Out of the frying pan and into... no. In a situation like this, would one say they escaped a fox only to stumble upon a tiger?
Urahara Kisuke swallowed hard as a massive torrent of Spiritual Pressure surged before his eyes.
One might ask if he had even anticipated a situation such as this.
To begin with, if things reached this point, the plan might as well be considered a failure.
If asked whether he had anticipated the failure of the plan itself, he would say yes. If asked if he had expected to run into Genryusai and Yhwach, he would likewise nod.
But if asked whether he expected Genryusai and Yhwach to be standing together in the same place...
Most would shake their heads. These two were the very embodiment of the ancient, bitter grudge between the Soul Reapers and the Quincy.
'I'm glad I prepared for the worst just in case...'
However, the Urahara standing here was not an ordinary man.
He prepares for the worst of the worst, even the things that defy expectation.
Even if it's a one-in-a-million chance, if preparing everything possible allows for even one thing to be useful, then it is enough.
Urahara Kisuke was that kind of man.
"It has been a long time, Captain-Commander Yamamoto. And... it is a pleasure to meet you, King of the Quincy."
In response to Urahara's greeting, Yhwach stared at him expressionlessly, while Genryusai tightened his grip on Ryujin Jakka, which was disguised as a walking cane.
"Urahara Kisuke. By the judgment of Central 46, you should have been exiled to the World of the Living."
"Even if I am a criminal, I cannot simply sit back and watch my homeland vanish. I've come here, ready to face death, to stop that from happening."
His words were slightly indirect, but his meaning was clear: he had come to aid the Soul Reapers.
Genryusai was not a man who would fail to grasp such simplicity; he loosened his grip slightly.
"Are you speaking of the events taking place above us?"
"Yes. I, too, have come under the instruction of the person who is currently up there."
Before Urahara could even finish speaking, Yhwach's blade swung out, aimed to separate Urahara's head from his neck.
It was a lethal strike without a hint of hesitation, yet there was no bloodlust behind the sword.
It was a strike delivered simply because 'it was the thing that ought to be done.' In such a stroke, there was no room for killing intent to seep in.
K-K-K-Klang—!!
Even without killing intent, Shihoin Yoruichi—ever the former Commander of the Stealth Force—was the first to notice. Her eyes widened as she moved to intervene.
To her eyes, it looked as though Yhwach's blade had already pierced through Urahara's throat.
"Kisuke!!"
"Don't move, Yoruichi-san!!"
The one who stopped Yoruichi as she attempted to use Shunko to land a counter-strike was none other than Urahara himself.
How could she not be shocked when a man she thought was surely dead began to speak?
"Kisuke..."
"I'm fine, so please, do not move."
Yhwach's blade had indeed touched Urahara's neck.
That was an undeniable fact. However, the blade that touched Urahara's neck could not cut through it; it was blocked by a pale blue membrane.
Yhwach was just as surprised. Was it because a strike he had intended to be full-strength was blocked?
No, that wasn't it.
Sizzle, crackle...
"Blut Vene...! No, this is different. You..."
"To be precise, it's a new technique inspired by it. I developed it with a bit of help from some Quincy back when I was still a Captain. For a name... let's call it the 'Dual-Mixed Veil'."
As Yhwach narrowed his eyes and prepared to exert more force into his sword arm, an overwhelming Spiritual Pressure bore down on the four individuals present.
"Urgh..."
"Hnf...!"
A crushing weight that made their joints creak and forced their bodies to bow involuntarily.
The battle between the two Transcendent Beings occurring in the sky above was affecting the ground below.
For a fleeting moment, the Spiritual Pressure was intense enough to loosen the grips of even Genryusai and Yhwach.
—!!
Then, a thunderous roar followed—as if the sky itself were collapsing—and the ground throughout the Seireitei warped, thrusting upward in places and caving in elsewhere, distorting the very landscape.
"What absurd power... To think a mere aftershock could do this..."
After the shockwave subsided somewhat, Genryusai muttered while rubbing his stiff back.
The one who answered him was Urahara, who appeared relatively unscathed compared to the other three.
"Naturally. It is a battle between one who could crush the Three Worlds with a single punch, and one who can divide the Three Worlds with a mere gesture."
At that sight, the three of them—including Yoruichi—looked at Urahara, each harboring their own questions.
Yhwach, who had been cloaking his entire body in Blut Vene to withstand the pressure, asked:
"How are you standing perfectly fine under such Spiritual Pressure?"
"Did I not tell you? I have come under Master Shimon's instruction. I prepared for this to some extent. Though, I didn't think it would be quite this severe."
"Ah, and despite how I look, I'm not exactly 'perfectly fine' either."
As Urahara spoke with an awkward laugh, Yhwach sheathed the sword he had drawn.
"Repeating the same conversation is meaningless. Exactly what were your instructions when you came here?"
"I have come to minimize the damage that will occur when the Royal Guard falls."
"So the fall of the Royal Guard is certain. Then let me ask: why minimize the damage now? If the Soul King is killed and the world collapses, the survival of the humans beneath would be meaningless anyway."
"Ah... I suppose I should explain from there. First, Master Shimon's goal is not the destruction of the world."
"What?"
Urahara explained Shimon Meio's plan as briefly as possible.
Due to the time constraints, many details were omitted, but it was enough to clarify that the Nether King did not intend to destroy the world.
"If that was truly the plan, you could have said so from the start... Why didn't he?"
"Haha... even I have no way of knowing that. If I were to dare a guess, perhaps it was because he was worried people wouldn't accept it or would resist?"
"It is only natural to assume there would be those who recoil at the thought of killing a god. But if such a plan was made, it would be logical to endure that level of backlash. It's hard to believe that was the reason the Nether King made that choice."
Urahara merely laughed awkwardly in response to Yhwach's words, remaining silent.
After a brief silence, Genryusai was the first to speak.
"Rather than digging into the reality of this plan, should we not first discuss what to do about the falling Royal Guard?"
"Certainly. Solving the immediate problem comes before future concerns. So, how do you plan to minimize the damage? Surely it isn't as simple as digging a hole in the ground."
"At the moment the Royal Guard touches the Shakonmaku, I will merge the Royal Guard with it. The strain on the Seireitei itself will be considerable, but it will be far less damaging than letting it pierce through the Shakonmaku and crush the city beneath it."
Despite his explanation, Urahara's voice lacked absolute certainty. Genryusai let out a low groan and rubbed the handle of his cane with his thumb.
"Are you certain of this?"
"...I cannot be certain. According to what I heard from Master Shimon, besides the Royal Guard palace, there are five Zero Division Branch Palaces where the Squad 0 members reside. Even if we merge the central palace with the Shakonmaku, it won't be enough to stop the Branch Palaces from falling."
"You're saying if the Royal Guard falls, the Branch Palaces fall with it?"
"Yes. The Zero Division Branch Palaces were created along with the central palace and are linked to it. If the central palace loses its anchor and falls, they will fall with it."
"And where would they land?"
"Some parts might overlap with the Seireitei, but most of them will fall upon the Rukongai."
As Genryusai let out a low growl at Urahara's words, Yhwach slowly closed and reopened his eyes.
Genryusai released the cane form of Ryujin Jakka and gripped its hilt.
"Is it impossible for me to use my power to incinerate the Royal Guard?"
It was a sacrilegious statement, but Genryusai considered it a viable option. However, the reply was a negative one.
"That would be difficult since it's the site where the Soul King and Master Shimon are fighting. More than anything, if a Spirit Ground containing that much Spiritual Pressure were to be provoked and explode, it would surely not end with just the Seireitei."
As Urahara said, the Royal Guard was currently in a state of extreme instability due to the battle between the two gods.
It was only holding together because its master, the Soul King, was still there. Otherwise, it wouldn't be surprising if it exploded at any second.
"Moreover, destroying the Royal Guard palace alone won't solve the problem. The real issue is the Branch Palaces falling outside the Shakonmaku."
"In that case, I shall handle it."
When Yhwach opened his eyes again, his pupils were no longer one, but two.
"If the problem is multiple things falling instead of one, then one simply needs to make them into one."
The Almighty.
"And so, it shall be done."
He unleashed the power he had set aside—not because he had lost it in the war a thousand years ago, but because he simply hadn't found the need to use it until now.
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 148
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T