Chapter 92: The Ordinary High School Student [Seventh Update, Requesting Subscription and Monthly Tickets]

Since learning that his world was the Soul Reaper world, Chu Yang had always felt strange presences around him, existing between reality and illusion.

But in truth, this had nothing to do with his perception.

Chu Yang could now see things he previously couldn’t because, after sharing the talent, his soul had been subtly affected.

The good news was that he could see them.

The bad news was that he couldn’t tell whether what he saw was human or ghost.

If not for sharing the memories of other “himself,” Chu Yang would likely have gone insane by now.

Learning to distinguish souls took time, and during that period Chu Yang made plenty of embarrassing mistakes; many of his classmates now labeled him as “weird.”

Some of Chu Yang’s odd behaviors had caught the attention of Kurosaki Ichigo, who felt a strange sense of familiarity—as if he were seeing himself when he first encountered souls as a child.

A week after school started, Chu Yang gradually grew accustomed to it and no longer jumped at sudden appearances of souls.

So far, most of the souls he’d seen were very friendly, quietly lingering in specific areas, silently guarding the human world.

Each soul had its own reason for clinging to this world, yet all inevitably headed toward the same fate.

Over time, even once-friendly souls gradually grew agitated, beginning to act violently toward passersby.

As usual, Chu Yang walked along the road toward his apartment, then at the corner, saw the spirit of a construction worker wearing a hard hat suddenly charge toward a moving car, as if planning to attack the driver.

Chu Yang appeared silently behind him, his aura-wrapped hand easily capturing the worker’s soul, lifting him up like a chick.

Aura still worked in this world—unexpectedly, upon reflection, it seemed aura didn’t affect the elemental bodies of Logia Devil Fruit users, but rather the very rules created by the Devil Fruit itself.

Powerful Haki could even break certain special effects of Devil Fruits.

From this perspective, it wasn’t strange that Haki could touch souls.

Even as Chu Yang held him aloft, the construction worker still struggled violently, showing intense aggression.

This was the side effect of lingering too long in the human world—he’d gradually lost emotion and reason.

But soon, Chu Yang helped him regain his reason.

He swung his massive palm like a fan, striking the worker’s face several times until his face swelled up.

“Slap! Slap! Slap!”

“Stop! Young man, stop! If Itachi hit me again, I’ll really ascend to heaven!”

The man grabbed Chu Yang’s arm, pleading desperately.

“Oh, Itachi’re awake now,” Chu Yang said, a look of unfinished satisfaction crossing his face, then asked: “Uncle, why aren’t Itachi heading to reincarnation? What are Itachi still doing here? Look at Itachi—Itachi were about to attack a passerby just now.”

The uncle seemed like an honest man—he kept apologizing even after death, though Chu Yang couldn’t tell if he was genuinely remorseful or just terrified of Chu Yang’s fists.

Chu Yang patted his shoulder and said: “Uncle, I don’t know what regret Itachi carry, but right now, nothing Itachi do will change anything, right?”

The uncle opened his mouth but fell silent, like a deflated balloon, standing listlessly with empty eyes.

Chu Yang hated that expression most—he’d rather the uncle had snarled at him; then he’d have beaten him senseless without hesitation.

But this uncle, no matter how Itachi looked at him, was clearly an honest man, and he died a violent death—it was hard not to feel pity.

Chu Yang sighed helplessly: “Alright, tell me—what do Itachi want me to help Itachi with? If I can do it, I will.”

The uncle suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with renewed light.

The construction worker’s name was Hongo Yosuke, a worker at Higashi Sawahara Construction Company, where he’d worked for nearly fifteen years—a true veteran.

The road beneath their feet was a project his company had undertaken six months ago, mainly maintenance work.

At the time, the boss shortened the schedule by forcing workers to labor through the night, and to save money, he didn’t place warning signs or lighting along the construction zone.

Hongo Yosuke was thus struck by a car speeding at night and died on the spot.

Legally, the boss of Higashi Sawahara Construction was required to pay compensation to Hongo Yosuke’s family, but since his death, there had been no movement on the payment.

As the family’s sole breadwinner, Hongo’s wife and child lost all income after his death and were living in extreme hardship.

Just thinking about his family’s suffering over the past six months nearly sent Hongo into another rage.

Chu Yang reminded him: “Itachi should’ve strangled your boss.”

Hongo hung his head dejectedly: “I thought about it, but if I kill him, my family will never get the compensation—they need that money to survive.”

Chu Yang clapped his hands and nodded: “Alright, I’ll go get that money for Itachi.”

“Thank Itachi, young man,” Hongo said—he’d already felt Chu Yang’s fists and had complete faith in his ability.

Moments later, Chu Yang arrived at the address Hongo provided and found Higashi Sawahara Construction. He politely asked the receptionist, but unfortunately, Mr. Higashi wasn’t at the office.

It was around eight p.m.—prime time for nightclubs, where crowds writhed wildly in the dance floor, exuding heavy pheromones.

Mr. Higashi was inside a private room negotiating business with clients.

Chu Yang’s entry into the nightclub was difficult—his youthful face clearly marked him as a minor, and the bouncers blocked him outside.

No choice—he tore the front door off its hinges right in front of the guards and set it aside.

The guards fell silent.

After all, a monthly salary of over 100,000 yen wasn’t worth dying for. Chu Yang quickly locked onto Mr. Higashi’s private room with Kenbunshoku Haki—he’d just closed a big deal and planned to reward himself by playing “knight and princess” with the girls in the room.

Just as he was riding one, Chu Yang suddenly appeared behind him and jabbed his lower back hard with a finger.

Mr. Higashi rolled his eyes and fainted instantly.

He might never ride anyone again in his life.

When Mr. Higashi woke up, he found himself hanging over the center of a park lake, wrapped entirely in branches and vines, swaying precariously.

“Help! Someone save me!”

Naked and ignoring his shame, he screamed desperately—the vines binding him were already loosening; soon he’d fall into the lake.

Worse—he couldn’t swim.

If no one rescued him, tomorrow he’d be a floating corpse, front-page news.

In panic, Higashi spotted a student standing on the shore, watching him coldly—he immediately cried out like he’d found salvation: “Boy, save me!”

The boy didn’t respond, only asked coldly: “Do Itachi remember Hongo Yosuke?”

Hearing that familiar name, Higashi’s face changed, then stammered: “Hongo… Yosuke? I’ve never heard that name before. Forget that—boy, first help me down! I’ll reward Itachi handsomely once I’m free!”

Chu Yang looked at him with the expression of someone staring at an idiot, sneering: “Did Itachi drink yourself stupid? There’s only the two of us here—do Itachi really think someone else tied Itachi up?”

“Itachi?” Higashi stared wide-eyed, furious, shouting: “Are Itachi Hongo’s family? I warn Itachi—let me down now, or I’ll call the police!”

Chu Yang lightly stomped his foot—the branches and vines loosened significantly, leaving only his feet bound.

Without the branches holding him, Higashi plunged headfirst into the water; once half his body submerged, he began thrashing violently.

Seeing Higashi’s bloated, overweight frame, Chu Yang guessed his lung capacity was poor—he pulled him up at exactly thirty seconds.

After thirty seconds of icy lake water, naked and shivering, Higashi gasped uncontrollably, unable to even form a coherent plea.

“When will Itachi pay Hongo Yosuke’s compensation to his family?”

“Compensation? He died in an accident—go ask the insurance company. What’s it got to do with me?”

Chu Yang clicked his tongue in amazement: “Itachi really prefer money over your life.”

He then used the branches to dunk Higashi back into the water, then pulled him up again, repeating the process like a hot pot—up and down, up and down.

Now Higashi was truly terrified—he sensed this boy was genuinely capable of killing him; if he kept resisting, he’d die here tonight.

“Please spare me! I’ll pay right away!” Higashi begged frantically, his tone utterly sincere.

Chu Yang smiled in satisfaction but didn’t immediately release him—he kept “hot potting” him two or three more times before finally dropping the nearly lifeless Higashi to the ground and transferring a trickle of life energy to him.

Higashi gasped deeply several times, his pale face slowly turning ruddy.

Having been dragged back and forth to the gates of death, Higashi felt nothing but terror toward Chu Yang.

This guy was a madman, a pervert, a murderer!

Before letting Higashi go, Chu Yang smiled warmly and warned: “Itachi can report me to the police—but I’ll warn Itachi first: I’m an orphan, with no family, no ties.”

After enduring such torment, how could Higashi dare report him? All he wanted now was to make the problem disappear—to get rid of this plague as quickly as possible.

“I won’t! I won’t! I’ll deliver the money to Hongo’s family right now!” Higashi shouted, then bolted off—naked, shivering violently in the night cold, yet running faster than ever.

The park was deserted at midnight, especially the icy lake center—but once he left the park, Higashi immediately felt countless eyes fixed on him.

“There’s a pervert here! Everyone run!”

“Oh! My eyes! Everyone, close your eyes!”

“God, give me new eyes—mine are ruined!”

“Morals are decaying! Morals are decaying!”

Besides curses, some seasoned elders calmly pulled out their phones and began taking photos.

Tomorrow morning, someone would surely make the front page.

Anticipating this scene, Higashi covered his face and sprinted through flashing lights, tears glistening at his corners.

“Kusozu!!”

On the other side, Chu Yang was about to leave the park when someone unexpectedly blocked his path.

“Are Itachi here to help that uncle claim compensation?” Kurosaki Ichigo stood on the park entrance stairs, looking down at Chu Yang.

“Itachi saw everything?” Chu Yang asked, surprised—he lived in modern society and didn’t habitually activate Kenbunshoku Haki, so he hadn’t noticed Ichigo nearby.

“I just saw that uncle running out naked. What did Itachi do to him?” Ichigo scratched his head.

“Don’t look at me like that—I just soaked him in the lake,” Chu Yang waved dismissively, signaling Ichigo to move aside.

Ichigo stepped aside, letting Chu Yang pass. Once Chu Yang climbed the stairs, Ichigo unconsciously followed.

The area where Hongo Yosuke’s soul wandered wasn’t far from the school; it was normal for Ichigo to have seen him—he likely learned from Hongo that Chu Yang was helping with the compensation, so he’d been lingering nearby.

After all, Chu Yang only looked like an ordinary high school student—why would he dare demand compensation from a construction company boss? In Ichigo’s eyes, Chu Yang would probably get beaten up, so he came to see if he could help.

But Ichigo hadn’t expected Chu Yang to so easily overpower the seemingly intimidating Mr. Higashi—he suddenly found himself curious about Chu Yang.

Ichigo wasn’t the type to keep thoughts bottled up—he couldn’t help asking Chu Yang: “When did Itachi start seeing souls?”

“Since I was a child,” Chu Yang replied casually—after all, his entire family was dead, and no one could verify otherwise.

Ichigo Kurosaki nodded silently; Chu Yang’s situation was not unlike his own.

Ichigo Kurosaki asked, “Will that guy honestly pay compensation?”

Chu Yang stopped walking and turned to look at him.

Ichigo Kurosaki explained, “What I mean is, most construction company bosses have ties with local gangs. Itachi treated him like this today—he’ll surely resent it. He might retaliate tomorrow, even against your family.”

“I have no family for him to retaliate against,” Chu Yang smiled, speaking with deep meaning. “People who get retaliated against usually don’t go far enough. If Itachi truly make the other side feel terror, where’s their courage to strike back?”

With that, Chu Yang continued walking forward.

Ichigo Kurosaki stood still for a moment, then silently followed behind.

“That old man by the school gate—he always seemed a bit off. I used to avoid him, but today he was different. I asked him out of curiosity, and he said…”

Ichigo Kurosaki spoke with a strange expression: “He said Itachi slapped him a few times, and that’s when he came to his senses.”

“Can Itachi touch souls?”

At that moment, the two had just left the park. Chu Yang did not answer his question, heading straight toward home.

“Our Q&A session ends here!”

Hearing Chu Yang’s voice, Ichigo Kurosaki froze.

He turned and walked off in another direction.

The next day after school, the two again appeared Moqi ly near the home of Motoyama Yosuke.

“What a coincidence.”

“That’s not just coincidence—Itachi’re following me, aren’t Itachi?”

“Idiot, don’t joke like that. It’s not funny.”

Chu Yang and Ichigo Kurosaki bickered as they arrived at a house. The sign read “Motoyama.” Clearly, they were both there to confirm whether Motoyama Yosuke’s family had received the compensation.

“Ring the bell. Why are Itachi staring at me? Don’t Itachi have hands?”

“Itachi’re the one who did it. Shouldn’t Itachi be the one to ring it?”

“Then why did Itachi follow me? A pervert?”

“Did Itachi get some kind of sarcastic certification? Your mouth is so annoying!”

“Thanks for the compliment!”

Ichigo Kurosaki’s temples bulged with veins from anger.

After taking several deep breaths, he decided not to argue with Chu Yang and pressed the doorbell.

Motoyama’s wife stepped out, her expression wary.

Seeing two students, her expression immediately relaxed.

Ichigo Kurosaki mentally rehearsed his words, then explained his purpose: he lied that he was a former student whom Motoyama Yosuke had once supported, and today he had come specifically to visit.

They chatted warmly for a while, and only then did Chu Yang learn that the man named Dongze had delivered the compensation the previous night.

The amount was several times higher than the court’s ruling—clearly, Dongze feared Chu Yang would later find an excuse to retaliate.

Moments later, the two returned to the road near the school, planning to inform Motoyama Yosuke.

To their surprise, Motoyama Yosuke was not there. Chu Yang and Ichigo Kurosaki waited until nightfall but saw no sign of him.

“Maybe he found out earlier than us and has already ascended to heaven?”

Ichigo Kurosaki stretched, yawned, and his stomach growled loudly. He could no longer endure it and decided to go home.

Gazing at the empty road, Chu Yang frowned. He thought Ichigo Kurosaki might be right, yet a strong intuition told him Motoyama Yosuke had not left.

He recalled how the man had previously remained in a dazed state.

Even showing tendencies toward violence—Chu Yang grew more convinced something had happened.

The construction company!

A flash of insight struck Chu Yang.

That was likely the place where Motoyama Yosuke’s obsession ran deepest. If he still didn’t know Dongze had delivered the compensation to his family, he would go after Dongze.

Thinking this, Chu Yang immediately sprinted toward the location of the construction company.

He didn’t care whether Dongze would die.

He only feared that if Motoyama Yosuke killed someone, he might never return to who he was—losing all reason and emotion forever.

Chu Yang ran so abruptly that by the time Ichigo Kurosaki reacted, Chu Yang was already far ahead. Seeing his frantic pace, Ichigo Kurosaki instinctively felt something terrible had happened.

“Where are Itachi going? Wait for me!” Ichigo Kurosaki swung his bag over his shoulder and dashed after him, but no matter how hard he ran, the distance between them only grew wider.

“What the hell?!” Ichigo Kurosaki was stunned. Since childhood, he had not only excelled academically but also dominated his peers in sports—he had never lost. Today was his first time being outpaced.

After chasing a while longer, Chu Yang’s silhouette vanished completely from Ichigo Kurosaki’s sight. He stopped, panting heavily, sweat drenching him. “How is he this fast? Is he even human? He’s a monster!”

“This direction—I remember it leads to yesterday’s park… no, it’s the construction company!” Ichigo Kurosaki suddenly realized the key point. He abandoned rest, gritted his teeth, and sprinted forward with all his strength.

“Uncle Yosuke, please don’t do anything stupid!”

To reach the construction company faster, Chu Yang cut straight through dark alleys and narrow old residential blocks. Few people were around, and the streetlights were outdated—no one would notice if he leapt across rooftops.

It was like experiencing Ichigo Kurosaki’s daily life.

But Chu Yang didn’t know…

Behind him, Ichigo Kurosaki had gritted his teeth and caught up.

He had just seen Chu Yang leap onto a rooftop and vanish.

“What the hell is he doing? A ninja? Fuck…” Ichigo Kurosaki froze, involuntarily cursing.

When Chu Yang leapt down from the rooftop, he stood directly in front of the construction company, separated only by a road.

The surroundings were utterly silent—no sound but the wind rustling, not even a cat’s meow. Even at night, such silence was unnatural, chilling.

Haki could sense the presence of living beings, but at Chu Yang’s current level, he could not perceive pure souls.

Whether Luo Jie’s “Hearing the Voice of All Things” could do so, Chu Yang didn’t know—his Haki hadn’t reached that level.

Chu Yang walked along the silent road toward the construction company. His intuition told him Motoyama Yosuke was here.

But the worst scenario had already happened…

The instant Chu Yang neared the construction company, every window exploded simultaneously. Shards of glass rained down from above him.

The glass shards struck Chu Yang, ringing like bells—he had wrapped his body in Armament Haki and suffered no injury.

As the glass shattered, Chu Yang clearly heard a monstrous roar, sinking his heart. He stomped hard and leapt straight to the second floor. He saw no Motoyama Yosuke—only a monstrous figure with a hollow chest and a mask, lifting Dongze high into the air.

Motoyama Yosuke had become a Hollow.

“S…save me…” Dongze had no idea what was happening, only screaming for help in a weak voice—clearly severely injured.

“Shut the hell up!” Chu Yang cursed, charging straight at the Hollow-form Motoyama Yosuke and smashing him away with brute force.

Dongze fell from the air, crashing heavily to the ground, blood filling his mouth.

Chu Yang glanced down at him, then walked past coldly. The man deserved to die—but not at Motoyama Yosuke’s hands.

A soul-body was an enemy Chu Yang had never encountered before. He had no idea how much real damage Haki could inflict on such a being. He wasn’t worried he couldn’t break its defense—he was afraid one punch might kill Motoyama Yosuke outright.

Chu Yang’s fists weren’t Zanpakutō—they lacked the ability to purify Hollows and send them to heaven. A Hollow killed by him was truly dead.

So Chu Yang could only try to restrain Motoyama Yosuke with body techniques, waiting for the Shinigami to respond.

Whenever a Hollow appeared in the living world, the Soul Society would be alerted immediately—there was no need to worry the Shinigami wouldn’t arrive.

Unless…

A stronger Hollow appeared nearby at the same time.

Before the Shinigami arrived, Chu Yang had to prevent Motoyama Yosuke from charging wildly and harming innocents. He used his Haki to track the movements of living beings around him, guiding Motoyama Yosuke toward desolate areas.

Fish-Man Karate contained many grappling and restraining techniques—perfect for the current situation.

The Hollow-form Motoyama Yosuke was enormous; every casual strike caused terrifying, widespread destruction, sending chills down the spine.

If this Motoyama Yosuke, newly transformed, was this powerful, it was hard to imagine how strong the greater Hollows above him might be.

On the other side, Ichigo Kurosaki had also arrived near the construction company.

Whether from intense exertion or the sight of the surrounding devastation, Ichigo Kurosaki trembled slightly.

“What the hell happened here?”

In his fifteen years, Ichigo Kurosaki had dealt with many souls—but never anything like this.

“Help…”

A weak cry came from the ruins.

Ichigo Kurosaki followed the sound and found Dongze buried under rubble.

He quickly dragged Dongze out and laid him by the roadside, then called for an ambulance.

“Hey, have Itachi seen someone wearing the same school uniform as me?”

Hearing Ichigo Kurosaki’s question, the weak Dongze barely opened his eyelids. He glanced once at Ichigo Kurosaki’s uniform—and his face turned pale.

Fuck, he goes to the same school as that cursed bastard?

Could he also be some kind of King of Hell?

Dongze pointed toward the direction where Chu Yang and Motoyama Yosuke had vanished, shouting loudly: “He went that way!”

“Thanks! I’ve already called an ambulance. Stay right here and don’t move.”

Ichigo Kurosaki turned and ran, calling back: “Don’t move at all!”

Dongze nodded frantically—but once Ichigo Kurosaki was far away, he struggled to crawl across the road.

“Like hell I’ll stay still! Itachi and that kid are in cahoots—Itachi’re trying to rob and kill me. Do Itachi think I’m blind? I don’t believe Itachi for a second!”

Unable to perceive souls, Dongze blamed everything on Chu Yang—and he could only blame Chu Yang.

After all, who in their right mind would believe in ghosts and spirits?

Dongze crawled forward with all his strength, ignoring Ichigo Kurosaki’s warning entirely. Perhaps he was too absorbed—he didn’t notice the distant flash of a camera.

By the time the roar of an engine reached his ears, it was too late.

The sky was dark, and all the streetlights around were completely destroyed.

Everything around was pitch black; the driver could not see a thing on the road.

Thud~ Thud~ Two muffled thumps echoed.

The car lurched violently, then rolled forward a short distance before stopping.

The driver got out and frantically scanned the surroundings, but the darkness was absolute—he could see nothing but broken stones on the road by the moonlight.

The driver scratched his head, got back in the car, restarted the engine, and tried to calm his family’s nerves.

“What was that?”

“Looks like stones. There are broken rocks everywhere on the road—it’s too dark to see…”

“Why hasn’t anyone cleaned this up? It’s so dangerous at night!”

“We’ll call city hall later.”

As the engine roared back to life, the car drove farther away, and no one noticed Dong Ze, lying on the ground, barely alive, covered in blood.

He lay in a pool of blood, reaching out weakly toward the front.

Dong Ze was slowly drowned by despair, receiving no response.

He suddenly thought:

When Motohara Yosuke was crushed by a car while working late at night, did he feel as hopeless as I do now? Dong Ze’s thoughts froze at that moment, then fell into eternal silence.

…

Kurosaki Ichigo felt his throat was on fire.

Today he had run nearly the distance of a marathon, all at sprinting speed.

Heaven did not abandon the diligent—just as he was about to give up, Chu Yang appeared before him.

Besides that…

There was another giant, a creature three or four stories tall, radiating terrifying energy.

Kurosaki Ichigo licked his lips, his mouth dry—not from thirst, but because he saw Chu Yang fighting that giant barehanded.

Especially when he saw Chu Yang punch the giant and send it flying over ten meters away, every hair on his body stood on end.

“I was worried about him…” Kurosaki Ichigo silently stepped back a few steps, “I should be worrying about myself, right?”

Just as he spoke, a car overturned by Motohara Yosuke sped past Kurosaki Ichigo, slammed into a streetlamp behind him, and exploded into a dazzling burst of sparks.

Kurosaki Ichigo was thrown into the air by the shockwave, spinning several times before crashing down.

Thud~ He landed hard, gritting his teeth from the pain.

He was about to cry out, but realized he was engulfed by a massive shadow.

He shuddered and looked up.

The giant was staring down at him, wearing a friendly smile.

It lifted its foot…

And stomped down!

Kurosaki Ichigo instinctively closed his eyes and raised his arms to shield himself.

The next second…

The expected pain never came; instead, he felt weightless, as if he were flying.

He opened his eyes and saw Chu Yang holding him, leaping onto the rooftop of another residential block.

Though he had many questions, he asked the most important one: “Where’s Uncle Yosuke?”

Chu Yang nodded toward Motohara Yosuke, now reduced to a hollow.

“Uncle Yosuke?” Kurosaki Ichigo stared blankly, murmuring to himself, “Why did he turn into this…?”

“Itachi ask me? Who am I supposed to ask?” Chu Yang sighed. “Instead of obsessing over that, shouldn’t Itachi be thinking about how to deal with him?”

“Deal with him?” Kurosaki Ichigo stared wide-eyed. “Are Itachi going to kill Uncle Yosuke?”

Chu Yang rolled his eyes in exasperation: “Are Itachi out of your mind? Killing is illegal!”

Kurosaki Ichigo fell silent for a moment, then said slowly: “The law can’t protect him in this state…”

ROAR!! Motohara Yosuke roared in fury and charged toward them.

“I don’t have time to argue with Itachi. If Itachi can help, help. If not, get out of here!”

With that, Chu Yang leapt into the air.

He landed on top of Motohara Yosuke’s head and stomped him into the ground.

What could he possibly do to help? Kurosaki Ichigo, always confident in his physical abilities, hesitated—the battle below between Chu Yang and Motohara Yosuke was clearly beyond his capacity to join.

Confidence was one thing; suicide was another.

At that moment, Kurosaki Ichigo, standing on the rooftop, noticed an elderly couple walking toward them from afar.

“It’s this late, and they’re still out for a walk?”

As he climbed down from the rooftop, he muttered under his breath, then hurried over to the couple and tried to shoo them away with a clumsy lie.

“There’s construction ahead—the road is blocked. Please take another route!”

Hearing the occasional thunderous rumbling ahead, the couple believed him without suspicion and turned back, though the old man grumbled as they left: “Young people today have no manners at all. They don’t even put up signs to warn people—they made us walk all this way.”

Kurosaki Ichigo could only bow deeply and keep apologizing until the elderly couple finally left.

“I must prevent passersby from wandering in here—someone will get hurt otherwise.”

Kurosaki Ichigo felt this was the only way he could help Chu Yang, so he began patrolling nearby, trying to persuade anyone he met to leave.

As the night grew later, no more pedestrians appeared, and Kurosaki Ichigo finally sighed in relief, preparing to return and check on the battle.

“How is he going to deal with Uncle Yosuke? If he waits much longer, he’ll be in danger too.”

As he worried, Kurosaki Ichigo suddenly felt a sharp pang in his chest—somehow, he sensed something approaching.

That sense of dread was even stronger than the one Motohara Yosuke had given him.

At the same time, Chu Yang felt it too…

“No wonder no Shinigami showed up yet—they must have been held up by something else.”

Chu Yang kept Motohara Yosuke pinned beneath his foot, his gaze fixed ahead.

“Three… two… one.”

The building directly ahead exploded violently!

As if struck by a speeding train, yet the gap left behind was empty.

In Chu Yang’s eyes, a larger Hollow stood before him, mouth wide open like a cavern—it had been drawn by Motohara Yosuke’s aura, coming to feed.

Some Hollows preferred to devour human souls; others preferred to devour their own kind.

This new arrival was likely the latter.

Its gaze lingered hungrily on Motohara Yosuke.

But soon, it shifted its eyes to Chu Yang, who stood atop Motohara Yosuke.

Instinct warned it of danger from Chu Yang—a flicker of fear passed through its eyes.

But that tiny fear was instantly drowned by greed—it felt Chu Yang looked tastier than Motohara Yosuke.

“Finally, something I can fight properly—I’ve been dying to let loose!”

After a long, restrained battle with Motohara Yosuke, Chu Yang had been seething with rage, with nowhere to vent—then this fool had just walked right into his path.

The massive Hollow charged furiously toward Chu Yang’s position, smashing through buildings along the way.

Chu Yang clenched his fist, and Conqueror’s Haki coalesced into a thick armor around his body.

The Hollow closed the distance in an instant, appearing right before Chu Yang.

Chu Yang raised his hand, preparing to strike.

Then—a deafening explosion.

Between them appeared a new figure.

Chu Yang froze.

The newcomer wore black “dojo attire,” stood with back to Chu Yang, and held a blade horizontally, blocking the Hollow’s attack.

The person was flung backward.

Chu Yang saw her face—a girl with shoulder-length hair; without doubt, it was Kuchiki Rukia.

Landing, Rukia sprang up like a spring.

She charged the Hollow again, muttering incantations under her breath.

She was casting a Kidō.

The invisible bindings formed by the spell trapped the Hollow, preventing it from harming Chu Yang.

“There’s already a human here—that’s troublesome enough. Now it’s even worse.”

Rukia seemed not to notice Motohara Yosuke, crushed beneath Chu Yang’s foot. She frowned at Chu Yang once, then focused entirely on the Hollow.

Chu Yang kept staring at her; she paid him no mind.

How could a human even see her?

Probably just stunned by the sudden destruction of the buildings!

Rukia thought to herself.

Suddenly, another human appeared at the end of the street, running toward her.

“Another one?”

“What are all these people doing awake at this hour?”

Rukia Kuchiki frowned in distress, preparing to protect the two of them.

The binding spell could only trap that nearly evolved Hollow for a fleeting moment, and she couldn’t immediately force these two humans to leave.

She could only choose to protect them as best she could.

On the other side, Ichigo Kurosaki rushed up to the two—only to realize…

There was a larger Hollow here, not Motohara Yosuke.

He stared at Rukia Kuchiki with confusion and asked, “Who are Itachi?”

Rukia Kuchiki froze.

Then she glanced back at Chu Yang, thinking to herself: He must be talking to him? Rukia stepped aside—but found the orange-haired boy staring fixedly at her, as if waiting for her answer.

Rukia Kuchiki grew flustered.

Ichigo Kurosaki tilted his head, looking past her at Chu Yang, and asked, “Do Itachi know her? She looks like she’s not all there.”

Rukia Kuchiki: “...”

Chu Yang replied, “I don’t know her, but she doesn’t seem evil—she just blocked an attack from the other side for me.”

Rukia Kuchiki whirled around, her eyes nearly popping out.

Now she was certain: these two humans could see her!

Rukia Kuchiki was about to speak, but the Hollow bound by the spell broke free and lunged at her exposed back.

Damn it!

Hearing the sound behind her, Rukia Kuchiki sensed disaster—but turning to face the enemy now was too late.

Dammit, I shouldn’t have listened to these humans and let my guard down.

She braced for injury, ready to trade blows and severely wound the Hollow.

But Rukia Kuchiki never expected…

This human beside her simply charged straight at the Hollow without a word.

“Wait! Don’t—”

The words were barely out of her mouth when she saw the man raise his fist and smash the Hollow’s mask to pieces! The towering Hollow flew high into the air and crashed far away! With that punch, Chu Yang shouted in excitement—his pent-up frustration was finally gone!

What kind of power is this?!!!

Seeing this, Rukia Kuchiki’s pupils shrank sharply. Stunned, her zanpakutō slipped from her hand and fell to the ground—only when she bent to pick it up did she realize there was another Hollow beneath her feet!

Motohara Yosuke’s eyes darted around—and met Rukia Kuchiki’s gaze directly.

(End of Chapter)