Inside the main hall of the Huaixiang Pavilion, the servants and courtesans lay sprawled across the floor. The only one still conscious was the scar-faced man from earlier that day. At this moment, he was leaning against a pillar, boredly tossing fruits into his mouth one by one.
The candlelight suddenly flickered and dimmed. The man's hand movements sped up, and by the time the main hall regained its brightness, he had just eaten the last piece of fruit. Brushing the fruit peels from his hands, he wiped his right hand across his face. The scar vanished into thin air, replaced by the familiar face of Kōe Shihouin.
"Master, you look as spirited as ever. And to the esteemed clan heads, it has been a hundred and fifty years, yet you all remain as hale and hearty as before."
At some unknown point, six figures had appeared at the head of the main hall, standing in a semi-circle facing Kōe. Five of them appeared to be in their twilight years, while the last was a middle-aged man with messy hair and a scruffy appearance.
"Why choose such a place?"
"Who would ever expect a fugitive wanted for over a century to appear in a brothel less than a mile from the Seireitei?"
Kōe shrugged and smiled, making no attempt to conceal his identity, even though none of the six individuals standing before him were ordinary.
The bald old man standing at the center was, needless to say, his master, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. The remaining five held statuses that were arguably equal to or even higher than Yamamoto's—they were the current heads of the Seireitei's Five Great Noble Clans.
From left to right stood the head of the Tsunayashiro clan, Tsunayashiro Daisuke; the head of the Kamidera clan, Kamidera Miya; the head of the Kuchiki clan, Kuchiki Ginrei; the head of the Shihōin clan, Shihōin Dōzō; and the youngest among them, hailing from a branch family and currently serving as the acting head of the Shiba clan, Shiba Isshin.
The immense power these five families wielded in the Seireitei was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. It went without saying that the Kuchiki, Shihōin, and Shiba clans controlled Squad 6, Squad 2, and Squad 10, respectively. While the other two rarely-seen families did not possess their own private squads, they were the leaders of the priestly lineages.
The priestly lineages were a special branch of nobility within the Seireitei. They did not involve themselves with the Seireitei's military forces, but instead oversaw all ceremonial and sacrificial matters.
The leading Tsunayashiro and Kamidera clans were said to be able to communicate directly with the Soul King. For instance, when Urahara and Yoruichi went to the Soul King Palace for an audience last time, it was Tsunayashiro Daisuke who announced it. Of course, none of this equated to actual executive power. To Kōe, the tangible strength of these two families manifested in Central 46.
Central 46 was composed of forty-six anonymous sages who governed the internal affairs of the Seireitei and Soul Society. The orders they issued had to be executed unconditionally by the Gotei 13, unless over two-thirds of the captains jointly petitioned to question the decree, which would then prompt a discussion. Most of these sages hailed from the priestly lineages and were jointly appointed by the heads of the Tsunayashiro and Kamidera clans.
"You should understand what it means for all of us to be present here." A completely emotionless, childlike voice rang out. The speaker was Tsunayashiro Daisuke on the far left. It was hard to imagine such a voice coming from an old man.
Kōe nodded. The gathering of these six individuals essentially represented the entirety of the Seireitei. As long as they gave their nod of approval, anything could be realized within the Seireitei.
"Master should have already informed everyone of the plan, so I will first..." Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Kamidera Miya. Without even opening his mouth, an ethereal voice echoed as if transmitting across a deep valley. "First, prove your innocence."
*Alright then.* This utterly cold and ruthless rationality was indeed the style of Central 46. The word 'trust' simply did not exist in their dictionary. Whether this was truly a plan or a conspiracy disguised as one, they would judge for themselves.
Kōe didn't resist. He dragged over the large sack from the corner and dumped its 'contents' out all at once. Seven bodies piled up in a heap. However, the six figures at the head of the room possessed incredibly sharp eyes; they could tell these seven were still alive, their hearts merely temporarily sealed by Kidō.
"I think this should be enough." Kōe pointed at the pile of bodies. These seven were none other than Tsukikage and the others he had supposedly murdered. "If you want any further details, you can ask them directly, but that's a matter for later."
"Speak!" A booming, resonant voice commanded. Kōe was actually quite familiar with the speaker, Shihōin Dōzō—an old man with a chonmage hairstyle who kept a stern, unsmiling face all day long. However, according to Yoruichi, he was secretly an old prankster in private. This often made Kōe want to ask him, *'Doesn't it get tiring putting on such an act?'*
"Then I shall continue. I believe everyone is already aware of Master's plan. This is also the reason why I deliberately caused trouble—to get a clear picture of the situation on the outside." Kōe spouted this nonsense without batting an eye or skipping a beat. The plan was real, but getting punished and exiled from the Seireitei was entirely his own fault!
According to the original plan, Kōe was publicly supposed to be ordered into a century-long secluded training within the Seireitei due to his stagnating cultivation. In secret, however, he was to leave the Seireitei under an assumed identity to conduct an investigation. His targets: the Quincies.
Nearly a thousand years ago, the Quincies and the Shinigami fought a war. Following that battle, the Shinigami emerged completely victorious, and Soul Society remained under the rule of the Seireitei. The Quincies lost the glory of their ancestors, their vitality severely crippled.
Afterward, the Quincies kept to themselves, and the two sides coexisted peacefully up until the present. Moreover, both shared the same goal of protecting souls from the persecution of Hollows; it could be said they were walking different paths toward the same destination.
But the reality was far from that simple. First of all, the very nature of Quincies made them parallel lines that would never intersect with Shinigami. Although both eliminated Hollows, a Shinigami's purification merely reduced a Hollow into fundamental soul fragments, allowing them to reincarnate as new souls.
However, a Quincy's elimination of a Hollow was absolute annihilation. Those they destroyed could not enter the cycle of reincarnation; their traces were left only in the passage of time. Since Hollows were formed from human souls, allowing the Quincies to continue this practice would cause a severe imbalance in the world's soul count, eventually leading to a universe devoid of all life.
From this, it was clear that Shinigami and Quincies were fundamentally opposed, an opposition that was subtly even greater than their conflict with Hollows. Therefore, it was not surprising in the least that Old Man Yama proposed a plan to completely eradicate the Quincies. In his eyes, this was a necessary move on the chessboard.
But was the survival of only one faction—Shinigami or Quincy—the only way to solve the problem? Not necessarily. Shiba Isshin, standing on the far right, voiced his own perspective. "Could we not bring the Quincies under the Seireitei's jurisdiction? Or perhaps have them relinquish their Quincy powers and become Shinigami? War is not the only option."
"Impossible! Although I don't want to admit it, this time..." Kōe shook his head, his tone incredibly firm. "War is the only option!"
"Your reasoning!" The abrupt, childlike voice emerged from Tsunayashiro Daisuke once more, his drooping eyes locked dead onto Kōe. Shinigami did not fear war, but if this battle were fought, there would be no winners on either side! No reason tainted by subjective factors would be enough to convince him.
"They harbor malicious intent!" Kōe showed no fear, his sharp gaze meeting Tsunayashiro Daisuke's directly. "The Quincies have never considered peace. War is their only option, and therefore, it is our only option as well!"
"Evidence!"
*Clack— Clack—* Outside, the night watchman struck his wooden clappers, the melodious sound carrying far into the distance. "The first quarter of the hour of the Rat! All is peaceful and well!"
At this moment, the outside world was a picture of serenity, while inside the room, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. The five pairs of eyes bearing down on him made Kōe realize that he had absolutely no way out. What the future held depended entirely on his next performance.
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