Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami

When they saw the Heilig Pfeil shatter, the Quincy's hearts shattered with them.

They never imagined that a Shinigami who wasn't even a Captain could be so terrifying. Their only hope now was to wait for other Quincy in the valley to discover and rescue them.

"Oh, still struggling in vain?" Mayuri's mouth stretched into an eerie grin, "Very well — test subjects obtained too easily aren't properly appreciated. Struggle all you want. Show me your full potential."

Over a dozen Quincy, their faces contorted with grief and anger, raised their Heilig Bogen. Sharp auras emanated from the large amounts of Reishi gathering between their fingers.

"Battle Formation!"

At a middle-aged man's shout, the Quincy released their bowstrings. Heilig Pfeil tore through the air, forming a square that instantly sealed off the Shinigami's position.

Watching the incoming Reishi Arrows, Mayuri showed no fear. He didn't even bother forming a Reiatsu shield, simply standing there waiting for the attack to arrive.

The arrows landed, sinking into the soil around him.

Boom!

A massive explosive impact erupted, completely engulfing Mayuri's figure. The chaotic Reishi whirled like a hurricane, tearing through everything within as soil flew and dust rose.

Yet when everything cleared, he stood there completely unharmed. If not for the devastated ground, the Quincy might have thought nothing had happened at all.

"How is this possible?!"

Cries of shock erupted from the crowd, their faces filled with disbelief.

Having not fought Shinigami for many years, this remaining group of Quincy in the World of the Living had no clear understanding of Shinigami's true abilities.

Though they had seen descriptions in their clan records, nothing in their materials remotely resembled this twisted man before them.

Where did this guy come from?!

"Let's test your evasion abilities." Mayuri paid no attention to their expressions. To him, these people were merely living materials for his laboratory.

The moment his words fell, horror gripped everyone's hearts.

The figure before their eyes had vanished?!

In that moment of blurred vision, a heavy whistling sound followed.

Splat—

Blood sprayed like rain in mid-air, splattering across the Quincy's faces. They watched in horror as the scene unfolded before them, fear consuming their hearts.

A strange blade had pierced through a Quincy's body, lifting the entire person up. Below, Mayuri's smile was bright, as if everything had nothing to do with him.

A faint Reiatsu spread around him like an invisible barrier, blocking all the splashing blood outside.

"Evasion ability limited, even worse than an average Shinigami soldier." Mayuri tossed aside the Quincy hanging on Ashisogi Jizō, his golden pupils scanning the others as he chose his next target.

At that moment, a powerful Reiatsu swept across the battlefield. A Heilig Pfeil — different from any before — tore through the air straight toward his back.

Sensing the approaching danger, Mayuri swung his Zanpakutō behind him without looking.

When blade met Reishi Arrow, a violent explosion burst skyward, tearing open the ground. The impact sent Mayuri's disheveled form flying backward.

With a piercing whistle, another, much thicker Heilig Pfeil streaked through the sky and struck him squarely.

Bang!!

An indescribable force exploded in his abdomen.

Mayuri felt as if he'd been kicked by that little pest Hiyori. His vision went black as his body shot like a football toward the distant mountainside.

Boom!!

Mountain rocks crumbled and dust billowed as violent explosions echoed from within. Shockwaves spread outward, covering a diameter of several hundred meters.

The terrifying scene made everyone present swallow hard.

Who knew the Quincy had such a powerful warrior?!

They turned in astonishment toward the source of the spirit arrow. A medium-built young man in white clothes was walking toward them.

Reishi flowed rapidly beneath his feet as he seemed to teleport, appearing instantly among them.

"S-Sōken..."

The Quincy recognized their rescuer.

Yet they barely knew him. This Quincy who had come to their aid had only recently joined their group — their relationship extended just far enough to know each other's names.

Sōken Ishida was rumored to be a Quincy from the Wandenreich who had left because his ideals differed from His Majesty's.

They had assumed his abilities were unremarkable, but who could have guessed he would be so formidable? With just two arrows, he had defeated the twisted Shinigami they couldn't overcome even after prolonged fighting.

Sōken approached the wounded, quickly treating their injuries to stabilize their conditions.

Standing tall, he looked around and said in a reassuring voice, "Don't worry everyone, with me here, that Shinigami—"

But before he could finish, a powerful Reiatsu erupted from the distant mountainside. Thick purple mist followed, instantly blanketing the entire battlefield.

Sōken held his breath as quickly as possible and tried to protect himself with Reiatsu, but he was still a step too late. Inhaling just a small amount of the poison immediately numbed half his body, making him stagger and almost fall.

As for the other Quincy who couldn't react in time, they inhaled a full dose, collapsing with eyes wide open, paralyzed like corpses.

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"That's dirty, really dirty."

In the sky above the valley, Akira sighed while clapping his hands.

"No wonder the other twelve Divisions reject you. Scientists truly have wicked hearts — resorting to poison when you can't win is just too underhanded."

Aizen: "..."

The other person's words rang too true, leaving him momentarily speechless.

If he were in Mayuri's position, he would likely choose similar methods. For scientists, complex processes were merely paths to truth. Whether dirty, underhanded, or difficult — results were all that mattered.

The two had followed the Quincy's Reiatsu to the valley, immediately recognizing the Shinigami fighting them.

The 3rd Seat of the 12th Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

Strictly speaking, he was still Aizen's superior. However, their different work assignments meant they rarely interacted or exchanged words.

Once, Mayuri had set his sights on Akira during a visit, attempting to lure him to his laboratory as a test subject. This action had certainly caught Aizen's attention.

Finding him now in the World of the Living was unexpected.

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In the valley, purple poison mist permeated the air, dimming the light.

Sōken attempted to manipulate the flow of reishi to expel the poison from his body.

The good news: it worked. The bad news: it was far too slow.

A disheveled figure limped toward him. Mayuri had lost his former elegance — his entire form was battered, his Soul Reaper uniform in tatters, with injuries of varying sizes across his body.

He fixed the Quincy with a grotesque expression, his mouth twisting into an ugly, vicious smile.

"Don't waste your effort. Formula 38 targets the human nervous system. It takes effect the moment you inhale it. Even if you expel all the toxins, recovery will take considerable time."

Hearing this, Sōken frowned and abandoned his futile effort.

Mayuri nodded with satisfaction, "That's more like it! You're the strongest among this batch of Quincy. I'll prepare the finest container for you, then explore unknown territories through you. Come with me — your contribution to science will be carved into the monument of history..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mayuri's pupils contracted as he used Shunpo to dodge.

A Heilig Pfeil exploded at his feet, blasting out a massive crater.

"This is..."

He narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the figure before him wrapped in countless thread-like spirit strands, his vigilance rising to the highest level.

"Ransōtengai." Sōken's voice was hoarse from the poison, "One of the Quincy's combat spiritual arts that allows immobilized Quincy to fight until their last breath. Come, Shinigami. Before I fall, I won't let you harm any of my comrades!"

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Above the valley, Akira's eyes lit up as if he'd discovered a treasure.

"Sōsuke, I want to learn this!"

Aizen: "..."

He couldn't fathom what was going through this guy's mind.

The Quincy's fighting style was fundamentally different from that of Shinigami — one manipulates external Reishi, while the other uses their own Reiryoku. For a Shinigami to learn Quincy techniques would require ten — perhaps even a hundred — times more effort than an ordinary Quincy.

More importantly, would this combat art even improve your abilities? Thinking of a certain priest's battle stance — more savage berserker than skilled warrior — Aizen grew even more silent.

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While the two were conversing, the battle below resumed.

This time, both sides being prepared, the fighting intensified.

Though Mayuri was a researcher, he was still the 3rd Seat of his Division. While not exceptional in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, or Hohō, he remained formidable.

Of course, only by Seated Officer standards.

What truly troubled Sōken were the various devices Mayuri kept producing.

Restraints, explosives, hidden weapons, potions — he had to divide his attention between dodging Kidō attacks while watching for thrown devices.

More crucially, he needed to protect the fallen Quincy beside him.

Mayuri, noticing this weakness, aimed his Kidō attacks at the immobilized victims — a ruthless tactic befitting a scientist without moral boundaries.

Hit by another fireball, Sōken was sent flying backward, carving a deep furrow in the ground.

He manipulated Reishi to stand again, his expression grim.

The power difference between them wasn't vast, but Sōken was heavily constrained and couldn't fight at full strength. Fortunately, Mayuri's earlier wounds had also limited his combat ability.

Yet if this stalemate continued, defeat was inevitable.

If only the other Quincy hadn't been away, this struggle wouldn't be so desperate.

"Accept this magnificent battle formation!"

After enduring several more of Mayuri's attacks, Sōken seized his chance. His Reiatsu surged as the Gintō (Silver Tubes) attached to his Heilig Pfeil burst open, scattering countless blue points of light around Mayuri.

⤫ Heizen ⥤ Sacred Bite! ⤬

The high-concentration liquid Reishi from the silver tubes ignited with his Reiatsu, and an enormous screen of light instantly engulfed Mayuri's form.

The next moment, a terrifying explosion erupted within, its deafening roar echoing through the valley as countless rocks cascaded down from the mountainsides!

When the dust settled, Mayuri's appearance was horrific — blood-soaked, with large areas of exposed internal organs and charred, crumbling bones.

The Heizen had nearly destroyed half his body. Had his head not dodged in time, he would likely have returned to the Soul Society's earth as mere Reishi.

"Just a mere... Quincy!" Mayuri's expression twisted with madness.

"I'm sorry, but the battle is over." Sōken said coldly, "I won't kill you, but I will report your actions to the Soul Society. I trust the Gotei 13 will give you appropriate punishment."

Having originated from the Wandenreich, he understood the power structure of the Seireitei perfectly.

Someone like Mayuri, who attacked Quincy independently and tried to provoke conflict between the two sides, would certainly face punishment under Soul Society law.

"Stop putting on airs!" Mayuri's expression darkened.

He had miscalculated the Quincy's strength this time. His plan had been simple — develop spirit tools targeting ordinary Quincy and easily obtain suitable test subjects.

But this powerful human's unexpected appearance had led to his plan's complete failure, leaving him in a precarious position.

Sōken ignored him, knowing he needed to subdue Mayuri while his fighting strength remained, then alert the Shinigami stationed in the nearby city once he recovered.

However, just as he prepared to strike, a sword wreathed in flames and lightning descended from the sky, striking the battlefield and triggering another violent explosion.

Through the dazzling electrical arcs, blade light flickered at the edge of their vision. The faint sound of breaking mirrors echoed in their ears.

Then Sōken's vision went black as he lost consciousness. Across from him, Mayuri met the same fate.

In the valley, Akira stood with Sōken tucked under his left arm and Mayuri dangling from his right hand, while unconscious Quincy lay scattered at his feet.

Only now did he understand Aizen's wicked sense of humor.

Being the fisherman who profits from others' quarrels was indeed a joyful thing.

"Pack them all up?"

"Those two are enough." Aizen casually opened a Garganta, the spirit pathway unfolding before him, "Regarding Mayuri, I have some not-quite-mature ideas..."

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