The pungent, unmistakable stench of blood filled the corridors of the 11th Division Barracks.
"Blood?!"
"Whose blood is that? The captain... is he dead?"
As the 'skull' of that Sternritter member dropped to the floor like a ball!
The remaining Quincy's pupils contracted. They had only seen a flash of bright silver light pass before their eyes, and then their leader had died right in front of them.
"How is that possible? He was a Sternritter member! One of our finest!"
"How could he die just like that?!"
The Quincy found it difficult to comprehend. A powerful Sternritter member had actually met such a hasty end, falling before them in a manner that seemed somewhat... absurd and ridiculous!
Even now, that knight's face still bore a brilliant smile. Clearly, even in death, he remained immersed in the joy of having found the Soul Reapers' 'hospital for treating the wounded,' about to slaughter them all and earn merit for Yhwach!
"What just happened?"
"Why was the Sternritter knight the one who died instead of that Soul Reaper?"
Everything had happened too quickly. The Quincy's minds had briefly short-circuited; before they could prepare themselves, the worst possible outcome was already before them.
"Drip, drip, drip..."
It was not until a rhythmic series of dripping sounds reached the Quincy's ears that they suddenly noticed the beautiful mature woman, who had originally sat with her long hair pinned up and worn a 'kind smile' toward everyone, had somehow risen from her chair. She stood not far from them with a long Zanpakuto in hand. The dripping came from its blade, stained red with something sticky-looking and exceptionally... fresh!
"Not good!"
At a single glance, the Quincy's expressions changed. They hastily drew their bows, intending to shoot down the woman holding the blade!
When they saw the blood dripping from her sword, the Quincy finally understood. Their leader—the Sternritter member—had not died from some unknown attack. He had been cut down by the woman before them with the sword in her hand!
That bright silver flash had been the reflection of the room's lights off her blade. Her swing had simply been too fast, so fast that all they had seen was the light refracted by the blade.
"Pfft..."
The instant the Quincy reacted and drew their bows, 'blood' once again filled the 11th Division Barracks. This time, what flew into the air were the hands they used to draw their bows.
"Ah! My hand!!"
Miserable screams rang out from the Quincy one after another. In merely one exchange with the woman, they had not even seen how she attacked before the flesh and bones at their wrists, together with their bows, were all severed. The gruesome sight assaulted their sensitive nerves, causing them unbearable agony.
"This is a hospital. Please keep quiet, everyone!"
Fortunately, they stopped suffering the very next instant! Another flash of silver swept through the air! This time, it was no longer their arms that flew up, but their 'heads'!
As their 'heads' soared skyward, they could still vaguely hear the woman's voice echoing around them. Her blade had clearly been so fast that even their 'brains' and 'ears' believed they were still alive.
"Clack~"
After cutting down the few small fry before her, Unohana Retsu flicked the blood from her blade, then picked up the scabbard and gently sheathed it.
"Thud, thud, thud..."
Along with the sound of Unohana Retsu's sword meeting its scabbard, the headless Quincy corpses could no longer remain standing. They all collapsed to the floor with a series of thuds, while the heads that had flown into the air also dropped down, leaving pools of dark blood behind.
"Wonderful~ Now all the talking trash in this room has been cleaned up~"
"Everyone, don't you think I'm right?"
Once she had finished, the coldness on Unohana Retsu's face vanished completely. Wearing the 'kind smile' she had repeatedly practiced before a mirror, she smiled at the 11th Division members around her, as well as the members of other divisions whose lives had just been saved through surgery by the 11th Division.
"Uh..."
"Yes, everything you said is right!"
How could the division members dare refute Unohana Retsu? Though her current smile made her seem like an entirely different person from the woman who had just swung her sword, they all knew her true nature. She was a living King Yama! Faced with Unohana Retsu, who killed decisively and never left enemies alive, they could only nod repeatedly in agreement.
"Then make sure you clean this place up properly~"
With that, Unohana Retsu sat back down in her seat.
Her posture was elegant and her appearance beautiful, but the corpses beneath her chair truly ruined the scene. Looking at Unohana Retsu now, everyone was reminded of a painting—the Rakshasa Portrait!
"Uh..."
The 11th Division members looked at the headless Quincy scattered around Unohana Retsu, shook their heads, and began cleaning up.
Fighting Quincy might not have been their specialty, but when it came to mopping floors, they were professionals. More professional than the 'police' in Kung Fu Hustle...
After all, although they were a combat division, their main duty was assisting Captain Unohana. They had washed and scrubbed the floors of the 11th Division for decades.
"Work, work!"
At once, the 11th Division members took out mops, rags, buckets, and chemicals for eliminating the smell of blood, preparing to get to work throughout the barracks.
"Hm?!"
Yet while everyone was busy, Unohana Retsu's expression abruptly changed. She seemed to have noticed something. Her body tensed as she rose from her chair, her snow-white slender hand gripping the Zanpakuto at her side.
"Enemy attack?!"
This scene terrified the 11th Division members. When those Quincy had invaded just now, Captain Unohana had not looked nearly this tense, this much as if she were facing a formidable enemy. Her expression put their previously relaxed nerves on edge, and they all drew their Zanpakuto, pushing their senses to the limit.
"The Captain-Commander is summoning us..."
"My apologies, everyone. I'll leave this place to you for now!"
Before the 11th Division members could think any further, Unohana Retsu left those words behind and vanished from the 11th Division Barracks, clearly having departed using Shunpo.
"Eh?!"
"It wasn't an enemy attack?"
"So the Captain-Commander had issued an order summoning Captain Unohana?"
The 11th Division members immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
But seeing Unohana Retsu leave, their hearts immediately tightened again after having just relaxed...
"Ishikawa, Tanaka, Tsuchida..."
"You three, go out and patrol immediately. Make absolutely sure no enemy gets in here, understood?!"
After Unohana Retsu departed, the 11th Division was officially taken over by the highest-ranking Seated Officer—the 11th Division's Third Seat Officer. He immediately worked out the best plan for the current situation and issued his orders.
With Unohana Retsu present, they had not needed to patrol or guard against anything, because Unohana Retsu herself was the strongest defense. No matter what kind of enemy came, they had absolute confidence in the strength of their former Division Captain. But now, they could only change their approach.
"We obey!"
Upon receiving the Third Seat Officer's orders, the division members immediately readied their weapons and headed outside.
"May everything go smoothly!"
"Whether it's us, Captain Unohana and Captain Araki, or the Captain-Commander! There must not be any more accidents! There have already been more than enough division members wounded or killed in this war."
The Third Seat Officer watched the division members in the distance and silently thought to himself.
Before you continue