Secrets of the Ancient Past
"You're remarkably perceptive, Captain-Commander." Liu Hao sighed softly, the Imperial Sword's light flickering faintly in his hand. "The Quincy kingdom is hidden in the shadow of the Seireitei. They built a kingdom called the 'Wandenreich' in the world of shadows, and for a thousand years, they have waited for a chance to take revenge."
He paused to let the astonishing fact sink in, then continued, "In the future, they first invaded Hueco Mundo. It was a war that was almost a massacre. Hueco Mundo was nearly destroyed, and the surviving Menos Grande and Arrancar were captured. Afterward, they sent an Arrancar to lead several members of the Sternritter's royal guard in a first probing attack on the Seireitei."
Images flowed through the starry sky, revealing a glimpse of the future—an arrogant-looking Arrancar stood atop the ruins of the First Division Barracks, with Chōjirō Sasakibe, whose Bankai had been stolen, at his feet. The vice-captain had been pinned to a wall by a special seal, the flame of his life as frail as a candle in the wind.
"One of the royal guard members had the ability to steal Bankai." Liu Hao's voice was calm, but every word carried immense weight. "They called it 'medallionization.' Vice-Captain Sasakibe's Bankai was stolen, and he himself was pinned inside the First Division captain's office, a trophy of the enemy's show of force. That Arrancar arrogantly declared that he would completely destroy the Gotei 13 within five days."
Chōjirō Sasakibe's face instantly turned pale, and his hand unconsciously went to the Zanpakuto at his waist. As a vice-captain who had followed Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto for a thousand years, he understood better than anyone what it meant to have his Bankai stolen—it was not only a loss of power, but a disgrace to his soul.
Liu Hao continued, "Ironically, though, that Arrancar was executed by Yhwach as soon as he returned to the Wandenreich. In his eyes, Arrancar were merely expendable tools. Once they had fulfilled their mission, their existence had no further value."
Retsu Unohana's expression remained calm, but a cold glint flashed through her deep purple eyes. Chōjirō Sasakibe clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.
"They can steal Bankai?" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's voice was low and serious. The question concerned the very foundation of the Soul Reapers' entire combat system.
"Yes." Liu Hao nodded, and the image in the starry sky changed, revealing an even more shocking scene—Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto faced an enemy disguised as Yhwach. After he had expended a great deal of Reiatsu, the real Yhwach suddenly appeared and stole his Bankai, Zanka no Tachi.
The Captain-Commander's body began to disintegrate the moment he lost his Bankai in the image. In the end, he turned to ash, leaving only a broken Zanpakuto on the ground.
"The Captain-Commander first expended a great deal of his strength against a fake Yhwach, a Sternritter member with the ability to imitate others. In the end, the real Yhwach personally stole his Bankai and killed him." A barely perceptible tremor entered Liu Hao's voice. "In the end... no remains were left, only a broken sword."
"Damn it!" Chōjirō Sasakibe could no longer contain his anger and let out a low roar. His body trembled slightly with agitation. The fact that the lord he had followed for a thousand years had died in such a humiliating way nearly made him lose control.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto raised a hand, signaling Sasakibe to calm down. The Captain-Commander's expression remained composed, but a cold flame burned deep in eyes that had seen a thousand years.
"If that's the case," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto reasoned slowly, "Shunsui shouldn't have had time to release Aizen. So something must have forced the Quincy to halt their attack temporarily."
Liu Hao nodded in appreciation. "An astute observation, Captain-Commander. Yhwach used a double to draw your attention while he himself slipped into Muken, attempting to recruit Aizen to his side. However, he underestimated Aizen's ability—under the influence of Kyōka Suigetsu, Yhwach's perception of time was completely distorted."
The image in the starry sky showed a scene deep within Muken—Aizen was bound by countless seals, yet he spoke with Yhwach with a smile on his face. Yhwach's expression gradually grew confused; clearly, some power was quietly affecting his senses.
"At the time, Yhwach had not yet fully recovered his strength, or rather, he had not fully awakened," Liu Hao explained. "He couldn't remain outside the shadow domain for long. After meeting Aizen and having his perception of time affected, and after the Captain-Commander fell in battle and Ichigo Kurosaki arrived and briefly fought him, he was forced to retreat to the Wandenreich."
"However, that was only the first invasion." Liu Hao's voice grew heavier. "When they launched another full-scale attack on the Seireitei... they nearly slaughtered the Gotei 13 to the last."
The image revealed a devastating battlefield—collapsed barracks, the burning streets of the Seireitei, and countless Soul Reaper corpses piled into mountains. Every surviving captain was gravely wounded, and nearly all the vice-captain-level Soul Reapers had fallen in battle.
Retsu Unohana's breathing quickened slightly. It was the first time during the conversation that she had shown a noticeable change in emotion. As the First Kenpachi, she had seen countless battlefields, but the devastation shown in the image still exceeded her imagination.
"However, the tide of battle eventually turned," Liu Hao continued. "Ichigo Kurosaki returned from special training at the Soul King Palace and opened a path to it. Yhwach's target had been the Soul King all along—he immediately led his royal guard away from the Seireitei and invaded the Soul King Palace instead."
"To fight at the Soul King Palace, Yhwach performed a second 'Auswählen.'" A trace of irony entered Liu Hao's voice. "This time, he redistributed power to his royal guard, while the ordinary Quincy forces left in the Seireitei were almost completely wiped out. The Quincy who were lucky enough to survive even began joining forces with the Soul Reapers, heading to the Soul King Palace together to bring Yhwach down."
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto pondered for a moment. "Did he invade the Soul King Palace to replace the Soul King?"
"Exactly." Liu Hao nodded. "He devoured the Soul King, intending to become the new linchpin of the world. But in the end, Ichigo Kurosaki, Uryū Ishida, and Aizen joined forces and defeated him completely."
The image in the starry sky showed the final battle—the three joined forces against Yhwach, who had already become a god. It was a battle beyond all common sense: space shattered, time warped, and the rules themselves were rewritten in the fighting.
"However, before his death, Yhwach cast the 'curse of the future.'" Liu Hao's tone grew subtle. "The ridiculous part is that when this power resurfaced at some point in the future, Ichigo Kurosaki's son, Kazui Kurosaki... crushed it in one hand. It disappeared just like that."
A long silence settled over the starry domain. Nebulae slowly revolved in the distance, and the cold light of stars illuminated the solemn faces of the four Soul Reapers.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto spoke slowly, his voice probing. "You knew about this future all along, yet never revealed a word of it... Did you intend to let everything happen according to the 'story' you saw?"
"Absolutely not." Liu Hao denied it at once, his gaze firm and candid. "I remained silent because I lacked sufficient strength. How could I convince anyone of secrets that could overturn the Three Worlds without the strength to back them up? Revealing them too early would more likely have caused unpredictable changes, perhaps even leading to an outcome worse than the 'original future.'"
He paused, a trace of bitterness in his voice. "I could only keep my interference to a minimum and wait for the right moment. Otherwise, not only would I have been unable to change anything, I might not even have been able to protect myself. After all, there are people I care about in this world too."
"Then now," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto said, looking Liu Hao straight in the eye, "are you strong enough?"
Liu Hao answered frankly, "I can protect myself without trouble, but I'm still not strong enough to change the overall situation."
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's question went straight to the heart of the matter. "Since you chose to reveal this information now, what do you want us to do?"
Liu Hao took a deep breath. This was the moment he had long been waiting for. "I hope to save as many of those who were supposed to die in the Quincy war as possible. Although the final outcome I saw wasn't too bad, other crises will follow. Only by preserving more of Soul Society's fighting strength can we better face those unknown challenges."
He paused, his voice growing more sincere. "Although I didn't belong to this world when I was alive, since coming here, I've found people and things I want to protect too."
"What happened afterward?" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto pressed.
Liu Hao thought for a moment. "I only saw one part of what followed—beings from Hell tried to invade the World of the Living, though the exact reason was unknown. But Renji, who had undergone special training with the Zero Division, was nearly killed in an instant when he first exchanged blows with an enemy from Hell."
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's gaze burned. "Should we believe everything you have shown us today?"
Liu Hao met the Captain-Commander's scrutiny openly. "Whether you believe me is up to you. Beyond that, I have no other way to prove that what I've said is true."
"I believe him." Retsu Unohana stepped forward, her voice calm but firm.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto turned to her. "Have you verified the information he provided before?"
"Two things," Unohana answered. "First, the incident involving the special Hollow Kaien Shiba encountered, and second, the truth behind Captain Shiba's disappearance. Besides... he also knows about Captain Zaraki's past with me."
That last statement caused a slight change in Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's gaze. The history between Kenpachi Zaraki and Retsu Unohana was one of the Gotei 13's most closely guarded secrets, known to only a handful of people.
The Captain-Commander pondered for a long time before finally speaking again. "Then what, specifically, do you want us to do?"
Liu Hao knew this was the most crucial moment. He gathered his thoughts and presented a carefully considered suggestion. "First, during Aizen's rebellion, I hope we can find a way to save Gin Ichimaru's life. He isn't simply a traitor; his motives are more complicated."
"Second, after the Aizen incident is over, we must deal with the Tsunayashiro Clan as soon as possible. This clan inherited its founder's baseness and has always tried to control the Soul King through various means. If they can't control him, they want to create a substitute to take his place. Especially Tsunayashiro Tokinada—he's a pure madman, and his shadow lies behind many tragedies."
A sharp light flashed in Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's eyes. "You even know so much about the original Five Great Noble Clans..."
Liu Hao nodded and decided to reveal more. "According to the history I know, in the infinitely distant past, the world existed in a state of stillness, without life or death, neither advancing nor retreating. Back then, even becoming a Hollow was part of the Reishi cycle."
His voice echoed through the starry sky as he told the secret of creation. "But as Hollows began devouring humans, the cycle gradually ground to a halt. If left unchecked, all souls would eventually have merged into one enormous Menos Grande, and the world would have fallen into complete stillness. It was then that the Soul King was born. He used the power of the Quincy to destroy Hollows and restore the world's cycle."
"However, the founders of the Five Great Noble Clans, including the Shiba Clan, did not accept such a world." Liu Hao's tone grew heavy. "Their motives differed, yet, inconceivably, they came down to the same goal—the separation of the Three Worlds. To achieve it, they needed the Soul King's power."
The image in the starry sky showed a scene from ancient times—the five founders stood before the Soul King, each harboring different intentions.
"While the Shiba founder was trying to persuade the Soul King, the Tsunayashiro founder seized the chance to seal him in crystal," Liu Hao continued. "And the Soul King... saw certain futures and chose to sacrifice himself."
"The five founders used the Soul King's omnipotent power as a linchpin to separate the chaotic world—the world of Reishi became Soul Society, the world of Kishi became the World of the Living, and the desert paradise reached by Hollows became Hueco Mundo. That is the origin of the Three Worlds."
He paused, unmistakable irony in his voice. "But the Tsunayashiro founder even distrusted the Soul King, who offered no resistance, fearing that one day he would break free of the seal and destroy them all. So they neither allowed the Soul King to truly live nor killed him outright."
The image showed a cruel scene—the Soul King's arms were cut off, his heart was gouged out, his feet were sliced away, and his internal organs were torn out and fell to the world below.
"They placed the Soul King in the contradictory spiral of 'being dead while alive.'" Liu Hao's voice was low. "They continually weakened the Soul King's power, all to create a king who could be easily controlled. That is the truth of the Five Great Noble Clans—especially the Tsunayashiro Clan."