Byakuya Kuchiki vs. Äs Nödt

 is a battle taking place during the Quincy Blood War, focusing on the conflict between Sixth Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and Sternritter "F" Äs Nödt after the Wandenreich invade the Seireitei.

Prelude
During the Wandenreich's first invasion of the Seireitei, Äs Nödt joins the Sternritter attacking the Shinigami. Shortly afterward, at the Sixth Division barracks, several Shinigami are impaled on the Reishi Thorns of Äs Nödt as others nearby wonder why none of their attacks are working and why the dying Shinigami on the thorns are screaming in terror. Upon seeing his comrades fleeing, one of the Shinigami desperately asks them to come back because they are to protect the Seireitei with their lives rather than save themselves and closes his eyes in fear.

Suddenly, 6th Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai embeds his Shikai, Zabimaru, in the ground between them and praises the Shinigami for his proclamation. With the Shinigami relieved to see him, Renji promises to take over from here. Following this, Renji repeatedly attacks Äs with extending strikes of Zabimaru, only for Äs to effortlessly block them without injury using the Blut Vene-enhanced skin of his hand.

Just as Renji notices Äs' veins glowing blue whenever he blocks a strike and decides to speed up his attacks after questioning if it is a unique ability or one that all Quincy possess, Mask De Masculine comes down on him from above. When Renji leaps away at the last second, leaving him to punch the ground, Mask follows him into the air, only for 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki to intercept Mask's next strike with his Shikai, Senbonzakura, to Renji and Mask's surprise. Approaching them, Byakuya asserts that there is no reason for Renji to hold back because the Wandenreich wishes to destroy the Seireitei, which means that Renji should cut them down with everything he has got.

Battle
With Renji insisting that he was not showing holding back or pity, Byakuya responds to Äs attempting to move by surrounding the latter's hand with his Shikai, Senbonzakura, and ordering him not to do so, and when Renji warns Byakuya that their swords cannot cut the skin of the Sternritter, Byakuya denies this being possible and intensifies his assault, causing a startled Äs' hand to be cut in several areas despite his Blut Vene. Once Mask runs over to Äs in confusion and concern, Byakuya suggests that he not make any sudden movements either while destroying the floor beneath Mask with Senbonzakura, causing the latter to fall through the hole into the building below as he screams in alarm. After Byakuya explains that he weakened the floor so this would happen when it was stepped on and asserts that this battle is now two against one, Äs attacks him with a Reishi Thorn, but Byakuya quickly destroys it by swirling Senbonzakura around himself and attempts to surround Äs with it as well.

In turn, a smiling Äs activates Blut Vene across his entire body and repels the blade petals. Reforming his sword and cutting through more Reishi Thorns fired at him, Byakuya leaps into the air as Renji wraps Zabimaru around a distracted Äs, allowing Byakuya to fire a stream of blade petals directly at Äs' head. However, Byakuya and Renji are shocked when Äs emerges from this unharmed, having used Blut Vene to protect even his eyes from the blade petals. With Äs freeing himself from Zabimaru and creating more Reishi Thorns, a solemn Byakuya reforms his sword and assumes a combat stance.

Renji sees Byakuya turn his Zanpakutō over in his hands to point it toward the ground, which leads him to question if Byakuya intends to use his Bankai and remind the latter of Chōjirō Sasakibe's report that the Wandenreich can seal away Bankai. In response, Byakuya asserts that the despicable Sternritter are the ones responsible for Chōjirō's death and for causing bloodshed in the Seireitei without warning in addition to being opponents that they cannot defeat without Bankai, which means that finding a way to break the seal will be the key to this battle, prior to explaining that he wants Renji to finish off the Sternritter with his Bankai should they seal Byakuya's. However, when Byakuya activates his Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, Äs pulls out his Medallion and activates it to absorb Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, causing Byakuya to realize that his Bankai was stolen rather than sealed. Upon seeing this, Renji attempts to activate his Bankai as well, but Byakuya stops him and insists that they must not lose Renji's Bankai as well, only for Renji to frantically demand to know how they are supposed to fight the Sternritter otherwise. Shortly afterward, Byakuya is cut by a Reishi Thorn on his right shoulder, sending a spray of blood high into the air, and slides back across the ground as Renji expresses concern for him, though Byakuya merely asserts that Renji should be watching him fight in order to figure out Äs' abilities from afar, which prompts Renji to suggest that he go first instead of Byakuya to achieve this without the latter being injured.

In response, Byakuya counters that Renji lacks the wisdom to expose the entirety of Äs's ability, which Renji begrudgingly concedes to, and promises to draw out Äs' abilities. However, Byakuya notices his hands trembling as they grip his Zanpakutō and wonders why his limbs feel like they are freezing. With Byakuya theorizing the Reishi Thorns surrounding Äs are coated in some kind of poison, Äs infers this and clarifies that it is not poison, but instead something Byakuya lost long ago, prior to asking Byakuya to retrace his memories and recall how he became strong enough to overpower his enemies as a captain. Concluding that he has not felt this sensation in a long time and that it is most important for survival, Äs informs Byakuya that he is feeling fear. While Renji expresses disbelief at this, Äs explains that anyone struck by his Reishi Thorns experiences fear over many things leading to something fatal, such as the consideration of drawing and swinging their sword, the enemy casting a terrible spell on them, or simply breathing in and out.

Äs elaborates that this makes it impossible to even think straight since anything and everything is suspicious, though he observes that Byakuya is resisting it by sheer force of will so far. Admitting that Byakuya is a threat, Äs dismisses him because a threat is nothing compared to fear and the core of Byakuya's soul is already consumed by fear of Äs while Byakuya rushes forward to slash him, though Äs's Blut Vene protects him from this. Internally, Byakuya ridicules the idea that he has been battling without fear since that is impossible and asserts that he has overcome and accepted his fear of battle, but suddenly envisions a smiling 13th Division Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki rotting into a decaying corpse in front of him, to his alarm, just before Äs shoves his hand through Byakuya's chest.

With Byakuya coughing up blood, Äs notes that the preconception of experience allowing one to conquer fear is easier to believe when one is strong and experienced and details how fear with a cause is easy to deal with since removing the cause also removes what one believes to be fear, only to clarify that true fear has no cause. As Äs concludes that true fear is an instinct rather than an emotion with no limits that crawls up one's body like an endless horde of flies, making it something they cannot escape, a screaming Byakuya slashes at him, but Äs easily evades him, leaps back, and uses his Medallion to activate Senbonzakura Kageyoshi before attacking Byakuya with it, resulting in Byakuya falling before Äs with a large amount of blood spurting from wounds on his chest. Byakuya struggles to stay on his hands and knees while Äs approaches him and asserts that Byakuya cannot win with just his Shikai against his own Bankai, only to be interrupted when Renji proclaims that Senbonzakura Kageyoshi does not belong to him and furiously attacks Äs, who blocks Zabimaru with Blut Vene.

When Renji extends Zabimaru around him, Äs activates Senbonzakura Kageyoshi once more and blasts a stream of blade petals at Renji, who is quickly overwhelmed by them. Upon seeing Byakuya getting to his feet, Äs redirects Senbonzakura Kageyoshi to instead engulf Byakuya in a massive torrent of blade petals, slashing him all across his body and leaving him nearly unconscious, and when Byakuya begins to collapse once the torrent ceases, Äs resumes the torrent, which quickly slams Byakuya into a nearby wall with enough force to crater it.

Aftermath
Enraged by this, Renji runs toward Äs and attempts to activate his Bankai, only to be interrupted when Mask grabs Zabimaru by the blade and dropkicks Renji with enough force to send him flying through several buildings and across the Seireitei. Though Mask is pleased by this result and tosses away the severed segment of Zabimaru in his hand, Äs chastises him for not allowing Renji to use his Bankai so Mask could steal it, prompting a startled Mask to admit that he thought only captains had Bankai while Äs tells him to reread Yhwach's Daten. Nearby, surrounded by his own blood splattered on the crater in the wall, Byakuya asks Rukia and Renji to forgive him while his Zanpakutō shatters.

Later, after entering Soul Society, Ichigo Kurosaki confirms that Rukia and Renji are still alive and moves to a dying Byakuya's location with Shunpo, where he assures the latter of Rukia and Renji's survival, to Byakuya's relief. Observing that he does not have much time left, Byakuya admits that he was unable to stop the despicable people who trampled on the Seireitei and that he led many to their deaths, bringing sorrow to their subordinates and families. As he sheds a tear, Byakuya asserts that he is deeply ashamed of this and points out how Ichigo being a Human means he should not even be here to begin with, let alone be involved in the battle, prior to requesting forgiveness for his final audacious request and begging Ichigo to protect Soul Society in his stead as Ichigo glares into the distance.

Once Ichigo departs, Byakuya muses that he did not get a response from him and decides this is fine, since he knows what kind of man Ichigo is, before concluding he is counting on Ichigo and dropping his broken Zanpakutō, which disintegrates. After the Wandenreich's retreat, Byakuya is reported to have narrowly escaped death, but remains in a comatose state, with the Fourth Division uncertain if he will be able to resume his duties as captain or even wake up.