Ichigo Kurosaki & Ayon vs. Quilge Opie

 is a battle taking place during the Quincy Blood War, focusing on the conflict between Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki and the Executive Hunting Captain of the First Jagdarmee, Quilge Opie, also known as Sternritter "J", in Hueco Mundo; this serves as the first direct conflict with a member of the Sternritter.

Prelude
Having entered Hueco Mundo to save Dondochakka Birstanne at Nel Tu's behest, Ichigo Kurosaki learns of the Jagdarmee rounding up Arrancar to kill or recruit into the Wandenreich and decides to rescue them as well. During this, Quilge Opie begins his selection process by impaling the captive Arrancar in a test to see which of them are courageous, and after knocking out Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia so they can be recruited, Quilge finds himself confronted by the Tres Bestias.

From miles away, Ichigo senses the conflict and is informed by Nel that the Tres Bestias are three powerful Fracción under Tier Harribel's direct command who are constantly trying to kill each other, which means that the Jagdarmee has no hope of winning. Simultaneously, Quilge watches Emilou Apacci, Franceska Mila Rose, and Cyan Sung-Sun slaughter his subordinates and offers them the chance to surrender so they can serve Yhwach alongside Tier Harribel, but they refuse, leaving Quilge disappointed at his negotiations breaking down. Shortly afterward, upon reaching the site of the battle, Ichigo finds Quilge standing over the unconscious and bloodied Tres Bestias as the latter notices his arrival and comments on how many visitors they are receiving today.

Peering over Ichigo's shoulder, Nel expresses shock at the Tres Bestias being incapacitated as Quilge comments on the unusual sight of a Shinigami with an Arrancar on his back. Suddenly, Quilge reveals that he knows all about Ichigo, who recalls Asguiaro Ebern coming for him as well and admits that it is not surprising for them to know about him, and attributes this to the Daten provided by Yhwach listing Ichigo as a Special War Power whose defeat must be prioritized before his subordinates leap up from behind him and surround Ichigo.

Battle
Jumping back into the air, Ichigo notices the Jagdarmee soldiers moving through the air around him with Hirenkyaku and aiming Heilig Bogen that they fire Heilig Pfeil at him from just like Uryū Ishida does, creating a powerful explosion once they all slam into Ichigo. When Ichigo emerges unscathed from this with Nel and begins to realize what the Wandenreich are, Quilge is left incredulous at Ichigo engaging them without knowing what they are, though he surmises that Ichigo had a suspicion without any certainty to it, and confirms that they are Quincy while manifesting his Reishi Sword, creating a Heilig Bogen on the hilt, and firing his own Heilig Pfeil at an astonished Ichigo.

Following this, Quilge observes that all the Heilig Pfeil he fired hit their mark and tells Ichigo that he can do better, only for Ichigo to drop his Shikai, Zangetsu, out of the plume of smoke engulfing him and muse on how he was told Quincy only use bows as the smoke clears to reveal him holding Quilge's Heilig Pfeil with his bare hand. Throwing the Heilig Pfeil back at a stunned Quilge, who is engulfed in a strong explosion upon impact, Ichigo drops to the sands below, and when Orihime Inoue runs toward him with Yasutora Sado, Ichigo throws a motionless Nel to her so Orihime can look after her.

Immediately afterward, Ichigo turns around and fires a Getsuga Tenshō into the cloud of sand surrounding Quilge when six more Heilig Pfeil are fired at him from within it, with the Getsuga Tenshō intercepting all of them and disappearing into the cloud. From within the sand cloud, Quilge commends Ichigo's performance and emerges while admitting shame at his own lack of skill. However, Ichigo assures Quilge that his Heilig Pfeil are much stronger than Uryū's are, though he clarifies that it has been a while since he has been hit by one of the latter's, prompting a surprised Quilge to assert that Uryū's Heilig Pfeil being weaker than his own is impossible, to Ichigo's confusion.

When Ichigo questions what he means, Quilge realizes that he has said too much and apologizes while sheathing his Reishi Sword and musing that he will have much to report to Yhwach after the battle. Though Ichigo questions who Yhwach is, Quilge declines to answer this and explains it will not do Ichigo any good to know because he has just been ordered by Yhwach to kill Ichigo right here, which makes it pointless for the latter to gain information on the Wandenreich. Quilge invites a startled Ichigo to take a good look at the power he must have heard about, the Quincy: Letzt Stil, and pulls off his right glove to reveal a Leiden Hant with the emblem of the Wandenreich emblazoned on the back, which creates a massive Reishi cross around him as Ichigo recognizes the technique that Uryū once used. Upon shattering, the Reishi cross falls apart to reveal Quilge, who has gained two large wings, gloves with large wristguards, large boots, and a large Heiligenschein all composed of Reishi, which he identifies as being properly called a Quincy: Vollständig. From several hundred meters away, Pesche Guatiche and Kisuke Urahara see the resulting explosion of force from this in the distance while carrying Dondochakka.

Seconds later, Orihime crouches next to Loly, Menoly, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun, whom she heals with Sōten Kisshun as she remains inside the barrier with Nel and Sado. Watching Ichigo stand across from Quilge, Orihime notes that something is not right since there was no Reishi shockwave from this activation and she does not feel any Reiatsu from Quilge either. After wondering if Ichigo can feel the pulsation of his power, Quilge appears behind Ichigo faster than the latter can react, manifests his Reishi Sword, and declares that he will punish Ichigo before bringing his sword down, creating an explosion of force upon impact.

Ichigo leaps out of the resulting sand cloud, having recalled Urahara's explanation of Quincy: Letzt Stil as it was used by Uryū, and mentally questions if this is the same power due to how strong Quilge seems before turning around to defend himself from Quilge, who soars out of the cloud as well and crosses swords with Ichigo. Upon noticing Ichigo's expression, Quilge realizes what he is thinking and clarifies that this is a wholly different power from Quincy: Letzt Stil. With his sword managing to graze Ichigo's cheek once they separate, Quilge begins repeatedly clashing with Ichigo and explains that the Quincy: Letzt Stil is a relic of the past which died out 200 years ago due to its fragile nature, with Sōken Ishida being the only one to cling to it due to his rejection of the Wandenreich's research and evolution.

While Ichigo blocks an overhead strike with both hands on Zangetsu and is pushed to the desert below, Quilge concludes that the difference between this and the Quincy: Letzt Stil is like that of heaven and earth, but Ichigo merely notes he is glad this is not the power Uryū used because it would make him look creepy. Upon seeing an upset Quilge recoil slightly at this, Ichigo notes that he has eased the pressure on his blade, moves back, and fires a point-blank Getsuga Tenshō that rips through the landscape before him, only for the clearing sand to reveal Quilge unharmed despite having Zangetsu pressed against his neck. Advising Ichigo to aim his strikes as the former leaps back, Quilge claims that Ichigo would not find any weaknesses even if he did.

After proclaiming that Ichigo finding his form creepy is the correct response since the atrocious Shinigami should find their executioners horrifying and eerie, Quilge holds his sword aloft and begins forming a cross-shaped mass of Reishi at the tip by absorbing Reishi from his surroundings with Sklaverei, causing Sōten Kisshun to be torn apart before a stunned Orihime's eyes, and while Sado observes that everything made of Reishi in Hueco Mundo is converging on Quilge through this technique and Orihime realizes that she did not feel a shockwave earlier because Quincy absorb Reishi rather than emit it, Quilge names his Quincy: Vollständig as Piskiel and tells Ichigo to receive its power. Suddenly, before Quilge can attack, he is punched several dozen meters away by Ayon, to Orihime's shock. With Quilge wondering what this monster is, Mila Rose infers that Quilge let down his guard once he believed that they could no longer fight him.

As Sung-Sun reminds Quilge that he should not have underestimated them, Apacci tells Ayon to show Quilge his power. When Ayon turns to look at the Tres Bestias, Mila Rose wonders what he is looking at and Sung-Sun refuses to believe he is worried about them, but Apacci assures Ayon that he does not need to mind them and can cut loose, prompting Ayon to open his eyes and roar loudly, generating waves of force that radiate across the desert. Apacci explains to Ichigo that Ayon is a being born from the fusion of the severed left arms of the Tres Bestias who possesses great power and an unpredictable nature.

After Apacci warns Ichigo that he and his friends should get out of here if they do not want to die since they are not the enemy of the Tres Bestias this time, Ayon lunging toward Quilge, who asserts that the former cannot overcome his Quincy: Vollständig, only for Ayon to punch Quilge hard enough to make him bleed. Moments later, Ayon repeatedly punches Quilge, who coughs up blood, and brutally pounds him into the desert sand over and over with his fists, leaving Orihime horrified within her rebuilt Sōten Kisshun and Sado unnerved at how out-of-control Ayon is. Eventually, Quilge is left embedded upside-down in the sand with only his legs and parts of his wings remaining visible, to the delight of the Tres Bestias. Admitting her surprise at Quilge remaining intact even after this beating, Apacci casually approaches him.

Suddenly, Apacci is stabbed through the chest by Quilge's Reishi Sword, to her, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun's shock. As Apacci collapses, Quilge stands up and notes that this level of power was not reported to him as he pushes his broken neck back into place and muses that he must ask Yhwach to adjust the strength of their Blut before promising that they will all die here first. Quilge begins repairing Piskiel with Sklaverei and tells Ayon that he will be the first to die, only to correct himself and clarify that Ayon will live instead. As a roaring Ayon rushes toward him despite Mila Rose's warning, Quilge tears the flesh off Ayon's bones with Sklaverei as well, causing him to quickly collapse and die on the sand.

Meanwhile, elements of Ayon's appearance are integrated into Quilge's body and Piskiel, which results in two large eyes appearing on Quilge's wings, his teeth growing large and lipless, and his left arm gaining a huge amount of muscle mass. During this process, Quilge details how Sklaverei is the basic Quincy ability of Reishi absorption taken to its limit to become Reishi subjugation and admits that he did not want to use it since it makes him unsightly. In response, Rose picks up Apacci and leaps away alongside Sung-Sun, who lands before Orihime and Sado to use Muda, shedding her skin and creating a large dome that camouflages the area around them. Upon sensing the disappearance of their Reiatsu, Quilge notes that this decision to go into hiding and keen sense for danger is very beastlike. Within Muda, Mila Rose clarifies that she and Sung-Sun can see that Orihime and Sado have enough Reiryoku to cause even more problems if Quilge absorbed them.

Though she initially does not know who they are, Mila Rose recognizes Orihime as the princess brought to Las Noches by Sōsuke Aizen and expresses disbelief at her returning to Hueco Mundo, but Sung-Sun insists that they ask about this later and outlines how everything in Hueco Mundo and Soul Society being comprised of Reishi means Quilge's Sklaverei will quickly rip their bodies apart and prevent them from even attempting to battle him. However, after Sung-Sun explains that Muda completely conceals their presence with optical camouflage and Reiatsu partition, which will allow them to remain inside it while moving to Ichigo Kurosaki's location, Quilge absorbs the section of Muda behind her and praises this as a smart move, only to claim that she failed to take their difference in power into account and initiate Sklaverei once more, resulting in Mila Rose and Sung-Sun having parts of their skin bloodily ripped off.

Seeing the same phenomenon occur on her arms and face, Orihime desperately shields Nel as Sado experiences the same phenomenon on his chest and neck. While passively watching this, Quilge observes that such struggles always reaffirm his beliefs, laments how unsightly the deaths of the weak are, and coldly tells those before him to die. Suddenly, a black Getsuga Tenshō from behind him shatters his Heiligenschein while Ichigo comes down on Quilge with his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, and forces him into a blade lock as the Getsuga Tenshō explodes in the distance. Ichigo notes that Quilge cannot use Sklaverei anymore once his Heiligenschein is destroyed, and after admitting that it takes courage to act on this beyond just realizing it, Quilge expresses annoyance at how difficult it is to deal with Ichigo. Some time later, Urahara is contacted on his Denreishinki and cheerfully greets 12th Division 3rd Seat Akon while questioning how things are going in the Seireitei, with Akon quickly becoming aggravated by Urahara's casual tone. However, when Akon urgently requests that Urahara hand the Denreishinki to Ichigo, Urahara states that this is not possible and informs him that Ichigo is currently battling Quilge, but corrects himself and states that Ichigo is actually winning, to Akon's surprise. Nearby, Quilge's Medallion fails to steal Tensa Zangetsu, leading him to scream in frustration at this still not working before Ichigo attacks him, sending Quilge crashing through a structure while Urahara relays to Akon that Quilge's attempts to seal Tensa Zangetsu are not working, to the shock of those listening.

Watching Urahara scratch his leg and refuse to simply walk into the fight since it is dangerous alongside Dondochakka, Pesche calls him stupid for being so relaxed prior to Urahara revealing that he knows Soul Society has been invaded and that Akon contacting him must mean things are dire, which is why he wants to know how things are going over there. Simultaneously, Quilge flies through the air and ruminates that while he did receive Daten about not letting Ichigo use his Bankai because it cannot be stolen with a Medallion, this is the only factor he was told about, leaving him in disbelief at Ichigo surpassing him so easily despite him using his Quincy: Vollständig and absorbing Ayon. Slammed into the desert below by a Getsuga Tenshō fired at him by Ichigo once the latter drops down onto him, Quilge emerges from the sand cloud with his Reishi Sword raised and fires a barrage of Heilig Pfeil at Ichigo.

After casually slashing through the Heilig Pfeil with his sword, Ichigo brings up Ebern also trying to seal his Bankai. Though he initially declines to answer when Ichigo questions why they are trying to do this and mentally details how he is stuck using Blut Vene to withstand Ichigo's attacks while needing to turn that off so he can effectively counterattack with Blut Arterie, which leads him to wonder if it is time to call for reinforcements, Quilge is enraged by Ichigo suggesting that the Wandenreich are afraid of Bankai and begins yelling about their fearlessness, only to be interrupted when a blast of energy punctures his chest from behind Ichigo, leaving a large hole in it.

Aftermath
With Quilge collapsing, Urahara stands on a rocky outcropping behind Ichigo with his hand emitting smoke and thanks the latter for disrupting Quilge's defensive Reishi long enough for him to deal a fatal blow. Tossing the Denreishinki to Ichigo, Urahara informs him that they have an emergency and that he must head to Soul Society through the nearby Garganta with Akon filling him in, which prompts Ichigo to raise the Denreishinki to his ear as Akon asks him to listen without giving in to despair. Shortly afterward, Sado and Orihime approach Urahara with Nel, leading Urahara to ask them to retrieve the Medallion from Quilge's corpse.

Simultaneously, in the Garganta, Ichigo learns of Gotei 13's losses from their ongoing invasion by the Sternritter and the latter's ability to steal Bankai, which has been done to four captains. However, after Urahara joins the call to share his analysis of the data he collected from the battle against Quilge and explains the Blut system, Ichigo suddenly finds the exit from the Garganta sealed off and a Reishi cage forming around him. Having forced his body to move with Ransōtengai and used his Schrift, The Jail, on Ichigo, Quilge declares that he has no choice but to wait inside the Garganta for Soul Society to fall.

Quilge observes that Ichigo is on a rampage in his attempts to escape the cage, but proclaims that it does not matter because Yhwach granted him The Jail, which means that Ichigo will never escape this prison, and turns to Sado, Orihime, and Nel lying on the sand nearby, whom he decides to finish off before the power he gained from absorbing Ayon disappears. Suddenly, with Urahara begging him to wait, Quilge is cut vertically in half on his left side by a slash from behind, and as a stunned Urahara wonders who could have done that, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez holds a Zanpakutō to his neck, leaving Urahara to curse in frustration.