Bleach: The Invincible Slacker from Rukongai

Several people approached the dimensional crack once again, this time positioning themselves at a much safer distance. The Black Spirit was still systematically destroying the dimensional barrier.

The crack had grown noticeably larger than before, and high-level Hollows continued to pour out of it in increasing numbers.

Uehara Shiroha pointed to a specific area in front of them and gave instructions to the blonde man.

"Just stand in that exact spot and don't run away immediately after you attract its attention."

"This creature's range of movement should be limited. It shouldn't be able to reach you if my theory is correct."

The blonde man looked at Uehara Shiroha with obvious suspicion and fear.

"What if that thing actually chases after me?"

It was clear from the blonde man's words that if there was any sign of real danger, he would definitely turn around and flee without hesitation.

If he couldn't stand his ground and hold position until the end, this crucial test would be considered a complete failure.

Uehara Shiroha spoke with cold determination.

"If you don't stay exactly where you are, you might have a good chance of survival in the short term, but if you come running back here, you will definitely die by my hand. Think about that carefully."

"You'd better consider your options wisely. If you abandon the test and come back, I will kill you myself."

The blonde man looked at Raymond with a pleading expression, as if he desperately wanted Raymond to speak up in his defense.

But Raymond said nothing at this critical moment. He was also genuinely upset about the blonde man's failure to save Fasius during the previous battle.

The only reason Raymond had prevented Uehara Shiroha from killing this coward with a single sword strike was mainly because there were already too few people left on their team.

If the blonde man were actually killed, Raymond feared that the dimensional crack would never be successfully repaired.

With no other viable options remaining, the blonde man was forced to walk forward alone toward the danger zone.

Uehara Shiroha handed the bow that Chiying had been carrying to the blonde man in advance.

When the blonde man arrived at the area designated by Uehara Shiroha, he looked back one final time and then reluctantly took the bow from his shoulder.

When the blonde man pulled back the bowstring, his hands were trembling uncontrollably. Fortunately, the Black Spirit was such a large target that he could still hit it even with his shaking hands.

After drawing the bow to its full length, the blonde man released his grip and shot an arrow at high speed, striking the Black Spirit squarely in the back.

This attack seemed insignificant given the creature's massive size, but it successfully caught the Black Spirit's attention.

The Black Spirit slowly turned its enormous body around and looked directly at the blonde man standing frozen in front of it.

At this moment, the blonde man's hands and feet were shaking constantly. He desperately wanted to run back to safety, but he was terrified that Uehara Shiroha would kill him if he abandoned his post.

The Black Spirit began moving toward the blonde man with deliberate steps. Seeing the terrifying scene unfolding before him, the blonde man closed his eyes and fell to his knees in resignation.

The blonde man could only pray silently, hoping that Uehara Shiroha's earlier hypothesis was correct, otherwise he would not be able to escape death today.

Uehara Shiroha stood in the distance and watched carefully. When the Black Spirit was about to reach the blonde man, something unexpected happened.

The Black Spirit seemed to be controlled by some invisible force. It immediately abandoned its pursuit of the blonde man and turned around, walking back toward the direction of the dimensional crack.

At this moment, the blonde man slowly opened his eyes and discovered that the Black Spirit had turned its back to him and was returning to its previous position. He finally allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

Raymond turned to address Uehara Shiroha with obvious admiration.

"It seems that your theory this time was absolutely correct. This creature really does have a limited range of activity."

"Once it reached the edge of its designated territory, it returned immediately, as if there were some kind of programming or instructions guiding its behavior."

"It's becoming clear that these cracks were created intentionally by someone or something."

Uehara Shiroha nodded slowly, thinking silently that the underlying conspiracy behind this situation had nothing to do with his personal goals. He could upgrade his Hogyoku level simply by completing this mission successfully.

Uehara Shiroha's main objective was to raise the level of his Hogyoku as quickly as possible and improve his own strength. Other conspiracies and political machinations were irrelevant to his purposes.

At this point, the blonde man slowly recovered from his ordeal. After getting up from the ground on unsteady legs, he quickly ran back to rejoin his companions.

The blonde man still felt lingering fear, and he kept looking back at the Black Spirit with a horrified expression on his face. He couldn't calm down for a long time after witnessing the creature's strange behavior pattern.