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Chapter - 13 Quincy Potential
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I vanished from my spot in the blink of an eye, leaving deep cracks in the ground where I had just launched myself. In the blink of an eye, the distance between me and him vanished, as if I had materialized suddenly next to Urahara.
My figure only reappeared an instant later, but the speed of my movement was such that I seemed little more than a fleeting shadow.
Before he could react, I propelled myself toward him with a lightning-fast leap, ready to strike with all the force I had. Twisting my body mid-air, my right leg shot out in a perfect arc, aimed with lethal precision at his neck in a circular kick.
The power behind the kick was certainly greater than that of any human, an attack that would have wiped out anyone else. But when my foot was about to land, Urahara remained still.
Just moments before my kick connected, he raised his left arm in a defense that seemed almost unrealistic. Despite the power of my strike, his arm didn't move.
It felt like kicking a solid metal wall. The pain in my ankle was intense, as though I had struck something incredibly hard. After all, I wasn't using any buffs to enhance myself; I was relying on my human body, strengthened by the Templates.
But I wasn't about to let him push me back so easily.
So I kept pushing, trying to force my strike through his defense. But it was then that I realized this wouldn't be easy to accomplish without putting in some effort.
I found myself sliding back, frustration flooding me as I tried to regain control of the situation. Kisuke wasn't wasting any time, and as if sensing my hesitation, he decided to launch an attack of his own.
His face was in shadow, but his intent was clear. With a swift movement, he threw a punch with his right hand while his left grabbed my extended leg.
In an instant, I was immobilized, unable to maneuver, and his punch was now heading straight for my stomach. The force with which he prepared to strike made it clear that I wouldn't be able to avoid the attack just with speed.
But at that moment, something clicked within me. I had no time for passive defense anymore. My instincts took over. In an instant, I activated Blut Vene, feeling the strength surge through me like a wave of energy.
My muscles tensed, my skin became nearly impenetrable. The force of Urahara's attack hit my defense, and as expected, I felt no pain.
Urahara's punch collided with my defense, but the impact didn't have the effect he expected. Not only did it fail to hurt me, but the collision gave me the time I needed to break free.
I certainly didn't waste any time. I leveraged my leg and pushed him away, jumping backward to regain the distance I needed to react, staying suspended in the air for a moment to think about my next move.
"Interesting..." I heard him mutter, his initial shock starting to fade. A familiar, unreadable smile spread across his face, one that never seemed to give anything away. 'You're full of surprises. I didn't think you could already use Blut so masterfully.'"
I slightly widened my eyes, making it seem like an unexpected revelation. "Blut?" I asked, feigning innocent curiosity, as if I were using my Quincy powers purely by instinct.
In a sense, it wasn't even that far from the truth.
Urahara watched me for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, the defensive technique you're using." But this time, his smile had disappeared. His face had suddenly become serious.
I lowered my gaze to my own body, reflecting on his words. "Since I discovered these powers, I've used them without even wanting to… as if they were a part of me. If that makes sense to say."
He tilted his head slightly, then chuckled softly. "Oh, you're a truly terrifying guy."
I shrugged and shot him a glance. "Look who's talking. I've never met anyone this strong in my life, you're certainly no slouch yourself."
Urahara narrowed his eyes with an expression I couldn't decipher, then covered the lower half of his face with his fan and spoke in a light tone: "Me? You're flattering me. I'm just a humble shopkeeper who sells candy for a living."
"Yeah, sure…" I replied sarcastically, crossing my arms.
He was the same kind of man as Aizen and Mayuri… or at least, he had been at the beginning. A mad scientist, willing to break every rule, cross any boundary, as long as he knew he could get away with it.
He didn't just manipulate the balance of the soul, no. He had ripped fragments of the Soul King from living souls, fused them, layering them like one does with a Zanpakutō, until he created something entirely new.
The Hōgyoku… his masterpiece.
And he did it simply because he could.
I couldn't afford to underestimate him.
I shifted the flow of the Reishi within my body as the power of Blut Arterie coursed through me, making me feel stronger. Without hesitating another second, I grasped my Quincy Cross, feeling the familiar weight forming in my hands.
In an instant, my short bow took shape between my hands. I had never had any experience wielding it, yet deep down, I knew I didn't need to.
Without wasting any time, firing the arrows became a natural reflex. A wave of Heilig Pfeil shot toward him, rapid and precise, each one charged with enough energy to easily destroy low-level Adjuchas.
For a moment, I saw a flicker of surprise cross Urahara's face. But unfortunately, it lasted only an instant, as he had already prepared his next move.
"Awaken, Benihime." His voice was calm, almost distracted. Yet, the moment those words were spoken, his staff transformed, taking the form of an elegant and thin blade, resembling a Chinese sword.
Then, without any apparent effort, he swung it. A wave of crimson energy erupted forward, sweeping my arrows away as if they had never existed. He didn't just destroy them: he erased them completely, leaving behind nothing but emptiness.
"And what the hell is that sword, huh?" I asked, already thinking of my next attack.
Kisuke threw me an amused glance, then turned to Yoruichi. "Oh, so you didn't tell him?" She merely shrugged.
A mischievous smile made its way onto Urahara's lips as he caressed the hilt of his weapon. "This beauty is a Zanpakutō, the weapon of a Shinigami. They are reflections of power and soul, sentient beings in their own right."
With a single movement, he had completely nullified my attack. I hadn't expected him to use his Shikai so quickly. Gritting my teeth, I moved sideways, nocking another arrow.
"Good to know, but let's see how you handle this." Firing the arrow was instantaneous, but this time it wasn't a single attack. Upon impact, the arrowhead split into a dozen others, creating an unpredictable barrage of strikes that would hit him from multiple angles.
Urahara raised an eyebrow. "Nake, Benihime." Another vibration of the blade, and a wave of red energy tore through the space between us. My arrows were reduced to nothing before they even got close to him.
Without wasting any time, I teleported higher into the sky, trying to gain an advantage with the distance. But as soon as I did, I sensed a shift in the air.
Something was wrong. Looking down, I saw the ground beneath me glowing with a red light. "A barrier? When—?"
Only then did I realize the trap. While we fought, Urahara had slowly woven a network of Kekkai around me, using my movements to define the area.
The air grew heavy. The red symbols tightened around me, forming a spiritual cage that immobilized me instantly, much more than I had initially anticipated.
"Let's see how strong your Blut Vene really is." Without warning, Urahara pointed a finger in my direction.
A devastating spiritual pressure hit me, crushing me against the barrier. I felt my Blut Vene activate automatically, trying to resist the overwhelming force, but the power of the attack was formidable.
My body trembled. The metallic taste of blood spread in my mouth. I hadn't expected him to use Kido in this battle; it seemed like he was truly intent on making me go all out.
Clenching my teeth, I pushed my Reishi beyond its limits. A blue aura of energy exploded around me, my determination transformed into pure power.
"Break!" The entire barrier exploded in a blinding flash. Red symbols shattered like glass as the shockwave swept away every obstacle.
I lunged forward with a leap, my heart beating in sync with the pulsating energy in my body. My bow gleamed with a new intensity, the blue light enveloping it danced like living flames.
I raised my arm and focused my power, feeling the tension in the air become electric. "Licht Regen!" A downpour of spiritual arrows unleashed in an instant, raining down on Urahara from every direction.
They were as fast as light, unstoppable like a storm. The air filled with sharp whistles and bright flashes as the energy projectiles rained down on him relentlessly.
For a moment, it seemed like I had him in my grasp. But then, with almost a lazy motion, Urahara placed his weapon in front of him, "Chikasumi no Tate," and with a scarlet red flash, a crimson hexagonal barrier formed in front of him for defensive purposes.
When the light faded, I saw him there, perfectly unscathed. He clapped his hands as if he had just shaken off dust from his shoulders and gave me a sly smile.
"Ah, that was close, you know?" he said, tilting his hat slightly, with his usual playful demeanor. "If I hadn't had my blood shield, I might have been hurt. Really scary!"
His voice was thick with sarcasm, but it didn't affect me much anymore, considering he had hundreds of years of experience, and I wasn't even being serious.
But now, it was time to take it to the next level.
If he wasn't going to take it seriously, then I would.
I raised my bow in front of me and let my power unleash. I felt the warmth of the Fullbring spreading through my body as my bow dissolved into billions of blue particles.
Urahara's eyes narrowed slightly, finally paying attention. "Oh?" he murmured with a more serious tone. "Now that's interesting."
I raised my right hand, gripping the Quincy Cross tightly. The cold metal against my skin seemed to pulse in sync with my spiritual energy.
I took a deep breath and spoke the words that would mark the beginning of my true offensive. "Cruz Lunar." As soon as I uttered those words, a silvery glow exploded around me, enveloping the surrounding area.
The energy pulsed in the air, responding to the call of the name itself, as if it had always belonged to me, as if it had been waiting to be awakened.
I hadn't chosen that name by chance. Just like the true moon doesn't shine with its own light but absorbs that of the sun, Zangetsu draws its power from me.
The power of my Fullbring concentrated within me, and in an instant, ethereal wings unfurled behind my back, pulsing with spiritual energy. My right arm now felt even stronger than before, as if I were successfully adapting to this power.
I smiled, finally feeling ready. "Now let's see if you can still joke after this."
Urahara adjusted his hat with a slow gesture, then chuckled quietly. "Hey, hey, no rush. At least let me say something epic before your new technique hits me."
My wings granted me absolute control over the Reishi that formed them. It wasn't just about shaping them into weapons or shields like a beginner would.
No, my power went far beyond that.
I could mold the Reishi itself at will, giving it any form, any function. The only real limit was my imagination, and I certainly wasn't like Gremmy Thoumeaux.
He had an extraordinary power, yes, but his greatest flaw was his own limited mind. He couldn't fully imagine the possibilities of his Schrift. I, on the other hand, wasn't afraid to push further with my Fullbring, seeing all the potential within it.
"Shall we continue?" I asked with a bold grin. "After all, the real fun begins right now."
Urahara looked at me with that usual inscrutable gaze. I knew he wasn't the type to underestimate an enemy, but at the same time, he still hadn't fully grasped the extent of my power.
"First of all, let's start with the basics." His attack came in the blink of an eye. A blade sliced through the air with lethal precision as he moved like a dancing shadow.
One of my wings reacted before I could even think consciously. It transformed, adapting to my will. An instant later, a translucent white shield took form in front of me, like an impenetrable wall of spiritual energy.
His blade struck it with a dull sound. The force of the impact made the air tremble, but the shield held. For now. I didn't wait to see how long it would last.
I immediately launched a counterattack. "Chain." Out of nowhere, chains with the same consistency as the shield materialized around him, slithering like hungry snakes.
They coiled around him, trying to immobilize him or at least slow him down enough to break his rhythm. It was a swift maneuver, a trick that could surprise anyone.
But not him.
With a fluid motion, Urahara sidestepped, effortlessly avoiding most of the chains. Those that managed to reach him were sliced off by his sword with surgical precision.
Then, without hesitation, he dropped into a low stance and dashed to the side, completely evading my trap, and his next attack came even faster.
His blade struck directly on my shield. For a moment, it seemed to hold, but then it shattered. The chains I had conjured met the same fate, breaking like fragile glass under his destructive force.
This was an important lesson since it was clear that the constructs I created with my wings weren't solid enough yet. Or maybe they lacked enough Reishi to maintain their form under such intense pressure.
An interesting detail, I thought, but I wasn't going to give him the time to analyze my weakness. It wasn't the time to show any vulnerability.
For now, the particles of the constructs I had summoned were enough to reform my wing, rebuilding every fragment with surprising speed.
In an instant, the entire environment around him exploded in light.
My two wings spread wide, releasing a myriad of Reishi particles that floated like stars on a moonless night, illuminating the surroundings with an ethereal glow.
The particles quickly arranged themselves above and around Urahara, weaving a luminous net of pure spiritual energy that surrounded him from every side.
I looked up, keeping an impassive expression, and spoke firmly: "Fall." At my command, a rain of energy feathers descended upon him with the fury and speed of a divine storm, leaving a trail of light in their wake.
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Marvel: I'm Spider-Man in this Damn Reincarnation: 1 advanced chapters
Hybrid Man (Ichigo Si/WC Fic) 1 advanced chapters
Son of Li Qiye?: 3 advanced chapters
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Chapter- 16: Shocker - Chapter- 17 (Incoming)
Chapter - 14: Endless Potential
Chapter - 7: Hobby - Chapter - 8: New Hunt - Chapter - 9: Past unknown
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