Chapter 4: Big Loot

Honda's expression grew complex as he contemplated, "Could it have been a Shinigami before?"

In the midst of their battle, he had sensed the unmistakable Reiatsu of a Shinigami, sparking suspicion within him.

Asai offered a theory, "In theory, it's unlikely. Shinigami and Menos Grande are two different types of spiritual beings, unless..."

"Unless what?" Honda's curiosity piqued.

Asai ventured a bold guess, "Unless they used the body of a Menos Grande and injected the soul of a Shinigami into it." Honda found the idea unbelievable; it seemed utterly unrealistic.

"It's impossible. Even Captain Urahara of the 12th Division wouldn't make such a crazy experiment, right? This goes against the rules of Seireitei," Asai dismissed the notion as absurd.

"Let's not worry about that now; it's about to attack again!" Honda shouted as he felt the Menos Grande's movement.

As they spoke, the Menos Grande roared once more, unleashing its violent Reiatsu.

Roar!

The night sky became engulfed in heavy clouds, creating an uneasy atmosphere.

Ring—

Sensing its impending attack, Asai and Honda hastily moved to the sides. However, they underestimated the Menos Grande's speed. In an instant, it closed the distance between them.

Before Asai could react, it closed in swiftly, swinging its arm blade at him. The Shinigami defended with his Zanpakuto on instinct, but the sheer force of the impact sent him flying, before violently colliding with a nearby building.

"Asai!!" Honda couldn't help but worry about his friend.

However, there was no time for worry. The Hollow quickly changed its target to him, ready to strike again.

It sent his arm blade in his direction

"This is bad, there's no time to react," Honda realized as the blade rapidly expanded in his vision.

Surprisingly, he still defended himself.

'Its power is diminishing?' Honda noticed.

Unfortunately, the Menos Grande roared, before aiming its blade at him again, this time, with much speed and strength.

In this life-or-death moment, Asai, who emerged from a pile of debris, chanted a Bakudo spell,

"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!"

"Bakudo #61, Six-Rod Light Restraint!"

The Bakudo incantation summoned six blinding beams of light, forming an inescapable cage that tightly bound the Menos Grande. It couldn't advance an inch, despite its ferocious Reiatsu.

"Phew, that was a close call!" Honda wiped away some sweat.

"If it were just one of us, we'd probably be done for," Asai remarked, visibly drained from using the Six-Rod Light Restraint, as well as the previous strick from the Hollow.

"Let's finish it off now; the longer this drags on, the more uncertain the situation becomes." Honda brandished his Zanpakuto.

"No need, it's already on the brink of collapse!"

Asai grabbed Honda's collar and pulled him back. "It seems that its consecutive attacks have also depleted its Reiatsu."

Indeed, the Menos Grande was cracking and disintegrating.

"It intends to self-destruct!"

The two Shinigami retreated again, and when the Menos Grande finally exploded, it lit up the night sky, resembling doomsday. A deadly explosion sounded.

"What an unnecessary disaster." The two Shinigami shook their heads while panting.

Thankfully, they had distanced themselves; the two Shinigami were unharmed.

"Regardless, when we return to Soul Society, we must report to the captain. The appearance of this Hollow is no coincidence," Asai realized the gravity of the situation.

"It emits the Reiatsu of a Shinigami but has the appearance and body of a Menos Grande. Who is the madman conducting such experiments?" Honda grumbled in annoyance.

"This matter is not our concern; it's up to the Research and Development Institute to investigate," Asai patted his shoulder.

"By the way, what about that human from earlier?" Honda suddenly remembered Katsuki.

"That's strange; I can't see him anywhere. It looks like he's already left," Asai searched in vain.

"That human is unusual. He doesn't have any Reiatsu, yet he could sense our presence. So many strange things happened tonight," Honda felt overwhelmed.

"Never mind that human; let's leave this place for now."

Asai gave up the search.

"Let's go."

The two Shinigami quickly disappeared.

As the battle ended, the night returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, in a hidden alley, Katsuki breathed a sigh of relief. He had narrowly escaped the Hollow's explosion.

"Thank goodness I ran fast; otherwise, I would've been blown up!" Katsuki shuddered at the memory of the shockwave.

"But I made a huge profit this time!"

Katsuki examined his status panel, which revealed significant improvements.

[Host]: Homura Katsuki

[Strength]: 8.8

[Agility]: 3

[Spirit]: 10

[Reiatsu]: 135

[Shunpo]: 93

[Zanjutsu]: 84

[Abilities]: Six-Rod Light Restraint

Katsuki couldn't believe his luck. He had acquired the Six-Rod Light Restraint technique, a rare find with just a one percent chance.

"My luck seems to be amazing!"

Ecstatic, Katsuki pondered his next steps. He needed to find more Shinigami to further enhance his abilities.

"It looks like I need to find more Shinigami."

His journey in this supernatural world had just begun.