"I..."
"How could this be..."
Driscoll stared at his own body in horror. The next second, his body dislocated and snapped apart at the waist, splitting into two.
—
Meanwhile.
Nel and Riruka encountered Candice Catnipp.
Candice had medium-length, side-parted, grass-green hair. She wore a military cap, a sleeveless top, and shorts, with a very open neckline.
"Well, this is rare. An Arrancar and human combination." Candice swept her gaze over Nel and Riruka.
"I recall you two belong to Shin's group, don't you?" Candice smiled.
"Killing you will count as my first major accomplishment."
"That depends on whether you can actually pull it off." Riruka said, activating her ability.
A heart bearing the letter "R" floated onto Candice's chest.
"What is this? Some kind of joke?" Candice glanced at her chest but felt nothing unusual.
"I permit you to enter." Riruka snapped her fingers.
Candice was instantly sucked into the Dollhouse.
"Where is this?" Candice looked at the surrounding room, which was decorated in pink, girlish fashion.
Riruka lifted the roof. "This is my ability—Dollhouse."
Candice asked, looking curious, "What a strange ability. So, what are you planning to do now? Keep me locked inside?"
"You'll find out soon enough. Dolls, get her."
At Riruka's command, the numerous dolls piled up in the room all came to life and swarmed toward Candice.
Candice scoffed. "Such petty tricks."
She unleashed a wide-ranging bolt of lightning from her hand toward the dolls, but they were completely unaffected.
Riruka watched Candice with interest. "I forgot to mention, the dolls in here have all been reinforced by my Reiatsu. Ordinary attacks won't work on them."
"Is that so?"
"Barabarriel!"
In her Vollständig form, an arc-like five-pointed star appeared above Candice's head, and multiple lightning-shaped wings sprouted from her back.
"Sklaverei!"
The moment Candice finished speaking, the dolls and the entire Dollhouse turned into Reishi and were absorbed by her.
In just a moment, Candice broke free from the Dollhouse.
She looked at the stunned Riruka and said, "Little girl, it looks like your ability is useless against me."
Riruka snapped angrily, "Don't call me little girl!"
Candice glanced at Riruka's chest, then at Nel's, and finally at her own. "Am I wrong?"
"You jerk!"
Riruka wasn't actually small, she just couldn't compare to Candice or Nel.
"The jokes end here. Now, prepare to die."
"Remember my name. I am Candice Catnipp of the Sternritter, and my ability is 'T'—The Thunder."
Candice launched her attack as she spoke.
"Galvano Blast!"
This derivative technique of "Heilig Pfeil" and "The Thunder" fires lightning arrows with astonishing electrical power from her short bow.
Nel fired a pale red Cero from her mouth, neutralizing the lightning arrow.
"The Thunder!"
The lightning in Candice's hand condensed but remained unreleased as she rapidly closed the distance using Hirenkyaku.
"Riruka, step back for now." Nel told Riruka behind her while drawing her Zanpakutō.
Riruka retreated as instructed. Since her ability had been nullified, she knew she would only hinder Nel in direct combat.
Boom!
The Zanpakutō struck against the lightning, and electricity crackled between the two of them.
Cadice said, "You're not bad, Arrancar."
Nel calmly replied, "I must defeat you."
The two exchanged over a dozen blows, neither able to gain the upper hand.
Candice put distance between herself and Nel, then used Sklaverei again, absorbing the Reishi from the surrounding buildings. Her form changed once more, with several lightning-shaped markings appearing on her limbs.
Candice drew two bolts of lightning from her back, forming green lightning swords as weapons.
The two light swords slashed down toward Nel. As they struck her Zanpakutō, branching lightning erupted.
Nel could clearly feel that Candice's speed, strength, and the power of her lightning had all increased significantly. She immediately retreated using Sonído, gripping her Zanpakutō horizontally with both hands.
"Declare, Gamuza!"
Instantly, a massive sphere of pale red Reiatsu enveloped Nel, and the immense wind pressure destroyed the surrounding buildings.
After Resurrección, Nel transformed into a centaur-like form, wielding a double-headed lance. The horns attached to her mask lengthened and curved backward, and her collarbone, shoulders, and hands were covered in white armor.
Nel said calmly, "I heard you can steal a Shinigami's Bankai. I wonder if you can steal my Resurrección?"
"Tch."
"I don't need to steal your Resurrección to kill you both."
Candice couldn't steal an Arrancar's Resurrección, as the power of Hollows is highly effective against Quincy.
"Galvano Javelin!"
Candice launched the lightning sword in her hand like a thrown javelin.
"Lanzardo Verde!"
The double-headed lance in Nel's hand spun rapidly as she hurled it toward Candice.
The lightning sword and the double-headed lance collided mid-air. In an instant, the lightning sword was shattered, and the lance continued toward Candice at extreme speed.
The double-headed lance struck Candice in the chest, blasting her entire body away.
"Nel, great job! That was amazing!"
Riruka rushed up and hugged Nel.
This was the first time she had seen Nel's Resurrección form.
"Damn it!"
Candice had the defense of Blut Vene, meaning she only sustained minor injuries from Lanzardo Verde.
Blut Vene involves injecting Reishi directly into the blood vessels, which greatly enhances the body's defense, but it cannot be used simultaneously with Blut Arterie, which boosts destructive power.
Candice rose from the rubble, glanced at the wound on her chest, and immediately unleashed her strongest attack.
"Electrocution!"
She raised her right hand high, fingers pressed together, condensing immensely powerful lightning. She then hurled the claw-shaped lightning attached to her right hand toward Nel.
The next second, a wide-ranging sphere of green lightning formed and blasted toward Nel.
Gran Rey Cero!
A massive pink Cero condensed in Nel's mouth and shot out, warping the surrounding space.
BOOM!!!
The Cero and the lightning storm collided, resulting in a violent explosion. The intense light was blinding, all the surrounding buildings were pulverized, and the entire battlefield was shrouded in dust and smoke.
As the dust and smoke cleared, Candice lay on the ground, covered in blood and clearly critically wounded.
But Nel had no intention of taking her life and deactivated her Resurrección form.
Just then, Mayuri appeared out of nowhere and instructed Nemu to tie Candice up.
"I'll be taking this Quincy."
Mayuri gave Nel and Riruka a smile he clearly considered "kind," his large gold tooth drawing particular attention.
It turned out that Mayuri had been running around various battlefields collecting experimental materials, and naturally, he wouldn't let a live Candice go.
After Mayuri and Nemu left, Riruka finally spoke, "Why does Captain Kurotsuchi's smile feel so sinister?"
Nel, feeling the same way, nodded.
(End of Chapter)
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