The battle ended in an instant.
When the thunderous lightning blast tore across the sky, blasting those giant Hollows into pieces, Renji Abarai, Izuru Kira, Momo Hinamori, and Shūhei Hisagi didn't even know what had just happened—they were merely shocked by the sudden explosion and thrown to the ground by the shockwave.
By the time the shockwave dispersed, only one person was left standing.
It was Kaiser, his arm extended toward the sky.
"————"
Everyone stared blankly at the scene, speechless for a long time.
It's over?
It's really over?
So many powerful Hollows—gone in the blink of an eye?
Those thoughts echoed in everyone's minds, yet their hearts refused to accept the truth.
Because what had just unfolded before their eyes was far too extraordinary.
A first-year student who had only been at Shin'ō Academy for half a year… had annihilated, in a single moment, a group of giant Hollows—each of which required Seated Officers to defeat?
Just thinking about it made everyone freeze in place, stunned and unresponsive for a long while.
It wasn't until Kaiser retracted his hand and his reiatsu gradually subsided that they finally stirred.
"It's… over?"
Renji Abarai still hadn't accepted the reality.
"It really ended like that?"
Shūhei Hisagi and Izuru Kira reacted much the same, unable to believe it.
Though perhaps, that was a good thing.
"Over?" Kaiser glanced at them, then turned his gaze in one direction. "No, it's far from over."
His words startled everyone. They followed his gaze and looked in the same direction.
That area had just been swarming with giant Hollows.
It had been completely shrouded by enormous figures taller than buildings—now, it was empty.
But at the far end of that clearing, a figure still stood.
That figure wasn't eye-catching—at least, not compared to the earlier giant Hollows.
Its body was smaller, with a hollow hole in its chest and a mask on its face—proving it was also a Hollow.
But unlike the other Hollows, it didn't emit any empty howls. It just stood there in eerie silence, sending chills down anyone who looked at it.
Its form was bizarre—its torso was humanoid, its head beastlike. Its feet were webbed, its arms hung naturally, with one arm shaped like a fin and the other like a tail. It was deeply unsettling—unnatural and out of place.
It also wore beast-like armor. Its mask lacked eye holes, so its gaze could not be seen.
As Kaiser narrowed his eyes at the Hollow, the others turned pale.
Especially Shūhei Hisagi—an uncontrollable, wild thought surged in his mind.
"T-that's an Adjuchas?!"
His face turned ghostly pale.
"Adjuchas…"
Renji and the others were the same.
Adjuchas.
They were beings that had broken out from among ordinary Hollows and stepped into a higher realm.
They were higher-class Hollows—dangerous entities that ordinary Shinigami could no longer purify.
If a Hollow continuously devoured souls—whether human or other Hollows—and kept growing in strength and size, it could evolve into a Menos Grande.
There were three classes of Menos.
The first was Gillian—towering with black, cloak-like bodies and long-nosed white masks. Though much stronger than ordinary Hollows, they were slow-moving and had beast-like intellects—classified as lower Menos.
These Gillians were typically formed when one particularly powerful Hollow consumed hundreds of others. Despite their weaknesses, ordinary Shinigami still couldn't handle them.
Generally, a Shinigami who had achieved Shikai was required to deal with a Gillian. Even a Seated Officer without their Zanpakutō's true name would struggle.
The second class was Adjuchas. These were evolved Gillians formed when one dominant consciousness overwhelmed the others during fusion. They possessed high intelligence, beastlike armor, no longer moved slowly, and were several times stronger than Gillians. They were mid-tier Menos.
Gillian rarely had individuality—most acted on instinct. But if one among the fused souls had a far superior will and strength, it could assert dominance and continue devouring other Gillians—eventually evolving into an Adjuchas.
Adjuchas were far more powerful. Most Seated Officers couldn't handle them. Even Lieutenants might not be able to defeat one.
The third class was Vasto Lorde—smaller in size compared to other Hollows, roughly human-sized, but possessing the greatest strength. They were upper-tier Menos.
If an Adjuchas was bitten by a higher-class Hollow, it would permanently halt its evolution and might even be absorbed.
But if that never happened, then two paths remained:
One, its power would eventually plateau, unable to evolve further, and it would remain an Adjuchas forever.
Two, it had the potential to surpass the limit, continuing to devour and grow, until it reached a new peak—
Becoming a Vasto Lorde, the highest-ranked Hollow.
A Vasto Lorde's strength exceeded even a Captain-class Shinigami. They were exceedingly rare—rarer than the Captains of the Gotei 13. Often, there were fewer than ten in existence—sometimes only two or three.
If ten Vasto Lordes appeared at once, they could destroy the Soul Society.
Gillian, Adjuchas, Vasto Lorde—these were the three classes of Menos Grande.
The horde of giant Hollows just now didn't qualify. They were merely powerful Hollows—not true Menos.
But the Hollow that had just appeared was different.
It wasn't huge—about the size of a bear—and it wore beastlike armor. Its actions were calm and calculated, not mindless or savage. It felt… rational. Observant.
It didn't emit reiatsu, but the air around it was warped—hinting at the terrifying power it held.
Compared to it, those giant Hollows weren't even worthy of carrying its shoes.
Intelligence. Beastlike armor…
These were the signs of an Adjuchas.
So then—
"You're an Adjuchas?"
Kaiser was the only one whose expression remained calm. He looked at the Hollow and asked.
That question seemed to awaken something in the creature.
The suspected Adjuchas slowly lifted its head.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a deafening explosion rang out.
In the blink of an eye, the Adjuchas had appeared before Kaiser—like it had teleported—and swung its fin-shaped hand downward, smashing the ground where Kaiser had stood.
A terrible force struck the earth, shattering it in an instant.
Flash!
Kaiser reappeared behind the creature, holding Momo Hinamori in his arms.
"You guys—find a safe place and hide."
He set Momo down gently. Before she could answer, he used Shunpo again, vanishing from sight and appearing atop a nearby building.
Almost at the same instant, the Adjuchas appeared there as well, swinging its fin-like arm down at him.
BOOM!
The upper half of the building exploded under the impact, reduced to a storm of rubble and debris.
Flash! Flash! Flash! …
Kaiser reappeared elsewhere, Shunpo flashing again and again as he distanced himself from the Adjuchas.
The Adjuchas immediately gave chase—its speed equal to Kaiser's.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! …
It attacked relentlessly, slashing with its fin, whipping with its tail-like hand. Each strike caused a thunderous boom, reducing everything it hit to ruins or craters.
Despite the fierce pursuit, Kaiser's expression remained calm. He used Shunpo over and over, narrowly dodging each swing—evading the fin strikes and tail whips with chilling precision. Not a single blow landed. They all smashed into the ground or surrounding buildings, creating destruction without meaning.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH——!"
Renji Abarai, Izuru Kira, Momo Hinamori, and Shūhei Hisagi were blown to the ground by the shockwaves and surging gusts. They cried out involuntarily, clearly suffering from the force of the aftermath.
"Run!"
Shūhei Hisagi shouted while bracing himself against the wind and calling to the others.
"Get out of here! Contact the Soul Society! Request reinforcements!"
"That's definitely a Menos Grande! And an Adjuchas-level, mid-tier Menos at that!"
"We can't deal with a Menos of that class! Even Lieutenants might not be enough! There's no way students like us can handle it!"
Hearing this, Renji Abarai also shouted back, struggling against the wind, "What about Kai?! What do we do about Kai?!"
"Tell him to use Shunpo and run!" Shūhei Hisagi responded without hesitation. "Even he can't possibly take on an Adjuchas!"
But just as those words left Hisagi's mouth—
The battle changed.
Under everyone's gaze, Kaiser counterattacked.