"Boom!"
Explosions and roars shook the Soul Society without pause. Endless flas stretched long, flickering shadows across the bloodstained earth, casting a hellish hue over the battlefield. War had painted the sky black, and the Soul Society looked more twisted and desolate than ever.
"Kill! Don't fear! Our king guides us!"
The Quincies charged like fearless war machines, wave after wave, their battle cries drowning in madness as they surged toward the Shinigami ranks.
"Noisy."
Unfortunately for them, no matter how many ca, they were nothing before him. With flas splitting the sky, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni—the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13—walked forward. With each step of his fiery blade, another group of Quincies turned to ash. Nothing remained but charred corpses under his feet.
"Hmph? What? Am I the first one to arrive?"
Yamamoto's gravelly voice echoed as he stepped past the wreckage of enemies, his flaming sword still burning fiercely. Arriving at the gate of the 1st Division beneath Sōkyoku Hill, he found no other Shinigami in sight. His brows furrowed deeply.
"Second!"
A blur of purple flashed behind him.
A figure landed with a flourish, throwing her arms up in a dramatic pose. "Second to arrive!" she shouted proudly.
"Saitō...?"
Yamamoto raised an eyebrow. It was Saitō Furuobushi—the ever-lively, ever-clueless girl.
"Idiot. You're the fourth one."
Before Saitō could even bask in her self-declared victory, a low voice cut in. A dark figure slowly rose from what had seed like a scorched corpse, his skin blending with ash and shadow.
Saitō jumped. "Ahh! You damn Shihōin Chihiro! I didn't even see you there!"
Chihiro, ever the shadow, smirked as he brushed ash from his shoulders. "Even if you got here before , I was still the third one. You're fourth."
Saitō's triumphant aura deflated instantly.
Chihiro glanced into the distance. "Actually... soone beat all of us."
In the next mont, a loud crunch echoed as if soone were deliberately stepping on bones.
Kadori Hattori walked through the carnage, her naginata slung casually over one shoulder. Her every step deliberately crushed Quincy corpses beneath her sandals. Her chest bounced with each movent, drawing eyes whether she wanted them or not.
"Tch. Stop looking at indecent things."
Chihiro turned away imdiately, muttering. Despite his playful nature, he was a married man.
"You're all too fast with your shunpo! Save your energy, dammit!"
"Where are the enemies? I don't see a single one!"
In a blur, Yan of the 3rd Division and Zenjōji of the 12th Division arrived next, kicking up a storm as they landed under the ruined hill.
"Oho! Looks like we won."
Saitō placed her hands on her hips proudly, seeing more of her comrades arriving.
"Captain, everyone—you've all been here a while, huh?"
A new voice rang out. It was Obana Danjirō, the 5th Division's leader, stumbling in with a huff.
"Ugh, I'm exhausted... I need a nap..."
"Running around like this at my age... cruel..."
More followed behind him: Shijima Chigiri of the 4th, Nikotsu Saizō of the 13th, Nobutsuna Shigyō of the 7th, and Kun Iyotetsu of the 9th. Shijima and Saizō put on acts of fatigue and weakness, though neither had a drop of sweat on them. Nobutsuna scanned the horizon, hand above his brow, while Kun laughed with a gold-toothed grin, pointing at Genryūsai.
"That's eleven..."
"Wait—we're still missing one!"
Chihiro scanned the group—and then noticed her.
Behind Yamamoto stood a silent woman, her long hair draped over her shoulders like a funeral shroud. Unohana Retsu had arrived without a word, her cold eyes already hinting at the violence to co.
"Ah... she's already here."
Chihiro clenched his fist, muttering, "Then that's everyone."
Just then, footsteps echoed.
A man wearing a bamboo hat jogged toward the group, his sandals scraping against the scorched earth.
"Sorry, I'm late! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!"
It was Yūki of the 10th Division.
"Ah... we forgot about that guy," everyone muttered, collectively turning their backs.
"Actually... we weren't really waiting for you," Chihiro said with a sly smile. "So, no, you didn't make us wait long at all."
"Whew! That's a relief!"
Yuki exhaled happily, completely missing the sarcasm.
"Hahaha! Where's Araki? He was the first to leave—but the last to arrive?"
Saitō suddenly burst out laughing. After years of being outpaced by Araki, she had finally beaten him in sothing, and she would never let him live it down.
"A hundred years? No—I'll laugh at him for a thousand. No... ten thousand years!"
She roared with laughter, as the last of the division leaders stood united beneath the smoldering sky.
"That's impossible! The reason we gathered here is because Araki told he detected a large number of enemy troops in this location—"
Before Saito could finish, Yamamoto Genryūsai interrupted, his voice calm but firm, explaining the true reason they had chosen this position.
"Eh?!"
Saito's pupils shrank slightly.
"If Araki ca here first… then where is he now?!"
Her heart skipped a beat. A wave of unease surged through her as she began to worry about Araki's safety.
"…"
Genryūsai remained silent. In his mind, there were only a handful of Quincies capable of facing Araki in direct combat—and only one of them might force Araki to abandon his post.
Just then—
BOOM!!!
Explosions rocked the air. Blinding light and thunderous shockwaves tore through the sky.
"The enemy is coming!"
From all directions, Quincies in pristine white knight uniforms surged like a tidal wave, encircling the captains of the Gotei 13 with overwhelming force.
"Fight!!"
Without hesitation, Genryūsai drew the Zanpakutō at his waist. In an instant, flas exploded around him, lighting the battlefield ablaze.
"Kill!!!"
The captains beside him leapt forward like tigers into a flock of sheep. Moonlight reflected off flashing blades as blood painted the ground crimson. Severed limbs and scattered corpses filled the air with a macabre beauty.
"Rember to sever the heads or limbs of these Quincies~"
"Otherwise, they'll rise again using that strange ability—Ransōtengai~"
Nigushi Saizō grinned wickedly as he reminded the others, though it hardly mattered. The captains weren't leaving anyone standing. Each slash was fatal—throats cut, torsos cleaved, bodies halved.
"Damn it! Damn it!! DAMN IT!!!"
"Where the hell are you, Araki?! Don't you dare die!!"
Saito Furobushi slashed with all her fury, her Zanpakutō dancing with death. Every strike drew blood. Every strike was a kill.
anwhile, Unohana Retsu fought with eerie calm.
She didn't believe Araki would be defeated. Not by a re Quincy. The man who could fight her head-on would not fall so easily.
In truth, there were three nas on this battlefield that terrified the Quincies: Araki, Unohana, and Saito.
—
Thirty spirit units away, near the 1st Division's barracks…
Araki stood alone, facing a man in a black cloak atop a white horse.
The man's long black hair was slightly unkempt, his gaze cold and arrogant. Surrounding him were several mbers of the Sternritter, adorned in gleaming white.
Araki's brows twitched. A few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"This is... really the jackpot."
He stared up at the man—and at that mont, the system panel in his mind blinked to life.
[Ergency Quest: Defeat Yhwach!]
Final reward will depend on the battle outco between the Host and the Quincy Emperor Yhwach.
[Main Quest: Kill Yhwach!]
Seal him alongside his father in the Soul King Palace.
Final reward: ???
Yes. The man casually riding through Soul Society, as if on a royal parade, was none other than—
Yhwach, Emperor of the Wandenreich, progenitor of all Quincies, the tyrant known only as "Your Majesty."
But this Yhwach... was not yet at his peak. If this version was comparable to the Yhwach clone made by Royd Lloyd during the Thousand-Year Blood War, then Araki still had a shot. At the very least, he could gain sothing valuable from the ergency quest—and continue stockpiling strength.
"Araki… I've been waiting for you."
Yhwach's deep voice echoed from atop the white horse.
"You have the sa power as us. You shouldn't be siding with the Shinigami. Now, I give you a chance—cast away your Zanpakutō and join the Quincy. Beco my son. Stand beside and lend your strength to eternal peace. You will be the brightest cornerstone of the new world!"
"...Huh? You damn Whitebeard?!"
Araki's eye twitched.
This guy… Didn't he know what happened to the last man who went around collecting sons?
Half his head got blown off.
Araki raised his hand.
"ROOM — Piercing Wave!!"
A powerful ripple distorted the air. His blade shimred with awakened energy.
"NEIGHHHH!!!"
The white horse cried out in agony as it collapsed, a clean gash opening across its body.
"HOW DARE YOU!!" one of the Sternritter howled. "You dared to kill His Majesty's horse?!"
Araki narrowed his eyes.
"No one rides into Soul Society like it's a playground… and walks away."
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