"Jugram Haschwalth," Haschwalth was a good kid. Even following someone Yhwach, he could still reason with people; that's truly a kind and benevolent nature.
"Hello, Haschwalth," Jun went up to shake hands again.
Haschwalth sheathed his sword and shield, cleaned his hands with his Sklaverei Ability, and then shook hands with Chun. This man truly possessed a noble demeanor.
Hello, Shimizu-san
"Haschwalth, I'm curious, did you come to the Far East with Yhwach a thousand years ago?"
Yes, is there a problem?
Are all the other people here the same?
Not all
"Oh~?" Chun pinched her chin. "So, you could still move around even when you were sealed away, right?"
"There is no seal. The Wandenreich was simply a means we used to protect our lord."
"Is that so? You guys are amazing! But if that's the case, doesn't that mean you can launch a counterattack on Soul Society at any time?"
"Certainly!"
Jun pointed to the God's Left Hand and the God's Heart as if suddenly realizing something, "To put it bluntly, from what I know of Soul Society, these two alone could wipe it out. You guys aren't afraid of Old Man Yamamoto?"
"However, I've also tested Old Man Yamamoto's strength; he shouldn't be a match for that left hand. So it's strange, since you can come out at any time, why Undying Soul Society?" Jun grinned. "You guys don't seem that strong either."
Haschwalth frowned and said, "Our lord is a god; he needs time."
"Really? For example, nine hundred years to regain a heartbeat, ninety years to regain consciousness, nine years to regain strength, and so on?"
That's the official explanation. The truth is, Yhwach isn't like that. He woke up a long time ago and has always maintained contact with the Quincy. However, whether he was actually driven to despair by Old Man Yamamoto's attack back then is still unknown.
Haschwalth frowned, because he realized that Chun was completely different from the others; Junichi was not easily fooled.
"Let me introduce you to someone, someone I think you should know as well. His name is Ryūken Ishida, and he is one of the three remaining Quincy in the World of the Living."
"Impossible! There should only be one Quincy in the World of the Living! He is..."
"He's Uryū Ishida, right?"
Haschwalth fell silent, while Jun chuckled. Both knew who was superior; Jun seemed to understand the Wandenreich perfectly, while Haschwald understood Jun completely. This was because, despite having spent twenty years in Soul Society, Jun hadn't revealed anything, only showing a glimpse of his true power during his final act.
"The Vollständig technology is a technology researched by the Ishida Family thirteen generations. And the Blut technology you are using now took four families nearly two hundred years to develop. All of this was done by Yhwach. So, is there anything else you want to tell me?"
What are you trying to say?
"I wanted to say that we could exchange intelligence. I have a particular fondness for knowing secrets, so could you tell me your purpose in coming to the Far East? By the way, doesn't the West have an afterlife?"
Haschwalth's brow furrowed deeply. "I have no intention of exchanging intelligence with you."
"Is that so? Then you'll all die. Don't try to talk to me about the impossible. You're gods or whatever, but I don't even care about the Soul King."
"By the way, when you were spying in the shadows, did you read my book? The one about how Soul Society came to be, the one about the Ancient War, did you read it?"
So what if you've seen it?
How are you feeling?
"Nonsense!"
Junichi, "Is that how you see it? Or is that how others see it? Haschwalth, in my opinion, you are a rather self-reliant person. Don't you have your own thoughts?"
"Shut up!"
"You're not going to say anything no matter what?"
Haschwalth drew his sword, then shook his head and turned away, saying, "What a pity. I really admire you. What a shame."
Ichigo suddenly appeared, blocking Haschwalth's path as he pursued Jun. Haschwalth had been suppressed by Aizen but had regained consciousness. Aizen then came to Jun's side and smiled at Haschwalth.
"Are you all so eager to die? What is it about Yhwach that makes you willing to die for him?"
"You wouldn't understand!?"
"Huh?" Jun suddenly turned around. "I don't understand? What don't I understand? Yhwach's power? Isn't that the Soul King's power?"
"By separating a portion of one's own soul and entrusting it to the soul of another to activate that soul, thus granting power to those activated, and then reclaiming one's own soul along with the activated power—as the Yhwach of the Quincy and the successor to the Soul King, has Yhwach's ability changed in any way?!"
Haschwalth was dumbfounded. "What... what did you say?!"
Aizen was also curious, "Jun, how did you know?"
Ryūken and Isshin, being curious as well, were both looking at Chun, waiting for her answer.
"How do I know? I encountered an existence from the same era as the Soul King, so naturally I can know about the Soul King's abilities. What's so strange about that?"
"How could someone be from the same era as Soul King!"
"Do you know how long Arrancar can live?! Almost infinitely!"
Haschwalth stared at Chun in astonishment; this time, he was genuinely surprised, his facial expression contorted in shock.
"Is there a problem with my interpretation of Yhwach's abilities?"
No comment.
"It's alright, it's not a big problem. Take your shield, for example. Yhwach gave this shield the power of someone from the past. Do you know why I know this? Because among the Four Great Noble Clans of Soul Society, the Shihoin Family is in charge of managing the Heavenly Gifted Armament. These Heavenly Gifted Armament are magical equipment that the Soul King bestows with power, just like your shield."
Now it was Yoruichi's turn to be dumbfounded. Her family records stated that the Heavenly Gifted Armament was indeed equipment bestowed by the gods, but it didn't say it was the Soul King's equipment, let alone explain how those Heavenly Gifted Armament were made.
"Your shield isn't invincible; its limit is the limit that the person who once possessed it could reach. Your strength is indeed formidable, and you can use the power of balance to transfer damage to the shield to the enemy, repeatedly refreshing its resilience. But you will still die, because I haven't even made my move yet. I am not particularly skilled, but I do possess some expertise in Zanpakuto."
"That poison guy could be killed in two hits by any random person who's never even met him before. One person could turn him into Vollständig, and another could instantly kill his Vollständig."
"That big guy would be dead if I hadn't stopped him, and it's only a matter of time before that birdman is also dead. How strong is your Vollständig? Of course, I really can't do anything about that hand. The Soul King's left hand is indeed something special."
"Oh? That's the Soul King's left hand?"
"Yes, the Soul King's own left hand."
Pure's words Aizen's interest. "How about I give it a try?"
"Even in your current state, you might not be able to defeat that thing. However, if you're not afraid of Hell, and you overcome all obstacles and surpass your current abilities, you could even defeat the Soul King himself."
Aizen grasped the key point. "Would that send you to Hell?"
"If maintained in the long term"
"I see, so Hell is different from what Soul Society."
Chun looked at Haschwalth and said, "I really want to see Yhwach. He released so much power and then took back so much power. Those soul fragments also brought back the experience of the original body's growth. Theoretically, Yhwach is already an invincible being, but why doesn't he show up?"
"My lord"
"Your master is digesting something; he's been digesting it for a thousand years," Jun snapped his fingers. "A thousand years ago, you said that Old Man Yamamoto Yhwach suddenly. I didn't believe it. That's impossible, absolutely impossible."
"The reason Yhwach stopped breathing a thousand years ago is very simple: he acquired something, something he couldn't bear. He spent a thousand years digesting it, but he hasn't finished yet. Don't you think so, Yhwach?"
Finally, Yhwach appeared. He stood on the gate of Silbern, looking at Chun, and Chun looked back at him. Yhwach jumped down from Silbern; he was still very weak.
Haschwalth quickly returned to assist Yhwach, then brought him to Chun. Yhwach smiled slightly and extended his hand.
"Hello Shimizu-san ~"
Chun hesitated for a moment, but still shook his hand. "Hello, Yhwach."
"You're absolutely right. I've read your book. I thought you were just talking nonsense, but it seems to be true?"
"I also have a question for you: Does the West not have an afterlife?"
"Have"
"Then why didn't you travel thousands of miles to the Far East?"
Their eyes met, and they laughed together, then spoke at the same time.
"Because here you (I) need!"
Chun had figured everything out. "So, are you ready to become the next Soul King?"
Pure's words stunned everyone. Yhwach laughed maniacally, "Aren't you afraid I'll destroy Soul Society!?"
"The Soul Society never truly existed. It was created by the Soul King, a special afterlife chosen and isolated from countless others. You can destroy it, and you can do whatever you want, because you are the new Soul King."
"But do you enjoy destruction? Would you destroy the afterlife, then the World of the Living, destroy everything you can, and finally destroy yourself? Would you do that?"
Are you saying that as long as I don't destroy everything, you'll let me do whatever I want?
"Of course not, I want you to follow in the footsteps of the Soul King."
"Impossible!!"
Yhwach's words were resolute, yet utterly indifferent.
You! You have no choice!
"No! I can destroy everything!"
Jun suddenly pulled Haschwalth and Yhwach apart, and Aizen simultaneously blocked them both. Jun and Aizen shielded Haschwalth behind them; this was Jun's intention. Aizen was perfectly synchronized.
Haschwalth looked completely bewildered, as did Yhwach, but Chun said...
"You have a substitute, don't you know that? The Soul King never had a half-body, but you do!"
Yhwach was shocked, but before he could react, a black force suddenly pierced through his chest, and Nobunaga Oda's goatee draped over Yhwach's shoulder.
"Haha, you're the successor of the Soul King? The successor of the Creator of Hell!? Do you know how long I've been trapped in Hell!? This strike! Will let you experience the power of Hell!"
Yhwach didn't lack the desire to retaliate; rather, he possessed no power to do so. Nobunaga Oda, engulfed in flames of black and purple, had transformed into a Demons. His current power was Transcendent-level power.
Before everyone's eyes, Nobunaga Oda instantly killed Yhwach with a single strike, then stepped out of his Demons form. Suddenly, a massive Gates of Hell appeared, and the Soul Reaper's giant claws snatched away the Demons power Nobunaga Oda had shed, dragging that power into Hell.
The appearance and disappearance of the Gates of Hell silenced everyone, but Nobunaga Oda remained unfazed, kicking Yhwach's corpse in the process.
"I'm hanging up. What are you going to do now?"
The Sternritter were completely dumbfounded. Haschwalth wanted to fight, but he couldn't. He realized that he was no match for Nobunaga Oda no matter what; the Quincy couldn't reach the Transcendent-level power.
Chun squatted down in front of Yhwach's body, glanced back at Haschwalth, and asked, "You and he have separated. Do you still have your empowerment abilities?"
"What are you doing?!" Haschwalth lunged at Yhwach's corpse, his mind now completely blank.
Chun sighed, "We'll talk after you've calmed down. You can continue being sad for a while; I have plenty of time."