Blood rain poured from the sky, staining the ground red and blossoming like dazzling flowers on the Dankū barrier.
Under the assault of the Blade of Wind, the ground split into neat chasms, extending to the edge of sight.
This scene made Uryū Ishida and Naoto Ishikawa widen their eyes, staring ahead in disbelief.
They knew Shinigami captains were mighty, but this was beyond their expectations.
An Adjuchas of this level, defeated with a single strike?
Though reluctant to accept this reality, the dissipating spiritual pressure confirmed it.
"Saved, we're saved?"
The girl stood in a daze, her face pale with confusion.
She had narrowly avoided the Cero earlier.
Initially, she felt nothing, but as the battle concluded, the overwhelming sense of impending death washed over her.
"You..."
Just as she prepared to thank the figure in the sky, she noticed his right hand raised, his index finger extended, with lightning dancing upon it.
Before she could react, a pillar of lightning descended from the heavens, like divine retribution, striking the two severed halves of the corpse.
This Adjuchas had an extraordinarily resilient life force, still not entirely dead even when cut in two.
Though its spiritual pressure seemed to dissipate, it was merely a ruse.
From Sufu's perception, the reishi activity in its soul far exceeded that of other Hollows.
He never left an enemy alive. No tiger would be released back into the wild.
Feeling the intense heat scorching her skin, the girl instinctively used Hirenkyaku to distance herself from the centre of the electric arc.
After scanning the surroundings, she flew to Sufu's side, sincerely expressing her gratitude, "Thank you for your assistance. May I know your..."
"Wait!"
As she got closer, she noticed the white haori over the black Shihakushō.
Shinigami!!
Her eyes widened, instinctively wanting to use Hirenkyaku again to distance herself from the young man beside her.
She had thought it was a pureblood Quincy who had helped, but it turned out to be a Shinigami, Quincies's natural enemy!
But she was a step slower than Sufu. As Reishi gathered under her feet, a large hand grasped her neck.
"Quincy girl, you attacked an Adjuchas without permission."
Sufu's indifferent voice rang out, "You'd better give me a good reason, or you'll end up like that Adjuchas."
"Gulp!"
The girl glanced at the charred remains on the ground in horror, swallowing hard, feeling a deep sadness.
"Heh, well, Shinigami sir..."
A flattering smile appeared on her face, clearly not her usual expression.
"I'm just an ordinary passerby, unaware of Quincy, Shinigami, or Adjuchas..."
Sufu stared at her expressionlessly until she became increasingly subdued, losing even the courage to meet his gaze.
"Alright, I admit!"
The girl raised her hands, showing she had given up resisting.
"I rushed over as soon as I sensed the Hollow's spiritual pressure."
"I just wanted to do what I could, that's all."
Sufu nodded, releasing her neck, temporarily choosing to believe her. Her expression didn't suggest she was lying.
"I'll believe you for now, but you Quincies should refrain from killing Hollows."
The indifferent response made Uryū Ishida widen his eyes instinctively.
Was this preferential treatment?
He had nearly been killed on the spot just for killing a regular Hollow.
Wait, Sufu-san killed this Adjuchas, so it's okay.
"Eh! You're letting me go just like that?"
The girl was surprised, staring at Sufu in disbelief. "You're different from the Shinigami Yūken described."
"And who is Yūken?"
"Uryū Yūken, a Quincy, and a close friend of mine!"
When Uryū Yūken was mentioned, the girl's face lit up with a happy smile, seemingly forgetting the recent danger and despair.
"Uryū-san, do you know this Uryū Yūken?"
Hearing Sufu's question, Uryū Ishida, standing in the distance, approached with a bitter expression, "Yūken is my fiancée, as I mentioned earlier. I plan to marry her after inheriting the Quincy Cross."
"Eh?!"
The girl was shocked, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Uryū-senpai, why are you here?"
Uryū Ishida smiled wryly, pointing at the charred remains on the ground, explaining, "I was also caught in a similar situation by Sufu-san."
Their conversation made Sufu realise these two were likely pureblood Quincies from the Uryū family.
But judging by their performance, even though she called him "senpai," the girl's strength surpassed Uryū Ishida's.
A genius girl from the Uryū family?
She seemed worth investing in!
"I see!" The girl realised, "This Shinigami isn't a bad person."
She turned abruptly, extending her fair hand towards Sufu with a smile:
"Nice to meet you, I'm Maki Kurosaki."
Sufu blinked. Shouldn't it be Maki Ishida?
Where did this Kurosaki come from?
Uryū Ishida seemed to notice Sufu's confusion and cautiously explained, "Maki is the only daughter of the Kurosaki family and the sole heir of this pureblood Quincy branch."
Hiss—
Sufu suddenly realised the situation had developed beyond his expectations.
It was well known that the Quincy lineage in the living world were pure humans, at most special humans who mastered reishi manipulation.
They are combined with the lower reishi density in the living world.
Even pureblood Quincies in the living world had limited lifespans compared to the Star Cross Knights, who could live for thousands of years.
For example, Uryū Ishida was not even in his forties yet.
Having not fully mastered Quincy's combat techniques and abilities, he had not inherited the Quincy Cross or married.
In another ten years, Uryū Ishida would fully mature, marry, and start training the next generation.
Thinking of this, Sufu's expression turned awkward, his gaze at the girl increasingly peculiar.