"If a fight breaks out without His Majesty's intervention, it will be very troublesome; we might not be able to stop him."
Jugram Haschwalth took the initiative to say some things on behalf of Yhwach that were somewhat demoralizing for his own side.
Sure enough, the burly Gerard shook his head and laughed with a fighting spirit, "I don't believe it."
"No need to say more. It's always better to have another ally. If His Majesty recovers most of his strength, there probably won't be any need for an alliance."
Jugram Haschwalth didn't want to continue the argument and ended the conversation.
Ryūsaki also rose to take his leave, and the members of the Schutzstaffel only gave him a meaningful look.
Another month passed, and the selection of the Holy Soldiers and the Guards Corps was over. All those who failed had long since become nourishment for Yhwach.
Those who qualified also received a small share of Yhwach's blessings. Yhwach distributed the Reiryoku he had 'Auswählen' from 20,000 ordinary Quincy to the newly promoted Guards Corps.
As for the Reiryoku of the other 100,000-plus people, he accepted it all for himself.
Many people wept with joy, never imagining they would be among the beneficiaries of the Auswählen.
Some people still harbored resentment, but dared not show it anymore. They could only exert all their strength to climb higher, praying that they would not become the next unlucky ones to be baptized by Auswählen.
After this period of 'fullness and absorption,' Yhwach also fell into intermittent slumber, and his agent, Jugram Haschwalth, directly stated:
His Majesty needs to take a short nap. In six months at most, we will attack Soul Society.
In an instant, the entire Wandenreich was engulfed in a wave of fervor, with some people transferring their resentment over the 'Auswählen' of their families onto the Soul Reaper.
After all, if it weren't for Soul Reaper, Yhwach wouldn't have forced conscription, nor would he have forced Auswählen's family to bolster the basic army's strength...
After a meeting of the Sternritter, the choice of who would declare war before the final battle was finalized.
Because the Blanks Monitoring Device was obsolete, Ryūsaki could only pass on the information to Aizen's side immediately after the meeting.
The more chaotic things get, the greater Ryūsaki's chances.
Three months later.
The Soul King Palace.
Inside Kisuke Urahara's temple, the members of the Zero Division were gathered, their faces solemn.
"The Seireitei has sent a report that the surviving Quincy from that era are very active recently, and there is a possibility that they may join forces with the Arrancar Hueco Mundo, posing a great threat. It seems that the bloody war from a thousand years ago is about to begin again."
Urahara initiated the conversation, stating that, according to the beliefs of those war survivors, only one side— the Soul Reaper or the Quincy— could ultimately exist.
"What probably gave them the courage to do again was that Yhwach wasn't killed by Shigekuni Yamamoto!" Kirio Hikifune said indifferently on his chubby face.
"Why not just let him go kill them again? The current Gotei 13 is strong and well-equipped, and with us backing them up, they're not afraid of them at all." Ōetsu Nimaiya of grass, didn't think the Quincy could pose a threat again.
At this time, the Gotei 13 was at full strength, with Vice-Captains, and there were still several Captain-level in the World of the Living. If they were to go all out, they would be no match for the Quincy.
The Monk pondered for a moment, "Although we also need to help the Gotei 13, our main duty is to guard the Soul King Palace. Moreover, the root cause of the Togabito unrest has not yet been investigated, so we cannot leave the Soul King Palace."
The Monk paused, pondered for a moment, and then continued, "But there are precedents; I fear Yhwach might grow to the point of threatening the Soul King Palace."
Urahara couldn't help but ask, "So you mean we won't participate in the war between the Court Guard Squads and the Quincy, and will focus on preventing any unforeseen events?"
The Monk nodded. "Yes, we won't get involved. We can only trust that Yamamoto handle it himself. This situation arose because of his mistakes back then."
However, as if remembering something, he then said to Urahara, "But you could go down there beforehand and provide some technical support."
Urahara smiled and said, "I understand, but there's no need to go down there specifically. I've been keeping an eye on the issues between the World of the Living and Soul Society."
At the same time, within Soul Society.
The First Division is holding Captains' meeting.
"The Quincy's Reishi space is hidden within the Seireitei. Although we discovered it a long time ago, we've never been able to get in."
"The Central 46 and the Captain-Commander have approved my plan, and it is being implemented. Once successful, we will be able to play away games, but we will also face defensive challenges."
"With the entire army deployed, our rear will be vulnerable. To prevent the enemy from resorting to desperate measures, I suggest that the nobles leave Seireitei and take refuge there, and that all their armed forces be forcibly confiscated to strengthen our forces."
Inside the meeting room, Mayuri Kurotsuchi spoke eloquently, and no one interrupted him; everyone listened attentively.
Soi Fon, the Captain of the Second Division, stepped forward. "I oppose conscripting all the nobles' armed forces; that would put them in danger in Rukongai."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's eyes darted around, glancing at Zaraki beside him, and said sarcastically, "That's true, the thugs of Rukongai aren't known for nothing; there are quite a few dangerous individuals among them."
Zaraki remained calm and composed, as if he couldn't understand what he was saying and refused to accept any provocation.
The Captain-Commander slowly opened his eyes and said quietly, "Alright, then let's allocate seventy percent! From today onwards, all personnel will be on high alert."
"Also, prepare enough passages for a full-scale attack by the Soul Reapers..."
When the Captain-Commander gave his final order, Mayuri Kurotsuchi retorted, "We don't need to prepare so many passageways."
He sneered, "My 'Soul-Devouring Beasts' will devour a large amount of Reishi within the Quincy's space, eventually causing the space to become unsustainable and automatically connect to the Seireitei..."
"When the time comes, just go straight in..."
The day after the decision was made to Quincy clan, the entire Seireitei began to bustle with activity.
All the Soul Reaper, whether stationed in the World of the Living or in Rukongai, were recalled.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi reopened the 'Shadow Passage' to the Wandenreich, but this time he did not attempt to enter. Instead, he released one by one the One-Eyed Monsters that had grown to about two meters tall into the passage.
By the way, he named these One-Eyed Monsters, which were transformed from the core of the Bakōtō, "Soul-Devouring Beasts," meaning they constantly devour Reishi, Reiryoku, and Reiatsu.
These monsters grow by consuming Reishi and Reiryoku. When they reach maturity, they will give birth to a large number of Void beings below the level of Adjuchas.
It's uncertain which type it is; it's a random differentiation process, possibly Ragged Hollows, Gillian, or Giant Hollow.
In short, the Quincy will have a lot of trouble.
After all the 'Soul-Devouring Beasts' were deployed, the Control Room specially built by the Twelfth Division...
"Number 99 is growing very fast; it has already reached a height of five meters in just two hours."
"Number 26 swallowed Number 35, and its size instantly doubled."
"At this rate, the first passage will be completed about ten days ahead of schedule, and it should only take about seven to eight days."
Each staff member meticulously recorded the data of the 'Soul-Devouring Beasts' they were responsible for monitoring, providing precise information for higher-ups to compile and prepare responses.
The Wandenreich, the Ice Palace.
Jugram Haschwalth asked the little black dog beside him, "Have you noticed? The Reishi are rapidly becoming thinner."
"Hmm, could it be Soul Reaper?" Xiao Hei's single open eye gradually revealed a cold look.
"It's very likely. I'll go to Wenlai to check on things. You all take good care of His Majesty."
After leaving a message, Jugram Haschwalth immediately set off for the technical department.
Before long, all the Quincy, including Ryūsaki, received the order to 'prepare for battle'.
Soul Reaper is coming...