Suppress Shūwamon!

Darkness!

The sky over the Seireitei was oppressively gloomy.

Silence!

Amidst the raging war that continued to spread through the Seireitei, the silence before the Shūwamon felt incredibly eerie.

Quincy, who had invaded from the 'Lichtreich' in the Human World alongside their 'Great Emperor' Yhwach, now felt despair!

They gazed at the figure sitting 'silently' on a throne made from countless living hearts of Quincy, their own hearts filled with dread and fear…

The man on the throne had offered them a choice, but they couldn't easily make one! Whether it was exchanging a comrade's head for a chance to live, or being swayed by the man's words to raise their 'swords' against their great 'Emperor,' both options seemed too cruel for them!

"A choice? What choice is there…"

All the Quincy understood this clearly in their hearts.

The man appeared to give them a choice, but in reality, he left them with only one path…

No matter which path they chose, it was destined that these Quincy, who had attacked the Seireitei from the Shūwamon, would become traitors, forever 'spat upon' by future generations in the history of the Quincy race!

The man said nothing, seemingly giving everyone time to decide, but those forced to choose couldn't bring themselves to answer his question.

For a moment, the area before the Shūwamon fell into a deathly silence, the atmosphere growing increasingly bizarre.

Thump! Thump! Thump…

When everyone fell silent, when the 'rumbling' of the battlefield gradually faded, when the scene descended into absolute quiet, some previously unheard sounds became infinitely amplified!

'Thump, thump…' Like drumbeats, rhythmic and rapid, they continuously emanated from the throne beneath the man!

However, the Quincy knew in their hearts that the sounds weren't drumbeats; they were the throbbing hearts in their own chests. But at this moment, these usually comforting beats felt incredibly jarring, stimulating the nerves of every Quincy…

"You bastard! What kind of joke is this?!"

"I won't betray my comrades! And I certainly won't betray my Emperor…"

"Die, you evil Soul Reaper!!!"

Finally, a Quincy's mind shattered…

He could no longer bear the horrifying sight before him, no longer accept his own heart being sat upon, letting out endless wails! So he decided to fight back, and instantly, arrows formed of Reishi pointed at Araki on the throne.

"Is that your choice? Pitiful…"

Araki looked at the Quincy, whose 'mind' was on the verge of collapse, with an incredibly calm expression, even a hint of pity in his eyes.

"Swish!"

With a flash of bright silver light, Araki drew the Zanpakuto from his waist and, with a 'reverse grip,' stabbed through the rows and rows of hearts forming the left armrest of his 'Heart Throne'!

"Pfft…"

As if in response to Araki's actions…

The instant the hearts on Araki's throne began to explode one by one, countless Quincy immediately 'vomited blood' and collapsed to the ground like broken puppets, losing all signs of life in an instant…

Tragically, the Quincy who had drawn his bow, ready to attack Araki, did not die.

"Why?!"

This Quincy, whose mind had broken, watched his comrades fall around him, his hand gripping the bow trembling incessantly.

Though he had drawn his weapon, though he had resolved to attack Araki! His drawn bow, however, couldn't release an arrow, only because he was afraid… afraid that his arrow would land on the throne behind Araki.

"My apologies! There are too many hearts here, I don't know which one belongs to you…"

"But it's alright, I can try them one by one. One of them will surely be yours."

As Araki spoke, the blade in his hand once again swept across the 'throne.'

Immediately, another group of Quincy clutched their chests and fell to the ground…

However, regrettably, the Quincy who intended to attack Araki was still alive.

And so, the Quincy despaired. He put away his bow in the grief of his comrades' deaths, and Araki's blade stopped the moment the Quincy's bow was lowered…

"Ha, haha, hahaha…"

'Sorrowful,' 'desolate' laughter continuously escaped from the Quincy's mouth. His eyes were bloodshot and crimson, his face twisted and grotesque like a demon's. His gaze at Araki was filled with 'hatred,' yet his knees could only press tightly against the ground, showing submission to Araki on the throne.

"Thump! Thump…"

After the first Quincy knelt before Araki, a large number of Quincy followed suit…

For a moment, it was as if countless subjects were paying homage to their emperor, a crowd of proud Quincy kneeling beneath the Heart Throne!

Yet, some Quincy still stood their ground, necks stiff, bodies straight, glaring at Araki.

They disdained to show submission to Araki, and they feared death even less! They were Yhwach's subjects, bowing only to Yhwach alone for their entire lives! And the only reason these proud 'Yhwach' subjects hadn't attacked Araki was because Araki held the lives of countless of their comrades in his hands.

"Very good…"

Araki sat on the throne, accepting their homage, and raised his hand to bestow upon those 'unyielding' Quincy the greatest honor! Eternal slumber! Immediately, a lapis lazuli light shone in the sky, transforming into streams of light that passed through the bodies of all Quincy who stood before the throne, refusing to perform the 'bowing ritual.' One by one, the stiff-backed Quincy fell to the ground, closing their eyes…

"Bring me the heads of your comrades! Or, take the life of your 'false emperor' for me!"

"Don't try any tricks, I'm always watching you…"

After speaking, Araki vanished into the thick fog, along with the hearts he held.

"Ah!!!"

As Araki's figure disappeared without a trace, the Quincy let out agonizing screams, howling at the sky.

The Quincy knew in their hearts that they had no other choice. Whether for themselves or for their comrades, they had to press on, no matter how difficult.

Unfortunately, what these Quincy didn't realize was that this was only the beginning of their suffering! From the moment Araki ripped out their hearts, their fates were no longer their own to control.

"This is Araki, Captain of the 11th Division. All Quincy at Shūwamon have been suppressed!"

"Yhwach, the 'Emperor' of the Quincy, is not at Shūwamon…"

After leaving, Araki immediately used Tenteikūra to inform all the Captains of the Gotei 13 about his situation.

Even within the Seireitei, known for its abundance of talent…

It was extremely rare to see someone like Araki so frequently use Bakudo No. 77! After all, once a Kidō reached such a high number as seventy, both Bakudo and Hado demanded extremely high levels of Spiritual Pressure and control…

As for Araki, thanks to the enhancement of his Fullbring's Reishi Manipulation, he treated Tenteikūra as his most basic means of communication. This ensured he could promptly relay any information he acquired to all the Captains of the Gotei 13.

"Now then, it's time to clean up my battlefield."

Araki narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the 'corpses' strewn across the battlefield.

Quincy, in a sense, were treasures from head to toe.

Even dead Quincy, reduced to mere corpses, had their unique uses!

Thanks to Daoist Master Haoyue for the 100 reward~