Yhwach was full of confidence, planning to lead his elite guards into the Soul King Palace.
However, as he stepped through the doorway, he discovered that his subordinates couldn't enter at all.
It was as if an invisible barrier blocked their way.
Yhwach reached out and touched the barrier, the icy sensation on his fingertips making him realize that this was another one of the Soul King's doing.
He snorted coldly, then activated the power of The Almighty, attempting to change this predetermined future.
However, no matter how he urged his power, the trajectory of the future remained unshakeable, as if cast in iron.
A moment later, he withdrew his power, a hint of coldness in his eyes, and finally resigned himself to fate.
"So be it," he said in a low voice, with a tone of resolve.
"Since you cannot accompany me, then remain in the Soul Society."
"I will distribute the power of the remaining Sternritter members to you. You must ensure that you eradicate them completely."
Before he finished speaking, Seeleschneider was activated, and hundreds, even thousands, of Quincy lost their lives at that moment.
Their bodies instantly turned into Mukuro, then dissipated into the air, as if they had never existed.
Haschwalth felt the surging power within him, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.
A moment later, Yhwach turned and left.
Haschwalth watched his retreating figure until the doorway to the Soul King Palace completely disappeared, then slowly turned around to face the assembled Sternritter members.
His voice was cold: "Since His Majesty has entrusted us with such an arduous task, we must not disappoint His Majesty."
"Go forth and act."
"Trample the entire Seireitei with the force of thunder, laying the foundation for His Majesty's victory."
Strengthened by Seeleschneider, they now possessed combat power comparable to a Captain-Commander.
Even if a strengthened Yamamoto Genryusai stood before them, they could swiftly defeat him with their combined efforts.
And Yoriichi Tsugikuni from the Human World had gone to the Soul King Palace and wouldn't be returning anytime soon.
Haschwalth couldn't think of anyone else who could stop them.
Everyone nodded, and then, in groups of two or three, or dispersed, they vanished from their original positions.
From now on, the battle would enter the realm of Captain-level duels.
Haschwalth also vanished shortly after.
However, before he could even break into a certain Division, two people suddenly appeared before him, blocking his path.
Upon closer inspection, it was Kisuke Urahara, and—Bazz-B.
…
"Oh?" Haschwalth stood in mid-air, narrowing his eyes slightly.
His gaze lingered on Kisuke Urahara for two seconds before he looked at Bazz-B, his voice cold yet tinged with relief, "You're actually not dead. That's right, all three Seeleschneider attempts have failed."
"It seems… you've defected to them."
"Bazz-B, you've fallen."
"To kill His Majesty, you even betrayed your own dignity."
Bazz-B snorted coldly, a very displeased expression on his face.
He pushed his mohawk back, about to retort, but Kisuke Urahara stepped forward, lightly tapping his paper fan, a calm smile on his face, and spoke first:
"That's wrong, Hugo. This isn't falling, but rather a proper assessment, abandoning darkness for light."
"Yhwach is not a wise ruler."
"I already know what happened between the two of you."
"Yhwach has shown you kindness, but he is Bazz-B's sworn enemy, having destroyed his family."
"A life for a life, it's only right. What's wrong with us Shinigami helping him achieve his revenge?"
Nothing was wrong, except that Kisuke Urahara's way of addressing him made Haschwalth very uncomfortable.
Hugo… a very distant memory, so distant that merely recalling it brought a wave of physical discomfort.
Haschwalth narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "I am Jugram Haschwalth, Kisuke Urahara. Watch your words, don't make me underestimate you."
His voice held a warning, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
"Are you here to stop me?"
"If so, then come on, Bazz-B, let me see if you've made any progress over the years."
With that, Haschwalth materialized his shield and longsword, and the atmosphere around them instantly became solidified and tense.
Kisuke Urahara felt an unspeakable pressure, but he didn't show any fear; instead, he maintained his calm smile.
"Stop you? You're mistaken. I merely wish for you and Bazz-B to reconcile."
"That's also what Bazz-B wants to see."
"He wants to see the old Hugo, not the current Jugram."
"Coincidentally, the restoration of your friendship also benefits all Shinigami."
"Therefore, in this process, any means can be employed."
Kisuke Urahara closed his fan and put away his smile.
He adopted a fighting stance while revealing Benihime at his waist.
The meaning was quite clear, which Haschwalth found rather contemptible.
Even at such a critical moment, he still had to stand on the side of righteousness to exert moral pressure…
What was clearly a "despicable" two-on-one act was, in a few words, transformed into a righteous battle to defend friendship…
He truly hated Shinigami.
The battle was pure; everything was for the sake of establishing the peace His Majesty envisioned.
When words failed, Haschwalth was the first to unleash a sword strike.
Due to his increased power, even with two enemies before him, he still had the leisure to elaborate on his future plans, putting psychological pressure on them.
"Come at me, both of you. Once I defeat you, I will destroy the Twelfth Division."
"Not a single Quincy who betrayed His Majesty back then can be spared."
"I will make them see the price of betraying His Majesty."
…
It proved that after gaining power, one's self-confidence becomes incredibly inflated.
Whether it was The Almighty Haschwalth or Seeleschneider Haschwalth, his attitude towards Shinigami and traitors was now completely undisguised.
At the same time Kisuke Urahara confronted Haschwalth, Liltotto and her two companions successfully defeated Candice Catnipp.
While lightning was powerful and hard to resist at close range, without her Quincy abilities, Candice was no match for three complete Sternritter.
Candice lay on the ground, tears of grief and indignation streaming from her eyes.
She knew she was going to die, and she hadn't even been able to get her revenge before her death. She was so unwilling.
Usually resilient, she now cried out loud due to her emotional breakdown.
This sudden crying made Bambietta stop her finishing blow.
She raised an eyebrow, looking at Candice with a puzzled expression, and with her hands on her hips, said, "Hey! Why are you crying! That's so embarrassing!"
"Candice, it's just a defeat! Who hasn't failed before?"
"What do you know?!" Since she was going to die anyway, Candice didn't bother to play nice with these people.
Wiping away her incessant tears, she choked out, "Do you know what it feels like to have hundreds of years of hard-earned reishi accumulation taken away overnight?"
"Do you know what it's like to be betrayed and then sent to your death?"
"You know nothing! All you care about is yourselves!"
"I hate you all, especially you, Bambi!"
"What's a month without buying clothes?! Before coming here, I hadn't showered or seen sunlight for a year!"
The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt. People's joys and sorrows are not interconnected, even if they had taken her with them back then.
Instead, the group of six had specifically forgotten her.
Hearing this, Bambietta was speechless.
She scratched the back of her head, a hint of awkwardness flashing in her eyes. Even without experiencing it herself, she felt that Candice was quite miserable.
No wonder she was crying like this.
But…
"We can't be blamed for this, can we? Who knew that Tokito Iwákatsu was a Shinigami in disguise? Even Haschwalth couldn't do anything about him."
"We were also the ones being threatened."
Bambietta stomped her foot. Although the betrayal was a fact, it truly wasn't intentional.
She had a clear conscience regarding her feelings for her sisters.
"If not you, then who? Anyway, everything I'm experiencing now is because of you, so take responsibility, you bastards!"
Candice was grasping at straws; she didn't want to die.
Bambi glanced at her, then pursed her lips.
Responsible… how to be responsible?
It was easy to say, but she herself was a prisoner, only slightly better off than Candice.
Was she supposed to beg Yoriichi Tsugikuni for mercy?
But the problem was, the outcome of this war was still uncertain.
Bambietta's mind was in a turmoil.
Beside her, Liltotto saw the atmosphere turn strange.
With a lollipop in her mouth, she slowly walked forward and asked Candice with downcast eyes, "Are you sure you want us to take responsibility?"
"Of course!" Candice replied without hesitation.
"Alright then." Liltotto nodded. "For the sake of our long-standing friendship, I can let you live."
"What happened back then was indeed our fault, and now that you're in such a terrible state, we do bear some responsibility."
"Come with me."
Liltotto turned. "First, restore your strength, then go support those Shinigami. Only then can you prove your worth."
"We won't be appearing ourselves."
Candice was a bit confused: "Restore my strength? Can my strength even be restored?"
"Of course, do you think the Shinigami have done nothing all these years?" Liltotto said casually.
"As early as back then, they created Quincy-specific Mukuro."
"Within the Mukuro, even a novice Quincy can use the techniques of a Sternritter member."
"But you must remember, these Mukuro were created by Shinigami. They can bestow, and they can also reclaim, easily destroying them even across several worlds."
"Be careful, Candice, this is your last chance."
Liltotto warned her, with or without intent.
While this action wouldn't determine the outcome of the battle, it could earn her some brownie points after the Shinigami's victory.
As for the Quincy winning… if they win, they win.
Anyway, all of this was Candice's doing, and it had nothing to do with them.
Liltotto never put herself in danger, nor would she let Candice reveal the truth.
Glancing at Candice behind her, seeing her excited expression, Liltotto genuinely sighed. This girl was truly naive.
It made her almost reluctant to use her.
However, for everyone to have a bright future, she would just have to sacrifice herself a bit more.
Being used either way was better than being sacrificed as cannon fodder by Haschwalth.
Hmm… thinking about this, Liltotto's sense of guilt instantly vanished.
Then, lightning flashed across the Seireitei, catching some Sternritter members who were fighting Captains off guard.
…
In the Soul King Palace, dense reishi enveloped his skin like water.
Yhwach strolled along the white Omotesando.
The three pupils in his eyes gradually rotated into two, as if adapting to the consumption of some power.
Even he felt a slight fatigue from continuously using The Almighty.
Thud.
Halfway through the path, he stopped, looking around; the environment on both sides seemed peaceful, but was in fact fraught with danger.
The corner of Yhwach's mouth curled slightly, revealing a disdainful snort: "Ichibei Hyosube."
"Aren't you going to come out yet?"
"To invite me all this way here…"
He deliberately elongated his tone,
"I'm very curious, what order did the Soul King give you exactly?"
"To kill me? Or to restrain me?"
The gate just now was opened by the Soul King, Yhwach was convinced, because only the Soul King's power could be immune to his The Almighty.
And to specifically let him enter this place alone, the purpose was self-evident.
At this moment, not far away.
Suddenly, a burst of laughter came.
Yhwach frowned and looked.
He saw.
Ichibei Hyosube walked over with large strides, wearing wooden clogs.
Behind him followed four people, each exuding a powerful and unique aura.
"Is Squad Zero all here?"
Yhwach sensed the clear hostility within the auras.
He did not retreat half a step, but instead walked a few steps forward, the aura emanating from him climbing again as he absorbed reishi.
Until—
"Yhwach, you can stop here!"
"This place will be the end of your life. We, the entire Squad Zero, will definitely not let you take another step and destroy the Three Realms!"
Ichibei Hyosube stomped his foot heavily, raising dust.
He did not draw his Zanpakuto, but stood quietly, with his arms crossed, his gaze like a torch, exuding an unbeatable oppressive feeling.
Beside him was Tenjiro Kirinji, with a dry blade of grass in his mouth.
He carried a Zanpakuto shaped like a hot spring stick on his shoulder, and listening to the monk's words, he nodded carelessly, his tone cynical:
"You are Yhwach, the leader of that Wandenreich?"
"You look very ordinary, I didn't expect things to have escalated to this point."
"The Soul King personally ordered us to kill you here… this is simply outrageous."
"We are Squad Zero, and a mere Quincy actually requires all five of us…"
"Hey, how old are you this year? I don't want people saying I'm bullying an old man."
His mouth was like a machine gun, muttering continuously, and these words, falling into Yhwach's ears, felt only like a mockery.
The Soul King personally ordered?
Hmph.
Yhwach stepped forward, completely ignoring Ichibei Hyosube's threat.
His voice was cold and disdainful:
"Soul King has indeed raised some good dogs."
"Ichibei Hyosube, I ask you."
"Did he invite me in because he saw my future of destroying the Three Realms?"
"In the future I saw, there was no scene of you five appearing. Where is Yoriichi Tsugikuni?"
Yhwach felt that his The Almighty seemed to have some problems.
When he left the gate, he clearly saw that Ichibei Hyosube should have appeared beside him, but now he was walking from a distance…
Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who was supposed to intercept him, was gone, replaced by the five members of Squad Zero.
All these changes indicated the disappearance of the predetermined future.
Ichibei Hyosube listened to Yhwach's words, a subtle smile spreading across his lips:
"Well, who knows, maybe here, maybe in the Human World, or maybe in the Soul Society."
"Surrender, Yhwach, your The Almighty is still too naive compared to what the Soul King possesses."
"You have no chance left."
These words seemed to declare that Yhwach's future had been seen through by the Soul King, and his fate was already sealed.
But Yhwach didn't believe any of this, because in this world, no one understood the Soul King's current state better than him.
He sneered: "No chance, I don't think so."
"Ichibei Hyosube, you don't need to bluff me."
"The Soul King's The Almighty, back then, due to the actions of those five people, was left with only the ability of Omniscience."
"He can see the future I see, but he cannot directly make changes; he can only rewrite the future I see through indirect actions."
"Your appearance and Yoriichi Tsugikuni's disappearance are no exception."
"How can a mere sealed dead person defeat me?"
"It is you who should surrender."
Saying that, Yhwach continued to walk forward, his posture calm, as if he had already seen the future where all five of them were annihilated.
The smile on Ichibei Hyosube's face gradually faded.
Seeing Yhwach's stubbornness, he snorted coldly and drew his Zanpakuto:
"Let's go, everyone. From today onwards, there will be no more Yhwach in the world."
"With all five of us attacking together, Yhwach, even if you die, you can be proud."
Yhwach let out a cold laugh, his three eyes opened, and the reishi in the air became even denser, as if moving through glue.
Immediately after, an unprecedented great battle erupted directly on the Omotesando.
The collision of spiritual pressures distorted the air, and the ground cracked into countless fissures under the immense impact.
The magnitude of the wave was so great that even the Seireitei in the lower realm trembled continuously!
...
Not far away, above the sky, within the Soul King's Great Palace, the true resting place of the Soul King.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni stood before the Soul King, his brows tightly furrowed, his heart filled with confusion.
He somewhat didn't understand the Soul King's meaning.
Bringing him here without any indication, even with The Almighty, this action was a bit too inexplicable.
At this moment, the battle of the six people below had begun, and the air turned cold.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni felt the movement and was about to turn to provide support.
Unexpectedly, his Shinigami robes held him back.
He looked down, his haori fluttering, forming a single word.
—Wait.
"Wait?" Yoriichi became even more confused, but soon, he understood why he had to wait.
He saw that the five individuals below were all instantly killed by Yhwach.
Ichibei Hyosube, who was at the forefront, even used some powerful technique, darkening the sky.
However, even so, he couldn't block Yhwach's casual strike, instantly turning into scattered parts.
Yoriichi savored the fluctuation of that powerful technique and realized that even if he wanted to withstand it, he would have to pay some price,
Because it involved a power of some kind of rule.
Yhwach was so effortless?
How did he do it?
The Almighty?
The information Ichibei Hyosube gave him back then didn't record any of this.
No wonder he wanted him to stay here; it seems this was also the future the Soul King saw, but…
To just sit by and watch the five people die, isn't that a bit too cruel?
Does the Soul King trust him so much?
Yoriichi tightened his grip on the sword hilt.
And just as he was observing the battle, Yhwach also noticed the subtle gaze directed at him.
He looked up.
Despite the great distance, he still saw Yoriichi Tsugikuni located within the Soul King's main hall.
The corner of his mouth curled into a meaningful smile.
"Interesting, so he's there?"
"My father, it seems your trust in him far exceeds that in Ichibei Hyosube."
"However, this is meaningless."
Thump, thump, thump.
With blood everywhere, Yhwach withdrew his gaze and slowly walked forward.
The surrounding reishi, under his control, gathered at his feet, as if paving a path to victory for him.
He approached the main hall step by step.
As long as he dealt with Yoriichi Tsugikuni, no one in these Three Realms would be his opponent.
That poor monk still wanted to kill him, what a joke; in front of The Almighty, any technique was meaningless.
Even if he could truly kill him, he could rewrite that future.
Kill once, rewrite once; kill ten thousand times, rewrite ten thousand times.
He was invincible.
Only this.
Yhwach was convinced.
...
In the Human World, Kurosaki Masaki looked at the blond young man in front of her, her expression grave.
Because she had seen, and killed, this young man before. Without a doubt, he was a bad person.
The current chaos in the city was probably caused by him.
She drew her bow, ready to act.
Gremmy suddenly raised his hand, interrupting: "Wait a moment, woman, let's talk before the battle begins."
"I know you're very strong; you once killed me with a single arrow."
"But, are you sure the 'me' you killed was the real me?"
"You have a husband and children, don't you?"
"I'll give you a chance."
"Surrender obediently, and I'll let them go."
"Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?" Kurosaki Masaki asked coldly. She hated being threatened.
So, without hesitation, she shot an arrow.
Instantly, Gremmy shattered and disappeared.
However, the next second, another Gremmy appeared in the same spot.
He looked at his chest, his expression grave:
"Indeed… even if I imagine my body to be harder than steel, it will be killed directly by the arrow you shoot."
"That bow of yours, it must be a rule-based ability, right?"
"Still, the same words: surrender obediently. I might have difficulty killing your husband and son, but your two daughters…"
Whoosh! Another arrow came, and Kurosaki Masaki was truly enraged this time.
However, this arrow was still ineffective.
Gremmy patted non-existent dust from his body and continued: "It's meaningless. Since you're so stubborn, then I'll show you what fate your two daughters will ultimately face."
Saying that, his gaze turned to a middle-aged fat man running nearby.
With a gentle snap of his fingers.
Snap.
The fat man floated in the air as if weightless, and then, he tightly clutched his own throat with both hands, his face flushed, his skin cracking.
A small cosmic starry sky appeared behind the fat man.
At just that sight, Kurosaki Masaki's face instantly turned pale.
"You…"
"How about it?" Gremmy smiled, his hands in his pockets, his smile gentle yet full of bloodlust.
Kurosaki Masaki gritted her teeth, but there was nothing she could do.
She had no choice…