Chapter 432

2-in-1 chapter:

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If those words had come from Kirio Hikifune, perhaps he might have believed them—at least a little.

But from the monk... not a single punctuation mark of it would he trust.

With Ryūjin Jakka in hand, he spoke flatly:

“There's no need for your help. Step aside. This time, I will annihilate Yhwach completely.”

“What happened a thousand years ago will not repeat itself.”

There was another sentence he had wanted to say, but he held it back, concerned about the implications.

A thousand years ago, he had clearly used Ryūjin Jakka to completely destroy Yhwach—so how had that man returned?

He suspected it had something to do with the monk.

When he fought Yhwach a millennium ago, he could sense the faint residue of the monk’s sealing techniques on the man.

Which meant, Yhwach had seen the monk before their battle.

What kind of exchange the two had, Yamamoto didn’t know.

But ever since then, his vigilance toward the monk had deepened.

Sensing Yamamoto’s hostility, the monk let out a sigh.

“Don’t look at me like that… I truly came to help you this time.”

Ichigo had no idea who this rotund monk was, but his instincts screamed that this man was absurdly strong.

Judging by their clothing, these people must be Shinigami as well.

If that was the case, then they were on the same side.

Thinking this, Ichigo smiled.

Wielding his massive cleaver-like blade, he stepped forward with Shunpo, charging straight toward Yhwach.

But before he could reach halfway, a Zanpakutō suddenly swung toward him from the side.

“?”

Ichigo hastily adjusted his weapon, shifting from offense to defense, and raised it horizontally to block the blow.

Startled, he turned toward Ōetsu Nimaiya—the one who had just ambushed him—utterly confused.

Ōetsu laughed loudly under Ichigo’s gaze.

“Ah, my bad, my bad. I haven’t been down to Seireitei in a while… the spirit particle density here is different from the Royal Palace. Got a little dizzy—swung at the wrong guy!”

…?

Ichigo frowned.

Even he could tell something was off.

Yhwach, too, had shown a trace of confusion at first.

But soon, a smile appeared on his face.

So that’s how it was…

To the Zero Division, the Soul King’s will was absolute.

If he was to ascend to the Royal Palace, inherit the Soul King’s power, and fuse the three realms once again, the Soul King likely used some method to deceive these subordinates into clearing the way for him.

As the head of all Shinigami, Ichibe Hyōsube couldn’t openly act as a traitor.

Therefore, these people had to oppose him on the surface while secretly assisting him.

To test his theory, Yhwach deliberately dropped his guard and exposed his back to several members of the Zero Division.

Now, if any of them had the intention, they could easily rush forward and gravely injure him.

But just as he had expected, none of the Zero Division moved.

Even when they noticed the clear vulnerability on his body, all four of them merely displayed subtle expressions—yet remained motionless, like immovable mountains.

Now Yhwach was completely certain.

Even the Soul King was on his side… Kaelith, Yamamoto Genryūsai—your resistance truly was pathetic.

He raised his head, smiling as he looked toward the sky.

Just moments ago, with the arrival of the five members of the Zero Division, the path from the Soul Society to the Royal Palace had become wide open.

It was time to ascend to the Soul King’s palace.

As for Kaelith and the rest… the Zero Division would hold them back.

Once he fused the three realms and returned everything to its original state, they would naturally come to understand his intentions.

Thinking this, Yhwach raised his foot, ready to rise.

Seeing this from the corner of his eye, the monk gave a barely perceptible nod.

Excellent. Even if he had taken on a greasy middle-aged form, he was still as dim-witted as a thousand years ago.

This kind of Yhwach was his favorite.

He let out a quiet chuckle, then turned his attention back to see what Kaelith would do.

Although it was a bit shameful, this time, he was planning to play the role of a proper roadblock...

Boom!!

A terrifying wave of Reiatsu crashed down like a flood.

At its center, Kaelith grinned, revealing a demonic smile.

“Did I say… you could leave?”

Yhwach stared at Kaelith in shock.

This Reiatsu—was this a joke?

Could someone in this world really possess such an overwhelming level of Reiatsu?

Even for a Transcendent, this was beyond absurd.

The air trembled and warped.

Kaelith’s spiritual pressure twisted the very space around him.

The naked eye could no longer clearly perceive the world nearby.

The monk’s face grew serious as he released his own Reiatsu, intending to buy time for Yhwach.

But just as his pressure erupted, Kaelith’s spiritual pressure suddenly doubled.

Boom!!

This time, Kaelith’s Reiatsu obliterated the entire First Division compound in an instant—pulverized into dust.

Yhwach, who had just lifted one foot to ascend, was slammed back to the ground.

Feeling the crushing weight bearing down on him, Yhwach couldn’t help but look at Kaelith again.

This man’s spiritual pressure had already been unimaginably powerful—yet it had just doubled again?

Even for a Transcendent, this was beyond belief.

Such sheer force—without relying on any other abilities—was already enough to make anyone below Transcendent level completely incapable of even approaching him…

Realizing this, Yhwach grew furious.

He couldn’t stop himself from speaking.

“Kaelith… With this level of power, why do you willingly submit to this world?”

“This world… ruled by the fear of life and death… a world filled with panic, despair, and ugliness—how can you remain unmoved?!”

“…Huh?”

Hearing Yhwach’s words, Kaelith looked puzzled.

A world ruled by life and death?

What kind of abstract nonsense was that supposed to be?

Perhaps sensing his confusion, Yhwach spoke again, his tone heavy.

“Kaelith, do you not know… before the Soul King appeared, the world was not as it is now?”

“In that era, there was no concept of ‘three realms.’”

“All living beings existed in a single world—a world without death, without despair, without fear.”

“It was only when the Soul King arrived and split the world into three that the idea of ‘death’ came into existence.”

“The living could only exist in the Human World…”

“The dead, in the Soul Society…”

“Over the countless years, I have received the prayers and supplications of many…”

“In all forms of fear, death is the most despairing, the deepest abyss of darkness.”

“Only by reuniting the Three Realms, erasing the boundary between life and death, and completely eliminating death itself, can humanity be freed from the despair that has stretched on for millions of years!”

As he spoke, Yhwach spread his arms, his tone fervent.

But Kaelith, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

He raised his hand, interrupting Yhwach.

“Sorry, I’m not really following your logic.”

“I’ve never seen what the world looked like millions of years ago… but even if, as you say, that era lacked the boundary between life and death, and everyone lived eternally, it’s not like fear ceased to exist, right?”

“So long as people still have emotions, they will experience fear for all sorts of reasons.”

“Even someone like me, full of sunshine and justice, has plenty of ways to make someone taste fear—without having to kill them.”

“Not dying isn’t the same as being unafraid. If this is your plan to eliminate fear, then you’re seriously underestimating the complexity of the human heart.”

“Or could it be that you’ve spent so long in your position that you’ve come to believe death is the only thing people fear?”

Yhwach frowned at Kaelith’s words.

“My power allows me to receive all that my followers possess.”

“Their strength, their memories, their skills…”

“That includes their emotions.”

“Among all those I have bestowed with Schrift, death was the only fear that stood above all else. All other fears combined did not surpass even a fraction of the fear brought by death.”

Kaelith chuckled quietly.

“Have you considered that maybe it’s because they serve someone like you—someone who casually uses Schrift on his subordinates, treating their lives as disposable—that death ends up being their greatest fear?”

“For the rest of us, normal people, there are plenty of things far more terrifying than death.”

“You’re just projecting your own experiences onto everyone else, as if the feelings of your subjects are the feelings of all people.”

“Talk to more people. People outside your court of lapdogs. You’ll see—the world has more kinds of emotions than you seem to think.”

Yhwach’s expression darkened.

Kaelith’s tone had clearly displeased him.

As the King of the Quincy, the Emperor of the Wandenreich, he hadn’t been spoken to like this—aside from that mockery by Ichibe Hyōsube a thousand years ago.

It was beyond insolent.

Yet, after thinking on it for a moment, he had to admit—Kaelith might have a point.

After a few seconds of silence, Yhwach closed his eyes.

“This argument is meaningless.”

“The truth of who is right will only be revealed through action.”

“I will take the Soul King’s power, become the new sovereign, and reshape the world.”

“A world without death—will return.”

As he spoke, his eyes snapped open.

Both of them had become twin pupils—two irises in each eye.

However, the four pupils looked unstable, shifting and twitching, as if they might rip through the eye sockets at any moment.

With the manifestation of those four pupils, Yhwach’s entire presence changed dramatically.

A powerful wave of spiritual pressure exploded from his body.

In that instant, across all of Seireitei, every Quincy locked in battle with Shinigami widened their eyes in shock.

The power within them suddenly felt as though a massive invisible hand had seized it, pulling it away by force.

Though they had never felt this before, all of them instinctively understood what it meant.

Their Majesty had invoked Auswählen.

Bambietta, with radiant wings of light spread behind her, had been fighting alongside Unohana against the Quincy when she froze for a moment.

Looking down, she saw a glow emanating from her chest.

It was a safeguard that Kaelith had developed years ago, after Kurosaki Masaki had been subjected to Auswählen.

This power, fused from Hollow spiritual particles and Kaelith’s transcendent force, normally lay dormant within her, having no effect.

Only when Yhwach’s power descended to trigger Auswählen would it activate and protect her.

Feeling Kaelith’s energy stir inside her, Bambietta’s cheeks flushed faintly.

She cupped her hands over her chest.

“Ah… Kaelith’s power…”

Unohana stood nearby, watching silently.

For a moment, she felt little interest in fighting the Quincy of the Wandenreich.

She wondered if perhaps it wouldn’t be a problem to cut this girl down first.

Countless rays of light shot up from all across Seireitei, trailing long arcs through the air as they converged on the First Division’s domain, pouring into Yhwach’s body.

Even those previously shielded by Aizen—like Haschwalth and Giselle—had everything taken from them by Yhwach, forcibly and without consent.

Some Quincy turned into dried husks, their spiritual energy completely gone.

Others were reduced to bare skeletons on the spot.

A few, luckier ones, merely lost their power but survived.

And a smaller number, luckier still, managed to retain a sliver of their strength.

One short, blonde-haired female Quincy collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily.

For a moment, she had truly thought she was going to die.

Fortunately, at the last second, she regained her consciousness and avoided being fully absorbed by Yhwach.

She looked up, her face twisted with pain, toward the direction of the First Division.

“Looks like… His Majesty rushed the Auswählen this time.”

“Guess I got lucky.”

Scanning the surroundings, and taking advantage of the fact that the Shinigami were still reeling from the mass death of the Quincy, she summoned all her remaining strength, stepped into Hirenkyaku, and vanished into the distance…