Makarov!

Across the boundless sea, the usual calm had been completely replaced. A massive storm was ravaging the entire stretch of ocean for hundreds of miles around!

In weather this terrible, ships normally would not set sail, much less people!

But today was a little different, because there was not only someone traveling across the sea, there was more than one!

"Damn it! That guy still refuses to give up?!" Crouching atop a smooth crystal ball, Ultear sped forward through the air as the crystal ball carried her along! Feeling the astonishing killing intent behind her, she gritted her teeth and muttered, "And he has no intention of using long-range magic to attack me. Looking at him, does he want to capture me alive?! Damn it!!! I absolutely can't let him succeed!!" At that thought, Ultear's expression became incomparably grim and solemn.

Gritting her teeth, she poured another huge amount of magic power into the crystal ball. Instantly, fueled by the additional magic, it burst forth with even greater speed! Like a meteor, it flashed across the sea and vanished in an instant.

"You really think you can escape..." Achill's face was so dark it seemed ready to drip water. He gritted his teeth and growled gloomily, "One who hides within the shadows!!!"

"I will never let you escape so easily!!!"

He stepped firmly through the air, and his figure instantly vanished from where he stood!

Flash Step!

When he appeared again, he had already closed a great deal of the distance!

Watching Ultear, who was still some distance away, Achill's eyes flashed with chilling glints from time to time. There was no helping it—her burst of speed in that critical moment had far exceeded his expectations! Even though he was already flying at full speed, catching her quickly was not going to be easy!

And she was extremely crafty as well. During the chase, she constantly used magic to interfere with his pursuit, causing him no small amount of trouble!

The most troublesome part was that he could not casually use long-range magic to shoot her down! The Zanpakutō he possessed that supported ultra-long-range attacks were simply too powerful. If things went wrong, he might directly kill her!

So although he was unwilling, Achill could only helplessly abandon the idea of using a long-range Zanpakutō.

Thus, one chased while the other fled, the two figures darting rapidly through the immense storm!

Since Ultear was deliberately fleeing in a certain direction, the outline of a coastline soon appeared ahead! They were clearly nearing shore!

Ultear's heart immediately leaped with joy. She instantly accelerated once more and shot toward the distant coast!

Her intentions were obvious. As long as she could reach the city by the shore, her chances of escaping would undoubtedly increase greatly! The countless people living in that city would be the best cover and obstacle she could ask for!

Surely, no matter how vicious that guy was, he would not dare recklessly use large-scale destructive magic in a city crowded with people, right? With that thought, Ultear steered her magic crystal ball forward with boundless hope!

Closer, closer! She was almost there!! Looking at the coastline drawing nearer and nearer before her, Ultear was overwhelmed with excitement! She knew that she would soon escape the pursuit of that terrifying demon behind her!!! As long as she hid among the crowd—

"Heh heh! Trying to use the people in the city as pawns for your escape?" With Achill's intellect, he understood Ultear's thoughts after only a moment's consideration. He immediately sneered inwardly. "But do you think I'll let you succeed so easily?!"

"Don't underestimate me!!" With a light turn of his right hand, a short Zanpakutō appeared in his palm! Achill's flying figure abruptly halted in midair. His body tilted slightly, his left arm lightly pressing down against the gleaming blade's spine as he slowly said in an ice-cold voice, "Shoot to kill him!"

"Shinsō—"

"Whoosh—" The instant his words fell, an incomparably brilliant blade light erupted from Achill's palm, like the dazzling pale light of dawn piercing the morning sky!

"Pfft—" Blood sprayed! With the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh, Ultear's right shoulder was instantly run straight through by the elongated, slender blade as she sped through the sky!

"Whew, that was fortunate..." Letting out a soft breath, Achill looked at the masked person who had been completely pierced by the blade. A cold curve tugged at his lips, and with a fox-like smile on his face, he muttered with narrowed eyes, "Fortunately, I judged the angle with remarkable precision just now! Otherwise, if I had slipped up and accidentally killed you, heh heh, that would have been rather troublesome..."

"Cough, cough cough—" She coughed violently several times, crimson blood slowly spilling from the corner of her mouth. Ultear's brows were tightly furrowed, her face twisted in pain. Her right hand hung limply at her side as she used her trembling left hand to slowly press against the gleaming blade that had pierced through her shoulder, seemingly trying to pull it from her body!

"Oh? You still want to run even like this?" Achill smiled as he twisted the Zanpakutō in his hand a few times, teasing her with an amused expression. "I have to say—" The Zanpakutō in his hand ruthlessly yanked hard to one side! Slash!

"Pfft—" Amid a spray of blood, the gleaming blade sliced straight out through Ultear's right shoulder! Crimson blood poured wildly from the wound as though it cost nothing!

"You really are quite naive..."

The elongated blade slowly retracted. Not a trace of blood stained its gleaming surface, and before long, it had returned to its original length!

Standing in the air, one hand resting on the sheath of the moon-white longsword at his left waist while the other lightly gripped the short Shinsō, Achill still wore that fox-like smile. He gazed with narrowed eyes at the bloodstained figure in the distance and asked frivolously, "What, not running anymore? Have you realized that escaping from my hands is impossible, so you have completely given up that absurdly childish idea of fleeing? If so, then your choice is undoubtedly..." Achill paused slightly, and the corner of his lips unconsciously curled upward.

"Unexpectedly wise..." Achill finished with a smile, his tone brimming with intense confidence!

"D-Damn it—" Her face had turned abnormally pale from excessive blood loss, and her consciousness drifted in waves. Ultear bit down hard on the tip of her tongue, and the pain cleared her mind a little. She swayed atop the crystal ball, which could only maintain slow flight due to its lack of magic power. Barely controlling herself to keep from falling, Ultear realized that the situation had once again become extremely unfavorable. At that moment, despair rose uncontrollably within her!

Could she really still escape now? Could she truly escape alive from that terrifying demon's grasp?! Was there really still a chance?!! For the first time since her birth, Ultear had fallen into a deep despair she could not suppress...

"Have you completely given up? Good, very good..." Achill slowly raised Shinsō in his hand and pointed it at Ultear, who was wobbling through the air in the distance. Still wearing that fox-like smile, he said with narrowed eyes, "But to ensure that you cannot escape from me again, I think it is quite necessary to..."

"Make you completely lose the ability to resist!!"

"Shoot to kill him—" Achill said with a smile:

"Shinsō!!!"

"Whoosh—" Gleaming cold light, accompanied by the piercing shriek of air torn apart by its rapid extension, shot toward Ultear in the distance like a streaking meteor!

It was over!

She stiffly turned her head, and her entire vision was instantly filled by the blazing blade light! Those words flashed through Ultear's mind. It was clearly already impossible to dodge now! Thinking that, Ultear slowly closed her eyes, deep despair rising within her—

This time, it really ends like this...

The gleaming blade light arrived in the blink of an eye! Just as it was about to strike Ultear's body—

"What kind of skill is bullying someone who can't fight back?!! You little bastard!!!"

Suddenly, a roar rang out from afar. At the same time, a gigantic arm shot out from the direction of the voice, arriving first despite being launched later! It grabbed hold of the Shinsō just before it could pierce Ultear!!!

"What?!!" Achill's pupils abruptly contracted, and the fox-like smile on his face froze. He tried tugging the Zanpakutō in his hand, but to his disbelief, the other person's arm was like an immovable boulder! It gripped his Shinsō firmly, and he could not pull it free in the slightest!!

"Heh heh, interesting, truly..." The fox-like smile returned to his face. No longer attempting to retrieve his weapon, he simply allowed the other party to hold it. Achill followed the gigantic arm with narrowed eyes toward the distance. On the nearby shore stood a white-bearded old man in an ugly hat, glaring in this direction with an imposing manner! That enormous giant arm was the old man's right arm!! Seeing this, the corner of Achill's mouth lifted slightly, and his smile grew even brighter. "Interesting..."

"Hey!! Kid! I don't know who the hell you are! And I don't know why you're hunting down that person ahead of you!" The old man used magic power to amplify his voice as he roared from the shore. "But judging solely from the way you're skulking around with your face covered, too scared to show yourself! You probably aren't anything good either!! And can't you see that person has already been hurt badly by you?! Can't you show some mercy and let her go?!! Huh?!!!" As he spoke, he released the Shinsō gripped in his giant hand. Then, as if that were not enough, he reached out and carefully grabbed Ultear toward the shore.

"A helper? You don't really look like one. But judging by your actions, you intend to interfere and save that person..." Achill pressed the fully retracted Shinsō beneath his left arm again. His body floating in the air turned slightly as he narrowed his eyes at the old man on the nearby shore. The fox-like smile returned to his face as he said, "But did you ask for my opinion? Heh heh, if not, then—shoot to kill him..."

"Shinsō!!!"

"Clang—" Accompanied by a crisp, pleasant metallic sound, the gleaming blade light suddenly shot toward Ultear in the old man's hand!!!

At once, Ultear was terrified out of her wits! Her heart, which had just been filled with wild joy from her unexpected rescue, instantly plunged into an abyss of freezing cold!!!

"Enough!! You brat!!!" Yet something unexpected happened! Just when Achill thought he was about to succeed, just when Ultear herself believed she was doomed this time, the old man erupted! He instantly extended his other arm! His left arm transformed into a giant arm just like his right, and in the instant before Achill's Shinsō was about to pierce Ultear, he once again caught it tightly in his enormous palm!! Fire burned in his eyes as the old man could no longer contain his rage and roared furiously, "You still refuse to let this person go?!!!"

After saying that, he first quickly placed Ultear, whom his right hand held gently, behind him. Then his left hand, which gripped Shinsō, suddenly exerted force!

"Boom—" With an earthshaking crash!! The old man violently hurled Achill, weapon and all, into the depths of the sea!!!

"I, Makarov, have lived this long, yet I've never encountered someone like you who gives others no chance at all and insists on exterminating them completely!!!" As he spoke, his body slowly expanded and grew larger. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a towering giant hundreds of feet tall!! The flames of rage in Makarov's eyes burned ever fiercer as he roared, "Don't get too arrogant, you brat!!!!!!"

"Rumble—" Another earthshaking explosion suddenly erupted from beneath the sea! As enormous waves churned violently, the soaking-wet Achill lowered his head slightly and slowly rose from the ocean depths.

"Good! Very good! Can I take this as you showing off how old you are, how big your body is? Can I understand it that way..." Achill slowly raised his head. His eyes were calm, quietly fixed on the giant Makarov before him without the slightest trace of emotion. Shinsō had vanished from his hand, replaced by a broad Zanpakutō! Staring at the figure before him, Achill slowly said in an indifferent voice, "One named Makarov! Are you saying that as long as one's body is big enough and one's strength is great enough, one can interfere in another person's affairs as recklessly as you are doing now? Can I understand it that way, Makarov..."

"I don't know what you're talking about!!" Giant Makarov roared in a rough voice. "In any case! You can't hurt this person again!! I, Makarov, will never allow anyone to freely torment the weak before my eyes!!! Did you hear me?!!!" As he spoke, he pointed at masked Ultear on the shore behind him! Though he raised his voice greatly, Makarov's words still carried more persuasion than hostility.

"Tormenting the weak? I see..." As though he had not heard the persuasion hidden within Makarov's tone, Achill murmured to himself, "As long as one is strong enough, one can freely torment the weak... In that case—" He slowly raised the broad Zanpakutō in his hand, his voice utterly devoid of emotion as he slowly said:

"Bankai—"