One year ago in the Karakura town training grounds.

'Is that all you can do Yuzu?' Bambietta criticized the young Kurosaki as she pouted on the ground. 'You need to last longer in your holy form if you want to stand among the sternrittiers!

Yuzu then gave a very huff. 'I know that Ms. Bambietta but I have been training for months with this form and five minutes is the best I can do!' She complain but the raven-haired girl snarled.

'And that's because you don't push yourself hard enough!' she then shook her head. 'Yuzu how are going to deal with an Espada or any other Arrancar if you end up exhausting yourself before you even have the chance to do anything!' Bambietta then rubbed her head In frustration. 'You need to do better than this!'

The young Kurosaki then stared at Bambietta for a moment and then looked down. 'I...know' she muttered sadly. 'But...this may be the best that I am capable of 'I mean...' she began to shed tears. 'Maybe I am not fit to be a-'

The Raven-haired then immediately raised her knee and Yuzu suddenly raise both of her arms in anticipation of a kick coming to her head...but it never came.

Then when she lowered her arms she saw that Bambietta still had her leg up before setting it on the ground.

'You are fit to be a fighter Yuzu. Despite what you and others say otherwise I wouldn't have picked you as my successor. I just want you to be better...better than me' The explosive sternrriter said and then looked up at the gray sky.

'And given the ongoing war with the hollows. Even people like me will eventually bite the dust sooner or later She then turn to look at Yuzu for a moment and then sighed.

'But...given your stamina problems in your holy form, it would properly be several years before you can use it casually like me and the other sternritters. So, from now on, we are going to change your training regiment

Yuzu then perked up. 'We are!?'

Bambietta nodded. 'Yeah, we are going to focus on defeating your opponent as fast as possible when in your holy form before your exhaustion kicks in, and with this type of training you might just be able to defeat an Espada she then narrowed her eyes. 'But that is assuming that are willing to follow that path

Yuzu then looked at the sternrriter in imitation before focusing her eyes with resolve. 'Of course, Ms. Bambietta I won't let you down!'

And from then on Bambietta train me to be as quick and ruthless as possible. Yet despite how harsh she was towards or how much she tried to make me demoralize the enemy...I still couldn't bring it in me to truly hate them or even feel contempt for them.

Even as I kill them for hurting those, I care for...I still felt empathy for them.

Unfortunately, that very empathy...made me careless.

A massive black yellowish torrent of spiritual pressure then suddenly erupted from Patro's body, just before Yuzu's holy arrow was about to pierce through his skull and ended up disintegrating it as a result. While the paralyzing drug that froze the man in place had its effects negated.

'You have done well Quincy girl...' Patros praised as he stood up. 'Never once did I thought that I would unleash something like this on the likes of you...but then again you have proven yourself far more worthy adversary than the one I have slain beforehand' his armor then began to crack with energy. 'Now noble star knight, you will bare witness to the true power of an Espada!'

The Spiritual pressure around the man's body then began to shine brightly with a piercing yet pale yellow.

'Segunda Etapa!' Patros uttered and then his white armor then exploded in a torrent of black spiritual pressure with a yellow outline that then expanded and nearly engulfed the entire courtyard of the school. Then when it dissipated Yuzu stared at his enemy's new form in fright.

For the tenth Espada's bulky white armor was replaced with black twisted shoulder armor pads and a matching helmet that gave the appearance of the crown or a burning flame. His eyes shine golden that was contrasted with a dark eyeliner around them. While his stomach was completely exposed along with sporting a pair of dark metal greaves.

Then when Patros raises his left arm, Yuzu saw that it was a clawed-armed black gauntlet fused to his hand, and from its palm, she saw a canon hole opening up and firing a massive blast of spiritual energy. That was far faster and more destructive than anything Espada launched before. Forced the young Quincy to use all her speed and agility just too narrowly to avoid it and even then, the destructive force of the blast was so great that when it hit a city block behind her, the entire area was completely vaporized in a massive explosive volume that stretched high up onto the sky. Much to the girl's shock and dread.

However, she had little time to gawk at the display of power, as Patros once again raised his other arm to unleash another energy blast and the young Quincy knew that if she got hit by it even once she will be done for.

Yuzu then used her wings to fly around Patros and quickly waved her rod to form hundreds of arrows at once. With each of them still having the one hundred piercing enchantment on them before launching all of them at her enemy. However, the tenth Espada was wise to her tactics and immediately summon an energy sword in his left hand slashed at the arrows, and unleashed a huge wave of energy that completely vaporized them. Much Quincy's frustration and terror.

'You may have had the advantage of surprise when you first used that trick on me child. But even in this form, I am not so foolish as to allow it to happen again. Especially since that piercing enchantment of yours is only effective against a person's durability. Not against another attack' Patros then used sondio to appear behind Yuzu 'And not only that He then swung down his sword at the Quincy who just barely managed to bring her rod up to defend herself against it...but unfortunately her strength failed her at the last minute and ended up being pushed down to the ground. 'You are reaching your limit in maintaining your holy form'

Yuzu then struggled to get up to the ground. As her wings being to fade and her rod started to lose its form. While breathing heavily with exhaustion.

And indeed, Patros was right, she was long past her limit, and it was only the force of Yuzu's will that is preventing her from losing her transformation altogether, and given the sheer power of Espada's Segunda Etapa form, it was the thing keeping her alive at this point.

The only thing that Yuzu has left is using her best and last medicine.

The young Quincy then pushed herself up to her full height and pulled out another orb that was glittering white from her jacket. While Patros looked own amused.

' I failed to see why you continue to struggle Quincy when you are on your last legs' Patros said condescendingly. 'Because regardless of what tricks you use now it will not change the outcome of this fight'

Yuzu then gave the Espada a determined look. 'Even if that is true...I rather go down fighting than surrendering to those that try to harm my friends' she declared.

Then the young Quincy absorbed the medicine inside of her and to Patros' astonishment, he saw that the girl was surrounded by a white aura, that reflected the light of the sun and splinted it off into many different colors. Giving it a glittering rainbow-like effect.

Though despite his surprise by its beauty. The Espada nonetheless gave it a dismal scowl.

'Another one of your protection spells?' He spat mockingly. 'Even if it is an upgrade from your original. As I have said before...' he began to charge another blast from his right hand 'It will not help you before my power!'

He then unleashed another blast of yellow spiritual power from his gauntlet at Yuzu and destroyed another city block in an explosive pillar of explosive might. However just as Patros thought his battle with the sternritter was over he saw to his utter disbelief that the girl slowly stepped out of the blast completely unscathed.

'That's...' he stuttered as he lost his voice. 'Impossible-' his statement was immediately cut short when Yuzu suddenly rushed at him using the flying step, transforming her rod into a saber that glowed a bright crimson red, now enchanted with the one percent piercing medicine, and sliced across Patros armor and chest. Leaving behind a deep cut and bleeding cut on his body.

'Urgh, you brat!' He snapped angrily as he immediately brought his energy sword out to split his foe in half.

...only for it to not affect her, not even pushing her back and in his shock, Yuzu once again struck, this time aiming to cut off Espada's head!

But Patros was able to regain his sense at the last second and duck under the swipe before using Sondio to back away. Yet Yuzu continued to rush towards him and forced the Espada to fly around in the air to avoid her.

'This doesn't make sense...' Patros thought as he continued to fly around the air. 'It would be one thing if that enchantment increased her defenses to the point that she would barely be able to take any damage.' He then dodges to the left to evade a sword stab. 'But my attacks do not affect her at all. As if she were intangible'

He then flew high up into the sky while continuing to outpace Yuzu. 'And yet she seems to be in a hurry to end this battle as soon as possible...' a cruel smile then crawled up his face. 'Which is something that I use to my advantage

Patros then immediately shoots out an energy blast from his left hand at Yuzu and without hesitation, the Quincy flew right through it with her saber ready to cut Patros down. Only to find no one there to her surprise, but then she was blindside again by the Espada's saber slash and Yuzu immediately tried to rush through it only to be once again blinded by another energy blast.

Yuzu then quickly realized what her enemy was planning.

'He found me out again' she thought. 'He purposely blinded me with his wide area attacks and dodging at the last minute to avoid me so that he purposely stalls time until my invulnerable medicine runs out and I only have a couple of seconds left until it does!'

Yuzu then closed her eyes. 'I will have to use my senses to determine his location...but if he figures that out, he will just use his superior speed to stay ahead of me' she thought in frustration until an idea came to her. 'That will have to do!'

The young Quincy then rushed through one of Patros blasts which the latter expected and readied himself to use sondio to evade her at the last second. However just when he did just that. Yuzu suddenly appeared behind him. Forcing the Espada to turn around in surprise.

'It's over Espada!' Yuzu declared as her aura of invulnerable finally dispelled and aimed her red-coated saber aiming straight at Patros heart.

But her enemy merely smiled.

'Yes...it is

Suddenly his chest glowed yellowish white with his spiritual energy. Before unleashing a massive omnidirectional blast that illuminated the entire sky.