"If you could travel to an anime world, which would you choose?"
Reno chuckled at the question that had inexplicably appeared on his computer screen. Who's got the time for this nonsense? he wondered. Did I get a virus?
Still, his love for anime compelled him to answer. He selected option C: Bleach, his favorite series.
The screen refreshed, presenting another question: How would you prefer to travel to the Bleach World? A: Lightning strike; B: Car accident; C: Sleep.
"Seriously? Sleeping sounds way too lame! And no way I'm getting hit by a car—I'd rather get struck by lightning!" Reno muttered, clicking A: Lightning strike without hesitation.
The screen changed again, displaying the final question: What would you like to become upon arrival? A: Soul Reaper; B: Human; C: Hollow.
"Duh! Anyone who loves Soul Reaper would choose Soul Reaper!" Reno scoffed, about to select A when—
BOOM! A deafening thunderclap shook his room. Startled, Reno's mouse slipped and clicked C: Hollow!
"Who would choose to become a Hollow?!"
Reno cursed under his breath when he realized what he'd done. Even if it was just wishful thinking, becoming a Hollow would ruin his chances with his beloved Rangiku, Yoruichi, Soi Fon, and all the other beauties...
"Forget it! It was never going to happen anyway. I should get the computer fixed first..."
Muttering to himself, Reno started to stand up.
But before he could fully straighten, a jolt of numbness surged through his body. Darkness enveloped his vision, and he lost consciousness completely.
The next day, news spread from Reno's apartment: a man had been struck by lightning while sitting at his computer...
...
"Ah... hahahaha... ha..."
A massive monster with a white mask and bloodthirsty eyes stared down at the figure before it, laughing maniacally. It resembled a wolf in its ferocity.
"Soul Reaper... delicious Soul Reaper! Offer your soul to me!"
The monster's overwhelming spiritual pressure pinned the Soul Reaper in place, its massive tail poised to strike the female Soul Reaper.
Boom! A thunderclap, exceedingly rare in the Soul Society, echoed through the air. A crimson-black lightning bolt tore across the sky, striking the Hollow that was still laughing maniacally.
Reno watched the ground rushing up toward him, the wolf-like Hollow, and even the Soul Reaper facing it, clad in Shinigami robes and wielding a Zanpakuto. His mind reeled in shock.
Did that lightning bolt really send me to the Bleach World? Were those choices on the computer real after all? Then...
The thought flashed through Reno's mind before horror struck him: he remembered his final selection for transmigration had been a Hollow!
No way... am I going to possess that Hollow? No!
Reno screamed, but no sound escaped his lips. He didn't yet realize his soul was merely riding the lightning.
Crack! Boom!
As expected, the massive crimson-black lightning bolt carrying Reno's soul tore through the sky and slammed into the wolf-like Hollow with a deafening roar. Crimson-black lightning immediately erupted around the creature, coiling and writhing across its body.
A weakness... perfect!
A glint flashed in Rukia's weary eyes as she secretly rejoiced that the lightning had saved her life. Seizing the opportunity while the Hollow was paralyzed, she moved with lightning speed, her snow-white Zanpakuto slicing through the Hollow's mask that had nearly killed her.
"Ah..."
Reno, having just merged with the Hollow's body, screamed in agony as Rukia's Zanpakuto shattered his mask.
As Reno's screams echoed, Rukia was startled to sense a sudden shift in the Hollow's spiritual pressure. Her guard rose instinctively. Then, as the mask shattered, she saw the face of an exceptionally handsome young man beneath, his eyes pleading for help.
Pfft! A torrent of malevolent energy erupted from Reno's Hollow form, surging skyward. His screams intensified as a towering, eerie gate materialized before him. The moment Reno saw it, his screams turned even more desperate.
"The Gate of Hell... No! Don't!"
Having only just merged with the Hollow, Reno knew little about its past life, except that its former host had been a villain. At thirteen, he had even assaulted the class beauty. Yet he never imagined his sins would warrant damnation to Hell! The girl's face seemed strangely familiar, but there was no time to dwell on it now.
Of course, Reno's screams could only come out as anguished cries, and Rukia didn't understand a word.
"This... is the Gate of Hell..." Rukia murmured involuntarily, witnessing the Gate of Hell's appearance for the first time.
At that moment, Rukia sensed the Hollow's spiritual pressure surge into a chaotic frenzy. Then, she noticed the Hollow's face shifting again. Though still handsome, it now radiated a sinister aura, its eyes burning with fury. In an instant, the expression morphed back into the terrified, helpless gaze of the innocent face that had been pleading with her moments before, the two expressions alternating rapidly.
The sinister face was the Hollow's true form, while the helpless one belonged to Reno's soul, both spiritual entities in the process of merging.
"Ah..." Reno continued to scream in terror as a milky-white substance erupted from his mouth, instantly covering his entire face.
"H-how is this possible..." Rukia gasped in disbelief, her mouth agape. Not only was the Gate of Hell refusing to open, but the Hollow she had supposedly slain was now reforming a new mask. This defied everything Rukia knew about Hollows.
When a Hollow's mask is shattered, it should dissipate and be reborn in the Soul Society. However, the Hollow fused with Reno had committed grave sins in its past life, causing the Gate of Hell to open. The newly formed spirit of Reno and the Hollow was thus spared from disintegration.
But a problem arose: Reno hadn't fully merged with the Hollow and had committed no heinous crimes himself. As a result, the Gate of Hell hesitated to open, waiting for complete fusion before forcibly dragging them into hell.
Meanwhile, Reno's spirit began to undergo Hollowfication—an unprecedented phenomenon in the history of the Soul Society. Never before had two spirits, freshly fused and slain, been simultaneously dragged into hell. Even if killed, both spirits should have been reborn. Yet the Gate of Hell had appeared, intent on dragging the malevolent Hollow into hell, forcibly binding both spirits together.
In essence, Reno's choice to fuse with the Hollow and the timing of their fusion were tragically coincidental.
Reno slowly Hollowfied.