After escorting Rukia-chan back to the Palace of Penitence, Amamiya Miyako called out to Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentarō Kotsubaki, entrusting them with taking Shiba Ganju and Yamada Hanatarō to the Fourth Division for treatment.
On his way back, Miyako suddenly felt a surge of reiryoku burst from near the Palace of Penitence. 'This timing… could it be Ishida Uryū?' he thought, recalling the battle he knew would happen between Uryū and Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Without hesitation, Miyako gave a few quick instructions to Kiyone and Sentarō, then dashed toward the overwhelming presence.
In the midst of a ruined street, Mayuri Kurotsuchi stood with excitement glinting in his eyes, gazing at Ishida Uryū.
"Oooh… Ranrōtengai." Mayuri's lips curled into a twisted smile. "Should I call you a genius, Quincy boy?"
From the Quincy subjugation two hundred years ago, to his relentless pursuit of Quincies in the Human World afterward, Mayuri had gathered two thousand six hundred and sixty-one Quincy subjects in total for experimentation. Yet the results had always left him deeply disappointed.
The Quincy of two centuries ago, though capable of manipulating spirit particles with Reishi-gunshū (spirit particle gathering), lacked the terrifying combat ability recorded from the Quincy of a thousand years ago. None of them, not a single one, displayed battle arts as fearsome as Ranrōtengai.
Even in the ancient archives of the Soul Society, Ranrōtengai was spoken of as a forbidden Quincy technique—a puppeteer's art that forced a broken body to keep moving. That such a skill had never resurfaced convinced Mayuri it had been lost to history.
But now, to see it here, with his own eyes… Mayuri shuddered in ecstasy. 'Could it be the Ishida family? Ishida Sōken, and now Uryū… perhaps they possess a unique inheritance, passed only through bloodline?'
He remembered only dissecting Ishida Sōken at the edge of death. That frail, dying old man hadn't revealed anything of such power.
"Excellent, excellent!" Mayuri hissed with joy. "I won't kill you, Ishida-kun. I'll take you back alive. Unlike that old man, I'll make sure you live long enough to be of real use. Your value as research material will be extraordinary. And of course…" his tongue twisted with malice, "the girl who accompanied you too."
Those words struck Uryū like fire against dry grass. His eyes narrowed; fury burned in his veins, though his face remained calm. His decision was already made.
Even if he lost everything—even if his Quincy power was destroyed forever—he would destroy this monster before him.
'Gomen nasai, Sōken-jii… forgive me, Master. I will go against your teachings.'
With a solemn resolve, Ishida raised his other hand and pulled open the restraint on his Sanrei Glove.
The silver threads dissolved into nothing, the glove crumbling into dust. In the same instant, a colossal wave of reiryoku exploded from Uryū's body. The surge wasn't just beyond human—his power now rivaled, even surpassed, the level of certain Gotei 13 Captains.
Amamiya Miyako arrived just then, his eyes widening at the overwhelming sight before him.
"Quincy… Letzt Stil…" Miyako whispered, trembling as the sheer pressure crushed down on him. His heart pounded—shock, fear, and envy all twisting together. Somewhere deep inside, that hidden "something" in his soul shivered as if longing for such power.
Mayuri, too, felt the sweat bead across his face. This reiryoku… it already towered over his own.
Behind Uryū, majestic reishi wings spread wide. With a simple gesture, particles of light swirled into his hand, compressing into arrows—not the usual transparent shafts, but hardened, crystallized arrows of pure destruction.
'T-this… to compress reishi into solid form! So this… this is the true power of the Quincy!' Miyako's heart raced uncontrollably as he watched.
Uryū raised his bow. His first shot was casual, almost dismissive, an arrow loosed without much energy. Yet when it flew, Mayuri's eyes bulged—it was far swifter than any arrow Uryū had fired before.
"Tch, if that's all…" Mayuri muttered. With a sharp tilt of his head, he barely dodged.
But Uryū was already gone from sight. In the next heartbeat, he appeared above Mayuri, loosing another arrow downward. His voice was cold, mocking.
"Beg for mercy, then vanish from my sight forever, Mayuri. If you do, I might even let you crawl away."
The explosion tore through the ground. Mayuri staggered, blood spraying, his entire arm ripped away. His grotesque frame shook uncontrollably as he tried to steady himself.
"And the next one," Uryū's voice rang, devoid of warmth, "will be three times stronger."
"You damn brat…!" Mayuri snarled, trembling between rage and terror. "Don't underestimate me! Don't you dare!"
His eyes burned with insanity. This was no longer a matter of curiosity—it was survival. He could not, would not, allow himself to lose here.
"Bankai! Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō!"
In a grotesque display, his Zanpakutō writhed and expanded, birthing a monstrous golden infant. Its huge, unblinking gray eyes bulged; a metallic ring floated like a mockery of a halo above its head. Countless serrated blades jutted from its neck, while centipede-like limbs writhed beneath, its lower body cloaked in a crimson mantle.
The abomination loomed, shrieking.
Miyako grit his teeth, the oppressive air pressing against his chest. Even as grotesque as it was, he couldn't tear his eyes away.
Uryū, however, remained utterly unshaken. His wings beat once, and another arrow shimmered to life in his hand.
Even before this horrifying sight, Ishida Uryū did not waver. "Bankai, huh? If that's all you've got, then victory is still mine," he muttered, calm but resolute.
He extended his arm, summoning another shimmering reishi arrow with ease. Though the blood dripping from his palm betrayed the strain on his body, he still raised his bow with composure.
The golden infant lunged forward, screeching. Uryū narrowed his eyes, drew the string back, and released his third arrow.
The arrow pierced straight through Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō's body—its twisted flesh splitting apart—before tearing through Mayuri himself. The Captain's midsection dissolved into nothing.
"…Quincy: Letzt Stil. One arrow that can pierce through a Captain's Bankai…"
Amamiya Miyako, hidden in the shadows, clenched his fists tightly. He knew the defensive capabilities of Mayuri's grotesque Bankai. For Uryū to pierce it in one shot proved just how overwhelming the Quincy's power had become.
But Mayuri was no ordinary foe. His body melted into liquid form, seeping away into the cracks of Seireitei.
Uryū staggered, collapsing onto one knee. His breathing was ragged. The poison had already infiltrated his body. Even with the incredible boost of the Sanrei Glove and Ranrōtengai, he was reaching his limit.
Nemu appeared, offering him a vial. "Drink this."
The antidote coursed through his veins, alleviating the poison just enough. Without another word, Uryū turned his back and left.
Only when Miyako sensed no other presence nearby did he step into the open. He stood before the weakened Quincy, his tone quiet but firm.
"You really are amazing, Uryū-san. To wound a Captain to that extent… as expected of you."
Hearing his name, Uryū stiffened instantly. His bow flickered to life once more, reishi gathering in his palm despite his injuries. His sharp eyes studied Miyako carefully. "Amamiya… Miyako? You were watching the whole time?"
"That's right. And because of that, I'll tell you something." Miyako's expression grew cold. "This is as far as you should go. Don't move forward. Now is not the time to save Kuchiki-san."
"What did you just say?" Uryū frowned, his voice sharp. The faint light of determination still burned in his exhausted frame. "She's right there. Just one step more and I can save her. Are you going to stand in my way?"
Miyako shook his head slowly. "No one can save her… not as long as he wills it." His voice carried an ominous weight.
The Quincy's jaw tightened. He couldn't understand Miyako's words, but one thing was clear—this man intended to stop him.
Uryū raised his bow again, forcing his shaking arms to steady. "Then so be it. I won't retreat."
"Yare yare…" Miyako sighed, his twin Zanpakutō gleaming as he drew them. "Separate… Shinya Zetsunen!"
In his hands, the twin blades dissolved into reishi and reformed as a bow and arrow, pulsing with dense spiritual energy. He leveled it at Uryū without hesitation.
"You can barely stand, Uryū-san. Do you really think you can continue? I'll put you to rest. Consider it my thanks."
The Quincy's arms trembled as he tried to lift his bow. His vision blurred. His body screamed in protest, and even Heilig Pfeil was almost impossible to conjure now.
"Don't mock me…!" he rasped.
But Miyako's calm voice cut through. "You've shown me the true power of a Quincy. For that, I'll repay you. But keep what you see here a secret, or I won't explain anything after this."
As he spoke, reishi swirled around his form, gathering with impossible precision.
Uryū's eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat. "Th-this reishi flow… it's… Reishi Manipulation!?" His voice cracked in disbelief. "Impossible…!"
Sweat poured down his face as he watched the arrow condense in Miyako's hand, more refined and stable than anything he had seen.
The shot was released. A flash of light filled the air.
The last thing Uryū saw was Miyako's calm gaze before his consciousness slipped away.
'Reishi Manipulation… from a Shinigami… how can that be…'
His body slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Miyako sighed quietly, lowering his bow. "Rest now, Uryū-san." He hoisted the weakened Quincy onto his shoulder and headed toward the barracks of the Fourth Division.
…
Far away, in the icy fortress of the Wandenreich, the battle was being watched.
Inside the grand palace of silvery white, the Sternritter gathered. Golden-haired Jugram Haschwalth observed without a flicker of emotion.
"Oi, oi, are the Human World Quincy still using that antique technique?" Bazz-B scoffed, leaning against a pillar with a smirk.
"Tch. Shut your mouth, Bazz-B." Kirge Opie's sharp gaze lingered on the scene. "For one his age, to master Ranrōtengai and even Quincy: Letzt Stil… that's not something to underestimate. He's shown remarkable talent."
"Hah! Doesn't matter. Those relics are outdated. We Sternritter have Quincy: Vollständig!" Bambietta twirled her hair, rolling her eyes. "But still… that Shinigami boy. Why in the world can he use Reishi Manipulation like a Quincy? That makes no sense at all."
Haschwalth's stoic eyes narrowed slightly. 'Ishida Uryū… and Amamiya Miyako… both are irregulars.'
He turned, his footsteps echoing as he left the chamber.
"Oi, Jugram! Where are you going?" Bazz-B called after him.
Haschwalth did not look back. "To wait for His Majesty's awakening. I must report to Yhwach-sama… about Ishida Uryū and Amamiya Miyako."
The icy halls of the Wandenreich trembled as he disappeared into the shadows, carrying their names straight to the Emperor of the Quincy.