At first, Shimo hadn't paid it much attention.
It was only after Urahara pointed it out that Shimo realized something deeply abnormal—this deformed Hollow before them possessed two Hollow holes.
One was located just above the clavicle, near the center of the chest.
The other lay directly at the heart.
For Hollows, the Hollow hole itself is not especially important in a functional sense.
Its meaning is symbolic rather than practical.
When a soul leaves its body, a Chain of Fate links the soul to the corpse.
Once that chain breaks, Hollowfication begins.
Small mouths form along the chain, gnawing at it endlessly.
When the chain is completely devoured, the soul transforms into a Hollow—and the place where the chain once connected becomes the Hollow hole.
The appearance of a Hollow hole signifies that the soul has lost its heart.
However, under normal circumstances, a human can possess only one Chain of Fate.
The existence of two Hollow holes was, by definition, unnatural.
"Looks like I'll need to study this specimen more thoroughly,"
Urahara said, eyes gleaming with unrestrained curiosity.
As the founder of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, he had always been fascinated by the unknown.
That curiosity—paired with a brilliant mind—was precisely what had brought him this far.
The deformed Hollow itself was weak.
Under the gaze of multiple captain-class figures, it had long since gone limp, unable to stand.
Urahara placed a hand at the Hollow's neck.
His reiatsu manifested as a glowing collar, passing cleanly through the Hollow hole to restrain it.
Shimo glanced at him, then lost interest.
"Then I'll leave it to you," he said calmly.
"I still need to make a trip to Shiba City.
The Hollow disturbances in the World of the Living take priority for now."
Urahara waved his folding fan with a grin.
"Of course, of course. I'll be waiting for you in the underground lab."
Shimo nodded and turned to Nel.
"Let's go, Nel."
"Mm!"
Moments later, the two vanished from Urahara's Shop.
...
Urahara lowered his bucket hat, watching the direction they had left.
"Well then… peaceful days really are gone for good."
"Tessai, open the underground laboratory."
"Understood, Shopkeeper,"
Tessai Tsukabishi's voice replied from within the shop.
---
Human World — Shiba City
Several Thirteenth Division Shinigami were huddled together in a narrow alley, desperately suppressing their spiritual pressure.
Panic was etched across their faces.
Blood stained their bodies.
Their shihakushō were torn and tattered—clear signs that they were at their limit.
Huff… huff…
Ragged breathing echoed through the alley.
"H-How long have we been running?" one of them asked shakily.
"Why hasn't Seireitei's support arrived yet?"
Fear—and the desperate desire to live—flickered in his eyes.
"Takuto, calm yourself."
A steady voice cut through the panic.
"Only by staying calm can we hold out until reinforcements arrive."
Everyone turned toward the speaker.
His resolute face was smeared with blood—both enemy and his own.
His black shihakushō was soaked red, and his left arm had been bitten clean off at the forearm.
"Lord Kaien…" A brown-haired Shinigami asked weakly, "Do you really think we'll survive?"
The despair in his voice was unmistakable.
Shiba Kaien nodded firmly.
"We will. I promise."
Among them, Kaien still clung to hope.
Even though he was gravely injured—barely able to fight—having just awakened from unconsciousness, he once again took on the burden of leading his subordinates.
The Hollow outbreak in Shiba City had far exceeded their capacity.
Dozens—perhaps hundreds—of Hollows had appeared without warning.
Even though Kaien had arrived as fast as possible, he had only managed to save three Shinigami.
Under normal circumstances, each city in the Human World was assigned
three to five stationed Shinigami,
with reinforcements available from neighboring cities if needed.
Even so, Shiba City had suffered catastrophic losses.
Those who survived could only hide in alleys, suppressing their spiritual pressure.
To Hollows, Shinigami souls were the finest delicacy imaginable.
To stay alive, dignity had become irrelevant.
"Lord Kaien—"
One of the less-injured Shinigami struggled to his feet and moved toward him.
"We should withdraw—"
BOOM!
The surrounding walls collapsed without warning.
A massive arm burst through the rubble,
seizing the Shinigami in its grasp.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The Shinigami's face froze in absolute despair.
"HAHAHA—found our food!"
A laughter echoed through the alley.
A massive shadow blocked out the sunlight.
A gigantic head emerged between the buildings, a monstrous mask embedded in its face.
Its upper and lower jaws enclosing the skull itself.
Towering dozens of meters tall, it stood like a giant.
A Menos Grande… an Arrancar-class Hollow.
Its roar attracted other Hollows across Shiba City.
"Shinigami—food!"
"I saw them first!"
"Whoever gets there first eats—HAHAHA!"
Mad laughter and ravenous cries filled the area.
Within dozens of kilometers...
Ordinary souls had already been completely devoured.
These incomplete, deformed Hollows hungered for souls far more desperately than naturally formed ones.
Dozens of Hollows descended from the sky, shaking the ground as they landed.
Kaien's face finally showed despair.
"Maybe… this really is the end."
The giant Hollow—closest of all—having finished consuming its prey, reached toward Kaien once more.
"This one looks the tastiest!"
Its massive hand descended like a storm cloud.
Death loomed over them all.
Kaien looked up.
"…Is it snowing?"
Snowflakes drifted down, creating a surreal scene—snowfall in midsummer.
Suddenly, the giant Hollow's arm froze mid-air, unable to fall.
"Well now, Kaien," A familiar voice sounded from above, "isn't this a bit too early for you?"
Kaien stared upward in disbelief.
Two figures stood in the air.
One wore a white captain's haori, tall and composed, a faint smile on his lips.
"Sh-Shimo…-kun?"
His voice trembled with disbelief.
For a moment, Kaien wondered if a Hollow's illusion had taken hold.
"It's fine. I'm here," Shimo said gently.
"You're safe now."
Shimo stepped down from the air, completely ignoring the surrounding Hollows.
Nel followed closely behind him.
The moment Shimo touched the ground, the falling snow trembled.
The next instant—
A burst of pressure pressure erupted from every snowflake.
Limitless Sword: Wuji Hisetsu (Boundless Secret Snow).
HUM—!
The Hollows didn't even have time to scream.
In an instant, they were reduced to pure spirit particles, scattering into the air.
The drifting spirit particles gradually dispersed like dark clouds under sunlight.
Warm light returned.
Warming both their bodies and their battered hearts.
The surviving Shinigami stared in shock.
Mouths hung open.
No one could speak.
"Th-That's…"
"Captain Shimo is this strong?!"
"A Hollow we struggled for hours to kill—
he erased dozens in an instant?!"
"T-Thank you, Captain Shimo!"
Tears, sobs, disbelief—every emotion surfaced at once.
Kaien could hardly believe his own eyes.
He had heard Shimo had become the Third Division Captain, but had never truly understood his strength.
One strike—
And dozens of deformed Hollows, even Menos-class ones, erased from existence.
"…Your injuries are severe," Shimo said, frowning.
Kaien's left arm was nearly gone, as if chewed away.
His body bore puncture wounds, crush injuries, and deep lacerations.
That he was still standing at all was nothing short of a miracle.
"I'll stabilize you for now."
Green light spread from Shimo's hand, enveloping everyone.
As their spiritual pressure recovered, Kaien finally relaxed—and collapsed unconscious.
Other Shinigami quickly caught him.
Though Shimo's Kaido surpassed even the current Grand Kido Chief, he could not yet regenerate organs or limbs.
That would require medication.
"Alright. I'll take Kaien from here," Shimo said calmly.
"As for you—return to Soul Society."
"In your current condition, you can't keep fighting."
With that, he opened a Senkaimon.
Under grateful gazes, the surviving Shinigami departed.
Shimo lifted Kaien onto his shoulder.
"Let's go, Nel."
"Back to Urahara's shop."
"I need answers from Kaien."
Nel nodded without hesitation.
The two vanished.
---
Karakura Town — Urahara's Shop.
Underground Laboratory.
Urahara frowned as he examined the injured man.
"Low reiatsu… missing limbs."
"Looks like we'll need Reishi Restoration Serum."
The serum—developed by Mayuri Kurotsuchi—was a potent regenerative drug.
Urahara quickly went to work.
Less than ten minutes later—
A syringe filled with murky green liquid was ready.
Under Shimo's gaze, Urahara injected it directly into Kaien's arm.
ZZZ—
Flesh regenerated rapidly.
With Shimo's Kaido assisting, Kaien stabilized quickly.
"…Ugh!"
He awoke.
"Where am I?"
"Urahara shop," Urahara replied without looking back.
"Urahara Kisuke?!"
Kaien was stunned.
"Forget the details," Shimo snapped, snapping his fingers.
"Tell me everything about the Hollow outbreak."
Kaien inhaled deeply.
"Shimo-kun, this Hollow disturbance is completely abnormal.
"The stationed Shinigami in Karakura Town and Shiba City were wiped out immediately.
"I believe someone is orchestrating this from the shadows."
Shimo and Urahara exchanged looks.
Urahara's eyes gleamed beneath his hat.
"That confirms it," he said quietly.
"I found traces of Hōgyoku-based modification in those incomplete Hollows."
----------------------------///
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