Chapter 137: If the Enemy Can Go, So Can I
The underground prison had always been under the guard of the Onmitsukido, and even the Maggot's Nest was one of its facilities.
The defeated and captured Bazz-B, Liltotto, and the others were locked in the same cell.
Although their injuries were not severe and would recover sooner or later even if left untreated, being kept together with their companions gave them at least a sliver of psychological comfort.
However, Yhwach's actions had dealt them a heavy blow.
At first, they had been furious, hurling curses one after another.
But as time passed, their exchanges grew fewer and fewer, until in the end, all of them fell into silent isolation, each withdrawing into themselves.
After an unknown stretch of time, Gigi suddenly muttered while hugging her knees, "...It's almost dawn, isn't it?"
"Don't tell me you're still hoping that bastard Yhwach will come save us."
Liltotto's tone was cold.
"He won't come specifically to save us, but if he conquers Soul Society, he definitely won't mind helping us open the prison doors. And when that happens..."
Bazz-B leaned against the wall, speaking like he was joking. But halfway through, his expression darkened and his gaze turned icy.
"...I'll twist his head off myself!"
"Then I'll bite his junk off."
"Please, you two, calm down. You're going to scare Little Candice, Little Meninas, and Little Bambi."
Gigi raised both hands and gave a dry laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
"Speaking of which, aren't you going to turn them back yet?"
Liltotto glanced at the three zombie companions crouching in the corner.
During the battle against the trio of reigai creators, Yushima Oshu, Kageroza, and Nozomi, Candice Catnipp, with her short temper and habit of charging recklessly to the front, had been the first to die, followed soon by Bambietta.
Once those two fell, Meninas McAllon had not lasted long either.
Fortunately, Giselle Gewelle, who possessed the schrift "Z" symbolizing [The Zombie], had been there. By using her own blood to turn the dead into zombies, she had enabled Liltotto and Gigi to hold out until... the final moment when Yhwach stripped away their power.
"I forgot if you hadn't mentioned it~"
Seeing Gigi eagerly move to deactivate her ability, Liltotto could not help delivering another sarcastic jab.
"Interesting, isn't it? So many Quincy lost their lives, while we not only survived, but can still use our schrift abilities. We only lost Vollstandig. Looking at it that way, maybe we should actually thank Yhwach."
"Thank him my ass!"
Having been restored from her zombie state, Candice Catnipp instantly recovered her usual explosive temper and cursed Yhwach at the top of her lungs.
"We fought that hard and even got killed by the enemy once, and he just goes and strips away our power without even asking, killing so many of his own people in the process! If I didn't know better, I'd think that black cloak of his was some modified shinigami uniform! The most ridiculous part is that after all that, he still failed to win cleanly and left us in this miserable state. It pisses me off so much!!"
"Shut up. My eardrums are about to burst from your screeching."
Bambietta looked annoyed.
"What did you say!?"
"...What's the point of yelling so loud? He can't hear you anyway."
The moment Candice glared at her with murderous intent, Bambietta's momentum collapsed, and she could only mutter back stubbornly.
"True."
Meninas McAllon touched the wall and said thoughtfully, "This place is strange. Perception is completely cut off, and reishi can't seep outside at all. Is that why our spiritual power wasn't sealed?"
"It's more than that."
Liltotto answered flatly.
"They even locked us up together, completely unconcerned about whether we'd join forces and break out."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Candice was confused.
"It'll be dawn soon. If nothing unexpected happens, Yhwach will launch another attack. He won't give Soul Society any more time to prepare. He... has already been scared into submission."
Liltotto brought up a topic that sounded unrelated, but her words clearly carried another meaning beneath them.
"Which means..."
Bazz-B's heart stirred, but before he could voice his guess, the prison door opened.
All six of them turned toward it at once.
Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, a figure appeared, one that had already been branded into their souls, impossible to forget.
"Shimiya Takeru... I figured you'd come around this time."
Liltotto used the wall to support herself as she stood, her eyes fixed on the black-haired youth beyond the bars.
Takeru waved the guards away and said calmly, "Need me to praise your foresight?"
"I know what you mean. Someone with real foresight should never have joined the war in the first place. I wasn't trying to show off my meager cleverness in front of you..."
Liltotto's breathing was uneven, sweat beading on her forehead. She could not tell whether it was because her injuries had not fully healed, because his spiritual pressure itself was affecting her, or because the trauma of losing to him was resurfacing.
The pressure she felt in front of Takeru now was far greater than what she had felt during the confrontation between the two armies during the day.
It was like standing before another Yhwach.
"I only know one thing. The war is not over... and you didn't kill us. You even had our injuries treated and locked us away in this... cage where not even shadows can peer in. Combining that with your earlier actions, I'll make a bold guess. You want to recruit us and have us fight for you, don't you?"
The moment those words fell, the expressions of Bazz-B, Candice Catnipp, and the others changed drastically.
"I see. At the very least, among the lot of you, you really are the sharpest."
Takeru's gaze swept slowly over all six faces, taking in each reaction.
"...Thanks for the compliment."
Liltotto also glanced at her companions before looking back at him, her expression utterly serious.
"As you can see, Yhwach has already abandoned us. Even if you let us go back, we wouldn't have the courage to continue serving him. So we don't mind joining forces with you against Yhwach and sending that tyrant, who drains every Quincy dry, straight to hell!"
"Liltotto's right."
Bazz-B stepped forward and grabbed the bars, staring directly into Takeru's eyes.
"Even if we run to the ends of the earth, our lives can still be taken from us. So the only option left is to kill Yhwach. For that reason alone, you can use us without any hesitation!"
"Is that so? But I can see that not all of you are in a hurry to fight."
Takeru spoke with deliberate meaning.
Liltotto, Bazz-B, and the others followed his line of sight.
It landed on... Bambietta.
"W why are you all looking at me? I didn't say anything!"
Bambietta panicked at first, then glared right back.
"...Little Bambi, don't tell me... you're planning to chicken out?"
A cold light flashed in Liltotto's eyes.
"Chicken out?! That's too much! Fine, then I'll just say it outright!"
Driven into anger by embarrassment, Bambietta snorted and crossed her arms.
"What do we even have left to take revenge with in our current condition? Forget Yhwach, we can't even get past Haschwalth!"
"And so what if the shinigami help? If they could really beat Yhwach, they would have done it already. Would they have let him get away?"
"So if you want to fight, go ahead. I don't care. Instead of going out to die, I'd rather think of a way to escape. Hey, Shimiya Takeru, name your price. What will it take for you to let me go? I swear I won't make an enemy of the shinigami after I'm out. I'll hide far away and never touch this mess again!"
"..."
Faced with Bambietta, chin raised as she questioned him, Takeru said nothing.
He only gave her a strange look.
The moment Liltotto saw that expression, she slapped her own forehead, her helplessness reaching its limit. She did not bother wasting even one more word on Bambietta and simply waved a hand at Gigi.
"Gigi, shut this idiot up."
"Eh... wait! No! I don't want to become a zombie again! That feeling is way too weird! Besides, I didn't say anything wrong! You can't treat your captain like this!"
But Bambietta's protest was completely useless.
Suppressed by Candice Catnipp and Meninas McAllon, she was promptly turned back into a quiet, obedient zombie by Gigi.
"With an idiot like that on our side, and Yhwach on the other... it would've been a miracle if we'd won."
Bazz-B gave a couple of cold, irritated laughs, then turned back to Takeru.
"So can you open the door now?"
"To be honest, I think... that girl was right. With the strength you have now, standing in front of Yhwach would just be suicide."
The moment Takeru's tone changed, everyone was startled.
The next second, the bars rose.
It seemed to indicate that they were free to walk out of the cell.
Yet not one of them moved.
Instead, Takeru stepped inside.
He took the Zanpakuto from his waist and drove it into the floor like a staff, the tiles cracking beneath it as the end of the scabbard sank deep enough that it remained upright even after he released it.
"What are you trying to do...?!"
Liltotto could not help taking a step back.
Bazz-B clenched his fists, while Candice Catnipp, Meninas McAllon, and Gigi all tensed instinctively.
Even if they could not win, they had no intention of simply waiting for execution.
"I never underestimate the power of the masses, nor do I mind using it to accomplish my goals. But the enemy this time is not one who can be overcome just because enough people charge him. So why not try something else? Transfer your spiritual power to me. I'll be the one to go kill Yhwach."
"You... what did you just say?!"
Bazz-B's pupils shrank.
Before he could react further, Liltotto suddenly said, "Fine."
"Lily?!"
Candice Catnipp was stunned.
"Yhwach is only this terrifying because he took everyone else's power. So in that case, we'll just create someone even stronger than Yhwach. Not only does that raise the odds of revenge, it also means we won't have to risk our own lives in battle. As far as I'm concerned, there's no better deal than that."
Liltotto seemed to be talking to herself, but also explaining the reasoning to the others.
At any rate, once those words were spoken, Bazz-B, Candice Catnipp, and the rest all gradually calmed down.
Thinking it through carefully, it really was possible.
"Let me be blunt about the ugly truth first."
Takeru suddenly spoke.
"I don't mind giving preferential treatment to prisoners of war. But if the prisoners refuse to cooperate... then there is no need for any such treatment."
"Are you planning to take it by force, then?!"
Candice Catnipp could not help blurting it out.
"Do you perhaps... think I lack the ability?"
Takeru glanced at her.
With only that one glance, Candice felt as though her heart had been pierced through. Her entire body froze in place, unable to move. Her mind went blank, and she even forgot how to breathe.
Seeing that, Bazz-B clicked his tongue and pulled a long, ugly face.
"I've got a grudge against Yhwach, and I wanted revenge with my own hands no matter what. If I died here or couldn't even contribute, that'd be too much of a loss."
"Even if it isn't by my hand, at least part of the revenge would still be mine. Fine. Tell us how we do it."
"Inject your spiritual power into my Zanpakuto."
Takeru stepped aside as he answered.
Bazz-B walked forward without hesitation, put a hand on the hilt, and began channeling his spiritual power into it.
"Whew!"
Only then did Candice finally catch her breath.
At this point, she was drenched in cold sweat as though she had just been dragged out of a lake. Her face was pale as death, and her breathing was chaotic. If Meninas had not been holding her up, she would have collapsed right there.
"It seems giving up our power was the right call."
Seeing Candice in that state, Liltotto's confidence in Takeru's plan deepened even further.
They had indeed lost a large portion of their strength and could no longer activate Vollstandig.
However, their schrift abilities remained, and the power they still possessed was roughly equal to that of a captain class shinigami fighting only with Shikai.
"It's a shame we're injured and not at our peak, with only a little over half our spiritual power left. But even so, when you add it all together, it's still not a small amount."
They had already managed to resist Yhwach once.
If that same power was placed in Takeru's hands, then it would undoubtedly become a massive threat to Yhwach.
After a short while, the transfer of spiritual power was complete.
Bazz-B, Liltotto, and the others all ended up sitting weakly on the floor, their bodies devoid of strength.
Even zombified Candice Catnipp was the same.
The loss of power had been exchanged for a Zanpakuto that now seemed to glow as though it were burning.
No one had any trouble imagining how dazzling and terrifying the slash would be when its wielder drew it and struck.
Perhaps there were other uses for the gathered power.
But that did not matter.
As long as it could be used to kill Yhwach, that would be enough.
One might say he would finally get a taste of his own medicine.
"If only I could see the look on Yhwach's face... honestly, that might be even more satisfying than killing him with my own hands."
Liltotto curled her lips and murmured into the distance before finally passing out.
"Hugo..."
Bazz-B muttered his friend's name, his emotions complicated, and then also closed his eyes.
Silence gradually returned to the prison.
Takeru did not disturb them.
Instead, he summoned the guards and ordered, "Transfer them into Muken separately. From now on, no one is to enter without my permission."
"Yes!"
Only after he had watched the six of them be escorted into Muken did Takeru turn to leave.
But before he could step out of the prison, someone blocked his path in the corridor.
"Those Quincy were sensible enough. At least sparing their lives wasn't a waste."
The air rippled.
Zaraki Kyouya appeared in front of Takeru.
At the same time, several more figures emerged one after another from the corridor's corner.
Koga, Amagai, Yushima Oshu, Mebari, Ashido... and Isshin.
Together with Mochizuki, there were seven of them in all.
Takeru was not surprised to see them. Instead, he gave a slight nod.
"You all seem to be in decent shape. Good."
"That's thanks to Captain Kurotsuchi and Captain Kurotsuchi's reigai."
Isshin leaned lazily against the wall and smiled.
"I never expected the Technical Development Bureau to have something as sci fi as a healing pod. I thought I'd be out for a long time, but I woke up after just a few hours. I'm feeling pretty good."
"That's just your own misconception. After using a move like that, your spiritual power dissipates in stages. This is only the end of the first stage. By the second stage, similar side effects will continue to appear."
Yushima Oshu said irritably.
"I'm actually pretty satisfied with that side effect."
Isshin stroked his chin and spoke of a heavy topic in a relaxed tone.
"It's good that my power didn't vanish all at once. This way, I can transfer it to Brother Shimiya before it's completely gone. Better than wasting it."
"Hey... you really plan to go in alone?"
Mebari raised a brow as he looked at Takeru.
"Didn't I already tell all of you my plan a long time ago?"
Takeru's expression was calm.
Long before the war began, he had formulated a complete battle plan.
He simply had not revealed every part of it to Mochizuki and the others.
Perhaps they had sensed something was being withheld, but none of them pressed him.
Only after Yhwach retreated, and they were immediately sent to the Technical Development Bureau to recover in healing pods that reigai Mayuri Kurotsuchi had dragged out from the originals' storage, did they receive Takeru's message and learn the full truth.
Takeru's battle plan was actually not complicated.
It could not afford to be.
Because Yhwach could attack again at any time, and because there had been far too many unknown variables beforehand, his first step had never been "how to defeat him."
It had only ever been "how to stop him."
Killing him would be ideal.
But if it could not be done, then there was no need to force the issue.
The important part was to drive him back.
That alone would be enough.
If a choice existed, Takeru did not want to let Seireitei, or even Soul Society itself, be buried together with Yhwach.
So all of his efforts had really been centered on one thing.
Stop the Wandenreich's offensive.
Kill if possible.
If not, force Yhwach to retreat.
Once the war ended, he would gather spiritual power inside this prison, a place the Wandenreich could not observe.
Then...
Takeru, carrying everyone's power within himself, would invade the Wandenreich before Yhwach could launch his second assault, and settle everything in one stroke.
This was completely different from what Liltotto and the others had imagined.
They had believed he meant to gather strength, improve himself, and then ambush Yhwach during the next defensive battle in Seireitei.
In truth, it was the exact opposite.
Takeru himself saw nothing strange about it.
As the saying goes...
"If the enemy can go there, then so can I."
"If they can invade Seireitei, why can't I invade the Wandenreich?"
"I now possess the power of the Bount. Like them, I can consume the souls of the living and affect space. At the beginning of the war... I consumed the souls of two Sternritter."
"They were not only living humans, but Quincies as well."
"With that as a foundation, along with my own power and my understanding of time and space, it is enough for me to pry open the gate to the Wandenreich, which only Quincies are supposed to be able to enter, and use it to slip inside and catch them off guard."
"In order not to expose the Bount's power and alert Yhwach to anything, I did not even use the Bount's undying body, with its ability to absorb reishi and heal injuries, during the battle."
"Being blind and losing an arm wasn't exactly pleasant."
Seeing all of them fall silent, Takeru suddenly changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, I have to thank Captain Kurotsuchi's reigai for more than just preparing the healing pods so everyone could recover quickly. He also ran off to support the field hospital himself."
"Although in the end, he was killed by the enemy together with the reigai of Captain Unohana, Captain Kyoraku, and Captain Ukitake."
"But he still succeeded in delaying the enemy for a brief moment, preventing them from destroying our logistics facilities until reinforcements arrived. Otherwise, the losses would probably have multiplied several times over, and I would have had an even worse headache."
"And all of you helped a great deal too. Because you were there, I could afford to match wits with Yhwach, take my time, and wait for the right opportunity... and in the end, actually put my plan into motion."
"Now... I no longer have the right to back down."
After saying that, he once again removed his Zanpakuto and drove it sharply into the ground.
The sword and scabbard sank slightly into the floor.
Standing upright like a banner.
Takeru released his grip and stepped back, his meaning obvious.
"I'll go first."
Isshin smiled and raised a hand, then stepped forward and placed it on the hilt, beginning to inject his spiritual power.
Looking at the dense glow of spiritual pressure spilling out, one could easily guess the intended method.
For a Shinigami, if they wanted to transfer their power to someone else, using a Zanpakuto as the medium was the most appropriate method.
Normally, as long as they remained in Soul Society, where reishi was everywhere, lost spiritual power would gradually recover.
But Isshin was different.
The Final Getsuga Tensho had already exhausted his shinigami powers completely.
Once even the small amount of spiritual power he retained now was gone, he would immediately become an ordinary human and never again sense even the slightest trace of spiritual pressure.
He would be even more cut off than he had been during the last twenty years.
Even so, he transferred every last bit of power he still possessed.
And because Isshin's case was special, he did not become weak and collapsed like Liltotto and the others had.
It was more like he had simply discarded something he no longer needed.
There was no burden on his body at all.
"Being human is nice after all. Once this power's gone, I can stay in the Human World with peace of mind, and nobody can drag me off to do labor ever again."
Isshin made the joke as though nothing at all had happened, then walked off to the side and gave up his spot.
The second was Mebari.
"To be honest, at one point a few hours ago, I thought I was dead for sure. Never thought I'd be saved by some blind fool and forced to keep enduring this state. So you'd better finish things quickly and come back to help this great me finally find release."
Mebari gave a cold laugh and stepped away afterward.
Though his words were rough, he handed over ninety nine percent of his spiritual power in one shot.
He only kept the bare minimum needed to move.
Since he was uninjured, he merely felt weak rather than losing consciousness.
The third was Ashido.
"I never imagined you'd go as far as invading another world to fight..."
Ashido's emotions were complicated.
"Though my strength is insignificant, I am willing to lend you a hand. Those were the words I spoke when I first agreed to join the fight in Hueco Mundo. Looking back, I was too arrogant. If my power can truly be of use at a moment like this, then that is my honor. I should be the one thanking you for giving me such a chance."
He too poured in ninety nine percent of his power.
The fourth was Koga.
"Thanks to you, I have regained my original appearance. But my heart can never truly return to what it once was. Even revisiting old haunts brings me no joy. Only when I kill enemies, or when I see shinigami regard my existence with fear and awe, do I feel even the slightest satisfaction. So I hope... you'll continue to give me chances like that."
The tall, handsome young man wore a cold and shadowed expression.
Perhaps because he had given away ninety nine percent of his spiritual power, he no longer radiated that biting chill.
The fifth was Amagai.
"Everything is in your hands, Captain Shimiya..."
He said the least, yet anyone could feel the violent turbulence in his emotions.
He poured ninety nine percent of his spiritual power into Takeru's Zanpakuto in one breath.
The sixth was Yushima Oshu.
"It is a pity that I never managed to give everything I had before, nor destroy Soul Society with my own hands. But if my power can be used to destroy another world instead, then perhaps my stubborn delusion can be counted as fulfilled."
The green-haired young man laughed wildly, but there was no amusement in his eyes.
He gripped the hilt and let ninety nine percent of his spiritual power vanish in an instant.
Then he walked away on unsteady legs.
Finally, the seventh person, Zaraki Kyouya, stepped forward slowly.
He did not immediately transfer his power.
Instead, he first took a silver white sphere from his robes and handed it to Takeru.
"This is what you asked me to collect."
Takeru nodded and accepted it without a word.
Zaraki Kyouya placed a hand lightly on the hilt and said as if speaking to himself, "Though I don't know what this is specifically for, it must also be part of your plan. Which means... you aren't just gathering our spiritual power to become stronger. You have something more in mind. A perfect plan, and the conviction to carry it through... It's like watching a hero and a strategist combined into one person. I honestly can't imagine you failing."
The moment he finished speaking, the transfer of power was completed.
And at that very instant, the Zanpakuto changed.
From a silver blue light as pure as moonlight, wings unfurled.
Like a phoenix rising from ashes, it released a beautiful cry.
"This...!"
Isshin's eyes widened. He had never expected something like this to happen.
The others were equally filled with shock and uncertainty.
Only Zaraki Kyouya stepped back a few paces and murmured as though he had realized something.
"Did the vast amount of spiritual power force the Zanpakuto into a state of autonomous release?"
In a sense, that was exactly what had happened.
But it was not the blade that had been released.
It was the scabbard.
A divine bird, pure white and crowned, with roughly the same mass as the condensed Zanpakuto itself, perched on Takeru's shoulder.
Its posture was graceful, and though small, it radiated terrifying spiritual pressure, as though it were another Takeru.
This was [Fairy Tale Dragon Cinderella], another form of [Endonemi]'s Shikai.
Ordinarily, it could only be activated after the blade was drawn beneath the moonlight.
But because Takeru had gained the power of the Bount, and because Bounts summoned their Dolls by means of a contract ritual, the massive infusion of spiritual power had produced a comparable ritual effect.
It had allowed the Zanpakuto to take the form of [Fairy Tale Dragon Cinderella].
In a sense, this state was a permanent Shikai.
It was no longer bound by the old conditions.
Takeru seemed to have expected this all along.
He reached up, stroked the divine bird's smooth back, and said quietly, "Dawn is near. It's time for me to go."
Then, right in front of Zaraki Kyouya and the others, he turned and waved a hand.
Space tore open.
A crack formed, then widened into a doorway just large enough for one person to pass through.
It shimmered like the entrance to a Senkaimon, and the scenery on the other side could not be seen clearly.
"I have already arranged nearly everything. If I do not return within eight days, then do not come looking for me... because by then, it may be a very long time before we meet again. I also don't know when the Captain Commander and the others will return. During that time, if anything happens in Seireitei... I leave it to all of you."
After saying that, Takeru stepped into the doorway without the slightest hesitation or doubt.
Whether what lay beyond was the lair of the Wandenreich...
Or the sea of blood across the Three Worlds.
.....
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