"Shimiya, you look harmless on the surface, but your Zanpakuto's ability is so extreme. This is just Shikai; I can't imagine what your Bankai would be like. Are you going to take the world with you in an explosion?"
Hachihara clicked his tongue, looking at Shimiya Takeru with caution, as if he would immediately pull out a blanket to seal him if he said yes.
"You jinx."
Shimiya Takeru gave him a death glare.
"If you're right, I'll stuff you into a firework and launch you first!"
"Ah haha… Don't worry, don't worry, it definitely won't happen. There's no Bankai in the world that can destroy the world with it."
Hachihara let out a dry laugh, patting his chest as if to convince himself.
"Let's not talk about Bankai for now. The Hollows in this area are mostly dealt with. Next, we'll split up and advance towards Brother Kurosaki's location until we meet up."
"Shichisen" and "Yuisen" were perfectly suited to the Shikai's ability.
Having tasted the benefits, Shimiya Takeru was very curious what good this special "Soul Funeral Analysis" would bring him.
Although there were many worries they wanted to express, Hachihara and Rindo Yu still chose to trust him as always.
After the two split up and departed.
Shimiya Takeru, having recovered some strength and spiritual pressure, immediately began to act.
He headed towards the central part of Karakura Town.
There, many spiritual pressures were clashing fiercely, and the battle was in full swing... Ishida Uryū is a Quincy.
He was genuinely proud of this identity.
He also had the determination to shoulder the glory of all Quincies as the "Last Quincy."
At the same time, he neither boasted of being a champion of justice nor arrogantly laughed at every turn.
As a warrior, he had almost no flaws except for being a bit frail.
However, frailty was his biggest flaw.
"Faster, faster…!"
Ishida Uryū gritted his teeth, pulling back his bowstring to shoot down the Hollows in the sky, regardless of his bleeding fingers. Every Hollow could take someone's life, and he was responsible for all of it.
It was meaningless to pursue the bait issue now; what was important was to deal with the Hollows at hand, regain control of the situation, and atone for… the sin he had committed.
Although his arrows were sharp and never missed, it was far from enough.
"If only I had half the power of that spiritual pressure…"
The spiritual pressure he had felt earlier was unprecedented, incredibly powerful beyond imagination.
Undoubtedly, that was a Shinigami.
A group of Shinigami had appeared.
They threw themselves into the battle without hesitation, as if to flaunt their power.
Delivering a head-on blow to the Hollows that had descended upon the Human World.
Even he had to admit they did a good job.
But the more he saw, the more uneasy he felt.
"How can I let Shinigami clean up this mess for me!"
Fighting with this mindset until now, the number of Hollows had not decreased.
On the other hand, the Shinigami's side had very few Hollow spiritual pressures.
This overwhelming power made Ishida Uryū tremble, and at the same time, he resented his own powerlessness.
If he had a choice, even if it meant losing his Quincy powers to gain half of that strength, he would do it without hesitation.
"You felt the Shinigami's spiritual pressure but didn't choose to stop. This stubborn personality that doesn't listen to reason is truly inherited."
Suddenly, a figure appeared above Ishida Uryū's head.
It was Shimiya Takeru.
"It's you…!"
Ishida Uryū's pupils contracted. He didn't recognize the other's appearance, but he recognized the spiritual pressure.
Shimiya Takeru seemed unaware of his abnormality, or perhaps he simply didn't care, and continued:
"I'll only say this once: stop. You're already close to your limit. As one of the few Quincies left in the world, you should cherish your life. Only then can you play a greater role in the future."
"...Perhaps you're right, but right now, I just want to rectify my mistakes, or at least prevent them from getting worse. For that, I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice my life."
Ishida Uryū was silent for a moment, his tone resolute.
"Then you should stop even more."
Shimiya Takeru did not mock him but spoke frankly.
"It's a wise choice to leave things to the right people."
"Are the 'right people' you Shinigami? But it seems to me you're not in top form. Are you really okay?"
Out of prejudice against Shinigami, Ishida Uryū couldn't help but retort.
"I also want to ask a question."
"Your condition is also very poor, but why don't you employ guerrilla tactics and circle around the Hollows, wearing down their active forces, instead of just staying put and attracting the Hollow swarm?"
Shimiya Takeru slightly raised his chin and asked back.
"A boring question."
Ishida Uryū frowned.
Tsubakidai, near Kitasegawa, is the area belonging to Karakura General Hospital. His father serves as the director of Karakura General Hospital, and he is very familiar with everything here.
But that was secondary.
There were many tall buildings around the hospital, including the TV station building.
This was the tallest building in Karakura Town.
By staying on the rooftop, he could not only get a good view but also attract Hollows away from the ground, drawing them towards him from high up, reducing the chance of passersby on the ground being attacked, and at the same time, saving physical strength and focusing on shooting down the Hollow swarm.
Wait, could it be that this guy also came for this purpose...?
Ishida Uryū suddenly understood something, looking at Shimiya Takeru in astonishment.
The latter, however, had no further interest in conversing or explaining. He drew the Zanpakuto from his waist, threw it into the sky, and with a raised hand, swung his sword, cutting it into two.
Something miraculous happened.
Approaching high altitude, the moonlight seemed to grow even denser, pouring down like water.
The Zanpakuto, bathed in moonlight, shattered.
"God must give me... Endonemī."
Shimiya Takeru softly uttered the release command unknown to Ichigo and the others.
The result was that the shattered Zanpakuto, like human souls reassembling into Hollows, re-aggregated. Using moonlight as a catalyst, it gained new life, its body expanding and growing, sprouting a head, sharp claws, and pure white fur.
Ishida Uryū's pupils trembled. He unconsciously lowered his bow, standing in the shadows, gazing up at the divine bird born from the moonlight, or rather... an aberrant dragon, a Dark Dragon!
Azure beast eyes, snow-white feathers, a golden crown, and an exquisite faceplate.
Over twenty feet tall, its size was comparable to a Menos Grande.
The exotic creature, soaring on wings beneath the moonlight, was exquisitely beautiful, enveloped in an unusual, special spiritual pressure, and... a transcendental aura not of this world.
It naturally regarded Karakura Town's tallest TV tower as its nest.
Boom!
Two jet-black claws deeply embedded into the concrete, and the strong wind from its wings blew Ishida Uryū, the so-called Last Quincy, away like insignificant dust.
"Whoa ah ah ah…!"
Looking up at the proud dragon from the perspective of falling from the building, enveloped by the sensation of weightlessness and the weakness assailing his body, even activating Hirenkyaku became extremely difficult.
Just then, a light arrow came from a distant building, curving to hit the cape on Ishida Uryū's back.
The powerful inertia carried his entire body back to the light arrow's origin like a boomerang.
A dull thud was heard.
Ishida Uryū slammed hard against a water tank.
It could also be said that he was pinned to it by a light arrow, leaving him suspended in mid-air like a white teru teru bozu doll.
Shimiya Takeru landed on the dragon's back, his gaze casually sweeping over Ishida Uryū before dismissing him.
Such an attitude naturally meant it wasn't his doing.
Furthermore.
That was a Quincy's light arrow.
There was no need to even ask who did it.
Ishida Uryū was indeed very familiar with everything in the vicinity, so much so that even though it was his first time being hung on a water tank, he immediately recognized that he was on the rooftop of Karakura General Hospital.
And on the rooftop, besides him, there was another person.
He stood in front of the railing at the edge, his back to Ishida Uryū, gazing at the white dragon on the TV tower.
Although it was just a back.
It was far more familiar to Ishida Uryū than the terrain here, almost unforgettable, ingrained in his bones.
"Ryū…ken…?!"
"Are you asking why it was someone like me, who has always looked down on Quincies, who used Quincy abilities to save you?"
Ishida Ryūken didn't turn his head, but his voice pierced Uryū's ears with a sharp edge, leaving him stunned and speechless.
"…"
"What a boring question. Dislike and possession are not contradictory. If you don't understand this, it's no wonder you're in such a sorry state, even having Shinigami clean up the mess you made."
"…"
Even more irrefutable words almost killed Uryū's ability to speak.
Caw!
The white dragon spread its wings, raised its head, and let out a high-pitched cry at the moon, as if celebrating its new birth, announcing its arrival to the world, or perhaps... using its cry to pinpoint all the Hollows in the Tsubakidai area.
Ordinary people couldn't even see it, let alone hear it.
Uryū was also stimulated by the spiritual pressure wavelength in the sound, snapping back to reality and looking at the white dragon with surprise and uncertainty.
"Such an anomalous spiritual pressure... What exactly is this? Is it the release of a Shinigami's Zanpakuto that Grandpa mentioned in his diary?"
"Idiot."
Ryūken cursed unceremoniously.
"Insufficient ability, unable to even properly read a book, yet you dare to flaunt yourself under the banner of 'The Last Quincy.' If Quincies from other countries knew, it would only disgrace the Ishida family."
Although he was cursing, his expression was quite solemn and filled with an unresolvable doubt.
"That is a dragon... an ancient creature similar to a Hollow, circulated in Europe, especially within the United Kingdom. It fell into a Dark Dragon due to contact with humans. The seven most ancient Dark Dragon progenitors are named after fairy tales, hence also known as Fairy Tale Dragons."
"'Snow White,' 'Red Dress,' 'Golden Axe,' 'Foam,' 'Gingerbread House,' 'Animal Band'... and 'cinderella.'"
"Judging from its molting by moonlight, it should be cinderella, without a doubt."
"But for a Shinigami to be involved with a dragon, especially a legendary enemy of humanity whose existence is unclear and is a permanent target of extermination by the demon-slaying organizations in its native land..."
"It's truly surprising."
"Heh."
Uryū hissed in pain, retorting sarcastically, "I thought you really knew everything. It seems you're just good at pretending to be unconcerned."