Outside the Seireitei...
Countless Quincy emerged from the gateway spanning the two worlds, gathering outside the Four Gates that protected the Seireitei...
The man standing at the head of the Quincy, clad in a black trench coat, was the great emperor who ruled the Quincy's Lichtreich—Yhwach!
"Your Majesty, everything is proceeding according to your plan!"
"Once the Four Gates have been breached, we will immediately ascertain the Seireitei's internal layout..."
At Yhwach's side, a handsome young man slightly bent his straight back and respectfully addressed their supreme emperor.
"Mm! Remember your mission!"
"Everything you possess shall become the foundation upon which I ascend to the supreme throne!"
Yhwach's expression was stern. After giving the youth a slight nod, he looked at the mass of followers before him and spoke in a deep voice.
"We obey Your Majesty's command!"
For a moment, the Quincy clad in white knightly uniforms almost simultaneously offered boundless reverence to their supreme emperor.
The next second, Reishi arrows rained down upon the Seireitei's gates!
Meanwhile, at the Seireitei's Gotei 1st Division Barracks.
"Reporting to the Captain-Commander, enemies have appeared at Hakutōmon!"
"Reporting to the Captain-Commander, enemies have also been spotted at Seiryūmon, Kōryūmon, and Shūwamon! The troops stationed before the gates have suffered grievous casualties..."
"Reporting to the Captain-Commander, the enemy claims to be subjects of the Lichtreich. They use bows and arrows formed from Reishi to attack..."
"Reporting to the Captain-Commander, we have confirmed the enemy's identity... The enemy is Quincy!"
One after another, Soul Reaper soldiers clad in Shinigami Robes hurried back and forth between the 1st Division and the other divisions. They reported the situation unfolding in the Seireitei to Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who gripped his "blade," and to the leaders of every division.
Bang!
After Yamamoto heard that the enemy truly were Quincy, he used his Zanpakuto as a cane and heavily struck it against the ground, producing a dull boom.
"Enough! We cannot allow those bastards to keep causing destruction like this!"
Yamamoto's furious shout brought the entire Gotei 1st Division to a complete silence.
Compared to the Yamamoto of a thousand years later, who always remained stationed in the 1st Division as a "symbol of protection" to stabilize the Gotei 13's morale,
the current Yamamoto was far more bold and hot-tempered. In his view, rather than remain in the 1st Division to steady morale, it was better to take the initiative and strike...
As it happened, the leaders of the other Gotei 13 divisions thought the same way. At once, soldiers from every division readied themselves under their leaders' commands!
Just as Yhwach would say in later generations, the current Seireitei was less a guard force protecting the Seireitei and more an assassin organization that carried out slaughter under the name of protection!
"Everyone, follow me into battle! Total war has begun!"
As Yamamoto spoke, his Spiritual Pressure blazed like raging flames. Ryujin Jakka in his hand was already thirsting for battle; only the blood of enemies could quench its burning fire.
"Yes, sir!"
At Yamamoto's command, every soldier of the vast 1st Division drew the Zanpakuto at their waists and, in perfect formation, followed behind Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto as they charged from the 1st Division Barracks toward the battlefield. For a time, Spiritual Pressure like blazing fire burned across the battlefield...
Near Shūwamon, one of the Seireitei's Four Gates...
With the Quincy advancing in force, this place had already become a field of ruins...
Quincy too numerous to count poured continuously through the wide-open Shūwamon.
Although Araki had warned Yamamoto months earlier, leading him to station large numbers of Gotei 13 soldiers at all four gates of the Seireitei, they were still no match for the overwhelming rain of Reishi arrows falling from the sky...
Wave after wave of arrows were like scythes that represented "death," cutting down the lives of 13th Division soldiers one after another. No matter how fearless the Gotei 13 soldiers were in the face of death, they could only retreat again and again before the endless rain of Reishi arrows!
"Weak. Far too weak..."
"These so-called Soul Reapers are nothing more than targets for us Quincy!"
"I really don't know what His Majesty is worried about. Does he truly think we brave Quincy could lose to these useless Soul Reapers? What a joke..."
"Rather than hunt this garbage that calls itself Soul Reapers, I'd rather go to Hueco Mundo and hunt the Menos there!"
A Sternritter member mixed among the ordinary Quincy continuously drew his bow and released Heilig Pfeil, firing upon the Soul Reaper soldiers still making their last stand...
Every arrow fired by this Sternritter claimed the life of a Gotei 13 soldier. Not a single shot missed! This made him increasingly arrogant, and he had completely forgotten the words their great "His Majesty" had instructed them with before their departure.
"Retreat, everyone retreat! The enemy's firepower is too strong. We can only avoid their edge for now and make plans afterward!"
The Soul Reaper soldiers defending Shūwamon had suffered devastating losses and were in a miserable state under the repeated barrages of arrows. Not only were they severely wounded, even the Spiritual Pressure within them was no longer enough to continue fighting. At this moment, only a temporary retreat gave them any hope of survival.
"Trying to run?!"
The Sternritter member saw that some Soul Reapers intended to retreat and immediately drew his bow. An arrow formed of Reishi instantly shot from his hand.
Yet this arrow did not pierce the chests of the Soul Reaper soldiers trying to flee. Instead, it shot through the knee of a Soul Reaper soldier sprinting away from the rear...
"Ah!"
With a shrill scream, the Soul Reaper soldier immediately fell to the ground.
"Officer Sugiki!"
The Soul Reaper soldiers who had been running in retreat heard the scream beside them and immediately turned around. Seeing their fallen companion, they cried out anxiously.
"Idiots, don't stop! I'm not getting back, but you must return to your divisions and report these people's abilities to the captains..."
The soldier named Sugiki collapsed to the ground after taking the Sternritter member's arrow in his leg. Watching the massive amount of blood continuously seep from his torn trouser leg, he knew he would not be going back...
Once he confirmed that he could not be saved, Sugiki swiftly made his decision: he would use his final strength to give the soldiers of the other divisions a chance to return to their own units.
"But Officer Sugiki, we..."
The Soul Reaper soldiers around Sugiki still hesitated, their eyes wavering. On one hand, they knew Sugiki was right—they had to return to their divisions and report to the captains. On the other, they could not bear to abandon a familiar comrade after he had been wounded.
"Enough nonsense!"
Just as the Soul Reaper soldiers hesitated slightly, two more Reishi arrows shot toward them.
"Burn, Hidanmaru!"
Before the Reishi arrows could draw near, Sugiki had already released his Zanpakuto. Blazing flames erupted and blocked the arrows.
"Go..."
After leaving those words behind, Sugiki braced himself on one foot, gripped his released Zanpakuto, and charged toward the Quincy in the distance.
"Sugiki..."
The eyes of the Soul Reaper soldiers turned red as they watched Sugiki march forward so resolutely.
"Go! Don't let Officer Sugiki's sacrifice be in vain."
However, before they could say anything more, the Soul Reaper among them who held the rank of Seated Officer had already pulled the others forward and begun running.
The Seated Officer knew clearly that, in Sugiki's condition, he could never kill that powerful Quincy. Sugiki had chosen to turn back only so that, through his own death, his comrades could continue onward without any burden.
"We understand!"
The scene before them was incomparably tragic...
Though every one of them was in anguish, retreat was the only path they could take. It was the sole hope of survival for ordinary soldiers like them.
Before you continue