Chapter 221 Bambietta's Defeat—Quilge's Vollständig
"When did this person..."
Bambietta Basterbine subconsciously regarded her empty palm, then gazed nervously at the peculiar man positioned before her.
Arrancar? No—the other party didn't possess the chaotic, malevolent Reiatsu characteristic of Hollows within his body. Was he Shinigami? However, no Reiatsu overflowed from the other party's form whatsoever. He resembled... a human being.
But human beings... Considering this, Bambietta turned her head and observed Inoue Orihime standing alongside Ichimaru Gin. She was human, wasn't she? Yet Bambietta could sense Reiatsu emanating from Inoue Orihime—unlike this individual before her.
And what was happening with Hueco Mundo presently? It consisted of either Shinigami or humans. Even this person before her...
Just as Bambietta's body tensed, preparing for combat, Fiander suddenly tossed the star medallion back into her grasp and spoke with a dull tone:
"You've dispatched numerous forces elsewhere, drawing away all the Espada under my command. As for why you've infiltrated this particular location—what do you intend accomplishing?"
"Exercise caution, Bambietta! This individual is the Arrancar who defeated Yamamoto Genryūsai!"
When he heard Fiander referring to Espada as his subordinates, Quilge Opie understood immediately. He prepared releasing his Vollständig to engage the opponent.
"Don't grow nervous. Relax—let's conduct an experiment!"
Fiander noticed that the cells within the Quincy before him—their Reiatsu—existed in an extraordinarily tense state, as though preparing to erupt momentarily.
Fiander spread his hands wide, exposing his chest defensively. A smile curved across his features. "Just now, you plundered Gin's Bankai. What a pleasant young lady. Allow me to witness how proficiently you can utilize Gin's Bankai!"
"Since you're seeking death, you cannot blame me!"
Witnessing that Fiander dared confronting her without any defensive posture, understanding she was being underestimated, Bambietta immediately displayed a cold expression. Gripping the star medallion within her hand, she chanted:
"Shoot to kill, Kamishini no Yari!"
Instantaneously, a blade constructed from spirit particles shot toward Fiander at speeds invisible to the naked eye. Positioned beside her, Quilge Opie hadn't even perceived Bambietta's blade movement—hearing only a clear ringing sound.
Fiander, positioned several meters distant, extended two fingers indifferently and casually caught the Kamishini no Yari blade Bambietta had fired between both digits. Then he commented critically:
"Well, the power proves adequate. However, the velocity is considerably inferior—far slower than Gin's!"
"Die!"
The instant Fiander's voice concluded, Bambietta roared with ferocious features. Quilge Opie positioned beside her sensed something profoundly wrong and immediately dodged away. Then Bambietta released her Reiatsu toward the blade caught between Fiander's fingers.
BOOM! BOOM!
The tremendous explosion raised an enormous mushroom cloud on the spot. Bambietta's holy letter among the Sternritter was "E," symbolizing the ability called "The Explode"—she could transform any Reiatsu she released into explosive force.
This girl who appeared cute, lively, and spirited was actually willful and cruel in essence.
Privately, she often chose eliminating male lower-ranked members simply to vent frustration and release emotions. When Fiander made her feel extraordinarily humiliated, her volatile temperament erupted. She didn't hesitate positioning herself at the explosion's epicenter just to eliminate the man before her.
When the explosion resonated, Quilge Opie wisely concealed himself aside, then turned to regard the Shinigami and human positioned nearby.
What puzzled Quilge Opie was that neither displayed any concerned expressions whatsoever. The Shinigami wore a playful smile across his features. Upon noticing Quilge observing him, he tilted his head and smiled directly at him.
The human girl displayed a distressed expression, yet her attention wasn't focused here—meaning they believed completely that Bambietta Basterbine's explosive abilities couldn't harm that individual.
Whoosh— Whoosh—
Suddenly, the sky darkened and fierce winds arose. The smoke and dust at the battlefield's center were swept away by the violent hurricane instantaneously, revealing both Bambietta and Fiander's figures.
Within Quilge Opie's perception, at this moment, his companion knelt painfully before that man. Her mouth gaped open wide, eyes rolled back, saliva continuously overflowing from the corners of her mouth. Her entire body trembled slightly. Her mouth whispered continuously:
"No... Impossible... how... how can this be..."
At this moment, Fiander released Bambietta's hand and caressed her face with seemingly concerned expression. "Poor little creature. Your mental fortitude proves far too weak. You should make an entertaining plaything after some cultivation!"
After speaking, Fiander turned his gaze toward Quilge Opie and spoke with a smile: "Hey, your turn has arrived!"
"This young lady isn't entertaining. She dirtied my clothing!" Fiander lowered his body to retrieve the star medallion that had fallen from Bambietta's grasp, then crushed it completely.
Soon, a strand of Reiatsu returned from the shattered medallion to Ichimaru Gin's Zanpakutō.
Sensing that the Reiatsu within his Zanpakutō had recovered, Ichimaru Gin nodded toward Fiander. After confirming his hypothesis, Fiander walked toward Quilge Opie slowly, speaking as he advanced:
"Just now, I deliberately allowed you to steal Gin's Bankai so I could conduct an experiment. Now it appears I generally comprehend the mechanism! The so-called Bankai plundering actually just involves rearranging and recombining Shinigami Bankai through spirit particle analysis, then absorbing them through your so-called star medallions. To state it bluntly, this represents merely an innate Quincy talent. I believe it should resemble Auswählen's ability, correct?"
Speaking thus, Fiander displayed his white teeth and smiled at Quilge Opie: "Captain-level Shinigami Bankai can amplify their Reiatsu by more than ten times or even greater. Although Quincy are born with exceptional talent for capturing surrounding spirit particles to replenish themselves—recovering from injuries and increasing attack power—just like this!"
Then, before Quilge Opie's eyes, Fiander closed his eyes with focused concentration. His entire being radiated azure luminescence. In an instant, surrounding spirit particles poured into Fiander's body as though absorbed by a black hole. Even Quilge Opie grew pale, perspiration dripping profusely.
Because just now, he'd felt his body approaching collapse—precisely like Yhwach's Auswählen. His physical form was being decomposed into spirit particles and forcefully absorbed by the other party.
Witnessing that Quilge Opie appeared stunned by his actions just now, Fiander continued: "Quincy cannot execute Bankai like Shinigami—suddenly multiplying their strength exponentially. Consequently, when confronting opponents, they're extraordinarily vulnerable to being caught off-guard. What should be done? Therefore, at the precise moment when opponents employ Bankai—before the flow of spirit particles within their bodies stabilizes—forcefully interrupt and sever that portion of Reiatsu. Thus, Shinigami Bankai becomes stolen by you. Am I correct?"
Observing Fiander approaching ever closer, Quilge Opie's expression grew increasingly ugly. Resisting the urge to flee, he touched his spectacle frames and inquired with a forced smile:
"Your Excellency's analysis proves truly magnificent. However, if you believe that our Sternritter rely solely upon plundering Bankai for combat, then you're grossly underestimating us!"
"AAAHHH!"
With Quilge Opie's roar, spirit particles throughout his entire body gathered upon the glove bearing the emblem on his right hand. Instantaneously, a cone of spiritual light with a rounded apex and short cross surrounded Quilge Opie's entire form.
When the light cone above Quilge Opie's head shattered, a luminous circle bearing the Quincy emblem materialized above his head.
At this moment, Quilge Opie's irises transformed into multiple concentric circles. His body was also covered with a new form composed of wings, shoulder guards, wristbands, and short boots constructed entirely from spirit particles.
The Quincy Vollständig represented the Sternritter's final trump card. Quilge Opie's Vollständig was designated—The Jail!