Inside the main hall of Huaixiang Pavilion, the servants and young women lay sprawled across the floor. The only person still conscious was the scar-faced man from earlier that day. He leaned against a pillar, idly tossing fruit into his mouth one piece at a time.
The candlelight suddenly dimmed. The man quickened his movements, and by the time the hall brightened again, he had just eaten the last piece of fruit. He brushed the peel from his hands, then wiped his right hand across his face. The scar vanished, replaced by Diezuka Hiroe's familiar face.
"Teacher, you're looking as vigorous as ever. And to all the heads of the noble families, it's been a hundred and fifty years. You're all still in fine health."
At some point, six people had appeared at the far end of the hall, standing in an arc facing Hiroe. Five looked to be in their twilight years. The sixth was a middle-aged man with disheveled hair and a slovenly appearance.
"Why did you choose this place?"
"Who would've thought that a fugitive wanted for over a hundred years would show up in a pleasure house less than a mile from Seireitei?"
Hiroe shrugged with a smile, making no effort to hide who he was—even though none of the six before him was ordinary.
The bald old man standing at the center needed no introduction: he was Hiroe's teacher, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni. The other five held positions no lower than Yamamoto's. They were the current heads of Seireitei's Five Great Noble Families.
From left to right, they were Tsunayashiro Daisuke, head of the Tsunayashiro Clan; Shinji-no-Miya, head of the Shinji family; then the heads of the Kuchiki and Shihoin families, Kuchiki Ginrei and Shihoin Dozo; and, youngest of them all, Shiba Isshin, who came from a branch family and was currently acting head of the Shiba Clan.
The influence these five families wielded in Seireitei was beyond ordinary people's imagination. The Kuchiki, Shihoin, and Shiba families each commanded the 6th Division, 2nd Division, and 10th Division, respectively. The other two families rarely appeared in public and had no divisions of their own, but they led the families of the priesthood.
The priestly families were a special class of nobility in Seireitei. They took no part in its military affairs and oversaw all of its religious rites.
It was said that the leading families, the Tsunayashiro and the Shinji, could communicate directly with the Soul King. When Urahara and Yoruichi had gone to the Royal Palace for an audience, for instance, Tsunayashiro Daisuke had announced it. Of course, these weren't positions of real power. To Hiroe, the two families' tangible influence lay in Central 46.
Central 46 consisted of forty-six anonymous sages who oversaw the domestic affairs of Seireitei and Soul Society. The Gotei 13 had to carry out their orders unconditionally, unless more than two-thirds of the captains jointly challenged them, in which case the matter would be debated. Most of the sages came from the priestly families and were appointed jointly by the heads of the Tsunayashiro and Shinji families.
"We've all come here. You should understand what that represents." A childlike voice, devoid of emotion, spoke from the far left. It was Tsunayashiro Daisuke. It was hard to imagine an old man having a voice like that.
Hiroe nodded. The six of them had gathered in a way that, to a certain extent, represented all of Seireitei. Any matter they approved would be carried out there.
"Teacher must have told you all about the plan. So, I'll—"
"First, prove your innocence," Shinji-no-Miya interrupted. He didn't even open his mouth; his ethereal voice seemed to come from across a valley.
All right. This utterly cold rationality was certainly typical of Central 46. The word "trust" didn't exist in their vocabulary. They would decide for themselves whether this was a plan or a conspiracy disguised as one.
Hiroe didn't resist. He brought over the large sack in the corner and dumped everything inside onto the floor. Seven bodies tumbled into a pile, but the six people watching were far too sharp-eyed to be fooled: all seven were alive. Kido had merely sealed their hearts temporarily.
"I think this should be enough." Hiroe pointed to the pile of bodies in front of him. These seven were Tsukikage and the others, who were rumored to have been blasted to death by him. "If you want any more details, you can ask them directly. But that can wait until later."
"Speak!" The commanding voice came from Shihoin Dozo, whom Hiroe knew fairly well. He was an old man who never smiled and wore a chonmage, though Yoruichi had told Hiroe that in private he was a mischievous old fool. That had often made Hiroe want to ask him, "Doesn't it get tiring, acting so serious all the time?"
"Then I'll continue. I'm sure you all know the teacher's plan. That's why I deliberately stirred up trouble: to get a better picture of the situation outside." Hiroe lied without batting an eye. The plan was real, but being punished and forced to leave Seireitei had been entirely his own fault!
According to the original plan, Hiroe would publicly be ordered to spend a hundred years in secluded cultivation in Seireitei because his progress had stalled. In secret, he would leave Seireitei under another identity and investigate the Quincies.
Nearly a thousand years ago, the Quincies had fought a war against the Soul Reapers. The Soul Reapers had won decisively, and Soul Society remained under Seireitei's rule. The Quincies had lost the glory of their ancestors and suffered a crushing blow.
After that, the Quincies had kept to themselves, and both sides had lived in peace up to the present day. Besides, their goals were the same: to protect souls from the Hollows. In that sense, they had arrived at the same destination by different paths.
But the truth was otherwise. For one thing, the very nature of the Quincies meant that they and the Soul Reapers were parallel lines that would never meet. Both sides destroyed Hollows, but when Soul Reapers did so, the Hollows became the most basic fragments of souls, rejoining the cycle and forming new souls.
When Quincies destroyed Hollows, however, they annihilated them. Those they destroyed never entered the cycle; their traces remained only in the passage of time. And since Hollows were transformed human souls, if the Quincies were allowed to continue, the number of souls in this world would fall badly out of balance, until not a single living being remained.
It was clear, then, that Soul Reapers and Quincies were fundamentally opposed. Their conflict was, in some ways, even greater than their conflict with Hollows. So it was no surprise that Old Man Yama had proposed a plan to wipe out the Quincies. In his eyes, it was a move that had to be made.
But was eliminating one side—the Soul Reapers or the Quincies—the only way to resolve the problem? Not necessarily. Shiba Isshin, standing at the far right, voiced his view. "Couldn't we bring the Quincies under Seireitei's administration? Or persuade them to give up their Quincy powers and become Soul Reapers? War isn't the only option."
"Impossible! As much as I hate to admit it, this time..." Hiroe shook his head, his tone resolute. "War is the only option!"
"Reason?" Tsunayashiro Daisuke's childlike voice rang out again. His drooping eyes fixed on Hiroe. The Soul Reapers weren't afraid of war, but if it came to that, neither side would win. No reason colored by personal bias could convince him.
"They're harboring evil intentions!" Hiroe met Tsunayashiro Daisuke's gaze without fear, his eyes sharp. "The Quincies have never wanted peace. War is their only option, so it's our only option, too!"
"Evidence!"
Clack—clack—the night watchman outside tapped his wooden clappers. His melodious voice carried far into the distance. "The first watch of the Rat hour. All is well!"
Outside, the night was peaceful. Inside, tension crackled in the air. The five pairs of eyes fixed on Hiroe made it clear that he had no way back. What happened next—and what his future would look like—depended entirely on how he performed.
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