Death God: Starting from Refining Essence into Qi

As night deepened, the ruins of West 55th District revealed their desolate outlines under the moonlight.

Gen and Saito stopped behind the last broken wall, sensing the situation ahead.

"They should all be medium-sized and large-sized Hollows." Xuan couldn't help but feel alarmed by the severity of this Hollow disaster.

No wonder other districts were also affected; such power was utterly overwhelming against ordinary Grim Reapers. Xuan finally understood why there were no traces of battle between Grim Reapers here—for ordinary Grim Reapers, this was a disaster they could only avoid from afar and would never dare to confront head-on.

Upon closer inspection, one can sense the spiritual pressure of wandering spirits emanating from the ground at their center. It seems that wandering spirits are hiding in the cellar. These spirits, lacking keen spiritual pressure perception, are merely drawn by the faint spiritual energy underground and linger nearby.

"In that case, let's have a contest and see who kills more Hollows. I'll go first." Saito, the immortal, had already drawn his Zanpakuto from his waist.

The blade, reflecting a cold, silvery light under the moonlight, was held in one hand, its tip pointing diagonally to the ground. She resembled a lurking wild beast, radiating an eager fighting spirit.

"Purple lightning sweeps away all dust, swift as lightning to the bone—Purple Lightning."

As Saito Goichi unleashed his power, his figure gradually faded away, transforming into a purple afterimage that swept towards the void.

A powerful spiritual pressure exploded instantly, alarming the Hollows. A Hollow resembling a hyena opened its massive maw, filled with sharp teeth, about to roar, when it was sliced ​​in two, with lightning still remaining at the cut.

Gen did not unleash Chingen. While unleashing his Zanpakuto would certainly amplify his spiritual power, it would also intensify the tearing sensation deep within his soul. With his current spiritual pressure and Kido, even without Shikai, he was more than capable of dealing with any Hollow below the level of a Grand Hollow.

Something's not right.

Saito, who had been charging forward, suddenly stopped his attack, quickly turned back, and warned Gen.

The Hollow that Saito Ittō had defeated did not dissipate into spiritual particles, but was completely enveloped by a white, viscous fluid that appeared from nowhere.

The white fluid writhed a few times and returned to its original place—only then did Xuan realize that the white fluid was actually a hollow belly, which had now returned to its original state and showed no abnormalities at all.

At the same time, an even greater spiritual pressure emerged from the Hollow, like a tide surging from an abyss, ominous, heavy, and carrying a suffocating sense of oppression. That was the spiritual pressure of a lower-level Hollow.

"This Hollow's spiritual pressure has reached the Gillian level. Is it going to evolve here?" Saito asked.

"No, when an ordinary Hollow evolves into a Great Hollow, its entire body should reconstruct the form of a Gillian, not just its spiritual pressure increase to the Great Hollow level. This is not evolution." Xuan shook his head in rejection, pointing out the illogicality.

Kylian, a lower-ranking Hollow.

I was taught in the Yuanzi Academy that Kylian requires royal agents to defeat, and ordinary Grim Reapers should be evacuated first to avoid causing unnecessary casualties.

But Xuan knew that this statement was not true.

The purpose of this was to protect the overconfident but incompetent Grim Reapers, preventing them from needlessly sacrificing themselves when facing the Kylian. In reality, a single vice-captain level Grim Reaper would be sufficient to deal with an ordinary Kylian.

Xuan suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "This is the Devourer of Hollows."

"A Hollow? Never mind, don't explain now, those Hollows are already closing in." Saito quickened his pace, "My Shikai can be used beyond its limit for a short time. As long as I hit its head, I can kill it, but I'll be injured and exhausted afterward. If you can clear out the other Hollows as quickly as possible, you still have a chance to fight."

"No need to exceed the limit, just hold it off for a while. Trust my ability to clear the area."

Upon hearing this, Saito did not hesitate at all. His figure transformed back into a purple afterimage and rushed straight towards the Haunted Void.

Xuan took a deep breath, and spiritual energy surged out from his meridians.

【Hado #57: The Earth Turns】

Gen's target isn't the Hollows, but the other Hollows in the vicinity. If they aren't eliminated first, the situation will become uncontrollable once a chaotic battle breaks out.

The earth began to shake.

The ground beneath our feet was like a giant beast awakened, with hundreds and thousands of tons of soil and gravel being stripped from the ground, suspended in the air, and then falling heavily back down.

【Hado #12: Hidden Fire】

Spiritual energy condensed in Xuan's palm, transforming into countless thin, hair-like ribbons of flame that spread in all directions. These ribbons, as if alive, precisely wrapped around the limbs and torso of each Void, fixing them in place.

The characteristic of Hidden Fire is not fire, but "hidden"—this characteristic makes it the most suitable vessel for merging with the Ghost Path.

【Hado #11: Lightning Bolt】

Xuan's fingertips coalesced into yellow lightning, crackling in the night. The lightning traveled rapidly along the [Hado 12: Fukuka], like an electric current surging along a wire, instantly engulfing all the entangled voids.

Fire and lightning, two types of spiritual energy, erupted at the same moment.

"boom--!"

The explosion was deafening, and flames shot into the sky, turning the night sky into day. This is the advantage of strong spiritual power manipulation; just two low-level ghost paths, when used together, caused widespread damage comparable to high-level ghost paths.

On Saito's side, the battle has reached a fever pitch.

Her Zanpakuto was covered in a layer of purple lightning, and each swing was accompanied by a piercing "sizzling" sound. This was her Shikai—Shiden (Purple Lightning).

The purple lightning empowered the user's body, allowing her to move at lightning speed, so fast that she would leave a purple afterimage even without using the Instant Step technique.

Saito's figure moved around the Ghoul, as if several of her were attacking the giant beast at the same time.

"laugh--!"

The Purple Lightning slices through the Ghoul's forelimbs, which it uses for defense. The steel-like skin is like tofu in front of Saito, who wields Purple Lightning; it can be cut through with a single stroke. The Ghoul lets out a painful roar, but the wound immediately begins to writhe—it regenerates at supersonic speed.

The severed limb was regrowing at a speed visible to the naked eye; in just two or three breaths, the forelimb was restored to its original state.

Relying on its super-fast regeneration ability, this ghoul employed a strategy of trading injury for life. Saito's ordinary attacks were ignored, and the ghoul seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack, forcing Saito to dodge frequently.

Only when Saito attacks the head will the Ghoul defend itself with its limbs. The damage from Shiden is too astonishing; once it hits the head, there is probably no chance of regeneration.

"This thing... is a bit annoying." Saito gritted his teeth, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.

Her stamina was rapidly depleting. Although Purple Lightning was powerful, its continuous use required a constant output of spiritual energy, and the boost it provided to her speed came at a cost, placing a considerable burden on her body.

Ultimately, with this mere phantom of Gillian's spiritual pressure, the Shinigami's advantage isn't a war of attrition.

Saito could use Purple Lightning beyond safe limits—increasing her spiritual power output beyond her own tolerance to gain greater speed and attack power. However, doing so would damage herself, and she didn't want to use that move unless absolutely necessary.

"Gen! Are you done yet?!" Saito shouted while dodging the Ghoul's attacks, "If this keeps up, I'm going to exceed my limit!"

As they were speaking, a giant frog-shaped creature seized the opportunity to lunge forward, reaching Xuan in the blink of an eye, its clawed forelimbs thrusting out.

Xuan did not use the Instant Step to dodge.

The Shunpo technique consumes a lot of spiritual energy and physical strength. He had already used too many large-scale Kido techniques in a row, so he needed to conserve his spiritual energy.

Xuan simply raised his left arm, and spiritual energy formed a thin barrier on the back of his left hand.

【Binding Spell Eight: Rebuke】

A spiritual barrier blocked the Void's claws. Xuan's physical body was no match for the Void's, but he could use the Kido technique to his advantage. Using the Wing Chun technique of spreading his arms, he swung his left arm outward to deflect the attacking claws, leaving the Void's chest and abdomen wide open.

His right hand was already poised to strike.

【Hado #4: White Lightning】

A white bolt of lightning shot from his fingertip, tracing a dazzling path through the night. The lightning precisely pierced through the Hollow's mask, entering between his brows and exiting from the back of his head.

The void's body stiffened for a moment, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, and its body began to disintegrate from the wound, turning into countless spiritual light particles that dissipated.

The cleaning is finally finished.

Xuan turned around and fixed his gaze on the Hungry Ghost.

While Saito's Purple Lightning couldn't kill in one strike, the continuous slashes had left countless charred wounds on the Ghoul's carapace. Its super-fast regeneration was powerful, but each recovery required spiritual energy—and its spiritual energy reserves were clearly not limitless.

【Hado #57 - Earth Shakes】 consumes a lot of spiritual energy, but its effect on enemies is not good. In comparison, it seems to be less effective than a fused low-level Kido.

But Gen wasn't stupid. The fundamental goal of [Hado 57: Earth Turns] was not to kill, but to divide the battlefield, preventing this Hollow from absorbing the spiritual power of other Hollows to replenish its energy.

The ghoul seemed to have finally realized the change in the situation.

It turned and ran, its massive body rushing backward at a speed completely disproportionate to its size, leaping high into the air in an attempt to overcome the obstacle created by [Hado 57: Earth Turn].

【Binding Spell Sixty-One: The Six-Staff Light Prison】

Six golden beams of light appeared from Xuan's fingertips, instantly appearing on Shi Xu's body and fixing him in place.

The Hollow let out a low growl, and cracks began to appear in the [Six-Staff Light Prison]. As expected, the [Six-Staff Light Prison], whose incantation had been broken, could not completely control a Gillian-level Hollow, but this was not unexpected.

Taking advantage of this brief period of control, Xuan began to chant for the first time: "Thunderous chariot, the gap of the spinning wheel, this thing has light gathering and splitting into six. [Binding Path Sixty-One - Six Staff Light Prison]."

The six beams of light condensed once more, this time even more dazzling than before, almost tangible.

Two six-stalk light cages overlapped, the golden light plates fixing the Haunted Creeper firmly in place. Although it managed to raise its left forelimb with difficulty to shield its head and protect its mask thanks to its high spiritual power, its movements were as slow as if it were stuck in mud.

Without needing Gen's prompting, Saito's figure vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of Ghoul the next moment.

Kasaya Slash.

"laugh!"

The ghoul's left forelimb was severed with a single strike. No blood flowed from the cut, as the wound had been charred black by the lightning.

There was no longer any obstruction between Ghoul's head and Saito's.

Saito gripped the swords with both hands, channeling all his spiritual power into the purple lightning, and roared—

"Die—!"

The second strike came down straight down. Purple lightning surged from the blade, like a bolt of purple lightning descending from the sky.

The blade sliced ​​into the bone mask. "Crack—" The mask shattered in two. The blade continued its downward momentum until it sliced ​​through the Hollow's head, splitting the entire skull in two.

The groan of the ghoul abruptly ceased.

Its body stiffened for a moment, then began to disintegrate from the wound. Spiritual particles, like grains of sand scattered in the wind, poured out from the cracks in the mask and from the severed head, drifting into the night sky.

Finally, the 55th West District of Rukongai was free of any trace of Hollows.

Xuan stood still, taking deep breaths to calm the surging spiritual energy within his body.

This battle consumed a great deal of spiritual energy. He used both the Hado and Binddo techniques at high intensity in a short period, especially the final two consecutive uses of the high-level Kido technique, [Six Staff Light Prison]. Fortunately, this Void Eater's spiritual senses were not sharp; otherwise, in his desperate counterattack, Gen would have been forced to use Shikai.

Saito emerged from the pile of stones. Her face was covered in sweat and dust, but her eyes burned with excitement.

"That was a really frustrating fight, but thankfully the last few strikes were satisfying." She slung her Zanpakuto over her shoulder and walked over to Gen. "That thing is hard and slippery, and it can regenerate at supersonic speed."

"High-speed regeneration is indeed troublesome." Gen sensed the surrounding spiritual pressure and confirmed that there was no Hollow's spiritual pressure remaining. "Fortunately, you are good enough to restrain it. At present, my current offensive methods may not be able to break through this Hollow Ghoul's defenses. If I were alone, I would probably have to retreat."

"Now that the Hollows are all dead, tell me what a Hollow Eater is, Gen-kun, who got a perfect score in theory?" Saito sheathed his sword.

"Of course." Xuan ate two mouthfuls of dry food to speed up the recovery of his spiritual power, but because there was no water, he had to swallow it down, which made him choke and his brows furrow slightly.

Fortunately, Xuan used [Breaking the Dao - Chapter 57: Earth Turning] to cover the top with a thick layer of soil; otherwise, the stone gate would definitely not have been able to withstand the explosion caused by the fusion of the Ghost Dao.

Although the battle is over, there are no tools to clear the clods of earth that have been piled up on the cellar. Xuan can only wait until his spiritual power recovers somewhat before using [Hado #57: Earth Swing] again, while also guarding against any possible malice from the rescued wandering souls.

One should always be wary of others; I've heard plenty of stories about people stabbing their rescuers in the back.

"There are several stages of Hollows: small Hollows, which can only absorb spiritual particles from the air in Hueco Mundo; medium-sized Hollows, which are ordinary Hollows; and large Hollows and Great Hollows." Gen explained to Saito, who was also recovering his spiritual power, while recovering his own. "But Hollows that eat spiritual particles are different from ordinary Hollows. These Hollows can grow stronger indefinitely by consuming spiritual particles."

Finally, their spiritual power had almost recovered. After Xuan used [Hado #57: Earth Rotation] again to clear the soil layer on the cellar, the stone door of the cellar could finally be opened.

Several dusty faces peeked out, cautiously looking around. Only after confirming there was no danger did they climb out one after another.

They looked at the ruins scattered on the ground, at the scattered spiritual particles in the sky, and at the two Grim Reapers standing on the ruins.

Some people knelt on the ground, while others covered their faces and wept.

A pale dawn was quietly spreading across the horizon. The battle had unknowingly dragged on for quite some time, and as the long night drew to a close, daylight was about to break through the darkness.

After a long night, dawn finally broke.