"Phew... I'm nervous."
The day the war began approached with a cold, relentless speed. Before he knew it, the promised week had flown by.
Ichigo swallowed hard as he looked down at the Sanrei Glove on his left hand.
"...A war. Can I really kill someone?"
Though he had undergone all the training since joining the army, he had never once harbored genuine murderous intent toward a living human being.
The unification of the Lichtreich continent was already complete, and the only stage he had performed on until now was the operations against Hollows.
He could handle Hollows without a second thought.
He had been quite shocked when he first learned that Soul Reapers purify Hollow souls to return them to the cycle of reincarnation, while Quincies completely eradicate the soul itself.
By now, however, he had no major objections to exterminating Hollows.
He no longer felt guilt about killing monsters that acted solely on instinct, monsters that hunted his fellow Quincies.
But... killing Soul Reapers, who were people just like him? Weren't they 'sentient beings' with families, just like himself?
As Ichigo stared blankly at the thousands of Sternritter soldiers lined up in perfect rows below the platform, Bazzard Black—who, like Ichigo, had become a Vice-Grandmaster—nudged his shoulder.
"Hey, are you seriously chickening out?"
"...What?"
When Ichigo asked back in confusion, Bazzard poked Ichigo's forehead repeatedly with his index finger and barked at him.
"You're a soldier, you idiot. A soldier feeling guilty about the enemy's soldiers? Are you insane?"
"It's not like that, Bazz-B. It's just... strange."
Snorting at Ichigo's words, Bazzard returned to his position and called out over his shoulder.
"Keep your public and private lives separate, Ichigo. Don't make a stupid choice."
"...I told you, that's not it."
With a small smirk, Ichigo looked up at the sky.
Right. He was a soldier. The son of Yhwach and a Vice-Grandmaster of the Sternritter.
He must not resent the enemy, pity them, or hesitate.
Ichigo slapped his cheeks lightly to steel his resolve.
Just then, with the blast of a grand horn, Yhwach and the Schutzstaffel appeared on the platform.
"My sons. Are you ready?"
At his voice, every Sternritter raised their Quincy Cross in unison.
Quilge Opie and Robert Accutrone, who had served as instructors.
The Schutzstaffel standing side-by-side behind Yhwach.
The Grandmaster, Haschwalth, and the Vice-Grandmaster, Ichigo.
They all looked at Yhwach with eyes filled with resolve.
"Good."
Yhwach smiled with satisfaction.
As he reached out into the empty air, blue Reishi condensed to form a massive broadsword.
"We shall take the heads of the Soul Reapers. We shall achieve the true conquest of the world and create a world without death."
""WAAAAAAAH!!!!""
As soon as Yhwach finished speaking, the Sternritter let out a thunderous roar. Descending from the platform, Yhwach swung his broadsword toward the open plains.
The empty air tore open, revealing a rift leading to the land of the Soul Reapers: the 'Soul Society.'
Yhwach, leading the charge, threw himself into the rift.
Following him, Haschwalth, Ichigo, and the army of thousands poured in like a tidal wave.
The invasion had begun.
.
.
.
When they arrived in the Soul Society, a massive white fortress wall surrounded the Seireitei, the heart of the enemy territory.
It seemed they had already noticed the Quincy intrusion.
"...It feels strangely refreshing?"
Ichigo muttered as he looked around the Soul Society.
Despite being in the middle of enemy territory, a cool breeze and warm earth greeted them.
"The Soul Society is a place made of Reishi, Ichigo. It is the optimal environment for us Quincies. Of course, the fact that we are currently in soul form plays a part as well."
Haschwalth explained calmly, placing his hand on his sword hilt.
Perhaps because they had discarded their physical bodies to enter this realm as souls, manipulating Reishi felt much easier than usual.
...The phrase 'discarding the body' sounded a bit chilling, but their physical forms were currently hidden deep underground, protected by Reishi.
Haschwalth drew his sword and shouted.
“All units, commence fire!”
The Sternritter at the front fired their Heilig Pfeil all at once.
—Rumble!!
Hundreds of arrows slammed into the fortress wall, but as the dust cleared, the wall was revealed to be perfectly smooth, without a single scratch.
"Sekki-seki, the stone that cuts off Reiatsu... This isn't a problem that can be solved at the level of ordinary soldiers."
Yhwach muttered with interest, then gave a slight nod to Hubert as if giving an order.
Hubert drew his saber and charged like a flash of light.
—Clang! Clang!
His sword struck the wall repeatedly at invisible speeds. Fine cracks began to appear on the hard Sekki-seki surface, soon spreading like a spiderweb.
Simultaneously, Ichigo fired a Heilig Pfeil into the cracks. The Sekki-seki wall crumbled from the inside, creating a gap for the Sternritter to enter.
"Well done, Ichigo."
"...Thank you."
As Yhwach praised Ichigo, the enemy became visible in the distance beyond the collapsed wall.
Soul Reapers, dressed in black Shihakusho, held their weapons with tense expressions. They were the perfect antithesis to the white-uniformed Quincies.
‘...If that's the level of their Reiatsu, this is definitely winnable!’
Ichigo clenched his fists. The Reiatsu of the rank-and-file members wasn't particularly threatening.
He figured the 'Captains,' who were said to be the core strength of the Soul Reapers, wouldn't be much different.
'If those Captains attack His Majesty all at once, I'll protect him.'
He thought that even for His Majesty, it wouldn't be easy to withstand the combined attacks of the Captains.
As Ichigo made his silent vow, Yhwach spoke.
"All units, advance."
At Yhwach's command, the Sternritter began to pour into the area, successfully making it inside.
The distance between the Sternritter and the Soul Reapers was roughly 500 meters.
"Formation 1, ready."
As Quilge whispered, the Quincies immediately dropped to one knee, loaded their Heilig Pfeil, and fired toward the sky.
Thousands of blue arrows blanketed the sky before raining down on the Soul Reapers' heads like a localized storm.
It was a rain of arrows from the elite of the elite, the Sternritter. They intended to seize the momentum with this preemptive strike.
However, the Soul Reapers were strangely calm. No, they were just standing there, watching blankly.
“What? Those fools...!”
Just as Hubert was about to let out a sneer, the Soul Reaper ranks parted, and someone shot out like a bullet.
"Geez, do I really have to block stuff like this too?!"
A woman with purple twin-tails and a black eyepatch over her left eye landed in front of the Soul Reapers with a manic grin, then immediately leaped into the air.
And, as her sword swung in a horizontal arc...
Following that trajectory, the thousands of arrows that had covered the sky were all sliced in half and scattered.
"...!!"
'I couldn't even see her movement...?'
Ichigo's eyes widened in shock.
"What are you doing? Keep firing...!"
At Quilge's shout, the stunned Sternritter began to pour out arrows again. This time, it was rapid fire.
An even denser rain of arrows fell than before.
And from the gaps in the Soul Reaper ranks, figures emitting grotesque Reiatsu began to walk out one by one.
"Ah~ what a pain. Why do I have to block this? Can't they just handle it themselves?"
A sharp, handsome man with bronze skin, gold earrings, and an orange scarf yawned. Chika Shihoin, Captain of the 2nd Division.
"We shouldn't use up all the meat shields right at the start."
A stern-looking man with gray hair and glasses. Kinroku Izuhara, Captain of the 3rd Division.
"Heh... quite a lot of them showed up."
A man with a gloomy impression and a tired face rubbing his eyes. Chigiri Shijima, Captain of the 4th Division.
"The more, the merrier!! It just means there are more to kill!!"
A man who appeared with a hearty laugh and an attractive beard. Danjiro Obana, Captain of the 5th Division.
"Unpleasant, truly unpleasant... Seeing them clumped together like cockroaches is an eyesore...."
A man with pale skin and deep dark circles under his eyes. Nobutsuna Shigyo, Captain of the 7th Division.
"Oh? I think it looks quite neat and nice since they're gathered. It means we can cut down many at once."
A woman holding a long naginata, adjusting her round glasses as she looked at the Quincies with pure curiosity. Batsunsai Katori, Captain of the 8th Division.
"Does that really matter? What matters most is that the enemies have graciously walked into their own graves."
A man with perfectly fitted glasses holding a blunt, club-like Zanpakuto. Entetsu Kumoi, Captain of the 9th Division.
"........."
A long-haired man staring at the arrows in silence. Furuoki Otogawa, Captain of the 10th Division.
"........"
A woman who also said nothing, but whose faint smile radiated pure bloodlust. Yachiru Unohana, Captain of the 11th Division.
"Ah~ they're all just bite-sized snacks."
A massive man with red markings on his face and Shihakusho. Uhin Zenjoji, Captain of the 12th Division.
"Heh heh heh... You're finally here. I thought I'd die of boredom waiting."
An old man with sagging, aged skin. Saizo Sakahone, Captain of the 13th Division.
"...So you've come, Quincy."
The man positioned in their center, with an X-shaped scar on his forehead.
The Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 and Captain of the 1st Division.
"...Shigekuni Yamamoto, I presume."
Yhwach looked at him as if admiring a piece of art.
In that instant, the Captains released their Reiatsu all at once.
"...?!"
"What...!"
".......!"
The air vibrated violently and grew heavy. No, it was being crushed.
Despite the distance, a bloodlust that felt like a blade pressed against their throats pricked their skin.
The arrows flying toward them vanished into dust from the sheer shockwaves of that overwhelming Reiatsu.
"This place shall be your graveyard, Quincy."
"...My name is Yhwach, Yamamoto Jujisai Shigekuni."
".......It is not Jujisai. It is Genryusai."
As their brief exchange ended, both factions pushed off the ground and charged toward each other simultaneously.
.
.
.
"What on earth is this..."
He couldn't understand it.
No, he couldn't accept it as reality.
"S-Save me!!"
"Aaaargh!!!!"
"W-Wait!! I surrender...!! Gack!!"
He had been certain that with the Captains included, they would have the upper hand. He thought that no matter how strong the Captains were, they would still be within the realm of humans.
But this was not a battle. It was a one-sided slaughter.
In their eyes, there was no soldier's honor, no respect for the enemy. There was only the indifference of someone crushing a bug, or a pleasure-filled joy in murder. They decapitated with smiles on their faces and crushed the heads of soldiers begging for their lives.
'...Was I really feeling compassion for monsters like these?'
He was stupid. And ignorant.
They were nothing more than mass murderers.
.......And they call themselves balancers?
"...Damn it!"
Ichigo hurriedly manifested his Heilig Bogen and scanned his surroundings.
Bazz-B was fighting desperately, firing arrows from a distance, and the Schutzstaffel were too busy fending off the waves of rank-and-file Soul Reapers to have any breathing room.
The Captains were ignoring the Schutzstaffel and massacring the ordinary soldiers. It was as if they intended to pull the weeds first before leisurely enjoying the main course.
Currently, the only one facing a Captain was His Majesty, who was engaging Yamamoto.
Haschwalth was nowhere to be seen.
...Could he already have...?
"Damn it all!!"
Ichigo used Hirenkyaku to soar into the sky in an instant.
"Licht Regen!!"
"Gah!"
"Aaaagh!!"
Countless arrows rained down on the Soul Reapers' heads. Blood and screams erupted. The sensation of killing the enemy was horrific, but there was no time to hesitate now.
Just as Ichigo was about to pull his bowstring again, he felt a chilling breath behind his neck.
"Oh, so that's 'Hirenkyaku'?"
"...!!"
Startled, Ichigo immediately twisted his body and pulled his Reishi platform back to retreat.
Standing before him was a Soul Reaper, standing on a faint Reishi platform in mid-air.
One of the Soul Reaper Captains who had appeared at the start.
The one with the eyepatch and purple hair.
"How do you know about Hirenkyaku? Did the Soul Reapers have information on the Quincies?"
Ichigo asked warily, keeping his guard up.
"No? This guy told me."
Thud. She tossed something she had been holding in one hand to the ground. It was the corpse of a Quincy, limbs twisted and body hacked to pieces.
"He was babbling about how he had to use Hirenkyaku while I was piercing his stomach and he was dying, so I figured it was some kind of escape technique. Well... it looks like I was right?"
"....."
'You... bastard...'
With a ghastly smile, she pointed the blood-stained tip of her sword at Ichigo.
Blood dripped steadily from the tip of her blade, hitting the ground drop by drop.
"So... do you want to teach me one of your techniques too? Like how to scream?"
"........"
Ichigo's gaze lingered on the corpse of his comrade on the ground. His fists were clenched so tightly they turned white. The sound of his teeth grinding echoed in his mind.
"I'll teach you everything."
Ichigo slowly raised his head. A freezing rage was burning within his dark eyes.
"How a Soul Reaper screams."
“……Hoh.”
The corners of Furofushi Saito's mouth curled up as if they were about to tear.
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