"BEET…"
"His Majesty… is actually hurt…"
Two Quincy dressed in white robes—both as strong as captains—stared in disbelief at the spot where the shadow had vanished.
To them, the Quincy King—who had slept for a thousand years and was practically invincible—had just been wounded in the arm by a human, someone they saw as no more than an insect… even while fighting alongside Aizen Sōsuke.
Their hearts pounded, and chills ran all over their bodies. Goosebumps rose on their skin. The fear made their scalps tingle.
"This can't be… His Majesty must've forced himself awake before fully recovering his power…" one of them said through clenched teeth, unable to believe that Yhwach could be injured by something like this. He could only explain it by assuming that Yhwach hadn't reached his full strength yet.
"Yes, that has to be it," the other agreed quickly.
But as the Shinigami's attacks grew more intense, the first Quincy, now filled with cold fury, narrowed his eyes and said:
"Don't get cocky, Shinigami."
A hexagonal pendant on his hand glowed with blue light, and a glowing blue sword materialized out of thin air.
Gripping the blade, he glared at Kyoraku Shunsui.
"At least one of you is going to die!"
He stepped forward, and before anyone could react, he had already dashed past Kyoraku Shunsui.
The next moment—
"AGH!"
Blood splattered in the air.
A deep, gushing wound appeared on Shunsui's chest. Bright red blood poured out violently.
For a moment, everything went completely still.
A few seconds later—
"Wh… What just happened!?"
Kyoraku Shunsui looked down at the wound, his hands still holding both of his swords, his face blank.
"I… got cut?"
He had already activated his Bankai. With Nanaya driving the enemy back, he had let his guard down slightly—but not entirely. Even so, in just one brief moment of distraction, the enemy had nearly sliced him in half.
The Shinigami nearby finally snapped out of their daze.
"F—!"
"That's impossible! I didn't even see the attack…"
"Aren't Quincies supposed to use bows and arrows?"
The battlefield broke into chaos. Panic and disbelief spread across the Shinigami's faces.
A moment ago, after watching Nanaya repel Yhwach, they had assumed these ancient Quincy were nothing more than outdated, weak relics.
They never expected that just one of Yhwach's followers could injure Kyoraku Shunsui so severely… with a single strike.
"Shinigami… is that all? You're too weak."The white-robed Quincy, who looked like a knight, let out a slow breath. He turned his cold gaze on the stunned Shinigami.
"If His Majesty had been fully awake, he wouldn't have lost to that human. Get ready. The day His Majesty awakens completely will be the day you all die—along with that boy. Our Invisible Empire—"
"Hah? You're still running your mouth?"
Qiye interrupted him with irritation. The purple magatama Rinnegan in his eyes shimmered slightly.
He was already annoyed that he hadn't fully mastered his enhanced powers, which let Aizen Sōsuke and Yhwach escape.
And now, turning around to see two of Yhwach's men still talking nonsense?
The knight-like Quincy froze.
Cold sweat formed on his forehead as he instantly activated the shadow beneath his feet, letting it spread.
Even though he believed Yhwach's loss was due to not being fully awakened, it was still clear that Qiye's power was terrifying.
After all, even in his weakened state, Yhwach had world-ending strength.
So the Quincy who had nearly killed Kyoraku Shunsui didn't hesitate—he turned and ran into the Shadow Realm like a terrified rat.
He knew that if he stayed even a second longer, that human boy might kill him on the spot.
The two disappeared into the shadows.
And the ruined Karakura Town fell into complete silence.
Many of the Shinigami were still in shock, as if wanting to speak—but when they looked at the seriously injured Kyoraku Shunsui, they couldn't even find the words.
The same Quincy who almost killed Shunsui with one strike… had just been scared off by a single look from Qiye.
It was unbelievable.
This wasn't because the enemy was weak.
It was because Nanaya was simply too strong.
Unbelievably strong.
Thinking along those lines led the Shinigami to a terrifying realization.
Just how powerful is Yhwach?
The Quincy who had nearly killed Kyoraku Shunsui in one strike still referred to Yhwach as "Your Majesty."
It reminded them of the relationship between Aizen Sōsuke and Baraggan—a massive gap in power, like the difference between heaven and earth.
If that Quincy was already that strong...
Then Yhwach—who had been pushed back by Nanaya—might be capable of killing Kyoraku Shunsui with a single blow.
The thought alone was suffocating.
The Shinigami all looked at Nanaya again, this time with a deep sense of awe.
It was the kind of awe people feel in the presence of overwhelming power.
But Qiye (Nanaya) didn't think about any of that. He turned to Baraggan, held out his hand, and said coldly:
"Were you trying to help those bastards just now?"
Baraggan, who looked like a European noble Shinigami, froze as Qiye addressed him. His expression changed instantly, and all his fighting spirit vanished.
Panicked, he stomped the ground and fled at full speed.
"Monster! Just a human…! I'm the emperor of Hueco Mundo! I haven't even killed that bastard Aizen yet—how could I die at your hands…!"
"You fool. You think you can get away?"
Qiye watched him run and sneered.
"Sage Art: Yin Release—Thunder Clap!"
In a flash, bright lightning shot from Qiye's hand like branching tree limbs. It struck Baraggan instantly.
A horrible scream echoed.
The black mist that made up Baraggan's body began to fade at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Even time and aging couldn't resist the power of law.
As the black fog vanished, so did his voice—and his body fell to the ground like a bird with broken wings.
"Universal Pull!"
Qiye's right hand flared with gravitational force and pulled the fallen fake body toward him.
"Flame King!"
Behind him, the terrifying Flame King appeared.
Without hesitation, Qiye tossed Baraggan's remains into its mouth. The Flame King devoured him, carving out a new tunnel for the Six Paths of Pain.
The Shinigami watching it all instinctively swallowed hard.
They had already known Qiye had grown far stronger than before—but now, they truly felt it.
Baraggan, the former emperor of Hueco Mundo, was no weakling. His subordinates had captain-level strength, and he could age anything just by being near it. He even nearly killed Sui-Feng once.
But this man—this monster—Qiye had killed him in under a minute.
And not only that—he even fed his corpse to the Flame King.
The battlefield was frozen in shock.
Qiye turned his gaze toward the remaining Arrancar: Menos Grande, Starrk, Grimmjow, Lilinette… and others.
"Starrk… this guy is scary," Lilinette muttered, trembling, hiding behind him.
Starrk scratched his head with a tired look and sighed, "Well, what can we do? Aizen almost got killed too… I guess today's our end."
Do I really come off that cruel? Qiye looked at Starrk and couldn't help thinking to himself.
But when he remembered all the Arrancar he had already killed, he had to admit it—yeah, he probably did seem pretty heartless.
Just then, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni—having barely recovered some spiritual energy—flew into the air and said hoarsely:
"Qi… Qiye…"
His voice was rough, like he still couldn't accept the fact that he, the Commander of the Gotei 13, had been saved by a human.
But after forcing the words out, he still spoke, trying to maintain his pride:
"The war is over. There's no need for more killing. Let the Menos Grande return."
"Hueco Mundo, the Soul Society, and the Human World all keep each other in balance. If one side loses too many powerful fighters, the entire system could collapse…"
"And more importantly right now…"
"The most important thing is fixing your head."
Qiye cut him off bluntly and stopped looking at the Menos Grande. He glared at the old man and said darkly:
"You're the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years. Yet you let yourself get tricked that easily? When are you going to stop being so arrogant!?"
Yamamoto Genryūsai: "…"
The old man's mouth twitched, and a vein pulsed on his forehead. Whatever gratitude he'd felt just moments ago completely vanished.
Humans really are the most annoying, he thought bitterly.
"I was just… a little careless…"
He tried to defend himself, insisting it wasn't arrogance.
But Qiye wasn't buying it.
With a smirk, he turned to Jūshirō Ukitake and the others and said:
"Hey, Shinigami. You'd better talk some sense into this arrogant old man. Otherwise, he's going to get himself killed one of these days."
In the original timeline, Yamamoto had died because of that—killed by Yhwach due to his overconfidence.
If not for that, maybe he wouldn't have lost.
The old man's face turned blue with anger.
Before he could argue, Jūshirō Ukitake stepped forward and spoke gently but firmly:
"Teacher… Qiye's right."
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