Death God: Starting from Refining Essence into Qi

As Nikita Deslock finished speaking, Yhwach nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the figure of the Captain-Commander in his white haori at the edge of the battlefield. It was as if the life-or-death struggle involving tens of thousands of people before him was merely an insignificant prelude on his chessboard.

Nikita Deslock turned, her military boots crunching over the blood-soaked stone slabs, the soles rubbing against the sticky blood film with a barely audible sizzling sound, swallowed up by the sounds of the battle. Her blue-green highlighted, tousled hair was whipped up by the hot wind carrying the smoke of the battlefield, revealing her sharply defined jawline.

Where she walked, the dense Quincy formation seemed to be cleaved open by an invisible blade, automatically parting to the sides to create a straight passage. All the soldiers lowered their heads, their shoulders slightly tense, not daring to meet her unfathomable black eyes—the anger and killing intent there had already seeped out from the faint spiritual pressure around her, making it hard for people to breathe.

Nikita Deslock's gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield, finally settling on the white figure on the flank of the Kido faction's position. The blazing fire that had just swept across the sky still left burn marks on her retina; the spiritual pressure fluctuations of more than 1,200 Quincy had vanished in an instant, leaving only charred corpses and molten stone slabs in their place, piercing her senses like cold needles.

"Is that his Zanpakuto ability? Or is this also the Kido power mentioned by the Ryudoji family? It's practically a natural weapon of war, the threat is too great." She quickly made a judgment in her mind, her spiritual energy already forming a sniper rifle in her hand. "The conversion rate of the spiritual particle chain detonation reaches 89%, and the spiritual power threshold is at least at the third level of spiritual power. The fourth level of spiritual power he showed was deliberately disguised."

In her tactical assessment, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was indeed the biggest threat, but due to the intimidation of His Majesty Yhwach, he had never dared to make a move.

For some reason, the surrounding temperature seemed to be rising. Was it because of the fireballs fired by the Kido followers, or the explosion caused by the Grim Reaper in the white haori? Nikita Deslock didn't dwell on the question.

Nikita Deslock was certain of one thing: the young Shinigami clad in a white haori was almost certainly Gen, the Grand Master of the Kido Clan, who was currently the most lethal being to ordinary Quincy soldiers.

His attack efficiency was too high, high enough to reverse the balance of power on a local battlefield in a short time. If he is not eliminated as soon as possible, the Quincy's numerical advantage will be gradually eroded in less than half an hour.

As one of the long-range firepower commanders of the Empire of Light, Nikita Deslock's duty is to eliminate all enemies that pose a threat to the Legion in the most precise way.

Nikita Deslock raised her hand and made an extremely simple gesture, bringing her index and middle fingers together, pointing to her left shoulder, and then drawing a straight line downwards.

The more than 300 Quincy who were originally scattered in the center of the Quincy and were suppressing fire or harassing the Shinigami captain immediately stopped firing. Like precise machines that have received orders, they orderly disengaged from the battle and quickly regrouped towards her location.

These Quincy were completely different from ordinary Quincy soldiers. They wore more elaborate white uniforms, and their faces were covered by black masks that covered half of their faces, revealing only pairs of cold eyes.

The weapons they held were not ordinary spirit bows, but spirit rifles nearly a meter long. The barrels were engraved with fine patterns, and the entire gun body exuded a sense of epoch-making advancement—this was the most advanced standard firearm structure developed by the Empire of Light over nearly thirty years.

This specially constructed spirit rifle can maximize the power of spirit bullets, with a lethality more than five times that of ordinary spirit arrows, and a firing speed far exceeding that of ordinary spirit arrows.

Those who can construct such weapons using spiritual power are all Quincy with a spiritual power level of ten or higher, equivalent to Shinigami with the strength of a Seat Officer or above.

In addition to possessing such strength, one must also have exceptional marksmanship and superhuman eyesight to be accepted into the elite rifle regiment of the Empire of Light.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, without a single unnecessary word, their footsteps as precise as if measured with a ruler. In just one minute, the three hundred and twelve sharpshooters had formed three neat rows behind Nikita Deslock, perfectly spaced, their guns slightly lowered, awaiting her command.

Nikita Deslock didn't turn around; her gaze remained fixed on Xuan. Her voice, cold as ice, traveled clearly through the amplified sound system to the ears of every sharpshooter:

"Right flank of the Death God's formation, coordinates 37 degrees north of east, distance 2147 meters. Target: Male Death God wearing a white haori. Although perceived as having a fourth-level spiritual power, it is highly likely a deliberate feint to lure the enemy; it should not be underestimated."

In this battle, your only target is him, until his death is confirmed or all of you are killed. Understand?

"Yes, sir!" The voices rang out in unison, strong and clear, but in the midst of the raging battlefield, they could not reach Xuan Er, who was more than two thousand meters away.

Nikita Deslock continued, "Its defensive capabilities are estimated to be extremely strong; ordinary psionic bullets cannot penetrate it. Everyone, construct at least one high-density armor-piercing bullet within one minute, with a core psionic compression ratio of no less than 1:120. Team one, aim at his lock position; team two, block the retreat route at a 30-degree angle to the left front; team three, block the retreat route at a 30-degree angle to the right front. Salvo time: one minute later."

"Yes, sir!"

As soon as the words fell, all the Quincy lowered their heads at the same time, their fingertips glowing with a pale blue light, as they focused on using their spiritual power to construct armor-piercing bullets.

They weren't worried about being affected by the Shinigami's attack at this moment, because they were surrounded by Quincy comrades. Their closest enemy, Unohana Yachiru, was fighting one of their superiors, Huber Alexander Claych, a kilometer away.

As time passed, the 312 Quincy simultaneously raised their guns, their movements fluid and seamless.

Their rifle butts rested firmly on their shoulders, their right eyes pressed against the scope, and their fingers lightly on the triggers. Spiritual particles rapidly converged within the barrels, emitting a low hum, and blue light surged like a tide at the muzzle, illuminating the surrounding air in a ghastly white light. The density of spiritual particles around the barrels increased dramatically, creating visible distortions.

While the sharpshooters were gathering their armor-piercing rounds, Nikita Deslock had already silently broken away from the main force. Her figure swept past the Quincy army like a ghost, and in a few leaps, she reached the top of a three-story stone building on the flank of the battlefield that had not been ravaged by the fighting.

This was the sniping position she had chosen in advance—a wide and unobstructed view overlooking the entire Kido Clan's position; located in a corner of the building, so even if the clouds blocking the midday sun dispersed, the sniping location wouldn't be exposed by glare; and close to the main Quincy forces and His Majesty Yhwach, so even if discovered, she could immediately move to a safe area.

Nikita Deslock knelt on one knee on the cold stone slab and took the custom-made sniper rifle from behind her back. The gun was entirely black, without any superfluous decorations, except for a small silver cross engraved on the barrel.

This type of firearm is even more powerful than a spirit rifle, but its level of precision and construction difficulty increases exponentially with its power. Even the elite Quincy find it difficult to master, and only Quincy with exceptional talent in manipulating spiritual energy, such as Nikita Deslock and at least a third-level spiritual power, can construct it.

Nikita Deslock rested the butt of her rifle firmly on her shoulder, pressed her right eye against the scope, and the crosshairs of the scope immediately locked onto the figure draped in a white haori.

Her breathing was as steady as if it were still, her heartbeat was unusually steady and regular, and the whole world became incredibly clear in her perception.

"Southwest wind, wind speed 3.2 meters per second, lateral deviation 1.9 millimeters; air humidity 62 percent, bullet deceleration 0.7 percent; spirit particle concentration 7.3 moles per cubic meter, refractive index 1.037, ballistic correction 0.12 degrees..."

All the data raced through her mind, ultimately translating into a tiny adjustment on the scope. Her finger rested lightly on the trigger, without the slightest tremor.

The clamor of the battlefield seemed to completely isolate her; her world consisted only of the constantly moving white figure in the scope and the steady beating of her own heart.

Nikita Deslock was waiting for the perfect moment. She knew the enemy's senses were sharp; if she fired alone, he would likely detect her and react. But if the volley of fire from all 312 sharpshooters and her sniper shot arrived in quick succession, Xuan would likely perish.

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One minute.

Three hundred and twelve sharpshooters pulled the trigger at the same time.

A dense barrage of spirit particle bullets rained down like a storm, whistling sharply as they sliced ​​through the air. Three hundred and twelve blue streaks of light converged in the air into a massive pillar of light, carrying an aura of annihilation as it hurtled towards Xuan's location. Wherever the pillar passed, the air was violently compressed, producing a deafening explosion.

Xuan sensed the danger immediately; his keen spiritual perception made him notice the abnormality in his surroundings right away.

"not good!"

A warning bell rang in Xuan's heart, and the spiritual power within his Soul Sleep instantly surged towards the lock, flowing along his meridians to his right hand. The already released Zhenyuan trembled violently in his palm, and on the surface of the golden sphere, dark purple energy patterns flowed wildly, absorbing spiritual particles from the surrounding air even faster.

"【Binding Spell #81: Severing the Void】!"

Xuan roared and thrust his right hand forward. A massive, transparent barrier instantly unfolded before him, radiating a heavy and solid spiritual pressure. This was the highest level of defensive demonic art Xuan had mastered, enough to withstand a full-force attack from anyone below the captain level. It was uncertain whether it could withstand the concentrated fire of so many spiritual energy projectiles.

"All members of the Demonic Path, release the [Round Gate Fan] forward! Overlapping defense!"

Kiyoko Ise also saw the bullets fired at Gen, and her order came a moment later. Fortunately, the Quincy were far enough away that there was a brief gap between the bullets being fired and their arrival.

Hundreds of Ghost Path members raised their hands simultaneously, and layers of golden fan-shaped shields unfolded, forming an impenetrable defensive wall before the void could be severed.

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Nikita Deslock peered through the scope, mentally counting the seconds. Seeing Xuan raise his hand to unleash his Kido, she knew now was the time.

"three."

"two."

"one."

As a sharpshooter proficient in all kinds of firearms, Nikita Deslock smoothly pulled the trigger during the last breath of her heartbeat.

-----------------

The next second, the Quincy's concentrated attack slammed into the defensive wall.

"boom--!!!"

A deafening explosion instantly engulfed everything. Three hundred and twelve armor-piercing rounds struck the outermost [circular gate] simultaneously, easily piercing through hundreds of layers of shields like red-hot knives cutting through butter. The golden shield shattered like glass, turning into countless points of spiritual light.

The beam of light swept through everything in its path, piercing through all the circular gates before crashing down upon the broken sky.

In an instant, the intense shockwaves generated by the collision of spiritual pressures spread outwards, sending surrounding rocks and corpses flying.

Xuan Neng could clearly feel that Duan Kong was trembling violently, and the spiritual patterns inside were flashing constantly, as if it could shatter at any moment.

Even though its power was weakened by nearly 10% by hundreds of layers of [round gates], this concentrated attack still possessed strength close to a captain-level full-force strike.

Just as Xuan was concentrating on defending against the concentrated frontal attack, a deadly aura hidden behind the pillar of light finally revealed its fangs.

Nikita Deslock's blue bullet, mixed with the torrent of spiritual pressure from the concentrated attack, was incredibly fast, leaving a clear black trail behind her—a vacuum created by the bullet's supersonic speed tearing through the air.

The bullet's particles were extremely compressed, forming a solid armor-piercing layer. It spun through the air, piercing through the [Void Break] with a sharp, piercing shriek.

"Click—"

A crisp cracking sound rang out.

【Broken Void】can perfectly defend against attacks from the 89th level and below, i.e., attacks from captains and below. At this moment, it is pierced and shattered by a single bullet.

Undoubtedly, this unusual bullet came from an attack by a captain-level Quincy.

Xuan's pupils suddenly contracted, and his spiritual pressure perception reached its peak at this moment.

In a brief moment, Xuan's mental energy was highly concentrated, and the world seemed to be slowed down.

He "saw" the blue bullet approaching at an astonishing speed, the spiraling spiritual patterns on its surface crystal clear to him. He could calculate the bullet's trajectory and determine that it was only ten meters away from his body.

Fortunately, the Shunpo technique he had practiced day and night proved its worth at this moment. His feet had already completed the preparatory stance, and his spiritual power erupted instantly, allowing him to step back and unleash Shunpo.

The bullet sank deep into the ground in front of his feet, its depths unfathomable. Before Xuan could even catch his breath, an even stronger, sharp pain appeared in his chest.

Xuan suddenly looked up, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints.

There's one bullet left.

The second bullet pierced through the shattered "Broken Sky," carrying a scorching gust of wind, heading straight for his chest.

The bullet's reflection was magnified infinitely in Xuan's eyes.

He could feel the chilling killing intent carried by the bullets, the burning pain of the spiritual particles on his skin, and the gust of wind that had already ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead. All the noise of the battlefield disappeared, leaving only the sharp whistling of bullets and the increasingly rapid beating of his own heart.

Death has never been so close.