"This is sudden, but everyone, a large-scale expedition has been scheduled."
Just as I was thinking 'Work again today', such words were announced from Captain Unohana's mouth. No sooner had the morning meeting started than she said that first thing, causing both seated officers and regular squad members to show restlessness regardless of rank.
"This expedition is large enough that more than half of all Shinigami in the Gotei 13 will participate, and naturally, we of the Fourth Division must also allocate many personnel as logistical support staff."
More than half!?
Sh-She certainly said large-scale, but the scale is much, much larger than expected.
Other squad members seem to share the surprise, to the point where some have finally started whispering to colleagues nearby.
To do such a thing while the Captain is still speaking...
But that just shows how great the agitation is.
"Therefore, all those whose names I call now will join the expeditionary force. This is mandatory, and you have no right of refusal. Hand over remaining duties to those staying in the Seireitei to perform normal operations, and prioritize preparations for the expedition above all else."
The Captain calls out the names of squad members one after another.
That number is close to seventy percent of the Fourth Division.
Among them was my name.
...Can the remaining number of people handle the normal duties...?
The number of Shinigami in the Seireitei is decreasing too, so I want to think it will be okay, but... I'd like to make it so that although duties are minimal, in the end, there's nothing all day, they just wait on standby, and leave on time! "Let's go for a drink for the first time in a while today!" Something like that.
"Ah, no good. I almost forgot. Regarding this expedition, the objective is not the subjugation of Hollows."
""Eh!?""
Several people raised their voices.
It's no wonder. Because,
"The opponent this time is the Quincy. Their extermination is the objective of this expedition."
Even if told such a thing, there's no way anyone could swallow it easily.
Quincy.
In the original work, the protagonist's friend Ishida... what was his name again?
'It is Uryu!'
—Is also of that race.
Like Shinigami, they have mastered spiritual power and various unique techniques to fight Hollows.
Since the objective of defeating Hollows is the same as Shinigami, at a glance, it seems they could get along, but the problem lay in their respective methods of defeating them—more accurately, in the nature of it.
Shinigami purify Hollows by defeating them and send them to Soul Society.
They wash away sins and add them to a new cycle of reincarnation.
In contrast, Quincy kill Hollows and extinguish even the soul itself.
The extinguished Hollow cannot join the cycle of reincarnation and literally perishes.
The World of the Living and Soul Society—if the amount of souls existing in the two worlds is not equal, the balance of the worlds will collapse and they will be destroyed.
Therefore, Quincy continuing to kill Hollows is nothing other than an act that accelerates the destruction of the world.
To prevent destruction, Shinigami held dialogues and negotiations with the Quincy many times, continuing to appeal to them to stop killing Hollows.
But the Quincy side turned a deaf ear, and eventually, Soul Society finally got off its heavy backside.
By exterminating the Quincy, the cause of the world's destruction, in order to attempt a resolution of the situation.
Without knowing that this would become the trigger creating a new karmic bond between Quincy and Shinigami—
'Good work on the monologue.'
Thanks, Nubatama♪
So, this is the rough outline of the extermination operation... or rather, the justification.
Shinigami said, "If you guys kill Hollows on your own, the balance will break and even the world will break, so please stop already," but no matter how many times they appealed, they wouldn't listen.
No matter how many times they continued diplomacy through dialogue and negotiation, they wouldn't listen.
Then there is no choice but fist-fighting diplomacy!!
That is the conclusion they arrived at.
War is just a conversation using fists. It's unbearable for those who become sacrifices, though.
I learned about Quincy at the Academy too.
They invaded the Seireitei about eight hundred years ago, and although there were great sacrifices at that time, the Shinigami side won.
Since then, with an attitude like "We are the victors, so we have preferential rights!", Shinigami continued to persuade the Quincy. "Listen to what we say!" forcefully.
Very rarely, articles appeared in the Seireitei Communication too.
With headlines like "Appealed to Quincy but they wouldn't listen! Developed into small-scale combat!!".
However, despite fully understanding the Quincy's combat power from the invasion eight hundred years ago, to steer toward the forceful policy of extermination...
Did they have a fire lit under them and no other choice could be selected anymore, or did someone perhaps pull strings behind the scenes...?
For example, a gentle-looking man who crushed some glasses... or something?
—Well, no matter how much I think about it, I don't know.
I'm not a noble or a high-ranking officer, so there's no way I hold information. I have no choice but to believe.
What I can do now is only the work of the Fourth Division.
Time flew by in the blink of an eye since then, and sparing no time for sleep, I completed preparations for the expedition—What idiot said that! Telling us to prepare supplies for an expedition in such a short period!!
Currently, I am in the middle of a logistical support mission as a member of the expeditionary force.
Although it is called logistical support, it is like a supply unit cum medical team.
If injured people are carried in, we perform surgery or use Kaido on the spot like a field hospital, or supply food and equipment; we don't do combat or anything.
Next is the war situation.
The Quincy are gathering in a certain region and resisting, but their war potential is slowly being whittled away by the Shinigami side.
The conclusion is just a matter of time.
If you look a little way off, you can see the light when Quincy fire Heilig Pfeil from their Spirit Weapons over there, or flames and blizzards from Shinigami likely chanting Kido.
Yes, where we are now is right behind the front lines.
We move every time the battle line is pushed up, pitch tents to make a camp site, and support the Shinigami fighting on the front lines.
As for Captain Unohana, I hear she goes all the way to the combat zone where attacks are flying back and forth to provide relief.
...What on earth is logistical support...?
Officers ranking higher than me are participating too, you know.
But all of them are behind me. I am on the front lines, second only to Captain Unohana.
Is this bullying? Rather than that, I feel unbearably sorry for the girls in the same squad as me who are being dragged along.
Since I am the person in charge here, we are called the Yukawa Squad.
The squad members are all excellent girls. At least, far more excellent than the old me.
The supply lines are extending quite a bit, so we look like we could be cut off somewhere, isolated, and crushed, but since the mood is "push, push", my appeals are rejected.
However, since half of all Captains plus even the Head Captain have come, we probably won't lose.
Though I don't know how many injured or casualties there will be.
Th-The future boob candidates...
And if, by chance, Bambietta is beaten in this battle...
I don't even know if she is participating, but if, if I think that might have happened...
"Yo! What's wrong? You have a gloomy face!"
"Ah, Captain Hikifune! Thank you for your hard work."
I was called out to while looking outside from the relief tent.
She is Kirio Hikifune, the Captain of the Twelfth Division.
She is a very beautiful person who catches the eye with her wavy light purple hair and an appearance that somehow reminds one of a female panther.
Her personality, which seems like a mix of tomboyishness and a caring mother divided by two, matches her appearance, and she seems to be highly popular among the squad members too.
But, well, what catches the eye first is probably her chest rather than that.
As if saying "Closing it up is cramped!", huge breasts look like they are about to spill out from her boldly open chest area.
Since she doesn't even try to hide the magnificent cleavage that looks like it could suck you in just by looking, male squad members seem to be very troubled about where to look.
...Really, why is this person strong despite being dressed like this? Even though I am desperately enduring cramped feelings...
"I'm sorry, I just got a little worried about this battle..."
It isn't a lie.
"What, you don't like Shinigami becoming sacrifices?"
"There is that too, but I also do not like Quincy becoming sacrifices..."
"Well, I can understand that feeling somewhat, but... if we leave them alone, the world will eventually break. The higher-ups probably made the decision understanding that."
"That is true, but..."
"If you have such wavering feelings, you'll get tripped up! Here, here, I brought refreshments, so serve them to the injured!!"
"Thank you very much."
Captain Hikifune is a person known as the one who created "Artificial Souls" and the technology to "incorporate them into the body".
And through the application of that "technology to incorporate into the body", she is also a person who maximized the basic biological function of "building the body by eating" to the limit.
After all, she possesses the outrageous power where just by eating the food she makes, you incorporate new Reiatsu and become stronger.
The refreshments she brought are dishes that utilized that technology a little for medical purposes.
Amazingly, it is dream-like cuisine where "if an injured person eats it, their injuries heal easier, and they gain resistance to similar injuries".
It is unsurpassed as hospital food.
"Everyone, refreshments from Captain Hikifune and the Twelfth Division! Don't rush, calm down, and chew slowly and well before eating! People who received injuries to internal organs, be especially careful and really chew well! Otherwise, you will die!"
Announcing that, I give instructions to my colleagues in the tent and distribute it to the injured.
Some devour it in a great panic, while others listen to my instructions and eat slowly, chewing well. But every single one of them has a satisfied expression.
It is a supreme smile that can only be shown when eating something truly delicious.
Even while they are showing those smiles, their injuries are healing rapidly, though. Since they are injured, the amount they eat is kept moderate, but with this, there are even some who can return to the front lines tomorrow. They are healing aggressively.
" seeing expressions like this, it makes it all worthwhile... It was worth learning cooking from Airi-chan too."
"No way! What I did was really just simple stuff."
Captain Hikifune had the technology to incorporate, but it seems her cooking skills and taste were a separate matter.
(I have eaten it too, but how should I put it... it had a very unique taste.)
Captain Unohana, who heard that story from somewhere, put in a word—
I was recommended.
I taught her cooking.
It became delicious.
For some reason, the effectiveness increased too.
So I was told to teach her more.
—And that's how it happened.
We became close through a slightly unusual event where a division Captain asked a mere lower-ranking officer for instruction.
Ah, I also received training from her just once.
She was strong. I was beaten to a pulp.
"I didn't even understand that simple stuff! Have more confidence!!"
She slaps my back repeatedly as if to encourage me.
"There was something Airi-chan said before, right? 'Delicious' is written as 'beautiful taste'. When I heard that, I was moved...!! I thought I had to work harder!"
"Actually... I just quoted those words... I'm sorry..."
"I don't care about that! No matter who said it, good things are good things!"
Ahahahaha! Captain Hikifune laughs heartily.
This frank personality must be one of the reasons for her popularity. There are truly many Shinigami who adore her, especially—
"...!!?"
—My body moved before I could think.
While dashing out of the tent at full speed, I simultaneously draw my Zanpakuto and take a stance.
Bloodlust, presence, and Reiatsu are coming from this direction... from over there.
"Wh-What is this Reiatsu!?"
Simultaneously with hearing Captain Hikifune's voice—it came!!
Several Heilig Pfeil formed of solidified Reishi are flying toward us at a speed that leaves sound behind.
The target is probably the injured inside the tent.
Moving while bypassing the front-line Shinigami to target our camp like guerrillas. Incidentally hitting the supply point to steal supplies or cut off logistical support—is it a sabotage unit with such objectives?
Actually, the number of arrows is large!
This is a bit bad!! It's difficult with just a Zanpakuto!
—!!
Since there are many Shinigami, I can't say the name out loud.
I release the Reiatsu converged in one hand like a wall. Since I omitted the chant, the power has dropped, but I still managed to knock down all the arrows together somehow.
As expected, this rapid-fire capability has a convenience that Kido doesn't have.
"Captain Hikifune! I apologize, but please protect the injured inside the tent just in case! Depending on the situation, evacuate them to the rear!! Other Fourth Division members, support Captain Hikifune!! I will defend this place to the death at the very front!!"
"A-Ah, got it! You guys! Don't bring shame to Airi-chan!! Airi-chan, don't die either!!"
I shout while glaring without cutting my line of sight from the front.
If it's me, I should be able to at least hold them off, and not to boast, but my skill at healing myself has improved to a disgusting degree.
And with Captain Hikifune's skill, even if I am broken through, she can handle it, and even in such a war situation, it should be possible to protect the injured.
"Slip, Nubatama!!"
Threading through the interval where the enemy is likely nocking the next arrow, I activate Shikai.
Nubatama! Just this time, please do it seriously without playing around.
'My turn has come—!! Leave it to me! No playing, no joking, I will go with extra seriousness, no wasabi!!'
Saying things like that again... well, this isn't the time to complain.
"Damn! To think there is a Shinigami who noticed that..."
"The ultra-long-range sniping failed! But we won't miss next time!!"
They must have moved using Hirenkyaku.
Several Quincy appeared instantly from beyond my line of sight.
All of them are clad in equipment like wings composed of Reishi, and if you just glance at them, they look like angels.
Information has been transmitted, but this is the first time I've actually seen them.
That is... the Quincy Vollstandig, a form that can exert powerful combat abilities.
"Die!!"
All of them ready their bows and fire countless arrows from there.
If the previous attack was a carefully aimed shot with a sniper rifle that could thread a needle, this time it is machine-gun fire.
A torrent of vast Reishi that would reach ten thousand rounds if combined was showered toward me and the tent behind me.
But this time, I have a little leeway.
"Bakudo \#81: Danku!!"
What was created by the powerful words was a defensive wall surrounding the area in layers.
It is a combination of the Bakudo "Danku", which creates a special wall that completely blocks Hado up to \#89, and the technique "Eishohaki", which produces the same effect as multiple incantations by weaving Reiatsu intricately into it.
The effect is dramatic, to say the least.
The walls of light shine as if to fill the field of vision, and even after completely blocking every single arrow of the Quincy, they still shine brilliantly, displaying their existence.
"Wh-What is this!?"
"Calm down!! Other Shinigami were using it on the front lines too, right!?"
Ah, as expected, someone was using it.
Danku can defend against attacks of similar nature even if they aren't Kido. It isn't strange if they experienced it before coming here.
...Wait, was the one who spoke just now a female Quincy!?
Looking closely, it is true.
Probably to not get in the way during combat, she has her black hair tied short, and since her demeanor and face were too dignified, I was late to notice.
Mixed among the men, there is one woman alone.
Should I describe her as a type like a class representative made even sharper? She is an androgynous beauty with a strict atmosphere.
"If you have experienced it even once, you should understand, right? This wall cannot be broken easily, and I have no intention of letting you break through easily. Back down!!"
"Shut up!! If we retreat here, you Shinigami will massacre us anyway!!"
"That's right! On the pride of the Quincy, we cannot do something so unseemly!!"
Kuh...!! Won't you retreat with just words...?
While shouting that, the Quincy fire arrows again, but not even a single one can break through Danku. All arrows are nullified.
"Damn! Then the caster!!"
"Naive!"
They switched their aim to me, but this level is no problem.
I strike down the assaulting arrows with my Zanpakuto, close in with a single step using Shunpo, and cut only the Spirit Weapons with a returning stroke. Incidentally, I smeared mucus on them, so even if they pick them up, they will slip and be useless.
"Move! How about this one!?"
They must have thought it was a good opportunity to break Danku because I moved.
Another different Quincy nocked something like a sword emitting light instead of an arrow and fired it.
'Could that be a Seele Schneider!? My Lord, if that goes poorly...'
I know!
—! ...At the same time!
"Hado \#58: Tenran!!"
As expected, that single blow looked like it would destroy Danku even if blocked, so I used a little trick.
By colliding Tenran with it, I kill the arrow's momentum, and completely blow the arrow itself away with the tornado created by Kido to nullify it.
Having gained a shield of wind, Danku's defense became even more solid. Even with similar means, it should be able to endure quite a bit with this.
"Then with this, you will—!!"
This time, he nocked multiple swords of light simultaneously and fired them at me.
A bundled shot from point-blank range is certainly fast and intense—but from a Captain-class perspective, this much is sufficiently manageable.
I knock down multiple arrows together, and as if just doing it in passing, I grabbed one of them and stopped it.
In terms of provocation and showing the difference in power, it should be quite effective.
"Grabbed it, you say...!?"
"You monster!"
The provocation seemed to work, and other Quincy also aimed at me. Despite the high possibility of hitting their comrades at this distance and positional relationship, they fire arrows rapidly without flinching.
...Huh!? The beauty from earlier is missing!?
"Now! Do it!!"
"Either way, there is no option of returning alive from this mission!! Then...!!"
Attacking me was a delay and a distraction!
While taking out a tool like a belt with countless cylinders attached from her pocket, the woman charges toward the tent.
"Glory to the future of the Quincy!!"
'!? My Lord, is that perhaps...!!'
I can guess without being told!!
I can sense powerful spiritual power from every single cylinder, and I can easily infer what she intends to do from her actions and words alone.
In the first place, seeing that—a belt of machine gun bullets connected in a row—it's obvious at a glance what she wants to do. Even like this, I was a boy in my past life!
"Stop it!"
I slip through the barrage and close in, but it seems I was slightly too late. The cylinders she held are rapidly increasing their spiritual power.
A suicide attack... Ah, geez! I can't stop her without rough measures!!
"Clench your teeth!!"
Did that voice reach the opponent?
I sever one of her arms with my Zanpakuto and forcibly snatch the ammunition belt along with the arm. I understood the moment I held it; this is on the verge of exploding!! There is no time to dispose of it!!
"Guh!! What are..."
"Here goes!!"
If it comes to this, brute force! I suppress the ammunition belt with powerful Reiatsu and forcibly reduce the scale and damage of the explosion!
At the same time, the ammunition belt I hugged caused a chain explosion.
"Did we do it!?"
"Kuh... an accidental discharge!?"
"But even that Shinigami shouldn't be able to endure this!"
The Quincy say such things one after another.
"...Could you not kill me on your own?"
However, as soon as I revealed myself from beyond the smoke, those voices stopped abruptly.
"Ouch ouch ouch... that was quite effective."
"Wh... what..."
"No... way..."
Although, I can't say I'm unscathed.
Since I took the explosion at point-blank range, my Shihakusho is tattered, and my body is full of scorch marks here and there.
I managed to endure somehow thanks to intentionally opening a hole in a part while suppressing the explosion to let the force escape. Otherwise, I would probably, undoubtedly have been rendered unable to fight.
There was Tekkai too.
...Huh? But I feel like I got much more heavily injured when training with the Captain...
"Back down."
Anyway, now is the perfect opportunity for persuasion.
"I cannot guarantee your lives beyond this."
Because I am overwhelming them with power, they will listen to me, and accept my demands.
There are times like that too.
"We... I, do not want to destroy the Quincy, I just don't want Hollows killed indiscriminately and the balance of souls upset."
Then persuasion. There is only persuasion.
"If your parents, siblings, best friends, lovers... such precious people became Hollows, could you still kill that Hollow? Wouldn't you think you wanted them to be given a chance to atone for their sins?"
...Because if I kill these people here, I might not be able to meet Bambietta!!
Even if not, their descendants might become beauties and come to meet me!!
In the first place, this Ms. Woman is beautiful. At that point, I don't want to kill her!!
"I am not telling you to discard all Quincy powers. I am not denying your way of life. Just, coexisting so as not to destroy the world... don't you think there is such a way of life too?"
'Laughing at how desperate you are! The Harem King!! Truly the Beast of Possibility!!'
You there, shut up! Or rather, you have the same opinion, don't you!! Even I am starting to understand you!!!
"You say... you will forgive us...?"
"...Our base was invaded, but we barely managed to drive them back. But the attackers escaped... All I can do is make such a report..."
"..."
At my words, she continued to ponder while holding her severed arm, but—
"...We are retreating."
"H-Hey! Then..."
"I will say it once more, retreat. It is a Captain's order."
She was a Captain, huh.
Or rather, this mission itself must be a suicide squad... Even if it was an order, perhaps she had some thoughts about it.
"Wait."
Ah, no good.
I hurriedly call out to stop her as she tries to return leading her subordinates.
"Put out your arm."
"Why?"
"Just do it!"
Without letting her argue, I forcibly grab her shoulder and perform Kaido right there.
"This is... the arm, healed!?"
"No way!! In such an instant!?"
I was holding the severed arm the whole time. I protected it from the explosion too. So it is unharmed.
She is opening and closing her reconnected hand as if surprised, but looking at it, there seems to be no discomfort at all.
Well, I'm used to this much already.
Mainly on my own body, again and again...
"This is me talking to myself. I simply thought it would be difficult in various ways with one arm. That's why I desperately protected it from the explosion too... I just drove away the enemy, and if other Shinigami find you, it might not go like this, so be careful."
"...I see. Then this is also me talking to myself. Even if we can coexist with Shinigami, forgiving the existence of Hollows is absolutely impossible. However, I was grateful for your feelings."
Saying that to each other, they ran off to who knows where.
"Haha! Airi-chan, that was impressive!! I was watching for an opening just in case too, though. There was no turn for me."
"Captain Hikifune! Was everything okay over there!?"
Once the battle was over, Captain Hikifune showed her face again.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I moved those who could be moved to the rear, and assigned squad members of the Twelfth Division as guards too. Everyone inside the tent hasn't suffered a single scratch."
Thank goodness, no damage here either.
Inside the tent, voices saying "We're saved!" can be heard one after another now that the enemy has left.
"But is it okay? Letting them escape?"
"My mission is rear support and treatment of the injured. I was not ordered to kill Quincy."
I wonder if this falls under expanded interpretation of orders or something?
Well, "She's a 14th Seat of the Fourth Division, so that much can't be helped." They will probably think that, maybe.
"True enough... You protected the injured and the base, you certainly did your job sufficiently. But considering this operation, if you had defeated them, your evaluation would have gone up... well, that's just like Airi-chan."
"No way. I was able to protect it because the opponent let their guard down thinking it was a rear relief facility. If more skilled experts had come, I wouldn't have been able to compete."
"...Hmm?"
Captain Hikifune made a puzzled face.
"Airi-chan, did you think they were weak?"
"...Huh? No, they were certainly strong, but if it's that level..."
"...Well now..."
"????"
'My Lord...'
What, Nubatama? Is something wrong?
"Well, it's fine. Also, an emergency like this—considering the scale, it probably won't happen often, but even if a second wave comes, it seems there will be no problem if Airi-chan is here."
"That's right, if Squad Leader Yukawa is here!"
"It was very scary, but you really saved us!!"
The squad members say so too.
Hmm, I shouldn't have done anything to be thanked that much, though...
"Well, anyway, Airi-chan. First, go get changed."
"Eh...? Ah...!!"
Even though I suppressed the suicide explosion with full power, my clothes are tattered from the aftermath. My bare skin was visible here and there.
Ah, geez! Not cool at the very end...
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]