CHAPTER 105: CHAPTER 105: THE QUINCY’S FINAL FORM

The massive blast from Ishida Tsugene’s self-destruction drew in the remaining Quincy in the area.

Katori Nanatsuki sensed the approaching Quincy immediately.

He raised two fingers. Lightning flickered at the tips as he thrust them forward.

"Raikiri: Finger Sword!"

Boom!

A Quincy’s head was instantly pierced, leaving behind a charred hole as the body toppled backward.

By pairing Finger Sword with Raikiri, the resulting Reiatsu Blade traveled even faster. The Quincy didn’t even have time to react before being killed by Nanatsuki.

"Watch your positioning! Don’t just stand there—attack together!" one of the Quincy shouted.

The remaining six Quincy darted forward using Hiryūkyaku, simultaneously pulling back their Heilig Pfeil longbows, unleashing a sky-filling volley of arrows toward Nanatsuki.

The black blade in Nanatsuki’s hand flashed rapidly, slicing every spirit arrow to pieces.

He pressed his two fingers to the black blade, lightning coiling around it. As he raised his Zanpakutō, a bolt of thunderous light burst forward at blinding speed.

In an instant, all six Quincy were cleaved in half at the waist.

These Quincy hadn’t even mastered Blut Vene. Gathering here only made them fresh corpses beneath Katori Nanatsuki

’s blade.

"Sensei is incredible!" Even Yoruichi was stunned. Although these Quincy weren’t elite, she would still need time to defeat even one of them. Yet her teacher had wiped them out effortlessly.

"I want to learn that move—the one where you shoot a Reiatsu Blade with two fingers!" Yoruichi mimicked Nanatsuki’s motion, raising her fingers and jabbing at the air.

She thought the move looked agile, and maybe she could use it with her Raibyō to unleash a lightning-infused Reiatsu Blade.

"No problem, I’ll teach you when we return," Nanatsuki nodded.

Just then, an urgent message came through Nanatsuki’s Status Interface:

"This is 7th Division Lieutenant Asada Mitsuya. Requesting medical support! Southwestern upper river region—urgent!"

"Captain Nobutsuna Shigyō’s condition is extremely critical. Requesting medical support!"

Soon, Unohana Retsu’s voice followed:

"Vice-captain Katori, how’s the situation on your side? Can you assist Captain Nobutsuna Shigyō?"

Nanatsuki glanced over at the medical team. They had already stabilized the wounded and were nearly finished with evacuation.

"This is Katori Nanatsuki. The medical team is currently relocating patients from the mid-river region. I can go support Captain Nobutsuna Shigyō!"

The upper valley was more dangerous, and Nanatsuki didn’t want Yoruichi tagging along, so he told her:

"I’ve got an emergency to handle. But protecting the medical team and wounded is just as important."

"In case there are still enemies lurking, you and the Onmitsukidō are in charge of escorting the medics to the medical base."

"Yes!" Yoruichi responded earnestly. "Don’t worry, Sensei! I’ll protect the medical team no matter what!"

Nanatsuki knew Yoruichi well—if he told her directly that the upper river was dangerous and forbade her from coming, she might rebel.

But if he assigned her an important mission only she could accomplish, she’d stay and guard the medics.

"Be careful. If you encounter a strong enemy, use the Status Interface to call for help immediately."

"Yes, Sensei. You be careful too!"

After saying his goodbyes to Yoruichi and the others, Nanatsuki briefed the medical team and headed upstream.

To avoid delays from encountering Quincy on the road, he activated his shadow abilities.

Even though Quincy were more sensitive to Reishi than Shinigami, most of them still couldn’t detect Nanatsuki hidden within the shadows.

The shadows of grass, trees, and rocks shifted rapidly, stretching and linking together as Nanatsuki raced forward through them.

He soon arrived at Captain Nobutsuna Shigyō’s location.

Emerging from the shadows, he startled the already-tense Lieutenant Asada Mitsuya.

"Relax. I’m Katori Nanatsuki, here to provide medical support."

"Thank goodness! Please hurry, the Captain’s in critical condition!"

Nanatsuki stepped forward, and upon seeing Nobutsuna Shigyō’s injuries, his expression turned grave.

The captain was unconscious, with a massive through-wound in his abdomen that nearly cleaved him in two.

If not for Asada Mitsuya’s limited skill in Kaido, struggling to keep him alive, Nobutsuna Shigyō likely wouldn’t have lasted until Nanatsuki’s arrival.

Nanatsuki examined the wound. The Spiritual Pressure Core had sustained some damage, though vital areas like the Chain of Fate and Sleep nodes remained intact.

Nobutsuna Shigyō was already elderly—significantly older than even Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni—and far past his prime.

This injury to his Spiritual Pressure Core only worsened matters.

Though not as severe as Katori Batsu’unsai

’s injury had been, it was unlikely he could continue serving as a captain.

Among the original captains, it seemed only Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni and Unohana Retsu would remain in active duty.

Nanatsuki sighed inwardly. Though he’d never spoken to Nobutsuna Shigyō before, seeing another founding captain fall still filled him with emotion.

"Lieutenant Asada, don’t worry. I can save Captain Nobutsuna Shigyō."

He began treating the captain with Kaido, and asked:

"What kind of enemy could have done this?"

Asada Mitsuya visibly shuddered at the memory. "It was that Quincy woman... she was terrifying..."

"At first, she was no match for the Captain—completely overwhelmed."

"But then she took off her glove... the Reishi in the air started converging on her, and a Reishi wing sprouted from her back..."

"And with just one attack, she put the Captain in this state!"

Nanatsuki’s expression shifted. Asada’s description immediately reminded him of the Sanrei Glove!

The Sanrei Glove was a powerful Quincy artifact.

Wearing it enhanced a Quincy’s control over Reishi—but once removed, the user gained tremendous power...

...at the cost of permanently losing their Quincy abilities.

Nanatsuki now understood. A Quincy empowered by the Sanrei Glove could indeed severely injure Nobutsuna Shigyō.

Still, he was curious—why hadn’t that Quincy finished the job?

"Did she just leave after injuring the Captain?"

Asada nodded. "She wounded him, then rushed toward the residential district. She didn’t bother with us."

Although the Quincy’s presence spread across the entire valley, their actual residential zone was concentrated in the upper reaches.

Just then, Nanatsuki sensed a sudden, abnormal shift in the Reishi currents in the sky.

He turned his head and followed the flow—what he saw sent a chill down his spine:

A Quincy woman with a glowing Reishi wing on her back was heading straight toward them!