Chapter 203: Quincy Civil War
A Shinigami, bare-chested, gripping two blue-flamed cleavers in his hands, surveyed the battlefield like a sovereign.
Hundreds of Quincies stood in stunned silence.
Looking at them, Satoru couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Before coming to the human world, he had assumed that the Quincies here, while not on par with the Wandenreich, would at least possess some of their skill.
But now, after fighting them, he realized just how weak they truly were.
Most were only at the level of ordinary squad members—the kind early Ichigo Kurosaki could send flying with a single swing.
The so-called "elites" were little more than glorified foot soldiers.
Fewer than ten had the strength of seated officers, and even those were low-ranking.
Thinking about it, it made sense.
The Shinigami had a complete education system and rigorous training regimens.
Even those with average talent were honed into professionals through the Soul Society's crucible.
Meanwhile, the Quincies had integrated into modern society—they had jobs and lives to maintain.
As a result, their growth and training relied solely on family traditions.
Grandfather taught father, father taught son.
Once the skills were passed down, that was it.
There was no time or infrastructure for proper training.
No wonder their combat abilities were so lacking.
Satoru scanned the crowd.
Only three individuals here could be considered actual fighters.
One was the old man before him. The other two had remained hidden in the crowd, refusing to act even during the chaos.
Satoru sighed inwardly.
Kensei, Kensei… you're a captain, yet you got taken down by these amateurs. How embarrassing.
Under the crowd's gaze, Satoru flicked his wrists, reverting his Zanpakutō to their Asauchi forms and sheathing them.
Then, he declared loudly:
"By the order of Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto!"
"From this day forth, all Quincies are prohibited from killing Hollows without prior approval, except in cases of self-defense!"
"Furthermore… uh, furthermore…"
"If Hollow activity is detected, it must be reported to the stationed Shinigami in the area."
Aizen stepped forward, seamlessly continuing:
"Additionally, the number of newborns must not exceed the number of deaths among the existing population."
"All Quincies must abide by these three rules."
Satoru clapped his hands. "Sodayo! That's it!"
"If you have any objections, voice them now."
"If not, sign the agreement immediately!"
"But let me make this clear—if anyone violates the terms after signing, the next visit won't be for negotiations. It'll be for annihilation!"
At his words, the Quincies paled.
Sōken opened his mouth as if to speak, but after a moment's hesitation, he remained silent.
The three rules, though seemingly harsh, were actually lenient given the power disparity between the two sides.
Right now, the bigger threat wasn't the Shinigami—it was their own "allies."
Toshiki Yonemura and Shōji Inoue.
These two had been leaders of the Quincy clans in the human world before Sōken fled the Wandenreich.
Having never been to the Soul Society, their understanding of the Shinigami's strength was superficial.
Their decisions often reeked of overconfidence, like a dwarf trying to milk a giraffe.
If they resisted the proposal and pushed for an all-out fight, Sōken would have no choice but to stop them.
To his surprise, however, the two didn't immediately protest.
After exchanging glances, Yonemura coughed and said:
"Shinigami, we've witnessed your strength. A direct confrontation would benefit neither side."
"A peace agreement is indeed a reasonable solution."
"But before that, we'd like to confirm—what is your authority? Do you truly represent the Soul Society?"
Before Satoru could respond, Aizen, standing beside him, flared up in anger.
Clang!
Aizen drew his Zanpakutō, pointing it at the Quincies.
He stepped forward, shielding Satoru.
"How dare you disrespect Lord Satoru!"
"Lord Satoru is the direct disciple of Captain-Commander Yamamoto and the supreme authority in this matter! The Captain-Commander has decreed that Lord Satoru holds full authority over the human world's Quincies!"
Almost all the Quincies instinctively focused on the gleaming blade.
Satoru, however, felt a chill run down his spine.
Aizen had drawn his sword too quickly—he hadn't even reacted.
If Aizen hadn't stepped in front of him, blocking Kyōka Suigetsu's line of sight, he might have already fallen under its illusion.
Watching Aizen's back, Satoru smirked.
Sōsuke, you've been acting all stoic since being appointed as my adjutant, like you weren't happy about it.
But now it's clear—you actually like the title, don't you?
Otherwise, you wouldn't have shielded me from Kyōka Suigetsu. Hell, you might've even taken the chance to stab me.
When Yonemura and Inoue remained silent, Aizen swung his blade toward another group, radiating an aura of readiness to fight for honor.
Seeing their leaders hesitate, the other Quincies stayed quiet.
Sensing the tension, Yonemura quickly said, "Sir, there's no need for this. We merely sought clarification."
"If you're the Captain-Commander's disciple, then you're certainly qualified to sign!"
Satoru chuckled. "Sōsuke, stand down. Don't be rude."
"Yes."
Aizen lowered his head, sheathing his sword only partially as he retreated behind Satoru.
Yonemura's lips curled.
He exchanged another glance with Inoue, their eyes conveying mutual understanding.
Then, he looked at Satoru:
"In that case, Lord Satoru, let's proceed as you suggested and sign the contract!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand, guiding Satoru to move further inside.
Satoru nodded with satisfaction: "Excellent, a wise man knows when to yield. Lead the way, lead the way!"
The group then made their way toward the very center of the Quincy camp.
There, several tables were set up, which had been used temporarily by the three leaders for their work.
As expected, the contract would be signed there.
From a distance, Aikawa watched the scene in shock.
Was this for real...? The Quincies, who had stubbornly refused to surrender after such a long standoff, were giving in so quickly after Satoru beat them up?
If he had known earlier, he could have just activated his Bankai, charged in, and dealt with them himself, right?
Just kidding, hehe.
Beside him, Sōjun nodded with a mix of regret and relief.
"As expected of Satoru, effortlessly resolving such a major incident."
"It's just a shame we didn't get a chance to step in."
Unlike the two who were already beginning to relax, Seinosuke frowned.
This scene felt somewhat off to him.
After a few seconds of thought, he couldn't help but say, "Hey, Kuchiki, doesn't this look like the scene the squad members described when Captain Kensei was ambushed?"
At these words, Sōjun froze momentarily.
Meanwhile, Aikawa's eyes widened abruptly.
Now that Seinosuke mentioned it... it really did seem that way.
If it were any other lieutenant or even captain venturing so deep into enemy territory to negotiate, he would have sensed something wrong much earlier.
But Satoru was just so overwhelmingly reassuring.
So much so that he had only felt the issue was about to be resolved, never once considering the possibility that Satoru might be in danger.
"Damn, it's a trap! Follow me, we need to save him!"
Aikawa roared, drawing his Zanpakutō and preparing to charge.
But the Quincies were faster.
Just as Satoru reached the table, over a dozen Quincies emerged from the surroundings.
Each of them had their bows drawn, arrows nocked and ready to fire.
Aizen narrowed his eyes slightly.
As for Satoru, he merely glanced at them before calmly taking a seat at the table as if nothing were amiss.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, he pulled out a sheet of paper and began drafting the contract.
Whenever he couldn't recall something, he casually asked Aizen.
He looked less like someone surrounded by enemies with arrows aimed at him and more like a customer ordering food at a restaurant.
"Wait! Yomura, Inoue, what are you trying to do?!"
Sōken rushed over, positioning himself between the two.
Inoue sneered.
"Didn't you hear, Mr. Ishida?"
"This kid is a disciple of that Yamamoto Shigekuni!"
"If we capture him and use him as a hostage, won't we be able to negotiate terms with Yamamoto Shigekuni?"
"From now on, I'll keep this kid by my side. If the Shinigami dare to mess with the Quincies again, I'll cut off one of his fingers and see how Yamamoto Shigekuni reacts!"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Sōken was utterly dumbfounded.
He truly couldn't hold it together anymore.
Just how stupid were these living world Quincies?
Who was Yamamoto Shigekuni?
He was the Sword Demon, a ruthless man who, if pushed too far, would not hesitate to bury the entire Soul Society with him!
Forget about a mere disciple—even if you resurrected Yamamoto's own parents, you could never threaten that man!
Sweat poured down his face, and he felt on the verge of fainting.
Just as he was anxiously thinking of how to salvage the situation, Satoru, sitting at the table, had already finished writing.
He raised his hand and knocked on the table.
"Quincies, I've finished writing. Come and sign quickly!"
Hearing this, Inoue Sora frowned and glanced at him.
"Fool, don't you know your situation?"
"You are indeed powerful, stronger than that white-haired captain from before, but we've surrounded you!"
"With so many spirit arrows aimed at you, no matter how strong you are, you're doomed!"
"Huh, that strong?"
Satoru, holding the pen, showed a somewhat surprised expression.
Then, he scratched his head and revealed an innocent smile: "But, I don't think any of the people you've arranged can actually hit me."
Upon hearing this, both Yonemura and Inoue showed displeased expressions.
Yonemura looked at him and snorted with a laugh.
"Fine, since you want to suffer a bit, let me give you a taste."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and gave a light wave.
A Quincy, without a word, immediately shot a spirit arrow—
"Argh!!"
Under Yonemura's astonished gaze, Satoru didn't move at all, remaining seated.
The fired spirit arrow brushed past him and struck the chest of a Quincy standing opposite.
The latter clutched his chest, wearing an expression of disbelief.
However, the arrow had struck too accurately, piercing straight through his heart.
After struggling for a moment, this "unlucky" Quincy fell silent.
Yonemura stared at Satoru with doubt and suspicion.
He was certain that this Shinigami hadn't moved at all, remaining seated as steady as an old dog.
A coincidence, it must be a coincidence!
The Quincy who shot the arrow must have been too nervous, causing his hand to shake!
Thinking this, he glanced at several other Quincies and nodded.
Understanding his meaning, the Quincies released their arrows together.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
Several spirit arrows glowing with blue light shot toward Satoru at once.
Yet, the next moment, these arrows flew past Satoru just like before, not even grazing him.
Instead, several Quincies standing on the other side were hit by the spirit arrows, and screams echoed incessantly!
What's going on...
What's wrong with these guys?
So many of them, all with shaky hands?
No, something's wrong. This Shinigami must have used some trick.
Zanpakutō, it's the Zanpakutō!
Yonemura Toshiki widened his eyes, staring at the Zanpakutō hanging at Satoru's waist.
No... this guy hasn't even drawn his sword?
Just as he was marveling in shock, Yonemura suddenly caught sight of an incongruous figure.
It was a Shinigami with an unfamiliar face, wearing a white haori, charging toward him.
Judging by the Shinigami's expression, it seemed he wanted to say something to him?
Yonemura Toshiki's face twisted with rage.
Damn Shinigami, I knew these guys were up to no good!
He roared, raised his spirit bow, and began firing madly at the figure!
The Shinigami captain opposite was taken aback at first, then grew equally enraged, raising a longbow and returning fire.
Yonemura grew even angrier.
A mere Shinigami, daring to use a bow?
Are you worthy?
For a moment, a torrent of light arrows poured forth like a storm, forming a sea of arrows on the battlefield.
Thud!
A long arrow pierced through the crossfire and struck his shoulder.
The intense pain nearly made him cry out, but Yonemura held it back.
Like a madman, he shot more arrows, faster and fiercer.
After paying the price of being shot by four more arrows, he finally managed to suppress his opponent with a slight advantage.
After over twenty consecutive arrows pierced the other's body, Yonemura grinned, revealing an excited smile:
"Damn Shinigami! So what if you're a captain? You still..."
"You still..."
His expression gradually froze.
Under Yonemura's shocked gaze, the Shinigami captain who was lying on the ground covered in spirit arrows gradually became blurry.
When the image cleared again, it had transformed into the appearance of his ally, Inoue Sora!
"S-Sora?!"
Yonemura shouted in disbelief.
He rushed over in large strides and pulled up his friend.
The latter opened his mouth as if trying to say something to him.
But ultimately, he couldn't get the words out.
Sōken watched the entire scene unfold.
Everything happened too quickly—he didn't even have time to intervene.
The only thing he knew was that this horrific scene of comrades turning against each other would likely be forever burned into his memory.
Aizen stood beside Satoru, watching the screaming Yonemura with completely unperturbed eyes.
This is the deserved fate for those who bare their fangs at those they shouldn't challenge...