes like tentacles or claws, but also paralysis, hallucinations, clones, mimicry, or Reishi techniques based on unique principles—even methods that restrict an opponent's abilities.
Therefore, readers of this book must observe a Hollow's intelligence and abilities more closely than its size or momentum during combat.
—Excerpt from <Basic Manual of Anti-Hollow Extermination Tactics, 6th Edition> by Zeidritz de Castolania.
*****
The other recruits retreated in haste.
They wanted nothing more than to open a Garganta and request reinforcements from the Wandenreich immediately, but the return coordinates were held by the officers.
And those officers were likely being digested inside the Hollow's stomach right now.
The two remained in a quiet standoff until only Nachahmer and the Hollow were left in the area.
"Well now, haven't I waited long enough?"
The Hollow tilted its head and let out a sneer.
It acted as if the fact that he was still alive was purely due to its mercy.
"You seem to have the richest spiritual pressure among them, so I made a special exception and waited. I'll eat you as the main course, and then I'll enjoy those runts as dessert with everyone else."
It mocked him, using perfect grammar as if its previous savage and simple-minded behavior had all been a lie.
"Those people."
"Hmm?"
"Do you know the two people you killed?"
"Ah."
It was what it had just been chewing on.
"If you're talking about the 'appetizers'..."
"Appetizers..."
"Yes. Don't you know what an appetizer is? It's a sort of pre-meal snack eaten to whet the appetite."
The blood had not yet dried on the corpses, which still retained a faint flush of life.
Their expressions were hollow, their eyes failing to even close in death.
"They were the first Quincies I've ever eaten, and they weren't half bad. You'll be even better."
The Hollow's voice soon turned into a mutter that melted away in his ears.
Nachahmer's gaze, nerves, and will were already elsewhere.
He focused on the traces of those who had fallen to the earth.
He didn't know them well.
The officers had inwardly been proud of the recruits.
Even if he hadn't known their names, they were people he might never have known even if they had parted ways and lived out their lives.
They died trying to protect their juniors.
But who could say how valuable their lives were?
Now, they were growing cold on that ground.
Who could mourn the way life vanished so helplessly?
The body is a trace of the accumulated soul, and the soul is a trace of accumulated time.
His own time had been incredibly dry.
In forests, in laboratories, in barracks, in deserts.
But could he be certain that the time he spent was more valuable than theirs?
Unless two people spend the exact same time together, it is impossible for them to truly understand one another.
And now, no one would be able to remember the time those two had spent.
"...Have you lost your mind? Hmph. It's more fun to hunt when they die fighting gallantly."
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