"Damn human woman."
"How dare you interfere in my business? I'll slaughter you!"
BOOM!
From the flames of the explosion, a massive Menos, standing about five or six meters tall with boar-like tusks, charged out.
He swiped at the girl in front of him, but his claws raked through empty air.
Moving almost like an afterimage.
The girl appeared behind him, her arms spread in an archery stance. A bow made of Reishi formed rapidly, and an arrow struck the Menos squarely in the back.
Under the immense impact, the Menos was sent tumbling dozens of meters across the ground. He scrambled to his feet, his eyes narrowing into beast-like vertical slits glowing with scarlet light.
"You've thoroughly pissed me off, woman."
The Menos's voice was ice-cold, his raging killing intent and spiritual pressure piercing like frozen needles.
On his back, the blasted flesh wriggled sickeningly, muscle fibers weaving together before scabbing over and peeling off.
In just a few seconds, he had completely healed.
"High-Speed Regeneration and Hierro? Looks like you kept both abilities during your evolution."
The girl frowned, drawing another Reishi arrow.
But in her vision, the Menos suddenly vanished.
"Sonído?"
Her expression shifted. She vanished from mid-air, reappearing over ten meters away.
Below her, a loud explosion erupted.
The Menos's claws had pierced deep into the concrete floor, sinking into the level below.
"Tch. The Quincy Hirenkyaku. What a disgusting ability."
The Menos licked his lips and grinned. "Women like you taste the best. Your soul looks absolutely delicious. After all, a Quincy's soul can't be compared to a human's... that flavor... endless aftertaste..."
"You've eaten Quincy souls before? Damn you!"
A flash of anger passed through the girl's eyes. With a sharp cry, she stomped on the air, stabilizing herself in the sky.
Massive azure spiritual pressure condensed wildly, finally forming a blinding blue bolt of lightning that struck the Menos's body.
"Heilig Pfeil!" (Sacred Destruction Arrow)
Only after the explosion sounded did the girl's voice slowly drift down.
Her eyes were fixed firmly ahead. She actually chased after him from the hundred-meter-high building, firing Heilig Pfeil continuously at the falling figure as she plummeted.
"That woman is..."
In a distant street, Kai frowned as he watched the scene.
Behind him, Yanagawa Saitō was huffing and puffing.
"Lord Kai... what... what should we do next?"
"Shouldn't we wait for Soul Society's backup?"
Gasping for breath, Yanagawa asked tentatively.
"No need. It's already over."
Kai shook his head. In his perception, the girl's spiritual pressure was clearly stronger than the Menos.
Although it was just a brief burst, Kai still caught the fluctuation.
This girl... was strong.
"Nani?"
Yanagawa was confused but followed Kai as he turned to leave.
Not having to fight personally was obviously the best outcome.
If Kai got hurt, he—a guy who had been slacking off in Karakura Town for over a decade—probably wouldn't have any good days left.
But just then, a strange noise came from behind.
Kai and Yanagawa turned around simultaneously, their expressions becoming incredibly colorful.
From the sky, a mass of building debris was falling.
Straight towards Kai.
"Cr... Crap!"
Yanagawa screamed in horror, cold sweat covering his forehead as he stared at the small mountain of rubble piling up before him.
Did Kai... just get crushed to death?
Just as he was debating whether to run away or how to explain—no, sophistically argue—this to the Kuchiki family, a hand suddenly burst out of the ruins.
Then, a lightning-wreathed slash spanning dozens of meters swept through everything.
"Motherf*cker!"
"Why?! I was just here watching the show! Did I get in your way?!"
Kai cursed loudly, his eyelid twitching violently. He stared expressionlessly at the sky, then shot straight up.
...
"It's over."
Another Heilig Pfeil aimed straight for the Menos's heart.
But when the girl noticed the cunning gleam in the Menos's eyes, a bad premonition flashed through her mind.
But it was too late.
Behind her, crimson claws slashed past her body.
"Got you, woman."
The Menos smiled cruelly. He raised his claws, staring at the blood on them with a savage grin. "My claws secrete a neurotoxin. I used this toxin to kill my way up from a lowly Hollow to an Adjuchas."
"Do you feel your body becoming stiff? Unable to control your movements?"
"Savor this feeling. Because it will be your last memory."
The Menos stopped his fall.
The girl, on the other hand, couldn't stabilize her body and was about to plummet from the sky.
"Ho... How is this possible... That body was solid too... why..."
The girl clutched her arm weakly, confused.
"Because that's my ability," the Menos laughed cruelly, staring greedily at her. "I split half my power to create that body. If I eat you, I'll definitely achieve even greater growth, right?"
He could no longer suppress his greed. The Menos grinned and reached out his claws toward the falling girl.
Just eat her. I'm one step closer to becoming a Vasto Lorde.
Eat her! Eat her now!
The voice echoed endlessly in his head.
Saliva dripped from the Menos's mouth.
Then, a sharp pain exploded in his arm. His pupils dilated as he watched his severed arm fly through the air.
And then... a magnifying thunderous sword pressure.
BOOM!
The sword pressure created a massive shockwave. Accompanied by a deafening roar, the ground cracked open rapidly, and the Menos was smashed straight out of the sky.
The ground at the impact center shattered, shaking like an earthquake.
Yanagawa Saitō stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Ill... Illusion?
Did that "slacker" young master just cut an Adjuchas out of the sky with one hit?
Illusion. Definitely an illusion.
Yanagawa shook his head, throwing the absurd thought away.
Then, he saw Kai land on the ground, holding a woman in one hand.
"Am... Am I saved?"
The girl's face was pale, and she could barely speak.
She tried to move her body, but she could only dangle shamefully in the air, unable to stand.
The neurotoxin had already spread; she had lost control of her body.
"Are you... a Soul Reaper?"
Turning her head, the girl's pupils shrank in shock as she saw Kai's face clearly. She blurted it out.
But the young Soul Reaper ignored her completely.
His eyes held a trace of anger as his fingers settled on the hilt of his Zanpakutō.
"Ittoryu: Raizō!" (One-Sword Style: Thunder Burial)