Seireitei
First Division Captain's Office...
"50th District of West Rukongai went to the fifty-third area and killed thirty-seven Quincy. Twenty-seven Quincy were injured and escaped. One Captain-Class has been repelled. Captain-Class Quincy is tall and good at Hakuda" Katori reported the information and gains obtained from this battle to Yamamoto
"Good at Hakuda? The nobles do have records that there is a tall Captain-Class Quincy who is good at Hakuda" Yamamoto After listening to Katori's report, he summarized the information after thinking for a while
Katori did not answer. She continued to report without any change in her voice, "Shunsui Kyōraku's Shikai and Katen Kyōkotsu have three abilities that can be used in battle. One is integration. The shadows move among the shadows; the second is to release the ability of the breeze system, which is called 'Bushōgoma'; the third is to be called 'Takaoni'. According to current intelligence speculation, the higher you stand, the stronger the output of Reiatsu."
Yamamoto frowned slightly when he heard the third ability. The description of this ability was too strange. Even he needed additional confirmation.
"The higher you stand, the stronger the output of Reiatsu?" Yamamoto's voice contained a trace of imperceptible confusion.
"Call Wuchuan Lieutenant."
Chojiro Sasakibe answered outside the door, and soon after, Wuchuan Benchang appeared in the office
"Wuchuan"
Yamamoto's eyes fell on him. "Shunsui Kyōraku's ability, please explain it in detail again."
Wuchuan sorted out his thoughts and then spoke. His voice was slower than Katori, but richer in details. "Kyōraku Zanpakutō of Fifth Seat is named Katen Kyōkotsu. After Shikai, the two swords turned into two black notched broadswords. Kageoni is the one who merged into the shadow and The ability to move between shadows, and the moving distance is related to the distribution of shadows. Bushōgoma releases wind blades through double swords. After the wind blades hit, they will form high-speed turbulent airflow around the target, restricting the opponent's movement. It is not a fatal skill, but the control effect is excellent."
He paused for a moment, glanced at Yamamoto's expression, and then continued, "Takaoni's ability is that the higher the party stands, the greater the power of the slash. Kyōraku Fifth Seat seizes the high ground in the battle, and the effect is obvious, but..."
Wuchuan's tone softened slightly. "Kyōraku Fifth Seat explained to his subordinates after the war that his Zanpakutō ability must explain some rules to his opponent before it can take effect. This is a constraint of Zanpakutō itself, similar to some kind of 'agreement'."
Yamamoto was silent for a moment, his eyes were still calm, but people who are familiar with him can read some traces of thinking from that calmness.
A Zanpakutō that must explain the rules to the opponent, a weapon that can turn ordinary combat into a game. He has seen too many of this ability, but Twin-Blade Zanpakutō has three abilities of field control, movement and explosion at the same time, and requires the holder to constantly play psychological games with the opponent during the battle. This is rare in the entire history of Soul Society.
"Go down," Yamamoto finally said.
Wuchuan bowed deeply, took two steps back, turned around and left the office
next day
Shin'ō Hall
Twelve captains lined up in two rows. The white feather fabric cast a faint halo in the morning light. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto stood in the center of the hall, holding the handle of Ryujin Jakka in his left hand.
Without any extra foreshadowing, he spoke directly, and his voice echoed under the dome, "Yachiru, take all Eleventh Division to the west and eliminate all Quincy visible on the road."
Yachiru Unohana didn't respond. She just glanced at Yamamoto. There was no language in that glance, but it contained all the information he needed to know. Then she Shunpo left Shin'ō Hall. She couldn't wait any longer.
"Yan Yuan, Katori, you bring some Squad Member and Seated Officer from your respective squads and follow Eleventh Division to West, Yan Yuan is responsible for support, Katori is responsible for intelligence." Yamamoto did not say anything to Unohana's powerlessness, but continued to order.
Yanyuan Jinle pushed up his glasses. The lenses reflected the morning light and obscured his expression. He just nodded slightly in response.
Bakuzan Katori stood on the other side, nodding with the same determination.
Yamamoto looked at them, his voice deeper than before. "Time limit, half a year, restrain Yachiru, and be sure to bring Seireitei back after half a year."
This sentence is said to Yan Yuan and Katori, but all the captains understand that restraining Yachiru Unohana, this smiling woman in the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, the monster that has truly been called "Sword Demon" in Soul Society for hundreds of years is a far more difficult task than fighting Quincy.
But neither Yan Yuan nor Katori raised any objections. Yan Yuan and Katori's glasses reflected the light, and they nodded at the same time with clean and neat movements.
"Tenth Division adds patrol force to West Rukongai, Ninth Division and Twelfth Division allocate manpower to assist Tenth Division"
"During the expedition, the duties of Third Division and Eighth Division will be delegated by Lieutenant, and other divisions will operate normally." Yamamoto looked at the other captains who were not named.
Silbern
The cold light of the main hall pours down from the dome, illuminating the entire hall like an ice cellar. The white stone pillars tower into the clouds, and the pillars are engraved with war epics of Quincy for thousands of years. Each relief is silently telling the forgotten glory.
But at this moment, the atmosphere in the hall has nothing to do with glory. It is heavy, depressing, and fearful. These emotions are like an invisible iron curtain hanging over everyone's head.
Kurt Mainer kneels in the center of the hall
His white uniform was riddled with holes in the battle. His hands were weakly placed on his thighs, with dried blood on the knuckles. His hair hung messily in front of his forehead, covering most of his face. He did not raise his head or defend himself. He just knelt there with his head lowered and his eyes blankly staring at the cold ground.
Standing in front of him was Jugram Haschwalth, the leader of Sternritter, Yu Gelan·Jugram Haschwalth.
His blond hair glowed silvery-white under the cold light, and his blue eyes were as calm as a frozen lake. There was no sign of any emotional fluctuations, but underneath this calmness was Reiatsu, who was trembling throughout the hall.
Kurt was pressed to the ground by this Reiatsu. His back was slightly bent under the pressure, and every breath was like squeezing out the last trace of air from his lungs. He wanted to raise his head, but the weight of Reiatsu was like a mountain pressing on the back of his neck, making him unable to even do this simplest movement.
Jugram Haschwalth walked slowly towards Kurt. He walked very slowly, each step as if he was measuring how long it would take to reach this distance. Reishi's long sword slowly slid out of the sheath. The sound of the metal rubbing against the sheath was particularly harsh in the dead silence of the hall. The tip of the sword pointed to the ground, and the other hand held the scabbard. He stopped less than one meter in front of Kurt.
"The defeated should receive the punishment that the defeated deserve."
The members of Sternritter stood around both sides of the hall. Bazz-B leaned on the stone pillar on the right side with his arms folded across his chest. His red cockscomb head looked like a burning flame under the cold light. There was a hint of unexplainable worry in his eyes, but he did not make any sound in the end.
Frida Bergman took a step forward. Her long silver hair shone like ice under the cold light, and a trace of unbearability flashed in her blue eyes. "Captain, forget it, Kurt is also defeated by that Eighth Division captain."
Jugram Haschwalth turned his head to look at her, his blue eyes without any warmth. "The defeated should be punished."
This sentence was like a cold wall, blocking her words back, but Paula Edman also stood up, her voice was softer than Frida, but more determined. "Captain, Bakuzan Katori was able to kill the combination of Ilsa and Yost, which is obviously very powerful. There is a complete reason why Kurt chose to retreat."
"Yes, Captain! Besides, didn't Kurt bring back brand-new information this time?" Other members of the Knights echoed one after another, their voices rising and falling in the hall. Some were talking about the battlefield value of the intelligence brought back by Kurt about Captain Soul Reaper. Some were mentioning Kurt's record in the invasion war, and some were muttering in a low voice.
"Leader, think twice"
Jugram Haschwalth looked around. The faces of the members of the Knights were full of uneasiness and pleading, but no one dared to step forward to stop them. Their footsteps seemed to be nailed to the spot, and their fists were clenched or their palms were crossed.
Jugram Haschwalth, his brows furrowed
Even so, the defeated should be punished. This is the iron law of Sternritter. It is the rule personally decreed by His Majesty. It is the foundation for maintaining the combat effectiveness of this army.
If today he lets Kurt go because of everyone's plea, what about tomorrow? What about the day after tomorrow? Once there are cracks in the iron law, it can no longer be called the iron law.
Jugram Haschwalth raised his sword, and the blade reflected a dazzling cold light under the cold light.
"Captain!" The voices of the members of the Knights turned into almost desperate screams.
Some people closed their eyes, some turned their heads, and some fixed their gazes on the ground. They were powerless. It wasn't that they didn't dare to stop it, but they couldn't stop it, because stopping Jugram Haschwalth meant questioning His Majesty's will, and questioning His Majesty's will was an unforgivable crime in Sternritter.
Brush--
The sound of the sword falling was clean and crisp, like a paper knife cutting across a piece of white paper.
"Ahhhhhhhh--!" Kurt's screams exploded in the hall, the sound was heartbreaking,
His body fell to one side, and a deep sword mark was cut from his left shoulder to his left abdomen. The wound was slashed diagonally from the bottom of the collarbone to the waist. The white uniform was torn by the sword energy, and the flesh was rolled. Blood spurted out from the wound and splashed on the cold white stone slab. The scarlet liquid looked particularly dazzling in the pale light.
Kurt fell to the ground, covering the wound with both hands, and curled up into a ball. His breathing was rapid and heavy, and blood foam poured out of the corners of his mouth with every inhale. His eyes were not anger or resentment, but a blank mixture of pain and numbness. He finally understood that in front of Jugram Haschwalth's iron law, anyone's pleas were in vain.
Jugram Haschwalth shook off the blood on the sword, and the blood drew an irregular arc on the white stone slab, like a blooming blood flower.
He turned around, sheathed his sword, his movements were smooth and indifferent. He did not look at Kurt on the ground again, but turned around and slowly left the hall. The sound of his footsteps echoed between the stone pillars, getting farther and farther and lighter, until they completely disappeared deep into the corridor.