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Chapter 298 B
🕑 Added 2025-03-25 16:03:00 +0000 UTCChapter 298
2-in-1 chapter:
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Boom!!!
Amid the deafening explosion, three figures were sent flying. Starrk and Isshin Shiba barely managed to regain their balance in midair, trails of dense reishi smoke swirling beneath their feet. Ulquiorra opened his black demonic wings after releasing Resurrección, stabilizing himself as well.
Down below, where the three of them had just stood, Kaelith threw his head back and roared at the sky.
“Roooaaarrr—!!”
Seeing Kaelith rampaging, completely devoid of reason, Kisuke Urahara felt an odd urge to poke fun. After all, when someone undergoes Hollowfication, they’re supposed to lose control, right? Yet for Kaelith, he didn’t seem so different from how he acted when goofing off under normal circumstances.
Of course, that was a joke Urahara would take to his grave—best not to voice it if he valued his life.
With Kaelith suppressing four powerful fighters in under ten seconds, the other Arrancars chose to unleash Resurrección at once.
“Chant, Los Lobos!”
"Hunt, Tiburón!
"Kishire, Pantera!”
Watching the various flashes of light from their transformations, the Shinigami present had complicated feelings. Back in their academy days, they’d been taught to fight Hollows to the death. Yet here they were, working side by side with Hollows against a common foe. The irony wasn’t lost on them.
Amid the crowd, Aizen drew his Zanpakutō and walked forward. “Everyone, follow my lead,” he said. Among all those present, his power was undoubtedly the greatest. If they wanted to subdue Kaelith with minimal harm, it would hinge on Aizen’s performance.
He glanced at the frenzied Kaelith, who was still howling mindlessly, and a faint smile flickered across his face. They’d sparred plenty, but never like this—never a full-on life-or-death struggle. It was almost…an intriguing experience. He could finally cross off some of the grudges he had in his mental notebook.
Bring it on, Kaelith!
…...........
..
.
Kaelith slowly opened his eyes. He found himself standing on the deck of a massive ship. The sky overhead churned with black clouds, flickering with lightning. Around him, the sea roiled, dark waves slamming against the hull. The tall masts creaked under the assault of wind and rain, and most people wouldn’t be able to stay upright on such a deck.
Yet Kaelith barely moved an inch, untroubled by the chaos. Lifting his gaze, he looked up at the highest yard, where a lone figure stood above him, staring down. Clad in a hooded cloak, its face was hidden.
Kaelith snorted. “Trying to be mysterious, huh? I’ve seen this one before—a pure-white figure that looks exactly like me, right? So come on, drop the cloak.”
As he spoke, he drew his Zanpakutō and pointed it upward. At his challenge, the figure slowly raised a hand to the hood, pulling it back.
Long red hair streamed wildly in the gale, blooming like a blood-red spider lily in the raging storm. Savage golden eyes fixed on Kaelith’s face.
Recognizing the person, Kaelith showed a flicker of surprise. “Rixiang Jimie? Why’re you here? Shouldn’t it be a Hollow taking form?”
Rixiang Jimie’s lips curved. “Indeed,” she said. “What’s here in this realm is a Hollow.”
Kaelith frowned. He realized her voice wasn’t the clear, light tone she had carried before. Rather, it was layered, metallic, a buzzing resonance—similar to how Ichigo Kurosaki’s Inner Hollow had sounded in the stories he knew, except now with a woman’s voice.
He tilted his head. Why is it Ichigo who fights the Hollow version of himself, while I’m fighting the Hollow version of my Zanpakutō?
As he pondered, Rixiang Jimie drew the blade at her waist. “Kaelith, last time we met, I certainly owed you quite a bit.”
“You mean when I beat you up before?”
“…”
She fell silent for a moment, inhaling slowly as if to restrain herself. Then she spoke, ignoring his taunt, “This time, I’ll make you taste defeat.”
Blue flames burst around her as her long sword split into two blades in her hands. Kaelith narrowed his eyes. “Fighting you is fine, but I came here to learn Hollowfication. My body’s presumably raging outside, and Aizen and the others must be struggling to contain me. I’d rather hurry and finish off this inner Hollow so my mind can return.”
Rixiang Jimie flashed a toothy smile. “All the better, then.” Lifting one blade to point it at him, she said, “I told you: the Hollow here is me. Overcome me and you’ll master Hollowfication!”
“Ah…” Kaelith looked as though he finally understood. But the next instant, before Rixiang Jimie could react, he vanished and reappeared right in front of her, his Zanpakutō swinging in a silver arc toward her throat.
Clang!!!
At the last second, she raised both blades to block his strike. Kaelith grinned fiercely, face inches from hers. “I wasn’t sure why my Zanpakutō took Hollow form, but hearing you say that is enough. I worried I’d need some sort of enlightenment or epiphany. If all it takes is beating you, that’s easy.”
“You speak too soon!” Rixiang Jimie snorted, shoving him back, then slashing at him.
“Pointless!” Kaelith’s laugh echoed across the deck. With two casual strokes, he parried her dual blades. “I remember your fighting style, your habits, your favorite techniques—every last one. Once I know a name, its power doesn’t work on me!”
“…”
She bristled, an angry vein nearly pulsing on her forehead. Who does he think he is—a Zero Division monk?
High winds and towering waves raged around them as they fought across the mast, sparks dancing with each clash. Blue fire trailed behind Rixiang Jimie’s whirling twin swords. Kaelith nodded in faint approval. “You’re stronger than last time—better speed and power. But you still think too much.
Combat doesn’t need all that extra thought!”
He abruptly kicked her wrist, then sliced her left arm with a flick of his blade. “See? You overthink your attacks and can’t keep pace with me. That won’t get you anywhere!”
Rixiang Jimie silently acknowledged his words with a nod. “You’re correct. In the real world, I’d stand no chance of victory. However, this is the inner realm.”
She pressed both blades together, leaping to the top of the mast. “This domain is mine! I told you, Kaelith, I’ll make you experience defeat—right here, right now!”
At that declaration, she lifted one blade overhead as though beginning a ritual. The storm clouds churned even more violently.
Drip… A raindrop splashed against Kaelith’s cheek. He raised a hand, noticing fine droplets now falling around him.
“What’s this technique—rain summoning?” he muttered, wiping his face. Did Rixiang Jimie suddenly become a water-type Zanpakutō? Doubling her attack in rainy weather? Should he invent some skill for fighting in the rain?
But his musings were cut short as he spotted a looming figure amid the drizzle: Genryūsai Yamamoto, standing quietly, Ryūjin Jakka in hand. Opposite him stood a tall man in a cloak with a glowing blue bow—a Quincy. Though his face was hidden, that signature weapon was unmistakable.
“Wait—” Kaelith’s heart lurched. Rationally, he knew it had to be an illusion. Even so, he instinctively reached out to stop what was happening.
Zoom—the arrow shot forth in a streak of azure, ripping past the curtain of rain to pierce Yamamoto through the chest. The old man staggered back several steps before crashing to the ground.
As Yamamoto fell, that cloaked Quincy lifted his bow again.
Crack!
Thunder tore open the sky as Kaelith suddenly appeared like a furious specter, both blades wreathed in brilliant blue flames, slashing viciously downward—
…
The dome above Las Noches had become a wreck. Aizen, blade in hand, confronted Kaelith in his half-Hollow state. His spiritual pressure radiated brilliantly—overwhelming and unrestrained. Even Isshin Shiba, who’d known Aizen for years, had never seen him unleash such a level of power.
“To the left!” Aizen shouted, swinging his Zanpakutō in a massive strike that extended hundreds of meters. Kaelith blurred aside, easily dodging.
Starrk, Harribel, and the others, already in position, fired Cero the moment he reappeared. Beams of destructive energy lanced forward, swallowing Kaelith entirely.
Off to one side, Kisuke Urahara exhaled, feeling a flicker of hope. This might work. As long as they held Kaelith back until he overcame the Hollow inside, he could—
Wait.
Urahara’s gut twisted with sudden foreboding. On the battlefield, Aizen, about to strike again, abruptly stopped. The Cero beams faded, revealing Kaelith standing motionless in midair, no longer charging around like a mad beast.
“Retreat!” Aizen yelled. “Everyone, back off!!”
But it was too late.
Kaelith raised his head and let out a jarring screech.
“Rooooaaaaar!!!” A metallic, thunderous roar—far more violent and heavy than before—burst across the battlefield. Isshin’s vision nearly went dark from the shockwave, and weaker fighters coughed blood from ruptured organs. Half of Las Noches collapsed under the impact.
Urahara leapt back, heart pounding. What in the world did Kaelith see in his inner realm? His inner Hollow was clearly ramping up to a disastrous level. They couldn’t keep letting him run wild or he might be lost forever.
Resolve hardened in Urahara’s eyes as he lifted his Zanpakutō. “Ban—”
He didn’t finish. Kaelith locked onto him, and a bone-chilling alarm rang in Urahara’s mind. Before he could call out for Aizen, his vision was filled by Kaelith’s skeletal mask.
“!!!”
In a flash, Kaelith tore through the thousand-meter gap, ramming his white claws into Urahara’s chest. Blood spurted from Urahara’s mouth as agony threatened to rob him of consciousness. Still, summoning immense willpower, he gripped Kaelith’s forearm impaling him.
“Aizen…!” he gasped. Aizen had already rushed in, slicing down at Kaelith’s arm. The slash severed it cleanly—but before the limb could fully separate, a new one sprouted instantly from the stump. Aizen’s eyes widened at the phenomenon.
Two fists hammered forward at an impossible speed—
Boom!!!
A doubled-up punch collided with the blade Aizen raised in defense. He felt as though an entire mountain had slammed into him, hurling him back uncontrollably. Even the tearing wind pressure felt like it might rip his limbs apart. Ulquiorra and Starrk attacked from both flanks; Gin unleashed Kamishini no Yari; Tōsen sent a volley of red flying insects; Komamura, who had managed to rejoin the fight, unleashed his black-armored Kokujō Tengen Myō’ō.
Everyone flung their might at Kaelith simultaneously.
Yet none of them saw what happened next. They only felt a scorching pain as each one was knocked aside, spraying blood. In the center of the battlefield, Kaelith howled at the sky, his spiraling reiatsu crashing down in sheets like torrential rain.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi bit his lip, face twisted in disbelief. They had so many formidable fighters—even in quantity and quality, it was an unmatched lineup—yet under Kaelith’s onslaught, they’d nearly been wiped out in such a short time?
Just how much power lurked inside this man, who normally laughed and fooled around without a hint of a “strongest” aura?
