Death God: Starting from Refining Essence into Qi

Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji stood in the center of the mist, fine water droplets hanging from the brim of their straw hat, obscuring most of their eyebrows and eyes. The long blue-handled sickle in their hand pointed diagonally at the ground, and water droplets condensed on the tip of the blade slid down and dripped into puddles that had appeared at their feet, rippling outwards in circles.

The surrounding mist rose and fell gently with his breath, slowly flowing around him, making his figure even more hazy, as if he wanted to melt into the depths of this misty air.

Hubbard Alexander Kleich, also standing in the mist, breathed heavily, his short, pure black hair damp with moisture and clinging to his forehead.

He gripped his rapier tightly, cautiously surveying his surroundings. The surrounding mist was too thick, his vision only covering a few feet in front of him. When he spread his spiritual pressure to probe, he could only touch tiny water droplets, making it difficult to pinpoint his opponent's exact location. As he remained in the mist longer, his mind felt as if it were covered with a layer of damp, cold cotton, his spiritual energy circulation gradually became sluggish, and his reaction speed was a full half beat slower than at the start of the battle.

This is the ability of Wang Tuchuan Yuxuji's Zanpakuto "Watari" - Shangzhuo.

At the start of the battle, the two clashed intensely, neither gaining the upper hand. Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji then changed tactics, no longer engaging in direct confrontation.

He moved about under the cover of the mist, his blue sickle seemingly cutting through the fog, leaving trails in the air that lingered and did not dissipate.

Hubbard Alexander Kleich's brows furrowed, a hint of ferocity flashing in his icy blue eyes. He considered himself the strongest in the guard, but this reaper wearing a straw hat, aside from their initial clash, had consistently dodged and weaved, occasionally launching attacks using the mist as cover, and his scythe-wielding techniques were unusually strange, unlike those of a true powerhouse.

"You cowardly rat hiding your head and tail." Huber Alexander Kleich hissed, flicking his wrist to create a clean flourish with his rapier, channeling external spiritual energy into the blade. "Disperse!"

A pale blue spiritual pressure erupted from the sword in front of him, forming a shockwave that swept outwards to both sides. The mist along the way was violently smashed aside, revealing a brief clearing in the middle. Hubert Alexander Claych seized this fleeting opening, pushed off the ground, and shot out like an arrow, his sword pointing directly at the spot where Wang Tuchuan Yuxu had just stood.

The sword pierced through the figure, only cutting through a reflection in the water.

Afterimage.

Hubbard Alexander Kleich's heart sank.

Almost simultaneously, a faint whooshing sound came from behind him.

Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji's figures emerged from the mist. Using the momentum of his turn, he swung his long-handled scythe horizontally, the bluish blade glistening with tiny drops of water, aiming straight for Hubbard Alexander Kleish's nape. The movement was swift and precise, as natural as water flowing through a crack in stone, its sharp edge aimed directly at a fatal point.

Huber Alexander Kleich reacted extremely quickly, twisting his waist and turning to the side the instant he heard the sound of wind, his rapier swinging backward to parry.

"clang--"

A sharp, metallic clang rang out, the piercing sound waves causing the surrounding mist to tremble. Huber Alexander Kleich felt a powerful force travel along the blade, a sticky, dragging sensation, as if sinking into a deep pool. He staggered half a step before regaining his balance.

In the previous rapid exchanges and the subsequent entanglement, his opponent hadn't displayed this kind of strength. Had his strength increased? Hubbard Alexander Kleich wondered.

No, it wasn't that the opponent's power had increased, but rather that I had become heavy and sluggish under the influence of this strange fog. But that was all.

"Finally showing yourself?" Huber Alexander Kleich turned around, looking in the direction from which the scythe had come. His icy blue eyes bulged with anger, but a haughty smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "I thought you were planning to hide in the fog until the war was over."

Wang Tuchuan Yuxuji did not answer. The shadow of his straw hat concealed his expression, as well as his dark blue pupils. He slightly flipped his wrist, which was holding the long scythe, and the blade drew an arc in the mist in front of him, but the attack was once again blocked by Hubbard Alexander Kleish.

Huber Alexander Claysch snorted coldly and, with the added boost from his Bloodlust Armor, used Flying Kick to close the distance again, intending to prevent his opponent from hiding in the fog once more.

His figure suddenly accelerated, and his rapier, with a sharp whistling sound, thrust out continuously, the tip of the sword leaving pale blue afterimages in the air, weaving a dense net of swords that enveloped Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji.

His swordsmanship was already textbook-perfect, each thrust precisely timed to the point of spiritual energy flow, showcasing the rigor and sharpness of noble swordsmanship. With the Bloodlust Armor added, his sword speed increased even further.

The sword tip tore through the air, creating tiny sonic booms, and even the surrounding water mist was stirred up by the sword wind.

Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji moved with agile footwork, their figures weaving through the sword net. The long-handled sickle wielded nimbly in his hands, sometimes blocking horizontally, sometimes slashing diagonally, deflecting each thrust of the sword. The long handle of the sickle sometimes spun with leverage, sometimes thrusting straight at the target, the moves changing unpredictably from near to far.

When he bent down, the sickle aimed straight for his ankle and knee; when he turned, he slashed diagonally at his shoulder blade and collarbone. When his footwork went astray, he used the momentum of the long handle to pull the blade back. Every move he made landed in the gaps of Hubert Alexander Kleich's offensive, and his timing was just right.

The two exchanged blows rapidly in the mist, the sounds of their weapons clashing echoing continuously, sparks flickering in the white fog.

Huber Alexander Kleich grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. His opponent's scythe attacks were unpredictable, fully utilizing the advantage of its long handle. Every time he thought his attack was about to land, the scythe would use its rotational force to veer off at a tricky angle, forcing him to defend. The surrounding mist seemed to mirror his opponent's moves, constantly disrupting his vision and senses, and he narrowly escaped being grazed by the scythe several times.

We can't keep dragging this out any longer.

The thought flashed through Hubbard Alexander Kleich's mind. As the scythe struck again, he suddenly exerted force with his wrist, his rapier slamming heavily against the scythe handle. Using the recoil, he swung back several feet, creating distance between himself and Wang Tuchuan Yuxuji. He then slowly retreated, intending to escape the area shrouded in mist.

Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji finally made a move.

He slowly raised his long-handled scythe, his dark blue pupils reflecting shimmering water. He parted his thin lips slightly, uttering two words, his voice as faint as mist on water, yet clearly penetrating the mist to reach Hubbard Alexander Kleich's ears.

"Wash it down."

The moment the words left his mouth, the mist on the entire street suddenly froze.

The next moment, all the trails of the scythes suspended in the mist around Huber Alexander Claych lit up simultaneously.

Dozens of silvery arcs of light emerged from the mist, some horizontal, some vertical, some diagonal, and some straight, each replicating the original strike in its original position.

These trajectories covered all directions around Huber Alexander Kleich, sealing off all space for evasion. One second the fog was empty, the next it was filled with deadly blade light, like a tightening cage, trapping him firmly in the center.

Hubbard Alexander Kleich's pupils constricted sharply.

He didn't have time to react at all.

"You treacherous Grim Reaper!" Huber Alexander Claych cursed, hastily holding his rapier horizontally in front of him, channeling all his spiritual pressure into the blade in an attempt to block the attacks. He knew he was surrounded by countless flashes of blade light, with no way to retreat but to carve out a safe path.

"If I could block that attack then, there's no reason I couldn't block it now," Huber Alexander Kleich thought to himself.

However, there were simply too many slashes, and some of them even overlapped.

The first blade of light struck the sword, the immense force sending numbness through his arm. Then came the second, the third… dozens of strikes rained down in quick succession, like relentless waves crashing against his defenses. In an instant, he was overwhelmed by the attack.

Hubbard Alexander Kleich immediately realized that something was wrong; blue spiritual patterns had already spread across his entire body.

"Click—"

The blade of the rapier has developed a crack.

Blood seeped from Hubbard Alexander Kleish's entire body. While the Bloodlust Armor provided formidable defense, the sheer number of strikes in that instant was overwhelming. He could clearly feel the scythes slicing through his uniform and piercing his skin.

Moreover, Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji were not doing nothing at this time.

"Naraku."

The remaining slashing trajectories that had not yet enveloped Huber Alexander Kleich in the mist all converged onto the blade of the scythe and were unleashed simultaneously.

In an instant, Hubbard Alexander Kleich's left shoulder was slashed open diagonally, the wound so deep that bone was visible, the flesh rolled outwards, and warm blood splattered onto the ground.

As the scythe was pulled back, Hubbard Alexander Kleich's right shin was also slashed, the bone cracking with a sharp sound, causing him to lose most of his support.

"The River of Oblivion".

All the water mist instantly receded, and in an instant, the battlefield seemed to be clear after the rain, the stench of blood dissipated, and the air was spotless.

Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji pointed their scythes at the fallen Huber Alexander Kleich. Mist condensed at the tip of the scythe, forming a seemingly harmless water sphere that lightly touched Huber Alexander Kleich's chest.

"puff--"

Hubbard Alexander Kleish coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the broken wall. Debris and dust rained down, burying half of his body.

The rapier flew out of his hand and landed on the stone pavement not far away, its blade riddled with cracks like a spider web.

Hubbard Alexander Kleish slid to the ground against the broken wall, his head tilted to one side, his eyes half-closed. A large section of his chest was caved in, and blood gushed out, flowing down his clothes and onto the ground. As if he had endured an attack beyond his limits, the spiritual patterns on his body had been shattered.

Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji stood still, looking at Hubert Alexander Claysch from a distance of several feet. He could clearly sense that the other party's spiritual pressure was rapidly depleting, and had already fallen to the level of an ordinary squad member, which was already on the verge of death for a former captain-level powerhouse.

The battle is over.

Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji never liked to personally end other people's lives. Giving the dying person time to recall the past was his act of kindness.

Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji withdrew their gaze and suddenly smelled a strong stench of blood.

From the direction of Unohana Yachiru, a crimson spiritual pressure surged into the sky, instantly covering the sky and the earth with a sea of ​​blood.

Wang Tuchuan Yuxu did not hesitate. He picked up his long scythe, turned around, and walked towards the direction where Unohana Yachiru was fighting. The strands of hair under his straw hat swayed gently with his steps, and he didn't even look back at Huber Alexander Kleish.

Beneath the broken wall, Hubbard Alexander Kleich's fingers twitched slightly.

He was actually still conscious.

The excruciating pain washed over his body like waves, blurring his vision to the point where he couldn't even make out the outline of the broken walls in front of him. Several bones in his chest were broken, and every breath pulled at his wounds, bringing piercing pain.

He heard Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji turn around and walk around.

Step by step, it gradually faded into the distance.

That Grim Reaper, he just left like that.

He wouldn't even deign to kill himself.

An overwhelming sense of humiliation surged through me, overwhelming all the excruciating pain.

He is Hubbard Alexander Claysie. He is a member of His Majesty Yhwach's personal guard, and he firmly believes that he is the strongest in the Empire of Light besides His Majesty Yhwach. Neither that talkative old man John nor that lowly Nikita can compare to him.

How could he lose? How could he lose to such a treacherous Grim Reaper?

How could he die in such a wretched state in this filthy ruin?

No.

Absolutely not.

He has to be the winner.

Hubbard Alexander Kleich seemed to be burning with rage, and with all his might, he raised his arm.

He is a Quincy.

The first weapon created by the Quincy was never a sword.

The free-floating spiritual particles in the air seemed to be summoned, beginning to converge towards his palm. Pale blue light points flickered in his palm, gradually condensing and outlining the shape of the spirit bow.

This movement exhausted all the remaining strength in his body. The wound on his chest reopened due to the exertion, and the blood gushed out even more violently. His breathing became weaker and weaker, his lungs like a broken bellows, each gasp filled with blood and foam.

But his eyes grew brighter and brighter, a fanatical flame burning within his icy blue pupils.

The Spirit Bow is complete.

Hubbard Alexander Kleich raised his arm and slowly drew the bowstring taut. His movements were slow, as if slowed down a thousand times, each movement accompanied by the soft, grinding sound of bones grinding together. His arm trembled, yet he still steadily aimed at the receding figure ahead, at the head beneath the conical hat.

In an instant, he forcibly gathered all the spiritual particles he could mobilize together, condensing them into the shape of an arrow on the spirit bow. This spirit arrow condensed a large number of surrounding spiritual particles, and the blue spiritual energy on the arrow shaft was refined to almost white.

Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji had already walked several feet away.

He hadn't paid any attention to the faint spiritual pressure fluctuations around him. But just a moment ago, the surrounding spiritual particles suddenly converged on the same point—the spot where the Quincy had just fallen.

Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji suddenly used Instant Step.

But it was too late; the arrow had already been fired the moment Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji stood up.

"Buzz—"

The bowstring trembled slightly.

This was an arrow that Hubbard Alexander Kleish had condensed with his entire life, gathering his last spiritual power and all his obsessions. It was faster and more ruthless than any arrow he had ever shot in his life.

"Pfft—"

The arrow pierced precisely through Wang Tuchuan Yuxuji's head.

It enters from the back of the head and exits through the forehead.

The ribbons of the straw hat snapped from the force of the arrow, and the hat spun away, landing on the blood-stained stone path. Her long, black hair came loose, the ends speckled with tiny drops of blood, and fluttered gently in the wind.

Wang Tuchuan and Yu Xuji's bodies froze on the spot.

His dark blue pupils suddenly contracted, then quickly dilated. The long-handled scythe in his hand fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Blood gushed from the wound on his forehead, slid down his cheeks, and dripped onto the shihaka suit on his chest, spreading out in dark patterns.

He remained in a sideways position for a few seconds, then slowly leaned forward and crashed heavily to the ground.

Dust rose and then slowly settled.

The whole street fell silent.

The flying straw hat landed not far away, its eaves stained with blood, no longer able to conceal anyone's features.

Beneath the broken wall, Hubbard Alexander Kleich's arm hung limply at his side.

The spirit bow, having lost its spiritual power, instantly scattered into countless points of spiritual light, disappearing into the air. He leaned against the broken wall, panting heavily, each breath laced with blood. His pale face was devoid of color, yet his eyes gleamed with a morbid excitement and satisfaction.

Hubbard Alexander Kleich looked at the figure lying on the ground, a victor's smile slowly curving his lips. His voice was hoarse like sandpaper, yet it carried a pride etched into his very bones.

"I admit you're strong," he said, coughing up blood as it trickled down his chin, "but I'm superior."

"I am the strongest."

His Majesty.

Huber Alexander Kleish's body slumped heavily to one side, his icy blue eyes lost their luster, and the last trace of spiritual pressure around him completely dissipated.

His pupils were fixed on Yhwach's direction, only reflecting the back of a figure wearing a black cloak.