Chapter 245

The moment Isshin Shiba shouted out his Bankai, the Quincy Medallion in Cang Du's hand activated.

A power completely different from the Death God's spiritual pressure surged from the Star Seal.

It precisely severed the soul connection between him and his Zanpakuto, cutting off the inner link directly.

Isshin Shiba's Bankai was forcibly stripped away, and his Reiatsu collapsed in an instant.

The flames on the Engetsu Blade were extinguished, and the blade returned to its Shikai form, losing its luster.

Caught off guard, he was immediately jolted to his knees by Jerome's sonic waves.

Cang Du didn't give him a chance to stand up, and once again conjured Reishi short sword, which directly struck Isshin Shiba's right shoulder.

The blade pierced through the Death Knight's armor, cut into the flesh, and created a huge wound.

The pain was excruciating, Isshin Shiba roared in fury.

But the physical pain could not mask the surprise in his heart.

Bankai, how could it suddenly disappear?

At that moment, Isshin Shiba noticed the Quincy Medallion in the enemy's hand and an unbelievable thought arose in his mind.

Did the enemy use some means to seal away their own power?

Isshin Shiba fixed on the Quincy Medallion in Cang Du's hand, his pupils dilating.

No, it's that his Bankai was taken away...

Cang Du kicked him in the chest again, sending him flying.

Just as Cang Du was about to deliver the finishing blow, a new Reiatsu appeared within his perception range.

It's another Captain-level Reiatsu, and it's approaching here at high speed.

Cang Du frowned and looked at Isshin Shiba, who still had the strength to resist.

Their plan failed; they had been outmaneuvered by Aizen. Continuing the fight would be counterproductive, especially since they had already lost one of their men.

Cang Du sheathed his short sword, glanced at the Quincy Medallion in his hand, and then looked at Isshin Shiba.

I never expected that someone with injuries of this severity would still be able to stand up.

Cang Du had lost all will to fight. He looked at the two people around him and gave the order to retreat.

"Withdraw."

"Don't run!"

Isshin Shiba and charged forward, trying to delay the enemy one last time.

Cang Du snorted coldly and activated his Schrift ability.

He used Schrift to create a final cage, trapping Isshin Shiba inside as he charged forward, then gestured for Jerome and Loyd to take Berenice's body.

The figures disappeared into the edge of the Shadow Domain.

When Wang Xun arrived, only a mess remained at the entrance to the cave.

Isshin Shiba was trapped in a Reishi prison, blood was still seeping from the wound on his right shoulder, and his face was pale.

He could barely hold his Zanpakuto anymore.

"It's the captain of the 11th Division. Don't worry about me, go after the enemy first. It's Quincy."

"Be careful, they can steal Bankai."

Looking at the heavily injured Isshin Shiba lying on the ground, Wang Xun sighed.

"The enemy has already fled far away; I can no longer sense their Reiatsu."

"Let's save you first, or you'll be dead."

Upon hearing this, Isshin Shiba sighed, but also felt a sense of relief.

"Hopefully, I can hold out until the Fourth Division."

"Don't worry about supporting me, I can handle it."

Upon Isshin Shiba looked at Wang Xun in surprise.

"You're not from the 11th Division..."

"Never mind that, just wait and see if I can cure you or not."

Isshin Shiba pursed his lips, then reached out and knocked on the bars of the Reishi cage.

"But this cage seems pretty hard to open. I tried cutting it several times but it didn't work. Do you have any ideas?"

Seeing Wang Xun approach, Isshin Shiba asked in a hoarse voice.

Wang Xun squatted down and placed his hand on the surface of the cage.

The Quincy's Reishi structure is completely different from the Soul Reaper's barrier techniques.

Wang Xun it over and recalled the cage's ability: the Schrift J, the Jail.

This cage is itself a closed Reishi circulation system. The only way to destroy it is to break through it from the inside using the power of fellow Quincy.

In the original story, it was this cage that trapped Ichigo Kurosaki within the Dangai.

No matter how much it struggled, it couldn't break free. Finally, it forced out the Quincy power within Ichigo's body, which then broke through the barrier.

However, this was easy for Wang Xun.

"Chains are boundless, all laws are still, the Shackle Lotus."

After the Zanpakuto in his hand Shikai, it began to automatically analyze the power of the Schrift J, and after a moment, the analysis was successful.

Wang Xun plunged his Zanpakuto in, and to Isshin Shiba's astonishment, sliced Reishi prison into pieces as easily as cutting tofu.

Isshin Shiba to break free, looked at Wang Xun with eyes full of gratitude.

Wang Xun just in time, not only driving away several Quincy and saving his life, but also helping him out of a predicament.

"Thank you so much, you've been a great help."

Wang Xun nodded and turned his head to look around.

His gaze fell on the entrance to the abandoned cave.

He was certainly familiar with this place; it Aizen's secret laboratory.

Aizen's retreat was so clean, it was as if he deliberately left an empty shell for certain people to discover.

Wang Xun withdrew his gaze and took a deep breath.

Wang Xun placed his hand on Isshin Shiba's right shoulder, and a pale green Kaidō light shone from his palm.

The wound was deep; the Reishi dagger had cut into the gap between the shoulder blade and collarbone, nearly hitting the tip of the lung.

Wang Xun used his fingertips to guide the stream of Reiatsu Kaidō, repairing it starting from the bones, then the tendons, and finally the skin.

Isshin Shiba his head to look at his shoulder.

The deep, bone-revealing wound is shrinking at a visible rate.

The shattered tendon fibers rearranged, the torn blood vessels began to anastomose, and new granulation tissue grew along the edges of the skin, layer upon layer covering it.

After an unknown amount of time, the wound was reduced to a faint scar, which no longer hindered normal movement.

This healing ability was something Isshin Shiba had never heard of before.

"Alright, go back to the Fourth Division and double-check. This is battlefield handling, I can't be that meticulous."

"Isn't that detailed enough? You..." Isshin Shiba glared at him, "Aren't you Kenpachi from the 11th Division?"

"Yes."

"How come you can Kaidō of this caliber? This is at least at the level of a senior Seated Officer of the Fourth Division..."

"I was the vice-captain of the Fourth Division before."

"Oh, so you're the vice-captain."

Isshin Shiba opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Something seems off?

He looked down at his shoulder, then looked up at Wang Xun's expressionless face.

After struggling for a while, he finally managed to utter a sentence.

"Then how did you become Kenpachi?"

Wang Xun ignored him.

"Can you walk?"

"Able."

Isshin Shiba gripped the Engetsu tightly and used it to push himself up from the ground.

His face was still a little pale, but he stood very steadily.

"Thank you so much for today. I'll definitely come to express my gratitude in person later."

"No need, Kaien and I are acquaintances, Isshin Yixin, there's no need to be so polite."

Isshin Shiba was taken aback for a moment.

"You and Kaien are very close?"

"Yes, I met him back in the Spiritual Arts Academy. He doesn't mention you often, but you share the same surname, so it's not hard to guess."

Isshin Shiba paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

He reached up and wiped the blood and sweat from his face, looking at Wang Xun.

"Come visit Rukongai next time you have time."

"Good."

Wang Xun led Isshin Shiba back to Seireitei.

The atmosphere in the brigade's conference room was even more somber than during the operational meeting.

Shigekuni Yamamoto sat in the main seat, with all the captains on either side present.

Isshin Shiba stood in the middle and recounted the entire story of how the Quincy Medallion was stolen and how Bankai was obtained.

From encountering four Quincy, to Shikai Cang Du with his Shikai, to having his power forcibly stripped away the moment Bankai, and then being trapped in the Reishi Cage, no detail was omitted.

One thing is certain.

"Isshin Shiba said with a serious expression."

"The Quincy most likely possess some kind of technique specifically designed to Bankai. The moment the enemy activates their ability, I can no longer sense the existence of my Zanpakuto."

"Right now, my Engetsu can only reach its Shikai; the sword spirit has lost even the most basic response."

For a moment, no one spoke in the meeting room; everyone's expressions were grave.

This news was too shocking for them.

With the Bankai gone, the captain loses the core ability he relied on.

"The battle plan needs to be adjusted."

Kyōraku broke the silence with his voice.

"If the captain's ability to fight is taken away, his combat strength will be greatly diminished, and we don't even know if the enemy can..."

Use the stolen Bankai.

He looked up at Isshin Shiba.

"When your Bankai is taken away, what is the opponent's reaction? Do they need to chant, use hand gestures, or activate it directly?"

"It activated immediately, without any preparatory steps. The instant I shouted 'Bankai,' the opponent... seemed to have something in their hand, like a badge or something."

Kyōraku sighed and continued speaking.

"As for whether they can fight, yes, they can. With Captain-level combat power, even using only their Shikai, they are still above Quincy."

"Captain Shiba, even in his Shikai form, directly overwhelmed his opponent; that's what we saw."

"The problem is that with our Bankai taken away, our tactics have to be completely overhauled, and now our advantage has disappeared."

At this moment, Kirio Hikifune looked up.

"But... the pre-battle preparations are almost complete."

"The personnel allocation for each department has been finalized, and the entrance passage will open in the next two days. Mayuri Kurotsuchi Kurotsuchi's techniques have been calibrated to the final round."

"If we postpone the operation now, it will be tantamount to wasting all the previous preparations. After the postponement, the enemy will have more time to strengthen their defenses."

Kirio Hikifune looked at Isshin Shiba.

Finally, there's one more question.

"Captain Shiba, how many of those devices that can steal Bankai do they possess?"

"I'm not sure. Of the people I faced, only one had one; the others didn't use Quincy Medallion."

"In other words, it's uncertain whether all personnel on the other side are equipped with it; it's possible that only a few people possess it."

Kirio Hikifune turned to Yamamoto.

"Captain-Commander, my suggestion is not to postpone the operation."

"All Bankai are disabled; the tactical roles of each echelon will be readjusted based on the Shikai instead."

"At this critical juncture, seizing the time is more important than playing it safe."

"But Captain Shiba needs to come to the Twelfth Division immediately for a full checkup. His Bankai has been taken, but the soul connection can't be completely eliminated; there will always be residual fluctuations."

"If we can find a way to break the Quincy Medallion, we can get this card back."

Shunsui Kyōraku nodded; he also agreed with Kirio Hikifune's plan.

"It now seems that the Quincy have been plotting against the Soul Society for a long time, and this time they came prepared."

"If Captain Shiba hadn't encountered a few Quincy during his patrol, who knows how much damage he would have suffered in a direct confrontation."

Yamamoto closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

The cane tapped lightly on the stone slab.

"Isshin Shiba, go to the Twelfth Division immediately for examination. Kirio Hikifune will be in charge. Try to find a solution as soon as possible."

"Each unit is preparing to storm in according to the original schedule; all captains' Bankai are subject to the prohibited use regulations."

"Given the Quincy's cunning abilities, I will personally lead the operation in this direct confrontation to completely Quincy."

Yamamoto's authoritative words fell, all the captains perked up.

The Captain-Commander is preparing to make his move; this time, the Quincy are in for a surprise.

The Wandenreich, Silbern.

Cang Du knelt on one knee in the center of the operations hall.

His left arm was wrapped in bandages, and his combat uniform still bore the scorch marks left by the Blazing Engetsu.

Berenice's body, wrapped in a white sheet, lay in a side room.

Jerome and Loyd stood behind Cang Du, both bearing wounds of varying degrees.

Haschwalth looked at them, his brow furrowed.

"The mission failed."

"Yes."

Cang Du lowered his head.

"Aizen's original laboratory has been completely emptied, leaving no usable information. We've fallen victim to his scheme."

o

"We encountered a patrol of Soul Reaper shortly after we arrived. The leader was a new and formidable captain. Berenice was unfortunately killed in action, but we obtained crucial intelligence."

He took out the Quincy Medallion that still contained the Bankai Reiatsu of Isshin Shiba.

On the surface of the silver badge, a crimson spirit rune was slowly flowing.

"The four of us surrounded and fought the new captain. He was no match for us and prepared to unleash his Bankai."

"I used the Quincy Medallion to instantly steal his Bankai, confirming that the Quincy Medallion is completely effective against Soul Reaper's Bankai."

Upon hearing this, Haschwalth turned around and took the Quincy Medallion with crimson spirit patterns from Cang Du's hand.

He looked at it for a while, then handed the Quincy Medallion back to Cang Du.

"Excellent, the Quincy Medallion's effectiveness in actual combat has been proven. From now on, all Sternritter will be equipped with the Quincy Medallion."

"When engaging Soul Reaper, all combat personnel should prioritize using their Quincy Medallion to decipher the opponent's Bankai. We no longer need to fear Soul Reaper captains who possess Bankai."

He looked at Cang Du.

"Berenice's remains will be buried according to the Knights' regulations. The three of you will return to your units to rest and regroup. After changing your uniforms, immediately return to your defensive positions and be vigilant against any sudden attacks from Soul Reaper."

Cang Du bowed his head, accepted the order, and rose to leave.

Haschwalth walked to the Reishi projection and drew an arc between several marked points around the Seireitei with his finger.

The Soul Reaper's main force is assembling, less than a day before the entrance to the Shadow Domain opens.

He pressed the communicator.

"All personnel are on high alert. All units along the defensive line are deployed to their designated positions. Be vigilant against the Soul Reaper's probing and infiltration."

"Once Soul Reaper breaks through the entrance, the first line of defense will hold back the invading forces, while the second and third lines will contract in turn."

"If you encounter Shigekuni Yamamoto, do not engage him in direct combat; his Ryūjin Jakka is beyond your ability to withstand."

"If you encounter him, retreat immediately and leave him to me."

After saying that, Haschwalth cut off the communication.

The cold light reflected on his face, sharply defining his expression.

Yhwach...