"Fighting to protect the Soul Society?"
Haschwalth's tone carried disbelief, almost amusement. "Do you really know which side you should be standing on?"
Ichigo Kurosaki froze in confusion at Haschwalth's words. Part of him was already stunned from having his blade broken, and the rest of him couldn't process what he had just heard.
"What do you…mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like," Haschwalth replied evenly. "You haven't figured out your own existence. You don't even know who your mother truly is. You know nothing. When you finally understand everything-then decide whether you should oppose us or not."
---
High in the storm-filled sky, Yhwach clashed with Yuta.
Between strikes of their spiritual blades, Yhwach's tone was calm but his words carried gravity.
"Yuta, you truly are someone who surprises me. I am the progenitor of the Quincy, and my blood flows through every Quincy in existence. Yet you-" his scarlet eyes narrowed slightly "-you possess Quincy power but none of my blood. Do you understand what this means? It means your existence surpasses the boundaries of identity itself."
Yhwach spoke with certainty, his expression filled with pride as if he had already discerned every truth.
"Oh? So you've already learned my origins?" Yuta asked flatly.
"Naturally," Yhwach answered. "Everything about you has been laid bare before my eyes. You cannot defeat me."
Yuta raised his hand and formed his own spirit blade, facing him without hesitation. The two blue spirit swords crackled with overwhelming reiryoku, though their appearances carried distinct differences. Yhwach's weapon bore two wing-like guards representing the perfected Quincy form. Ichigo Kurosaki's Zanpakutō carried the iconic 卍 symbol of his Bankai. Yuta's blade guard, however, resembled ancient bronze-its surface engraved with intricate symbols reminiscent of markings etched into forgotten relics.
Just from the sword's design alone, Yuta's energy clearly did not originate from the same power as Yhwach's.
"Even if you claim to see through me," Yuta said steadily, "I have already seen through everything about you."
He had understood Yhwach's purpose and the world the Quincy Emperor sought to create.
"Seen through everything about me?" Yhwach's tone darkened. "Don't make me laugh."
Thunder rolled across the heavens as the rain thickened. The storm made it impossible for anyone below to hear their exchange.
"Your goal," Yuta continued, "is to slay the Soul King-to end his existence as the bound being of the Shinigami and set him free. Once he is gone, the balance of the Three Realms will collapse and merge into one. In that world without separation, life and death will cease to exist."
Yhwach's eyes widened briefly at his words before narrowing again.
"So you've seen that far? And what of it?"
"If you know my vision-a perfect world without fear or death-then why do you oppose me?" Yhwach demanded. "Why mimic the sentimentality of humans and the weakness of the Shinigami? What a waste of your potential!"
"Perhaps it's beautiful to you, but not to me," Yuta said calmly. "It is precisely because death exists that life has meaning. Without death, life ceases to be life at its core."
His gaze remained firm as the rain poured around him.
"A world without death would know no sorrow, no attachment, no love. Without loss, there would be nothing to fight for-no family, no joy, no beauty. Everything worth cherishing would fade into emptiness."
"Yhwach," Yuta said, looking up through the storm, "perhaps the world you want is one without fear or pain... But those who live in a world without fear will lose the will to chase hope or wonder. The world you envision would stagnate."
Yhwach's expression hardened. "Nonsense. That's nothing but your naive imagination!"
"It seems neither of us will convince the other," Yuta replied. "There's no point in words anymore. We'll settle this with our blades-and decide the fate of the world that way."
Yhwach extended one hand, summoning bands of blue reishi that twisted into towering cage-like pillars around Yuta.
"Prison of Anguish!"
Yuta responded without hesitation, raising his finger.
"Hadō No. 4-Byakurai."
An enormous streak of white lightning burst forth, piercing the clouds and earth alike. The massive pillar of energy tore through the darkened sky, illuminating the entire Soul Society in blinding white.
Yhwach managed to sidestep but not completely in time-the edge of his black cloak was caught in the blast and disintegrated instantly under the overwhelming power.
Seeing the flash fade, Yhwach dashed forward while Yuta's spell ended, blade raised to strike. Yuta swung his sword down at the same moment, his strike slamming Yhwach into the ground below with explosive force.
Yhwach crashed through rock and soil, leaving behind a deep crater upon impact.
From within the debris, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Was Yuta's strength actually greater than his own?
How could someone hold power that rivaled-and even surpassed-the progenitor of the Quincy?
Before he could process it further, Yuta was already in front of him again.
"What…?" Yhwach's pupils contracted sharply. Yuta's speed was inhumanly fast-he hadn't even sensed the movement.
It should have been the perfect opportunity for Yuta to strike again, but instead, he simply stood there-blade at his side, unmoving.
Yhwach saw it as hesitation, or perhaps vulnerability. A flaw-one he would exploit without delay.
"Die, Yuta!" Yhwach shouted, thrusting his sword forward with ruthless precision.
His killing intent was unwavering-there was no hesitation or mercy, only pure resolve to end his opponent in one strike.
Yet Yuta's expression remained calm, as if he had anticipated this outcome entirely.
Before Yhwach's blade could reach him, a dark shadow crept along his arm-like tendrils wrapping around his wrist and restraining him mid-strike.
"Wha-!?" Yhwach tried to pull free, but his arm remained locked in place.
"It shouldn't be time just-yet…!"
"The time is up, Your Majesty," came the calm, disembodied tone of one of his subordinates. "You have reached the limit of your activity outside the Schatten Bereich. Please return to the Wandenreich, Your Majesty."
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