The fate of Kanisawa Hotaru has changed, gaining 55 Fate Points.
After killing the Hollow, Arata Saitō once again saw the system panel, for the first time in a long while.
The number of Fate Points he received was lower than when he first interfered with the course of events.
After all, in the original Bleach world line, Kanisawa was merely a minor character who briefly appeared in Shūhei's memories.
The system had opened the Fate Exchange, where points could be traded for various powers: swordsmanship, kidō, hollow reiatsu, and even fragments of the Hōgyoku.
But all of it was far too expensive, the prices reached into the thousands of points, while Arata currently had only 155.
A drop in the ocean.
After turning off the panel, Arata asked Shūhei about the situation: "Any response from the barrier team?"
"Nothing. The communication devices aren't working," Shūhei replied with a grim expression.
Kanisawa pulled a small Reishi communicator from her pocket, one she had borrowed from a graduate of the 12th Division.
She thought she wouldn't need it, but now it proved useful.
"Under normal circumstances," she said seriously, "the Reishi communicator maintains a stable transfer of information between the Soul Society and the human world."
"If the connection is severed, there's only one explanation…"
She paused, then continued: "Someone has blocked the spiritual particle channel between the two worlds."
"And to do that," she added quietly, "they'd have to have reiatsu at least on the level of a vice-captain."
Shūhei flinched: "You mean—"
"Exactly," Arata interrupted, giving his conclusion. "We've been trapped by someone whose strength is at the level of a captain."
"I wouldn't call it a trap," he added calmly. "It's more like an experiment… or perhaps a game."
Those words struck like thunder.
All three fell silent for a moment.
"Yes," Arata said, lowering his gaze. "This is a cat-and-mouse game played in the real world."
"The reiatsu of that Hollow wasn't particularly strong," he continued.
"Slightly stronger than mine right now. "
"But it had the ability to conceal its presence, that's why it almost killed Kanisawa."
"If another appears, we can eliminate it."
Shūhei nodded.
He had already suspected as much when he examined the Hollow's body, it bore no seal from the barrier group.
So, it wasn't a simulation.
Now that communication was cut off, everything was clear,they were isolated.
They couldn't send messages to the Soul Society, and no one could reach them.
Shūhei's expression grew increasingly grave.
"If that's true… then it's possible the barrier team was attacked as well."
"We'll deal with that later," Aoga said firmly. "First, we need to gather all the teams."
"Exactly," added Kanisawa, who had already regained her composure. "If there's more than one Hollow with that ability, everyone's in danger."
But before they could move, the silence was shattered by a horrible scream from the center of the city.
The air filled with the metallic scent of blood.
"No!" shouted Shūhei. "They're under attack!"
Arata stood up sharply, his expression darkening.
The deaths of students didn't concern him, but if something happened to Renji's team, it could alter the fate he was trying to protect.
With his existence as a "butterfly" in this timeline, even Aizen could end up changing the course of events.
"Let's go, now!"
---
"Hadō #4: Byakurai! (White Lightning!)"
A thin blue bolt shot from Momo Hinamori's fingers, striking the simulated Hollow and paralyzing it for an instant.
"Nice one, Hinamori!" shouted Renji.
Taking the opportunity, Renji and Kira Izuru charged forward together, cutting through the Hollow's mask and body in a single strike.
Its figure scattered into spiritual particles.
Renji, Kira, Rukia, and Hinamori gathered together and clapped their hands in satisfaction.
For most of them, this was their first real encounter with Hollows.
Until now, they had only seen them in manuals and lectures.
Fighting them in person awakened excitement and the desire to prove their progress.
All of them were among the best in their class.
Renji's results were inconsistent, but as a team, they complemented each other perfectly, together, they had defeated two simulated Hollows without much trouble.
"Heh," Renji laughed confidently, touching his nose. "This time we're definitely in first place."
"Fighting Hollows is easier than I thought," said Hinamori.
Kira agreed, and Rukia nodded as well.
Up until now, Hollows had always been described as monstrous creatures, but now… they seemed overrated.
Still, Rukia remained cautious.
"Don't let your guard down," she said. "The practice isn't over yet. We don't know what's coming."
Renji laughed and was about to make a joke, but then a sharp, panicked scream echoed from a nearby building.
"Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
A woman's voice, filled with despair, tore through the night.
"That's Akiyama!" shouted Hinamori.
"They're under attack!"
Renji and the others immediately ran toward the source of the scream.
The closer they got, the stronger the scent of blood became.
When they arrived, the scene was horrific.
The ground was soaked in blood, and the students' bodies were scattered and mutilated.
Renji stared blankly at them.
Even after years spent in Rukongai, this sight shook him to the core.
"What the hell… happened here?!"
Rukia noticed a girl in the corner, Akiyama Haruna trembling and crying.
"Akiyama! Are you okay?!" she shouted, rushing toward her.
However, Akiyama's body was shaking, her eyes filled with despair and fear, her lips trembling.
"T-they… they're Hollows… but… they're invisible…"
Hearing Akiyama's words, Rukia and the others were shocked.
Group of Invisible Hollows
The next moment, the air shimmered.
As if a transparent veil had been lifted, five massive Hollows appeared all around them, each several meters tall, with terrifying masks and sharp claws.
Their reiatsu pressure was so strong they could barely breathe.
Renji wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Hey, Kira… don't tell me these are simulations too?!"
"Don't be stupid!" Kira snapped. "These are real! That one before was an ant compared to them!"
"If you've got time to talk, think of a way to survive!"
Everyone's expressions grew increasingly grim. Just feeling their spiritual pressure was enough to tell how powerful these Hollows were.
It would be difficult to deal with even one, let alone five at once!
Just as they thought it was over, several fireballs lit up the night and struck one Hollow directly in the mask.
"Hadō #31: Shakkahō! (Red Fire Cannon!)"