Rukia Kuchiki vs. Äs Nödt

 is a fight which takes place during the Quincy Blood War. It focuses on the conflict between 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki and Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt.

Prelude
Rukia flies through the Wandenreich city, searching for any Shinigami Reiatsu. She notes that the only Shinigami she's been able to find is Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu before wondering if the Shinigami are really so inferior to the Sternritter. After noting that she can't sense any Quincy Reiatsu either, Rukia stops and wonders if she should wait for Lieutenant Renji Abarai and attack the enemy castle.

She then has the sensation of someone touching her arm. She asks for whoever she felt to reveal themselves. A figure appears behind her, stating how lonely it is and asking where its Senbonzakura is. Rukia identifies the Quincy as Äs Nödt, the one who stole her brother's Bankai. Stating he knows who Rukia is, Äs tries to inquire about her brother's location. Rukia refuses to answer, prompting him to ask if Byakuya will come should he kill her, to which Rukia responds he might.

Battle
Äs Nödt manifests his Spirit Weapon and attacks Rukia. She evades the initial attack and wonders if what is coming from the thorns is the fear she has heard about. As one of the thorns rapidly approaches her, she releases her Shikai to defend herself. She forms an ice shield to block the attack but the fear comes through and strikes her. Äs, stating fear can't be stopped by ice, laughs menacingly and says Rukia can't move now that she has been infected by fear. Rukia, unaffected by the Quincy's power, calmly asks if this is "fear" before asking what Äs fears, further asking if he is afraid of meeting someone his ability doesn't work on.

Äs says fear can't be ineffective, but Rukia simply responds he should attack her again to see if this is correct. Rukia then holds out her sword and tells the Sternritter to fear the true Sode no Shirayuki. Launching his thorns at Rukia again, Äs mocks her about running away from them earlier. Rukia blocks the thorns, which are frozen by her very touch, and clarifies she had to run away before so her body could adapt to her Shikai's true power. Äs says that freezing his weapon won't help because the fear enters through initial contact rather than wounds and goes on to explain that Rukia will always feel fear as long as she's alive.

Saying this is the very reason she is unaffected, Rukia explains that she is currently dead. Äs asks what she means, to which she answers that Sode no Shirayuki's real power is to bring her own body to temperatures below zero. Moving forward, Rukia clarifies that anything she touches freezes, with the blade of the sword merely increasing her range. Dismissing this as nonsense, Äs is further confused by Rukia's claim that she can momentarily kill her own body and keep on living by controlling her Reishi, thus making the fear unable to infect her body because its components aren't moving.

Äs, still unable to comprehend Rukia's power, stands still and repeats that it is impossible. Rukia appears next to him and slices his shoulder with her body at a temperature of minus 18 degrees, freezing Äs' blood and stopping it from flowing out of the wound. Lowering her temperature to minus 50 degrees, Rukia makes the ground tremble due to the moisture in it being frozen. After Rukia lowers her temperature to minus 273.15 degrees, she notes that she can only move for four seconds at this temperature so she has to finish quickly and then attacks the Quincy. Completely frozen, Äs wonders if what he is experiencing is "fear".

As Rukia slowly raises her temperature so as to avoid any permanent damage, she notices a small wound on her thumb and wonders if she exceeded her four seconds. Meanwhile, Äs concludes that what he is feeling is not genuine fear because the only things he fears are his emperor's wrath and losing his body. He breaks free, losing his mask in the process only to reveal a decaying mouth. Activating his Quincy: Vollständig, Tatarforas, Äs moves behind Rukia. She tries to strike him, but discovers that she is paralyzed.

Rukia states in disbelief that the fear shouldn't be affecting her, prompting her opponent to explain that his Vollständig takes effect through her simply seeing him. Äs surrounds her with eyes, making it so she can't escape his gaze. Rukia tries to close her eyes, but finds that it amplifies the effect of the Vollständig. As Rukia starts to scream and give in to the fear, Äs proclaims her heart will now be burned to death by the fear she has avoided so far. They are quickly interrupted by the wall of eyes being breached by Captain Byakuya Kuchiki.

The two combatants note the captain's arrival as he steps forward. Äs immediately starts taunting him about the injuries he received in their previous fight, but Byakuya ignores his comments. Rukia, realizing Äs fought her only to get Byakuya to appear, warns her brother to avoid eye contact with him. But the Sternritter exclaims it's too late as he surrounds Byakuya with eyes.

The captain however instantly destroys the eyes using his Zanpakutō. Äs states Byakuya must have used his Bankai to surround the area, before expressing how much he would have liked to keep it. Byakuya tells the Quincy he, having used Senbonzakura Kageyoshi himself earlier, should be aware that it uses the entire sword. He shows he's holding the hilt and explains he's using Shikai, confusing Äs. Explaining that after losing his Bankai he decided to gain a greater understanding of his Shikai, Byakuya thanks Äs for giving him this opportunity, infuriating the Quincy. Äs rips his own stomach open and begins to transform, declaring he will not kill Byakuya but rather make him experience such terror and despair that he will wish he would have died.

While Äs transforms, Byakuya turns to Rukia. Telling her he felt her Reiatsu during his descent to Soul Society, he says she has become strong. Rukia, deeply touched by Byakuya's acknowledgement of her power, has tears brought to her eyes. Byakuya says fear doesn't just come from nothing and any small thing can become a fear before asking Rukia if she's still afraid, to which she responds she's not.

Äs, now in a gigantic monstrous form, tells Byakuya the end has come. The captain confirms this, but says Rukia will be the one to bring that end, making the Sternritter ask if he's joking. Byakuya tells Rukia to look closely at Äs and know that if she herself has no fear then she will see Äs' fear. Rukia calmly releases her Bankai, Hakka no Togame, resulting in a brightly white pillar formation.