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Hueco Mundo.
Inside the Garganta passage that was about to open into the World of the Living.
"I really didn't see this coming…"
"To think the Quincy King's personal aide would turn out to be a sleeper agent. The Shinigami from the Gotei 13 are way too scheming, aren't they?"
The dark, silent atmosphere was shattered by Yammy's furious, shocked roar.
Staring at the transparent light screen that seemed to exist everywhere, even inside the Garganta itself, Yammy clenched his fists so hard they shook. When he looked at Haschwalth, his eyes were filled with venomous hatred.
Damn it!
My sixth-seat ranking!
It got stolen by a Shinigami spy!
How the hell am I not pissed?!
"Yammy, shut it," came Ulquiorra's cold rebuke from the side. "We're about to arrive in the World of the Living. Focus on the fight ahead."
At that moment, the Black-Winged Great Demon stood with his hands in his pockets.
Against his pale, moonlit complexion, two dark green tear streaks glimmered faintly in the darkness.
Beside Ulquiorra, Grimmjow wore an unmistakably excited grin.
That's right.
This time, three Espada were being deployed at once.
To make absolutely sure they could capture Ichigo and bring him back to Hueco Mundo, it wasn't just the Panther King joining the operation. Even Ulquiorra had volunteered.
One Vasto Lorde.
Two Adjuchas.
With a lineup like this, the Arrancar army was completely confident they could seize Ichigo quickly and without complications.
"By the way," Grimmjow asked cautiously, "according to Szayelaporro's intel, Urahara Kisuke, who's also on the list, is hiding out in Karakura Town too. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Ever since learning that he would become incredibly strong in the future, Grimmjow had toned down his usual reckless style and started acting more carefully.
Knowing the future was one thing.
Growing steadily and safely was another, and that took time.
Until then, staying alive and not dying stupidly was the priority.
Ulquiorra's expression didn't change, but his voice carried absolute confidence.
"If Urahara Kisuke interferes, I'll handle him. I'll hold him off. You and Yammy can focus on finding Kurosaki Ichigo without worry."
As one of the only four Vasto Lorde in Hueco Mundo, and the only Espada who had mastered Segunda Etapa Resurrección, Ulquiorra's strength had always been overwhelming.
Even after witnessing Urahara Kisuke's power through the ranking footage, Ulquiorra was still confident that in a one-on-one fight, he could calmly stall him.
That confidence came from who he was.
The Black-Winged Great Demon.
Crowned, black wings spread, born beneath the moonlight.
A ruler of darkness, destined to gaze down upon the world with cold indifference from the void.
Just then, when the Espada had only made it halfway through their journey, the ranking resumed and the background shifted once more.
As the image cleared, Haschwalth's icy voice rang out again.
"Ishida Uryu…"
"Even though you were personally appointed by His Majesty as the next successor of the Wandenreich, for the sake of the Empire's safety, I must kill you here with my own hands."
Those chilling words laid bare the battle that was about to unfold.
The first thing to appear on screen was a completely new face that had never been shown before.
Gold-rimmed glasses.
Deep blue, neatly parted short hair.
He wore the same pureblood Quincy uniform as Haschwalth, and in his hand was a sacred bow formed from condensed reishi.
The moment they saw this unfamiliar figure, the Espada inside the Garganta all frowned at the same time.
"?!"
Grimmjow's first reaction was pure disbelief.
"Didn't expect this… We're already this far into things, and a new face is still popping up?"
He had assumed that whoever stood against Haschwalth would just be another member of the Sternritter.
But this?
Completely outside his expectations.
"Uryu Ishida… Who the hell is that guy?" Yammy blurted out, scratching his cheek in confusion. "Yeah, he's wearing the Wandenreich uniform, but something about him feels different from those other pure-blood Quincy."
If the Sternritter gave him an immediate sense of irritation and disgust…
Then Uryu Ishida's first impression felt more like an ordinary human.
If it weren't for the spirit bow clenched in his hand, Yammy wouldn't have believed that this skinny, bespectacled kid was a pure-blood Quincy at all.
"Your instincts aren't wrong, Yammy," Ulquiorra said calmly. "It's very possible that this 'Uryu Ishida' is, at his core, still human."
He paused briefly before continuing, his tone thoughtful.
"What troubles me is this. If he truly has only a human body, then why is his presence so overwhelming?"
With the Black-Winged Demon's innate perception, Ulquiorra had already examined Uryu more than ten times in just a short span.
What shocked him was that Uryu wasn't trying to show off at all, yet the pressure radiating from him was no weaker than Haschwalth's.
That made no sense.
In Ulquiorra's understanding, humans were supposed to be worthless.
So why did some random human teenager suddenly possess power rivaling a Vasto Lorde?
It was absurd to the point of insanity.
"Damn it, stop overthinking this!" Yammy snarled, growing angrier the more he thought about it.
His deep-seated inferiority exploded into rage as he roared, "If this glasses brat is also in Karakura Town, then let's grab him too and haul him back to Las Noches!"
"I don't buy it. Lock him up in the dungeon and see if he can still keep getting stronger!"
Elsewhere.
With Uryu Ishida's appearance, and with what Haschwalth had just said, the Silver Frame Castle erupted once again.
"What?!"
"The next successor of the Wandenreich?"
"Where did this Uryu Ishida even come from?"
"And Haschwalth, why are you attacking your own people again?!"
"Are you sure you're not a spy sent by the Soul Reapers?!"
Voices exploded from every direction.
Too many questions flooded their minds, leaving the pure-blood Quincy completely disoriented.
First of all…
Who was Uryu Ishida?
How could he possibly be named the next successor of the Wandenreich?
His Majesty was still sealed in his coffin. Where did this 'successor' story even come from?
Second…
According to Haschwalth, he wanted to kill Uryu Ishida for the sake of the empire's safety.
But…
Counting this unfamiliar newcomer, along with the already executed Cang Du and Bazz-B…
Haschwalth had personally killed three powerful comrades.
Wasn't that actively weakening the Wandenreich?
"Haschwalth," Gerard Valkyrie spoke up first, his voice heavy, "at this point, I think you owe us a proper explanation for what the hell is going on."
Faced with so many unanswered questions, even he no longer felt like backing Haschwalth.
"…"
Silence.
Under the weight of countless suspicious gazes, Haschwalth felt his heart clench. He had the overwhelming urge to start cursing.
Explain?
Explain my ass.
How the hell would I know who Uryu Ishida is?!
If you want answers so badly, go pry open His Majesty's coffin yourself!
In that moment, Haschwalth completely lost it. His cold, composed persona shattered beyond repair.
With a dark expression, he clamped his mouth shut and chose to say nothing at all.
He simply gave up.
And it wasn't just the Silver Frame Castle.
A similar scene was unfolding on a school campus in Karakura Town.
"?"
"Chad… Orihime… I'm not imagining this, right? That guy is…"
Ichigo stared at Uryu Ishida's face, frozen in place, looking like he'd seen a ghost in broad daylight.
"Yes," Chad Yasutora said, nodding with great difficulty. "You're not wrong. That's the guy who transferred into our class just the other day."
Once that was confirmed, Ichigo completely lost control.
He grabbed his head and screamed like a madman.
"Holy crap!!!"
"This is way too sudden! He was just some random transfer student!"
"And now you're telling me he's this strong?!"
"..."
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