You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Before that, Lan Island must protect these new humans!

It's a kind of atonement, I suppose...

Lan Dao was filled with remorse for everything she had done, even feeling that she should have died in that explosion along with the members of the 10th Division. But since she had survived, she felt she should do something to make amends.

In a sense, she is the mother of these "new humans," so she must shoulder the responsibility of protecting them!

In the past, Lan Island had been using the power of the Twelfth Division to search for these people. After everything was ready, it came to the human world to guide the new humans away from the Shinigami's territory (the Seireitei does not control the entire human world, but only the eastern half).

Then she was attacked during the process, barely managing to get the new humans—whom she named "Bavents"—to escape, while she herself was already on her deathbed.

This was within her expectations, after all, it was undoubtedly a betrayal to the Soul Society... but she never expected that the one who attacked her was not a Shinigami!

The opponents were not faring well either. In addition to the seven or eight people lying on the ground, the tall leader had his shoulder blade and left knee severed by her, and now he could barely stand.

After all, she was a Shinigami who had lived for a very long time. Her spiritual pressure level was originally only that of a seat commander, but after the explosion, it reached the level of a top vice-captain. Coupled with a bunch of strange spiritual technologies and a reckless fighting style, these enemies naturally had to pay the corresponding price.

"A crazy fighting style...a crazy woman...This isn't the first time I've fought Death, but it's the first time I've encountered an opponent like you."

The group was dressed in a very uniform style, wearing only simple and fitted white clothing. Unlike the Japanese style of Soul Society, it was more like a Western style, and only the leader wore a short cloak.

—The Quincy.

"However, today even the adults of the Knights are here in person, so there's no way you can escape."

After the leader finished speaking, a look of regret flashed in his eyes.

At this moment, a more formal and gorgeous white-clad figure walked over from a distance, carrying two bloody heads in his hands, and threw them at the foot of Lan Island with a mocking smile.

—It's Bount!

"What a pity. I only wanted to capture them, but I didn't expect them to be so weak. I accidentally killed them."

Lan Dao glanced down, gritting her teeth inwardly, but tried hard to control her facial muscles, showing no expression.

At this moment, she could still hear screams coming from afar. The men in white had originally planned to capture them all alive, but now they seemed to care no longer.

"Completely unmoved~"

A member of the Sternritter, his brow furrowed, seemed very dissatisfied with Lan Island's performance.

"These people must be very important to you, otherwise you wouldn't have let them escape in the first place. Why won't you even shed a tear for them?"

“If kneeling and weeping can make you spare these poor people, then I will.”

Lan Dao coldly said, "But as far as I know, Quincy are extremely ruthless in battle and will not be swayed by such things."

"I'm also very sorry... I can only blame your bad luck in being born with this peculiar power, as if it was specially prepared for us."

His Majesty has ordered that we maintain a tight security policy before launching the counterattack against Soul Society. Moreover, since you are a Shinigami, we cannot allow you to leave.

"..."

Seeing that Lan Island remained expressionless, the leader couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Quincy want to capture "Bavents" alive, especially since they are the founders of Lan Island.

However, they were subject to certain restrictions, with a fixed time limit for their activities in the real world. They had to complete their mission and evacuate within a limited time, otherwise there was a possibility that they would be detected by the Grim Reaper... So they were a little impatient, which led them to pay a heavy price for their actions on Shanglan Island.

It would be best to create a psychological vulnerability, but unexpectedly, even the deaths of the "children" could not move him.

"..."

Is this unexpected? Should I shed tears for them?

Indeed, I am very unsettled right now, but it's not a pure emotion; it's a mixture of many things that I don't even understand myself.

Originally, I didn't think I deserved to live. If I could exchange my life for Bount's survival... that would be wonderful!

Lan Dao stared directly at the white-clad leader, her seemingly emotionless eyes leaving the latter unmoved.

"Stubborn women... but the final outcome will not change; your defeat is inevitable."

"The Bounts, as a completely new species, possess unique abilities, but also have insurmountable congenital defects. We Quincy, on the other hand, are perfect creations of God; we are fundamentally from a different dimension!"

That's absolutely right!

Lan Dao's face was grim as he gripped his Zanpakuto tightly, already prepared for the worst.

'It's a pity this is in the modern world...'

Bount's true strengths can only be brought into play in the pure spiritual environment of Soul Society, a fact that is currently known only to Rando.

In the real world, Bount acts more like a superhuman, with his actual strength being only average.

However, after studying himself, Lan Dao discovered that once Bount absorbs souls, he can gain special abilities that influence space and matter, which are no less amazing than the Shikai or even Bankai of a Zanpakuto!

They are like vampires, except that they ingest souls instead of blood, and can even completely stop their own aging process.

The mere fact that it reduces the number of souls means that Soul Society absolutely cannot tolerate Bount!

Fortunately, only Lan Island knows about it so far, and Lan Island has been educating and guiding the Bwant tribe to regard this behavior as taboo—let's keep it a secret for as long as possible.

But that's not the most terrifying part. What's even more frightening is that if a Bount like Lan Island is in an environment like Soul Society or Hueco Mundo, which is entirely composed of spiritual particles, then he will automatically gain "immortality"!

Simply put, it passively absorbs surrounding spiritual particles to repair damage, achieving an immortal effect that makes it impossible to kill by ordinary means.

If this weren't the real world, then Lan Island would be confident that he could take on all these Quincy by himself!

Thinking of this, the female researcher's eyes narrowed: "Do you... know the secret of the Bount?"

"Oh?"

The male knight narrowed his eyes. "What have you thought of?"

“This attack doesn’t seem like a coincidence at all… The Emperor you speak of… As far as I know, only one person in the Quincy clan has ever been given that title.”

Lan Island's face showed a hint of fear: "Could it be that you... But, why is it Bavente?!"

If the goal is to seek revenge on Soul Society, then one shouldn't show oneself in the human world; doing so would only increase the risk of exposure... It's Bount, everything is for Bount's sake...

What use is this race to you that drives you so mad!

"I don't like guys who are too smart."

The Quincy curled his lip and with a flick of his wrist, conjured a spiritual blade radiating a cold blue light.

"Don't worry, after you die, I'll cut off this clever head, coat it with mithril, and make it into a holy artifact."

"...A sacred artifact?"

Lan Island's breath hitched.

"You can fool the Seireitei, but you can't fool us, because compared to your clumsy disguise, we are the ones truly lurking in the darkness."

Saint Orlando, as the central figure in that bombing, you are naturally a key focus of our attention, and we have shared your research findings with you.

The birth of the Bount race was an accident, but it was very fortunate for the Quincy.

They possess a unique constitution that allows them to passively absorb spiritual particles, and if this could be utilized to create some kind of auxiliary tool—don't you think that would be a perfect fit for Quincy?

"Well!"

Lan Dao's eyes widened, and a terrible thought flashed through her mind in an instant.

——【Spiritual Particle Cluster】!

Quincy have many skills, but they are all built around one core: the ability granted by Yhwach to absorb spiritual particles from the external environment. After enhancement, this ability can even decompose and absorb matter composed of spiritual particles.

This is what is known as the "Spirit Particle Cluster".

The scale of spiritual particles a Quincy can control directly reflects their power; it's no exaggeration to say it's a fundamental skill for them.

The Flying Kick, Spirit Arrows, Light Blades, and even the Quincy's final form and Perfected Body are all essentially advanced applications of [Spirit Cluster]. This is clearly evident when a pure-blooded Quincy unleashes their ultimate attack.

So, what kind of effect would it have if a Quincy obtained an item that would amplify the effect of [Spirit Particle Cluster]?

The improvement in strength will definitely be earth-shattering!

To the Grim Reaper, the Bount is nothing but heresy, but to the Quincy, it's practically a series of mobile orange-tier weapons!

Previously, the Quincy had been in a state of dormancy, and the higher-ups did not allow any risks, so they had not yet begun their hunt for the Bount. But now that Yhwach has returned, it is time to vigorously develop weaponry, and these "Newtypes" can no longer escape their fate.

"Was it my fault...?"

Lan Dao was on the verge of collapse: "It was my research... that caused these children..."

"No, you overestimate yourself, Saint Oran."

The knight scoffed, "Do you really think Bount is your creation all by yourself?"

"……what?"

Lan Dao suddenly raised her head, "What did you say?!"

"The massive explosion that leveled the 10th Division was not just a simple scientific research accident."

The knight raised his light blade, aimed it at the bewildered Lan Island, and laughed, "This is the result of our secret interference!"

Perhaps it was because the soul of a Quincy infiltrated the universe that such a peculiar life form evolved!

"Varied--"

"Oh? You guys did it... that explosion."

Before Lan Island could even react with fury, a calm voice came from the side, causing everyone present to freeze.

"Someone?!"

Bang!

An unseen force shattered all the bones in a Quincy's body, sending him flying like a lump of rotten flesh, the aftershocks obscuring everyone's vision.

Appearing amidst the raging wind were a purple-haired girl wielding a long sword with a sinister grin, and a voluptuous, boldly dressed pink-haired mature woman.

——The immortal Saito and Hikifune Kiryu of Division 12!

"You are……"

"Captain of the towing boat!"

Lan Dao gasped, looking at the smiling, seemingly gentle, voluptuous older woman, and felt a chill run down her spine.

"How did you get here...?"

"I'm here to save you, Lan Island."

Kiryu said casually, "I'll also settle accounts with the remnants of the Quincy. I even found a helper for this."

"Captain... could it be that you already knew my identity all along..."

"That's not what we're going to talk about today."

Kiryuu's expression turned serious, and a spiritual pressure no less powerful than Saito's immortality spread out, causing all the Quincy present, including the knight, to turn pale without exception.

"I ate a full meal before coming here... consider this my post-meal exercise!"

Chapter 481 I Want to Spread Love and Hope!

"help me?"

Landao, whose consciousness was already somewhat blurred, was both surprised and delighted when she saw Hikifune Kiryu's face—which was of course impossible.

What are you doing here?

—She realized something was wrong as soon as the question left her mouth.

The fact that Kiryu Hikifune and Saito are immortal and appear here is certainly not a coincidence. Especially for Kiryu Hikifune, as the first head of the Technology Development Bureau, her daily work is as high as a mountain, and she simply doesn't have time to come to the mortal world to play with Saito.

Saito's mission was to lead his subordinates to monitor the Quincy descendants in the present world, so there was no reason for him to be here.

The only possibility is that... he has already been exposed!

Lan Island is heartbroken.

She thought she had disguised herself well, but she underestimated Hikifune Kiryu. It seemed that this seemingly sunny older sister had already discovered her identity.

As for why she hasn't been exposed yet, it's only possible that she sensed the existence of the Bounts and wanted to use her technology from Saint Oran Island to find all the Bounts... and then eliminate them all in one go at a high efficiency!

Yes, Lan Island harbors no illusions about the mercy shown by the Seireitei!

Even those who seem easy to talk to, like Hikifune and Ukitake, would show absolutely no mercy when facing a race like the Bavents, who are born with original sin!

Ultimately, from the Shinigami's perspective, the Bounts are clearly like the Quincy; if left unchecked, they will reduce the number of souls, making them, in some ways, even more dangerous than Hollows.

...However, Kiryu, who was secretly following Lan Island, unexpectedly discovered the Quincy's whereabouts, which is why he called Saito over as well, only to find himself caught up in this grand spectacle.