A moment later, at Urahara Shop.
"You're awake?"
As soon as Inoue Orihime opened her eyes, she heard those words.
Her vision was still a little blurry, the light before her was soft, and a faint herbal scent permeated the air.
Before her eyes was a young man in white, smiling, holding a folding fan and gently fanning himself, looking very gentle.
Her head hurt a little, and Inoue Orihime frowned.
Before she could ask where she was, memories suddenly flooded her mind like a tide.
Her face turned pale, and her fingers unconsciously tightened on the bedsheet, her knuckles turning white.
"Kurosaki-kun... brother..."
"Who are you?"
"Is it really a dream?"
Her thoughts were still muddled, and her words seemed illogical to others, but Kisuke Urahara understood them perfectly.
With a snap, Kisuke Urahara closed his fan.
Seeing the girl's distraught appearance, he turned his head and called out behind him:
"Kurosaki-kun, this child is awake; come quickly and tell her what just happened."
Creak—Kurosaki ichigo pushed the door open and walked in.
Immediately after, he heard Kisuke Urahara say that Inoue Orihime's mind might have been stimulated and needed proper guidance.
Stimulation... Thinking about it, Kurosaki ichigo belatedly realized that he had split her brother.
Seeing ghosts late at night, and seeing a "murder scene," it was normal for a high school girl to go crazy under such circumstances.
He took a deep breath, walked to Inoue Orihime's bedside, and spoke as gently as possible:
"Inoue, listen to me..."
Kurosaki ichigo recounted the events, and Inoue Orihime's mind gradually calmed down as he narrated.
She looked up, her eyes filled with anticipation and unease:
"Is that so? My brother, because he missed me too much, turned into a monster called a Hollow?"
"Kurosaki-kun, you're actually a Shinigami, responsible for sending Hollows to the afterlife?"
"What about my brother? Is he dead?"
She didn't question the truth or falsity of any of this because the bruises from when she was grabbed were clearly visible on her arms.
Kurosaki ichigo paused and explained:
"It depends on how you define the word 'death.'"
"Your brother's physical body died three years ago, but his soul has not."
"Currently, his soul has been sent by me to Soul Society, which is the world of the dead; he will be fine there."
"Inoue, you can rest assured."
After speaking, he glanced at Kisuke Urahara, exchanging a look.
Although he couldn't read anything from the other's eyes, Kurosaki ichigo still nodded and said to Inoue Orihime in a businesslike manner:
"Since you're awake, my mission is complete for now."
"Next, I need to modify this memory of yours, as the existence of Shinigami should not be known to outsiders."
"Although you are my classmate and we've known each other for a month, I do trust you quite a bit."
"However, since it concerns world peace, I must be cautious."
"You shouldn't have any objections, right?"
How could she not have objections? But since Kurosaki-kun said it, Inoue Orihime could only agree.
She lowered her head, a blush spreading across her face, and softly hummed, signaling Kurosaki ichigo to be gentle.
But before Kurosaki ichigo could act, Kisuke Urahara suddenly spoke, interrupting their actions:
"Kurosaki-kun, please wait a moment."
"You just said this young lady is your classmate, right?"
"Because you met her during a mission, I thought she was just a passerby you knew..."
"Since she's your classmate, then I have to tell you something."
Kisuke Urahara opened his fan, his gaze lingering on Inoue Orihime for a moment, and said,
"After my recent examination of her, I discovered that she has an unactivated fragment of the Soul King within her."
"You might not be clear what a Soul King fragment is, but this is the fundamental reason why humans can become Shinigami."
"You have one in your body too."
"This child has the potential to become a Shinigami."
Compared to ordinary Shinigami, Kisuke Urahara preferred Shinigami with Soul King fragments.
Because their abilities could better maintain the balance of the Three Realms.
Kurosaki ichigo paused, seemingly understanding the implication of Kisuke Urahara's words, though not fully comprehending.
He frowned, a hint of doubt in his tone:
"Urahara, you're not trying to make Inoue a Shinigami, are you? Is that even possible?"
"I really don't know what a Soul King fragment is, but since it's unactivated, it means she has no combat power, right?"
"She hasn't learned any fighting techniques, nor can she fight... Becoming a Shinigami, isn't that a bit too childish?"
Kisuke Urahara glanced at Kurosaki ichigo, muttering:
"How rude, calling me 'old man.' But, given my generosity, I won't hold it against you."
He cleared his throat, his tone becoming serious:
"Childish, perhaps, but don't forget, you are humans, and after death, your souls will enter Soul Society."
"Even if you live over a hundred years, to us Shinigami, it's just a hundred years of time."
"Starting to learn now is not too late."
Kisuke Urahara slowly got up.
He walked to the bookshelf in the room, searching for something while saying:
"There's no need to clear her memory; any soul that can become a Shinigami deserves special treatment."
"The Three Realms are too vast; a few thousand Shinigami alone cannot govern them."
"Decades ago, when the Captain-Commander first returned from Squad Zero, I heard he issued a mission to find Fullbringers."
"Hmm... found it."
He pulled out a piece of paper from a book on the bookshelf; the paper was yellowed, seemingly stored for a long time.
He came to Inoue Orihime and handed her the paper:
"This is it."
"A plan led by Squad Zero and coordinated by the 1st Division to search for suitable talents in the Human World and Hueco Mundo to form a Fullbringer Shinigami squad."
"Young lady, you can give it a try; it won't waste much of your time, and it can give you some self-preservation ability."
"The location is Karakura Town, Sanchome, on the third floor of Century Building, the Gotei Dojo."
"Take this registration form; at that time, a special person will guide you in developing X-cution, if you truly possess the aptitude."
Inoue Orihime was a bit confused by Kisuke Urahara's words.
What is X-cution? What is a Soul King fragment?
Words she normally understood, when put together, became completely unfamiliar.
Of course, even if she didn't understand, she knew she had stumbled upon some kind of opportunity.
Like a magical girl...
Should she agree? But she had no money; the Gotei Dojo sounded like it required tuition...
Inoue Orihime fell into a dilemma, her fingers gently rubbing the registration form, her heart wavering.
Kisuke Urahara smiled, seemingly seeing through her dilemma, and said:
"As for tuition fees, don't worry."
"Our Gotei Dojo doesn't rely on student tuition for a living."
"On the contrary, if you have the aptitude, we will even subsidize some living expenses to improve your living conditions."
"Furthermore—"
To reassure Inoue Orihime, Kisuke Urahara added a few more sentences:
"If there are abnormalities around you, like humans with extraordinary physical abilities who can see ghosts, you can also tell us."
"More than half of them are likely unawakened Fullbringers."
"Later, if we confirm their identities, you can also receive a bonus."
"There are many benefits; it's better to act than to just be tempted, young lady, don't hesitate, come quickly."
It sounded like a pyramid scheme advertisement, but Inoue Orihime was genuinely moved.
She took a deep breath, glanced at the registration form in her hand, and looked up:
"I understand, Kurosaki-kun, can I trust you?"
She looked at Kurosaki ichigo, her eyes flickering, as if seeking some confirmation.
Ichigo hesitated for a moment, then nodded, because his childhood training had taken place at the Gotei Dojo.
Even now, he occasionally went there to develop X-cution.
Though it had never really had any effect.
After nodding, Ichigo pondered:
"You can come with me this weekend; I happen to have some things to deal with."
"To be honest, I'm also one of the students there..."
"By the way, Urahara, you mentioned people with abnormal physical abilities..."
"Does being able to shoulder an I-beam falling from ten meters and only getting a scalp injury count?"
"And getting into a car accident, being fine yourself, but sending the driver to the hospital instead..."
What was that? Kisuke Urahara dug at his ears, feeling like he had misheard.
Ten meters; even a steel ball falling from that height could easily kill a person, let alone construction steel.
A car accident goes without saying.
Are there really such powerful humans around Kurosaki ichigo?
A hint of interest rose in his heart, and Kisuke Urahara smiled, nodding:
"Yes, of course it counts; tell me that person's identity, address, and age."
"I'll send someone to contact them later."
"Without a doubt, he is also a Fullbringer, and the kind that is on the verge of awakening."
"His X-cution might be related to physical strength..."
At this point, seeing that it was getting late, Kisuke Urahara collected his thoughts and drew his Zanpakuto, opening a Senkaimon:
"That's all, Kurosaki-kun, I'm leaving now; there are still some matters to attend to at the Twelfth Division."
"See you this weekend."
"Young lady, be sure to go."
...
After Kisuke Urahara left, silence returned to the room.
Although there were two children peeking outside the door, the atmosphere inside the room was quite delicate.
Kurosaki ichigo coughed twice, also gave a few instructions, and quickly left.
However, halfway out, he suddenly remembered something, quickly returned, and prepared to take Inoue Orihime back to her own home.
Inoue Orihime's face was flushed; being alone with Kurosaki ichigo in their own world made her heart race.
Her fingers intertwined, her heart pounding, as if she could hear her own heartbeat.
Unknowingly, she arrived at her doorstep, and Ichigo had already left.
The moonlight was like frost, and the air was slightly cold; recalling past memories, she sighed.
Pushing the door open, time flowed on.
That weekend, she displayed extraordinary talent.
Under Tsukishima Shūkurō's guidance, she quickly awakened her X-cution—Shun Shun Rikka.
For this, she received a living subsidy of about 200,000 yen, almost a month's income for an average adult.
Her living conditions greatly improved.
And at this time, she found that the Kurosaki family had not forgotten her either, occasionally inviting her back for gatherings and such.
As a result, with both spiritual and material fulfillment, she experienced a taste of happiness.
I'm increasingly grateful for the decision I made back then.
If not for what happened that night,
I probably wouldn't have gained these things in this lifetime...
The world is so beautiful.
...
"This world is too awful."
Haschwalth murmured softly, his voice almost carried away by the wind.
He walked alone on the streets of the Human World, his gaze coldly sweeping his surroundings.
He was feeling a bit heavy-hearted because he couldn't contact any of the Quincy in Japan.
"There's still a year until His Majesty's revival; if we can't gather enough power, all our previous efforts will be in vain."
"What exactly is going on in the Human World?"
A perfectly good plan was stuck at the very last step.
The mixed-blood Quincy in the Human World hadn't died, which meant the seal on The Almighty by the Soul King's left arm couldn't be broken back then.
If it couldn't be broken, it meant the plan to conquer Soul Society in nine days would be mere empty talk.
Haschwalth had no choice; to prevent the Sternritter, who had been so difficult to assemble, from dying before their first battle, he could only risk coming to the Human World to investigate.
Soon after, he saw a scene of a mixed-blood Quincy mixed in with Shinigami.
"As expected, a fallen bloodline..."
His gaze locked onto Ishida Uryū not far away, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
On the tall building, the fierce wind ruffled his hair. Haschwalth's gaze was profound, as if he wanted to engrave Ishida Uryū's figure into his eyes.
"The Ishida Clan, huh..."
Since it was night, he tried to use the power of Seeleschneider.
Unfortunately, even at such a close distance, it still ended in failure.
"The Shinigami's methods, as expected..."
He wondered why all the power Yhwach absorbed came from Quincy outside of Japan.
At first, he thought Yhwach wanted to strike later, waiting to absorb enough power in one go before swallowing Japan.
He hadn't expected...
Although Haschwalth really wanted to immediately kill all the Human World Quincy, including Ishida Uryū, his task wasn't to kill people.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the killing intent in his heart, and decided to inform Yhwach first.
Meanwhile,
on the ground,
Ishida Uryū, who was walking with Kurosaki ichigo from the 1st Division training hall, vaguely sensed a chill.
His steps paused slightly, his brows furrowed, and he looked around, but found nothing.
Unconsciously zipping up his jacket, Ishida Uryū just thought it was his imagination.
He turned to look at Inoue Orihime, who was slowly appearing behind him, and asked Kurosaki ichigo beside him in a cold voice:
"Kurosaki-kun, why do we have to bring her to our training?"
The wind was a bit noisy, covering Kurosaki ichigo's hearing.
He turned his head: "Huh? What did you say?"
"Orihime?"
"She's very strong; she mastered X-cution in just one week. I'm ashamed of myself."
Although the answer was completely off-topic, Ishida Uryū roughly understood the reason.
He frowned, pushed up his glasses, and said nothing more.
Kurosaki ichigo continued:
"Speaking of which, it's a bit of a coincidence. The medium she used for X-cution was actually the hair ornament her brother gave her back then."
"I'm not so lucky; I don't have anything I particularly like. Ishida, you should have something, right?"
Ishida Uryū did have something: his family heirloom weapon, the Ginrei Kojaku, given to him by his grandfather.
Unfortunately, he had never found a way to infuse it with love, and at the same time, it was difficult for his emotions to fluctuate greatly.
Looking down at the Ginrei Kojaku hidden in his sleeve, a complex emotion surged in Ishida Uryū's heart.
At this moment, Inoue Orihime caught up, panting:
"You... you two, why are you walking so fast? Thank you for taking care of me. How about coming to my place for a simple meal tonight?"
"My subsidy just came in, so I have money to go grocery shopping. What do you two want to eat?"
Inoue Orihime's face was beaming with a bright smile, and her eyes were full of enthusiasm.
Kurosaki ichigo was not embarrassed at all and replied with a smile:
"Sure, is it just the three of us? Should we call Chad too?"
"Don't worry about the extra portion; I'll pay. If not, there's still Ishida; his family is super rich."
Ishida Uryū shook his head. He quietly gripped the Ginrei Kojaku and politely declined:
"Sorry, I don't have time today. I still have to practice Licht Regen with my grandfather tonight."
"The nine-year period is almost up; in another year, I'll be able to break the seal."
"By then, even if I haven't mastered the power of a Shinigami, I'll be able to regain the glory of the Quincy."
"So..."
Even though Ishida Uryū hadn't finished speaking, Kurosaki ichigo understood his meaning.
He smiled and said indifferently:
"You don't need to say anything, Ishida, I understand. If you have something to do, then go ahead and be busy."
"As for your share, we'll eat it for you."
"As long as we're still friends, that's fine. We are friends, right, Ishida?"
"..."
Ishida Uryū was silent.
After a long time, he nodded:
"Yes."
"I'll take my leave first."
After speaking,
he walked towards his home. The two watched his retreating back, neither of them speaking.
...
That night,
an uninvited guest broke into Ishida Uryū's room.
Ishida Uryū was playing with the Ginrei Kojaku and didn't "see" him.
The figure watched him for a long time, the sword in his hand tightening slightly.
Finally, as if sensing something, he lowered his brows slightly and, like a shadow, faded and disappeared from where he stood.
...
Wandenreich.
"I apologize, Your Majesty, I was unable to act."
Haschwalth knelt and reported all his findings from his two trips to the Human World to Yhwach.
"Those mixed-blood Quincy are protected by an invisible force."
"It seems to be some kind of X-cution."
"My power is not enough to silently kill them without triggering the X-cution."
In the crystal coffin, Yhwach listened to Haschwalth's report. Although displeased, he could only accept this fact reluctantly.
After all, he had never considered what to do if Seeleschneider failed back then.
Because in his impression, it was impossible for it to happen.
He hadn't expected that the Shinigami's signal jamming would directly ruin over nine hundred years of his efforts.
A cold snort boomed in Haschwalth's mind.
Yhwach said in a deep voice:
"Since that is the case, then there is no need to focus your attention on them anymore."
"Once I revive, it won't be too late to carry out the slaughter and lay the foundation for peace."
"Haschwalth, I now command you to select ten or more Sternritter members to come before me."
"For the future of the Quincy, it is time to ask them to make a sacrifice."
The meaning of these words was quite obvious.
Although it would affect the troop deployment for the attack on Seireitei a year later, no amount of troops could compare to The Almighty.
Upon hearing this, Haschwalth was extremely helpless but could only do as commanded.
After all, Yhwach's revival was the most important thing.
If he were to kill those Quincy in the Human World for Yhwach's revival, and then be ambushed by the Shinigami... that would be putting the cart before the horse.
Sighing, Haschwalth left the palace.
About ten minutes later, ten Sternritter members, whom he deemed "useless," walked in one after another.
Initially, these individuals thought Yhwach had summoned them for something important, but they hadn't expected it was to send themselves to their deaths...
Their expressions changed drastically.
Among them, the most hot-tempered Candice Catnipp cursed out a string of obscenities because she couldn't accept reality.
"F***!"
Unfortunately, all their resistance was futile before Yhwach.
Like trying to stop a chariot with a praying mantis's arms, their powers were quickly retracted, and some of them visibly turned into Mukuro.
Candice, who cursed the most fiercely, miraculously escaped thanks to her special constitution.
She only lost her Quincy power but not her Sternritter, yet she lay sickly on the ground, no longer having the strength to curse.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Clear footsteps sounded from ahead. Candice knew it was Haschwalth returning.
She wanted to look up, wanted to curse him, wanted to try hard to live.
Unfortunately, reality wouldn't be so kind.
Haschwalth walked up to her, his gaze lowered, cold as frost, devoid of any emotion, as if looking at a stranger:
"Oh, there's still one alive?"
"Your luck is good."
"Although I want to congratulate you on escaping, I apologize, but for His Majesty, please exert your last bit of warmth."
Saying that, he slowly bent down and dragged Candice step by step out of the palace.
He called Kiruge and handed her over to him.
"Go, lock her up."
"Make sure she doesn't die."
"The vanguard team a year from now will still need her."
"Yes." Kiruge didn't care why Candice had become like this.
As the warden, he only needed to do his job.
He locked her up and took her away, and a long silence returned to the air.
Haschwalth stood on the steps in front of the palace, gazing at the deep darkness not far away, a faint light flickering in his eyes.
After a long time, he disappeared from where he stood.
...
Not long after,
"A wonderful feeling, my The Almighty has finally returned."
Yhwach completely awakened from nearly a millennium of slumber.
Because he had absorbed ten Sternritter members, his awakening was a few days faster than planned.
This was inconsequential.
He left the coffin, immediately opened his three eyes, summoned Haschwalth, and prepared to assign troops.
Later, from the endless future, he chose the path most beneficial to himself.
"Gremmy, you lead seven-tenths of the Quincy to invade Soul Society."
"Haschwalth, I leave the remaining three-tenths to you; go and destroy the order of the Human World."
"Our goal is to destroy the Shinigami system constructed by the Soul King."
"Therefore, no soul can be spared."
"I'm going to meet Yamamoto Genryusai and Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
At this point, Yhwach, sitting alone on the throne, slowly raised his eyes.
His three crimson eyes rotated erratically, and his voice carried a unique composure,
"Also—Royd Lloyd, Royd."
"You two transform into my appearance and prevent them from leaving Soul Society."
"Thus, the balance of the Three Realms will be broken in a short time, and Squad Zero will appear."
"Hyōsube... Hmph."
"Go and act."