Chapter 398: Full-Scale War!
For the past nine years, all Shinigami of the Gotei 13 ranked fourth seat or higher had one learning task:
Memorize the names, characteristics, and abilities of all Sternritter!
Among them, Shinigami from the Mikami Group faced especially strict assessments in this area.
Whenever Bambietta or Ishida Ryūken came to the Soul Society, under Satoru's instructions, they would test each division.
Those who failed to score full marks would receive Satoru's "loving" education.
Therefore, the moment he saw the mohawked Quincy before him, Shiba Isshin recognized this guy's identity!
"What a coincidence. Who would have thought that the rare fire-type Quincy would just happen to run into me."
Isshin grinned.
"Huh? What's so coincidental about that?"
Bazz-B frowned slightly.
Right now, he was in a very bad mood.
That bastard Jugram was such a coward.
Probably scared by Satoru and Yamamoto's door-kicking incident a hundred years ago, that guy had actually given up on directly assaulting the Soul Society.
The Quincy army had been divided into hundreds of squads, simultaneously descending upon various corners of the Seireitei through the Wandenreich's shadow gates.
The Sternritter were also completely scattered, not gathered together.
Before everyone set out, they had only one mission:
Cause as much destruction as possible, create the biggest commotion in the Seireitei, and completely scatter the Gotei 13's focus.
Though he didn't understand the purpose of this order, as His Majesty's knight, he faithfully carried it out.
Hearing Bazz-B's question, Isshin raised his Zanpakutō:
"Because... like you, I'm fire-type too."
As he spoke, he instantly charged before Bazz-B with a smile.
"Burn, Sode no Shirayuki!!"
"!!"
Bazz-B's pupils contracted.
The speed of the man before him far exceeded his expectations.
And that flaming blade, though not yet swung down, just seeing it made him sense the danger it contained!
"Flaming Finger, Two Fingers!!"
Boom!!!!!
A scorching crimson fireball expanded and exploded in the Seireitei's sky!
Swish!!
Isshin shot out from the fireball.
Holding his Zanpakutō, he calmly watched the fireball.
So this is the "Schrift" ability Sōken Ishida and the others mentioned...
With the help of the two "Quincy Hunters," the Seireitei side had gained some understanding of the Wandenreich's various abilities.
Yhwach would distribute his blood to powerful pure-blooded Quincies, granting them power.
This power is known as the "Schrift."
Like the man with the spiky hair before him, his Schrift is "H"—
Heat, scorching heat.
Its manifestation, naturally, is the flames from earlier.
During the thousand years Yhwach was in slumber, he could not bestow his blood upon his subordinates. Therefore, those who rose to prominence during this millennium, such as Bambietta, do not possess Schrift abilities.
Bazz-B, however, is different. He had already been following Yhwach since the war a thousand years ago, so he can wield the power of the Schrift with proficiency.
When facing such an old-timer who has been active for over a thousand years, or even longer, one cannot judge by appearance alone.
As Isshin pondered, the fiery cloud in the sky was torn apart.
Bazz-B emerged unscathed, flashing a ferocious grin at him:
"Good... I thought the Seireitei a thousand years later would have no worthy opponents left. Seeing someone like you now puts my mind at ease."
"If I'm not mistaken, you must be the strongest Shinigami aside from Yamamoto and Satoru, right?"
Hearing this, Isshin, who had been strategizing in his mind, couldn't help but pause.
Then, he burst into laughter.
"Fool, how could that be?"
"Even leaving aside my master... if it came to a direct confrontation, I couldn't confidently claim to be stronger than any other member of the Mikami Group."
Mikami Group?
Hearing this familiar surname, Bazz-B frowned.
However, before he could ask any questions, Isshin had already launched another attack.
Bazz-B snorted.
Forget it, no need for further conversation.
Once he finished off this guy, he could interrogate him at his leisure.
He raised his right hand.
Burning Finger...
Just as he was about to unleash his attack, a sudden sense of foreboding washed over him.
Under Bazz-B's gaze, Isshin's eyes snapped wide open:
"Getsuga... Tenshō!!!"
...
...
Hearing the alarm, Komamura didn't hesitate for a second, using Flash Step to reach the roof of the barracks.
This alarm, through countless drills, had been etched into the DNA of every Captain.
Previously, whenever this alarm sounded, it was always announced in advance to ensure it was a drill.
This time, with no prior notice, its sudden blaring could only mean one thing.
The Quincies had invaded!
As soon as he reached the roof, he saw a massive figure emerge from the shadows.
It was a tall, dark-skinned man.
Standing at 190 centimeters with a powerfully built physique, he exuded an oppressive presence.
Sensing the Reiatsu, the burly man immediately turned his gaze toward Komamura.
The moment he saw Komamura's appearance, he was momentarily taken aback.
Then, he grinned, revealing a smile.
"How interesting... So in the Seireitei, even animals can become Captains?"
Komamura's expression remained calm, utterly unperturbed.
Any insecurity about his appearance had long since been discarded, not long after he joined the Eleventh Division.
If the opponent intended to provoke him with such tactics, it was utterly foolish.
But the burly man seemed to guess his thoughts, shaking his head with a smile:
"Oh, don't worry, I'm not mocking anything."
"I'm genuinely pleased."
"Because..."
As he spoke, his body suddenly began to swell a second time.
In the blink of an eye, he grew to nearly five meters tall.
But even more shocking than his height was his appearance.
What had been a normal-looking man transformed into a fanged, hairy creature resembling a gorilla!
If Satoru were here, he'd surely exclaim "Saiyan!"
The gorilla grinned widely:
"Despair, Shinigami."
"Before absolute power!"
Hearing this, Komamura snorted coldly.
Merely growing larger... and he dares to act so arrogantly?
He drew his Zanpakutō:
"Bankai!"
A black giant rose from behind him.
"Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!"
Watching the hundred-meter-tall giant materialize behind Komamura, the gorilla wore a stunned expression.
"Perish... Quincy!"
Komamura felt no surprise, nor any hesitation, toward the Quincy invasion.
Having undergone countless drills, he had only one approach to dealing with Quincies.
To mercilessly bring down Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō upon them!!
The colossal Myō'ō swung its enormous battleship sword—modified countless times by Mayuri Kurotsuchi—and brought it crashing down toward the gorilla!
The gorilla opened its massive maw.
Schrift, R!
Roar!!!
Destructive sound waves condensed into a terrifying shockwave, surging toward Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!
Instantly, large sections of armor on the Myō'ō's arm shattered, blood spraying from within.
Simultaneously, blood erupted from Komamura's own arm as well.
Seizing the moment as the sword's momentum slowed, the gorilla used Hirenkyaku to retreat beyond the range of the blade's strike.
Watching the sluggish Myō'ō, he grinned.
"I thought something this big would be terrifying, but it's so slow."
"If I'd known, I would've... huh?!"
Before he could finish, under Komamura's gaze, a massive cannon suddenly unfolded on the giant Myō'ō's shoulder.
A beam of light carrying terrifying electric arcs pierced through the air, shooting through the spot where he stood!
A few seconds later, the light beam dissipated.
One of the gorilla's arms had been completely vaporized by the light cannon.
However, he did not despair because of this.
Instead, his white-furred gorilla face revealed a twisted smile mixed with excitement.
Under Komamura's watchful eyes, he suddenly pulled out a pentagram-shaped badge from his chest.
"Your Bankai is indeed strong, able to injure me, a Sternritter, with just one shot."
"But now, your Bankai belongs to me!!"
As he poured Reiatsu into the badge, terrifying streams of black energy surged out, like countless black tentacles, instantly crossing hundreds of meters and piercing into Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō's entire body.
Instantly, Komamura felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.
His Bankai... was slipping away from him!
If he didn't do something, he would likely lose the power of his Bankai next!
How... how could this be possible?!
Damn Quincy!!
He roared, erupting with a towering pillar of Reiatsu, trying to use his spiritual pressure to disperse the black tentacles stealing his Bankai.
But it was futile.
The power of his Bankai was completely stripped from his body.
The giant black Myō'ō vanished into the air, transforming into a ball of energy that flew toward the Quincy badge in the gorilla's hand.
But just then, some Reishi floating in the air flew into the Bankai, following it into the Quincy badge.
Having collected Komamura's Bankai power, the gorilla revealed a triumphant smile.
"Foolish Shinigami, you probably never imagined that your Bankai could be stolen one day."
"And what you'd never expect even more is that your Bankai will be used to kill you yourselves!"
As he spoke, he suddenly raised the badge high:
"Bankai!!"
"Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!!!"
Following the gorilla's shout, the giant black Myō'ō condensed and formed behind him.
But before it could fully materialize, his expression suddenly changed.
Under Komamura's cold gaze, he opened his mouth and vomited a large mouthful of blood!
Blood sprayed from all over his body!
The black Myō'ō behind him instantly disintegrated, turning back into energy that flew back into Komamura's Zanpakutō.
Komamura looked at the Zanpakutō in his hand, showing a somewhat emotional expression.
Before the battle, Satoru had told him that his Bankai's ability might be stolen by the enemy, and if it really happened, he shouldn't fear.
Aizen had already prepared measures in advance to help them.
As expected of Lord Aizen, he actually managed to retrieve the Bankai...
"How is this possible... what kind of joke is this?!"
"Why can't I use the Bankai I absorbed, and why did it injure me instead?!"
The gorilla widened his eyes, roaring in disbelief.
Amid his furious roar, a cold voice sounded nearby:
"Because what you absorbed wasn't just Captain Komamura's power, but mine as well."
The gorilla turned its head in surprise and saw a man with a cold, artistic style, like a ronin straight out of a Japanese Warring States period film.
Looking at this man, Komamura was also somewhat confused.
Especially when he saw the white haori with the number "eleven" printed on the man's body, he furrowed his brows even more.
"Who are you, sir? Why are you wearing the haori of the Eleventh Division captain?"
Although his elder brother was no longer in the Eleventh Division, this position should belong to their Mikami Group, to be inherited by Kenpachi Zaraki. How could it be so casually defiled by someone else?
The man looked at Komamura.
"My name is... Sōya Azashiro, the eighth Kenpachi, former captain of the Eleventh Division."
Hearing this name, Komamura thought for a moment, then widened his eyes.
Sōya Azashiro... Kenpachi Azashiro!
This name was indeed that of a former captain of the Eleventh Division!
But wasn't he imprisoned in Muken for committing a grave crime? How could he be here?
As if guessing his thoughts, Sōya Azashiro slowly said:
"I accepted the advice of Senior Kurayashiki and decided to serve Captain-Commander Mikami and Advisor Aizen."
"I underwent Hollowfication surgery, becoming an existence that possesses both Shinigami and Hollow spiritual powers."
"What is speaking with you now is not my actual self, but a phantom formed by a small portion of the Reishi I scattered throughout the Seireitei in advance."
"Right now... throughout the entire Seireitei, there are traces of Reishi that make up my body everywhere."
"Whether the Quincy try to steal your Bankai or absorb the surrounding Reishi to replenish themselves, they will inevitably absorb my Reishi."
"In other words, they would absorb the Reishi of Hollows."
"As for what happens when a Quincy absorbs the Reiatsu of a Hollow... just look at this guy's condition, and you'll know."
Upon hearing Sōya Azashiro's words, Komamura showed a look of sudden realization.
As for the gorilla, it revealed a somewhat despairing gaze.
If it were just about being unable to seize a Shinigami's Bankai, that wouldn't be much of an issue.
But... being unable to absorb Reishi from the surroundings to replenish oneself—that would be a pure, dimensional downgrade for the Quincy.
Aside from a few powerful individuals who could manage without relying on ambient Reishi for a short time, how many others could withstand such a thing?!
For no apparent reason, he felt a sense of foreboding.
This full-scale revenge... probably wouldn't end well...
...
...
Above the Fifth Division, Shinji Hirako swung his Zanpakutō, engaged in constant combat with a green-haired, female Quincy whose hands crackled with lightning.
Facing this woman, he couldn't help but feel like he'd been screwed over by Komamura.
He deeply regretted ever opening his mouth.
The woman's name was Candice Catnipp.
At first, using Sakanade's ability to invert directional senses, Hirako held the absolute upper hand, brimming with confidence.
To showcase his overwhelming advantage, he gleefully laughed and revealed Sakanade's ability.
After hearing it, Candice showed a look of sudden realization.
Then, she began unleashing lightning across the entire area.
Shinji Hirako was truly paralyzed.
Not just in a psychological sense, but physically as well.
The lightning from the power of the Schrift was far more terrifying than ordinary lightning. Every strike left his entire body numb and difficult to move.
Damn it, if this continues, I'll lose...
Just as Shinji Hirako frowned under immense pressure, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Heh."
"Captain Hirako, it seems you're in a tough fight."
Hearing this voice, Hirako twitched at the corner of his eye and turned to look...
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