In the chat group, the Shinigami continued their accusations against Yhwach with growing intensity.
[Urahara Kisuke]: This Yhwach really does seem like a calculating old pervert! When invading Soul Society, it was only after transferring Kurosaki Ichigo to Hueco Mundo that Yhwach had the confidence to launch his war, right?
[Shihouin Yoruichi]: This time when attacking the Soul King Palace, he's also deliberately avoiding Ichigo Kurosaki, who is designated as Special War Potential!
[Gerard Valkyrie]: Haha! His Majesty simply doesn't want to engage in unnecessary fratricide. You should thank His Majesty for his incredible mercy and restraint.
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: Is that really the truth? Or is he trying to prevent father and son from killing each other? Can Yhwach truly be so compassionate?
[Hitsugaya Toshiro]: Although Yhwach has been leading Ichigo Kurosaki around by the nose, this doesn't necessarily mean he's particularly intelligent. At most, it just proves he's incredibly underhanded and devious!
[Kurotsuchi Mayuri]: By the way, based on all the previous footage we've witnessed, we may finally have a comprehensive understanding of this entire war!
[Kurotsuchi Mayuri]: Yhwach's first invasion was interrupted because his mysterious shadow technique had a time limit that expired.
[Kurotsuchi Mayuri]: His second invasion happened to occur precisely when Kurosaki Ichigo was training and forging his new Zanpakuto in the Soul King Palace, correct?
[Kurotsuchi Mayuri]: Now that Ichigo Kurosaki has finally descended from the Soul King Palace, Yhwach seems to be preparing to ascend there himself...
[Kurotsuchi Mayuri]: He really is deliberately hiding from Kurosaki Ichigo!
At this moment, Kurotsuchi Mayuri had roughly outlined the entire strategic picture of this war!
[Lille Barro]: What's so shameful about tactical avoidance? This is called intelligent strategy! Warfare isn't just mindless fighting.
[Askin Nakk Le Vaar]: His Majesty's target was never you weak Shinigami, but the Soul King Palace itself!
[Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni]: Hmph, Yhwach remains the same coward he always was. I don't know what you've been doing for the past thousand years, but you've clearly been focused on mere survival. So it's completely natural that you don't dare face Kurosaki Ichigo in direct combat!
[Byakuya Kuchiki]: Indeed, this so-called fatherly love is nothing more than a high-sounding excuse to mask his cowardice!
The Shinigami criticized Yhwach with righteous anger! In order to save some face for their faction...
In the projection, all the Shinigami tried their absolute best to delay the other enemies, creating an opening for Ichigo Kurosaki to quickly reach and defeat Yhwach.
Ichigo Kurosaki rushed forward with determination and confidence. He believed wholeheartedly that his friends could handle these Quincy opponents.
However, before he could reach his target, a spiritual arrow flew toward him with incredible speed!
WHOOSH!
Sensing this strangely familiar spiritual pressure, he immediately dodged the attack in surprise and looked up to identify the source.
He discovered Ishida Uryu wearing the distinctive uniform of the Sternritter, standing directly beside Yhwach!
Ishida Uryu spoke to Ichigo Kurosaki with cold indifference.
"Turn back, Kurosaki! You don't possess the power necessary to stop His Majesty."
Kurosaki Ichigo: "???"
Seeing this shocking betrayal, everyone was completely bewildered and confused.
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: What? Ishida, why did you join the enemy's side? What's going on here?
[Ishida Uryu]: Ah, how could this be possible? I never expected... Although we're both Quincy, will I really join their faction?
Ishida Uryu was equally confused at this moment!
Although the previous scenes had only emphasized the influence of the Auswählen on Kurosaki Masaki, thinking about his own mother's death and her identity as a mixed-blood Quincy, Uryu could naturally infer that Yhwach was also the enemy who had killed his mother!
It was just that he hadn't voiced this realization loudly in the chat group yet.
So at this moment, he couldn't understand why he had joined the Sternritter. Didn't his future self know the truth about his mother's death?
[Gerard Valkyrie]: Oh, so Ishida Uryu has joined our cause? Judging from his previous performance, he doesn't seem particularly powerful, but it's not bad to have another Quincy ally!
[Lille Barro]: If Kurosaki Ichigo refuses to join us, don't blame us for creating a scenario where friends must fight each other!
[Askin Nakk Le Vaar]: That's absolutely right! How can we help Shinigami when our bloodlines are fundamentally different? It's only proper for us Quincy to stand together!
[Robert Accutrone]: This represents the correct path toward a new future. If we continue helping the Shinigami, we're only assisting evil forces.
[Rukia Kuchiki]: Hmph, what nonsense are you spouting? It's obvious that joining you represents true evil!
[Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni]: Ishida Uryu, I hope you can think clearly about why you joined them. Is it simply for the sake of shared blood? If they want to destroy this world, will you be equally determined to help them achieve that goal?
[Ishida Uryu]: I... I don't know either...
[Ichimaru Gin]: And Ishida Uryu's position is quite significant. He's standing right next to Yhwach, almost like a second-in-command...
[Aizen Sosuke]: I didn't notice anything particularly special about this individual before. Kurosaki Ichigo, how will you deal with this old friend now?
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: Ishida... what are you trying to say...
In the projection, the shocked Kurosaki Ichigo continued questioning Ishida Uryu desperately.
Why had he joined the Quincy forces?
But Ishida Uryu provided no explanation and launched a direct attack instead!
Countless spiritual arrows, falling like a torrential downpour, shot toward Kurosaki Ichigo with deadly precision.
"Licht Regen!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Kurosaki Ichigo was completely unable to process what was happening. How had Ishida Uryu become an enemy? Why was he helping Yhwach?
Just at this critical moment, Kurosaki Ichigo's other two friends, Inoue Orihime and Yasutora Chad, appeared in time, having returned to Soul Society from Hueco Mundo.
Inoue Orihime's powerful rejection shield quickly materialized to protect Kurosaki Ichigo.
BANG!
As more and more Shinigami arrived on the battlefield, Ishida Uryu said nothing further. He followed Yhwach directly and flew toward the Soul King Palace without looking back even once!
Kurosaki Ichigo naturally couldn't accept such a betrayal. He shouted Ishida Uryu's name loudly while flying toward the light column that Yhwach and his group were using to ascend.
However, Yhwach glanced coldly at Ichigo Kurosaki!
Next moment...
BOOM!
An invisible force erupted rapidly and struck Kurosaki Ichigo head-on with devastating power.
Inoue Orihime quickly deployed her shield to block the attack, but even with her protection, they were both smashed into the ground under the tremendous impact.
Yhwach and his forces officially began their ascent to the Soul King Palace!
Seeing this development, the audience was dumbfounded once again and expressed great surprise.
[Ichigo Kurosaki]: Damn it, can I really not bring Ishida back to our side?
[Ulquiorra Cifer]: I never expected that Inoue Orihime could actually block an attack from Yhwach. Her rejection ability is incredibly powerful!
[Tier Harribel]: After all, in future events, it seems even Lord Aizen shows considerable interest in her abilities, so such performance is completely natural.
[Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez]: She's such an amazing person - she even saved Kurosaki Ichigo when he was nearly dead!
[Hitsugaya Toshiro]: Yes! Inoue Orihime was also an incredible game-changer, which enabled Kurosaki Ichigo to enter his Hollow mode and defeat Ulquiorra, who was much more powerful than him at the time.
[Aizen Sosuke]: Indeed, it's remarkable that an ordinary girl can make such rapid progress. This is also connected to Kurosaki Ichigo! After all, Kurosaki Ichigo can always provide infinite power to those around him. It's not abstract spiritual strength, but genuine material power!
[Gerard Valkyrie]: Haha, that was just a casual attack from His Majesty. What's so surprising about blocking it?
[Lille Barro]: If His Majesty attacked with full force, eliminating both of them instantly wouldn't be a problem whatsoever.
While everyone continued arguing, in the scene, Ichigo Kurosaki still couldn't understand the situation and felt extremely frustrated...
Why had Ishida Uryu betrayed them?
Yasutora Chad directly grabbed the depressed Ichigo Kurosaki and threw him forcefully to the ground. He wanted to use this shock to wake Ichigo up.
"Regarding Ishida, he must have already made up his mind to stand with the Quincy!"
Ichigo Kurosaki was forced to accept their assessment and immediately calmed down.
"We have to catch up and ask him directly why he made this choice."
"What are you planning to do? Do you need me to prepare transportation to the Soul King Palace for you?"
Ichigo Kurosaki responded with determination.
"Please do!"
Then Urahara Kisuke began explaining the underlying principles of their plan.
They had constructed a Shiba family-style cannon in the basement of the 12th Division. Kurotsuchi Mayuri, whose intellect was second only to Urahara Kisuke's, had anticipated future developments the moment the Zero Squad descended to Soul Society.
So he had created this cannon in collaboration with Urahara Kisuke.
The Shiba family's cannon technology was constructed using special techniques that were impossible to replicate casually. Therefore, this cannon would break after being used just once, and it also required an enormous amount of energy to function!
After that explanation, Shihouin Yoruichi also appeared on the scene. She had been commissioned by Urahara Kisuke to investigate the spatial distortion phenomena between the World of the Living and Soul Society during the Wandenreich's invasion.
These distorted phenomena generated tremendous energy when they appeared and disappeared, creating connections between the two realms.
By collecting these mysterious energies, they could now power the launching cannon!
So after these preparations, they quickly began their journey toward the Soul King Palace.
Seeing this development, everyone was once again filled with amazement and began discussing the implications.
[Aizen Sosuke]: It's Urahara Kisuke again! I never expected you would find a way to reach the Soul King Palace under these circumstances. I have to admire your ingenuity! But with such exceptional intellect, pursuing goals that don't match your capabilities really makes me feel sorry for you.
[Urahara Kisuke]: Oh, I'm so honored to receive such praise from you!
[Kirinji Tenjiro]: This Shinigami who was exiled from Soul Society before truly exceeds our imagination! He can calculate and prepare for everything using pure intellect!
[Urahara Kisuke]: No way - without the Zero Squad members and Kurosaki Ichigo, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish this. It seems I'll need to plan everything even further in advance in the future.
[Kurotsuchi Mayuri]: What? Urahara Kisuke, you actually described me as a genius second only to yourself? I feel somewhat uncomfortable about that! But since you also needed my assistance to develop this cannon, don't become too arrogant about it!
[Byakuya Kuchiki]: What a brilliant team! The 12th Division really excels at producing exceptional talent. In addition to these two tech specialists, they've produced two individuals who became Zero Squad members.
[Szayelaporro Granz]: Technology can truly change the future! We can't let the Shinigami claim all the glory - I need to work harder too!
[Ichimaru Gin]: So next, will we be able to see Kurosaki Ichigo ascend to the Soul King Palace for his final battle with Yhwach? I'm genuinely looking forward to it!
[Kirinji Tenjiro]: Hmph, there's no need for such expectations. Before Kurosaki Ichigo arrives, this Yhwach will have already been dealt with by our Royal Guard. We need to show him exactly how powerful we are!
[Yhwach]: Hmph, the Royal Guard is completely insignificant!
[Yhwach]: I'm more interested in seeing whether Ichigo Kurosaki can stop what comes next.
[Yhwach]: But I won't be as lenient as Aizen was! To achieve my ultimate goal, I definitely won't show any mercy.
[Shihouin Yoruichi]: Damn it, what exactly are you planning to do? Are you really going to replace the Soul King?
While everyone continued their heated discussion, the screen flashed to show Ichigo Kurosaki and his group landing in the Soul King Palace.
With the cannon's assistance, Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends finally broke through the seventy-two layer barrier and successfully entered the Soul King Palace.
BANG!
The cannon embedded itself directly into the main avenue of the Soul King Palace.
Ichigo Kurosaki quickly emerged to observe the situation around them.
He looked around in growing surprise and concern.
Where was Yhwach? Was the battle already over? Why was everything so eerily quiet here?
Afterward, Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends witnessed an absolutely shocking scene.
Hyosube Ichibei, the most powerful warrior in the Royal Guard, lay torn into pieces on the ground - completely lifeless.
Deader than dead!
Inoue Orihime wanted to rush over to heal him with her rejection ability.
However, facing the dismembered remains of Hyosube Ichibei, even Orihime probably didn't have any viable solution.
After witnessing this horrific scene, the audience was completely shocked!
What? Hyosube Ichibei was already... How could this be possible...
Could it be that Yhwach and his forces had actually...
This scene was fundamentally different from previous battles. At least when seeing Captain-Commander Yamamoto's apparent defeat, everyone could still maintain a glimmer of hope, thinking he might still be alive and could play a role on other battlefields...
But after seeing Hyosube Ichibei's dismembered corpse, there was absolutely no doubt that the Royal Guard had been completely defeated by Yhwach!
Despair instantly swept through the hearts of all Shinigami!
[Yhwach]: Haha, exactly as planned! Attacking the Soul King Palace and defeating Hyosube Ichibei and his subordinates was always part of my strategy. I can see everything clearly with my eyes.
[Shutara Senjumaru]: Damn it, how is this possible? We in the Royal Guard are now... Could it be that the Soul King has already...
[Hitsugaya Toshiro]: I wonder what kind of battle took place here before Kurosaki Ichigo arrived! Such a powerful conflict must have been absolutely earth-shattering!
[Hyosube Ichibei]: Even someone as powerful as myself could be defeated by Yhwach? I refuse to believe it!
[Nimaiya Oetsu]: That's right, maybe it's Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu! There have been so many intense battles in this war, but we haven't seen his real body appear anywhere.
[Aizen Sosuke]: But I wouldn't use Kyoka Suigetsu on my son, would I? It seems you really are dead after all, Hyosube Ichibei. However, I also know it won't be so easy for you to say goodbye to this world completely.
[Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni]: Is Kurosaki Ichigo going to fight Yhwach and his forces completely alone? This will be incredibly difficult...
At this moment, everyone on the Shinigami side felt unprecedented despair!
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