Within the past few months.
Captain Yamamoto had been occupied tracking down followers of the Eternal Religion and searching for the missing Unohana.
He had paid no attention at all to the issue of public sentiment.
He had underestimated the power of the people.
What about the civilians?
Did he dare to actually massacre them?
Faced with tens of millions of civilians, let alone him—even the king of the invisible empire at its height, Ywhabakh, would not dare!
They needed him to rule.
But if all those souls were allowed to dissipate—
The balance of the world could not be maintained. That was a taboo no one dared touch.
The outermost layer of Seireini was soon captured by the civilians.
Looking at the lavish buildings and expensive houses, the people roared in anger.
"Look at this, everyone—this is the so-called Seorei-tei! They live in fancy houses and constantly oppress us. Why is it that we all have souls, yet we have to be divided and treated differently?"
"This is because they are the culprits of all evil! They occupy the best place in the Soul World, yet they can't even provide us with basic security. Every time the 29th Liu Hun Street appears empty, they all come back very slowly..."
"On top of oppressing us, what else have they done? Ha ha... The so-called Elder's house, along with the Arbitrators, are nothing but a pack of dogs only concerned with protecting their own interests."
"Do they really care about us? They're just a bunch of dogs... If they dare to kill, then let them kill..."
...
Remark after remark.
Constantly irritating the ears of the Death Gods.
But what could they do?
Use Zanpakuto against civilians?
That was unrealistic.
"Yamamoto... Yamamoto, think of something quickly. Because of the influx of civilians, all the elders of the Forty-Sixth Chamber have rushed to his side."
"What do you want me to do?"
Yamamoto Motoyanagi said with a gloomy face, his tone sharp.
"You mean you'll actually let these useless civilians storm into the sacred Seorei Garden?"
An elder said, furious.
This was their home. These civilians dared to break in like this, yet Yamamoto Genryuhei Shigekuni hadn't even made a move.
What was he thinking?
The mere untouchables—as long as they used their power, they would naturally be forced back.
"How do you expect me to act? These civilians are just ordinary souls. If we strike at them, we only play into the Eternal Religion's hands.
One more thing I'd like to say—do you truly believe you are superior to others?"
"Yamamoto Motoyanagi Shigekuni, what do you mean? Are you questioning the Sage's decisions! Do you know who we are?
The Sage's status is higher than that of any Death God or Captain!"
"Yes, those untouchables are not even as good as an ordinary Death God. They are simply a lowly pack of pigs. If you don't drive them away... Should we let the other side occupy our homes?
What a joke!"
"Yamamoto Motoyanagi Shigekuni, if you don't act, don't blame us for giving orders to the secret forces!"
"You dare!!"
Yamamoto Motoyanagi Shigekuni roared, and a wave of blazing heat suffocated everyone present.
He pointed at the elder who had threatened to act without authorization, and said word by word: "Don't think I don't know about the disgusting things you do. How many unjust, false, and wrongful cases have been buried in the dark—I can see them perfectly well."
The Elder's house had grown beyond the Death God organization.
Originally, his original intention had been for the Gotei 13th Division to better protect the Soul World.
Instead, these old and calcified things had pushed him aside and walked all over him.
It had only gotten worse and worse.
What was happening today was precisely because of their misrule.
The people's grievances had been simmering for a long time.
One could only imagine the situation now—there had originally been various Death Captains around, so people had not dared to speak out.
Now there was the backing of the Eternal Religion.
Something had finally changed.
Yamamoto Motoyanagi Shigekuni could not fathom the consequences if those civilians were killed.
They would have no place left in the Soul World!
Just as everyone was at an impasse—
A violent explosion erupted at the second circle of Seorei Garden in the distance.
*Boom.*
Flames shot skyward.
The wails of countless souls reached Motoyanagi Yamamoto's ears.
This was a broken path.
And it was devastating.
So bright it blotted out the night sky.
"Who did that?"
"I don't know—I haven't given any such order..."
"Was it you?"
"Fart—if it were me, I would have fired it myself!"
The Sage who said this glanced at the distorted old man Yamamoto and sighed privately.
They still feared the strongest Death God above all.
Otherwise, would they still have to obey his orders?
They hoped that once some of the untouchables died, things would settle down completely.
Yamamoto Motoyanagi Shigekuni looked at the flames soaring into the distance. His expression was terrible. It was over.
They would no longer have a foothold here.
"We retreat."
"What?"
"What do you mean, Yamamoto?"
"Exactly what I said—if we don't retreat now, we will be surrounded here!"
"Just because of some untouchables, why should we retreat?"
"Yes, we refuse to go!"
Looking at the furious Sages, Motoyanagi Yamamoto showed nothing but contempt.
Had these idiots still not grasped the gravity of the situation?
If it were only civilians, he truly thought they were being far too presumptuous!
There was more to it than that.
The person who had fired that shot was utterly ruthless. To stir up public outrage, he had dared to sacrifice innocent civilians directly. A truly terrifying individual.
Motoyanagi Yamamoto shook his head, turned around, and addressed the 93 Death Gods: "Everyone abandon what holdings you can. Evacuate Seireini and head for the northern wilderness!"
"Yes, Captain."
"But Captain, there are still some who haven't withdrawn."
"I cannot manage that anymore. Did you not hear those voices? Once you are left behind, they will kill you..."
Motoyanagi Yamamoto's departure naturally took a large number of people with him.
And those Sages and Arbitrators, watching the scene unfold, began to confer with one another.
"Should we retreat? Yamamoto just took the Reaper forces with him—or some people still support us!"
"But he said it was dangerous."
"Dangerous my ass... he's old, just a cowardly old dog. If we retreat, do we really expect to keep our current status?"
Those words struck home.
As a result, these Sages used their secret orders to command the remaining troops in Seorei Garden to launch a counterattack.
Colloquially known as suppression!
At first, their advance went very smoothly. The civilians were simply no match for them.
Just when the Sages thought they could suppress the uprising like this—
A screaming ice phoenix put to death every last Death God who was about to strike!
"What!!!"
Ten Death Gods died tragically before them.
The Sages were so terrified they screamed like drakes meeting an ugly death—harsh and unpleasant.
The civilians who had believed they were about to die—
Seeing the robe of Hisugaya Toshiro, tears burst from their faces.
"It's the God Envoy! The Eternal God Cult is right. This Seorei Garden should never have existed at all. They only oppress us and only kill us..."
"Yes—people were killed by them just now!"
"My lord, please act. These high-ranking officials in Seirei Garden never treated us as human beings at all."
From the left, a pariah. From the right, a pariah.
No one was deaf.
Names laden with insult—it made everyone furious.
Looking at the ashen-faced Sages, Hisugaya Toshiro asked coldly: "You have been domineering for so long—did you ever think about the moment when you would die?"
"No... no, don't come closer!"
"Stop... we are noble. Our lives are not like those of the untouchables..."
The trembling Sage tried to use Hadou magic to buy time.
But the opponent simply waved his hand and slashed freely.
It shattered their barrier.
The next moment, Hisugaya Toshiro was upon them. Gazing at their contorted, terrified faces, his heart was alight with joy.
And at the same time, he hated the old days all the more.
*I actually served this pack of dogs?*
*Hehe—so stupid.*
The High Priest was right. Serve the people, serve the Eternal God—not these old dogs!
Ice flames blazed.
Twelve Sages in total.
All perished miserably in the streets—and the Death Gods who had colluded with them were not spared either.
"Find somewhere to rest. I must move on to the next location. Remember this—in the Eternal Religion, equality and freedom are our purpose!"
"Send off Lord God Envoy!"
Tens of thousands of people knelt to the ground and shouted in unison.
Toshiro Hisugaya sighed privately.
In the past, he too had been born and died for the Soul World, yet what did he receive in return? Some awards from the Captain and the Sages.
As for the way civilians looked at him—it was still full of fear.
Not the admiration he now basked in.
Once, he too had been a child born in the slums. Only after awakening his Zanpakuto did he leap through the dragon gate.
In the past, he had had to live with fear every single day.
But after gaining strength, he had become a different person—forgetting the unfairness of the past.
People were selfish.
Hisugaya Toshiro was no exception.
After leaving here, he headed to the next location. Today's task was simple: kill these Sages.
Anyone who dared to harm civilians was his target.
Motoyanagi Yamamoto stood atop the mountain, watching Seorei-tei where explosions sounded without cease. He could not help but sigh: "A crime. Told them to retreat, wouldn't retreat—now they're all dead."
Yumura Zuojin, who had followed him, also sighed.
He looked up at the Sages dying within the walls, and asked: "Old man, we are now homeless."
"Hmph... the Death Gods were born to maintain stability in the Soul World! Not like these wastes, who only stare at the rights directly in front of their eyes.
They deserve to die too. Let's move..."
Yumura Zuojin looked at the old man with his gaunt silhouette and sighed in his heart.
*Did they really want to make a move?*
*It was only because they feared the civilians would suffer heavy losses. Now the Eternal Gods held the will of the people—if they struck, they would hurt the people with their own hands.*
*Naturally, they dared not.*
*Those Sages had refused to see it, and ended up killed like dogs.*
*Since the opponent could suppress Gengmu Jianba and the others, their strength would naturally grow extremely fast. A pity... They had been driven from their homes like dogs.*
Dawn came.
After half an hour, the battle was entirely over.
Over a thousand Death Gods had been taken prisoner, and Kuchiki Rukia was among them.
"Arrange housing for the civilians. Demolish some buildings, and erect a temple to the Eternal Religion!"
"Yes."
"By the way, my lord, what should the common people do if they want to help us?"
"Let them help. After all, they are all our own."
By the time dawn broke over Seorei-tei, history had completely changed. Shiba Sora, who had followed the riots and entered here, could not believe his eyes.
The power of the Eternal Religion was truly terrifying.
Both in scheming and in strength.
They had far surpassed the Death Gods.
"Sister, the priest of the Eternal Church wishes to see us."
"Mm."
The two siblings went to the masked priest. When the other removed the mask, they were surprised to find an acquaintance.
A Death God who had disappeared.
"Two of you—it's been a long time. Xiaohe, your arm is still crippled. Do you want to join the cult? We can reshape your body."
"I... well, I'll join!"
At present, it seemed the religion truly served the people. Her choice to join did not go against her heart.
Recruitment was underway elsewhere.
Aizen sat upon a high tower and smiled at the nearby Urahara: "You see? With just a little time, we can achieve this without any effort. Old Yamamoto was like a dog—driven away..."
"I never imagined that civilians could hold such deep grievances."
Urahara looked at the people below with a charming smile.
She had joined the religion for power.
Everything proceeded according to plan.
She bore witness to scenes she had never seen before.
The civilians' hatred. The rot within the Death Organization.
These were grievances that had been building for a very long time.
She still remembered a saying: *People are not equal in life—so why do they accept enslavement after death, why are they treated as untouchables?*
That was derived from Liu Ning's philosophy.
Though the class system existed even in the underworld, the souls who had not committed sins could still live quite happily.
Until they qualified for reincarnation, they would depart from Jingyi Garden and enter the cycle anew.
What a happy existence that was.
*And then there was the Death Organization of the Soul World?*
*Ugly. Ignorant. Any word could describe them.*
*Because that was simply what they were.*
"Next, we'll see how many people Matsumoto Rangiku can attract. It should be easy. I think she has that talent."
"Hehe, that fellow Urahara Kisuke will not submit easily. As for other humans—combined with our propaganda—the existence of the Death Gods will slowly be forbidden."
...
In the living world at this time, it was Matsumoto Rangiku who managed things.
And the hype.
People clearly understood that after death, people went to the Soul World—and now it was the followers of the Eternal Religion who managed those souls.
"Aren't the Reapers the ones who manage souls?"
"That's the old way. These days, there are no ghosts wandering the streets. Instead, there are bull-headed, horse-faced patrols..."
A pair of sisters discussed recent events and smiled brilliantly.
———
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