The Empire Hidden in Plain Sight

No matter how hard Tsuna attacked, he was ultimately unable to stop the Quincy army from disappearing into the shadows.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri's development of the Shadow was only Little Ichi; he had barely opened a crack when Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto forcefully pushed him into the Wandenreich.

In fact, the development of the Shadow Realm is far from sufficient. Being able to detect that there is something inside the shadows is already quite good. Tsuna did not interrupt the Quincy army's technique at all.

Harmony? Perhaps the power of the Sky could be a chance, but faced with the destruction of Las Noches, Tsuna had no choice but to unleash his most powerful Storm Attribute, Beyond Bankai, to block all the arrows.

However, this means that when fighting Yhwach, there isn't much room for him to switch battle forms, Yhwach will already be running away.

Tsuna could only watch helplessly as Yhwach led the Quincy army and disappeared before his eyes.

Tsuna landed in front of Gin Ichimaru, deactivated his Beyond Bankai state, and as soon as he touched the ground, he heard Gin Ichimaru ask, "Those are the enemies we will face in the future."

"That's right, I saw two of them die, and you ambushed one?" Tsuna asked curiously. With Gin Ichimaru's Shinsō, exchanging one for another shouldn't be a problem.

"No, I encountered that guy named Cang Du..."

Gin Ichimaru didn't finish his sentence, but Tsuna had already guessed the result. "No wonder, their abilities were just right to counter each other. Those two?"

"It was Nel who killed her. She used the Hogyoku you left behind." Gin Ichimaru gestured with his chin towards the unconscious Nel. "She only unleashed one attack before she couldn't hold on and passed out."

Tsuna knelt down beside Nel and checked her over. "She's just exhausted. It's probably a side effect of forcibly controlling her power. It's nothing serious."

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, are you saying that those are all the enemies we have to face?" Halibel couldn't help but ask, as there were quite a few people among them who looked no less formidable than Cang Du.

"They are Quincy, and you Hollows are their natural enemies. If they could, they would do everything in their power to eliminate you. So do you understand why I am determined to unify Hueco Mundo?" Tsuna asked rhetorically.

"If we split up, they'll wipe us out one by one, like Grimmjow?" Stark asked.

"If you unite, you can protect your companions just like Nel."

The companionship resonated with Halibel and Stark, which was why they remained in Las Noches.

"Oh, right, let me correct your statement again. Grimmjow is still alive. If he hadn't rushed into Soul Society before he fell unconscious, Quincy Hueco Mundo now."

No one refuted Tsuna's statement. Having witnessed the Quincy's abilities, they understood that they might Quincy in a short time.

"What should we do next?" Halibel asked Stark. The King of Hueco Mundo was now in a coma, and Gin Ichimaru was not in charge, so only the two of them could discuss it.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Stark looked towards Tsuna again, as it seemed that only Tsuna could protect their safety at the moment.

"Gather all the Arrancar together. I'll take you all to Soul Society. The shopkeeper is also working on creating a fake Hogyoku. Once all of Arrancar Espada mastered the power of the Hogyoku fusion, then we'll return to Hueco Mundo."

After making his suggestion, Tsuna added a sentence, fearing that the Arrancar might harbor resentment due to their past grudges with the Bleach.

"Of course, the decision is yours; otherwise, you can only wait in Hueco Mundo for the shopkeeper to finish making the Hogyoku."

"If we go to Soul Society, can you guarantee our absolute safety?" Halibel was more concerned about this, as it was like lambs to the slaughter.

"Weren't all those troublemakers killed off? You're going to die here anyway, and you might die in Soul Society too. You can weigh the risks yourself."

Tsuna did not make a decision for the Arrancar; he and Gin Ichimaru remained uninvolved in the question of where to go.

Halibel and Stark exchanged a glance. Tsuna's words were clear: one could survive in Soul Society by not causing trouble. In addition, Nel had spent some time in Soul Society. They ultimately decided to go to Soul Society to lay low for the time being.

"Hmm, let's call everyone out. Huh, where's Ulquiorra?" Tsuna scanned the buildings of Las Noches with his spiritual pressure but didn't find Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure.

"He's gone to the Forest of the Hollows, I'm going to find him now." Stark Sonido and left.

After resting for most of the day, Ulquiorra was summoned back by Stark, and Yammy and Nel's injuries were healed. There were only about a hundred Hollows of the Arrancar type in the entire Las Noches, so Nel was truly short-handed in the literal sense.

During this time, Tsuna contacted Byakuya Kuchiki. The wealthy Kuchiki Clan agreed to provide an area for Nel and the others to stay temporarily. In return, the top-ranked Arrancar would have to fight him every day.

The Garganta opened at the coordinates set by Byakuya Kuchiki, and a Arrancar, led by Tsuna, entered Soul Society. Except for Nel, everyone was looking around at their surroundings. This was the first time they had entered Soul Society not as intruders.

Renji, along with a group of Vice-Captain, greeted them at the entrance of the Garganta. They had been to Hueco Mundo and fought against the Arrancar, so they were quite familiar with each other and it was most appropriate for them to be the ones to greet them.

After greeting everyone, Tsuna headed straight for the First Division's barracks, where Kyōraku had already prepared tea and was waiting for him. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Urahara also appeared with him.

Without pausing, Tsuna rushed into the tea room and recounted the Hueco Mundo invasion of Quincy, especially the Quincy army being taken away by Yhwach to an unknown location.

"So our top priority is to find Yhwach's location. As you said, Tsuna, Yhwach might have lost his the Almighty powers. Once we find Yhwach, we must strike with lightning speed!"

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto nodded slowly. This disciple was quite devoted to him. He should be dealt with severely in the matter of his sworn Yhwach.

"The question is, where can they escape to? The World of the Living, or perhaps they can launch a surprise attack and take over Hueco Mundo?"

Urahara Kisuke suggested a possibility, Soul Society was out of the question. Right now, the Bleach were wandering Rukongai with their instruments, trying to find something unusual in the shadows.

Both Hueco Mundo and the World of the Living are unable to conduct large-scale searches due to a lack of manpower, and can only explore bit by bit. Not to mention that now that Tsuna has brought the entire Las Noches to Soul Society, Hueco Mundo's defenses are particularly weak.

"I believe that we need to be prepared, but we also need to have the strength to take the initiative. There must be someone in every part of the Three Worlds who can resist the Quincy army and hold out until we ask the other two realms for help," Tsuna said, giving his suggestion.

"For example, Soul Society has Old Man Yamamoto in charge, and Hueco Mundo can hold out for a while after Nel adapts to the power of the Hogyoku fusion. Similarly, the World of the Living needs someone like that."

"Using these three as a base, we are gradually searching outwards for information about the Quincy. This way, whether we launch an offensive or a defensive attack, we will have a certain degree of initiative."

"You want to go back to the World of the Living?" Kyōraku immediately understood after hearing Tsuna's words.

"Yes, after all, I am still human."

The three people present remained silent for a short while. Because Tsuna had spent more time in the Soul Society than in the real world, they subconsciously overlooked the fact that Tsuna was human.

To put it bluntly, if danger were to erupt simultaneously in Three Worlds, Tsuna would definitely go to the World of the Living first, because his friends and family in the World of the Living are his most fundamental connection.

Furthermore, with the help bestowed upon them by the Soul King, the captains have gradually found their path to cultivation. There is little point in Tsuna staying in Soul Society any longer; he might as well return to the World of the Living and become a gatekeeper.

"No problem. It's about time you went back to being a student for a few days. We'll keep in touch." Kyōraku immediately agreed.

Tsuna said with a wry smile, "I probably won't be able to stay in the student days for more than a few days. I'll lead the patrols in the World of the Living according to the rotation schedule, and try to find the Quincy's whereabouts as soon as possible."

"I'm getting busy too. Disguising the Hogyoku? I didn't expect Aizen's legacy to be so helpful to the Arrancar," Urahara Kisuke said, explaining his future plans.

The four of them talked for a long time about how to settle the Hollows in Soul Society, the consolidation of emergency communication methods, and support plans for the Three Worlds, among other things.

Back in the World of the Living Tsuna, just as he said, spends each day leading a rotating group to search for traces of Yhwach.

Initially, when they were near Karakura Town, Ichigo and Tatsuki accompanied them. Later, Tsuna even expanded the scope to the entire Japan, at which point it was no longer appropriate for Ichigo and his classmates to Ichigo them, and the accompanying personnel were replaced by members of Xcution.

On the school rooftop, because there was a test today, Tsuna hadn't been to school for a long time, flew low over the sky early and, like a certain senior, lay on the rooftop gazing at the floating clouds.

What are you thinking about?

A bottle of iced drink stimulated Tsuna's senses, while Tatsuki squatted beside him with two large bento boxes full of food. With Fullbring to control objects, cooking was not a difficult task at all.

"I'm wondering where Yhwach could have hidden. We could say we've searched the entire Three Worlds, but we haven't found a trace of them." Tsuna stood up and took the bento box and drink.

After gaining a basic grasp of the power of the Hogyoku fusion, Nel rushed back to Hueco Mundo without stopping. Even though she was alone, she ran tirelessly and covered most of Hueco Mundo without finding any trace of the Quincy.

"They've been able to hide in the shadows of Seireitei for so many years, they can't possibly have another stronghold, can they?" Tatsuki said casually. Putting aside the danger, she quite liked this kind of life, at least she could see Tsuna every day.

"Kyōraku and the others have also guessed, and Bazz-B asked them too. He joined the Quincy army as soon as he left his hometown in the forest, so he doesn't know anything either, and it's not his place to know," Tsuna said while picking at his Tsuna.

"By the way, where is Bazz-B from?"

"God knows, his family was destroyed by Yhwach when he was very young, and he lived in the forest all his life. Later, he joined the Quincy army after leaving the forest. He hasn't been to many places and hasn't seen much of the world." Tsuna sighed. "Even if you threw a world map in front of him, he wouldn't be able to tell which way was which."

"What a pity. If only we knew where Bazz-B's hometown was, maybe the Quincy went back home," Tatsuki said regretfully.

"If we find out, we'll pounce on them."

Basically, Kyōraku and the others had considered the ideas that Tatsuki proposed, but most of them could not be truly implemented due to limitations.

In the endless shadows, the Quincy army, which had marched for countless days, finally saw a glimmer of light. Haschwalth couldn't help but ask Yhwach.

"Your Majesty, where are we going?"

"Going home, our former home."

After enduring the change in vision caused by the bright light, what everyone saw was a desolate land. Houses, city walls, and palaces bore the intricate marks of time due to years of neglect.

Many Quincy tears welling up in their eyes. The familiar scene before them was their homeland before they set off for war. It seemed that nothing had changed, and it was still the same as when they set off, only with a touch of vicissitude.

Yhwach led the Quincy army to the same place that was their Quincy territory a thousand years ago. Before setting out to conquer Soul Society, he hid this part of the territory in his shadow as an eternal memory. He never expected that after nearly a thousand years, this place would still be useful.