Chapter 102: Quincy War

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Quincy War Two massive doors appeared in the sky above the World of the Living. As they opened, a steady stream of Shinigami poured out. Katori Nanatsuki followed behind Unohana Retsu as they stepped through the Senkaimon. He surveyed the terrain. It was a river valley nestled between mountains and water—lush with vegetation and rich in Reishi. No wonder the Quincy had established a base here. A wooden plaque carved with the number "4" hung from Nanatsuki’s shoulder. Unohana had high standards for her vice-captain’s Kaido abilities. To this day, she hadn’t found a suitable candidate, so the position of Fourth Division vice-captain remained vacant. But upon learning Nanatsuki would be joining the war, she assigned him the role in an acting capacity. His job was to protect the medical squad and lead them onto the battlefield to treat the wounded. Unohana’s decision came from goodwill—she knew Nanatsuki needed military merit from this war. By joining the Fourth Division, saving more lives meant earning more achievements. Unohana turned to him. "Nanatsuki-kun, the battlefield is vast. Let’s split up." "I’ll set up a medical outpost here. You’ll take part of the squad and head to the combat zone to perform emergency treatment and evacuate the injured back to us." "Their safety is in your hands." "I’ll do everything I can to protect them!" Nanatsuki vowed. Unohana then addressed the Shinigami behind them. "Katori-kun is now the acting vice-captain of the Fourth Division. You must follow his orders." "Yes, ma’am!" Nodding, Unohana led a group of medics toward the ground. Nanatsuki turned and looked at the squad behind him. Battlefield triage required high-level Kaido. The Shinigami Unohana brought were all highly skilled in healing arts—none inferior to Sakai-sensei. However, a bit of doubt still lingered in their eyes. After all, Nanatsuki hadn’t yet earned their trust. "Let’s move out. We’re heading east!" The medics didn’t enter the battlefield immediately. They waited until fighting had gone on for a while before moving in to assist the wounded. The river in the valley flowed from west to east. The west side—upstream—was the battlefield’s center. Nanatsuki could still sense powerful bursts of Reiatsu clashing violently in that direction. He was leading the medical team to the downstream forest—likely the site of earlier fighting. Once they entered the area, Nanatsuki picked up several unstable Reiatsu signals ahead. The wounded—targets for their rescue—were close. The forest bore heavy scars of battle—charred trees, upturned earth, shattered rocks. Every few meters, Shinigami and Quincy alike lay scattered. The area was now secure. No living Quincy remained. It seemed the Shinigami had cleared the enemies before advancing, likely to avoid being attacked from behind. "There are no strong enemies nearby. Groups of three—search the woods for injured and gather them here for treatment!" "Yes!" Nanatsuki scanned the area with sharp eyes, staying alert for any sign of danger. But it seemed the Quincy had focused all their power upstream—no attackers had come their way. A while later, Unohana’s voice echoed in his mind. She had used Bakudō #77: Tenteikūra to broadcast the location of the medical outpost and notify all captains, vice-captains, and seated officers that the medical squads were now deployed. They were instructed to bring any wounded in need of urgent care either to the outpost or to the medics in the field. A Shinigami reported back. "Vice-Captain Katori, we’ve finished sweeping this area. A total of 102 wounded were found—69 confirmed dead." It was a lot to handle. Nanatsuki split the group in half—one half would transport the wounded and dead back to the outpost. The rest would move on with him. "Half of you stay and handle the transport. Everyone else, follow me!" "Yes!" With about a dozen medics, Nanatsuki began heading upstream. The situation ahead looked even worse—blood-stained waters, the corpses of Shinigami and Quincy drifting downstream. Nanatsuki suddenly raised a hand, halting the squad. "There’s fighting ahead. I’ll go check it out." "...Onmitsukidō?" Nanatsuki spotted figures clad in black. So they’d joined the war too. Their mission was to clean up the battlefield and eliminate stragglers. But when he saw one of them use a familiar technique, his face darkened. That Onmitsukidō member had just used Raikiri! Though their face was concealed, the dark skin and the flickering lightning dancing along the blade left no doubt—it was none other than his disciple, Shihoin Yoruichi! ’Yoruichi’s here? The Shihoin Clan allowed her to join the battle? Are they insane?’ Nanatsuki couldn’t believe it. She was the primary heir of the Shihoin family. Letting her fight in such a dangerous war was unthinkable. The battle ahead was nearly over. Yoruichi and her squad were finishing off a wounded Quincy. A volley of Reishi arrows from a spiritual longbow was easily blocked by two teammates. Another Onmitsukidō member moved in for the kill. Yoruichi, holding her thunder-infused blade, used Shunpo to flash behind the Quincy. Outnumbered four to one, the Quincy couldn’t react in time. Before he could even turn, two blades had already slashed him down. Yoruichi wiped the blood from her Zanpakutō. "Whew... Quincy are way more troublesome than Hollows..." Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her, making her tense up. The other three Onmitsukidō members jumped, raising their blades defensively. But as Yoruichi recognized the newcomer, her eyes lit up with joy. "Sensei!" Nanatsuki raised a brow. "Yoruichi? Why are you here?" "I wanted to fight beside you!" Yoruichi grinned and pumped her fist. "Once I found out the Onmitsukidō were being deployed, I joined up!" Nanatsuki’s expression shifted as a message popped up on his Status Interface: [New Cultivation Quest: Guide disciple Shihoin Yoruichi through battlefield training (In Progress)] He hadn’t expected this situation to trigger a quest. "This is reckless. The battlefield’s too dangerous," he said, his voice tinged with concern. "The Onmitsukidō aren’t on the frontlines. It’s not that dangerous! Besides, I’m strong now!" Yoruichi insisted. "Even the clan wants me to grow quickly. That’s why they allowed me to come." "Fine. Stay with me. The medical squad is moving into a dangerous zone. We’ll need cover." Better to keep her close than let her roam the battlefield with just a few teammates. "Understood!" Yoruichi nodded. With the four Onmitsukidō members joining as escort, the medical squad pressed forward once more.