Choice

Sudden mission: Become Yhwach's son!

Reward: Obtain Quincy powers!

Main quest: All rebels shall meet their end by the sword!

Defeat the Gotei 13, sweep through the Seireitei, and storm the Soul King Palace! Create a world without death, a truly "peaceful" world, together with Yhwach!

Reward: ???

As Yhwach extended an olive branch to Araki, a roar instantly thundered through the system in Araki's mind. Lines of mission data immediately appeared before his eyes.

The mission panel in Araki's mind was not fixed. It was an auxiliary tool that provided Araki with the greatest possible support based on his choices regarding fate. As for whether he chose them or not, that decision had always remained in Araki's own hands.

For a moment, the main quest as a Soul Reaper and the main quest as a Quincy both seemed to lie before Araki.

"Do I even need to choose?!"

Araki looked at his system missions, the corner of his eye twitching slightly.

Never mind which side, Soul Reaper or Quincy, better suited Araki's current interests! Just the primary condition for becoming a Quincy—becoming Yhwach's son—was something Araki could not accept.

They were both obsessed with taking sons, but Old White had poured his heart and soul into his own son. Even after being stabbed through the heart and having half his head blown off, he had still shouted, "ONE PIECE is real!" before he died, without a single regret! Compared to that, look at how Yhwach treated his own followers. Whenever he could not make up his mind, it was Auswählen—what a joke, all his disciples and descendants ascended to heaven together!

They were both fathers. One poured his heart and soul out for his son; the other made his son pour his heart and soul out for him, all while claiming, "This is all for true peace! My children have not 'died.' They have merely become the foundation stones on the road called 'peace'!"

"Give me a break!"

In a fit of rage, Araki slashed Yhwach's horse.

"Boy, you are too impatient!"

"I originally planned to take advantage of the Soul Reapers being tied down. We had plenty of time to talk this through slowly! But it seems I can only use strength to make you submit first!"

After the white horse beneath him died, Yhwach leaped into the air and landed on the ground some distance away. He lightly swept aside the black cloak draped over him, revealing the white Quincy knight uniform beneath. With one hand resting at his waist, he stared at Araki.

"Your Majesty! Please allow me to act in your stead! Such an ungrateful wretch does not deserve Your Majesty's personal attention!"

Just as Yhwach reached for the cross-shaped blade at his waist, a young man wearing a white military cap who had been guarding Yhwach's side drew his own blade before him.

"Hm? Schubert?"

Yhwach frowned slightly at the young man who had interrupted his enjoyment, and a trace of displeasure flickered through his placid eyes.

"Very well! Since you are so eager to do it for me, I shall leave him to you."

As Yhwach spoke, he put away the blade at his waist.

"Thank you for Your Majesty's grace."

The Quincy youth named Schubert spoke as he drew the blade at his waist and walked up to Araki.

"You ungrateful brat! I am Schubert, vice-captain of the Sternritter! I will be the one to deal with you next..."

"And you will soon pay a terrible price for refusing His Majesty Yhwach's goodwill and killing His Majesty Yhwach's horse!"

Schubert gripped his cross-shaped sword and angrily spoke to Araki.

"You said I would soon pay the price for my actions?"

"If I remember correctly, the word 'soon' refers to something that has yet to happen in the future, doesn't it?"

"Then are you perhaps a prophet? Can you see a future farther than Yhwach, the emperor of you Quincy?"

After hearing Schubert's words, Araki calmly looked at him and asked.

"Hm?!"

Schubert, who had still been smiling as he prepared to earn some favor before Yhwach, the most revered emperor among the Quincy, immediately changed expression upon hearing Araki's words.

Without caring that he was facing Araki, he immediately turned to Yhwach in the distance and nervously said, "Y-Your Majesty! Please do not listen to this man's nonsense. I absolutely did not mean what he said! Everyone knows that in the vast Three Worlds, only Your Majesty can see through the future!"

"Pfft~"

Just as Schubert frantically explained himself to Yhwach, a glint of cold steel flashed, and a sharp Zanpakuto pierced through Schubert's chest.

Behind Schubert, Araki expressionlessly swung his blade in a backstab!

"You fool! You dared to turn your back on an enemy on the battlefield! You deserve death!"

As Araki swung his blade, his voice slowly reached Schubert's ears.

"Gah..."

Feeling the piercing pain in his heart, Schubert stiffly lowered his head. He saw half a blade protruding from his chest, sharp and stained with thick blood, and immediately vomited a mouthful of blood.

"You bastard, you actually dared to ambush me?! You will pay for this!"

Staring at the blade that had pierced through his chest, Schubert gritted his teeth and directly used the advanced Quincy combat technique, Ransōtengai. Although this technique was far more complicated than archery or swordsmanship, it was not particularly difficult for a member of the Sternritter, especially one who held the position of vice-captain.

With his heart pierced, Schubert was making a desperate final stand. At the very least, he absolutely could not die in such a ridiculous manner. Even in the worst-case scenario, he had to make the Soul Reaper who had ambushed him pay a painful price. Only then could he swallow this humiliation.

Whoosh!

Before Schubert could turn around, the sharp Zanpakuto had already slashed diagonally upward from his chest, splitting his entire upper body in two...

Splat...

Amid spraying crimson blood, Schubert's body was cleaved open from his chest all the way to his brain, turning into a corpse devoid of all thought and consciousness. With a thud, he collapsed to the ground and immediately stopped breathing.

"You see? You are talking about the future in front of your 'His Majesty' again."

Araki looked at Schubert's severed corpse, his eyes utterly cold as he spoke in an even tone.

"Hm?"

At the very moment Araki killed Schubert, he suddenly felt a chill and instinctively retreated.

Whoosh!!

As Araki moved away, several arrows formed from Reishi struck the spot where he had been standing.

Boom!!

With a roar, the Reishi arrows instantly exploded, completely swallowing Schubert's corpse.

"Tch~"

Araki clicked his tongue at the sight before raising his head to look at the man who had fired the arrows.

"You fool! You dared to interfere in my battle and even rashly discuss the future before me! You deserved death! This is the consequence of acting on your own..."

Yes, the man who had fired the Reishi arrows and destroyed Schubert's remains was none other than the emperor Schubert had served, Yhwach!

There was not a shred of pity in Yhwach's eyes over the death of Schubert, vice-captain of the Sternritter under his command. He coldly stared at the ground he had blasted apart, then raised his head and looked at Araki. "Enough, Araki! You should have vented enough by now! Become my child! You will replace Schubert as vice-captain of the Sternritter..."

"Araki, I believe someone as intelligent as you will make the right choice! You should know that I value 'freedom' and 'peace' and do not enjoy using violence. Ruling through violence is not what I desire! But if you remain stubborn, then I will have no choice but to use the violence I detest."

The instant Yhwach finished speaking, he drew the cross-shaped blade at his waist—the blade of a Quincy.

"Intimidate them! Ruriko..."

Seeing this, Araki directly released the Zanpakuto in his hand. Unlike his previous release command, "Shine! Ruriko," Araki used a different command this time! Much like that unscrupulous shopkeeper's Zanpakuto, Benihime...

Araki's Zanpakuto, Ruriko, possessed more than one release command, and the effects released by those different commands were completely different as well.

As Araki released his Zanpakuto, Lapis Lazuli light began to illuminate heaven and earth. But this time, Ruriko seemed somewhat violent. Countless rays of light turned into arrows, surrounding Araki before shooting toward Yhwach.

"Hmph! Useless!"

Yhwach snorted coldly. With a wave of his hand, volley after volley of arrows blocked Araki's attack. Though Araki's attack had little effect, it was tantamount to giving Yhwach an answer, which left Yhwach somewhat displeased with him.

At the same time, Araki had used the arrows Quincy excelled at most against him, the King of the Quincy. Though they did little to him, the insult was immense!

"It seems you have made your choice."

Yhwach's expression turned cold. The instant he finished speaking, powerful Spiritual Pressure erupted from his body. He then turned into a black shadow and slashed at Araki.