The petite blonde girl struggled to her feet, her small frame swaying unsteadily.
Behind her, a blazing reishi wing ignited, casting a dazzling glow.
On the left side of Metalica's face, veins pulsed across her pale, youthful skin, her pupils shifting to a faint black-red, exuding a Hollow-like, inhuman killing intent.
Quincy power, born from the Soul King, existed to eradicate Hollows.
Yet, this very trait made it reject all things Hollow.
Makoto, witnessing this, silently marveled at Senjumaru's ingenuity.
A mere suggestion, and in so short a time, she'd crafted such an effective product.
But this also meant the Quincy before him now unleashed power several times greater than Liestya's.
Though both bore Schrift, they were leagues apart.
Makoto's fingers settled on his Zanpakutō's hilt, his gaze sharpening with focus.
Just then, his waist-bound zanpakuto piped up, its childish voice brazenly reaching the two Quincy.
[Go get 'em, Makoto-chan!]
[Crush this no-tit shrimp!]
"That's a damn woman!"
Makoto snapped, exasperated.
Somehow, he'd grown used to his zanpakuto's crude banter.
[Bullshit!]
[How's a woman got no rack?!]
The Zanpakutō retorted, as if it had a point.
Metalica's small face flushed red, her reishi wing flaring with terrifying radiance.
The girl shrieked, platinum arcs glinting in her eyes, her voice brimming with outrage:
"I haven't hit puberty yet!"
"Asshole!"
The moment her words fell,
Two metal winglets sprouted from her back, her feet propelled as if by magnetic force.
Boom!
She charged Makoto, the impact like a mountain in motion, the ground quaking.
Unlike the silent grace of Shunpo or Hirenkyaku, Metalica's advance roared, shaking the earth.
Friction-born flames wreathed her, burning patches of her clothing.
Faintly, a silvery sheen coated her skin.
Makoto's eyes lit up, instinctively swinging his blade.
But as it struck, Metalica's form dissolved into fluid, exploding into metallic foam before him.
As they passed, Makoto's vision caught Adalbert's massive frame.
He stood silent.
Where his severed arm once was, a mechanical metal limb now gleamed.
It rose high, then slammed down.
"Raaah!"
Makoto sidestepped, effortlessly retreating several meters.
The meteor-like strike smashed the ground, erupting a towering wave of earth.
Dust clouded the air.
Before Adalbert could locate Makoto, a sharp metallic zing rang from his side.
Adalbert's lips curled.
In a fleeting instant, the ground beneath them morphed into a flowing metal 'swamp,' sticky and treacherous.
Makoto's movements paused, and he stepped back.
Turning, he saw Metalica, one hand extended toward him.
Her blazing reishi wing burned fiercely, her gaze icy.
Was it his imagination, or had her frame grown slightly?
Her physical prowess and metal control had clearly surpassed their initial level.
Still.
Not a big deal.
Makoto flicked the residue from his blade, his eyes sweeping the duo with cold mockery:
"Is this the extent of the power Yhwach granted you?"
"Quincy."
"Bastard!" Metalica's face tightened, glaring, her voice seething: "You dare... insult His Majesty!"
"How could filth like you comprehend Yhwach's greatness?!"
With each roar, Makoto clearly saw her body growing, spurred by her emotions.
If she'd started as a twelve-year-old girl, she now resembled a fourteen-year-old, budding and raw.
[Shut up!]
[My Makoto-chan's the greatest, and he's rock-hard!]
[Go, you nude-loli-loving bro!]
[I'll rip this chick's buds off and brew tea with 'em!]
"Shut the fuck up!"
Makoto's face darkened.
"Tch! Typical... Shinigami!"
Metalica spat, grinding her teeth.
Her hand, hidden behind her, clutched her tightening skirt.
Recalling Makoto's bold words before Yhwach, in front of both armies, her guard rose.
Defeat meant a fate worse than death!
Resolved, her gaze hardened with unwavering determination.
'That power... I can't control it, but I have to use it.'
Metalica steeled herself.
Makoto had single-handedly ruined the Shinigami's image among Quincy.
Not that he planned to let either survive.
He raised his blade, pointing at them.
"Living idly and dying as if dreaming; binding the truth and fixing the falsehood; pursue the cause and invert the consequence..."
"Oharai Gougi!"
At the release command, his Asauchi morphed into a black-and-red Nodachi, over four feet long.
A black-red ribbon at the hilt fluttered faintly.
The tip of the Nodachi scraped the ground.
This time, Makoto had no interest in banter, only in swift execution.
He advanced, blade dragging behind, its metal screeching against the stone with a scree.
Makoto spoke, his tone calm:
[Let's make a deal.]
[The loser becomes the winner's slave for eternity.]
As he spoke, his clear voice melded with his zanpakuto's childish shout, resonating in the Quincy's ears.
Metalica and Adalbert instinctively looked past him.
A gate, like a portal to hell, loomed behind Makoto.
Even standing still, an oppressive weight gripped their hearts.
As if the vast area around Makoto had become his personal 'stage.'
Their lives, mere scripts for the host to rewrite at will.
The crushing sense of rules was no illusion.
"Adalbert!"
"It's a rule-based ability!"
Sensing the pressure, Metalica shouted to Adalbert.
Adalbert, in sync, extended both hands toward Makoto.
"Exclude him!"
An invisible wave rippled from his palms.
Yet neither Makoto's figure nor the hellish gate wavered.
"How?!"
Metalica and Adalbert stared, stunned.
Their rule-based Schrift, derived from Quincy power, held Yhwach's 'rules' as supreme.
But...
This man's display trampled that axiom underfoot.
Metalica's eyes widened.
Could he even defy His Majesty's rules?!
Meanwhile, Makoto's vision displayed a familiar interface.
[Free World:]
[Pampered Giant Beauty]
[The Day the Pious Nun Falls to Evil (Blonde POV Warning! Flee!)]
[Underground Prison]
[Indoor Arena: No Exit Until All Are Defeated]
[Heretic Who Deceives Heroes]
All but the last seemed dubious.
But as he considered the 'Heretic,' he noticed an unusual prompt on one option.
Makoto eyed the 'Nun' line.
"What's this?"
"Click it."
The thought triggered instantly.
Metalica and Adalbert's pupils contracted.
Their world plunged into formless darkness.
[Free World: The Day the Pious Nun Falls to Evil]
[Theme: Betrayal! Temptation! Faith!]
[Setting: The delicious souls of devout nuns have drawn a bull-headed demon from beyond! Beware, dear nuns! One misstep, and you'll become the demon's slaves.]
[Rules: The Nuns' Faith vs. The Demon's Temptation]
[Note: The true victim is one alone! Yhwach! - A certain Gremlin)]
The panel flashed before Makoto's eyes.
As the darkness lifted from Metalica and Adalbert's vision, they instinctively split apart, scanning warily.
But seeing the scene, their gazes betrayed shock.
"Where... is this?"
Metalica murmured, dazed.
A vast, empty cathedral sprawled before them.
At its forefront, a plaster statue of Yhwach stood, surrounded by twenty-three scantily clad angels kneeling in an arc, each holding a musical instrument.
Colored glass in the towering walls glowed faintly, obscuring the outside.
A ring of cold, ghostly candles flickered around the cathedral.
The dim light and chilling air cast an eerie pall.
Blood trickled across the crimson-carpeted floor.
Faintly, a hymn seemed to echo, yet it felt intangible.
"Metalica, have you seen this cathedral?"
"No, never, huh?!"
At Adalbert's voice, Metalica froze, whipping her head toward him.
Her eyes nearly popped out.
Adalbert, still tall and muscular, now bore a feminine, pear-shaped figure, with wavy dark-blonde hair cascading down. His square face had transformed into a stunningly glamorous one, his chest's curves explosive, easily hiding his toes.
His white Quincy uniform was now a tight black nun's habit.
If not for the metal arm, Metalica wouldn't have recognized him.
Her face screamed apocalypse, as if she'd seen a ghost.
"A-Adalbert?"
"You?"
Her voice trembled.
Adalbert frowned, confused, then glanced down.
A scream, like a pig being skinned alive, tore through the cathedral.
"Where's that bastard?!"
"I'll kill him!"
Adalbert, usually taciturn, wailed with raw fury, eyes red, scanning frantically, ready to fight to the death.
Understandable.
He'd lost his... pride.
Metalica quietly adjusted her skirt, relieved.
No changes there.
Noticing the [3] above Adalbert's head, she frowned.
Their reishi wings still burned.
This state wouldn't last long...
But as she turned to the statue, she saw Makoto leisurely adjusting his collar, strolling down the red carpet toward them.
Like them, he'd changed attire.
Now clad in a full black suit, sharp black bull horns sprouted from his forehead.
A [3] marked him too.
Makoto: Bull-Headed Mode.
He dragged his Nodachi, steps light as he approached.
Catching Metalica's stare at his 'horns,' he turned, tone gentle:
"Surprised?"
"They're detachable."
Makoto tugged a horn, reattaching it with a grin.
"What the hell is this place?!"
Before Metalica could speak, Adalbert roared.
Makoto smiled, tapping his temple: "The memories should be in your heads by now."
"Try recalling."
At his words, Metalica instinctively searched her mind.
The moment she did, unfamiliar information flooded in.
Makoto explained calmly: "As nuns, the stronger your faith, the longer you can fight me."
"These ghostly candles mark your remaining time."
"Kill me within that window, and you win."
Seeing their blank stares, he smiled: "But during this time, I have three chances to [Tempt] you."
"Each chance lets me set a 'rule.'"
He raised his blade, eyeing them with a faint smile:
"Failure means eternal slavery."
"So..."
"Run with all you've got."
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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