Chapter 379: Requiring Divine Authority
Looking at the bespectacled boy who appeared quite young, Ichigo showed a puzzled expression:
"You're called Ishida, right... Ishida, who are you? You say you want to challenge Shinigami - are you also a spiritual ability user?"
"Spiritual ability user?"
Uryū Ishida slightly furrowed his brows.
What kind of strange term is this? This is the first time I've heard it.
But I can roughly understand what it means.
He raised his head slightly, showing a proud expression:
"I am a Quincy!"
"The last Quincy, Uryū Ishida!"
"For the glory of the Quincy, Ichigo Kurosaki, I must defeat you!"
"Huh?"
Ichigo couldn't help but show confusion.
"Wait, hold on... the last Quincy? What does that mean?"
Uryū Ishida gently adjusted his glasses, revealing a cold expression:
"Under the oppression of Shinigami, the number of Quincy has dwindled to just a few, scattered across designated settlement areas."
"Most of them have chosen to abandon the glory of being Quincy, opting instead to live ordinary lives."
"In this generation, I'm the only one who has fully mastered Quincy powers."
"The others are mostly half-baked, some haven't even received proper training or inheritance."
"Do you understand now, Ichigo Kurosaki!"
"All of this is the sin committed by you Shinigami!"
"To prove that Quincy are stronger than Shinigami, I must defeat you and declare to my father and all the Quincy who have given up the fight that Quincy are the strongest!"
Ichigo frowned and tilted his head.
I don't get it. What's all this nonsense?
Bambietta is also a Quincy, and I haven't seen her hold any deep grudges against Shinigami.
Moreover, according to Mr. Mikami, the Quincy forces are extremely powerful and could potentially trigger a major catastrophe at any time.
How could they be oppressed by Shinigami as Uryū Ishida claims?
While he was thinking, Uryū Ishida had already spread his arms.
With the motion, a blue spiritual bow and arrow materialized.
"Oh... so you really are a Quincy."
Seeing the familiar bow and arrow, Ichigo's eyes lit up.
He approached Uryū Ishida, circling around to examine the latter's weapon.
"Hmm... the Reishi density is good, the technique is solid too - definitely professionally trained."
"?"
Uryū Ishida showed a confused expression.
"You've seen Quincy before?"
"Of course I have."
Ichigo nodded.
Hearing this, Uryū Ishida was somewhat surprised.
As he had just mentioned, while there are quite a few Quincy in the Living World, most have gone into hiding and no longer practice as Quincy.
In all his life, he hadn't met many Quincy himself, yet this guy had actually encountered some.
But... so what if he's seen them?
His own strength was far beyond that of ordinary Quincy!
Though he was young, he was already stronger than some adult Quincy!
He said in a deep voice:
"Enough talk. Let's fight!"
"I've heard that Shinigami fight in their soul forms. I can give you time to separate from your physical body!"
Ichigo shook his head:
"No need, let's fight like this."
"Our school lunch break isn't long, so we need to finish quickly. After eating, I still have to return to class."
"You don't know how strict our homeroom teacher is. Skipping her class would lead to serious consequences!"
As he spoke, he stretched his neck and wrists, assuming a fighting stance.
Uryū Ishida was somewhat displeased.
This Shinigami named Ichigo Kurosaki was clearly looking down on him.
A Shinigami bound by a physical body could only utilize a fraction of their power—how could they possibly fight him?
Very well, since he's so confident, he'd make him understand the consequences of underestimating him!
With this thought, Ishida immediately fired an arrow.
Whoosh!
A blue spiritual arrow cut through the air, instantly arriving before Ichigo.
Facing the spiritual arrow flying toward him, Ichigo simply raised one arm and pointed his index finger forward.
With his motion, a Reishi hand crossbow materialized above his finger.
Under Ishida's astonished gaze, the Reishi hand crossbow also fired a spiritual arrow with a whoosh!
Although the arrows shot from the hand crossbow were slightly smaller than Uryū Ishida's, upon contact with the latter's arrows, they instantly exploded, detonating Ishida's arrows in midair!
Then, Ichigo raised his other hand, aiming at Ishida.
An identical Reishi hand crossbow materialized above his index finger, firing a spiritual arrow!
Too shocked to react, Ishida only instinctively held his spiritual bow horizontally in front of himself.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Three consecutive spiritual arrows struck the bow, the powerful force making Ishida grit his teeth.
Fortunately, these three arrows didn't explode upon impact like the previous one, or he would have been knocked out cold.
After blocking Ichigo's arrows, Ishida was about to demand an explanation when he realized Ichigo had vanished from sight.
The next moment, a cold sensation touched his neck.
Ishida instinctively turned his head and saw that Ichigo had somehow appeared behind him.
A blue Reishi hand crossbow was pressed against his neck.
If Ichigo willed it, a single arrow shot from this position would be fatal!
Ishida's mouth fell open, his mind reeling from the overwhelming shock.
"You... what is this... I..."
"What exactly is going on?!"
"Why... why do you have Quincy abilities?!"
Ichigo shrugged:
"I learned them."
"Ishida, do you surrender? If you do, I'll back off."
"Don't even think about using Blut Vene to resist. I'm monitoring the Reiatsu state around your neck—if you activate it, I'll shoot immediately."
Ishida: "..."
Blut Vene?
He had only heard of this ability from his grandfather, who described it as the Quincy's ultimate defensive skill, capable of drastically enhancing defense when activated.
But when he had wanted to learn it, his grandfather said his fundamentals weren't solid enough and it was too early for such techniques.
He never expected to hear the term today... from Ichigo Kurosaki, a Shinigami!
Just how much does this guy know about Quincy abilities?
No—more than how much he knows, the bigger question is, why can he even possess Quincy abilities?!
Gritting his teeth as he looked at Ichigo standing calmly beside him, watching him intently, he said:
"I... surrender, but only for today!"
"I never imagined a Shinigami could use Quincy powers. I was too shocked to fight at my best!"
"Only for today? Fine by me."
Ichigo nodded and released his hold.
In truth, his threat to shoot was just to scare him.
He could never actually bring himself to kill someone with an arrow.
In a flash, he moved in front of Ishida.
It was then that Ishida noticed Ichigo had used Hirenkyaku, the exclusive movement technique of Quincies.
This guy... so those spiritual arrows earlier weren't just flukes.
Anxiously, he asked:
"You said you learned it? Where did you learn Quincy abilities?"
Ichigo picked up his lunchbox, opened the lid, and began eating.
Taught by Kurosaki Masaki, he had polite eating habits, waiting until he had swallowed everything in his mouth before speaking:
"My Quincy teacher is called Bambietta."
"Bambietta?!"
Uryū Ishida's eyes widened.
"Bambietta? Bambietta Basterbine?!"
"I suppose so... I'm surprised you can remember such a long surname."
Ichigo said with some surprise.
Uryū Ishida took a deep breath.
Bambietta Basterbine... the supervisor of Quincies in the Living World.
Although his grandfather was nominally the leader of the Quincies, he actually followed Bambietta's commands in secret.
It was said that this Quincy named Bambietta possessed strength no less than his grandfather's!
Ichigo Kurosaki, a Shinigami—why would he receive instruction from Bambietta?
He couldn't help but ask:
"You're really a Shinigami?"
"Yeah..."
Ichigo was somewhat speechless.
This guy named Ishida, despite wearing glasses, seemed rather foolish.
Always getting surprised by this and that, making a fuss over nothing.
To clear Ishida's doubts, he raised his hand:
"Kidō Number One, Restrain!"
As he spoke, Ishida felt his hands snap together, bound tightly, unable to break free.
"This is legitimate Shinigami ability, no doubt about it now."
After saying this, Ichigo continued eating.
Ishida struggled for a moment, then broke the Kidō with Reishi.
Looking at Ichigo sitting there eating, he couldn't help but feel utterly exasperated.
How was this possible... how could anyone accomplish this?
How could one person possess both Shinigami and Quincy powers?
After a moment of silence, he turned around:
"I'll be back!"
With that, he activated Hirenkyaku, his figure flickering before disappearing into the air.
Ichigo shook his head, showing a helpless expression.
...
...
The next day, Ishida returned.
This time, he had dark circles under his eyes and looked completely exhausted.
Seeing him like this, Ichigo was surprised:
"Hey... what happened to you? Are you sick?"
Ishida shook his head:
"No, it's just that yesterday when my grandfather and I were discussing you, my father overheard. He used a spirit arrow to pin me to the wall all night..."
He didn't mention the rest.
That his father had given him a strict order absolutely forbidding him from causing trouble for Ichigo Kurosaki again.
Regarding this, Uryū Ishida simply pretended not to hear.
His father saying this clearly showed he was still afraid of Shinigami.
As long as he could defeat Ichigo Kurosaki, his father would naturally change his mind!
Hearing Ishida's words, Ichigo shook his head sympathetically.
Every family has its own troubles...
Ishida said solemnly:
"Kurosaki, during our fight yesterday, you didn't use Shinigami power, so the outcome doesn't count!"
"Today, use your Shinigami power and let's fight again!"
Hearing this, Ichigo shook his head:
"Let's forget it."
"What? Are you afraid?!"
"Not afraid... it's just that during our exchange yesterday, I already got a good grasp of your abilities."
As he spoke, Ichigo opened his lunchbox.
"Your fundamentals are good—your spirit arrows are fast and powerful, with excellent accuracy."
"But... your combat experience is lacking. You probably only practice against targets, at most against Hollows, right?"
"When you don't fight people enough, you end up stiff and slow to react like you are."
"Whether I use Quincy power or Shinigami power, you can't win against me."
"Don't look down on me!"
Uryū Ishida's face turned red with anger.
Seeing him like this, Ichigo tilted his head.
If it were Satoru, what would he do in this situation...
After thinking for a few seconds, a look of realization appeared on his face.
Under Ishida's gaze, he grinned:
"Ishida, if you're so eager to fight me, that's not entirely out of the question."
"But there needs to be a price."
"A price?"
Ishida slightly furrowed his brow.
Ichigo nodded. "You're the young master of the Ishida family that runs that big hospital, right? So you must be quite wealthy."
"Starting tomorrow, bring me some good food to add to my lunch."
"That'll be your admission ticket to fight me. How about it?"
Hearing this, Ishida was momentarily taken aback.
Was it really that simple?
After a moment's thought, he nodded. "Fine!"
As if worried Ichigo might change his mind, he quickly turned and left after speaking.
On the third day at noon, Uryū Ishida appeared on the rooftop right on time, carrying a bag.
Seeing the size of the bag he was carrying, Ichigo was somewhat stunned.
Under his gaze, Ishida opened the lid, revealing a forty-centimeter tall basket inside.
When the lid was removed, what came into view were various kinds of high-quality tempura.
Beneath that were various other dishes and soups.
Below were the desserts.
At the very bottom was a specially insulated layer containing various chilled foods like sashimi and sushi.
"Is this enough to fight me?"
Uryū Ishida asked with a serious expression.
"If it's not enough, I'll have the butler deliver more."
Ichigo fell silent.
Damn it, they both ran hospitals, so why couldn't his own father be this extravagant?
Come to think of it, Satoru had once teased him, saying his father was some kind of super noble with various businesses under his control, but kept it hidden from him.
Hah, anyone who believed that would be a fool.
Shaking his head to clear these random thoughts, he raised the corners of his mouth:
"It's enough, it's enough! Let's make this quick and eat together after the fight!"
"There's so much here, I couldn't finish it all by myself."
"Mhm."
Ishida responded absentmindedly.
He didn't really care about eating; all he wanted was to quickly defeat Ichigo Kurosaki and prove his strength.
Under his gaze, a light flashed around Ichigo as he separated from his physical body.
Watching the young man now clad in a black Shinigami uniform with a large cleaver on his back, Uryū Ishida swallowed hard.
This was... a Shinigami!
He took a deep breath and condensed his spiritual bow.
Today, he would prove to his father that he was stronger than any Shinigami!
About ten seconds later, Ichigo put away his sword and clapped his hands:
"Not bad, you put up more of a fight than I expected."
"Though you lack combat experience, your reflexes are quite sharp."
Returning to his body, he picked up his lunch box and went over to Ishida's.
"Come on, Ishida, let's eat together!"
Imitating how Satoru usually called him, he cheerfully invited the young Quincy to share the meal.
Covered in dust, Ishida struggled to get up.
"N-no, I'll continue training, and next time we meet... wah!"
Before he could finish, Ichigo wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him over.
"Enough of that! We're both spiritual energy users, we should get along better!"
"Satoru says all spiritual energy users are one big family, except for Quincies... oh, right, you are a Quincy."
"Whatever, he even has a Quincy girlfriend himself, so what's wrong with me having a Quincy friend?"
"Here, have some fried shrimp!"
Ichigo laughed, offering Ishida the luxurious lunch he had just won from him.
Ishida tried to break free, but found the damn Shinigami was impossibly strong and he couldn't escape.
In despair, Ishida found himself with a piece of fried shrimp shoved into his mouth by Ichigo's chopsticks.
On the fourth day, Ishida came to challenge him with lunch, only to be easily defeated by Ichigo.
The two shared lunch together.
On the fifth day, another easy victory, another shared lunch.
On the sixth day, shared lunch again...
The young Shinigami and Quincy gradually built a friendship through their sparring matches and shared meals.
The relaxed, pleasant days passed by quickly.
Before they knew it, half a year had gone by.
The New Year celebrations had ended, and it was now March.
Winter gave way to spring, with continuous drizzling rains.
After dinner, Ichigo said he was going out to meet some classmates and left with an umbrella.
Lately, he felt like Satoru was slacking off.
Even though he was in a crucial period of training his Blut, Satoru was always absent.
Although his Quincy teacher was Bambietta, ultimately Bambi was just a subject teacher.
His true master was Satoru.
At a time like this, where did that guy go instead of keeping an eye on himself?
Thinking this, little Ichigo clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Arriving at Bambietta's apartment building, he pressed the intercom button.
Soon, Bambietta's yawning face appeared on the small screen.
Seeing Ichigo, Bambi said lazily:
"Satoru's not here."
After saying this, she was about to end the call.
Ichigo quickly asked:
"Then where did he go?"
Bambi shrugged:
"Don't know. He's been acting mysterious lately, no idea what he's up to."
This time, she didn't give Kurosaki Ichigo any chance to ask further questions, directly ending the call and going back to catch up on sleep.
These past few days, Satoru hadn't visited her, forcing her to solve problems on her own and ruining her sleep quality.
However, as a dutiful "hot weapon," she knew that especially at times like this, she shouldn't cause trouble for Satoru.
When Satoru finished his business, he would naturally come reward her.
Both Shinigami and Quincy were long-lived species, living for thousands of years wasn't a problem.
She and Satoru had plenty of time - they could wait completely.
Standing under the apartment building with an umbrella, Ichigo showed a thoughtful expression.
Where would that Mikami guy go?
After pondering for a while, he closed his eyes and began to release his spiritual power.
Soon, his Reiatsu covered nearly half of Karakura Town.
He still couldn't detect Satoru's presence.
He didn't know if his range wasn't large enough, or if Satoru was hiding too well for him to find.
Then... he would probe further and more precisely!
Ichigo took a deep breath and began forcibly increasing his output.
He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but as he trained longer with Satoru, he gradually felt that his power sometimes seemed limitless.
How much strength he could exert entirely depended on how much he could manifest.
It was like a super reservoir with only one faucet releasing water.
As long as he worked to create a large enough outlet and controlled it to prevent it from going out of control, he could use more, stronger power!
The only obstacle was the sunglasses-wearing uncle.
The uncle called himself Zangetsu, claiming to be his Zanpakutō spirit.
But, even though he was supposedly a sword spirit, Ichigo always felt that Uncle Zangetsu was secretly hindering him, preventing him from easily activating the hidden power within.
He even suspected that Uncle Zangetsu might be some dangerous creature specifically sent to sabotage him.
But when he asked Satoru about this, Satoru thought for a moment and said:
"The sunglasses uncle? That should indeed be your Zanpakutō, but you are the original protagonist after all - who knows what changes you might undergo later?"
"When you don't know what to do, follow your intuition's guidance. Intuition is the most reliable thing!"
Watching Satoru laugh heartily, Ichigo felt complicated.
You're probably the only person in the world who treats intuition as the highest standard...
As various scenes flashed through his mind, Ichigo suddenly experienced a moment of enlightenment.
His Reiatsu level had improved again.
If his current self were to fight his half-year-ago self, he could probably defeat dozens of them effortlessly.
Ichigo's Reiatsu sensing range instantly expanded by nearly double, and his detection precision improved significantly.
Although he still couldn't capture Satoru's Reiatsu, one particular point made him feel inexplicably concerned.
Recalling Satoru's earlier words—"When you don't know what to do, follow your intuition"—Ichigo pondered for a few seconds before rushing in that direction.
He landed softly on the ground amidst the drizzling rain.
The moment he arrived, he spotted his target.
On one end of the park's seesaw sat Satoru, wearing a deeply contemplative expression as if lost in thought.
"Mr. Mikami?"
Ichigo approached and called out to him.
"Hm?"
Satoru turned his head.
Seeing Ichigo Kurosaki, he looked somewhat surprised.
"You... how did you find me?"
Ichigo grinned. "Intuition."
"Ah, that explains it."
Satoru nodded without the slightest hint of surprise.
Ichigo: "..."
This guy's casual acceptance somehow made him want to retort.
"What are you thinking about?"
He moved closer, intending to share his umbrella, only to notice a thin layer of Reiatsu enveloping Satoru, preventing any raindrops from touching him.
Satoru gazed at him with a tinge of emotion.
"I was thinking about your mother."
"?"
A question mark popped over Ichigo's head as his expression turned wary.
What kind of dangerous talk was this?!
Sure, his old man was an idiot who constantly annoyed him, but he'd never considered getting a replacement father!
Hmm... though, if Satoru were to become his father, that actually... wouldn't feel too bad...
Ichigo fell into brief internal conflict.
While he was entertaining these random thoughts, Satoru suddenly declared:
"Ichigo, you're the protagonist. Tell me—how does one wield divine power?"
"Huh?"
Ichigo furrowed his brow, showing a concerned expression.
"Mr. Mikami, are you sick?"
"Hmph, I possess an innate physical constitution. Illnesses and such have long been irrelevant to me."
Satoru smiled proudly.
His question to Ichigo Kurosaki was merely casual.
However, he was genuinely troubled by this matter.
Not long ago, after finishing some exercise with Bambietta and lying in bed chatting, their conversation about Ichigo Kurosaki suddenly reminded him of Kurosaki Masaki.
It wasn't that he thought of anything strange, but rather he found it puzzling—how could Kurosaki Masaki, such a powerful Quincy, be killed by a low-level Hollow like Grand Fisher?
When he asked Bambietta this question, she thought for a moment.
"Kurosaki Masaki... I know of her."
"Among Quincies, she was exceptionally talented, with combat awareness far surpassing ordinary people."
"If she were in the Wandenreich, she probably would have been selected as a Sternritter."
"For a powerhouse like her to be defeated by a Hollow that wasn't even Adjuchas-level... such a thing is simply impossible to imagine."
After a moment's thought, she suddenly remembered something:
"However, come to think of it... back when I was in the Wandenreich, they taught us that all our power was bestowed by His Majesty Yhwach."
"Yhwach can grant power to Quincies, and he can also take that power back."
"If Kurosaki Masaki had her power taken away, then it would make perfect sense for her to lose to a low-level Hollow."
At this point, she shook her head with a laugh:
"But that's impossible. His Majesty Yhwach's awakening is still far off. How could he possibly take back power..."
Suddenly, she froze.
She remembered a poem they had always been taught to recite in the Wandenreich's schools.
The Quincy King takes nine hundred years to regain his heartbeat, ninety years to regain consciousness, and nine years to regain his power...
Calculating the time, it seemed to be happening around these very years!
The realization made her feel somewhat heavy-hearted.
A prophecy spanning a thousand years was actually already upon them, unnoticed?
If Yhwach truly revived, would he tolerate her betrayal?
Whether Kurosaki Masaki had her power taken away, she didn't know.
But she herself... probably wouldn't escape such a fate.
What would become of her after having her power stripped away?
Bambietta didn't know, and she didn't want to know.
Just as she was sinking into fear, Satoru's hand rested on her shoulder:
"Don't be afraid, Bambietta."
"I, Satoru Mikami, will definitely protect you."
"No matter the cost, I won't let Yhwach harm you."
Looking at the man's face before her, Bambietta felt a brief surprise before her cheeks quickly flushed red.
With overwhelmingly intense emotions, she threw herself at him, and they became entangled once more.
Afterward, due to excessive happiness, she forgot most of what happened that night.
So much so that when Satoru disappeared for a few days, she didn't even think of it.
After that, Satoru went to find Sōken Ishida.
After speaking with Sōken Ishida, the old man confirmed Bambietta's theory.
Yhwach could strip any Quincy of their power, regardless of how strong or weak they were.
This process of deprivation was called "Auswählen."
According to Sōken Ishida's knowledge, Yhwach could bestow power upon others.
When those who were granted power die, that power returns to him, along with all the new strength the recipients had cultivated and accumulated through their training.
It's essentially a spiritual power version of "lend nine, collect thirteen"—or even worse, "lend nine, collect fifty," or "lend nine, collect a hundred."
Hearing about Yhwach's ability, Satoru couldn't help but click his tongue.
With such a power, even a fool could effortlessly grow into a final boss.
In contrast, he himself had no miraculous external support, relying solely on his own efforts to reach where he was today.
The difference was stark!
"So, is there any way to stop the Auswählen?"
After listening to Sōken Ishida's description, Satoru was almost certain.
What had taken Kurosaki Masaki's life was likely the Auswählen.
When Yhwach revived, he probably absorbed the power of numerous Quincies, using it as nourishment for his resurrection.
Kurosaki Masaki had been fighting Grand Fisher just as her power was being stripped away, leading to her death at its hands.
But why did Yhwach specifically target Kurosaki Masaki?
Wasn't Ishida Ryūken's power far greater than Masaki's?
Though he didn't know the reason, it wasn't important now.
The key was how to stop the Auswählen.
Otherwise, not only Kurosaki Masaki, but Bambietta would also be in danger.
And Ichigo, who had trained in Quincy abilities.
The Ishida family couldn't be guaranteed safe either.
Although they had survived in the original story, who knew if things might change?
Hearing Satoru's question, Sōken Ishida shook his head gently:
"I don't know."
"Yhwach's power is akin to that of a god to Quincies."
"To stop him, one must possess the authority of a 'god' as well."
"That level of power is far beyond my comprehension."
Recalling Sōken Ishida's answer at the time, Satoru crossed his arms.
The authority of a god...
Truly an essential element in the later stages of progression fantasy novels.
Under Ichigo Kurosaki's gaze, Satoru suddenly stood up.
"Mr. Mikami?"
"Hmph, Ichigo, admire and praise me to your heart's content!"
"To save innocent lives, I, Satoru Mikami, am prepared to face the splattering blood head-on!"
"Huh?"
Ichigo's eyes widened, not understanding what the man before him was saying.
Just as he was about to ask for an explanation, he saw Satoru draw his Zanpakutō and thrust it into the air before him.
With that motion, two paper doors slid open, revealing a deep, dark tunnel.
"Ichigo, protect your mother."
"Her safety is in your hands!"
With that, he stepped into the passage.
As the paper doors closed and vanished before Ichigo's astonished eyes.
...
...
After traversing the long Dangai, sunlight shone down once more as Satoru's divine eagle returned to his loyal Soul Society.
After descending from the Soul King Palace, he had originally intended to return directly to the Seireitei.
But after encountering Ichigo Kurosaki in the Living World, dealing with various matters with Bambietta, and occasionally flirting with two reincarnated girls, he hadn't returned to Soul Society for a while.
The longer he delayed, the more time passed.
Today, he had finally returned.
Sensing the Reishi in the air, he grinned and dashed in a certain direction.
Soon, he arrived before a door and pushed it open:
"Sōsuke! Please... holy shit!!"
The moment the door opened, he saw a massive Kidō Cannon blast coming straight at his face!
In Seireitei, many people looked up in surprise toward the sky.
They saw a thick blue energy beam shooting diagonally upward, piercing through the clouds.
Faint, familiar screams could be heard from within...