Pure-Blood Quincy possess the Quincy Cross, but once a person dies, the Quincy Cross that was bestowed upon them becomes useless and even gradually shatters.
Even with the help of Pure-Blood Quincy, it was impossible to reach the Wandenreich, because they had not been recognized by the controllers of that space. This information was later confirmed.
Zero's attempt to travel to the Wandenreich through the research of 'Cang Du' also failed. Ever since Jugram Haschwalth, in the guise of Yanis, entered, the Quincy have stopped using the old methods to freely enter and exit the Wandenreich in order to ensure Yhwach's safety.
Meanwhile, in the Soul Society, for five consecutive years following the Battle of the Holy City, no way to travel to that world was found, and even the Kidō Corps's research yielded no progress.
In the World of the Living, the Soul Reaper have maintained six Squads to carry out the Quincy for many years. However, when the operation actually began, it was discovered that the number of Quincy was not just the estimated fifty or sixty thousand, but had reached more than one hundred thousand.
Adding the tens of thousands in the Wandenreich, the Quincy race numbers over 150,000, several times more than the Soul Reaper.
They kill at least several thousand Hollows every day, and the number of souls that the Soul Reaper send to the Soul Society each day can only be reduced in order to maintain balance. Even so, the balance of souls is still affected.
Because the balance of souls had been disrupted, Soul Reaper made the final decision to exterminate this entire race...
Five years of purges have been carried out, but the Soul Reaper have encountered fierce resistance from the Quincy.
First, the Ninth Division, which had no Captain, Quincy. From more than 1,600 men at the beginning of the war, only 400 remained.
Then it was the Sixth Division. Ginjiro led more than 300 young noblemen to the World of the Living for training, but they were almost wiped out in one battle. When the rescue team arrived, only Ginjiro and a few dozen of his subordinates survived.
The worst off was the Seventh Division. During a mission, Komamura Tarō was shot and killed by the Sternritter because he was a little too far away from the other Squad Captains...
Zero, who was absorbing Reiryoku from afar, rushed over when he sensed the Reiatsu after Komamura Bankai, only to find a huge, dying wolf. Its eyes and waning Reiryoku told Zero that it was gone.
Zero searched the scene and found his Vice-Captain Kiyomizu Ken'ichi, dead not far away. Seated Officers of the Seventh Division had also been killed, and almost all the Squad Members of the Seventh Division were wiped out.
It's somewhat acceptable that the Ninth Division was crippled, but the killing of its Captain is a significant blow to the Seireitei.
Yama-jii convened Captains' Meeting, appointing Kensei Muguruma had already Bankai, as the new Captain of the Ninth Division, and appointing Love Aikawa, who had performed well in the Fifth Division, as the Vice-Captain of the Seventh Division.
In the original timeline, among the students who graduated from the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy in recent years, Kensei should have been the Hirako to Captain. However, because Zero taught him Bankai, he became Captain at least eighty years earlier.
The rebuilt Seventh Division is still missing a Captain. Yama-jii has someone in mind, but he feels that person lacks a bit of experience and needs to be trained for another ten or eight years...
To guard against sniping, the World of the Living Captain was expanded to seven members, operating in pairs. As for the lone one... it was Zero. He volunteered to act alone to avoid being monitored by his teammates.
Considering Zero's strength—enough to face several knights alone— Yama-jii agreed.
The Wandenreich, the Ice Palace Silbern.
After this place was exposed, the Sternritter spent several years building a new space, known as the 'Dark Palace,' hidden behind the Ice Palace.
This space is specifically for Yhwach to sleep in. If it is invaded, the Schutzstaffel will sever the connection between the Ice Palace and the Dark Palace, banishing Yhwach to the World of the Living.
Currently, the remaining thirteen members of the Star Cross are also holding a meeting:
"The Final Form should be abandoned. Using it once requires several months of rest to recover its power, during which time it becomes vulnerable to attack."
"Besides, the Bankai of Captain-level fighter is too troublesome. That Captain of the Seventh Division, after Bankai, could take on all three of us at once."
"In this World of the Living, our power is limited..."
"Since they can develop things like the Ransōtengai and the Soul-Cutting Blade, they can definitely develop a new Final Form too..."
Jugram Haschwalth agreed to the reform plan, and they officially closed the gates of the Wandenreich, intending to hide in the shadows and develop a power against Soul Reaper.
Five more years passed, and ten years of war began. During this time, under the leadership of the Captains, the Soul Reapers relentlessly slaughtered the Quincy.
The Quincy in the World of the Living also continue to hide, and from time to time, people secretly hunt down ordinary Soul Reaper, so the mortality rate of ordinary Soul Reaper remains high.
Since the Captain of the Seventh Division, no Captain has died in battle. The most dangerous time was when Shiba Kūsei and Kensei teamed up and were Quincy and seriously injured by six Quincy using their 'Final Forms'.
Fortunately, Kyōraku and Unohana were nearby and rushed to their rescue...
At this moment, in the Kuchiki Clan of the Five Great Noble Clans, a messenger from the Inner Court Squad was kneeling before Kōga, who was tenderly cuddling with his wife. He rudely relayed the summons from Yama-jii.
"It's true, this awful war has caused so much trouble!"
"Go! The task assigned by the Captain-Commander is important."
"Madam, wait for me to return."
"Um!"
Kōga has been busy with work all these years, neglecting his wife. Recently, he had been planning to have a child, but the war has made things more complicated.
Because many ordinary Soul Reaper die, the newly joined Squad Member the Gotei 13, who were afraid of death, chose to defect in order to escape the war.
Recently, too many new members have been added due to staff reductions, and many of them are not of high enough quality; they only joined the Gotei 13 for better survival.
Apart from the First Division, Second Division, Fourth Division, and Sixth Division, the other nine Squad all have this situation, including Zero's 11th Division.
"Captain-Commander."
'Nangong Kenpachi is here too, what's going on?'
Kōga went to Yama-jii's office to pay his respects, and seeing that Nangong Kenpachi, who loved to go to the World of the Living to kill enemies, was also there, he felt puzzled.
"Third Seat Kuchiki, sixty-two Squad Members of the 11th Division have deserted. Captain Nangong will accompany you to suppress the traitors..."
Yama-jii slowly explained the reason for summoning him: it was simply to arrange a teammate for him.
"Captain-Commander, please forgive my rudeness. I am sufficient on my own; I do not need Captain Nangong's help. Captain Nangong must have his own work to do..."
No, I'm perfectly fine.
Kōga initially thought that Ling was not acting voluntarily, but Ling smiled and said that she was fine, which made him secretly unhappy.
"You two go and quell the rebellion, that's an order..."
"Yes!"
Yama-jii stated bluntly that this was an order, indicating that there was no room for negotiation, Kōga could only comply; however, in this mission, Yama-jii deliberately did not distinguish between their primary and secondary responsibilities.
One is a seasoned veteran of suppressing rebellions, the other a newly appointed Captain with considerable strength; both are proud and arrogant, so conflict is inevitable. It all depends on how Kōga handles it...
Please give me your guidance, Kuchiki. Third Seat.
"Captain Nangong, please give me your guidance."
Ling took the initiative to greet him, but Kōga responded and then turned his face away, unwilling to talk any further. This made Ling, who had initially found it interesting to observe newcomers, feel annoyed.
That's right, this time, Yama-jii sent Zero and Kōga Kuchiki on a mission together so that he could observe Kōga was qualified to be the Captain.
Unlike Kōga, who Seigen Kensei from Bow and Arrows and later fought alongside several Captains during sieges, Kensei earned everyone's respect.
Judging by the Captain's exam, Kōga is fully capable of becoming Captain, but his personality and way of doing things may not be recognized by others.
So, Yama-jii decided to make Kōga the Captain in the most complicated way possible: first, get the joint recommendation of all six people, and then get the approval of the other three...
Inevitably, some Captain wanted to see how Kōga behaved in his daily life. Ling was just one of the observers, and other Captain would observe Kōga later.
Zero was the first Captain to be inspected. Kōga hadn't realized anything was going on yet. He still thought that Yama-jii might make things difficult for him. After all, it had been so long and he still hadn't been promoted to Captain. Theoretically, his achievements should be enough.
All the newcomers became Captains, while Kōga Kuchiki, who always considered himself a genius, remained Third Seat. Who could understand his frustration? So, naturally, he didn't give Zero a friendly look when he came to dawdle him...
"Captain Nangong, how about I take command of this campaign to suppress the rebels? You only need to observe from the sidelines to complete the mission."
"Whatever, I won't interfere. I'm just here to see how you do things."
The two stood in front of the First Division Squad Member, Kōga began to communicate with Zero about command. Zero indicated that there was no problem.
Looking at the wicked smile on Ling's lips, Kōga fell into deep thought: 'Watching me do things? Is there something I've done wrong? Every mission has been completed perfectly, without any casualties. What's going on?'
Completely bewildered, their team set off. The Chief Squad was no joke; even an ordinary Squad Member could hold a Seated Officer position within the top ten in other Squad.
As for the defectors of the 11th Division, seeing their Captain come to their door in person, some resisted stubbornly and were killed, while a dozen or so surrendered with knives raised, begging Zero to give them a chance to live.
They were once Squad Members of the 11th Division. Kōga, somewhat considerate of Zero's feelings as the Captain, let Zero decide for himself how to deal with these surrendered individuals—whether to kill them or take them back for imprisonment.
This slightly changed Zero's opinion of Kōga; at least he now knew how to consider other people's feelings and abide by the rules.
According to the rules, those Soul Reaper kill their comrades and defect will be completely eliminated, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Such people are Soul Reaper who are unwilling to fight; they are shirking their responsibilities and can simply be captured and imprisoned for life. They can only be eliminated if they resist.
Of course, there are also many times when people simply find it too troublesome and choose to eliminate everything...
"Is this a good idea? I'll report it, and the Central 46 is very strict."
"Suit yourself. They can no longer pose a threat to the Seireitei, and besides, I am Kenpachi. The Central 46 cannot hold anyone accountable for such a trivial matter."
"Snort!"
Kōga questioned why Zero had drained the Reiryoku of those dozen or so people, disarmed them, and then let them go. However, after Zero told him that it was a privilege of Kenpachi, Kōga became unhappy again.
"Mission accomplished... Let's go back!"
Zero had already made a judgment about Kōga in his mind: he was arrogant, considerate of the feelings of those of higher status, and abided by the rules of Soul Society, but had low emotional intelligence and didn't understand why Yama-jii had sent him there...