anime worlds: I'll get stronger by drawing cards!

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"Watch out!"

Rukia Kuchiki reacted swiftly, grabbing Chiba Akira by the collar and dodging out of harm's way.

The next moment, the massive hand struck the spot where they had been eating, leaving a deep crater.

"So, I ran into a Soul Reaper!"

"Seems like my luck is good today!"

The owner of the massive hand emerged from the rippling distortion—a humanoid Hollow. It sneered as it looked at Rukia, its excitement evident.

"This is bad!!!"

Rukia's expression darkened.

A Hollow capable of speech was far more dangerous than the common rabble.

Normally, she wouldn't be too concerned. But…

She cast a quick glance at Chiba Akira.

With him here, she couldn't fight freely. She needed to change locations.

"Hide yourself!"

"I'll lure it away!"

With that, Rukia dashed toward the humanoid Hollow, intending to use herself as bait to draw it away.

However, she seemed to have forgotten—there was another person present besides Akira.

"What's going on?"

The convenience store door swung open as a panicked employee stepped outside to check the commotion.

Unluckily, the humanoid Hollow was standing right in front of the store entrance.

"Damn it!"

Rukia's eyes widened. She hadn't expected a fourth person to stumble into the battle.

"Keh keh keh!"

"Let's see what you'll do now!"

"Will you watch me kill him, or will you come save him?"

The humanoid Hollow laughed mockingly as it raised its clawed hand, aiming for the employee.

"Damn it!!"

Though she knew it was a trap, Rukia couldn't ignore the situation.

Bang!

With a heavy thud, the employee was shoved back into the store as Rukia took his place, shielding him from the attack.

Thud!

"Urgh!!!"

Even though she tried to defend herself, the blow sent Rukia flying. Blood gushed from her mouth as she tumbled through the air.

Coincidentally, she was flung directly toward Chiba Akira, who instinctively reached out and caught her.

"—!"

"A human with high spiritual power?"

"My luck is incredible today. Not only do I get to feast on a Soul Reaper, but I also have a spiritually aware human as an appetizer!"

The Hollow's laughter grew louder.

The fact that Akira could touch Rukia revealed that he was a rare spiritually aware human. For the Hollow, this was like discovering a gourmet meal.

But what the Hollow didn't know was that a cold, mechanical voice echoed in Akira's mind:

[Ding!]

[Mission Triggered: "First Kill"!]

[Eliminate the humanoid Hollow to complete the mission!]

[Reward: "SR-Level Zanpakutō Card" x1!]

"—!"

"An SR-Level Zanpakutō?!?"

Akira's eyes lit up instantly.

What a generous system!

For the first mission, it was already offering an SR-level Zanpakutō as a reward. If he could draw Zangetsu or Ryūjin Jakka, he'd hit the jackpot.

And honestly, Akira hadn't planned to let the Hollow go anyway.

With the promise of an SR-level Zanpakutō as a reward, there was no way he'd back down now.

"Damn it! I got careless earlier!"

Rukia, in contrast, was filled with regret. The blow had left her unable to move.

"Cough… Cough…"

"Put me down and run!"

Understanding that the Hollow was targeting her, Rukia weakly tapped Akira, urging him to flee.

"...???"

Her words interrupted Akira's thoughts, but he quickly regained focus.

To Rukia, he was just an ordinary person who couldn't possibly fight a Hollow.

That realization sparked an idea.

In the original storyline, she had given her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo.

Could he replicate that?

But he immediately dismissed the thought.

Borrowing someone else's power was useful, but nothing felt as reliable as his own strength.

Besides, the system had issued a mission.

Killing the Hollow would grant him an SR-level Zanpakutō. With such a reward, Rukia's Soul Reaper powers didn't seem so necessary anymore.

"Run?"

"That's completely unnecessary."

"It's just a Hollow. Killing it will solve the problem."

Akira gently set Rukia down.

Instead of fleeing, he began walking toward the Hollow.

"Hey, stop! You don't understand—this is a Hollow! Ordinary people can't handle it!"

Rukia, too stunned to process his words, frantically tried to stop him.

BOOM!

Before she could finish speaking, a wave of cold energy surged from Akira.

"What… What is this?"

Rukia's eyes widened in disbelief.

Why did this feel so familiar?

"Hey, your opponent has changed!"

"From now on, you'll be playing with me!"

Akira grinned as he approached the Hollow.

Compared to the one he froze in the park earlier, this one had much stronger spiritual pressure. Hopefully, it would last longer.

"Play with you?"

"A mere human? Such arrogance!"

Enraged, the Hollow raised its arm and swung at Akira with all its might.

A violent gust accompanied the attack, its fierce energy bearing down on him.