"Stubborn to the very end. And to think His Majesty trusted you that much."
Jugram stared coldly at Uryu, lifting his long sword, intending to end the battle as quickly as possible.
Because although he had already sensed Yamamoto's spiritual pressure disappearing…
For some reason, an ominous feeling kept crawling up his spine.
It had nothing to do with logic. It was pure instinct.
As if his Schrift, Banbutsu Chowa (Harmony of All Things), was warning him.
Since Banbutsu Chowa possessed the power to govern fortune and misfortune, he had an exceptionally sharp instinct for how situations would unfold.
And right now, even though the Wandenreich clearly held the upper hand, his unease had reached an extreme.
It felt like the entire Wandenreich was walking on a tightrope.
One wrong step
And it would be eternal ruin.
Thinking of that, Jugram stopped hesitating. He swung his spirit-particle blade, charging at Uryu at the fastest speed.
Uryu's pupils shrank, and he immediately swung the spirit-particle saber he had only just mastered.
Sword met blade.
A harsh metallic screech exploded out.
Uryu's expression changed drastically. An overwhelming force slammed into his spirit-particle saber—something he couldn't resist at all.
His body was blasted backward like a cannonball, and with a thunderous crash, he smashed into the wall.
Boom!!!
One wall after another was punched through in an instant.
Dust billowed along the path, like a heavy truck had just plowed straight through.
Boom!!!
Dozens of walls were smashed through in a single breath.
Dust filled the air, thick and choking.
After taking such a brutal hit, Uryu's face flushed an unnatural red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
He struggled several times
But each time, he failed to stand up from the rubble.
Just then, crisp footsteps approached.
Jugram held his spirit-particle sword, his expression indifferent, walking toward him.
"Ishida Uryu. Farewell."
Normally, he might have left Uryu alive out of a sense of valuing talent.
But now, the alarm bells in his heart were screaming.
That nameless anxiety gave him no patience for such things.
As Jugram's sword came down
Uryu's pupils dilated to their limit, and he roared through gritted teeth:
"Kanzen Hanritsu (Complete Reversal)!"
In that instant, his Schrift activated, trying to transfer the grievous wounds he had suffered onto Jugram.
At the same time, Uryu locked his eyes on Jugram with everything he had.
The injury he had just taken was fatal.
If he could force that onto Jugram, Jugram would be heavily wounded too.
Then
That would be his chance to turn the tables.
But faced with Uryu's Schrift, Jugram remained calm. He didn't even slow his steps.
"I told you before," Jugram said flatly. "The Schrift you gained from drinking His Majesty's blood is not bad…"
"But you're still far too green."
Any Schrift's ability ultimately depends on its user's mastery and development.
To Jugram, a Quincy who had only just awakened his Schrift was like a baby holding a sword.
A deadly weapon in hand
Yet incapable of drawing out its true power.
Before Uryu could even process what that meant, Jugram's body suddenly erupted with blood, covered in wounds.
Uryu's eyes lit up at once. He felt the pain in his own body easing without him even realizing it, and he immediately struggled up, preparing to attack.
What a load of smug nonsense
Aren't you seriously injured too?!
But as Uryu reached to draw his bow, he saw Jugram lift a shield.
Even while "heavily wounded," Jugram still looked elegant, composed.
"Taizai no Tate."
The power of Banbutsu Chowa activated.
The world's luck and misfortune
All of it fell under Harmony's rule.
In the next moment, Uryu's face went pale.
Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body collapsed forward uncontrollably.
A tearing, bone-deep pain surged into his brain.
But he didn't even have the presence of mind to care.
He stared at Jugram in disbelief.
"How… is that possible?!"
The wounds he had transferred with Kanzen Hanritsu (Complete Reversal)
Had all been reflected back onto him.
And worse
They were even more severe than before.
What is this guy?
Isn't his Schrift Banbutsu Chowa (Harmony of All Things)?
Why does he have an ability that resembles mine?!
Could it be… the blood I drank was fake?!
Facing Uryu's disbelieving stare, Jugram stopped.
He raised his blade and swung downward, speaking coolly:
"That's why I said it."
"You're still too green."
He admitted that Kanzen Hanritsu was an incredibly strong power.
But Uryu simply hadn't developed it at all.
Just like Jugram's own Banbutsu Chowa (Harmony of All Things)—
After a thousand years of refinement, it had evolved into something bizarre and terrifying.
Despair flashed through Uryu's eyes. He wanted to dodge—
But his body refused to move.
"So… am I going to die?!"
At that moment, a calm voice sounded from not far away.
"I agree with what you said."
"My son's talent really isn't that great."
"But that doesn't give you the right to hurt him."
Whoosh!
A piercing sound tore through the air.
A blue Seinaru Metsuya (Sacred Extermination Arrow) struck Jugram's descending sword in an instant—
Forcing it to halt in midair.
Hearing that familiar voice, Uryu's eyes widened, and he looked toward it with trembling excitement.
"Dad!!!"
The man who arrived was Ryuken.
He pushed up his glasses, glanced at Uryu, and spoke evenly:
"Why are you still lying there?"
"I've already created an opening for you to escape."
"You don't even have that much battle sense?"
Uryu's face darkened at once.
Damn it—yeah, that was definitely his venomous old man.
He complained in his heart, but he still forced his blood-soaked body up and staggered toward Ryuken with immense difficulty.
"Dad, we can't let him leave!"
"We have to finish him here!"
"I know."
Ryuken's tone remained calm. Then he turned his head slightly toward Isshin.
"Isshin. Go to the Soul King Palace."
Hearing that, Isshin glanced at Jugram and could clearly sense how terrifyingly strong he was.
But Isshin didn't hesitate at all.
He immediately sprinted toward the Soul King Palace.
He trusted Ryuken's level.
This guy was a genius—clever to the point of being monstrous.
Even if he had never learned the newest Quincy techniques
His strength was still above many of the captains of Seireitei.
Jugram's gaze grew solemn.
He wanted to stop Isshin
But Ryuken's presence gave him an even greater sense of threat.
After a brief thought, Jugram abandoned the idea of intercepting Isshin.
He focused completely on Ryuken.
Several seconds passed before Jugram finally spoke:
"I've heard that after His Majesty's Auswahlen years ago…"
"Some Quincy still remained in the Human World."
"But I didn't consider it before, so you slipped past me."
"However… you…"
Jugram stared hard at Ryuken and said in a low voice:
"You're a pure-blood Quincy, aren't you?"
The difference between pure-blood and mixed-blood was obvious, easy to distinguish.
The reason Jugram hadn't identified Uryu was mainly because he never imagined a mixed-blood Quincy still existed.
And also because within the Wandenreich, he hadn't seen a mixed-blood Quincy for a thousand years.
So Uryu had fooled him.
But Jugram could be certain of one thing:
This silver-haired, handsome middle-aged man in front of him
Was absolutely a pure-blood Quincy.
Ryuken replied indifferently, "My name is Ishida Ryuken."
"And I am the last Quincy of the Human World."
Uryu couldn't help staring at his father.
I'm a Quincy too, you know…
Ryuken didn't explain.
He had once been granted a Quincy medallion by his grandfather, Ishida Soken, and was the only one permitted to call himself "the last Quincy."
As for his foolish son
He was merely a mixed-blood who happened to wield Quincy power.
He had never received recognition from the Quincy as a whole.
"Ishida Ryuken… the final pure-blood member of the Ishida line?"
Jugram nodded slowly, a faint sense of loss passing through him…
Because a thousand years ago, he had seen members of the Ishida family.
It had been a great clan—almost all of them pure-blood.
And now, a thousand years later
Only one pure-blood Quincy remained to stand here.
In that sense, if not for the Wandenreich, Ryuken truly would have been the last Quincy.
But Jugram quickly returned to himself. His expression cooled, and he slashed forward.
None of that mattered anymore.
Right now, he had to return to His Majesty and report what he was feeling.
Because this concerned the fate of the Wandenreich.
Why, in the future His Majesty saw, was there no sign of Uryu's existence?
Did that mean
The Allmighty had a flaw?
If The Allmighty truly had a flaw, then everything they were doing now might be a massive trap.
Even His Majesty might die…
"Dad, be careful! He's really strong!"
Uryu shouted anxiously.
Even though, during his time in the Wandenreich, he had learned that his father was powerful
He still didn't believe his "non-combat type" father could beat Jugram, the Emperor's proxy.
But Ryuken didn't care about Uryu's warning at all.
A spirit-particle longsword formed in his hand, and he met Jugram's spirit-particle blade head-on.
Boom!!!
A deafening roar exploded out.
An invisible shockwave burst from the clash and spread outward.
Uryu was blown back several meters before he could barely stop.
He lifted his head, staring at the two who were exchanging blows directly
His face full of shock.
"Dad…"
Right before his eyes, the father he thought "wasn't good at fighting"
Wasn't losing ground in the slightest.
He was actually holding Jugram to a dead-even fight.
Blade collided with blade.
So fast it made the eyes blur.
Countless Seinaru Metsuya (Sacred Extermination Arrow) crashed together.
Every single collision produced violent shockwaves.
On top of that, all kinds of techniques appeared one after another, endlessly.
Seikesso (Static Blood Armor), Dokesso (Dynamic Blood Armor), Hirenkyaku (Flying Scythe Foot), Hamonjin (Rupture-Glow Formation), Gokabaku (Five-Frame Bind), Ryokuhai (Green Chalice), Seishoku (Holy Devour), Hikari no Ame (Rain of Light)…
It was dazzling beyond belief.
Uryu was completely stunned.
He had never imagined his father could be this strong.
And yet, even in the middle of battle, Ryuken still found time to push up his glasses and say calmly:
"I told you."
"I have no interest."
"And you… have no talent."
All these years, whenever he saw Uryu training so earnestly, Ryuken had felt a deep confusion.
Something this simple…
Why would you even need to train?
Isn't this something you can do the moment you pick it up?
Had his stupid son inherited none of his genes?
And Uryu's mother had been smart too.
In the end, Ryuken could only blame it on the fact that his son was mixed-blood.
Because he truly didn't want to doubt his son's intelligence.
Uryu's mouth twitched.
For a moment, he had the urge to commit patricide on the spot.
The next second, Uryu instinctively reached out—
Pa!
He caught something Ryuken tossed over.
Ryuken, still fighting, spoke evenly:
"Go."
"Take that, and avenge your mother."
"I've already written down how to use it for you."
Uryu opened his palm in confusion.
Lying there was a silver-white arrowhead, radiating an indescribable, unsettling aura.
He himself didn't feel much from it—
But the instant Jugram saw it, his face changed dramatically.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"What is that?!"
"What exactly have you people researched?!"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]