The god who transcends the Three Realms is, originally, an "Outer God."
According to this explanation, within the three realms there are gods as well, including the Soul King.
However, unlike the Hollow King or the God of Death, this god known as the Soul King is disabled.
Forget about fighting—he was sealed inside a crystal!
Of course, not many people know this. At present, within the Gotei 13, the only one who knows is the Captain-Commander, Yamamoto.
That is why he is so worried.
The Soul King possesses unbelievable power, but even so he cannot prevent the Hollow King born from chaos.
Now, in another world, the Hollow King has been born, and the Soul King of their world has even lost the ability to fight.
This reminded Yamamoto of what Angra said before he left:
The Quincy still exist, hiding in the shadows of the Three Realms.
When it comes to fighting Hollows, the Quincy are undoubtedly top-class fighters, so…
Are they going to cooperate with the Quincy this time?
But a thousand years ago, the two sides were driven to the brink of annihilation. In the end the Shinigami side won, and the Quincy never revived again afterward.
More than 200 years ago, they began large-scale slaughter once more and nearly exterminated the last Quincy.
Between the two sides, blood debts and deep hatred cannot be offset—so how could they possibly ask the Quincy for help?
However, Yamamoto had long since passed the age of youthful vigor. He had placed the peace of the Three Realms upon his own shoulders. If he could protect the Three Realms, he didn't mind losing face.
In other words, he already had the idea of reconciling with the Quincy, but the problem now was that he could not meet them, and his words could not help bring reconciliation.
Even though everyone in Central 46 had been killed, he still oversaw all matters of Soul Society on the human-world side. Especially in wartime, as Commander-Captain his power had naturally become terrifying.
However, because he also had to consider the opinion of Division Zero, this only guaranteed that he held final decision-making authority in Soul Society.
The meeting went on for a long time. They discussed the "Outer Gods," and then the topic shifted to Aizen and the others.
The situation with the Outer Gods was grave, but not urgent. After all, for some reason they could not enter the Three Realms. Not only their true forms, but apparently not even their subordinates could enter.
The Tower of Death was like a medium, but it was still outside the Three Realms—or rather, in the narrow gap between the Three Realms and the outer world.
Since they could not enter the Three Realms any time soon, the most important issue was naturally Aizen and his group.
"Aizen has obtained the Hōgyoku, so he will definitely use it to become even stronger," Ukitake Jūshirō said.
But Urahara Kisuke said that although he could not destroy the Hōgyoku, he had placed a seal within it.
"A jewel that has been removed from the soul will enter a dormancy period of at least three months."
"So we still have three months to prepare?" Yamamoto said in a low voice. "Then… next we confirm enemy intelligence."
"Aizen knows all information about the Gotei 13, but regarding Las Noches, at present we only know there are [three-digit] members and the [Espada]."
"Judging from these titles, the enemy team should have at least twenty captain-level combatants."
"Needless to say, there are also Hollows as strong as the Arrancar who rescued Lilynette Gingerbuck, and the four captains who betrayed us."
Just hearing this information made the captains feel pressure.
The Espada, about twenty captain-class Arrancar, the four traitor captains, and the three digit number who attacked Captain Hitsugaya…
In other words, there were an astonishing twenty-six captain-class powerhouses in Hueco Mundo!
Even if none of the Gotei 13 had died, the enemy would still outnumber them two to one!
Hitsugaya also mentioned Hinamori and Yamiko. In fact, when Hitsugaya fell into a coma, he was attacked by those two—so he included Yamiko, a seated officer, in the combat-strength calculations.
And if Hinamori Momo and Kira Izuru had also been hiding their strength in the past, the enemy's strength would only increase further.
In other words…
Even with a conservative estimate, the combat power of Las Noches was said to be more than twice the peak strength of the Gotei 13.
This power gap was certainly enough to give them a major headache.
And once the two sides began war…
It would be catastrophic—world-shattering destruction.
If dozens of captains fought together, not only could Soul Society be destroyed, the entire Soul Society could be pulverized.
The captains could not come up with suitable countermeasures in time, and could only do their utmost to rally their forces.
Urahara Kisuke said that the Visored were actually still alive, and that despite being Hollowfied, all of them were controlling themselves well.
Now that Hollowfication was no longer regarded as a grave crime, Yamamoto, representing Soul Society, naturally granted an amnesty. However, at least for now, no one wished to return to the position of captain.
They could join forces to oppose Aizen, but also expressed that they still felt uneasy toward Soul Society.
Even adding the Visored, their combat power was still insufficient.
Just then, as the captains were discussing, someone suddenly appeared in front of the door!
"Who is it?!"
Seeing this, Soi Fon shouted angrily. "Don't you know it's the captains' meeting!"
"Please don't be so angry, Captain of the Second Division."
At the entrance to the First Division appeared someone wearing a white military uniform, with a helmet covering even his face.
He stood with both hands clasped behind his back, and even when he appeared alone before all the captains, he showed no fear.
"Who goes there?"
Seeing his figure, the captains all tensed at once.
They recognized that outfit. It was…
Quincy clothing!
When they returned to Sōkyoku, Surtr had only appeared before them for an instant, but they still recognized the attire.
"Quincy?"
The first to ask was Yamamoto Shigekuni.
"That's right." The Quincy puffed out his chest, proud to declare himself Quincy.
"I heard you're troubled by Aizen's matter, so I came all this way."
"Oh?" Yamamoto frowned in surprise. "What exactly does Yhwach want?"
"Of course, to kill Hollows." Because of the helmet and mask, the Quincy's expression couldn't be seen clearly, but his bright tone made it obvious he was in a good mood.
"…" Yamamoto was silent for a while, then said, "Do the Quincy intend to cooperate with us?"
"Cooperate? No, no, no. Something like this won't erase the hatred between us. It's just… the enemy of my enemy is my friend. At least for now, we have a common enemy: the Hollows and Aizen."
"Therefore, regarding dealing with the Hollow, His Majesty believes we can at least stand on the same side."
"…"
Seeing Yamamoto's silence, the Quincy did not hurry. He only turned around and said, "His Majesty knows you can't decide this lightly. That is why he will give the Shinigami one month to consider."
"I will come again in one month."
With that, he left again.
A Quincy barging boldly into the captains' conference room—and leaving just as boldly—was unprecedented in the history of Soul Society.
However, if Shinigami and Quincy joined forces, that would also be the first time since ancient times!
Yamamoto hesitated briefly. Although he had fought Yhwach a thousand years ago, he did not know much about this Quincy King.
So when he heard the other party wanted to join forces to deal with Aizen, for a moment Yamamoto couldn't grasp the true intent.
Was it really only to deal with Aizen?
The Quincy held deep hatred for Shinigami, but also fierce hatred for Hollows. Using one enemy to fight another was extremely beneficial for them.
But in the present situation, the Hollow faction was powerful, and the Shinigami were highly likely to be wiped out in one blow. Therefore, the Quincy needed to support the weaker side to maintain balance so that both could fight to the death.
Even knowing it might be Yhwach's scheme, Yamamoto had no choice but to accept it.
After all, to resist Aizen, they might need the Quincy's power.
But…
They had to stay vigilant!
How did the Quincy get in just now? It was like when they appeared in Sōkyoku Hill before…
They all seemed to appear suddenly and disappear just as suddenly.
According to Kuchiki Rukia, when she was pursued by the Quincy and when she was in the palace of the prison wardens, they were equally elusive.
Once or twice might be overlooked, but if it happened repeatedly, it was bound to arouse Yamamoto's suspicion.
"You may dismiss yourselves for now."
Yamamoto felt it was time to head to the Soul King Palace. With so much happening in Soul Society, the great figures of Division Zero must also be worried.
Yamamoto was the Captain-Commander, so even if he could not go in person, he had a means to contact them.
This matter was extremely urgent, and he could not decide alone—so he truly needed to consult Division Zero, or else…
The Soul King's opinion!
"Shunsui, Ukitake—after you return, go to the Great Spiritual Corridor and check whether Aizen did anything before leaving."
Shunsui and Ukitake nodded, and the captains withdrew.
...
The Quincy had already departed, returning to the gullible empire.
He was actually Sternritter "W," Nianzol Weizol. His Schrift was "The Wind," meaning "twisted, roundabout."
This ability was actually quite powerful: the user can evade any attack he senses. In the manga, he even outplayed Division Zero's Kirinji Tenjirō, but in the end he was defeated by Senjumaru's speed and her cloth-weaving ability.
Confident in his ability and fearless, he came to Soul Society.
Even if the Gotei 13 hated the Quincy and wanted to eliminate him immediately, he didn't care—because their attacks wouldn't reach him anyway.
And because he could escape at any time using shadows, he was assigned the mission of infiltrating enemy territory alone.
"Haven't gotten over having to cooperate with Shinigami," Bambietta's voice was heard as soon as he returned to the meeting room.
While Nianzol went to negotiate at the Seireitei, these people naturally watched from the shadows.
This had been decided long ago as a "national policy," but many Sternritter were still dissatisfied—indeed, most of them could not accept it.
Needless to say the extremists; even a usually lazy, carefree person like Liltotto didn't really support joining forces with Shinigami.
After all, the Quincy of Wandenreich had undergone a thousand years of hatred education. A thousand years of brainwashing and repeated propaganda had implanted strong disgust toward Shinigami.
Some among the older generation were less brainwashed and easier to deal with. But most Sternritter were the new generation most deeply brainwashed by the empire's education!
Yet not only were they taught to hate Shinigami, they were also taught to swear loyalty to Yhwach.
So even though most opposed it, in the end, because it was Yhwach's decision, they could say nothing.
Only a few voiced their displeasure openly.
"It's less cooperation and more just dealing with Hollows together," Gremmy said, sinking deep into his chair with a smile. "Using evil Shinigami to deal with evil Hollows is actually a pretty good idea."
"Hmph, Gremmy. You've completely become His Majesty's yes-man. No wonder you were released," Bambietta said, unmoved.
"If you have complaints, tell His Majesty. Complaining here is useless," Bazz-B said with a sneer. "So, are you coming with me to see His Majesty?"
"Quiet." Just then, Baelz also entered and said softly, "I will introduce the empire's newcomer."
Since becoming part of the Royal Guard, Baelz had not attended Sternritter meetings, so his arrival surprised everyone.
The Royal Guard were essentially Sternritter, but special in that they were directly under Yhwach's command and represented his will.
In other words, Baelz arriving at this moment meant Yhwach had something to say to them.
"Surtr has joined the Royal Guard, and her Schrift has changed from 'Surtarlogi' (Surtr's Fire) to 'Ragnarok' (Ragnarok)."
"And the former 'S' was held by James."
They had lost three Sternritter in the previous battle with Angra:
'Y' Lloyd Lloyd, 'R' Jerome Guizbatt, and 'L' Pepe Waccabrada.
Surtr was promoted to the Royal Guard and took the vacant "R" position. Her Schrift evolved; previously it had been incomplete, but after absorbing the Sōkyoku it finally became complete, and even the Schrift in her soul changed.
This was not surprising. A Schrift is the manifestation of the soul. If the soul changes, the Schrift naturally changes too.
With her change, only "S," "Y," and "L" remained. James naturally returned to the old way of using "S." Whether he could create a new unit of combat power this time was unclear.
As for the remaining "Y" and "L"…
"Gabriel has been granted the title [L], meaning [Legitimacy]. These two will be your colleagues from now on."
Legitimacy—that was Gabriel's strength.
Gabriel embedded into her soul elements representing a "brawler," granting her tremendous power, but at the same time changing her very existence.
Her statements should originally have been questions, but now they became legitimacy—actually the highest stage of dissent.
You dissent to make others listen. And the power of legitimacy makes every one of Gabriel's actions legitimate.
Moreover, even when facing an enemy far stronger than herself, she can convince them—brainwash them even—into believing what she is doing is right.
How to describe this ability…?
Like the original holder of "L," "Love," it was an ability that tended not to appear much in serious works.
Because these two were not complete strangers to them, no one was particularly shocked when they appeared.
But when Baelz mentioned the last Sternritter member—the only remaining vacant "Y"—everyone had no choice but to focus all attention on him.
"The last Sternritter Y is still [Yourself], but the current holder is…"
As he said that, Baelz had the people behind him step out. When they saw her, everyone's pupils widened.
At this moment, Baelz revealed her identity.
"Kurosaki Karin."
...
The decision made at the captains' meeting was quickly passed on to the lieutenants. Rukia, Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division, naturally heard about it from Hitsugaya.
A day passed, and the matters in Soul Society were almost resolved. Rukia bade farewell to Hitsugaya, Ukitake, Kuchiki Byakuya, Renji, and others, and departed for the Human World together with Kurosaki Ichigo.
"With your current power, you should be able to ensure Karakura Town's safety, but since Aizen and the others betrayed us, the Menos Grande may become even stronger through the Hōgyoku's power. Therefore, after discussion, a lieutenant's garrison is still necessary."
On the road toward the Dangai, Rukia said to Ichigo…
Ichigo scratched his head and said, "Besides, I'm still a student. I can't be a Shinigami all the time, and I can't deal with Hollows alone either."
If they were only ordinary Hollows, that would be one thing—but the Hollows appearing in Karakura Town were not people you could treat lightly.
Fighting them wouldn't be easy. If Ichigo went all out, he'd spend all day killing Hollows, and then there'd be no point attending class!
He's not a professional Shinigami! Or rather, Shinigami work is his side job—his main job is being a student!
Rukia understood that, and smiled. "Don't worry. Considering the situation may become more serious, Soul Society is already considering dispatching a small unit to Karakura Town."
"Renji has already joined that unit, so a few lieutenants may come."
They did this because they realized Karakura Town was a very special place.
Karakura Town is the world's only "super-heavy spiritual land" in the past million years. The cause of this anomaly remains unknown, but ever since, powerful Arrancar have continued to visit this place.
Therefore, Soul Society suspected that the Arrancar appeared in Karakura Town by Aizen's will, and rated highly the possibility that it was Aizen's target.
Rukia and Ichigo would head to Karakura Town first, and then an elite unit led by a captain would follow.
In addition, this unit would be tasked with the important mission of maintaining contact between Soul Society and Urahara Kisuke.
Kurosaki Ichigo, distracted by the start of the new semester, hadn't noticed.
Only a few days remained before school started. Thinking about it, he realized he'd spent most of summer vacation rescuing Rukia!
Ah—what about home?
As he was thinking, the boundary tore open, a huge hole appeared before them, and the two burst out of it.
In fact, this was the first time Ichigo had crossed the Dangai. He had once used the Garganta to cross to Soul Society from Angra, but although the procedure was different, the entrance and exit were basically the same.
As the two leapt out and were about to fall from the sky, a huge paper airplane suddenly flew in, picked them up, and descended.
"Long time no see, Kurosaki," Urahara Kisuke called cheerfully from ahead.
"Shopkeeper!?" Ichigo shouted when he saw Urahara had come to meet them. "How did you know I'd be back?"
"Contact with Soul Society has been restored," Urahara said as he turned toward Ichigo, and then…
He suddenly knelt and deeply apologized to Ichigo and Rukia.
"I'm sorry for not telling you everything, and for implanting the Hōgyoku into your body without permission, Kuchiki."
Ichigo and Rukia were indeed somewhat angry, but Ichigo wasn't angry for himself—he just felt Urahara shouldn't have treated Rukia so terribly.
But there was no point blaming them now; ultimately it was Aizen's fault.
Rukia simply felt that if the Hōgyoku had not been inside her, she wouldn't have had to endure that suffering.
But what was the point of saying that now?
She shook her head. "It's nothing. For now, I don't feel anything is wrong."
"At least, we no longer have to live in lies and deception."
She said gently.