The atmosphere inside the room had become unbearably heavy.
Both sides silently stared at one another.
Not a single word was spoken.
It felt as though...
The battle could begin at any second.
---
Volume 2nd [ The truth they buried ]
Chapter no. 13 - Collision - begins....!
Kye carefully observed the entire room in just a few seconds.
His eyes moved from one person to another before stopping on the two captives.
Kye (thinking):
"Judging by their condition..."
"Those two have been taken hostage."
"I need to be careful with my attacks."
"I can't let them die..."
"They might know something important."
Before Kye could think any further—
Every guard charged at him simultaneously.
Each of them wielded an unusually long sword.
Standing at the back...
The child in the yellow outfit smiled.
Hollow:
"That swordsmanship..."
"It's the Death God—Shinigami Blade Style."
"Don't underestimate it."
Without hesitation...
The guards unleashed a barrage of slashes.
The sharp blades tore through the surroundings.
Wooden furniture...
Bookshelves...
Tables...
Everything was sliced apart as if it were paper.
Kye:
"These blades are absurdly sharp..."
"They're cutting through wood like it's water."
Just as he finished thinking—
One blade came straight toward his neck.
GRIP!
At the very last moment...
Kye caught the blade with his bare hand.
Blood immediately ran down his fingers.
Using the same motion...
He kicked the attacker away.
Sliding backward...
Kye looked at the blood dripping from his hand.
Kye:
"Hmph..."
"That was close."
"These guys are fast..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"But..."
"Not faster than me."
The next instant—
Kye rushed forward.
He began exchanging blows...
With nothing but his bare hands.
Drip... Drip... Drip...
Blood continued falling from his injured hand.
Yet...
Kye was smiling.
Kye:
"You guys are actually pretty good."
"I honestly didn't expect ordinary guards to be this strong."
The moment those words left his mouth—
BOOM!!
Kye's fist pierced straight through one guard's stomach.
Without stopping—
He spun around...
Driving a devastating kick into another guard's skull.
Using the collapsing body as a foothold...
Kye leaped into the air.
He grabbed the two fallen swords.
And...
In a single continuous motion—
Arms.
Legs.
Heads.
Everything was severed.
Within moments...
The room was filled with nothing but corpses.
The two prisoners stared at Kye with trembling eyes.
Their faces had turned completely pale.
Not because they had been rescued...
But because of the brutality they had just witnessed.
Slowly...
The child began clapping.
Clap...
Clap...
Clap...
A smile spread across his face.
"Well done, Kye."
"I expected nothing less from you."
The child slowly stepped forward from his place.
A smug smile spread across his face.
"Before we start fighting..."
"Let me make one thing clear."
"Don't make the mistake of treating me like a child."
"Size doesn't matter."
He folded his arms.
"My name is Hollow."
"At the very least..."
"You should know the name of the person who's about to kill you."
Kye stared at him with a strange expression.
For a brief moment...
He fell into thought.
Kye (thinking):
"Size...?"
"I feel like I've heard that line somewhere before..."
Suddenly...
Kye shouted.
Kye:
"Kid..."
"You're way too young to be saying things that sound so wrong."
Hollow's face instantly twisted with anger.
Hollow:
"Will you shut up?!"
"I already told you..."
"I'm NOT a child!"
Before either of them could say another word—
SPLASH!!
A sword suddenly pierced straight through Kye's stomach.
His eyes widened.
He hadn't even realized what had happened.
Behind him...
One of the guards lying among the corpses...
Was still alive.
With his last remaining strength...
He had stabbed Kye from behind.
The guard laughed.
Guard:
"You bastard..."
"Don't underestimate us..."
Before he could finish—
BOOM!!
Kye threw his entire body backward with overwhelming force.
The sword that had pierced Kye...
Was driven completely through the guard as well.
Without stopping...
Kye continued pushing him backward.
Until—
CRASH!!
The guard's body slammed into the wall.
The blade pinned him there.
Hollow stared at the scene in disbelief.
Hollow:
"You're completely insane..."
"Do you even realize what you just did?"
Without showing the slightest hint of pain...
Kye grabbed the sword lodged inside his own body...
And slowly pulled it out.
Blood poured onto the floor.
He calmly walked toward the dying guard.
Then—
He drove the same sword straight through the guard's skull.
The blade buried itself deep into the wall...
Leaving the corpse hanging there.
Kye turned back toward Hollow.
His expression had become completely emotionless.
Kye:
"Now..."
"What was it you wanted to say?"
"I'm already in a bad mood."
"So let's finish this quickly."
"I don't have time to waste talking."
The moment Kye finished speaking...
He kicked several swords lying on the ground into the air...
Then hurled them all toward Hollow.
Hollow effortlessly dodged every single blade.
But—
In that exact instant—
BOOM!!
A devastating kick slammed into Hollow's back.
The impact drove him straight into the ground.
Before Hollow could even recover...
Kye grabbed him by the head...
And hurled him across the room.
CRASH!!
His body smashed into the opposite wall.
Kye slowly walked forward.
Kye:
"You don't get time to think during a fight..."
"Understand that, Hollow."
Before he could finish speaking—
A deep cut suddenly appeared across Kye's face.
Blood slowly trickled down.
Hollow smirked.
Hollow:
"Maybe..."
"You should be telling that to yourself, Kye Kurasaki."
Kye instinctively touched the wound.
His expression changed.
Kye (thinking):
"What...?"
"When did that happen?"
"Why does this feel so familiar...?"
Hollow clapped his hands once.
A grin spread across his face.
Hollow:
"Have you seen this attack before?"
He laughed.
"Ah..."
"Now I understand."
"You've probably seen Lord Null use it before."
Kye's eyes narrowed.
Kye:
"What...?"
"Lord...?"
Hollow proudly raised his head.
Hollow:
"Yeah."
"Null is my Master."
"Everything I am today exists because of him."
"That's why I already knew your name, idiot."
"And don't just call him 'Null'..."
"Call him Master..."
"Or Lord."
Kye quietly thought for a moment.
Then...
A faint smile appeared.
Kye:
"Hmm..."
"Things are starting to make sense now."
"So that's why you can wield weapons so fast..."
"Just like Null."
Hollow's expression immediately darkened.
Hollow:
"Did I ever say that?"
"And more importantly..."
"Don't you dare compare me to Master Null."
"What he can do..."
"I can't."
Kye smiled even wider.
Kye:
"Hmph..."
"And what I can do now..."
"No one in this world can."
"Understand that..."
"Kid?"
Hollow clenched his fists.
Hollow:
"What kind of nonsense are you—"
Before he could finish—
Kye vanished.
The next instant—
A storm of purple punches rained down upon Hollow.
Each strike exploded with violent force.
BOOM!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!!
As the barrage continued...
Kye's thoughts echoed in his mind.
Kye (thinking):
"These fists..."
"I gained them after that electrical accident."
"Whenever I focus..."
"This purple lightning gathers around my hands."
"It greatly increases the impact of my punches."
"To be honest..."
"I still don't understand how any of this happened."
"But..."
"I don't think knowing the reason matters anymore."
Kye's punches were so powerful...
That the shockwaves alone made the entire building tremble violently.
Walls cracked.
The floor shook beneath them.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Hollow's condition was rapidly worsening.
Grinding his teeth...
He drew out a small knife—
His personal weapon.
In an instant...
Countless slashes flashed through the air.
They landed all across Kye's body.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Yet—
Kye didn't move even an inch.
He simply looked at Hollow.
Kye:
"Are you Finished?"
"Hollow..."
"I don't know how a kid your age..."
"Someone who's barely thirteen or fourteen..."
"Ended up living like this."
"But..."
"If you truly want to change..."
"I'll forgive you."
"Understand?"
Hollow's eyes widened with rage.
He roared at the top of his lungs.
Hollow:
"You bastard!"
"You think you're qualified to lecture me?!"
With every ounce of strength he had left...
He charged forward.
His knife danced through the air at terrifying speed.
But—
Once again...
Kye caught the attack with both of his hands.
The blade stopped just inches away from his face.
Kye calmly stepped closer until they were almost face-to-face.
Kye:
"Everything can still be fixed, Hollow."
"You just have to accept it."
The moment those words left his mouth—
BOOM!!
Kye drove a brutal kick into Hollow's chest.
Hollow's body was sent flying...
Crashing straight into another wall.
As Kye slowly walked toward him...
He spoke in a calm voice.
Kye:
"Look..."
"I'm not a hero."
"I simply don't like the world the way it is."
"That's all."
"I just believe..."
"Things would be far better..."
"If everyone truly had equal rights."
Hollow slowly pulled himself out of the shattered wall.
Blood dripped from his body.
Yet...
The rage in his eyes had only grown stronger.
He glared at Kye.
Hollow:
"You bastard..."
"You really think you're someone special, don't you?"
"What do you even know about me?"
"You don't know a single thing."
"So stop acting like you understand everything."
"Weak people are weak because of themselves."
"They're responsible for their own weakness."
Kye looked at him quietly.
There wasn't the slightest hint of anger on his face.
Instead...
He let out a small sigh.
Kye:
"And how exactly am I supposed to understand you..."
"If you never tell me anything?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Kye:
"This is exactly why kids should go to school first."
For the first time...
Hollow fell silent.
His expression suddenly changed.
As if Kye's words had awakened something buried deep inside him.
His pupils slowly trembled.
Then—
A forgotten memory resurfaced.
A flash from the past.
Just as the scene was about to reveal what Hollow had seen—
The chapter came to an abrupt end...!