The One Lying on the Ground

"What's the point of saying all this? If they really are hiding somewhere in the Dangai or the Human World, we'll never find them without any clues."

Though Tosen Kaname's sightless eyes were hidden behind his goggles, his brows were deeply furrowed.

Aizen had never revealed any information about the King of the Quincies to anyone. Even he, one of Aizen's closest confidants, was hearing of it for the first time.

Setting factional positions aside, in his black-and-white view of justice, the Quincy—an entire race that disrupted the balance of souls—were heretics who defied righteousness.

Once discovered, they should be purged immediately.

But he was an extreme pragmatist. They could not even catch a glimpse of their enemy's shadow, so how could they speak of eliminating them?

"Now that we have a lead, as long as the fox shows its tail, the hunter will eventually catch its trail."

Ross calmly took over the conversation, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, I'll leave this matter to you and the Research and Development Bureau. As for the Captain-General, considering these are former mortal enemies, I doubt he'll object to us making a grand effort to search for them."

In just a few words, Ross had defined the nature of this matter, one that could shake the Soul Society to its core.

The so-called search for the Quincy was merely a seed he had planted in advance within the Soul Society.

He was waiting.

Waiting for Yhwach, who had slumbered for a thousand years, to fully recover. Waiting for the bloody holy war that was destined to come.

Only when those ambitious figures hidden in the shadows of history emerged at the height of their power would this muddy pool called the world become livelier—and more interesting.

"Kehehehe! Since Captain