"Scattered Spirit… Gloves?!"
Among the Sternritter present, some wore puzzled expressions.
But more of them felt their hearts jolt.
Scattered Spirit Gloves.
What an ancient name—had it been more than a thousand years since anyone last heard it?
Yet they still remembered it clearly.
Because back before Holy Schrift and before the Quincy's Complete Holy Form existed, this had been the strongest power and posture a Quincy could possess.
Its essence was this: with the Scattered Spirit Gloves, the Quincy diffused reishi at an ultra-high density.
And once the wearer removed the gloves, the surrounding reishi would be forcibly absorbed—
Reishi "subordination."
But that state exceeded what a human body could withstand.
So after the state ended, that Quincy would lose all of their abilities.
Even if they could regain their Quincy power later, the process was excruciating and difficult.
That was why, after Quincy mastered Complete Holy Form and Holy Schrift, the vast majority stopped training this ability.
Cang's brows knitted tightly.
"A relic from a thousand years ago… and you're still using it now?"
As he spoke, a deep unease rose in him.
Scattered Spirit was an ancient technique, yes—but it had never become obsolete, because it was a suicidal last-resort move.
The reason Quincy a thousand years ago could clash head-on with Shinigami was because of Scattered Spirit—
Absorbing the boundless reishi of Seireitei, stepping into a state beyond oneself, dominating reishi—strength would rise by hundreds of times.
And to prevent that form from forcibly ending, Quincy also paired it with a specific tool—
Chaotic Heavenly Puppet.
Its essence was this: the Quincy connected countless reishi stitched into thread-like strands onto body parts that could no longer move.
Using those threads to forcefully manipulate the body like a puppet.
It was the highest battle reishi technique—created so that even as the body turned to dust, the Quincy could keep fighting.
Torn tendons and shattered bones became meaningless before this technique.
If a Quincy used this battle technique, they would fight until they were ground into pieces—entering a state of death before surrender.
The reason the Military Police Corps was still honored to this day—
Was because back then, nearly all members of the 847th Military Police unit used Chaotic Heavenly Puppet,
Until they were burned to ash by Yamamoto.
Cole saw what Cang was thinking and smiled.
"Relax. I'm not going to use Chaotic Heavenly Puppet. It's not to that point yet."
Mainly because I don't know how… Cole muttered silently to himself.
If he'd learned that battle technique from Ishida, he really wouldn't have minded trying it here.
Unfortunately, Ishida had never used it.
And because reishi threads were so complex, it was basically impossible for him to create it from scratch.
Only then did Cang and the others feel their hearts loosen slightly.
They really didn't want a life-or-death slaughter.
Because with what Cole had shown, if it became a fight to the death, their side would definitely take heavy losses.
No one wanted to be the sacrifice.
Jugram still wore that cold, indifferent expression.
"Even so, what's the point of using the Scattered Spirit state? Once it ends, won't you be powerless anyway?"
Cole's lips curled.
"What a stupid question! If I improved Blut, why wouldn't I also improve the Scattered Spirit state while I was at it?"
The Quincy present couldn't help but shudder.
Improved the Scattered Spirit state?!
Improved to what extent?!
Was the Quincy's "final form" from a thousand years ago about to shine again in this era?!
At this moment, even Jugram lost that lofty composure. His eyes locked onto Cole, heavy and solemn.
"You… are you telling the truth?"
"Why don't you watch and find out?" Cole laughed.
He spread both arms. He didn't seem to do anything—
And yet the surrounding buildings instantly turned into reishi.
In the blink of an eye—
The buildings, the ground, even all inorganic matter nearby began to glow with faint blue light at visible speed.
Tiny blue reishi particles—so small they were almost imperceptible—floated up like fireflies.
Everything inorganic was being reishi-ified.
Seeing that dreamlike scene, Cang's face changed.
"He turned such a wide area of buildings into reishi subordination… how did he do that? I didn't even see him take off the gloves…"
Compared to Shinigami, Quincy controlled reishi with far greater precision—almost like masters of reishi itself.
That was why they could draw out the destructive power in spirit energy—
The power of annihilation.
And now, Cole had transformed everything around into reishi and forcibly dominated it, keeping it circling his body.
He was a reishi dominator beyond everyone else.
"No… I can't steal it back…"
As Nödt stared at Cole, his expression grim.
He'd tried to seize the reishi Cole dominated—
And realized he simply couldn't outcompete him.
Compared to the Sternritter's shock, Cole himself felt a trace of emotion.
"So I really was a Quincy all along…"
After learning about reishi subordination within the Wandenreich, he'd carried a suspicion in his heart.
Quincy dominated reishi to attack.
And he could absorb reishi without limit.
So what if he didn't absorb it into himself—
What if he used it directly as an attack method?
Honestly, he'd never tried.
Because a Shinigami's power was from inside to outside—drawing spirit power into the body, then releasing it.
But Quincy were different.
A Quincy's power was more from outside to inside—
Using the world's reishi directly as their weapon.
That was also why Ishida's body was so frail.
Because you controlled reishi—you didn't use reishi to strengthen your body.
No matter how terrifying your attack power was, your body was still a normal human body.
If the world's reishi vanished, a Quincy would become an ordinary person.
As he thought, the reishi in the air grew so dense it dyed the sky blue—like being submerged in a dreamlike ocean.
And Cole felt something strange.
Like he could freely command every last particle.
"Quincy… the race that rules spirit power."
"Truly living up to the name."
After praising it in his heart, Cole raised his right hand and pointed at Jugram in the distance.
"Great Holy Bow!"
The moment his words fell, countless blue reishi in the sky fused and compressed, forming a gigantic azure spirit bow.
Hexagonal segments connected together.
Calling it a bow almost felt wrong—
It looked more like a magic array.
A massive javelin-like blue arrow formed in the sky, as if it could be fired at any moment.
Any Quincy who saw that arrow felt their heart quake, as though they'd be erased in the next second.
This was the pinnacle of annihilation power—
A force that could erase the traces of a person's existence from the root.
To vanish completely from the world—
Not even leaving a chance to go to hell.
Not only ordinary Quincy— even Sternritter like Meninas, Liltotto, Giselle, and the others—
All went pale at the sight of that azure arrow.
Only then did they understand:
From start to finish, Cole had barely taken their earlier fight seriously.
Otherwise, if that arrow hit them once, there wouldn't be time for anger or pain—
They'd be reduced to reishi dust, erased on the spot.
Before everyone's eyes—
The azure arrow shot out violently.
Hesitation flickered in Cang's eyes, but he quickly made his decision. He thrust both hands toward the arrow and roared:
"Stop it—block it!!!"
He pushed Seimonji: Kōtetsu (Holy Schrift: Iron) to the extreme.
He clenched his fists and held them before his chest, gathering massive spirit pressure—then, in an instant, steel-blue airflow surged out.
It took the shape of a giant serpent—
Moving like a massive python—
And smashed into the rear of the azure arrow.
After doing that, he stared at the arrow with desperate expectation.
This was his Holy Schrift's strongest offense and strongest defense.
In his eyes, it could block anything.
But that steel python—despite its defense—began to crack apart inch by inch before the azure arrow.
The arrow didn't slow at all as it flew toward Jugram.
And behind the first arrow—
More azure arrows fired in succession.
Seeing that, Jugram had no choice but to act.
"A remarkable ability… truly frightening."
He drew the long sword hidden in his clothing. Unlike other Quincy weapons, his was a real, physical blade.
He stepped lightly—
And the strongest Hirenkyaku (Flying Sickle Steps) Cole had ever seen activated.
Jugram's figure appeared instantly before the azure arrow.
His long sword swung down.
A thunderous boom erupted, and blue light exploded at the center of the clash.
To Cole's surprise—
Jugram's single slash actually shattered the azure arrow, and he immediately struck at the second.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Explosions echoed through the sky as arrow after arrow was cut apart.
Even Yoruichi down below was stunned.
"Wait—this guy is that strong?!"
She could sense how terrifying Cole's holy bow was—an all-destroying force that could even clash head-on with the Captain-Commander's Bankai.
As she spoke, she did something—some unknown method—and her voice appeared by Cole's ear.
"Cole, are you okay?!"
Cole raised an eyebrow.
"Yoruichi-san, compared to that, I'm more curious how you're transmitting your voice to me."
Yoruichi curled her lips.
"I'm a member of the Divine Arsenal Corps. Carrying a couple of divine artifacts on me is normal, isn't it?"
Cole understood. So it was those ridiculous "divine artifacts" again.
Yoruichi urged quickly, "Cole, stop messing around—answer me. Can you handle that guy? Don't get forced back into a Shinigami form."
Before today, she'd believed Cole's Quincy forms were enough to let him walk sideways through the Wandenreich.
Who would've thought a monster like this was hidden here?
In terms of combat power—
He practically surpassed every Shinigami captain.
He might even be able to trade blows with the Captain-Commander.
And if Jugram was this strong…
Then how terrifying would Yhwach, who was stronger than him, be?!
Cole exhaled, speaking in a barely audible voice.
"Well…"
"Lower your voice, lower your voice! Don't say it out loud—just use spirit power to communicate to my ear," Yoruichi cut in urgently.
She was terrified Cole's voice would be heard.
After all, these Quincy abilities were too bizarre—
Even more bizarre than a Shinigami's zanpakuto.
Cole cursed her as a troublesome woman in his mind, then guided his voice with spirit power.
"Relax. Handling him isn't a problem. And he's not as strong as you think—this is probably his ability at work."
"Ability?" Yoruichi looked confused.
Cole didn't explain further. He simply narrowed his eyes, staring at Jugram.
Because when Jugram attacked, Cole kept feeling a strange sense of wrongness.
In his perception, Jugram hadn't used brute force to cut his Heilig Pfeil apart.
It felt more like his Heilig Pfeil had somehow "failed"—
As if its power had been reduced by dozens of times.
What exactly is this guy's Holy Schrift?!
(End of Chapter)
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