"What? This is supposed to be steel!?"
Nnoitra-like Asura Path Pain hoisted the battered Quincy, Cang Du, into the air by the throat. His single eye burned with scorn, his mouth twisting into a cruel grin.
Cang Du's body was mangled, three deep gashes tearing across his torso, blood gushing out in streams. Despite the agony, he glared back, teeth clenched.
Unlike most Quincy who used bows, his weapon was different—a set of razor claws, jagged and deadly, like the talons of a beast.
"Damn it... nobody said these Hollows were this strong..." he spat through bloodied lips.
But as the thought formed, the bitter truth struck him, and his fury boiled over.
"Damn you, Aizen Sōsuke!"
Thousands of years ago, even Adjuchas-class Menos Grande were hardly worth a Quincy's attention. Their natural spiritual power made them perfect counters to Hollows.
But everything changed.
After Aizen's experiments twisted and evolved the Hollows of Hueco Mundo, their strength had grown to terrifying levels. No longer were they mere prey. They had become monsters that even Quincies could not dismiss.
The puppet before him—this monstrous Menos Grande reshaped into Pain—was undoubtedly a powerful warrior in life. Now, as Asura Pain, he was no weaker than a Gotei 13 captain.
Cang Du's body trembled as the six massive scythes raised high above him, casting his face into shadow. His lips pulled back into a snarl of defiance.
He pressed the clawed fists of both hands against his chest and roared:
"Snake Fang Claw!!!"
His entire body flared with Reiatsu, pouring everything into the steel claws. They blazed with blinding blue light, brighter and brighter until it burst forth in a serpent-shaped beam, surging forward like a furious dragon.
The glow grew so intense it resembled the fierce brilliance of a lion's majesty, a final desperate strike to pierce through death itself.
But Asura Pain only sneered.
"Pathetic. Even in despair, you cling to hope?"
With a metallic groan, the two mechanical arms jutting from his shoulders extended forward, shielding him like iron guardians.
BOOM!!!
The serpent-light smashed into the steel, detonating with a thunderous roar. The air split apart with blinding energy, the ground beneath them cracked, and smoke engulfed the battlefield.
When it cleared, the mechanical arms were scorched and fractured, fissures running along the steel. But they still held strong.
Cang Du's eyes widened in horror.
"Steel... harder than mine...!?"
Before the disbelief could leave his lips, six colossal scythes whistled through the air.
SHUNK—SHUNK—SHUNK!
The sound of blades tearing through flesh filled the air.
Cang Du's body convulsed, his blood spraying in arcs, before collapsing lifelessly to the ground with a heavy thud.
The Sternritter with the Schrift "I"—Steel—had been utterly overwhelmed. Even his defense, the pride of his ability, was crushed by Asura Pain's monstrous power.
Omaeda Marechiyo, who had been watching from the sidelines, nearly collapsed from relief. Tears welled in his eyes as he stumbled forward, throwing his arms around Nanaya's leg through the puppet.
"Master Nanaya! It had to be you! If you hadn't shown up, I'd be dead for sure! That monster was about to cut me to pieces!"
His voice cracked with desperation, his sobbing almost comical against the backdrop of death.
Nanaya, still controlling Asura Pain, frowned in irritation. In one hand he casually held a tiny golden figure, its wings fluttering faintly.
"Don't talk nonsense. This little pest is causing me enough trouble. I'll go find Suì-Fēng. You—go hide somewhere."
Omaeda blinked, then stared at the golden figure in Nanaya's hand. His throat went dry.
"T-That's... the captain's Zanpakutō spirit... Suzumebachi..." he muttered nervously.
To him, it resembled a queen bee—small, proud, delicate, and deceptively beautiful. But beneath that elegance was pure, lethal danger.
Even now, the golden sprite buzzed furiously, lunging at Nanaya's body. Each strike drove its stinger into him, leaving behind blackened marks shaped like tiny bee tattoos.
The ability was infamous: two stings to the same mark meant instant death.
Omaeda could only watch in horror as the captain's spirit tried again and again to sting Nanaya. Yet somehow, impossibly, the man endured.
The attacks that could end a life in two strikes barely scratched him.
Nanaya sighed in annoyance, as if swatting at an insect.
Omaeda trembled, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
"H-He's... he's surviving Suzumebachi's killing technique... even Suì-Fēng herself might not be able to match this..."
His thoughts spiraled in terror as he stared at Nanaya.
"This monster just keeps getting stronger and stronger... maybe even the captain won't be able to stop him..."
Cold sweat drenched his body as the realization sank in.
"Muramasa?!"
At Liltotto Lamperd's words, Unohana Retsu's manifested Zanpakutō faltered. Though her blood-colored doppelgänger clearly hated the thought, she gave a small nod, accepting the order in silence.
"Fine. Let's finish this woman quickly."
This blood-formed Jiejin was none other than Unohana's own Zanpakutō given flesh. She carried her master's memories and wielded the same eight thousand deadly techniques that made Unohana feared throughout Soul Society.
But even with those skills—techniques honed through centuries of slaughter—she had been unable to overcome her own master.
"Good." Liltotto's golden eyes gleamed with approval. Inwardly, she marveled at Muramasa's power.
Unbelievable. A Zanpakutō spirit that can exist independently... fight without its master's energy... even control other Zanpakutō.
With Aizen Sōsuke's interference, Muramasa had merged with Hollow power, enhancing his already terrifying abilities. His bewitchment could now dominate even the strongest Zanpakutō, bending them to his will.
Stronger than even our Sternritter. If we could seize Yamamoto Genryūsai's blade... His Majesty's strength would become unstoppable.
Her thoughts burned with ambition as golden Reiatsu flared around her body.
"Quincy: Vollständig—Gottes Muskeln!"
Without hesitation, she invoked the Quincy's ultimate power.
A radiant five-pointed star blazed into existence above her head. Golden energy wings spread jaggedly from her back, their light slicing through the battlefield. The air trembled under her transformed presence.
Raising one slim hand toward Unohana, Liltotto's voice was calm, almost mocking:
"Fork."
A torrent of golden Reiatsu erupted from her hand, shaping itself into a gleaming crown of jagged spikes. In a flash, it hurtled toward Unohana Retsu with devastating speed.
"Clang!"
The crown struck—but was deflected.
Standing in its path was the blood-formed Jiejin, her expression as gentle as ever, though her blade dripped menace. She had blocked the attack with her sword.
"Master... this is pointless. I am free now. I no longer need you. But don't worry—"
Her soft smile never faltered as she lifted her crimson blade.
"After you die, I'll carry on your will. I'll slaughter every Shinigami alive... savor the purest joy of bloodshed..."
She swung mercilessly.
"ABU!"
The golden crown slammed into Unohana's abdomen, tearing through flesh. Blood poured down her lower body.
But instead of faltering, Unohana's eyes widened with a feverish gleam. Her lips curled into something both beautiful and terrifying.
"Ahh... yes. This pain... this thrill. My Zanpakutō... give me deeper wounds... wounds that truly satisfy..."
Her tongue slid across her lips, savoring the taste of blood.
Across from her, Jiejin's face remained serenely kind, even as she wielded her blood-forged blade like a whip. With each strike, arcs of red tore through the air.
Seizing the chance, Liltotto attacked in tandem. Her Vollständig shimmered as she conjured golden weapons from raw spiritual energy—knives, spears, axes, even massive swords—all hurled toward Unohana in a storm of radiant death.
Steel clashed. Energy burst. Blood sprayed.
Within moments, Unohana's body was riddled with wounds, blood soaking through her uniform. Her movements slowed, her body trembling from the strain. Yet her face told a different story—her eyes burned with ecstasy, her lips twisted in fanatical delight.
"As expected of my Zanpakutō... You make this so... beautiful..."
"Shut up, you insane bitch! Just die already!" Liltotto snapped, her patience fraying.
No matter how much punishment she inflicted, Unohana refused to fall. Her endurance was monstrous, her bloodlust unending.
Without the manifested Zanpakutō helping her, Liltotto knew—even she would have been outmatched.
Her jaw clenched. Enough was enough.
"Golden Clamp!!!"
Her voice thundered with fury as she unleashed another surge of Vollständig power. Golden Reiatsu twisted into a massive trap-like construct, shimmering with sharp edges.
In an instant, the gleaming jaws materialized beneath Unohana's feet—then snapped shut.
The air cracked with pressure. The trap's jaws, powerful enough to bisect a captain in one strike, closed around her body.
The battle should have ended there.
But before the golden clamp could slice through her—
"Banshō Ten'in!""Shinra Tensei!"
Two calm, cold voices overlapped.
From the distance, a figure floated above the battlefield, robes billowing, his eyes glowing with merciless authority. He raised both hands—one pulling, the other repelling.
The golden trap shattered instantly, splintering into fragments of light that rained uselessly to the ground.
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