As one of the people who understood Yamamoto best, Kyōraku Shunsui could naturally hear the suppressed anger in the old man's tone.
Therefore, he didn't dare to dawdle, terrified that if he was even a second late, the sword usually used to roast sweet potatoes would be cleaving his head instead.
However, Squad 8 was quite far from Squad 1. Even going all out with his Flash Step, he was still a few seconds late.
Near the back mountain, the scorching heat was already on the verge of evaporating all the moisture in the air.
Kyōraku Shunsui was startled by the sight before him.
In the distance, the small hill with its ever-flowing waterfall had inexplicably vanished. He had even practiced basic slashing techniques under that very waterfall in the past.
Two eccentric figures were squatting nearby, muttering about who knows what. They held branches, drawing on the ground, occasionally breaking out into rather heated arguments.
Yamamoto stood there. At his feet lay a figure whose status of life or death was unknown. The person's attire looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Meanwhile, his junior brother wore a harmless expression, flashing him a wide grin.
Seeing this, Kyōraku Shunsui hurriedly shot him a look, silently asking a certain someone what exactly had happened.
Naraku Sora threw his hands up in a helpless shrug, indicating that there was nothing he could do to help. His senior brother might as well just rest in peace, and on the anniversary of his death next year, Sora would pour out two jugs of his favorite sake.
Kyōraku Shunsui: "?"
With an uneasy heart, he approached Yamamoto.
Strangely enough, however, the old man didn't reprimand him for being a few seconds late. His deep voice rang out:
"Shunsui, if I recall correctly, your Zanpakutō can manipulate shadows?"
Kyōraku Shunsui paused for a moment before nodding, explaining in detail:
"It's actually based on a children's game of stepping on shadows. You win by stepping on the opponent's shadow."
Yamamoto nodded. He wasn't interested in the specific abilities of Katen Kyōkotsu; he only needed to know that it could enter shadows.
"This guy is named Quilge Opie. He is a member of the Sternritter."
"He came to the Seireitei under the orders of the Wandenreich's highest executor to gather intelligence on us Soul Reapers. And the Wandenreich is located right within the shadows beneath our feet."
Kyōraku Shunsui's eyes widened, a look of absolute shock appearing on his face.
As one of the people closest to Yamamoto, he naturally knew about the Sternritter. Because of this, he instantly realized the severity of the situation.
"The Quincies are making a comeback?"
Yamamoto glanced at him and calmly replied:
"Not yet, but it should be soon."
"If it weren't for Sora's sharp perception, this man would have likely succeeded."
"Laying low to build their strength, stealing intelligence, and doing it all right under my nose... These are no ordinary Quincies..."
Beside them, Naraku Sora chimed in, "We have to hit them hard!"
Kyōraku Shunsui already understood Yamamoto's intentions. Thus, he drew the Zanpakutō at his waist. His Reiatsu surged, radiating a brilliant light.
The long and short blades pressed against each other, crossing into an X-shape.
"Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer—"
"Katen Kyōkotsu."
Within the glow, the pitch-black, curved blades materialized. The white edges gleamed with a cold light, and red tassels hung from the ends of the hilts.
"I'll give it a try first."
The shadow beneath Kyōraku Shunsui's feet immediately began to writhe like a mud pit. Ink-like spots fell onto his pink-patterned haori, instantly giving it an eerie vibe.
Seeing this, Quilge's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
He never would have imagined in his wildest dreams that there was actually someone among the Soul Reapers who possessed such a terrifying ability.
If this continued, wouldn't the empire's existence be completely exposed?
At the thought of this, Quilge couldn't help but let out a wail of despair, only obediently passing out after Yamamoto shot him a displeased glare.
As the game of Kageoni took effect, Kyōraku Shunsui sank into the shadow like a drowning man.
Pitch-black. Deathly silent.
Although the five senses were rendered useless within the shadow, he could clearly determine the situation outside the shadow relying on a Soul Reaper's innate spiritual perception.
This time, Kyōraku Shunsui didn't float up through someone else's shadow like he usually did. Instead, following instructions, he continuously dove deeper.
It felt as though there was no end.
It had been almost a full day since Quilge left.
For the sake of caution, Jugram Haschwalth had made it clear before his departure: regardless of whether he gathered any useful intelligence, he had to return to the empire before nightfall.
Yet even now, there was still no sign of his return.
The ominous premonition grew stronger.
Haschwalth abruptly stood up from his seat and walked out of the palace.
At this moment, the sky outside was extremely dim, ready to plunge into total darkness at any second.
The legion's soldiers were conducting their final training in an orderly manner. From time to time, members of the Sternritter shuttled between the palaces, chatting leisurely.
Everything seemed so harmonious and peaceful.
The entire empire was working hard for the final war, awaiting the arrival of the final moment.
Looking at the scene before him, Haschwalth's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
Although His Majesty had not yet fully awakened, under his governance, the empire was in a thriving state.
The worst possible outcome of Quilge going out to gather intelligence was simply being captured by the Soul Reapers.
But with his willpower, it was absolutely impossible for him to leak any information.
Thinking of an even worse scenario, even if the empire's intelligence was discovered by the Soul Reapers, those brutes who couldn't manipulate external Reishi had no way of entering the empire through the shadows.
Furthermore, the current strength of the Quincies wasn't necessarily inferior to that of the Soul Reapers.
Compared to the situation when they were defeated hundreds of years ago, the Wandenreich was now countless times stronger.
Right now, as long as His Majesty awakened from his slumber, they could launch an attack on the Soul Society...
*Crack—*
A crisp shattering sound echoed from the sky above. Haschwalth abruptly looked up.
He saw dense, pitch-black cracks appearing across the sky. A curved longsword pierced through the clouds, and a Reiatsu that did not belong to a Quincy poured into the empire like seawater.
Sensing the Reiatsu attached to that curved longsword, Haschwalth's expression drastically changed. He suddenly felt the urge to curse out loud.
His ominous premonition had come true.
The Soul Reapers had discovered the empire's location and, through some bizarre Zanpakutō ability, had breached the shadow dimension, appearing directly above the empire.
"Soul Reapers? When did they get here?"
On the streets, members of the Sternritter looked up at the sky, the flames of war seemingly burning in their eyes.
As the top combatants of the Wandenreich, their daily routine consisted of nothing but training and secretly violating regulations to brawl with each other to test their strength.
However, such battles ultimately couldn't satisfy some of the more belligerent individuals.
Therefore, upon sensing a foreign invasion, many Sternritter members displayed a strong desire to fight.
"Haha, to dare offend the empire! We'll make sure these overconfident Soul Reapers never return!"
"Be careful, the enemy's Reiatsu seems very strong."
"Mere Soul Reapers are not even half as..."
Right at that moment, a calm and composed voice instantly spread throughout the entire Wandenreich through the manipulation of Reishi.
"Attention everyone. All ordinary soldiers are to head to the Sun Gate."
"Everyone else, manipulate Reishi to repair the sky and repel the Soul Reaper invasion."
Haschwalth made the most correct decision in an instant.
Although he didn't know who the intruders were, he absolutely could not let his guard down.
Just in case...
The moment the thought appeared, the curved longsword was abruptly retracted. A scorching Reiatsu, wrapped in boundless tyranny, recklessly surged into the atmosphere.
It felt as if ultimate destruction was about to descend, or as if a terrifying, blazing sun was about to rise on the other side of the sky.
Haschwalth's pupils shrank drastically, instantly guessing the other party's identity.
The existence who had once defeated Yhwach and ended the war between Soul Reapers and Quincies. The Head Captain of the Gotei 13, the strongest Soul Reaper in the Soul Society—
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni!
This was no accident; it was a premeditated invasion!
*Crack!!*
The sound of shattering became increasingly distinct. The Quincies who had been clamoring earlier subconsciously shut their mouths in the face of this Reiatsu that felt like the sky itself was collapsing.
Expressions of shock surfaced on their faces, their pupils contracting slightly.
How could such a terrifying existence be real?!
Was that really a Soul Reaper on the other side of the sky?
*Boom—*
The dim sky shattered, revealing a profound pitch-black void. A rather young-looking face appeared within it, bearing a ghastly smile that made one shudder.
"Senior Brother Kyōraku, can you actually do this?!"
"How have you been opening it for so long, yet only managed to clear such a tiny passage?"
Naraku Sora turned his head and complained, "Forget about Teacher, even I can't fit through here."
Kyōraku Shunsui's old face was flushed red. He was using every last ounce of his Reiatsu, leaving him without even the strength to retort to a certain someone's sarcastic remarks.
The effect of Kageoni was to allow both friend and foe to teleport through shadows, and then launch sneak attacks from within them.
At its core, it was still a children's game, not true shadow manipulation.
Compared to the Quincies using Reishi to construct a shadow dimension, Kyōraku Shunsui's ability had a limited effect on shadows.
Being able to open a passage of this size and bring two people down with him was already his absolute limit.
"Hmph. You slack off on your training during normal days, and drop the ball at the critical moment."
"I will settle this score with you once we return!"
Yamamoto's cold snort rang in his ears. A look of sorrow instantly appeared on Kyōraku Shunsui's face, as if he could already foresee his miserable future.
Staring down at the Quincies below with an icy gaze, the anger in his heart was exceptionally fierce at this moment.
These culprits who had nearly destroyed the balance had actually been hiding right under his nose for hundreds of years.
As the Head Captain of the Gotei 13, he had been completely oblivious, like a blind man.
With such a massive oversight, how could he even speak of the name 'Gotei'?!
However, looking at how Kyōraku Shunsui was about to cough up blood, it seemed impossible to completely annihilate this group of Quincies today. In that case, he would just have to leave them with a profound lesson.
"All things in the universe, turn to ashes!"
"Ryūjin Jakka!"
The Zanpakutō, burning with scorching flames, pointed straight ahead, exuding a terrifying aura that made one's heart palpitate.
It was as if a sun had risen above the Wandenreich.
Haschwalth's eyes widened. Reishi condensed, forming an ornate sword and shield. Like a medieval knight, he stood tall in the sky, preparing to block the opponent's strike.
The other members of the Sternritter also sprang into action. Wings of light unfurled behind them, and the Reishi permeating the atmosphere began to grow chaotic.
Vollständig activated!
Someone below took the lead in launching an attack.
Countless Reishi gathered in the palm of his hand. A rugged-looking, burly man with a full beard spread his arms, and a massive Reishi spear appeared.
It shot forth explosively!
A sharp, piercing sound echoed through the air as the azure beam streaked across the sky, trailing a long tail of flames, heading straight for the pitch-black hole.
However, what greeted it was an equally open hand with five fingers spread wide. Muscles and bones shifted, and a scorching aura erupted forth.
Naraku Sora seized the opportunity, grabbing the Heilig Pfeil in one fell swoop and instantly refining it!
Accompanied by the sound of shattering, countless Reishi fragments fluttered down like a gentle drizzle, adding a unique sense of beauty to this silent battlefield.
"It's impolite not to return a favor."
Naraku Sora naturally clenched his five fingers into a fist and grinned, his stark white teeth particularly striking against the backdrop of the dark shadows.
"I'll give you all a gift too!"
Pitch-black arcs of lightning danced across his arm, distorting the surrounding space and causing Kyōraku Shunsui, who was maintaining the portal nearby, to pale repeatedly.
If this continued, he wouldn't be able to hold on.
When almost everyone's attention was entirely focused on Yamamoto, Naraku Sora threw his punch.
Black Flash・Ikkotsu!
An unreserved eruption. All things seemed to lose their outlines because of it. The nearest spire was instantly annihilated, turning into nothingness. The explosive boom resounded through the sky, drowning out all other noise.
The burly Quincy directly in front of him widened his eyes, his face full of astonishment.
Before he could even activate Hirenkyaku to dodge, he was completely submerged by the devastating impact. His Vollständig wings of light dissolved and were erased within the radiance.
"Driscoll!"
Someone in the crowd called out his name, but received no response.
At the same time, the burning longsword in Yamamoto's hand swung downward. A scorching heat, akin to a volcanic eruption, poured entirely into the city.
The entire empire experienced a momentary deathly silence. Only one voice remained between heaven and earth.
"Ennetsu Jigoku—"
Fissures cracked open across the ground, scalding breath surging within them. Under the gaze of countless horrified eyes, pillars of fire that reached the heavens and covered hundreds of miles erupted from the earth!
Doomsday had arrived!
##Discount##
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