Author's note: This chapter will be focused on the ongoing battle between Shinigamis and Quincies in the Soul Society. I would also like for the Quincies to be given the spotlight this time, not just the Shinigamis. I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Tite Kubo. The original characters belong to me.

Chapter 16: A God Like You

In the icy cityscape, Sereitei, Soul Society

Sternritter S – The Superstar: Mask De Masculine was about to check out on the two Shinigamis that had just arrived on the battlefield, only for Shuhei to stop him by catching Mask's foot with his Zanpakutou, Kazeshini. But the Quincy easily gabbed Kazeshini's chains, pulled the Lieutenant of Squad 9 towards him. Mask elbowed Shuhei, thus knocking him out once again. Realizing that Shuhei still had some guts left, he decided to deliver the final blow by stomping his head.

But he was stopped when Captain of Squad 9: Kensei Mugurama arrived just in time to block Mask's stomp with one of his feet. But Kensei was not alone, as Captain of Squad 3. Rojuro "Rose" Otoribashi had tagged along as well. Seeing this as a challenge, Mask decided to fight the two captains at once.

To begin with, Kensei and Rose seemed to have the upper hand, thanks to their powerful Bankais, Tekken Tachikaze and Kinshara Butodan respectively. Learning from Shuhei, they realized that main source of Mask's power was not only Reishi, but it also in the form of his chubby companion named James. Each time James cheered for Mask, the Sternritter would only emerge back stronger than before. It was cheer-induced empowerment. The two captains had thus tried to dispose of James, but even as the chubby man was torn apart, he was still alive and could keep supporting Mask.

Moreover, the two captains had also underestimated Mask's talent in hand-to-hand combat, as he did not rely on a Heilig Bogen or any other Spirit Weapon. But his empowered gloves, as well as his Star Flash attack drew upon Reishi in order for them to be empowered, not the mention that Mask was also a master in Hirenkyaku. Because of this, both Kensei and Rose were easily disposed of and Mask had almost managed to dispose of Rose with his Star Flash, only for someone to block it, with the help of his Zanpakutou. That Shinigami was Renji Abarai, the Lieutenant of Squad 6, who had just arrived on the battlefield.

Having just done that, Renji tasked Rukia to take both Kensei and Rose to a nearby medic, hoping that someone from Squad 4 could treat their injuries. Mask had not bothered to follow her, given he was mostly focused on trying to remember who Renji was. Being the dull man he was, Mask had difficulties in remembering appearances. Hearing this only made Renji drop a sweat, as he couldn't believe Mask's stupidity and cluelessness. They had fought in the Wandenreich's previous invasion of the Soul Society.

Nevertheless, the two brawled, but Renji's training in the Royal Realm had improved his strength and skills, as well as his Zanpakutou: Zabimaru. The red-haired lieutenant used Zabimaru to cut James into many pieces, as well as slashing Mask's stomach. But like Kensei and Rose before him, Renji was unaware of the fact that James could regenerate himself. The chubby man kept cheering for Mask, thus empowering him. His form changed, yet Renji was less than impressed by it.

"I just remembered something! You are that villain I blew away with my Star Drop Kick, am I right?" he asked Renji. "A superstar like me have fought and defeated so many villains that even he can't recall their names nor appearances" the Sternritter went on explaining.

Renji was dumbfounded by his opponent's statement. "He was fighting me without realizing who I was?" he wondered in his head. "This guy's a total dimwit!" he then added to his thoughts.

"I don't know how you managed to turn into such a powerful foe, but it matters not. In fact, it would be an honor for you to witness my real power" Mask went on explaining before beginning his next move.

Renji stood his guard, knowing very well that the Sternritter would attack him. Mask flew towards him and was ready to deliver his attack.

"Allow me to show you my secret technique when I'm fully powered up! STAR LARIAT!" Mask shouted before swinging his arm once again. "STAR!" he yelled and sent shockwaves from his punches to Renji.

The red-haired lieutenant was sent flying, as he was trying to block these attacks. But it was no use, as Mask kept attacking him with his punches repeatedly. It was as if he was air punching Renji. "Damn it! For a klutz, he sure punches fast" Renji expressed his frustrations.

"How do you like that!?" Mask taunted and laughed as Renji was forced against the wall. "A wall cannot hold back a superstar's power, and you cannot touch the ground with your feet anymore! You will be sent through the air for the rest of eternity" the masked Quincy was feeling satisfied of himself, and a Quincy cross suddenly erupted from Mask's belt.

Reishi gathered all around him and Mask received a cape of Reishi, as well a star dotting his chest. A giant star appeared behind Mask's head and it was his own Heiligenschein. There was no question about it, Mask had now activated his Quincy: Vollständig.

"And you will never return to the ground and will become dust in front of the superstar's godly power! Behold, the bane of all villains: my glorious Mirathem!" he went on explaining, while quickly beginning to soar the skies. The name of Mask's Quincy: Vollständig, Mirathem, meant "Heroism of God" in the tongue of the Quincies.

Mask flew up as the many pieces of James began cheering and idolizing him. Using his fast speed, Mask formed a giant star in the air and it eventually descended down to the area Renji was in. It was apparent that this was some kind of bomb. Mask was ready to see him disappear.

"TAKE THIS! STAR FLASH SUPERNOVA!" Mask exclaimed and an explosion took place underneath him. The masked Quincy was filled with satisfaction. "Farewell, villain! May your twisted soul finally rest in peace" he said as if the fight was already over.

But Mask was stunned when he could see that beneath the smoke, Renji was still alive, while grasping something to his side. "Bankai!" the Lieutenant of Squad 6 exclaimed while as a giant head appeared over his blade. It was the true name of his Bankai, as Renji had always believed that it was Hihiou Zabimaru. But that was not the case. "Soo Zabimaru!" Renji said the true name of his Bankai. It was drastically different from his previous one.

While Mask was surprised to see this, he knew that something had to be done with regards to Renji. "That's dangerous, villain. That Bankai of yours truly is dangerous. And now that you have blocked the final blow of this star, I cannot afford to underestimate you anymore…...Renji Abarai!" the Sternitter commented, this time addressing Renji by his full name. Mask readied his attack, keen on battling Renji again. "My heart is burning with the desire to defeat you in the name of justice! Prepare yourself, Shinigami! Because this time, I will not go easy on you!" he said, this time sounding less oafish and more serious than usual. He then dived towards Renji.

"So, he finally addressed me by name? Maybe he's not so dumb after all. A shame that he has to die, though" Renji remarked in his head. The red-haired lieutenant knew that Mask was now intending on defeating him, so he dashed forward towards his opponent and sent his giant baboon arm at the Quincy. "Hihiou!" Renji exclaimed while throwing the arm at Mask.

That baboon arm had a bony hand, which managed to catch Mask in its grasp. However, Mask tried to break them, but as the bony hand clenched itself, Mask's arm was broken and he howled in agony. It was also impossible for him to free himself and he was sent crashing towards a nearby tower. Renji smirked in what he was seeing, feeling that his attack had most certainly injured his opponent.

But Mask came flying out of the rubble and was furious over seeing his arm getting broken. "DAMN YOU TO HELL, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! HOW DARE YOU BRAKE THE ARM OF THE STAR! THE ARM OF THE HERO! I CANNOT FORGIVE SUCH OUTRAGE!" he yelled in anger while cursing. Mask could then see his opponent march straight ahead towards him.

Renji smirked at his opponent. "Man, that's way too much swearing for someone claiming to be a hero! What happened to all that talk of justice and evil!?" he mockingly asked Mask.

Unsurprisingly, Renji's comment didn't set well with Mask. The Sternritter was clearly angered by the fact that someone like Renji, whom Mask considered superior to, could speak to him in such way. In anger, Mask charged towards Renji, eager to actually rip off his limbs.

"I WLL KILL! I WILL KILL YOU FOR THIS, SHINIGAMI! TO HELL WITH JUSTICE AND EVIL! THE ONLY THING I WANT IS TO ANNIHILATE YOU!" he angrily yelled, preparing a new attack. "STAR..." Mask was about to laucnh, but he was too late.

"Orochiou" Renji said as he stabbed his blade inside Mask. He held his blade tightly as a snake's head began forming around him and Mask. "Soo Zabimaru: Zaga Teppo!" he exclaimed and proceeded to incinerate the Sternritter.

On the verge of death, Mask could only reflect back to how he had ended up like this.

"No…...how could this be? I only wanted to be the undefeated fighter of justice. But even I never really knew what it was" Mask wondered as he slightly recalled back to the days when he joined the Wandenreich.

Back then, Mask was nothing but a bullying and oafish brawler, someone who only desired to be recognized as the most famed. Desiring to be more famous, he was recruited by Yhwach, who saw his physical abilities as a great asset. With promise of power and fame as the undefeated hero, Mask was then unducted into Yhwach's Sternritters, and was granted a Schrift: the letter S – The Superstar. Now, all of what he had been promised faded away, but he could eventually say some last words as his body burned to ashes.

"I may not know what justice is…...but I do know that someone fights for it….not the Quincies or the Shinigamis…..but someone else…..long live to you…fighter of justice" these were the final words from Mask as his entire body vanished into thin air.

As Renji landed on the ground beneath him, he could only stand and watch how the ashes of his opponents faded away into the air. A part of him began to feel sorry for the Sternritter.

"You know, it's too bad you were my enemy. Had you been on the good side, you might've become a great hero" Renji admitted before gazing upwards towards the dark skies. "As a matter of fact, I'll start being the hero from now on" he mused to himself before making his move.

Inside the icy palace of Silbern

Uryu Ishida had been denied access to Yhwach's throne room, all thanks to Haschwalth. The emperor was now sleeping, and Haschwalth was now the "substitute emperor" of the Wandenreich, albeit only during the night. He and Yhwach were the same. While Haschwalth was the substitute emperor, Yhwach was the Father of the Quincies, storing his power during his sleep.

But as Uryu kept walking, he could only recall the conversation he had with the Sternritter Grandmaster. Uryu had always been curious about Yhwach's powers and since he was the Wandenreich's future emperor, he felt entitled to know more about him. It was then Haschwalth revealed all about Yhwach, including what he really was capable of.

"His Majesty has the power to distribute souls to everything around him, and can carve an initial inside a soul" Uryu recalled what Haschwalth had told him. But what really shocked Uryu was this statement. "He has even carved the soul inside you as well" the blonde-haired man had told him.

Uryu knew very well that by drinking Yhwach's blood and partaking in his ritual, he now possessed a soul of Yhwach. If he were to die, that soul he had been given by Yhwach would return back to the Father of the Quincies, making him stronger. He also learned from Haschwalth that this battle was for the sake Yhwach. The emperor had already distributed pieces of his soul all across the Sereitei in the previous invasion. Every fighter in the battle, both Quincies and Shinigamis would be taken their souls away the moment they died. And as a result, Yhwach would become stronger. If he were to stop that, then Yhwach would go back being weak, numb and unable to see, hear or speak.

The confrontation with Haschwalth had almost ended in the blonde-haired man making a move against Uryu. The crown prince still recalled what he had been told back then.

"I assume that you only accepted our invitation to become a part of the Wandenreich just to avenge your mother. But let me tell you this, Uryu Ishida. The moment you came to our side, you already had no way out" those sentences still haunted the young man.

Gritting his teeth in anger, Uryu silently cursed Haschwalth's name. However, he could not help but to force a slight smirk with his mouth, as he was on his way to the secret laboratory he had previously visited. He could see that the door to the secret room was opened and this only convinced him that the scientists and researchers were inside.

"I must thank you for telling me all of this, Haschwalth. With that information, I know just what I need to make sure that the Wandenreich emerges victorious" Uryu mused to himself, feeling kind of grateful towards the cold and firm-headed man.

The three researchers named Kana Kido, Hugo Alvarez and Reinhardt Hasselkampf exited the door to the secret room and they immediately bowed before Uryu with formality. "Welcome back, Prince Uryu. We have been expecting you" Kana said and motioned for the Prinz von Licht to follow her, Hugo and Reinhardt through the hidden door.

The doorway took the three down some stairs and it eventually led the four Quincies to a secret room, where 10 capsules filled with blue water stood. Inside those capsules, the water bubbled and it was large enough to store a Quincy inside them. Uryu eventually went over to the 6 capsules that had been already somebody floating inside. The scientists and researchers were working on machines and they saluted to Uryu as he gazed upon the capsules.

The crown prince faced the young scientist with red hair and glasses. "Leopold von Strache, how about we go and inspect the Sterntitters inside each of these Leben Kapsels? I would like to know how you managed to bring them here" Uryu asked the researcher with addressing him by his name.

Leopold nodded his head and he joined Uryu in inspecting each of the Sternritters that were inside these Leben Kapsels. At first, they stood outside one of them, in which a tall and muscular Quincy was floating. The young researcher decided to fill in for the crown prince.

"Each time a Sternritter has fallen, it's body has been sent to us in order to dissect them. But we don't think that a headless, brainless, or even a heartless Quincy is a dead Quincy. To eliminate a Quincy, you will have to eradicate it completely, not just one body part. That is what our research team have discovered, although we have neglected to inform His Majesty about it" Leopold explained to Uryu before facing the tall Sternritter in the Leben Kapsel. "Sternritter O – The Overkill: Driscoll Berci. Despite being incinerated by Yamamoto's Zanpakutou Ryujin Jakka, only his head and upper torso were the ones to sustain most damage. The flames were never able to burn the rest of his body. It's as if Yamamoto simply decided to punish him lightly instead of completely reduce him to ashes. After Driscoll's body was brought here, we put him into the Leben Kapsel and his face was gradually returning. However, since he has lost his Spiritual Pressure, it will take some time before he will be restored completely" Leopold explained while seeing Driscoll's naked body.

Uryu nodded at him. "I see. You did a wonderful job with saving him. Oafish as he may be, he could prove a valuable asset in this war" the raven-haired man noted before he and Leopold moved on. "Oh, I see that this one here is a woman" he remarked while seeing the naked form, although her breasts were covered in bandages.

"Sternritter Q – The Question: Berenice Gabrielli. She had very unique powers. Sadly, she fell before the unstoppable and savage strength of Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of Squad 11. But compared to Driscoll, she only suffered a critical cut on her throat. Even so, she will also take long to be fully restored" Leopold explained to his liege.

Uryu smiled in understanding. "Understood. I take it that these two were also killed by Zaraki, am I right?" the four-eyed man asked while standing in the middle of two Leben Kapsels. Leopold joined him and nodded his head as a yes.

"That is correct. The tall one is Sternritter R – The Roar: Jerome Guibatz. Like Berenice, he also fell at the hands of Zaraki. His restoration time is also expected to be long" Leopold told Uryu about Jerome before facing the bald-headed man with the eye on his forehead. "And then there is Sternritter Y- The Yourself: Loyd Lloyd, identical twin brother of Royd Lloyd. Even though their powers are similar, there is a slight difference. Loyd can only do appearance and power replication, whereas his late twin brother could do appearance/personality and memory replication. Needless to say, Loyd is a perfect user of disguises" Leopold told Uryu who listened closely.

"Fascinating. Now what do you think about the recent additions?" Uryu then asked Leopold, as they moved to the newest additions.

Leopold adjusted his glasses. "Sternritter I – The Iron: Cang Du and Sternritter K – The Knowledge: BG9. They should also be fully restored. I also believe that Quincies like them could be useful in the future" the young scientist told Uryu and then decided to reveal a little secret. "But there is a reason for why all these Sternritters must remain in Leben Kapsels for a long time. Each night, His Majesty starts returning the souls he gave the Sternritters back to him. These Quincies will be slightly affected, but as long as they are inside the Leben Kapsels, their survival is guaranteed" Leopold revealed to Uryu.

The crown prince was surprised to hear this revelation. "It's odd. Since when did mere scientists and researchers like yourself learn about His Majesty's powers?" he asked them.

Leopold adjusted his glasses while fixing a smug smile before his liege. "Across Silbern, we have secretly hidden cameras and sound monitors that can detect everything that is being said. We even have some of them inside the throne room, without His Majesty's knowledge" he revealed cunningly, forcing Uryu to smirk.

"So, you can eavesdrop on everything side inside the halls? Very clever indeed" he commended Leopold.

"In fact, considering that BG9 is composed of machinery and Reishi, we had also planted a hidden sound monitor, so that we could hear everything that was being said near BG9's space. But thanks to Haschwalth's actions, the sound monitor got destroyed. But we can still fix it" Leopold said, while coming up with a new revelation regarding BG9.

Uryu nodded at him. "Thank you sharing this information with me, Leopold. I will now reflect on everything I have heard" the raven-haired man was about to walk away, before stopping and looking over his shoulders. "Let me tell you this. The first three Sternritters that I want to be released, are Driscoll Berci, Cang Du and BG9. When their restoration are complete, you will let me know" he told them and moved on.

The rest of the scientists saluted for him as he walked away. Uryu walked up the stairs and shut the hidden door to this secret room. So far, he had not been followed by Haschwalth or any other Quincies loyal to Yhwach. This made him deciding in heading to the throne room, hoping to get a chat with emperor. But as the young crown prince was on his move, he could not help but to reflect on the scheming he was involved with those scientists and researchers.

"I always said to myself that I would never become a doctor. But in this war…...maybe I get the chance to see how it really feels like to be a God" Uryu remarked in his head and briefly stopped to see that there was light outside the palace's windows. Uryu forced a slight smile by seeing this. "I will change my fate, and I will do so on my own. Just you wait…Ryuken…master" the four-eyed man added to his thought wile thinking about his father and grandfather respectively.

"Prince Uryu, we have been looking for you" Uryu turned around to see three Quincies approach him and kneeling in respect. "His Majesty demands your presence at his throne room" the one in the middle said.

The Crown Prince of the Wandenreich nodded and smiled at his subordinates. "I was just on my way there. But I got distracted by this bright light" Uryu told them before following the Quincies.

In the icy cityscape

Morning had descended across the transformed Sereitei and Renji was on his move to regroup with Rukia. He had spent the rest of the night sleeping inside one of these frozen buildings and luckily, no Quincy had sought to assassinate him during his sleep. The proud Lieutenant of Squad 6 now stood on a rooftop belonging to a nearby building, hoping to be able to catch and detect Rukia's Spiritual Pressure. But it was not easy.

"Crap. This is harder than I thought" Renji cursed underneath his breath. "Not only can I not detect Rukia or other Shinigamis' Spiritual Pressure, but even those of the enemy as well. These Quincies sure were clever filling this space with high density of Reishi" the he noted and then proceeded to jump from roof to roof.

But as he was trying to jump between two buildings, he suddenly felt his entire body collapse. As such, Renji fell down in the middle of the air, and he could not use Shunpo to reach to the other side. He was heading for a fall.

"What the hell!? I can't move my body!" Renji angrily cursed as he suddenly fell right through an icy bridge and landed straight onto the solid ground beneath it. The landing was very painful and Renji groaned. "Argh...shit! That will leave a mark on me for sure!" he noted and tried using his right hand in order to rub off the dust in his face. But his hand wouldn't move.

Neither that nor his entire body parts moved as he tried to make a command. He felt totally paralyzed. The lieutenant was both stunned and furious over seeing this.

"What's happening!? Did I just break my entire body? No! That's not it! That fall I just experienced wasn't that high!" Renji wondered in distress. He tried to snap his fingers, but even they wouldn't obey.

"Dat's some scary shit you just went through! I mean, you're lucky to be alive, bruh" Renji knew he was not alone and since could not move his head, he rolled over so that he was facing the other side. His eyes snapped in anger. Standing before him was Sternritter U: NaNaNa Najahkoop. The lean Quincy grinned with his black and white teeth. "How you doin', dawg?" he simply asked him.

Renji gritted his teeth. "Great! Another one of you Sternritters!?" he asked. "First, I managed to defeat one of your buddies, then I get some well-deserved sleep, and now THIS!?" the lieutenant was filled with outrage.

NaNaNa was only standing there with a confused expression, even though his eyes couldn't be seen due to his red-orange mask. But he just decided to brush it off. "So, you were dat dude who beat up Mask? Dayum, you got off lucky, homie! Big fool's never been defeated in combat before. Ain't no wonder why you were sleeping so cozy all night" the Sternritter remarked in amazement. "But then again, that masked mothafucka wasn't the strongest amongst us Sternritters. Naw, he wasn't dat talented" NaNaNa added to his statement.

But the Shinigami lying before him was struck dumbfounded by NaNaNa's manner of speech. "What the hell is he talking about?" Renji wondered while dropping a sweat. But something struck him about what NaNaNa said about him sleeping. "Hold on just a damn minute! Are you saying that you were watching me while I was asleep!?" he angrily demanded an answer.

"Oh fo sho! But when I first found you, I was kinda worried you had set up some kind of a trap or some shit. But turns out dat you weren't, so I decided to tail yo ass and then deal with you. And now, here we are!" NaNaNa basically explained the whole story.

Renji grimaced. "Is this guy kidding me right now? Did he honestly believe that I would've set up a trap near me before going to sleep?" he wondered, but he was already angered about something else. "You're a despicable stalker! What's the big idea, peeking on me while I'm sleeping you creepy…..ARGH!" Renji could suddenly feel both paralyzed and painful, as NaNaNa was using us hands to put pressure on the lieutenant.

"Shut yo yellow ass up! You're mah prisoner so I won't hear you say anything lame about me!" NaNaNa told Renji while fixing a smug grin. "Dis thing I'm doing is called Morphine Pattern. It forms a grid pattern dat allows me to pinpoint da holes in mah target's Spiritual Pressure and attack dem" he revealed.

Renji eyed down to his chest, and he could see that there was indeed a grid pattern around his waist. There was no mistaking it. Even now, he could feel every point in his body being attack on the inside. "My Spiritual Pressure…...it's being attacked rampantly on the inside!" Renji noted with distress in his voice. He then angrily glared at NaNaNa. "What have you done to me!?" he then demanded from him.

This caused NaNaNa to form a sadistic grin of his own. "I'm Sternritter U – The Underbelly: NaNaNa Najahkoop" he introduced himself and then went on explaining more details. "The Schrift I was given by His Majesty gives me the power to detect Spiritual Pressures and paralyze dem. While you were asleep, I managed to pinpoint every location inside yo body. However, I was worried about using it on you while you were sleeping, but now dat I know that you ain't got no trap prepared, I can fully whoop yo ass without having anythin' to worry about" NaNaNa went on explaining his abilities.

"This son of a bitch! He's got me trapped!" Renji thought while eying up the skies above him. "It looks like it will take some time before we can regroup, Rukia. Sorry, in case you're hearing this" the red-haired Shinigami thought about his fellow lieutenant.

Another corner of the icy cityscape

Rukia had left Kensei and Rose in the care of Isane Kotetsu, Lieutenant of Squad 4, before moving on. While she had noticed how difficult it was for her to detect a Spiritual Pressure, she was suddenly given a grim surprise, when she was confronted by no other than Sternritter F – The Fear: Äs Nödt. The long-haired Quincy had demanded to know the whereabouts of Byakuya, yet Rukia remained defiant, even though she knew that this was the man who had almost obliterated her adoptive brother, as well as stolen his Bankai.

Äs had decided to attack Rukia, hoping that killing her would attract Byakuya to him. He unleashed his Reishi Thorns, which was capable of producing fear inducement into whoever they pierced. But what Äs had not been expecting was that Rukia had been improving her skills with her Zanpakutou: Sode no Shirayuki, while training in the Royal Realm. But while the Sternritter stubbornly dismissed her claims, Rukia began freezing Äs, as he was too late to avoid being frozen.

While Rukia believed that she had managed to freeze her opponent to death, she foolishly underestimated the Sternritter's true power. Thawing out of the ice, Äs declared that being frozen to death was not fear in his eyes, as his fears was being scolded by Yhwach, as well as getting his power taken away from him. That was what he personally feared.

Wanting to punish Rukia, he activated his Quincy: Vollständig: Tatarforas (meaning Fear of God in the Quincy tongue) and proceeded to humiliate and torture Rukia emotionally. Tatarforas had given Äs a malicious and terrifying form, as he looked more undead than a Quincy. By simply looking at him, Rukia could not move an inch of her body, as she had been caught by Tatarforas' ability. The young woman was lost in despair, as eyes kept watching her, thus empowering the fear inside her veins. But all that took an end when Byakuya suddenly arrived, and eradicated the walls of eyes with his Shikai.

Äs felt some satisfaction by seeing Byakuya arrive, but as he tried to put his ability on him, the Captain of Squad 6 easily disposed the walls of fear by only using Senbonzakura. By having his Bankai stolen, Byakuya had been able to master his Shikai perfectly and he had no one but Äs to thank for it. The captain also said that his fear was nothing, something which only irritated the Quincy further.

"Stand back, Rukia. I will handle this" Byakuya said and was preparing to use his own Bankai. "Bankai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi" Byakuya simply said. He was determined to end Äs permanently.

But as the Zankaputou fell through the ground and rows of giant blades lined up, the proud captain could not help but to notice how Äs was not taking this seriously, as he was simply snickering lowly at what was happening. This only caused Byakuya to narrow his eyes.

"What do you find so amusing? You are about to die" Byakuya told him sternly.

The Sternritter ceases his laughing and simply stared at Byakuya with his pale eyes. "Don't be so naïve, Byakuya Kuchiki. Have you completely forgotten that I was once in possession of your precious Bankai?" Äs asked and suddenly stretched out both arms to each side, pointing at the rows of blades. Byakuya slightly got cautious. "My possession of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi has taught me many things about you, including your personal weaknesses, fears...and regrets. Surely, you understand what that means, don't you?" he insisted to him.

Byakuya got irritated by his words. "I see that you are obnoxious to the very end, Sternritter. Your fear won't harm me, as they are nothing but pitiful nonsense" he simply told him in return.

Hearing this only caused Äs to from a grin with his monstrous teeth and narrow his eyes in a cunning manner. "Bold words. But you will never escape nor atone for your past sins…BUTCHER OF THE INTERMINABLES!" he exclaimed and all of a sudden, many walls of fear began appearing inside the Bankai, on each of the giant blades.

Byakuya snapped in caution in seeing this, and he then faced Äs angrily, considering that he had said something very sensitive. "HOW DO YOU KNOW OF MY…" the proud captain stopped, as he could see that the many walls of eyes began looking at him. Byakua scowled. "Damn you...THESE ARE NOT YOURS TO TOY WITH!" he exclaimed.

The laughing coming rom Äs never stopped. He made sure that all eyes were eyeing Byakuya. "Are they? But what would these people say?" the Sternritter began circling with his hands. "Let us see who the real Byakuya Kuchiki is!" he continued to mentally torture his opponent.

This caused the proud captain to be paralyzed and he stopped once he could hear some familiar voices from the past.

"Help! Someone please help us!" the voice of a young woman could be heard and Byakuya's eyes simply widened, as he had seen that woman before. That woman had a crying baby in her arms. "Please…...spare my life! I have a baby to protect! You would not harm this precious child, would you!? NO….PLEASE, NO! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the sound of the woman and her baby vanished as they were both slain in cold blood.

The captain felt paralyzed and numb, as the horrors of his past came back. "You won't take our family alive, Shinigami bastard!" the sound of a man could be heard, one who was defiant against the Shinigamis. "No…...please…...spare my family and I'll…AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!" the sound of the man ended as he was also slaughtered in cold blood.

It didn't end there. Byakuya could hear the voice of small children. The words that they uttered only made him freeze. "I won't let you take my little sister! I'll kill you, big monster!" those were the final words of a young boy before he was stabbed to death. "No…...please! I don't want to do this anymore…wait, please let me….." the little girl had cried before her death.

Äs laughed maniacally in what he was seeing. It brought him so much delight to see how Byakuya was now being haunted by nightmares of his past. "Do you see it now, Shinigami!? This is the true power of fear! The sins of your actions! The blood you carry on your hands! They will never vanish, no matter how hard you try denying them!" he exclaimed and then decided to officially torture Byakuya. "Now then. Allow me to reveal you a little secret. Something that even your superiors have neglected to tell you!" the Quincy went on explaining.

All of a sudden, Byakuya saw nothing but a forest in fire, but he also saw something else running from a burning village. Two young Humans were on the move, with a young teenaged boy carrying a young girl on his back. At first, Byakuya refused to believe it, but as soon as she saw the young girl open her eyes, the captain was immediately reminded about someone. He could then see the two Humans running along the Onose River. That's when Byakuya was quickly reminded about what this place was. This was the last village of Interminables the Court Guards had razed. But that young girl was someone he knew from Karakura Town.

"Orihime Inoue…is an Interminable!?" he wondered, his mouth opening in shock and disbelief. As he did that, familiar words began recalling to his mind.

"The Interminables are a cursed people" Byakuya was hearing the voice of his late grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki. "All of them must be exterminated. They must not be allowed to roam in the World of the Living freely, not as long as the Dèesee and her offspring are out there" the voice added.

"Your efforts in locating this village have been commendable, Kuchiki. I am impressed" this praise was from the late Head-Captain Yamamoto. "If the child is not here and these vermin refuses to cooperate…eliminate them" he then remembered another order given to him by Yamamoto.

But the it was the final memory that managed to haunt Byakuya for an eternity. It was the picture of a young orange-haired woman and the man standing beside her. As he looked at that young woman's face of despair and determination…..the Captain of Squad 6 realized that this woman seemed awfully familiar to Orihime. Byakuya was terrified, as he knew what those memories all meant.

"No….it cannot be…" he said as he fell onto his knees.

Byakuya was lost into the pits of despair. Iit was probably much worse than the feeling of losing his Bankai. As the voices kept invading his head, the proud captain let out a scream of despair, as he could not take this psychological pain anymore.

"FEEL THE FEAR, BYAKUYA KUCHIKI! FEEL IT AS YOU FALL INTO THE ENDLESS PITS OF DESPAIR! THE ATROCITIES YOU COMMITTED WILL NEVER FADE AWAY!" the voice of Äs could be heard as he enjoyed seeing his opponent suffer.

"BANKAI!" the walls of fear were cracking and disintegrated by the angry and determined cry of Rukia, as she stood before Äs pointing her Zanpakutou at the Sternritter.

She was not keen on backing down, her eyes burning with determination. Äs could not believe his own pale eyes. He even noticed some changes with regards to himself.

"What is the meaning of this!? What is happening to me!?" he angrily demanded, realizing that his body had become slightly frozen, as did the surrounding buildings. The Quincy could see that this was Rukia's doing. "You…" he murmured as he watched in how the young woman had transformed herself.

Rukia was fixing a deadly glance upon her opponent. "You think that you can once again defeat my brother and toy with his feelings, do you?" she asked him lowly, gritting her teeth in the process. "NO WAY, SINCE YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO USE THEM TO YOUR OWN AMUSEMENT. THAT IS WHY I WILL END YOUR SCHEMING WITH MY BANKAI! YOUR MISERABLE LIFE IS FORFEIT!" Rukia declared as her Spiritual Pressure and the freezing became stronger by the minute.

Äs was furious over seeing this, and he tried to move against Rukia, determined to kill her for real, not just with his fear. "YOU LITTLE BITCH! I WILL CLAW YOUR EYES OUT OF HOPE AND RIP OUT YOUR LIMBS!" he angrily shouted in return.

"TO THE FROZEN HELL WITH YOU! BANKAI! HAKKA NO TOGAME!" Rukia shouted and a frozen pillar was unleashed in the entire area around the three fighters.

This was something not even Äs could withstand, and the entirety of his body froze quickly. He was not even being able to thaw out of this state. His entire body was frozen, including his inner organs. The Sternritter himself realized that this was the end of him. As his frozen body quickly began disintegrating, the long-haired Quincy could only recall the time when he was first approached by Yhwach. But that was many, many years ago.

Being a survivor of the destructive war between Shinigamis and Quincies, Äs Nödt was bedridden and he was at his deathbed. He lamented how living was such a pain and wondered what his end would be. As a deeply religious man, Äs was always told that when he died, he would either go to hell or heaven. This thought always made him scared as he didn't know if he would go to heaven or hell.

But Äs, being a survivor in the battles, caught the interest of Yhwach, who approached him at the bed and offered him power. The Quincy Emperor believed that it was not time for Äs to move on to the afterlife just yet. He promised Äs that he would make him an instrument of fear. This resulted in the long-haired man being granted a Schrift, and he was eventually inducted into the Sternritters.

Since then Äs Nödt had devoted his time to serve his liege, feeling grateful towards Yhwach for giving him a chance to fight more battles. He dedicated himself to study all kinds of phobias, and how fear itself could be used as a weapon against enemies. As such, Äs become known as the Wandenreich's number 1 fearmongerer. But now, his time had passed.

"Your Majesty. I am afraid. Will I die? Will I go to hell? Will I go to heaven? Forgive me, Your Majesty. Don't be angry with me. I am afraid. Afraid of pain. Afraid of being hurt. I am very afraid. So afraid. Afraid..." these were the final words of Äs Nödt, as the frozen Quincy soon disintegrated into nothingness.

Rukia stood in her Bankai form, her clothes composed of a white kimono. Even her hair and eyes had been changed into pure ice. She closely resembled Yuki Onna from Japanese folklore. The young woman stood there and watched as everything around her froze, even though the buildings around here were made if ice. But even though she was in her Bankai form, she had yet not learned how to control it.

"Rukia…calm yourself" the low voice coming from Byakuya could be heard, as her adoptive brother stood beside her.

Rukia saw him and slowly focused on her Zanpakutou eventually, reverting back to her former self. It took a while before the freezing stopped and when it did, the young woman sighed deeply.

"Your Bankai is indeed splendid, but without control, it could end up freezing even allies to death. I narrowly managed to escape when you unleashed it" the black-haired man told the Lieutenant of Squad 13, as she stood and listened.

"Brother…." that was the only world Rukia could utter as she watched him.

But surprisingly, Byakuya began bowing his head before the young girl in a formal manner, and it intrigued and surprised Rukia at the same time. Never before had she seen him doing this to her, as it was always the opposite.

"That being said…I must thank you for intervening. It appears that I naively underestimated Äs Nödt once again. If not for your intervention, I would've been lost in the endless depths of despair" he told her with both honesty and clarity. As Rukia stood and listened, the young woman eventually formed a smile at him, before Byakuya turned around and was ready to move. "Come, Rukia. Let us protect the Soul Society. It is our duty as members of the Court Guard after all" Byakuya said and Rukia happily obliged and followed him.

But as they were moving, it was apparent that Byakuya was not 100 % feeling comfortable. His confrontation with Äs had managed to awaken horrifying memories of his past, something that he had hoped would be buried forever. But was foolish to believe as such.

"The enemy knows about the Interminables as well. But that is not surprising, considering that they have been hidden in the Sereitei for ages" the Captain of Squad 6 noted in his thoughts as he was walking, but there was something else on his mind.

In one of Äs' illusions, he had witnessed a young Orihime and his older brother Sora on the run, as well as seeing a forest on fire.

"Was what I saw true? Is Orihime Inoue an Interminable? I do not understand…" these thoughts began to haunt his mind, yet he tried his best to focus on what was ahead of him.

For Byakuya, it was too early to conclude such. But he was still reminded about the young woman and her man he had slain. The memories of that only bit him on the inside. Yet he pressed on, hoping to solve this mystery once this battle was over.

Not far from the walls of Silbern

One of the Sternritters, Robert Accutrone, was surveying the urban landscape with his perceptive eyes behind his glasses. Unlike their opponents, the Quincies were able to read and locate each other amidst this high density of Reishi covering the Sereitei. And not only that, they could also tell which of the Quncies had been defeated, and which of them was still alive. The elderly man took careful steps at the end of a building's roof while detecting Spiritual Pressures.

"I see" he lowly noted while surveying the landscape. "Two Sternritters have fallen to the enemy. Mask De Masculine and Äs Nödt. Not surprising, seeing as they both lacked perception as Sternritters" he went on, expressing his slight distaste of his fellow Sternritters.

"But hey! I ain't lacking in perception, am I?" Robert heard a voice, yet he didn't bother turning around, as it was Bazz-B, having just approached him with his hands in his pockets. The Quincy with the pink Mohawk smirked as he approached the four-eyed man. "How are you doin'?" he asked Robert in a laid-back manner.

Robert showed no pleasantries in return and continued to stare towards the cityscape. "Weren't you supposed to be eradicating the enemy, Bazz-B?" he questioned him sternly.

"Tch, I was just about to kill one of the captains, but then Cang intervened and told me he had permission from His Majesty to kill that little punk. But as they were fighting, Cang lost his Bankai and got his ass frozen into a cross" Bazz-B was telling his story while narrowing his eyes. "And you won't believe what happaned next. Once Cang thawed out and was about to bust the captain, His Majesty appeared, insisting that he spared the kid and his lieutenant! What kind of crap is he pulling, getting all cozy with them!?" he demanded in slight anger.

While listening to Bazz-B-s tale, Robert could not help but to feel slightly concerned about the actions of his liege. If he was to believe the hot-headed Sternritter's story, then it looked like Yhwach did not wish for the captain and lieutenant to die. Something was not feeling right.

"Why would His Majesty spare the lives of Shinigamis?" the four-eyed man wondered. Being a veteran among the Sternritters, Robert knew all the outrageous things Yhwach could come up with when it came to his underlings. But he had not been expecting to hear this. "Just what is he thinking?" Robert added to his thoughts.

"Hello there, gentlemen! Mind if we join you?" a flamboyant voice came from behind the two Sternritters and once again, Robert decided once again to not around. However, Bazz-B did that and he only fixed a disapproving glance on seeing Sternritter D: Askin Nakk Le Vaar and Sternritter L: PePe Waccabrada standing behind them. Askin could notice the look on Bazz-B's face and got only confused. "Why the long face? Aren't you happy to see us?" the stylish Sternritter quizzed him.

Bazz-B scoffed at them in return. "Take a guess" he simply told them with sarcasm.

"I honestly can't take a guess, Bazz-B. You know I am not the type of guy to read your facial expressions" Askin said in return.

"Just ignore him, Askin. That reckless fool always treats everyone like garbage" PePe pointed out, only for him use Hirenkiyaku to avoid a shot coming from Bazz-B's Burning Finger 1. PePe got furious. "What the hell is your problem, you impulsive idiot!?" the chubby, white-bearded man angrily demanded from him.

Bazz-B only glared at him with his angry glance. "Back off! Otherwise, I'm gonna put a fire bullet between the crack of your fat ass. Let's see if you'd love that!" he told him in a threatening manner.

PePe got angry over being spoken to like this, but before he could make any move, Robert made a coughing sound, which made both him and Askin focus their attentions upon him. The elderly man had finally turned around, and was glancing at them with nothing but distaste.

"Why are you even here, Askin Nakk Le Vaar?" Robert sternly asked him.

"Miserable as always, I see" Askin remarked with sarcasm and then formed a cunning look on his face. "Anyways, you guys better watch your backs from now on. Because believe it or not, His Majesty has sent out Gremmy to the battlefield" he revealed to them.

Both Bazz-B and Robert widened their eyes out of surprise by hearing Askin's revelation. In fact, Robert turned around and could feel the familiar Spiritual Pressure in the air.

"Apparently, you speak the truth. Even now, I can sense his Spirtual Pressure lurking amongst the buildings. Just where is he headed at?" Robert wondered while gazing out to the cityscape.

"That's what you're wondering!? I'm more curious about why His Majesty would even let that creepy bastard out of Silbern!" Bazz-B scorned Robert as he looked back at Askin.

Askin shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. But it's obvious that Gremmy will be fighting in the battle now. Me and PePe were hoping to go and see who his opponent will be. Wanna tag along?" the commented and suddenly asked both Robert and Bazz-B if they would like to accompany them.

Before Robert could reply, he sensed two Spiritual Pressures not far from the location of where Gremmy's Spiritual Pressure was. It was apparent that they were headed towards Silbern. The middle-aged man's eyes became focused on those.

"I don't have time getting myself involved in Gremmy's kafuffles. I still have orders to fulfill, and that is eliminating the enemy army. I expect all of you to know the same thing. So do as His Majesty ordered and find any Shinigami vermin skulking around the streets. This battle depends on us" Robert told them and suddenly dived from the end of the building and towards the wall of the building next door.

But instead of crashing into it, Robert simply got sucked into it and thus landed on the floor inside the building. The man with the moustache adjusted his glasses as he landed and proceeded to run through the hallway.

"My Schrift is the letter N – The Narrower. With this and the help of Reishi, I can enter building and other objects by simply walking through them. With that, I should be able to reach the place where those Spiritual Pressures are without delay" Robert noted in his head before jumping through a window, once again, not breaking anything.

To be continued…..

Author's note: This chapter was solely focused on the battle in the Sereitei. It featured both scenes loyal to the canon story, and some original changes to at least one scene, the fight between Rukia and Äs. Now what are Uryu's plans now that he knows more about Yhwach? Only time will tell, as even both Yhwach and Haschwalth are uncertain about his motives. The next chapter will also be focused on the Stereitei, but we will also be going back to El Dorado and see how things are progressing there. And by the way, here are some new terms we have learned in this chapter.

Mirathem – meaning Heroism of God: This is the Quincy: Vollständig belonging to Mask De Masculine. When he unleashes it, it gives him both physical strength, as well as a cape made of Reishi. It also involves a lot about stars as well.

Leben Kapsel – German for "Life Capsule": These enigmatic capsules have a unique ability to heal any Quincy that dwells inside the blue, bubbling water. How they came to be remains a mystery, but experts say that it was something to do with the Reishi that exists inside the waters.

And just to remind everyone who reads here: since Tite Kubo did not reveal the Schrifts belonging to BG9 and Robert Accutrone, I have decided to give them that by naming them K – The Knowledge and N – The Narrower, respectively. I hope you enjoyed reading.