Fate In Bleach (486)

Chapter 486 - Reinforcements for Hueco Mundo

Kirio Hikifune's inspiration to merge "Temporary Souls" into herself came from the relationship between Shinigami and their Zanpakutō.

Being unable to use Bankai undoubtedly represented a significant reduction in the captains' strength.

The difference between a tenfold and a fivefold increase in spiritual pressure might seem like only double, but the actual combat power manifested was far beyond a simple twofold comparison.

It could be said that this single piece of information nearly nullified more than half of the Gotei Thirteen's combat strength.

The assembled captains wore grave expressions.

If they previously harbored doubts about Yhwach's final prophecy—"seizing the world in nine days"—this news solidified their fears.

After all, with powerhouses like Captain-Commander Yamamoto and Captain Ailin present within the Gotei Thirteen, how could Yhwach's Quincy empire possibly conquer the world in such a short time?

Now, with the revelation that the Quincy possessed means to seal or steal Shinigami Bankai, everyone understood the true peril the Gotei Thirteen faced.

If this problem wasn't solved, forget nine days; the Seireitei might not even last three.

At this moment, the captains' gazes turned once again to Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

If anyone in the entire Seireitei could possibly research a method to prevent Bankai from being sealed or stolen, it had to be Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

Of course, Kisuke Urahara in the World of the Living might also be capable of this.

"Hmph."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi snorted coldly. "Regarding this matter, I will begin research immediately upon my return."

"First, we must determine whether the Quincy are sealing Bankai or stealing it."

"I hope that before my research is complete, all captains will refrain from using Bankai if possible."

"After all, if it's sealing, it's manageable; the captains simply cannot use Bankai."

"But if it's theft, the Quincy side might possess methods to utilize the stolen Bankai in conjunction with their own abilities!"

"At that time, the Bankai stolen from you captains might become the very means they use against us."

Mayuri's words sent another wave of shock through the captains' hearts.

Indeed, if the Quincy used a stolen Bankai against them, would they, unable to use their own Bankai, be a match for the enemy?

Furthermore, Vice-Captain Sasakibe's Bankai had already been taken. Perhaps in the next Quincy assault, they would have to face Sasakibe's Bankai wielded by the enemy.

Thinking this, everyone's gaze converged on Captain-Commander Yamamoto again.

"Old Man Yama..."

Shunsui Kyoraku pulled his conical hat lower, shielding his eyes, and addressed the Captain-Commander, "Captain Kurotsuchi's concerns are not unfounded."

"Now that Vice-Captain Sasakibe's Bankai is gone, to prepare for the next Quincy attack, Old Man Yama, you should still tell us in detail about Vice-Captain Sasakibe's Zanpakutō's Bankai abilities."

"This way, if we encounter the enemy using Vice-Captain Sasakibe's Bankai, we'll have some way to respond."

"Indeed, Teacher Yamamoto. The more we understand Vice-Captain Sasakibe's abilities, the greater our chance of victory in the next battle against the Quincy."

Seeing Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto remain silent, Jūshirō Ukitake assumed Yamamoto was reluctant to reveal Vice-Captain Sasakibe's Bankai abilities and stood beside Shunsui Kyoraku, echoing his sentiment.

"Chōjirō's Bankai..."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto closed his eyes, seemingly reminiscing.

"Chōjirō's Zanpakutō, Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū, is the strongest lightning-type Zanpakutō."

"Similar to Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru, Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū's Bankai, possesses the ability to control the weather, gathering thunderclouds and commanding the lightning within them."

"A thousand years ago, Chōjirō once used Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū's Bankai to leave a scar upon my forehead."

"To acknowledge Chōjirō's strength, I changed my own name."

"Hiss..."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's words caused many captains to draw sharp breaths.

This was the Captain-Commander, the strongest Shinigami in the Seireitei for a thousand years!

A Bankai capable of wounding Captain-Commander Yamamoto, how could it possibly be weak?

Among the current twelve captains of the Gotei Thirteen, how many possessed a Bankai capable of harming Yamamoto?

If they truly encountered a Quincy wielding Vice-Captain Sasakibe's Bankai, could they, using only their Shikai, possibly defeat the opponent?

And if they used their Bankai, only to have it stolen, what then?

Under these circumstances, as Captain-Commander Yamamoto explained Vice-Captain Sasakibe's Bankai, all the captains listened intently, afraid of missing a single detail.

...

"Captains, urgent report from Squad Twelve!"

Just as Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was explaining Vice-Captain Sasakibe's Bankai, urgent knocks sounded at the door.

"Enter."

Hearing the urgent report, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's hands tightened on his cane, veins bulging.

In the current situation, every urgent report inevitably brought bad news.

But precisely because of this, the captains hadn't yet lost hope of victory.

Not knowing what was happening was the most terrifying prospect.

Knowing what occurred meant there was a chance to resolve it, a chance for victory.

"Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Captains."

The one delivering the report to the Squad One captain's office was the Third Seat of Squad Twelve, Akon.

"Just moments ago, Shopkeeper Urahara from the Urahara Shop in the World of the Living established contact with us."

"According to Shopkeeper Urahara, not long ago, strange Quincy attacked Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Based on research conducted on a strange item retrieved from Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki, Shopkeeper Urahara has reached a conclusion."

"The Quincy possess items capable of stealing and using Zanpakutō Bankai. He advises everyone to avoid using Bankai in battle against Quincy if possible."

"Currently, Shopkeeper Urahara indicates he will continue analyzing the Quincy's methods to find a way to prevent Bankai theft and retrieve stolen Bankai."

"Also, Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki received a distress call from Arrancar in Hueco Mundo."

"According to the Arrancar who came seeking aid, five powerful Quincy are leading numerous others in an attack on Hueco Mundo, causing immense destruction."

"Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki has already entered Hueco Mundo with the humans Orihime Inoue and Yasutora Sado."

"Shopkeeper Urahara asks if the Seireitei should also dispatch Shinigami reinforcements to Hueco Mundo."

Thud!

The cane in Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's hand struck the floor heavily.

"Hmph, compared to a thousand years ago, Yhwach only has these petty tricks left!"

Hueco Mundo, the World of the Living, the Soul Society—these three realms needed to maintain an equilibrium of souls to preserve their balance.

Previously, the Quincy had slaughtered Hollows en masse in the World of the Living, and now they were rampaging through Hueco Mundo. In Yamamoto's view, these were all attempts to use unconventional means, disrupting the balance to destroy the three realms and return the world to chaos.

This indicated that Yhwach, returning after a millennium, believed the Quincy lacked the strength to directly confront the Gotei Thirteen.

Although Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions had already gone to reinforce Hueco Mundo, Yamamoto still felt it wasn't entirely secure.

If Yhwach himself went to Hueco Mundo, the Hollows there, even allied with Ichigo Kurosaki, would stand no chance.

Within the Seireitei, the only ones capable of resisting Yhwach, besides himself, were Captain Ailin of Squad Five.

Therefore, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto looked towards Ailin.

"Captain Ailin, I entrust the reinforcement of Hueco Mundo to you this time."

"With this old man guarding the Seireitei, even if Yhwach comes personally, I will make him taste the fear of a thousand years ago once more."

"Me?"

Hearing Yamamoto assign him the task of reinforcing Hueco Mundo, Ailin paused for a moment, seeking confirmation.

"Correct."

"Ichigo Kurosaki is no match for Yhwach."

"If Yhwach goes to Hueco Mundo and annihilates the Hollows there, then even if we ultimately defeat Yhwach's Quincy empire, the entire three realms will suffer immense damage."

To maintain the balance of souls across the three realms, if the number of Hollows annihilated in Hueco Mundo reached a certain level, the Shinigami side would be forced to follow suit, disintegrating a portion of the souls in the Soul Society to preserve stability.

If the Hollows in Hueco Mundo were completely wiped out, then all souls in the Soul Society, including the Shinigami themselves, might have to perish entirely to restore the balance.

Otherwise, the three realms would collide and collapse due to the soul imbalance.

This was unacceptable to everyone in the Seireitei.

"Alright."

Therefore, facing the mission assigned by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Ailin pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

With himself as a variable introduced into the Seireitei, Ailin didn't know if Yhwach would still follow the actions he remembered from other timelines.

However, Ailin also had to guard against the possibility of Yhwach deciding to smash the board entirely, annihilating the Hollows in Hueco Mundo and returning the three realms to chaos.

After all, for the Shinigami, the existence of the three realms was necessary.

But for Yhwach, the continuation of the three realms wasn't so important.

After he devoured the Soul King and became the new Soul King, Yhwach intended to destroy the current three realms anyway and establish a new world.

Having decided to reinforce Hueco Mundo, Ailin didn't linger. He departed with Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of Squad Twelve, heading towards Squad Twelve to use Mayuri's Garganta-opening technology to enter Hueco Mundo.

Perhaps Mayuri had communicated with Squad Twelve beforehand. By the time Ailin and Mayuri arrived at Squad Twelve, research personnel had already opened a swirling black Garganta in one of the laboratories.

Due to previous friction where Ailin had caused Mayuri to suffer a considerable loss, even though they left Squad One together, Ailin and Mayuri hadn't exchanged a single word.

Arriving at the Garganta, Mayuri finally tilted his head slightly.

"Captain Ailin, please!"

"Mm, thank you, Captain Kurotsuchi."

Ailin wasn't bothered by Mayuri's attitude towards him.

In any case, regardless of Mayuri's disposition, he posed no threat to Ailin.

After nodding at Mayuri, Ailin stepped into the Garganta.

Swish!

Upon entering the Garganta, the spiritual pressure beneath Ailin's feet instantly formed into a sharp sword, carrying him deep into the Garganta's depths at incredible speed.

In less than a dozen breaths, Ailin had already reached the other end of the Garganta.

Bang!

Shattering the space of the Garganta, Ailin's body appeared within Hueco Mundo.

Just as he entered Hueco Mundo, countless screams reached Ailin's ears.

Looking down, he saw a dozen or so Quincy attacking several dozen Hollows led by two Arrancar.

Numerically, the Hollows far outnumbered the Quincy.

However, the battle was a one-sided slaughter.

Except for the two Arrancar who offered some resistance, the other Gillian-class Hollows were merely fodder being massacred by these Quincy.

Swish!

It seemed a Quincy had spotted Ailin. A Reishi arrow shot towards Captain Ailin.

Bang!

This Reishi arrow struck Ailin squarely in the chest.

However, to the Quincy's astonishment, the Reishi arrow hitting Ailin's chest failed to pierce him. Instead, it shattered into blue spirit particles.

"Th-this is impossible?"

Witnessing this, the Quincy cried out in shock.

They had only seen the lords of the Sternritter capable of ignoring their Reishi arrows like this.

The Sternritter lords had all received His Majesty's guidance, learning the powerful ability known as "Blut Vene."

Enhanced by "Blut Vene," the Sternritter lords' offensive and defensive capabilities were greatly increased.

Could this suddenly appearing stranger be a powerhouse on the level of the Sternritter lords?

Hearing this Quincy's cry, the other Quincy turned their gazes over, quickly spotting Ailin standing in the sky.

"F-Fifth Division Captain!"

"This person is a Shinigami captain!"

An older Quincy shouted in alarm upon seeing the captain's haori on Ailin.

"What? A Shinigami captain?"

"Aren't the Shinigami captains in the Seireitei? How did one come to Hueco Mundo?"

Hearing the older Quincy's exclamation, the group of Quincy were terrified.

A Shinigami captain, the strongest combatants on the Shinigami side.

Within the Wandenreich, the Sternritter was the organization His Majesty created specifically to fight the Shinigami captains.

Every member of the Sternritter possessed formidable strength.

However, even the Sternritter lords wouldn't dare claim they could defeat a Shinigami captain with one hundred percent certainty.

"Everyone, retreat quickly!"

Finally, a Quincy who regained his senses yelled, immediately using Hirenkyaku to flee.

Reminded by this Quincy, the dozen or so Quincy abandoned their slaughter of the Hollows, each regretting not having diligently practiced Hirenkyaku.

Faced with a figure as significant as a Shinigami captain, they had no will to resist whatsoever.