Although Bazz-B harbored deep hatred toward Yhwach, he had remained within the palace of the Wandenreich for hundreds of years.
The reason was simple.
Jugram Haschwalth.
As Haschwalth's childhood friend, Bazz-B had endured those long, humiliating years largely because of him.
And now
Seeing Haschwalth finally draw his blade, Bazz-B's excitement was unmistakable.
He wanted to witness, with his own eyes, the moment his friend truly displayed his authority.
But the very next instant
His expression froze.
After Haschwalth's sword brought the raging battlefield back into balance, an enormous mass of shadows suddenly emerged in midair.
Those shadows twisted and condensed
Becoming countless black arrows.
They rained down like a merciless storm.
Kyōraku Shunsui, Jūshirō Ukitake, and Unohana Retsu reacted instantly, raising their Zanpakutō.
Gosuke Shigure and Yamamoto Genryūsai also moved to intercept.
Yet
Something was wrong.
The target of the shadow arrows was not the invading Shinigami.
It was
The Quincy themselves.
The Sternritter understood immediately.
Relief.
Anger.
Resignation.
Unwillingness.
All of it flickered across their faces.
But in the end
None of them resisted.
They stood still and allowed the arrows to pierce them.
Bazz-B stared in disbelief.
"Haschwalth… you"
Before he could finish, a black arrow struck him squarely.
The moment the arrows made contact, they dissolved into massive shadows, swallowing the Quincy whole.
One by one, the Sternritter vanished—absorbed, erased, recalled.
In the blink of an eye, the palace was emptied.
Yamamoto Genryūsai understood immediately.
Auswählen.
Fury erupted from him.
Ryūjin Jakka roared as he swung his blade, flames surging toward Haschwalth with overwhelming force.
But just before the fire could reach him—
It was erased.
As if balance itself had rejected the attack.
Haschwalth stood unmoved, sword still in hand.
His golden hair gleamed against the fading flames.
"This is not yet the time for a decisive battle," he said calmly.
"When His Majesty Yhwach fully awakens, we will meet again."
"Until then"
"Shinigami, wait for despair."
Crack.
His body shattered like glass.
Fragments dissolved into shadow, and then—
He was gone.
Yamamoto arrived a heartbeat later.
Too late.
"…They escaped."
Kyōraku Shunsui sighed, sheathing his Zanpakutō.
Jūshirō Ukitake nodded grimly.
"We were too reckless. After discovering this shadow domain, we should have sealed it first to prevent retreat."
But it was pointless to dwell on it.
No one had expected an entire Quincy empire to be hiding beneath the Seireitei.
Nor had they expected such decisive retreat.
It was no wonder the Quincy had left no trace for centuries.
Yamamoto stood silently amid the empty palace, flames still burning faintly along Ryūjin Jakka.
No one could tell what he was thinking.
Gosuke Shigure released his Zanpakutō and lowered his arm.
His gaze lingered on the ruins, eyes narrowing slightly.
Soon after, another Captain-Commander meeting was convened.
Not for appointments.
The Tenth Division captaincy remained vacant—but that was nothing unusual. Vacancies lasting decades had occurred before.
Choosing the right person mattered more than choosing quickly.
This meeting had only one purpose.
The Quincy threat.
Yamamoto spoke plainly.
Through the combined efforts of Shihōin Yoruichi, Gosuke Shigure, and Urahara Kisuke, a massive shadow domain had been discovered beneath the Seireitei.
An artificial space.
Created by Quincy.
Occupied for centuries.
A palace hidden in the shadows.
Yamamoto, Unohana, Kyōraku, Ukitake, and Gosuke had entered it personally.
They had confirmed the truth.
And though the Quincy abandoned the domain and escaped, the danger was far from over.
Orders were issued.
The entire Gotei 13 would assist in searching the shadow domain for remnants.
At the same time, surveillance across both Soul Society and the World of the Living would be intensified.
The escaped Quincy were not to be allowed to vanish again.
When news of the meeting spread, the Seireitei was shaken.
A Quincy empire beneath their feet?
Hidden in their shadows?
For centuries?
When Aizen Sōsuke, Lieutenant of the Fifth Division, learned of it
His expression darkened.
For years, he had believed himself the one observing from the darkness.
Now he realized
Someone else had been watching as well.
He immediately volunteered to participate in the investigation.
With the Quincy gone, the shadow domain was no longer dangerous.
But they had left things behind.
Research equipment.
Observation devices.
Data.
From those remnants, one truth became undeniable.
The Quincy had been watching the Seireitei for centuries.
Aizen's eyes grew colder.
If that was the case
How much of his own plans had been seen?
For the first time in a long while
Aizen felt unease.
And he hated the Quincy for it.
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