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

If the usual luck attribute is about winning the favor of the goddess of victory, then Haschward's [Holy Letter B] is about directly lifting up the goddess's skirt himself—luckily, his face is good-looking, so the goddess didn't slap him in the face.

(That's why they were outmatched when they encountered the counterpart of Erzhuzi.)

In this way, every strike he makes is extremely threatening. Although the power contained within is not as great as that of a monster like Yamamoto who only uses basic attacks, the results he can achieve are potentially greater.

But what did he just see?

His sword strike in his perfect holy state was actually blocked by Iori with just one finger?

Forget about the "pure blood armor" or "pure blood armor," even armor made of killing intent stones wouldn't be possible!

This situation means that... this man has no so-called "weaknesses," so "world harmony" cannot find a way to weaken him!

So tough that luck can't affect it... just how "hard" is his body!

"Don't misunderstand, your ability hasn't failed."

Iori shook his head: "But compared to Yhwach and Yamamoto Genryusai, your sword is not sharp enough."

—To deal with them, Iori would need at least two fingers.

call!

Hasward jumped back, creating distance between himself and Iori, and then looked at the calm-looking man with extreme vigilance.

"What did you do to His Majesty's corpse? Could it be...? How despicable!"

"Corpse?"

Iori shook her head: "There were no corpses left behind. If I had to say anything, that's all."

He raised his hand, and a crack appeared in the void, from which a brain sealed in crystal fell out, leaving Hasward speechless.

Then came a surge of anger!

Look what you've done!

This usually elegant knight was surprisingly furious!

The wings behind him stirred up a storm of spiritual pressure, and Haschward appeared behind Iori as a beam of light. His movement was different from the Flying Kick; it was equivalent to teleportation.

"Death... has absolutely no concept of 'respect'!"

Clang!

Iori lifted her cloak, and the soft fabric gained the hardness of steel, catching Haschward's slash with a crisp, trembling sound.

Hearing the blond youth's words, Iori's eyes widened in surprise, and he couldn't help but laugh: "Respect? Does that mean that after Yhwach wins, he will show respect to our corpses and give them a proper burial?"

"..."

Hasward was momentarily speechless; based on his understanding of YH, the answer to this question was, of course, no.

In that moment of stunned silence, a palm strike, the movement of which he could not see clearly, landed on his chest. A powerful shockwave pierced through his body, easily destroying the outer defensive layer of the [Perfect Holy Body]. Hasward felt as if his internal organs were being twisted together, and his body flew backward like a cannonball.

"Spiritual Particle Cluster!"

Barely maintaining his form, Hasward absorbed the free spiritual particles in the atmosphere and continuously increased his spiritual pressure level, soon exceeding the limits his body could withstand.

—He is not an ordinary Quincy, and cannot absorb spiritual particles for his own use like others. If he wants to do so, he must pay a price.

Because his ability is not to "absorb" spiritual particles from the outside world, but to give his power to others.

That's right, it's quite similar to Yhwach's abilities!

However, although their characteristics are similar, their specifications and power levels are vastly different. Even if Haschwalth develops his own power to the extreme, he can only serve as Yhwach's "backup vessel".

His "Perfect Body" is also the opposite of the conventional form. Theoretically, the "Perfect Body" requires a large number of spiritual particles to construct, but the Quincy himself does not have enough reserves, so he must use the cluster of spiritual particles to draw on external resources.

Hasward himself cannot store external spiritual particles, and therefore cannot activate a normal [Perfect Body].

However, Yhwach gave him another technique for using power: continuously releasing his own spiritual particles. Because his spiritual particle density was extremely high, losing a large number of spiritual particles in a short period of time would create a kind of "vacuum" state. With the power of the Holy Letter B, he would amplify his attraction to spiritual particles, thus swallowing all the spiritual particles in the space like a black hole!

This peak period lasted very short, but within this limited time, his power would infinitely approach Yamamoto's level!

In his opinion, while this might not be enough to overthrow the Soul Society, it would still make the Gotei 13 pay a heavy price.

Of course, after using this move, his body will completely collapse, and whether he can survive is unknown... From this perspective, it is a return to simplicity, more like the "final form of the Quincy".

"Aren't you going to call your companions out?"

Haschward flashed and appeared in front of Iori without warning, his simple slash causing the earth to split open into a trench hundreds of meters deep.

Iori also conjured a Quincy spirit light sword and calmly received the attack. Although the sky and earth behind him collapsed, the yellow earth beneath his feet remained unharmed.

"Are you really that confident you can take me down by yourself?!"

"Ok?"

Iori raised an eyebrow slightly: "It seems our perceptions have diverged. I don't see this as a battle, nor do I intend to take you down. In fact, I'd be happy to let you go, as would those imprisoned Quincy."

"……what are you saying?"

"Without Yhwach, you no longer pose any threat to Soul Society. On the contrary, you can be used as a good tool—I have decided to give you a chance to be used by me."

"—!"

Hasward gripped the sword even tighter.

Iori's words were full of sarcasm, but he could also detect a hint of seriousness in them, which made him feel a bit annoyed.

You mean...tools?

"Yes, do you feel humiliated? But this is a good ending for you."

Moreover, it's simply a matter of turning you from Yhwach's tools into my tools, Aizen Iori's tools—what's the difference?

Iori and the blond youth locked eyes: "Don't you revel in this lifestyle, Hasward?"

Haschward momentarily lost his focus and was thrown back by the force surging from the sword.

This jolted him awake: "No! You didn't come here for Soul Society... The 46 would never arrange for Quincy like this, what is your purpose?!"

"I thought only the victors had the right to question others."

"...You seem very confident about this battle. However, no matter how strong you are, there will always be weaknesses. The only difference is whether the enemy will find them."

My strength may be inferior to yours, but such contempt for me will surely cost you dearly, and my blade will ultimately drink the blood of the arrogant!

Hasward's eyes were resolute, and his tone left no room for wavering; it seemed he was determined to die rather than submit.

But the instant he and Iori locked eyes, Death took a step forward—

"If that's the case, why are you backing down?"

"……Um?"

Hasward lowered his gaze, his pupils contracting slightly:

He took half a step back!

Even though she didn't give her body any commands, she subconsciously stepped back as Iori moved forward!

It's just like poultry encountering a carnivore...

"This……"

"If you really want to defeat me, if you really want your sword to be stained with my blood, then you should come closer. That sword's attack range isn't that big, is it?"

Or... are you afraid?

"Nonsense!"

Haschwald immediately retorted, "I have already given my life to His Majesty. Now that His Majesty Yhwach is no more, I will also be martyred for my beliefs!"

"Admirable, but look at your body—"

Iori quietly said, "She's trembling."

"Well!"

Haschward first looked at his right hand, which was holding the sword, and found nothing unusual. Then, with an incredulous look, he turned to his left.

His left hand was trembling like a small animal!

"How could this be... Am I still afraid of death?"

In a daze, Haschward seemed to return to his childhood, living almost every day in fear and anxiety, never knowing when he would be robbed, never knowing when he would lose something important, and never being able to keep anything precious.

He didn't have the strength he has now, and he was even quite inferior to his peers... What changed him?

It's a friend!

Because of that encounter! Because of his loyalty to Yhwach!

I see... I understand now.

He became powerful because of Yhwach, so after Yhwach died, he reverted to being that powerless child.

Even though he could split mountains and seas with a single swing of his sword, the pillar that sustained his powerful self deep within his heart had been broken!

"Has my power... vanished?"

“Your spiritual pressure is quite outstanding, but I can’t sense the proper emotion in your sword.”

Iori said calmly, "There was no killing intent towards the enemy, no pride in yourself, no trust in the sword... You simply released your spiritual pressure along its trajectory."

This kind of sword might be able to shatter a large, hard rock, but it cannot kill.

"...What are you afraid of? What are you wondering about? How did you obtain this power?"

—Hasward remained silent.

He wasn't a genius, at least not before he met Yhwach.

If we look at his life from the perspective of online novels, then his childhood is practically the standard "protagonist template":

As a pure-blooded Quincy descendant, he was unable to condense spirit arrows, which meant that he could not even master the most basic combat techniques and was once abandoned by others for training.

In a web novel, there should be a cheat code to help him reach the pinnacle of life, but that doesn't actually happen. He himself doesn't have much motivation to move forward; negativity and gloom are his main themes, far less inspiring than the typical "useless protagonist."

From a young age, he was someone who lacked his own opinions and tended to go with the flow, or rather, to be content with whatever came his way. Therefore, he entrusted the power of choice to others, and when he was alone, he felt that it didn't matter what happened.

It's not because of inferiority or anything, but just that as long as there is someone to rely on, I feel at ease, and it feels like a huge void in my heart has been filled.

Later, Yhwach began to conquer the northern lands of the present world... At their first meeting, the man ignored the more talented Quincy around him, only having eyes for him, and said that Haschwalth was an unparalleled genius, the individual most similar to him among all the "descendants".

That one sentence from that day forever changed Hasward's life and character.

He grew up under Yhwach's command, and unknowingly, he transformed from a resentful boy into his most loyal right-hand man.

I don’t know when it started, but he changed the pillar that supported his heart from his family and close friends to Yhwach!

Regardless of right or wrong, if obeying the "king's" orders brings him a sense of security and prevents him from feeling lost, then it is a good way of life for him.

Perhaps the reason I possess this power is to assist the "King".

However, it has now been confirmed that Yhwach is indeed dead, and with that, a certain belief has collapsed.

Iori's words gave him a clearer understanding of himself...

"Are you reminiscing about the past, Haas?"

—The aria-like words interrupted Hasward's reverie, causing a moment of disorientation in his eyes.

A familiar figure came into view, and Hasward almost blurted out "Your Majesty," but he quickly calmed down.

wrong!

This person is not His Majesty!

The blond youth slowly exhaled a breath of hot air and looked at Iori with a serious and earnest expression.

"Before the battle begins, may I ask you a question?"

"But there's no harm in talking."

"What...is your relationship with His Majesty Yhwach?"

A bold idea popped into Hasward's mind: "Could it be that His Majesty has been reincarnated into your body?"

"Ha... no wonder you think that way."

Iori chuckled and shook her head: "But Yhwach isn't qualified yet. There's no one in the three realms who can control my body."

As for my relationship with Yhwach... or rather, what my true nature is, you'll find out during the battle.

According to the story, Iori poured a large amount of spiritual energy into the spiritual energy lightsaber in her hand, causing it to emit a blue spiritual light, transforming into a slender crescent moon, which she then raised high and slashed in mid-air.