Wiped Out in One Fell Swoop

"Actually, I think it's a good thing you're not in charge of the Onmitsukido." Urahara watched the crimson flames slowly fade from the sky and nudged Yoruichi's arm. "Why not think it over? I think this Bankai is pretty good."

"What's the point of all these flashy tricks? If I were an assassin, would I have let him run around for so long?" Yoruichi scoffed. She was still bothered by her Zanpakuto, and after seeing Ao's fighting style, she already had some ideas for a new Hakuda technique. She was determined to shed her reputation as a fireworks master!

While Yoruichi and Urahara chatted idly, they completely forgot that their mission was to protect the Senkaimon. But Hongjiang didn't need them at the moment anyway.

"Lord Ryan! Lord Connor's orders: open the Senkaimon and evacuate everyone!" Earlier, a Quincy had brought the latest orders from the central district.

Hongjiang didn't know who this "Lord Connor" was, nor did he care to find out. All he knew was that the plan in the central district was going smoothly.

The Extermination Operation was missing one crucial piece of intelligence: the number of fighters inside the Sternritter Fortress who could match the Captains and Lieutenants.

Of course, Hongjiang had been inside the Sternritter Fortress before. But by nature, he was cautious, and had only ever infiltrated as far as the boundary between the central and inner districts. He had even learned about the Holy King and Holy Queen by eavesdropping on other Quincies.

As a result, they knew very little about how the fortress's forces were distributed. So when Old Man Yama asked him at Huaixiang Pavilion whether he could devise a plan, Hongjiang had instinctively asked what resources were available, hoping Yamamoto might offer some suggestions. To his surprise, Yamamoto said he could provide as many as six Captains—two more than Hongjiang's conservative estimate.

Nearly a thousand years ago, the Soul Reapers and Quincies had fought a war. Both sides had suffered losses, and it had ended with nearly all the Quincies in the Soul Society wiped out.

In all the years since, fewer than four new Captains had risen through the ranks in the Seireitei—and that was with the founding of Shino Academy and its doors opened to Rukongai. Compared with the Seireitei, the Quincies were far behind in both resources and numbers.

So the Sternritter Fortress likely had only two fighters who could match Captain-level strength: the Holy King and the Holy Queen. A conservative estimate put their numbers on par with the newly appointed Captains in the Seireitei: four.

Once he learned the full scope of Yamamoto's plan, Hongjiang changed the number of Captains assigned to the Star-Extermination Siege to four, since the feint in Hueco Mundo was extremely dangerous. But with himself—who had already mastered Bankai and carried another sword—there were still effectively six Captains, so the difference wasn't that great.

Ryan's appearance in the inner district had been unexpected, but the situation was still under control. That was why Hongjiang hadn't been worried when Fuzi and the others tried to wear him down with successive attacks. If things kept dragging on, the other side would be the first to panic. Would they still be able to keep up that rotation then?

And now, the order to retreat had come from the central district. Everything was going according to his plan.

Should they keep wearing him down, gambling that Hongjiang would make a mistake? Or should they risk everything and race against time? The Quincies in the plaza had to make a choice!

Hongjiang smiled as he kicked away a Quincy beside him and released Dankū, blocking every arrow from afar. They still hadn't panicked completely. He needed to stoke the flames in their hearts a little more.

"Today is the day your people are wiped out! Give up resistance, and I promise you a clean death!" Hongjiang announced in a deep voice.

The words "wiped out" struck the Quincies like a heavy hammer. They could guess why the Soul Reapers had seized and were guarding the Senkaimon. But until now, both sides had been attacking each other, and they hadn't believed that two Soul Reapers could actually hold the gate.

Now, however, Lord Connor in the central district had sent word that the fall of the Sternritter Fortress was only a matter of time—and not much time, at that. Their only way out was occupied by the old Soul Reaper in the mask, and they had no confidence they could take him down quickly.

Some of them wavered. Two hotheaded Quincies, no longer shielded by arrows from afar, charged at Hongjiang atop the bell from either side.

The team, which had been advancing and retreating in good order and working in perfect coordination, began to crack. Hongjiang didn't let the opportunity slip by. His right hand gripped the Zanpakuto at his left hip while his left hand formed a loose fist. "Bakudō Sixty-Two: Hyapporankan!"

A long, silver-white rod appeared out of thin air in Hongjiang's left hand. With a flick of his wrist, the afterimages it left in the air became solid, flying toward the Quincy on the left.

His right hand was just as busy. The gleaming white blade slid free, leaving a drift of snow in the air. The bald Quincy on the right seemed to have run straight into it.

His arm had already swung out, but the hand gripping his Spirit Bow remained behind. A red tide surged from his chest and washed over the snow-covered shore, never to recede.

The beautiful sight lasted less than a second. The silver rod spun once in Hongjiang's left hand, then stabbed straight into the Quincy's chest, piercing his spine and pinning him beside Hongjiang's feet.

One reckless Quincy had been bound, the other wounded. Their pained, trembling cries rang out—sounds that should have snapped everyone to their senses, yet only made the Quincies feel more dazed.

Only one man stayed clearheaded: Nodt Futz. With Ryan absent, he was the highest-ranking member of the Sternritter Guard. The order to retreat had been given, and the situation was dire. He had to make a choice.

"Kill or be killed! Fight for the dignity of the Quincies!"

Futz's roar brought the others back to their senses. They glared at Hongjiang atop the bell. Their fading will to fight gathered once more, burning like a blazing fire.

"Fight for the dignity of the Quincies!"

Hongjiang looked at the eighteen remaining Quincies—no, nineteen. They had regained their confidence. Were they about to launch an all-out attack? He wasn't sure whether they were targeting him or the Clock Prison beneath his feet.

But a moment later, he understood. The ten Quincies in the distance had their arrows nocked, while the nine nearby charged the bell's crown. From their expressions, they meant to fight him to the death.

Hongjiang had misunderstood. Futz had shouted "kill or be killed" to the archers in the distance, but the ones he meant to be killed were the Quincies themselves! Futz had never intended to fight Hongjiang to the death. Even if he had to bite down on Hongjiang, he would drag him to hell with him!

But did that matter? Not to Hongjiang. He had refrained from dealing with them one by one because he didn't want to startle the flock and cause trouble for Yoruichi or the people in the central district. Now that Futz and the others nearby were rushing him all at once, his goal had been achieved. As for dying together—well, that depended on whether the other side was willing to fight to the death with him.

It was true that the Soul Reaper atop the bell couldn't move. But that was a misconception.

Hongjiang couldn't leave the Clock Prison, but there was a condition: there had to be a Clock Prison for him to guard. If there were no enemies, then there was no need for the Clock Prison to exist—and he didn't have to stand there like a fool and take hits!

Futz and the others had fallen for the misconception. The instant they converged on the crown of the bell, the brass bell beneath them rang out with a booming clang. It vanished, along with the Soul Reaper who hadn't moved an inch from his spot.

Just as they thought they had driven the Soul Reaper from the bell's crown and prepared to call their comrades to retreat, black lines suddenly appeared. They spread from beneath their feet and quickly formed a sturdy barrier, encasing them inside.

"Hadō Ninety: Kurohitsugi!" Hongjiang had gone straight to a level-ninety Hadō. He stared at the fully formed black coffin below, his gaze unwavering.

The nine nearby were done for. He couldn't let the ten in the distance escape either!

"Hadō Ninety-One: Senju Kōten Taihō!"

The distant Quincies had just fired their arrows at the black coffin when clusters of pale pink light appeared above it. The clusters became beams of light, like a waterfall of cherry blossoms pouring down from the sky. In an instant, they swallowed the ten Quincies in the distance.

A black coffin beneath a sea of flowers. Quincies, carry your dignity with you on your final journey!