A dead silence fell over the massive courtyard.
The Quincies stared at the terrifying, demon-like figure, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
Right now, only one thought occupied their minds: tear the idiot who gave them false intelligence into pieces.
Didn't they say that Captains were the strongest existence among Soul Reapers?
Of the two wearing white haori, one had fallen disgracefully, and the other was trapped by several people, showing no real performance at all.
Instead, it was a young-looking Soul Reaper, probably not even a hundred years old, who had single-handedly slaughtered his way through a massive gathering of hundreds of Quincies.
Even the immensely powerful Lord Utsunomiya Wan had been obliterated by a single punch from him, completely unable to resist.
It was absolutely absurd.
"Those Quincies were beaten to their knees by Lord Naraku in an instant!"
"As expected of Lord Naraku!"
Scorching explosions of flame rippled through the air above. The Soul Reapers watched with flushed faces and tingling scalps, seemingly catching a glimpse of a familiar shadow in Naraku Sora.
Even though they had just been in a stalemate with their enemies, in the blink of an eye, Lord Naraku had simply said "excuse me" and instantly blown their opponents to pieces.
They couldn't even see the traces of his attacks.
No wonder Head Captain Yamamoto appointed him as the supreme commander of this operation. It turned out that absolute strength was his greatest backing.
Yadōmaru Lisa looked at the figure standing tall atop the ruins with a complex expression, a hint of melancholy on her face.
As a senior, she should have been the one leading the charge, shielding her juniors from the wind and rain, and facing the danger head-on.
Yet, before she could even draw her Haguro Tonbo, the battle was already over.
No wonder Captain Kyōraku was so at ease sending her to the World of the Living for such a dangerous mission.
That guy had known Naraku Sora's true strength all along, and was well aware that they wouldn't encounter any real danger on this trip.
She was purely here to pad her resume.
The thought of adding 'mediated the conflict between Soul Reapers and the Quincies of the World of the Living' to her future record gave Yadōmaru Lisa a very awkward feeling.
*'I didn't even do anything...'*
Unlike the shock of the others, Aizen observed the huddled Quincies with a calm gaze.
*'They are quite different from the Quincies of the Wandenreich.'*
Not long ago, Naraku Sora had given him a gift—a rare experimental subject. He was a member of the Sternritter, and supposedly the martial arts instructor of the Wandenreich.
Quilge Opie, designated with the letter "J".
Although he had been beaten miserably by Naraku Sora, judging from his Reiatsu level, he was in no way inferior to a Soul Reaper Captain.
Through various experiments on Quilge, Aizen had gained a deep understanding of the Quincy race.
However, their combat system was highly perfected, and he had yet to find a way to crack it.
Still, with continuous technological advancements and future breakthroughs, he should be able to develop countermeasures, such as altering the structure of Reishi in the air.
Even if there were variations, all Quincies fought based on the fundamental ability of Reishi manipulation.
And right now, the Reishi concentration within the crowd seemed a bit too high.
Aizen frowned and walked toward Naraku Sora.
"Since no one has any dissenting opinions, send out two representatives to discuss the treaty," Naraku Sora said, calmly watching the crowd, his tone carrying an undeniable pressure.
Hearing this, the Quincies looked at each other, their faces full of conflicted expressions.
Seeing this, Ishida Sōken gritted his teeth, preparing to step forward and bear the burden of being the sinner, but two figures suddenly emerged from the crowd.
With silver-gray hair, faces covered in wrinkles, and hunched postures, they belonged to the most highly respected group among the Quincies in the World of the Living.
Kimura Shunji and Miura Takayuki.
"You two are stepping up?"
Naraku Sora glanced at them. They didn't even possess the strength of a fifth-seat officer, so he paid them no mind. Instead, he pulled out the pre-prepared unequal treaty from his pocket.
"Sign this, and that will be the end of it."
"If you violate any of the conditions on it, the next time I come, there won't be any Quincies left in the World of the Living."
Hearing this, the two elders' expressions shifted slightly.
A flash of anger crossed Kimura Shunji's eyes. Just as he was about to retort, Miura Takayuki patted his shoulder, suppressing his outburst.
"As long as you Soul Reapers do not drive us to extinction, we will sign!"
Hearing these words of submission, the other Quincies lowered their heads, their faces filled with shame and indignation.
They had originally planned to launch a counterattack against the Soul Reapers and take control of their own destinies. Yet, in the blink of an eye, they were forced to wag their tails and beg for mercy in front of a Soul Reaper just to survive.
The intense contrast was hard for them to accept.
But the disparity in power was right there. If they forcefully resisted, their fate would only be worse.
Kimura Shunji and Miura Takayuki walked up and took the treaty from Naraku Sora's hands.
After confirming that it only contained restrictions on Quincies hunting Hollows and no other bindings, they exchanged a glance and nodded.
Then, the two of them simultaneously removed their gloves.
Seeing this, Ishida Sōken's expression changed drastically, and he quickly shouted a warning:
"Watch out!"
As soon as his voice fell, a sudden change occurred!
The Reishi in the atmosphere gathered madly, instantly forming countless visible shards of light that converged behind the two men, forming a single wing of light on each of them.
A vast, heavy Reiatsu crashed down like an inverted sea. The air trembled violently, and everything in sight seemed to distort.
Reishi bows materialized in an instant, with Heilig Pfeil nocked on the bowstrings. A cold sharpness pressed directly against the skin, feeling as though a blade's tip was resting on the surface, sending shivers down one's spine.
Without the slightest hesitation, the humility on their faces vanished entirely, replaced by a deep-seated hatred and anger that pierced to the bone.
*Twang!*
The bowstrings snapped forward, and countless Reishi gathered upon them, forming a torrent mixed with cyan-green flames that swept across the entire courtyard.
The air generated friction, the ground burned, and hurricane-force winds howled.
Right at that moment, an invisible barrier descended from the sky, transforming into an indestructible fortress that solidly blocked the attack.
Countless Reishi flames crashed against it, rippling outward like water.
Naraku Sora turned his head in astonishment, just in time to see Aizen standing not far away, giving him an imperceptible nod.
Long before their departure, he had already exposed the Soul Reapers of the special squad to the power of Kyōka Suigetsu, so there was absolutely no possibility of his actions being exposed.
In the eyes of everyone else, Naraku Sora had seen through the Quincies' trickery from the start, instantly dismantling all their schemes with a Dankū cast without an incantation.
Although an attack of this level wouldn't have incapacitated that guy anyway.
Their sure-kill strike had been effortlessly blocked by a single Bakudō.
Kimura Shunji and Miura Takayuki's expressions changed drastically. They immediately gathered Reishi once more, countless glowing fragments converging on their longbows.
Their current state was known as Letzt Stil, which allowed them to forcibly absorb surrounding Reishi and turn it into their own power.
Upon removing the equipment known as the Sanrei Glove, their combat prowess would skyrocket to several times their normal state.
They were already among the strongest handful of Quincies. They had originally planned to take down the Soul Reaper leader through a sneak attack, and then slowly deal with the rest.
To their dismay, the very first step of their plan had failed.
"Letzt Stil, huh?"
Naraku Sora grinned. "You really are stubborn to the bitter end. You won't shed a tear until you're staring at your own coffins."
As his voice fell, scorching heat erupted once again. Flames of Reiatsu, several times more violent than before, shot into the sky, transforming into an incredibly turbulent pillar of fire that recklessly scorched the earth.
Scorch marks and fissures appeared beneath Naraku Sora's feet, and streaks of dazzling lightning leaped amidst the crimson flames.
Flash Step erupted.
In an instant, he crossed the distance between them, his ferocious smile now close at hand.
Unconcealable terror surfaced on Kimura Shunji's face. As an archer, the most taboo thing was letting an enemy get into close quarters.
Even with Blut Vene as a defense, and even though his combat power had increased several times over.
But upon feeling the burning wind rushing at his face, he still couldn't suppress his instinctive fear.
It was as if he had encountered his natural predator.
The tyrannical flames, wrapped in lightning, slashed forward without warning.
Dragon Flash Red Fire Cannon!
*BOOM!!*
Like an erupting volcano, the ground as far as the eye could see suddenly shattered and collapsed. A hurricane swept up the ashes, rippling out in all directions.
To his horror, Kimura Shunji discovered that his proud Blut Vene defense couldn't withstand that terrifying Zanpakutō at all. After only a momentary resistance, a spray of blood erupted from his chest.
The blood spurted out, only to instantly evaporate in the scorching heat.
Unable to even move a finger, his entire body was swallowed by the merciless pillar of fire, completely turning into ash and dissipating into the air.
With just a single strike, the strongest individual among the Quincies in the World of the Living was directly erased.
Miura Takayuki's aged face was filled with disbelief; he hadn't even recovered from the failure of their sneak attack.
"Soul Reaper!!"
An angry roar rang out. Miura Takayuki stretched his arms, his elderly body suddenly erupting with astonishing power under the forced stimulation of Reishi.
All of his Reishi gathered entirely on his longbow, and a Heilig Pfeil resembling a spear suddenly materialized.
*Twang—*
The Heilig Pfeil tore through the sky, heading straight for the figure ahead. Its heavy pressure caused the ground to cave in, cracking open hideous fissures.
He had thought he could take advantage of the moment his opponent's strength was exhausted to end this terrifying battle.
But before the Heilig Pfeil could even land, the longsword wreathed in lightning and fire cleaved it in half, continuing its downward slash with undiminished momentum.
The tyrannical sword pressure swept across the devastated earth, directly and completely engulfing Miura Takayuki.
The apocalyptic scene plunged everyone into silence. They stared blankly at the exaggerated sight, subconsciously biting their lips.
When everything settled, only a single burning figure stood on the battlefield littered with ruins and scorch marks.
The next moment, a suffocatingly hot Reiatsu swept across the entire estate.
Under hundreds of horrified gazes, Naraku Sora's voice reached everyone's ears, his brutal, ferocious smile deeply branded into the minds of every Quincy present.
"Now, the treaty is void."
"You only have two choices—"
"Submit or... die!"