Chapter 96
"Solar Flare!"
The bright light, as dazzling as a summer day, instantly blinded Krien!
This is a modified version of the 20th Hadō Shōtenkyū: instead of releasing light bullets, it converts all Reiatsu into strong light that has no actual destructive power, which can have an unexpected effect in close combat.
The surrounding snowy environment and glass walls further amplified the power of the Solar Flare; moreover, the stimulation from enhancing a certain sense could weaken the opponent's other senses for a short period of time.
Following closely behind—
"Whoosh."
Haruto Shunpo to rush forward.
Approaching an opponent rashly is unwise, but the Quincy class is ultimately not good at close combat compared to the Soul Reapers.
This is also how Quincy protect themselves, since they don't have the convenient ability to Kaidō; and the existence of Hollows is no different from poison to Quincy, at best polluting their bloodline and at worst causing death. Choosing to fight from a distance can be considered a result of "survival of the fittest".
"Sizzle!"
The sound of tearing fabric rang out.
The luxurious and fitted pure white trench coat that Krien was wearing was cut into two irregular pieces by a simple and unadorned cassock.
"Whoosh!"
Until this point.
The sound of the Hirenkyaku stepping forward had just begun.
Without sustaining any injuries, Krien successfully distanced himself from Haruto.
"..."
Are you kidding me?
However, the fact that he was not injured only further enraged Krien, who had just been able to Eye Opening.
Whether it was through Hadō or Zanpakuto release, Haruto had a better chance to injure him, yet he chose to use such a simple and unadorned method of humiliation as tearing his clothes... When has Krien ever received such "mercy"?
How could that be?
Haruto swung the blade.
To be able to Quincy at the Vice-Captain-level, even a low-level Hadō like the Shōtenkyū would require a considerable concentration of Reiatsu.
And what if the Solar Flare doesn't work?
Haruto concealed his second incantation to protect himself in case the test failed, which is why he didn't concentrate too much power on the slash.
So--
"It's just an experiment."
"Test?"
Krien's eyes narrowed to the size of Haruto's; he was quite unhappy.
"Um."
"Let's test if you can dodge that last strike."
"... What's the meaning?"
Krien had a bad feeling about what Haruto was about to say.
"Of course, it's ability."
Haruto pointed to his heart with his free arm.
"By injecting Reishi into the bloodstream, the body's defenses are greatly enhanced; this is the innate ability of Pure-Blood Quincy."
"Blut Vene."
Haruto explained to Krien with a half-smile.
"As a passive defensive ability, if you had Blut Vene, you wouldn't have needed to dodge my attack at all."
"Even though I just said so much..."
That being said...
After training, Mixed-Blood Quincy may also be able to master the Blut Vene —however, that is a technology of the Wandenreich, and Quincy like Krien have no opportunity to come into contact with it.
"... But you don't seem to be a pureblood, do you?"
"!!"
Haruto's casual remark completely enraged Krien:
"Asshole!"
A dense flow of Reishi converged in Krien's hands.
"Blut Vene? Bloodline doesn't matter at all!"
Two small storms of Reishi caused the surrounding air to solidify.
"Wait until you witness my true power, then let's see if you can still say such things!"
――――
Volume 1: Chapter 61, What Leads Towards Death
Krien's two palms slowly approached each other.
The rotating cluster of Reishi attracted each other and gradually transformed into a giant crossbow bolt.
"Kid!"
Krien raised the Reishi crossbow bolt in his hand high.
"This is my Heilig Pfeil!"
The Reishi inside the crossbow bolt are arranged extremely tightly, so it's definitely not a technique meant to trigger an explosion; if you want to deflect the opponent's attack path with your Zanpakuto like before... just look at the size of this Heilig Pfeil and you'll know it's unlikely.
It's impossible to dodge. Just like the first Heilig Pfeil, with Nanao and the heavily injured Togakushi Gori Haruto, if he dodges, the attack will hit the Tōzanshō without any hindrance.
Judging from the force just now, Tōzanshō wouldn't be able to withstand this attack.
But!
Such a time-consuming charging-up ultimate move—
"Whoosh."
Haruto Shunpo appeared behind Krien.
"!?"
—Why not just interrupt it?
The Quincy's Heilig Pfeil is divided into three levels.
In normal combat, they use a bow and arrow constructed from Silver Cross, held in one hand; when they need to enhance their destructive power, they use both hands to conjure a giant crossbow shaped like a throwing spear, like Krien; their ultimate method is to use Reishi barrier, which takes a lot of time to construct, as a super-large crossbow for combat.
Different Quincy employ different fighting methods, but the various variations of the Heilig Pfeil are basically derived from these three forms.
By the way...
Above that is the highest-grade, extra-specification Heilig Pfeil used by Yhwach himself:
Sankt Bogen.
Haruto's understanding of Quincy techniques is no less than that of the current Gotei 13; Krien's Reiatsu (his control over Reishi in the natural environment) is only at the Vice-Captain-level, and his second form, Heilig Pfeil, is his limit.
In other words...
This move was indeed his deadly trump card, used without reservation.
Therefore, as long as Krien's charging process is interrupted, the backlash from the Heilig Pfeil alone will be enough to help Haruto secure the victory.
So.
"Whoosh!"
Haruto decided to betray him.
However...
Just as Haruto used Shunpo to teleport away.
"Kid."
Krien said without turning his head.
"Bite."
Directly beneath this building, a Quincy in the shape of a pentagram had appeared at some point...
The setup is complete.
"?"
Haruto's movements stiffened for a moment.
You're still too inexperienced.
While the two were exchanging trash talk, Krien had already quietly placed the weapon known as the "Seele Schneider".
The prop was thrown to the ground.
The reason he used the Hirenkyaku Kick to dodge to this position was precisely to unleash the full power of the formation.
This was a trap specifically designed to target Haruto.
"Be burned to ashes by the high concentration of Reishi flames."
"Sprenger!"
A dazzling light shot into the sky.
The Reishi ignited into a pillar of blue fire, and the extremely destructive high temperature was completely condensed inside the pentagram-shaped magic circle.
Its power is enough to instantly kill any opponent of the same level...
"Click."
Just as Krien was about to throw the Heilig Pfeil at the Tōzanshō, he subconsciously turned around and looked at the Sprenger.
"Um?"
Amidst the dazzling cyan, there is a touch of slightly somber deep blue, reflecting a radiance entirely different from that of the flames.
"Still putting up a stubborn resistance?"
The pillars of fire unleashed by the Sprenger were blocked.
Although the opponent cannot break through the formation's Shibari, it seems that holding out until the flames are completely burned out should not be a problem.
"That's enough."
Krien turned around.
"We can deal with those later."
The massive crossbow bolt was aimed directly at the figure engulfed in flames.
"Whether it's Kidō or Zanpakuto, they hold no meaning whatsoever before my Heilig Pfeil."
At near-zero distance, the target trapped by the formation has no way to evade.
"Pierce through him, Iliad!"
"――"
After a moment of silence.
"Boom!!"
――――
"A-Qing!"
Nanao's shouts were tinged with despair.
She was well aware of her shortcomings and trusted Haruto's judgment.