Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō

"The Shinigami are here!"

Before long, someone cried out in alarm.

"The Shinigami are attacking!!"

The entire forested mountainside tensed in an instant.

Cries of confusion and panic spread through the crowd of Quincy as one after another began summoning their spiritual bows.

"Damn it! How did they even find us!?"

"It must've been the Ishida family—they sold us out!"

Someone shouted accusingly, "Sōken Ishida, was this your doing!?"

At those words, sorrow clouded Sōken Ishida's face.

It was over. This time, the Quincy might truly face extinction.

His gaze fell on the approaching Shinigami clad in white haori. Only one thought filled his mind now—

Once the battle begins, not a single Quincy may make it out alive.

The Ishida family's history was long and steeped in secrets few others knew. And even with Third-Class Spiritual Power, Sōken had no confidence in standing against a captain of the Gotei 13.

After all, the standards for becoming a captain were notoriously strict.

Reaching Third-Class Spiritual Power was just the baseline—that level was considered "captain-class" for a reason.

And once a Shinigami released their Zanpakutō, their power would increase dramatically.

Even if two individuals shared the same Spiritual Power rank, one who had mastered Bankai was in a completely different league from one who hadn't.

He knew he had no chance against a Gotei 13 captain.

While Sōken was still weighing his options, the Quincies had already begun to act.

Hundreds of them raised their spirit bows at once, drawing spirit arrows in unison. The scene was nothing short of spectacular—like a wave of blue meteors streaking across the sky!

The veteran soldiers of the 11th Division, battle-hardened and experienced, guided the rookies in dodging attacks, faces lit with excitement.

After all, they had been the vanguard in countless battles against the Quincy.

In fact, every major conflict involving the Gotei 13 had included them—otherwise, they wouldn't be called the Combat Division.

The centuries-long war between Soul Society and the Quincy was just one chapter in their bloody history.

Sōken Ishida swallowed hard, jaw clenched, and pulled back his spirit bow.

His heart was torn with conflict, but war had already broken out. There was no backing out now—not with a few words.

Even if his fellow Quincies resented him, there was no turning back. He had to fight.

Just as he pulled the spirit arrow, ready to fire—

A tall, slender figure suddenly appeared out of thin air!

Zzzzzrkk!!

With a soft exhale, a bone-chilling cold swept through the Quincy ranks.

In the next moment, under their stunned gazes, the icy air surged outward—freezing everything around it in an instant.

The figure grabbed a Quincy with one hand and asked in a cold, emotionless voice,

"Surrender... or die?"

"It's a Shinigami! A Shinigami!!"

"Where the hell did he come from!?"

"Shoot him—hurry! Shoot!!"

Panic exploded among the Quincy ranks.

Sōken Ishida's pupils shrank sharply, his heart gripped by shock and dread.

This Shinigami... was terrifyingly strong.

He couldn't sense the man's Reiatsu—but the sheer danger radiating from him was unmistakable. Every instinct screamed that this was no ordinary foe. Cold sweat poured down his back.

There was no question—this was not your typical captain-level Shinigami.

This one was far, far beyond that.

Eyes wide, Sōken stared at the figure.

The man wore the unmistakable white haori of a Gotei 13 captain. On his back, the number was clearly visible—

Eleven.

Could it be...? Was this the legendary strongest Shinigami?

No. They couldn't go on like this. If even the strongest Shinigami had been dispatched, then this war was already lost.

Realizing this, Sōken knew—the situation had spiraled out of control.

They had to end this now, or the consequences would be catastrophic.

Sōken Ishida hurriedly shouted,

"Wait! On behalf of the Quincy, I'm willing to surrender—"

But Masatsuki Aozaki cut him off coldly.

"Feel the pain first. Starting a conflict without permission… you think there's no price for that?"

"And some things—you just won't understand until they hurt!"

With that, Masatsuki raised his hand and flicked his fingers.

In an instant, a wave of invisible force surged forward like a cannonball, tearing through everything in its path in a straight line.

A dozen unsuspecting Quincy were instantly caught in the blast, slammed violently to the ground, their bodies buried deep in the earth.

Before anyone could react, Masatsuki—mimicking the mannerisms of Younger Toguro—began flicking his fingers again and again.

Amid the panicked screams of the Quincy, each flick sent several flying, their cries ringing through the air like marbles knocked across a game board.

In desperation, a group of Quincy raised their spirit bows and fired wildly at him.

But before the arrows could get close, a strange, eerie wind whipped up around Masatsuki, as if a mysterious force was shielding him.

The wind caught the arrows, swirling them up and flinging them away—

Right into their own ranks.

The surrounding Quincy were struck down by their own allies' arrows. Bodies were pierced. Blood soaked the earth.

After several rounds of failed attacks, hopelessness set in.

They finally realized—Sōken Ishida had been right.

Shinigami really were monsters.

No matter what attacks they launched, no matter how powerful, they couldn't lay a scratch on him.

And all Masatsuki had to do was flick his fingers to crush them.

...

In the distance, the orange-haired girl stared in disbelief, eyes wide, mouth agape as she watched the chaos unfold.

She recognized that Shinigami—his appearance was far too distinctive to mistake.

But she didn't have time to dwell on it. A body, sent flying by the force of battle, hurtled toward her.

Too fast.

Her vision went dark.

In the next moment, she collapsed, unconscious.

...

In just minutes, Masatsuki Aozaki had brought down nearly a hundred Quincy, showcasing overwhelming strength and combat prowess.

The Quincies' spirit bows, their silver-crafted weapons—none of it could so much as touch him.

More than twenty Quincy rushed in wielding Reishi long swords, hoping to overwhelm him in close-quarters combat.

Masatsuki only shook his head.

He stepped forward.

That was all it took.

Cries of fear erupted—and in the blink of an eye, the attackers were frozen solid, encased in ice.

Panic and chaos spread like wildfire among the Quincy.

Some pressed on with desperate attacks. Others turned and ran in terror.

Meanwhile, the 11th Division moved in, sealing off all escape routes. Their formation was tight—they had no intention of letting a single Quincy go.

As one clan member after another fell, even his own father's fate uncertain, Ryūken Ishida—the white-haired youth—could no longer hold back his fury.

"Stop!"

He shouted, drawing his bow and firing a shot at Masatsuki.

Ryūken's arrow flew faster than anything the other Quincy had unleashed. In a flash, it was already at Masatsuki's doorstep.

He had imbued it with a special technique.

Though it looked powerful, the arrow wasn't meant to kill.

He wasn't trying to end a life—just make a statement.

Because he understood clearly—

Killing one Shinigami wouldn't end this war. If anything, it would only escalate things.

The Gotei 13 had far more than just one captain.

But just as the spirit arrow was about to land...