We, the Shinigami

That scene made the Shinigami present even more afraid.

So that Hollow was the culprit behind the soul loss suffered by nearly two hundred Rukongai residents?

They had watched seated officers they respected fall powerless. They had watched a familiar comrade lose part of his soul while they could do nothing.

Fear truly began to spread among the Shinigami.

They would die.

Run.

They could only run.

Just then, a gentle yet firm voice suddenly sounded.

"Shinigami, grip the Zanpakuto in your hands. The previous captain of the Tenth Division died honorably in battle. Are you now going to turn and flee in front of a Hollow and make the Tenth Division a laughingstock throughout Seireitei?"

Under the stunned gazes of one Shinigami after another, Akira Morisawa, dressed in the uniform of the Fourth Division, spoke with stirring passion. He even took one step toward the Adjuchas like a hero walking against the light.

"Abandoning your seated officers and running. Abandoning the duty you carry and running. Abandoning helpless Rukongai residents and running. For us Shinigami, is such a thing not more shameful and unbearable than death itself?!"

"Do not fear. Look forward. Do not worry about your wounds. To carry honor and responsibility into death is what it means to be Shinigami..."

"And as a member of the Fourth Division, until I die, I will do everything I can to heal you until the final moment."

As Akira's impassioned voice fell, the fear in nearly every Tenth Division member's eyes began to fade. In its place rose shame, excitement, and resolve.

At that moment, the two Tenth Division members who had first been struck by the Adjuchas and suffered caved-in chests stood up with blank expressions. Although obvious wounds remained across their chests, they had clearly recovered enough combat ability to fight.

The Seventh Seat and Nineteenth Seat Taume Yoshigami, who had been severely injured and left collapsed on the ground, also slowly stood under the astonished gazes of both the Adjuchas and the Shinigami.

As the green grass originally wrapped around their legs withdrew, the terrifying wounds on their bodies had already stopped bleeding after only that brief span.

"Akira is right. The Tenth Division cannot disgrace itself in front of the Fourth Division..."

Yoshigami locked his gaze on the Adjuchas and shouted his thanks. "Thank you, Akira. As expected of Captain Unohana's disciple. That healing ability is astonishing. This time, I will not be careless."

For a time, as Yoshigami and the Seventh Seat stood again, the Tenth Division's morale rose once more under Akira's rousing words.

Even a member of the Fourth Division responsible for healing had not run away. How could the Tenth Division run?

The astonishing healing ability Akira displayed also quietly gave the Tenth Division members tremendous confidence.

"Use Bakudo! With the difference in reiatsu, our attacks will have difficulty damaging a Menos at the Adjuchas level. But as long as we restrain it with enough Bakudo and hold out until the captains arrive, that will be our victory!"

The Seventh Seat of the Tenth Division, whose hair carried a few yellow-dyed streaks and who wore glasses despite his rough confidence, shouted orders. In a flash, he snatched the Third Seat from the Adjuchas's tail and threw him toward Akira.

"The Third Seat is yours, Akira!"

"Do not worry. As long as I am alive, I will not allow any of you to suffer death!"

Without anyone noticing exactly when, Akira had retreated to the back of the formation again. He shouted those words as more than a dozen blades of grass rapidly spread from the ground, wrapped around the Third Seat in midair, and glowed with green light above the heads of every Tenth Division member.

Immediately, even with the enormous threat of the Adjuchas before them, every Tenth Division member felt as if a gentle support had appeared behind their backs, encouraging and sustaining them as they fought without fear.

Akira.

Akira Morisawa.

At that moment, that name carved itself deeply into the hearts of this group of Tenth Division members.

The courage of a fragile doctor fearlessly facing an Adjuchas. The resolve of a fragile doctor holding the battlefield and saving lives. The gentleness of a fragile doctor tirelessly healing wounds.

"We... cannot let Akira look down on us!"

"We are the Tenth Division. How could we run?!"

"It is only an Adjuchas!"

...

Listening to the voices of the many Shinigami around him recovering their morale, Akira appeared gentle and resolute on the surface, but his heart was heavy.

If this had only been an ordinary Adjuchas, Akira might already have proposed that, instead of making meaningless sacrifices, everyone should survive in shame, carry more of a Shinigami's responsibility and resolve in that shame, and save their shameful bodies for a moment when they could be more useful.

But to Akira, this Adjuchas's appearance was full of suspicious points. The way it devoured souls felt exactly as if it had come to Rukongai to take the blame for someone else.

If everyone scattered and fled, no one knew whether other dangers might still be hidden in the surrounding area, picking them off one by one.

In this situation full of unknown danger, gathering together was actually safer.

After all, based on the current situation, Akira would probably remain safe until every inspired Tenth Division member was dead.

While Akira was thinking, interwoven Bakudo chants rang out. The Seventh Seat and Yoshigami, who had barely recovered their combat ability, once again tried to restrain the Adjuchas.

"Bakudo #30: Shitotsu Sansen!"

"Bakudo #47: Needle Wall!"

"Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro!"

...

As one Bakudo spell after another was released, they fell on the Adjuchas like layer upon layer of spiderwebs. The enormous gap in reiatsu made each Bakudo spell seem almost negligible; the Adjuchas shattered one spell after another with casual struggles.

However, under the continuous release from more than thirty Shinigami, the Adjuchas seemed to fall into an unusually uncomfortable mire that hindered its movements layer by layer.

"Insects. Insects like you should obediently have your souls devoured. You... have enraged me..."

Restrained by so much Bakudo, the Adjuchas erupted in fury. Its massive body began thrashing wildly.

Even under layer after layer of restraint, the Adjuchas's speed remained astonishing. Almost every moment, Tenth Division members who failed to dodge were sent flying.

Akira kept his distance from the Adjuchas at all times while controlling Shinra Bansho, which covered the entire battlefield, to continue healing the wounded.

For a time, under wave after wave of Tenth Division members blocking it with their lives, one Shinigami after another fell, then recovered combat ability under Akira's treatment. The battlefield almost constantly maintained around twenty Shinigami restraining the Adjuchas.

"Everyone, endurance is victory..."

Akira's gentle and firm voice sounded from time to time, encouraging the Tenth Division members to grit their teeth and hold on.

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