A Chapter Too Long to Split (A 10,000-Character Chapter!)

A Chapter Too Long to Split (A 10,000-Character Chapter!)

Under the dim night sky, Seireitei had fallen silent.

But the patrolling Shinigami had not dispersed. Although no Ryoka had caused trouble in the past day and night, some Ryoka were still unaccounted for, hiding in the shadows and plotting who knew what.

Seireitei hardly dared let its guard down.

In a dark corner, two people dressed in Shihakusho crept furtively through Seireitei. They were none other than Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue!

There had been too many patrols during the day, so the two had decided to rest in daylight and travel at night.

To be safe, they had also knocked out two Shinigami, taken off their Shihakusho, and put them on. Moving around in hiding like this was much slower, but it was safer.

They had encountered no dangerous battles in the past few days, and had reached the area near the prison without incident.

But despite their careful planning, they were eventually spotted outside the prison.

By a drunken Shinigami uncle carrying a sake gourd.

Makiuzo Aramaki, a member of the 11th Division!

"Hey, who are you two? Where are your Zanpakuto?" Makiuzo Aramaki asked, looking at Ishida and Orihime. Though he was drunk, his right hand had already settled against his Zanpakuto.

Ishida and Orihime couldn't help tensing up. The moment they heard him ask that, they knew they'd been exposed. They were about to act, but...

Thump!

With a dull thud, Aramaki's eyes rolled back and he collapsed. The sight left Ishida and Orihime stunned. When they looked behind them, they saw five or six Shinigami holding wooden clubs. They were clearly responsible for what had just happened.

"Are you two all right? What rotten luck, running into someone who suspects his own comrades."

"Can't be helped. The 11th Division's full of muscleheads."

"Thank you for saving us," Orihime said.

"No, it's nothing. We're all in the 12th Division, so it's only right we help you."

"Exactly. With things so urgent, it's perfectly understandable to have left your Zanpakuto behind."

"Come on, let's go. We'll take you to our barracks."

Ishida's brows furrowed. These people were being suspiciously friendly, and they hadn't even asked who the two of them were.

Something was wrong. Definitely wrong with these people.

At that thought, Ishida instinctively used his Quincy ability to sense spiritual pressure. He discovered that all of them had an explosive kind of Reishi mixed in with their bodies.

"Orihime, get away! It's dangerous!"

Sensing this, Ishida didn't have time to think. He charged forward and yanked Orihime clear of the group.

Boom!

Almost the instant he pulled Orihime away, several Shinigami exploded, flames soaring into the sky.

"Hmph. What a useless bunch!" came a sinister laugh. A strange-looking man in a Captain's Haori slowly emerged from the shadows. It was Mayuri Kurotsuchi, captain of the 12th Division!

Those Shinigami had been his subordinates. Even as they died, none of them had realized that their esteemed captain had turned them into human bombs.

That was Mayuri: a mad and cruel scientist!

Mayuri glanced up at the area of the explosion. The two Ryoka had probably been blown to pieces by a blast that powerful, but...

"Hmm?"

Mayuri was taken aback. A yellow Reishi shield stood in the middle of the blast zone. Behind it, Ishida and Orihime—and Makiuzo Aramaki of the 11th Division—were completely unharmed, despite the powerful explosion!

"That shield? What an interesting ability." Mayuri's pupils gradually widened, greed filling his eyes. To a scientist, Orihime's ability was of immense research value!

"I've never seen a technique like that before."

As he spoke, Mayuri walked toward Orihime and Ishida. He'd changed his mind. He wanted that woman!

"Hey, woman, become my test subject! You won't be treated badly as one of my subordinates. I've always been very gentle with women. You'll only have to take medicine eight times a day, and undergo mechanical experiments no more than five times. Even if I modify you, I'll do my best to avoid endangering your life. That's exceptionally generous treatment."

Orihime didn't answer. Her whole body had begun to tremble. How could a high school girl—especially one who was a girl—be expected to quickly recover from the sight of people being turned into human bombs?

Terror filled her body and mind, and tears of fear streamed uncontrollably down her face.

Makiuzo Aramaki stared blankly at Orihime. He didn't understand why the girl was crying. Even less did he understand why she had saved him, an enemy, from the blast.

Was she naive?

Or kind?

Just then, Uryu Ishida, standing in front of them, vanished in an instant. When he appeared again, he was behind Mayuri, a Reishi arrow already aimed at him!

"Not bad speed."

Mayuri immediately pinpointed Ishida's position. He tilted his head slightly where he stood and looked at the bow in Ishida's hands, smiling cruelly. "So you're a Quincy. It's been years since I saw one alive, but..."

Mayuri rolled his neck as if he hadn't even noticed the arrow pointed at him. His voice was full of disdain. "My research on your kind ended a long time ago. I'm no longer interested. Get out of my way!"

Research ended?

Ishida's pupils contracted slightly. He had a vague idea what Mayuri meant, but still demanded coldly, "Who are you?"

"You broke into Seireitei without investigating anything?" Mayuri shrugged and tilted his head at Ishida. "That's incredibly careless. You should at least learn about the thirteen people at the top!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying spiritual pressure surged from him, sweeping through the area like a vast tide. Everyone present shuddered, their bodies instantly tensing.

Mayuri's spiritual pressure couldn't compare to Kenpachi's, but he was still one of the strongest thirteen members of the Gotei 13. His spiritual pressure was formidable.

"Mayuri Kurotsuchi, captain of the 12th Division and second director of the Department of Research and Development!"

Under the terrifying pressure Mayuri exuded, Ishida felt a chill of dread.

This guy... was strong!

But a flash of determination crossed Ishida's face. He had to hold Mayuri off, at least. Orihime was still here!

"Orihime, run!"

Orihime, who had just stopped trembling, froze. Then she stood up anxiously. "No! I have to fight too!"

Ishida ignored her. During their journey, he had realized that although Orihime had some abilities, her personality meant she wasn't suited to fighting. She could only provide support.

To put it bluntly, in a battle, she'd be a burden!

"Hey, you from the 11th Division, take Orihime and get out of here," Ishida said to Makiuzo Aramaki, who was sneaking away behind Orihime.

Me? Take her and run?

Aramaki stopped short and shouted at Ishida in exasperation, "Are you kidding me? Why should I take her—"

Ishida cut him off. "You don't want to die, do you? Keep dragging your feet and you'll get caught up in this too! Take her with you, even if you have to force her. Otherwise... I'll shoot you dead!"

Aramaki's mouth twitched. What a bastard!

But then he remembered that this girl had saved him earlier. After a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth, stepped forward, hoisted Orihime over his shoulder, and ran.

"Did I say you could escape?"

Mayuri, who had been silent until now, sneered. His right hand shot out, stretching like a tentacle toward the fleeing pair.

But...

Whoosh—

A deep-blue arrow shot across the battlefield. With a resounding boom, it blasted Mayuri's outstretched hand to pieces.

Ishida held his bow and met Mayuri's gaze, pushing up his glasses.

"Did I say you could chase them?"

"Oh, dear. I'm not interested in you!"

As he spoke, Mayuri did something that left Ishida dumbfounded: he tore his severed hand clean off. Then he took something like a syringe from his clothes and jabbed it into his stump. In an instant, Mayuri's arm grew back completely.

"That woman got away." Mayuri flexed his new right hand for a while, getting used to it, then smiled coldly. "But never mind. One strand of hair is enough for me to find her easily!"

Monster!

Ishida cursed under his breath. It was the only word he could use to describe the captain called Mayuri Kurotsuchi. His gaze shifted slightly and fell on the girl behind Mayuri. He furrowed his brows.

If this monster was a captain, was that woman behind him his lieutenant?

But the captain hadn't moved at all while Ishida had pointed his bow at him, so she probably wasn't much of a fighter.

In that case, the only enemy was the captain in front of him!

At that thought, Ishida abruptly let go. The energy arrow on his bow shot forward, reaching Mayuri in an instant.

Mayuri smiled coldly and dodged the energy arrow with a slight sidestep.

But in that split second, Ishida had already used Hirenkyaku and vanished from sight. When he appeared again, he was on a building behind Mayuri. He drew his bow and fired in one smooth motion, sending a deep-blue arrow flying.

Did it work?

No!

Ishida's pupils contracted. He looked sharply toward the other side of the building. Mayuri stood there, watching him with an unruffled expression, as if he were admiring the results of Ishida's attack.

"Very good!"

Mayuri met Ishida's gaze, the corner of his mouth lifting into a faint smile. "Quite powerful. And what you used just now was Hirenkyaku, wasn't it?"

How was that possible?

Who was this man? How did he even know about Hirenkyaku?

Ishida's mind filled with questions, but his hands didn't slow. He aimed at Mayuri again, gathering a Reishi arrow.

"By gathering Reishi under your feet, you can move at high speeds. It's an advanced Quincy footwork technique. For someone as young as you to have mastered it, you must have considerable talent. But..."

Mayuri slowly drew the Zanpakuto at his waist. "The Quincy are an outdated race. They don't interest me as research subjects. I have to go catch that woman, so you can die here!"

"Thrash about, Ashisogi Jizō."

A dark purple mist rose from Mayuri's Zanpakuto. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a trident-shaped Zanpakuto with an infant's face at its base.

But Mayuri's next action left Ishida stunned.

Mayuri charged straight at him, heading right along the path of Ishida's Reishi arrow. Ishida only had to release the two fingers of his left hand to shoot him down.

No!

He was a captain-level fighter, after all.

He couldn't possibly be making such a reckless attack.

Or perhaps his Shikai could absorb Reishi, allowing him to absorb the arrow?

If so... Ishida couldn't attack him carelessly.

Just as Ishida's full attention was fixed on Mayuri charging toward him, a figure suddenly sprang up from below. It was the girl. While he was distracted, she had managed to rush right up to him.

Before Ishida could react, the girl grabbed the energy arrow on his bow, then threw her whole body against him and seized the collar of his clothes.

"What?"

Ishida was startled, but the girl's shove sent them both tumbling off the wall.

Could it be...?

Ishida suddenly remembered how the 12th Division members had blown themselves up earlier, and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart.

And just as he'd feared, Mayuri suddenly accelerated, appearing behind the girl. Ashisogi Jizō slashed down at her...

Spurt!

Blood sprayed into the air, and a gash opened across Ishida's left shoulder. A huge gash had also been torn from the girl's back to her waist. Some of the blood spraying out belonged to Ishida, but most of it was hers.

He'd really attacked his own lieutenant too... Why? Weren't they comrades?

Ishida crashed to the ground. Nemu Kurotsuchi struggled to her feet and smiled at Mayuri as he slowly approached. Her face held a faint, eager hope that he would praise her.

She looked pitiful, and yet... unbearably tragic.

But when Mayuri reached her, he offered her no encouragement—not even a glance. Instead, he punched her.

The girl was already gravely injured and couldn't fight back. The punch sent her flying until she crashed into a wall and stopped. Blood immediately pooled on the ground beneath her.

"Idiot. Haven't I told you that even if your body gets chopped in half, you absolutely mustn't let go?"

Though the girl was already extremely weak, she still forced herself to move after Mayuri scolded her. She knelt at his feet. "I'm... sorry, Lord Mayuri!"

"Forget it. I never expected much from you anyway."

After saying that, Mayuri ignored the girl on the ground and turned to Ishida. "Now that I've cut you, killing you will be as easy as crushing an infant."

As he spoke, Mayuri walked toward Ishida. "You're sweating so much. It hurts, doesn't it? But you haven't made a sound. You must have a high pain threshold. This can't be the first time you've been cut by a blade."

Uryu Ishida didn't answer. He glanced toward the girl. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand why a captain would fight using such methods.

Did he not care about his comrades' lives at all?

"Cough, cough, cough..."

A string of coughs interrupted Ishida's thoughts. Not far away, the girl was lying on the ground, coughing violently. With every cough, a large mouthful of blood sprayed from her lips.

"You're annoying. Can't you be quiet?" Mayuri turned his head slightly, his voice full of irritation.

"I'm very sorry, Lord Mayuri. It seems the wound has reached my lung. Please give me a Flesh Supplement. If this continues, I may... be unable to maintain... my bodily functions. Cough, cough."

As she spoke, the girl coughed up several more mouthfuls of blood.

But although she could already be considered a living being, she didn't know one thing: you should never doubt a scientist's results.

Mayuri's face darkened. He hurried over to Nemu Kurotsuchi. Then...

Thump!

With a dull thud, he stamped directly on the girl's wound and ground his foot into it for a while. His face twisted as he roared, "Are you trying to make a fool of me? How could your body fail from an injury of this degree?"

Clearly, being questioned by his own "research result" had made him murderous!

Even though he was standing on the opposing side, Ishida couldn't accept the sight. "Hey! What the hell are you doing? Aren't you comrades? Keep this up and she really will die!"

"Are you trying to make a fool of me too?"

Mayuri grabbed the girl by the hair and lifted her like a piece of garbage. Turning his head toward Ishida, he said coldly, "She'd die from an injury like this? Don't be ridiculous. I made this body. How could it stop functioning over a little injury like this? If you're going to make a fool of me, at least have some limits."

"You made her?" Ishida stared at him, stunned.

"That's right. Let me tell you her name." Mayuri smiled smugly. "Her name is Nemu Kurotsuchi. I created her by combining the finest aspects of Gigai technology and Artificial Soul Technology. She's my creation!"

"More importantly, stop indulging your disgusting sense of justice. How I treat this thing is none of an outsider's business!" As he spoke, he slammed Nemu against the wall—back-first.

"Ah!"

Nemu cried out and spat out another mouthful of blood. Blood kept pouring from her back, her wound widening further because of Mayuri's actions.

"Stop!" Ishida shouted. He tried to stand, but suddenly realized he couldn't move his left arm at all.

"You only just noticed? You're awfully slow." Mayuri raised Ashisogi Jizō. "Anyone struck by it loses the ability to move their limbs. That's what my Ashisogi Jizō does."

"A paralyzing poison?" Ishida frowned.

"A paralyzing poison? Hmph. It's nothing so outdated."

Mayuri sneered. "It simply cuts off the signals your brain sends to move your limbs. In other words..." Mayuri slowly walked up to Ishida, who was slumped on the ground, and stabbed Ashisogi Jizō into his shoulder!

"Ah...!" The intense pain forced Ishida to cry out.

"Pain isn't affected." Mayuri chuckled coldly, then turned to Nemu Kurotsuchi, who was lying on the ground. "Hey, Nemu. Come over here. You can deliver the finishing blow to the man who pitied you!"

"..." Nemu Kurotsuchi was on the verge of death and naturally couldn't respond to his command.

A cold glint flashed through Mayuri Kurotsuchi's eyes. He turned and walked toward Nemu again.

"Oh, right. You were slashed too, so you can't move." Standing in front of Nemu, Mayuri raised Ashisogi Jizō and berated her in a deeply displeased tone. "What a useless piece of trash." As he spoke, he moved to stab Nemu, who lay on the ground.

"Stop!" Ishida shouted.

"You really are annoying."

Mayuri paused, then sneered. "You feel sympathy for an injured girl, even if she's your enemy? Or is that the pride of the Quincy?"

Ishida's expression darkened. "Why do you know so much about the Quincy?"

"Because you Quincy always say something like, 'Even if it costs us our pride as Quincy, we can't do such a thing,' right before you die. You're so annoying and long-winded. Oh, right."

Mayuri looked up at Ishida, as if trying to read something on his face.

"Come to think of it, when I became head of the Research and Development Institute, the Quincy were already a rare breed. The few who remained were all under surveillance, so I ordered the Shinigami watching them to deliberately delay their rescue. That was how I got my hands on their souls. The last one was an old man covered in grime. He kept repeating a name—I don't know if it belonged to a disciple or a grandson. He was really annoying."

Ishida's pupils began to widen. The suspicion he had long harbored was gradually being confirmed.

"Oh, right. Want to see a photo?" Seeing Ishida's reaction, Mayuri's face spread into a malicious grin. "Though it was taken after the research, so you can't tell what he originally looked like."

Mayuri tossed the photograph in front of Ishida, then turned his head and scratched it. "By the way, what was that grandson's or disciple's name? I can't remember. I'm not interested in things once I've finished researching them."

Ishida looked at the photograph, and his body began to tremble!

That familiar face, that wretchedly mutilated body—that was...

Ishida's grandfather and master!

The next moment, Reishi surged around Ishida, forming into threads!

"Allow me to tell you. The one who was both his disciple and grandson was named Uryu. Uryu Ishida. This man was Soken Ishida!"

Ishida spoke with his head lowered. His even tone, however, suppressed a boundless hatred.

"Oh, right. You probably don't know my name yet. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm the last Quincy, Uryu Ishida. This man was my teacher, and also my own grandfather."

"Oh? And what of it?" Mayuri saw Ishida stand up, but remained completely nonchalant.

"On the pride of the Quincy, I'm going to kill you." Reishi poured from Ishida, and killing intent filled the air around them.

"How can your arms and legs move after being struck by Ashisogi Jizō?"

A thoughtful look appeared on Mayuri's face, but then he smiled. "I remember. Ransotengai."

"I'm so hungry. I'm going to starve to death!"

Two figures strolled out through the main gate of the temporary prison in Seireitei's inner court. Behind them, an entire group of guards lay unconscious. The one who spoke was a bald young man with a gleaming scalp.

It was Wu Biao and Sado, who had just escaped from their cell—or, strictly speaking, it wasn't quite an escape.

In the eyes of Sado, the only witness, it was simply the story of a prisoner unilaterally beating the guards...

"Do these guards not need to eat? There wasn't any food in the entire prison!" Wu Biao grumbled unhappily, stuffing a piece of bread into his mouth.

Sado's mouth twitched as he glanced back at the prison.

I hope they find these prisoners soon. Otherwise... they'll probably starve to death!

After all, all the food allotted to the prisoners had been stolen by the starving man in front of him, who was still complaining that he was about to starve to death!

But this guy sure was strong!

A trace of shock still lingered in Sado's eyes. The Shinigami guarding the prison had been like chickens and dogs before the man who called himself "Brother Biao." Not one of them could withstand a single punch!

"Um... Brother Biao!" Sado hesitated, but ultimately decided to use Ichigo's way of addressing him. He and Ichigo were the same age, and since Ichigo called this man "brother," the man must have been older than Ichigo!

"What?" Wu Biao looked every bit like a convict: gleaming bald head, white prison uniform, and a swaying gait... Well, that was because he was starving. The food for all the prisoners in the whole prison wouldn't even have been enough to fill Brother Biao's teeth...

At least the 4th Division had given him a set of clothes. Otherwise, after fighting Kenpachi, he would've practically been naked!

"How'd you get caught?"

"Don't remind me. It pisses me off." Wu Biao cursed furiously. "I got into a fight with some captain named Kenpachi, or whatever the hell his name was. I spared his life, and that bastard still sent me to prison. And the worst part is, they didn't even give me any food!"

So the most important thing was the food, huh?

Sado was speechless for a moment. But after thinking over what Brother Biao had said, he couldn't help freezing.

He'd fought someone at Captain level and spared his opponent's life?

Sado stared at Wu Biao, his eyes filled with shock. He knew how terrifying Captain-level Shinigami were; he himself had been sent here by the captain of the 8th Division. And that man named Shunsui Kyoraku hadn't even released his Zanpakuto. He'd been toying with Sado the whole time, leaving him completely unable to fight back!

"The next time I see him, I'm definitely gonna kill that bastard!"

Wu Biao kept rambling on. Sado sighed and asked, "Brother Biao, where should we go now?"

"How should I know?"

"Uh..." Sado used a single word to express his speechlessness, then looked into the distance at Senzaikyu. "Should we go to Kuchiki's place first?"

"Sure!"

Wu Biao nodded without a care, then asked Sado, "Who's that Kuchiki?"

"..." Sado.

Then why the hell did you say yes?!

How had Ichigo put up with this Brother Biao for so long?

There was definitely something wrong with this guy's head!

"She's the person we came here to save!"

"That's Rukia, not Kuchiki..." Brother Biao gave Sado a disdainful look. "You can't even remember her name, yet you say you're going to save Rukia? That's really rude, you know?"

Sado's face darkened. Who was the rude one? Who was the one who couldn't remember her name? You're the last person who should be saying that!

After thinking it over, though, the taciturn Sado still didn't say anything. Partly because of his personality, and partly because... he figured he probably couldn't beat the bastard in front of him!

"I'm so hungry. Let's find somewhere to eat..." Wu Biao's words suddenly stopped. He sniffed, and a cold glint flashed briefly in his eyes!

Sado happened to notice the change, and his expression immediately grew tense. "What's wrong?"

Wu Biao ignored him and walked straight over to a nearby wall. After standing there for a good while, he punched it!

Boom—

The wall exploded, followed by a scream of sheer terror!

"Ahhh—!"

Sado looked toward the sound. Wu Biao had dragged over a middle-aged Shinigami by the collar. When Sado saw the person tucked under the man's arm, his expression turned cold too.

"Inoue!"

The middle-aged Shinigami was Makiuzo Aramaki, who had fled from the battlefield where Uryu Ishida and Mayuri Kurotsuchi were fighting.

"Please... don't kill me!" Makiuzo squeezed his eyes shut, thinking, It's over. The captain of the 12th Division must have caught up with me. At the thought, he felt a sudden numbness below, and then wet himself in fright...

"Holy crap!"

Wu Biao was startled by his reaction. He snatched the unconscious Orihime Inoue from under his arm, then tossed Makiuzo aside. "Are you kidding me? You're that much of a coward?"

"Huh?"

Makiuzo, who had been thrown aside, froze at the sound of that voice. It clearly wasn't Mayuri's. He hesitated, then opened one eye a crack. When he recognized the two men, he leaped to his feet.

"Which division are you from? You nearly scared me to death! I'm reporting you to your division... Uh, prison uniforms?" Makiuzo stood up and yelled at them, but when he saw what they were wearing, he froze.

Then he remembered the way the two men had referred to the girl. His face immediately turned deathly pale.

More Ryoka?

What kind of luck did I have? Other people couldn't find the Ryoka no matter how hard they looked, but I'd run into them twice in a row. Were they trying to get me killed?

"Inoue, Inoue..." Sado took Orihime from Wu Biao, laid her carefully on the ground, and checked on her.

"What happened to her?" Wu Biao asked Makiuzo.

"I knocked her out!" Seeing Wu Biao's fierce expression, Makiuzo answered without thinking. But then he waved his hands frantically. "No, no! The guy with glasses told me to force her to escape!"

"The guy with glasses?"

Boom!

A continuous succession of explosions rang out as two figures flashed rapidly across the battlefield.

Ishida kept shifting positions, firing a steady stream of Reishi arrows at Mayuri.

But Mayuri stood right where he was. His feet didn't move, and he only turned his upper body slightly as he effortlessly dodged every arrow Ishida fired.

Even when faced with a dense barrage, he easily shattered the arrows he couldn't evade with the Zanpakuto in his hand, leaving them unable to harm him in the slightest.

It was clear that Ishida still fell far short of a Captain-level opponent.

One moment of carelessness was all it took for Mayuri to rush in and slash his right leg.

Although Ransotengai let him ignore his physical injuries, it did nothing to dull the pain. The agony of the blade cutting into him still made him falter.

In that instant, Mayuri pulled a sickle attached to a chain out of his ear and swung it, leaving a series of wounds across Ishida's body.

Under the chained sickle's assault, Ishida had no chance to draw his bow and fire. He could only rely on the solid bow formed from condensed Reishi to fend off the sickle's relentless attacks.

Even when he used Hirenkyaku to keep changing positions, Mayuri's sickle always came slashing toward him at once!

Soon, several more bloody gashes appeared on Ishida's body, each one at a joint in his limbs.

"I told you, didn't I?"

Mayuri spun the sickle in his hand. "My research into you Quincy is already extremely thorough. I know you inside and out. I know that even though Ransotengai is the Quincy's strongest combat technique, it has its limits. You can't keep it up forever."

He looked up at the sky. "This has gone on long enough. Come quietly back to the research institute with me. Resistance is pointless. I know plenty of ways to take you back without killing you."

Mayuri pressed a button on the sickle. Its chain, which could lengthen or shorten, retracted into his ear.

So it really wasn't enough...

Uryu Ishida staggered to his feet, his gaze slowly settling on the Sanrei Glove covering his entire right arm.

The Sanrei Glove, an ancestral Quincy treasure, was a glove with an exceptionally powerful ability to disperse Reishi.

Once a Quincy put it on, its formidable dispersal force interfered with them, preventing them from shaping Reishi into a bow.

However, if they formed a bow while wearing it and maintained it for seven days and seven nights, they could rapidly approach the absolute limit of a Quincy's power.

But it could only be used once. Once put on, it could never be removed, because under its influence, a Quincy's ability to gather Reishi would surpass their own limits.

An excessively fierce flame would eventually burn its owner. Once it was removed, the wielder would gain immense power in an instant, but afterward, they would lose all their abilities as a Quincy.

Before coming to Soul Society, Ishida had struggled for a long time before deciding to put on the glove. He could be said to have long been prepared to unleash its power, but... now that the moment had really arrived—

It was still difficult to accept!

After all, he was the last Quincy... Once he lost his Quincy powers, there would no longer be any Quincy in this world!

But so what?

Though I still don't understand what I want to protect... and don't want to understand what I want to protect.

But I know what cannot be forgiven!

Ishida's eyes suddenly hardened. He lifted his left hand and placed it on the Sanrei Glove's sealing clasp. All he had to do was break it, and the power stored in the glove would erupt in an instant.

And he...

Would soon lose his Quincy powers!

Boom!

Just then, the wall beside Mayuri exploded!

"What?"

The sudden turn of events startled both men.

But before Mayuri could turn his head, a figure came hurtling toward him with a whistle. Its right arm was wrapped in wisps of black energy. Amid the roaring wind and the fragments of stone bursting through the air like raindrops, it struck with an overwhelming, terrifying force.

I can't take that head-on!

Mayuri's expression changed dramatically. The thought flashed through his mind, and the sheer force of the punch made the hair on his body stand on end before it even landed.

He had no time to think. Twisting his body and gathering his spiritual pressure, he slashed his Zanpakuto sharply to the side.

Boom!

The terrifying force made Mayuri's throat go sweet. The hand gripping his sword went numb, but he used the force to leap backward, putting distance between himself and his attacker!

Wu Biao's unremarkable right leg sank into the ground, carving a deep crescent-shaped furrow as it swept around half a circle and came to a stop where Mayuri had been standing.

Uryu Ishida stared at the sudden turn of events, stunned for a good while before finally reacting. "It's you!"

He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and lowered his left hand. Since this man had arrived, he'd better not unleash the Sanrei Glove after all. Who knew what kind of battles awaited them next!

"Ishida!" someone called. Ishida looked over and saw Sado running toward him with Orihime Inoue slung over his shoulder. When Sado reached him, he asked with concern, "How are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Ishida shook his head, but then looked at Makiuzo behind Sado and asked in confusion, "How did you end up together?"

"We ran into him after leaving the prison!"

"The prison?"

"I'll explain later!" Sado looked past Ishida toward the battlefield, his expression grave. "Is that person a captain too?"

Ishida's expression darkened. "Yes. And he's terrifyingly strong." He hesitated, then looked at Wu Biao's back. "He..."

"I don't know either!" Sado knew what Ishida wanted to ask and shook his head at once. Then he continued, "But I heard he fought a captain to a draw."

"What?" Ishida was startled. Only after facing a captain could he truly understand how terrifying Captain-level opponents were. Had the man who could shamelessly shout "Pegasus Meteor Fist" really become this strong in just half a month?

"So you're that whatever-the-hell-your-name-is?" Wu Biao tilted his head toward Mayuri, who wore a shocked expression. He gave a scornful look and clicked his tongue. "Your mom must hate you. Why else would she give you such a name?"

Mayuri frowned and flexed his numbed right hand. His gaze was icy as he looked at Wu Biao. "Strength of this magnitude, without the slightest fluctuation in spiritual pressure, and an unmistakably human presence. You're the Ryoka who broke in first, aren't you?"

"That's right! I'm the righteous spirit detective!" Wu Biao struck various poses as he spoke. "Chief Disciple of Kanonji Style—Wu Biao!"

"In just a few seconds, he seamlessly performed Seiya's Pegasus Meteor Fist opening stance, Ikki's arms-folded pose, and Hyoga's bizarre 5.7-second dance. And while doing all that, he also pulled off Saint Seiya's ultimate cool-guy move... closing his eyes so he didn't have to look at you!"

Uryu Ishida covered his face. He had to admit, knowing this guy was mortifying.

Compared to last time, when he'd only shouted "Pegasus Meteor Fist" and "Rozan Sho Ryu Ha," this guy's chuunibyou had only gotten worse...

And the way he linked the movements so smoothly made it obvious that he practiced them often. Did this idiot dance around while watching Saint Seiya?

If Kurosaki Ichigo were here, he'd definitely give him a thumbs-up, because... he was absolutely right!

Sado's mouth twitched as he looked at Wu Biao, then he turned and gave Ishida a strange look!

He'd actually managed to analyze where all those moves came from on the spot...