The immobile Quilge couldn't dodge the descending black blade — his brain was instantly shredded.
"Ng..."
Quilge's pupils lost focus. He fell silent.
He wasn't like Gremmy, a powerhouse who relied on unique abilities.
Quilge could be considered a textbook elite Quincy of the Invisible Empire — a model warrior whose capabilities were refined across the board.
In his Vollständig form, Quilge was far more troublesome. If he had activated Ransōtengai, it would've taken Nanatsuki far longer to kill him.
That's why Nanatsuki didn't hold back — he switched into Blut Arterie, unleashed his full power, and eliminated him in one strike.
'No wonder he was a Sternritter instructor. He could actually sense my use of Reishi Convergence... Maybe that form enhances sensitivity to Reishi... When I released Getsuga Tenshō at Gremmy earlier, he didn't notice a thing.'
Nanatsuki reflected inwardly.
Quilge's final question made it clear — he had sensed that Nanatsuki had used Reishi Control to fire Getsuga Tenshō.
The move normally required a charge period to execute.
But by drawing Reishi from the air, Nanatsuki could reduce the charge time and minimize his own spiritual energy consumption.
He crouched beside Quilge's corpse and removed the silver pentagram emblem from his black glove.
"A spiritual tool... seems similar to the Heilig Rüstung."
The moment he held it in his hand, Nanatsuki felt something stir — the surrounding Reishi became more responsive.
He glanced at his status interface — his Reishi Convergence level had risen again.
[Basic Ability (Quincy): Reishi Control Lv.80 (+6), Blut Vene Lv.80, Blut Arterie Lv.80, Hiryūkyaku Lv.60]
The bonus had increased from +5 to +6.
He tested it by removing the chain wrapped around his forearm — the bonus dropped back down to +5.
"Wearing multiple spiritual tools of the same type severely reduces amplification."
Nanatsuki tucked the pentagram badge inside his coat pocket, wearing it close to the body.
Even with diminished gains, the dual amplification was still a net benefit.
"Captain, are you thinking of replacing your lieutenant?"
Urahara Shunpo'd over with a disgruntled look — he had been caught near the blast radius and looked a little ragged.
"If so, I'd like to throw my name in. I can do a better job," Mayuri chimed in, arriving as well.
On the other side of the battlefield, the fight had ended.
Gremmy wasn't stupid — once he saw Quilge defeated so quickly, he realized he had little chance of winning against three powerful opponents. Taking advantage of the chaos, he opened a Shadow Space and fled.
Nanatsuki had been too focused on Quilge to stop him.
"The enemy's tricky. If we want to end this quickly, we need to strike first and decisively." Nanatsuki pulled out his Denreishinki. "I've received multiple communications... Haven't even had time to check them."
As field commander, he couldn't afford to spend too much time on a single front — he needed to assist the others.
He reviewed the incoming messages.
The Technology Development Bureau had recently upgraded the Denreishinki to allow text transmission. In live combat, voice communication risked leaking intel.
"Sosuke and Isshin encountered serious resistance... multiple elite Quincy?"
Aizen Sosuke and Shiba Isshin hadn't asked for help, but the message was old — and if they were facing elite members of the Sternritter, Nanatsuki couldn't take any chances.
"I'll head over to assist," he replied.
Sosuke quickly responded with a "Received." Isshin did not reply.
The second message was from Akon:
"Akon found the Quincy's settlement, but their numbers are too great. The 12th Division alone might suffer heavy casualties."
Akon had departed earlier to locate their base.
"Second and Seventh Divisions have received reinforcements and medical support. We're expanding the front quickly."
That one came from Shihoin Yoruichi and Love Aikawa — reporting success.
"Isane and Kana have returned to Soul Society."
The final message came from Kotetsu Isane and Azashiro Kana, letting them know they were safe.
Nanatsuki contacted Muguruma Kensei:
"Kensei, bring Isane with you and lead your squad to Naruki District. Assist Akon in eliminating the Quincy encampment."
Kensei's voice came through the Denreishinki:
"Wasn't that your sector? Are the enemies that strong?"
"I need to support another front. Take over this one," Nanatsuki replied.
"Understood. I'm on my way."
Kensei also had Bankai, but Nanatsuki preferred to bring Urahara and Mayuri to aid Sosuke and Isshin — their adaptability would be crucial.
It was highly likely that Sosuke and Isshin had encountered members of the Sternritter.
Their powers were notoriously unpredictable. Urahara and Mayuri were best suited to handling them.
"Let's move. We're heading to support the Northern Sea front."
Nanatsuki looked to his companions.
They stood beside Quilge's corpse, deep in discussion.
"Just two or three decades ago, there weren't this many powerful Quincy..." Mayuri frowned. "Their numbers are exploding."
After the last Quincy purge, the survivors in the World of the Living had been few — weak, in hiding, barely able to hunt Hollows.
Now, their forces had grown stronger than before that purge.
It didn't make sense.
"Maybe it's just human nature... fast breeding, fast growth," Urahara mused, scratching his chin. "Quincy are still human, technically."
Even as he said it, he wasn't convinced. Something felt off.
This war had seen Soul Society mobilize more power than ever — captains, lieutenants, elite squads.
And yet things weren't going as smoothly as they'd hoped.
"That's... a stretch," Mayuri sneered. "After the war, we'll need a full count of Quincy — especially their elites."
World of the Living — North Sea
After arriving, Aizen and Isshin planned a decapitation strike — sneak into the Quincy settlement, eliminate the strong, and reduce losses for the 5th and 10th Divisions.
But on the way, they ran into a group of powerful elite Quincy.
"Sosuke, these guys aren't pushovers. They're all pure-blooded Quincy," Isshin observed.
The hierarchy among Quincy was clear.
Pure-blooded and mixed-blood Quincy were usually in master-servant relationships. Their uniforms also differed.
The ones they spotted wore pristine white — an outfit only purebloods were allowed to wear.
Bloodline had a massive impact on strength. Pureblood Quincy were almost always far superior.
That made them the perfect targets for assassination.
"Hmm... they're praying to that altar?"
Sosuke frowned. Their Reiatsu was well-hidden.
What drew his attention wasn't them — but a faint Reiatsu pulse from a tiny stone idol on the altar.
It was a small, hand-sized stone statue.
The Quincy seemed to be holding a ritual. The statue gave off a strange pressure.
"Quincy worship gods?" Isshin tried to recall anything from past intelligence. "They used to have a Quincy King..."
"Let's get closer. Maybe we can hear what they're saying."
As they listened, a blond Quincy in prayer was speaking:
"Your strength... is indispensable."
"We are here to invite you to Wandenreich."
"Who's there?!"
Just as Sosuke and Isshin approached, multiple Heilig Pfeile shot toward them.
They had suppressed their Reiatsu, but not enough to avoid detection.
Both vanished with Shunpo to dodge.
"This is bad... they're not amateurs," Isshin said grimly, landing on another branch.
Strong Quincy could sense the flow of Reishi — hiding Reiatsu wasn't enough.
These guys were elite.
"Shinigami?"
A voice came from behind Isshin — he turned in alarm.
A Quincy had appeared right behind him.
He had short hair, a beard, square glasses, and an aged, serious face.
His hands were clasped behind his back, posture perfectly straight.
Clang—!
Isshin reacted instantly, slashing toward the man's waist.
The old Quincy calmly stepped back, his stomach flexing to avoid the strike.
"Fast reactions. Sharp strikes. You're one of the Shinigami elite."
Robert Accutrone assessed him quietly.
He had seen many battles — even against elite Shinigami, he remained unfazed.
Robert was one of the first Quincy to follow Yhwach, and had participated in previous invasions of Soul Society.
"What, you wanna lecture me, old man?" Isshin clicked his tongue, annoyed.
"I don't mind," Robert replied blandly, showing no reaction to the insult.
"Save it!" Isshin lashed out.
Clack—!
His eyes widened — the old man had caught his blade between two fingers!
Blue lines covered Robert's hand.
Blut Vene.
"Your aggression is good, but your edge needs more refinement. Perhaps speed can make up for it."
Robert's calm tone grated on Isshin's nerves.
Elsewhere, Aizen Sosuke was surrounded by more enemies.
Most eye-catching was a fully armored Quincy — head to toe in metal.
But Sosuke's eyes lingered on another one — the one with the single curved bang above his brow.
'Maybe I should try that hairstyle someday.'
"Hey, what are you staring at me for?" Askin Nakk Le Vaar folded his arms, speaking lazily.
"I'm not even the main fighter here, y'know. Don't focus on me!"
He blew at his bang.
"Is that so? I believe true strength lies in knowing how to hide."
Sosuke scanned the rest.
Something bothered him.
The blond Quincy from before — the one who had stood at the center — was now gone.
Aside from the armored one and the stylish one, there was also a hulking, gorilla-like Quincy with wild body hair.
'Three are missing. One's with Isshin. Where are the other two?'
He glanced back at the altar — and his eyes narrowed.
The Reiatsu he sensed from the statue earlier was gone.
That let him overlook it for a moment — but now, the blond Quincy had returned.
Standing beside him was another Quincy...
And in front of them, a short figure cloaked in a white hood.
'Another Quincy? When did they appear?'
Sosuke felt things slipping out of control.
"What are you staring at, Shinigami trash?!"
The gorilla-like brute raised his massive fist and lunged at Sosuke's face.
At the same time, the armored Quincy moved behind him.
From under his cloak, he revealed a modern firearm — a machine gun far beyond this era.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
A barrage of Reishi bullets flew toward Sosuke.
"Hadō #63: Sōren Sōkatsui!" Sosuke raised a hand and fired twin beams of thunderfire, forcing the gorilla back.
Clang—!
With a quick slash, he split all incoming bullets clean in half.
"Talk about unlucky... I ran into a tough one. But hey, at least we've got numbers. Hamm, Nein, you're both strong — take him out, yeah?"
Askin didn't move at all, lazily chattering like some seasoned slacker.
"Of course! Just one little Shinigami..." The gorilla man formed a Reishi spear. "I'll kill him myself!"
THUD—!
Just as he said it, Aizen Sosuke appeared beneath him — and drove an uppercut into his jaw.