Encounters with Danger

[Hollowed Heart]

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A few weeks go by and Iazkari has reached quite the level of power.

[Devoured 78 Human Souls]

[Devoured 56 Hollows]

[Achieved 15,100 Spirit Power]

[+15 Status Points]

Time had passed and Iazkari had begun to learn more about his abilities. His main arsenal had always been a pair up between [Crypt] and [Abyss]. At times whenever he is outnumbered and finds the use of [Spirit Blade] annoying to use dozens of times, he decides to use both [Crypt] and [Abyss]. Within the week, he had constantly used this pair up a lot that the skills had combined, creating the skill [Call of the Abyssal Crypt].

_______________________

Name: Iazkari Seurve

Age: 26

Race: Hollow

Rank: Fishbone {Grade 4} [Required Spirit Power to evolve (109,250/200,000)]

Stats:

Strength - 39 (10+)

Dexterity - 100 (30+)

Constitution - 35

Intelligence - 30

Spirit Power: 109,250 (30,000+)

Status Points: 25

Passives:

[Spiritual Pressure Distortion]

- Continuously distort hints of Spiritual Pressure surrounding the Host to hide their presence.

[Enhanced Defence]

- Increases passive defence by 20%.

[Modified Reflex]

- Grants the user better instinct and reflex.

[Dread]

- Enemies below 80% of the Host's total Spirit Power will feel weakened and insights fear within them. {Disabled}

Abilities:

[Iron Body]

- Enhances body durability by 50% at the cost of Reiatsu. {1 Minute Duration} {20 Seconds Cooldown}

[Reiatsu Burst]

- Cause an eruption of your own Reiatsu, pushing away any opponents or attacks from the Host. {20 Seconds Cooldown}

[Spirit Blade]

- Imbue Spirit Energy into blades to strengthen their power or unleash arc-shaped blasts to opponents. {10 Seconds Cooldown}

[Stealth]

- Hides the Host's presence, allowing more quiet movements. {1 Minute Duration} {30 Seconds Cooldown}

[Dash]

- Boosts the Host's speed by 5x through 1 dash. {10 Charges} {1 Minute Charge Recovery}

[Call of the Abyssal Crypt]

- Creates a domain that encloses targets within, protecting allies and endangering enemies by summoning fallen souls. {10 Minutes Duration} {1 Hour Cooldown}

{Panels}

[Lucky Draw]

[Inventory]

_______________________

'Ah, right, I never allocated my stats yet. Dump it all to Constitution.'

_______________________

Name: Iazkari Seurve

Age: 26

Race: Hollow

Rank: Fishbone {Grade 4} [Required Spirit Power to evolve (109,250/200,000)]

Stats:

Strength - 39 (10+)

Dexterity - 100 (30+)

Constitution - 35 > 60

Intelligence - 30

Spirit Power: 109,250 (30,000+)

Status Points: 25 > 0

Passives:

[Spiritual Pressure Distortion]

- Continuously distort hints of Spiritual Pressure surrounding the Host to hide their presence.

[Enhanced Defence]

- Increases passive defence by 20%.

[Modified Reflex]

- Grants the user better instinct and reflex.

[Dread]

- Enemies below 80% of the Host's total Spirit Power will feel weakened and insights fear within them. {Disabled}

Abilities:

[Iron Body]

- Enhances body durability by 50% at the cost of Reiatsu. {1 Minute Duration} {20 Seconds Cooldown}

[Reiatsu Burst]

- Cause an eruption of your own Reiatsu, pushing away any opponents or attacks from the Host. {20 Seconds Cooldown}

[Spirit Blade]

- Imbue Spirit Energy into blades to strengthen their power or unleash arc-shaped blasts to opponents. {10 Seconds Cooldown}

[Stealth]

- Hides the Host's presence, allowing more quiet movements. {1 Minute Duration} {30 Seconds Cooldown}

[Dash]

- Boosts the Host's speed by 5x through 1 dash. {10 Charges} {1 Minute Charge Recovery}

[Call of the Abyssal Crypt]

- Creates a domain that encloses targets within, protecting allies and endangering enemies by summoning fallen souls. {10 Minutes Duration} {1 Hour Cooldown}

{Panels}

[Lucky Draw]

[Inventory]

_______________________

'Alright... Still sucks when such a powerful move has a long Cooldown.'

He sighed inwardly, knowing full well that there isn't any other way to obtain stronger abilities that have little Cooldown. His most powerful skill is [Call of the Abyssal Crypt], his most versatile combat skill is [Spirit Blade], and his bestest overall skill is [Stealth].

There is an aspect that Iazkari noticed when his 2 former skills, [Abyss] and [Crypt], combined is that there are compatible pair ups between skills. If he were to use [Dread] and [Stealth], it would be an incompatible pair up since... What I the use if [Dread] if your enemy can't even see you? An example of a compatible pair up is [Abyss] and [Crypt] due to their combination. At first, whenever Iazkari used [Crypt], the summoned fallen souls tend to attack whoever they see, but with the help of [Abyss], this problem was easily handled. And now with the new combined skill, the summoned fallen souls act more like obedient servants rather than undead being commanded like when it was only [Abyss] and [Crypt].

Iazkari began to wander around the forest, searching for unlucky souls who will encounter him and meet their demise. He knows full well that this would result to Soul Reapers not trusting him at all, but Hollows are Hollows to most of them, which means whenever they see a Hollow, they should kill it. This had been a common thing that Iazkari noticed. Ever since the last encounter with Soul Reapers, with the help of [Stealth] and [Spiritual Pressure Distortion], he had been hidden from the radar of Soul Reapers, at least that's what he believes. He has seen multiple Soul Reapers roam around trying to find him. The only ones that can see Iazkari whenever his [Stealth] is on are others with an abundance of Spiritual Energy.

While searching however, someone stopped him.

"Took me awhile, but I finally found you."

Iazkari never sensed it, but he knows full well that whoever is in front of him ain't a simple one.

"... Who are you?"

Iazkari asked the mysterious individual. He only smirks and fiercely looks at the Hollow in front of him.

"Renji Abarai, 6th seat of Squad 11... Not that it matters if you know or not."

Iazkari's eyes squinted at the Soul Reaper. A high ranked individual possibly countless of times stronger than he is.

[DANGER!!! ENEMY IS A SPECIAL GRADE RANK AND IS CURRENTLY 6 RANKS ABOVE THE HOST!!!]

Iazkari froze, realizing that he's far more screwed over against his opponent compared to Akira Ryuki, who the System states is Semi-Grade 2 in ranking, which is only 2 Ranks above him. But facing his current opponent, he is immensely screwed over.

"Roar, Zabimaru!"

The Soul Repaer's Zanpakutō is released, revealing a large jagged sword that seems threateningly powerful despite it seemingly looking like a normal blade.

'Tch, no choice but to fight.'

[Activating [Spirit Blade] Skill]

[Type: Imbue]

Iazkari's blades glow white and black altogether. He then gets in a stance, preparing for any unexpected attacks that might appear from his current opponent.

'Stay calm.'

Being a Hollow, he still is partially affected by the Hollowfication, losing sympathy and fear. But that aspect only affects those he doesn't know and care about, it is far more different when people he cares for are in danger.

"Interesting... Just like the reports said. A Hollow that can-"

Iazkari took the opportunity and dashed forward using his [Dash] skill, causing Renji to be shocked at the sudden attack, barely avoiding a lethal blow with his sword blocking Iazkari's blades.

"Damn... 5 meters tall yet so fast... Huh, wait... Where is the Hollow?"

Renji muttered under his breath. He looks at where the Hollow might be but realized that the Hollow has vanished.

"OH CRAP!!!"

Iazkari's attack was merely a distraction. In a decently far away distance from Renji, Iazkari is seen dashing. He had used 3 Charges just to avoid being heard even more.

'Close... Far too close... I nearly thought that I would have died there.'

He succeeded in avoiding a battle that guarantees his death, further allowing him to continue in achieving his goals. He began to wander in the forest he is in, trying to find a place to take shelter in and avoid Soul Reaper encounters for the day.

'Who knew that I'd be halting my progress for a single day for once... I screwed up a lot by stirring up trouble with the Soul Society.'

He thought to himself, regretting and not regretting his past actions. One thing he never knew was that escaping a Lieutenant is quite a feat. Very much will attract even more unwanted attention, and it isn't even a good type of attention.

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[Hollowed Heart]

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A few hours pass and Iazkari is still searching for a shelter.

'I know this forest is huge, but I never knew it was THIA huge... This is gonna take a longer while.'

He sighed and continued to walk forward. In his vision, somewhere far from his current location, a small rupture in the air itself opened. Once that rupture opened, a figure fell off. The opening then closes, never to be seen again. Curious, Iazkari dashed towards the location. Didn't take a minute to reach with the help of his [Dash] skill, and soon he saw a sleeping girl. She had bright pink hair and has some sort of Visor that covered her eyes. She wore a black ripped cloak that revealed some parts of her body that seemed quite voluptuous. But as a Hollow with a bare minimum thought of sexual impulses, Iazkari believed that leaving her alone would result to bad things occurring to her, like death and... Inappropriate stuff.

The biggest question lays on how the hell he carried her with his arms not having hands.

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[Hollowed Heart]

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[Mysterious woman's POV]

Once I opened my eyes, I saw light. Odd, I know I jumped into the Garganta at the right time, so how did I get here?

I looked around and saw a campfire. The area around me wasn't really comfortable but the thing I slept on is quite comfy.

"Ah, your awake."

Hearing a deep voice right behind me, my guard rose and I faced whoever spoke. My eyes widened, seeing that the one who stood in front of me is a Hollow...

'A fishbone?'

I thought deeply, trying to process information about the very creature in front of me.

"If you have time to fight, kindly use it to rest. I don't know what stuff you went through in wherever you came from but I know one thing and it is that you need a lot of rest."

His words surprised the me. A Hollow that actually thinks? Although appreciating the gesture, I still need to keep my guard up. Hollows are cunning even if they are fishbones, and despite me being an Arrancar and being stronger than any fishbone, it doesn't hurt to keep my guard up.

"Can't cook anything with this annoying armblades, so cook up food if your ever hungry, just take... -Sigh-"

The Hollow sighed before looking at me once more.

"Feel free to hunt or whatever. Also, find a way to get better clothes. Your torn cloak won't be enough to cover up your body."

The Hollow said before leaving the cave.

'... Odd...'

That Hollow seemed odd. Why did it save me? Why didn't it take the opportunity to eat me when it found me injured? Questions about the Hollow fill my head, unable to keep a simple straight thought.

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[Hollowed Heart]

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A few days had gone by and I'm currently resting on a makeshift bed I made because the previous bed the Hollow had created was just him stacking mat after another considering that he doesn't have hands.

Right now, the Hollow is doing something that I can't really understand. That is him sitting on a rock and thinking about something I have no idea of.

'He's... An odd one.'

Being with him for a few days, I realized that he is taking care of me in more ways than one. While resting, the Hollow looked at me and seemed like he was curious about something.

"Umm... What do you need?"

I asked him, a bit nervous considering that I don't really see his face because of his mask... It's more like a Helmet than a Mask if I think about it properly.

"What's your name?"

This question... Pretty much surprised me. It was a first, considering hat my stay in Hueco Mundo wasn't really pleasant.

"Erm... Alvouma... Alvouma Albamous."

"... And odd name for a beauty like you."

He says quite bluntly.

"How about... Your name?"

I asked him this time, wanting to call him by his name rather than... Hollow-san.

"Iazkari. Iazkari Seurve."

He says. Now I know his name, that is enough for me right now.

"Hmm... Can I call you Kari-chan?"

I asked him with a smile. He seemed utterly conflicted, but decided to nod anyway.

"Nice to meet you, Kari-chan!"

"... Nice to meet you as well, Alvouma."

It was an odd encounter, but to me, it is by far my most joyful encounter ever. It felt like meeting someone who I could call brother... Considering how long I spent as an Adjuchas back then, I should be older than him by a whole lot!

"Also, why do you usually go out?"

I asked him while he was tinkering with random rocks.

"Hunting Souls and Hollows... And avoiding Soul Reapers."

"Hmm... I see... Are you planning to become stronger?"

He nodded without looking at me. He seemed to be focused on something in his mind.

"I see..."

I then began to get lost in thought, thinking about what he would encounter and what dangers he might experience. His bug Hollow body doesn't seem like it could outrun any Soul Reapers, but when I tried to sense his Spiritual Pressure, I can't find any hints.

"How long... Have you been-"

Before I could continue my question, a sudden arrival of a powerful presence arrived. Wanting to face the individual who appeared, I tried to stand, but when I did, Kari-chan stopped me.

"Rest, don't make a sound, nor do anything rash. I'll be back."

I became quite surprised. Someone stopping me from taking on danger... Quite charming if you think about it... It would've been if it weren't a Hollow who did it.

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[Hollowed Heart]

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[Iazkari's Pov]

[Devoured 46 Human Souls]

[Devoured 3 Special Human Souls]

[Devoured 17 Hollows]

[Achieved 6000 Spirit Power]

[+6 Status Points]

These were the points and Spirit Power I earned in the past few days. Progress is slow without Soul Reapers, but it seems like I won't need to rush anymore... I look in front of me and I see the 4th strongest of the Ryuki family. Matsuda Ryuki, the Tyrant.

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Name: Matsuda Ryuki

Age: 23

Strength: 200

Dexterity: 150

Constitution: 100

Intelligence: 50

Passives:

[Adaptation]

- Allows the user to constantly make one's body adapt to activities.

Abilities:

[None]

_______________________

'He is only Grade 3 isn't he?'

[Yes]

'Not as easy as the previous, but definitely more better than meeting Akira.'

"So you're the Hollow that killed that useless idiot? He certainly has grown weak..."

Matsuda places one hand on his waste and combs his hair with his hand while having a stressed face. He gazed at me, attempting to find any trace of Spiritual Pressure that can allow him to dictate my strength. [Stealth] and [Spiritual Pressure Distortion] is quite the pair up. Completely hiding every sign of Spiritual Energy that might cause the opponent to detect my presence.

"Odd... Why can't I detect your Spiritual Pressure? Tsk, no matter. You'll die by my hands anyway!"

He dashes forward, attempting to lunge at me with his speed that pretty much overpowered my own, however, that is where my [Dash] skill comes in.

With the use of [Dash], I disappeared from his view, causing him to widen his eyes in shock. From a certain distance to his right, I used [Spirit Blade] 3 times, each being at full power. Once he sensed the oncoming projectiles, he looked, and he was met by 3 powerful blows to his face. Considering his Constitution Stat, that wouldn't be enough to completely obliterate him, just harm him decently.

"... I underestimated you... I should take you on more seriously this time."

He began to charge up an attack that wasn't recorded in the System's [Appraisal] which meant this is a technique rather than a skill. Skills and techniques separate from each other, while skills talk exactly about the move used, techniques are different as they are merely methods of combat.

His charge up was finished, he then looked far more fiercer with that odd golden colored aura of his. He crouched for a few seconds and immediately lunges at my direction, causing an enormous dust cloud to blow behind him. With the help of [Modified Reflex] I barely dodged a lethal blow. When his lunge hit a tree, a powerful explosion blew it to bits, and so did some other trees behind it.

"You dodged it... You for sure aren't some common Hollow."

His arms had began to glow much brighter than before, indicating that he's up for a fist fight... Apparently. I did the same by imbuing my arm blades with [Spirit Blade] and had it's output reach its max. Going half power won't do me good against someone like Matsuda.

"Heh, let's see how well you can do with those glowing swords of yours!"

He lunges at me with his fist reeled out, ready to deal a heavy blow to me. I swung my blade as soon as he reached a certain distance, he reeled his fist in as well to retaliate. Once my blade and his fist came in contact, an explosion occured, blowing away everything around us. Both of us suffered a recoil after that contact, and soon, both of us lunged at each other and began to exchange blows. My sword cutting through his body, his fists inflicting powerful blows against me. Had I not used my [Iron Body] right before we began this exchange, I would have died twice over. Completely fatigued from the constant exchange of attacks, I swung my blade a bit groggily and completely missed the attack. Matsuda saw an opportunity and began to charge his right fist with an enormous amount of Spiritual Energy that even his surroundings began to be blown away by the abundance of Spiritual Energy gathered in a single place.

I was screwed, completely fatigued and tired, and I am about to suffer one heavy blow against this Ryuki.

"Take this! Ryuki Beam!"

Mentally, I cringed at the name, but gathering enough power, I used the one thing that I completely forgot I had while fighting Matsuda.

[Activating [Call of the Abyssal Crypt] Skill]

From my area, the ground on my feet had turned black, and soon, this expanded at scary speeds. When this darkness reached the range of the beam, it rose like a tsunami and began to devour it whole while expanding. Matsuda's eyes widened in shock, and before he could react, the darkness had reached his location and rose up high, enclosing both me and him.

"You heavily underestimated me... Of course you would... 'How could a Hollow have such an ability?' A question others might ask themselves once they encounter this. Arise from your slumber, and feed upon the prey that stands before you."

Odd serpent-like figures began to appear from the ground and the sky, reacting to my command. These creatures looked at Matsuda, who became overwhelmed with fear once he saw them. One of the creatures let out a roar similar to a Hollow and lunged at Matsuda. Being depleted of Spiritual Energy due to his usage of his strongest attack, he tried to run, but that effort was in vain as the serpent creatures were far too fast, even for someone with 150 on Dexterity. Iazkari observed how Matsuda began to be brutally eaten alive, countless creatures jumped into action and began their feast. One ate his head whole and the other ripped his spinal chord and devoured it, some even decided to eat him from the bottom-up with no hesitation. Due to their unending hunger for souls, Iazkari decided gave these nameless creatures a name.

"The Fallen Ones."

The Fallen Ones are creatures who were once souls, but we're killed in such a process. When a soul vanishes from the living realm, they get sent to the realm of the Abyss, a world filled to the brim with these Fallen Ones.

Once nothing else was left of Matsuda, the dome of pure darkness began to dissipate, allowing Iazkari to see the light of day once more.

[Devoured Matsuda Ryuki]

[+15,000 Spirit Power]

[+15 Status Points]

'... All on strength.'

_______________________

Name: Iazkari Seurve

Age: 26

Race: Hollow

Rank: Fishbone {Grade 4} [Required Spirit Power to evolve (130,250/200,000)]

Stats:

Strength - 39 > 60 (10+)

Dexterity - 100 (30+)

Constitution - 60

Intelligence - 30

Spirit Power: 130,250 (30,000+)

Status Points: 21 > 0

Passives:

[Spiritual Pressure Distortion]

- Continuously distort hints of Spiritual Pressure surrounding the Host to hide their presence.

[Enhanced Defence]

- Increases passive defence by 20%.

[Modified Reflex]

- Grants the user better instinct and reflex.

[Dread]

- Enemies below 80% of the Host's total Spirit Power will feel weakened and insights fear within them. {Disabled}

Abilities:

[Iron Body]

- Enhances body durability by 50% at the cost of Reiatsu. {1 Minute Duration} {20 Seconds Cooldown}

[Reiatsu Burst]

- Cause an eruption of your own Reiatsu, pushing away any opponents or attacks from the Host. {20 Seconds Cooldown}

[Spirit Blade]

- Imbue Spirit Energy into blades to strengthen their power or unleash arc-shaped blasts to opponents. {10 Seconds Cooldown}

[Stealth]

- Hides the Host's presence, allowing more quiet movements. {1 Minute Duration} {30 Seconds Cooldown}

[Dash]

- Boosts the Host's speed by 5x through 1 dash. {10 Charges} {1 Minute Charge Recovery}

[Call of the Abyssal Crypt]

- Creates a domain that encloses targets within, protecting allies and endangering enemies by summoning fallen souls. {10 Minutes Duration} {1 Hour Cooldown}

{Panels}

[Lucky Draw]

[Inventory]

_______________________

'Thus should suffice for today... I'll begin hunting tomorrow.'

I look back at the cave I came out from and saw Alvouma gazing at me in shock. Through what I got from the System, Alvouma is an Arrancar, more specifically, a Gillian-class Arrancar that holds more human-like features compared to other Arrancars that aren't Vasto Lorde-class. She gazed at me in shock, completely in awe of whatever comes to her mind.

I began to walk towards her, planning to push her back to the bed she made and have her rest more.

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[Hollowed Heart]

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[Alvouma Pov]

'Is... Is that really something a Hollow can do? Such power on each attack, such abilities that could even defeat Gillian's with ease... Is he really a normal Hollow?'

I had observed Iazkari's battle with that powerful man. Every movement Iazkari had done, every attack he had sent... All of it seemed to be refined. Each attack always hit his opponent, each movement directs himself to the opponent. This was a feat I never even saw Baraggan do despite me being one of the former Espada...

He began to approach me, fear had overtaken my thoughts, causing me to fall on my back. But that fear soon vanished one I saw his confused demeanor. It seems that I had overreacted.

"Are you alright?"

He asked me with a hint of worry, which I only replied with a smile and a nod.

"-Sigh-... You should get back to resting, you may be fine on the outside but there still is fatgue."

He told me before going in the cave himself. For the first time in my life, a warm feeling had crept onto my chest. It was unfamiliar for me, but even then, a warm smile had been plastered onto my face, unable to hold the joy that I felt for the first time in my life as a Hollow.

"W-wait for me!"

That's right... I... I will help him reach his full power... And help him achieve the greatest feats that only someone like him could ever reach.

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[Hollowed Heart]

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"Hoho... Such power... I may have failed to get Asamine and Cerlona... But this will certainly not be a failure. A Hollow with such power... I must turn him into my own puppet."

A man says as he then began to laugh like maniac. This had only begun, a journey filled to the brim with danger beyond the comprehension of even the Soul Reapers themselves. A Danger only Iazkari is fully aware of. Akira Ryuki isn't the strongest... it is someone else. That information, is what Iazkari himself knows full well. Danger that dwells with the Ryuki family is abundant, and insighting such chaos against them had only further expanded that danger.