"You don't have to worry about that; I have my own methods."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri stared intently at Cang Du, his eyes openly, even fanatically, greedy.
Indeed, he is an excellent pure-blood Quincy!
The Quincy race values bloodline even more than the Shinigami.
Even if Shinigami are not nobles, some talented individuals from commoner backgrounds can surpass those naturally powerful nobles through hard work.
But Quincy are different.
According to his years of research, Quincy cannot surpass their own bloodline.
Pure-bloods are pure-bloods, and mixed-bloods are mixed-bloods; bloodline has set their upper limit.
Unless someone can improve their bloodline later on, transforming a mixed-blood into a pure-blood, it's impossible to cross the boundary of strength.
And the only person with such an ability should be the legendary Quincy progenitor—
Yhwach.
The Reiatsu of this Quincy before him completely surpassed any Quincy Kurotsuchi Mayuri had ever seen.
Generally speaking, a mixed-blood Quincy's Reiatsu cannot reach such a height.
Even the most outstanding mixed-blood Quincy's Reiatsu level can at most reach Vice-Captain-class.
However, this pure-blood Quincy's Reiatsu has not only reached Captain-class.
More importantly, even in his severely injured state, his Reiatsu is much stronger than Kurotsuchi Mayuri's!
What does this mean?
Kurotsuchi Mayuri was somewhat excited.
This means that this man, among pure-blood Quincy, is definitely one of the top-tier powerhouses.
Captain-class, regardless of race, is not considered weak.
And Cang Du's peak condition has definitely surpassed the average Captain-class!
"Indeed, making a deal with Aozaki Reiji was the right choice."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri thought excitedly.
He had gone to the Wandenreich last time.
Although he didn't sense any Reiatsu, a faint, terrifying aura emanated from the castle.
He sensed danger and immediately fled, not daring to go deeper at all.
It seems now that fleeing back then was indeed correct.
Otherwise, with the strength of these three people on the ground.
If he had encountered them unprepared, he would have died terribly!
He's not afraid of arranged fights.
But an ambush is the fighting style he is least skilled at!
However, this time he only obtained one pure-blood Quincy.
So next time, will Aozaki Reiji bring back more, and higher quality, pure-blood Quincy?
It's truly… exciting!
It would be best if he could capture more men, so he wouldn't lack experimental subjects!!
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's eyes quickly became bloodshot, with visible red veins, and his demeanor turned manic.
He seemed to already see himself surrounded by a group of pure-blood Quincy in the near future.
Bliss!
He truly hoped such a wonderful day would arrive soon!
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's gaze shifted to Aozaki Reiji, his eyes unconsciously narrowing slightly.
A meaningful smile appeared on his face.
"What kind of look is that?"
Aozaki Reiji looked over with some confusion.
He casually pulled over a chair, sat down with his arms draped over the back, and comfortably enjoyed Nemuri Kurotsuchi's massage service.
Aozaki Reiji always felt that Kurotsuchi Mayuri's gaze towards him was strange, seeming to carry an indescribable greed.
It was like the expression he had when he saw a great beauty.
It must be… an illusion, right?
He wasn't a great beauty!
Kurotsuchi Mayuri grinned, letting out a chilling laugh:
"Hahahahaha, I was just thinking of some things that bring me joy."
Aozaki Reiji shrugged, saying indifferently:
"Forget it, it's not my business anyway. It must be something that requires a brain to understand, and I'm too lazy to think about it."
After speaking, he pulled out a circular metal disc from his pocket.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri raised an eyebrow, asking curiously:
"What is this? Something I've never seen before. Is it a weapon developed by the Wandenreich Quincy?"
"That's a Medallion?! How can it be… when?!"
Bambietta's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but exclaim.
That was a very important item!
A sharp tool against Shinigami!!
"It is indeed a Medallion!"
Aozaki Reiji's lips curved slightly upward, revealing a mysterious smile:
"This little thing can steal a Shinigami's Bankai when they use it."
"I want you to find a way to counter it, preferably by starting with the power of Hollows."
He had seen this item in Cang Du's room.
He couldn't be sure if this item would be useful for him, whose life level had evolved.
So, during his battles with the Wandenreich Quincy.
He not only didn't use Bankai himself, but also didn't let his Zanpakuto spirits use Bankai.
After all, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Unless it was a critical moment of life and death, it was better to be cautious.
If his Zanpakuto wife was abducted due to a moment of carelessness.
That would be truly agonizing for him!
Earlier, he wasn't 100% sure that this thing was a Medallion.
He just thought it looked very similar to the Medallion in the anime, so he wanted Kurotsuchi Mayuri to take a look.
He didn't expect this woman to blurt out the answer directly.
"Stealing Bankai is indeed a troublesome ability."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri nodded.
Bluntly speaking, ninety percent of a Shinigami's strength lies in their Zanpakuto.
Once Bankai is stolen, the strength of the Captain in the Gotei 13 would be greatly diminished.
He had to admit, he had indeed misjudged him back then.
This consultant from the Shinigami Research and Development Institute was not foolish; on the contrary, he was very intelligent, knowing to start with the power of Hollows.
Quincy are a race with no "antibodies" to Hollows; everything about Hollows is "poison" to Quincy!
If infected by a Hollow, a Quincy's spiritual power would not only be weakened, but their soul would eventually collapse and they would die!
Since the Medallion was an item developed by Quincy, the power of Hollows could indeed be a weakness of this item.
Of course, whether the power of Hollows is useful or not can only be known after experimental research.
"If you need assistance, just tell me. I'll go to Hueco Mundo and invite someone to help you!"
Aozaki Reiji said teasingly.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri was stunned.
What does that mean?
From your words, you have connections in Hueco Mundo too?
The Captain-Commander's disciple colluding with Hueco Mundo?
Do you want to make headlines in the Ninth Division and ruin Captain-Commander Yamamoto's reputation in his old age?!
...
"You two stay here for now. I've set up a barrier here; it should be safe enough."
At Sōkyoku Hill, in a secret underground prison within a training ground, Aozaki Reiji dropped the two and said.
Bambietta and Candice looked up.
They were bound with black bandages that sealed Reiatsu, looking at Aozaki Reiji in astonishment.
Had they… misheard?
They had originally thought that even if they could save their lives, they would suffer inhumane torture.
But this cell didn't seem very proper.
All kinds of torture instruments were readily available.
But what was with the large, seemingly comfortable bed in the middle?
And although these torture instruments were numerous and varied, they looked very much like toys…
Hmm… this bed is indeed very comfortable, perhaps excessively so.
But after all, there's a deep-seated hatred between Shinigami and Quincy, so being this kind to us doesn't seem quite right.
At the very least, shouldn't something outrageous be done?
Bambietta's face was alarmingly flushed.
She had been ready for a long time.
Yet after waiting for ages, this Shinigami did absolutely nothing!
She couldn't help but feel greatly disappointed.
Aozaki Reiji ignored their reactions, turned, and left the cell.
He arrived at another cell.
He raised his hand and tore open space; the next second, a burning figure fell out of the black hole.
"What tenacious vitality."
Aozaki Reiji nodded slightly, his gaze falling upon Pernida, who was engulfed in roaring flames and trembling uncontrollably.
Compared to the Soul King's left arm, which was already in his possession, acquiring the Soul King's heart would be no easy feat.
Yhwach would certainly not give Aozaki Reiji another chance to act so recklessly.
If he were to go to the Wandenreich again.
Perhaps Yhwach would not hesitate to entrust all his power to Haschwalth, and that would definitely be a bitter battle.
Thinking of this, Aozaki Reiji couldn't help but feel annoyed.
Leaving Haschwalth aside, Gerard's cheating-like ability alone was a headache.
He gets stronger when injured, and stronger when he dies.
Pernida could be restricted with Kido, but Gerard's situation was completely different.
Any negative effect applied to him would be converted into a positive one.
Forget Hado, even Bakudo, which is primarily for restricting targets, had no effect on him.
"In that case, the only way is to find a method to kill him before he can perform a miracle."
Aozaki Reiji recalled his memories from his previous life, stroking his chin and muttering to himself.
For the Quincy, the Schrift ability should be an active skill.
If one doesn't actively activate it, it has no effect.
In the original plot, Yhwach led the Sternritter to invade the Soul King Palace.
Nimaiya Ōetsu of the Zero Division instantly killed Gerard with a single strike.
At that time, Gerard had not used the power of "Miracle."
If he hadn't been revived by Yhwach's "Auswählen," he would have been thoroughly dead then.