True Central 46

When Shuichi returned to the First Division Barracks, night had already fallen.

The lights in the main hall were still on. As he reached the doorway and was about to speak, he heard voices inside—not just Yamamoto's, but several others.

He stopped.

"Come in." Yamamoto's voice came from within.

The moment Shuichi pulled open the door, he saw the scene in the main hall.

Yamamoto sat behind a low desk, a stack of documents spread before him.

Chōjirō stood at his side.

Shihōin Qianri sat to the left, clutching a scroll in one hand, his expression grim as iron. Two people sat on the right.

One was Yanyuan Jinle, captain of the Third Division, with slicked-back hair, gray glasses, and an expressionless face.

The other was Wang Tuchuan Yuxuji, captain of the Tenth Division, his long black hair tied behind his head.

Several dozen reports lay on the desk. Some had already been unsealed, some remained rolled up, and some were half-unfolded, their corners curling. The topmost report bore fresh ink and the words "South District 36," "Quincy," and "Hollow swarm annihilated."

Yamamoto raised his head and glanced at Shuichi.

"What is the situation in South District 47?"

Shuichi straightened. "The Hollows' Reiatsu was in disarray. There were signs that some had been injured and fled, as well as traces of Quincy activity. Seven or eight locations, spread across a fan-shaped area. This wasn't something one or two people could have done."

He paused and glanced at the stack of documents on the desk.

"The scale is considerable."

The main hall fell silent for a moment.

Shihōin Qianri slammed the scroll in his hand onto the desk.

"South District 36, 32, and 28." His voice was heavy. "Over the past half month, the Second Division alone has reported six cases. Large Hollow swarms were wiped out, and their residual Reiatsu was directly terminated. The Quincies did it. This isn't a small-scale infiltration—it's organized action."

Yanyuan Jinle pushed up his glasses. "The Third Division discovered a battlefield in South District 21 last week. Twenty-seven Hollows, all eliminated. The form of the residual Reiatsu was identical to Quincy traces we had seen before, but the scale..."

Wang Tuchuan Yuxuji looked at no one. He stared at the documents on the desk, his voice soft.

"The Tenth Division received eleven eyewitness reports this month. Seven of them confirmed Quincy activity. In previous years, we would not receive this many in an entire year."

Yamamoto said nothing. He sat behind the desk with his hands clasped beneath his chin, his gaze fixed on the documents before him. Standing at the doorway, Shuichi could see his expression. It was neither anger nor surprise, but a profound calm, like an ancient well.

"Captain-Commander."

Shihōin Qianri spoke. "This isn't the first time. The Quincies have been active in Rukongai for decades, hunting Hollows and competing with Soul Reapers for work. Before, it was on a small scale—three or five people, killing a few Hollows before leaving. When Soul Reapers encountered them, they drove them off. But this time is different."

He pointed at the stack of documents.

"These are from the last three months. Sightings, kills, large-scale purges. This isn't the accumulation of several decades. In these three months, Quincy activity has been at least three times greater in frequency and scale than an entire year's worth in the past."

Yanyuan Jinle added, "They're testing our response."

"Not testing." Yamamoto finally spoke. His voice was calm, but everyone in the main hall quieted down.

"They are creating an established reality."

He looked at the stack of documents.

"The Quincies did not begin hunting Hollows today. They have operated in Rukongai for decades. When Soul Reapers encountered them, they drove them away. If they did not encounter them, they let it go. Soul Society never considered them a threat, because they truly were not one. Three or five people killing a few Hollows could not make waves."

He paused.

"But over the past three months, they have stopped hiding."

Standing at the doorway, Shuichi looked at the ever-thickening stack of documents on the desk. Each one recorded an operation—sightings, kills, purges, South District 36, 32, 28, 21... He knew those names. They were all districts near the front of Rukongai, not far from the Seireitei.

This was not infiltration. It was an advance.

Shihōin Qianri's voice rang out again. "The Twelfth Division detected a large-scale Reiatsu reaction in South District 19 last week. Not Hollows—Quincies. At least twenty people acting in the same area simultaneously. Captain Shandingsi said he had never seen Quincy activity on such a scale."

Yanyuan Jinle pushed up his glasses. "Twenty people acting at once. That isn't a hunting squad. It's a combat unit."

Wang Tuchuan Yuxuji raised his head. "They are preparing."

"Shuichi."

Yamamoto called out.

"Yes."

"The traces in South District 47. Are you certain they were Quincies?"

"Yes. The pattern of Reiatsu termination matched what Vice-Captain Chōjirō taught me. The distribution of the scorch marks indicates that at least three to five people were acting at the same time."

Yamamoto nodded and did not press further.

"You may leave. Write the report and submit it to Shimura."

"Yes."

Shuichi turned and walked out of the main hall, gently closing the door behind him.

Central 46 rarely convened in full.

The highest judicial body, composed of forty sages and six judges, normally exercised its authority through Reishi communications and written resolutions. The only matters that required everyone's presence were those concerning the survival of Soul Society.

Today was one of those occasions.

The dome of the oval hall soared overhead. Forty-six seats were arranged in a ring, each occupied by one of Soul Society's most powerful figures—not the strongest, but certainly the most influential. Nobles, elders, and representatives of great houses, their faces flickering between light and shadow beneath the dim blue Reishi lamps.

The seats of the Four Great Noble Clans stood at the front of the hall, separated from the others by a stretch of space, like a raised platform.

Shihōin Qianri sat in the Shihōin Clan's seat. He wore formal black attire, his short silver-white hair especially striking beneath the lights. His expression was calm, but his fingers lightly tapped against his knee. Those who knew him understood that this was his habit when thinking.

The current head of the Tsunayashiro Clan, Tsunayashiro Shiki, sat in his clan's seat. He was a middle-aged man with a lean face, narrow brows and eyes, and a faint smile that always seemed to linger at the corners of his mouth.

That smile was exactly like Tsunayashiro Shisei's, only more polished and more inscrutable.

The Tsunayashiro Clan managed the Great Spirit Library and held all of Soul Society's buried history and secrets.

They knew more than anyone else, but they never hurried to reveal what they knew.

A young man, Kuchiki Ginrei, sat in the Kuchiki Clan's seat. The eldest son of the current clan head, he had already begun taking over the family's affairs.

He wore the Kuchiki Clan's signature white haori, his dark brown hair tied behind his head. His face was gentle, but his eyes were steady. He did not resemble a man in his twenties so much as a blade that had yet to leave its sheath.

The Kuchiki Clan stood first among the Four Great Noble Clans. They had no need to fight or seize. They merely needed to stand where they were and do what they believed was right.

A tall man, Shiba Chuanlu, sat in the Shiba Clan's seat.

His hair was a mess, his formal clothes hung loosely on him, and his collar was open. Leaning back in his chair with one hand propping up his chin, he lazily swept his gaze across the hall.

He looked as though he could not care less, but those familiar with him knew that, aside from Yamamoto, he was the strongest person present.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto sat among the guest seats.

He was not a member of Central 46. Since the Gotei 13 had been founded, no captain had ever been promoted into Central 46. Yet he sat here today because he was the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, because he wielded Soul Society's strongest Zanpakutō, and because everyone present knew that without him and the army he had built, Central 46 would be nothing more than a council of empty talk.

A stack of documents lay on the desk before Yamamoto.

Three months. Forty-six reports.

He placed his hand over the documents and spoke. His voice was not loud, but every word carried clearly throughout the hall.

"Over the past three months, there have been forty-six reports of Quincy activity in Rukongai. Twelve confirmed large-scale Hollow swarm annihilations. South District 36, 32, 28, 21—their area of operation is steadily advancing inward from the outer districts toward the Seireitei."

The hall fell silent for a moment. Then the forty sages and six judges began to murmur. Their voices were quiet, like a swarm of bees buzzing in the distance.

An elderly sage raised his hand. "Captain-Commander, hunting Hollows has always been the Quincies' way. They have operated in Rukongai for centuries. When Soul Reapers encounter them, they simply drive them away. Why elevate this to the level of a 'serious threat'?"

Yamamoto looked at him calmly.

"Because the scale matters. Large-scale Hollow eradication affects Soul Society's Reishi cycle."

Another sage frowned.

"The Reishi cycle?"

"When Hollows are purified by Soul Reapers, their souls return to the cycle of reincarnation, and their Reishi returns to the atmosphere. When Hollows are destroyed by Quincies, their Reishi vanishes directly and no longer participates in the cycle. One or two does not matter. But what about a hundred? A thousand? The number of Hollows in Rukongai is limited, but Reishi balance is global. The more Hollows Quincies destroy, the less total Reishi Soul Society possesses."

Yamamoto's voice remained calm, but every word drove into the minds of everyone present like a nail.

The murmuring in the hall grew louder. Sages and judges whispered among themselves. Some frowned, some shook their heads, and some wore grave expressions.

Shihōin Qianri's fingers stopped tapping. He looked at Yamamoto calmly and said nothing.

Tsunayashiro Shiki's smile did not change, but his eyes narrowed slightly, like a cat spotting a bird flying closer.

Kuchiki Ginrei sat upright, his expression entirely unchanged, like a statue.

Shiba Chuanlu yawned, appearing utterly unconcerned, but his gaze never left Yamamoto.

A judge raised his hand to speak.

"Captain-Commander, how do you propose we respond?"

Yamamoto's gaze swept across the hall.

"Deploy the Gotei 13 and purge the Quincies in Rukongai."

The forty sages and six judges looked at one another. No one spoke. No one raised a hand. No one objected, and no one agreed.

Then someone spoke.

"Let us vote."

Central 46's method of decision-making was simple: a vote. If more than half approved, the resolution took effect.

Yamamoto sat in the guest seat, his hands clasped beneath his chin and his gaze resting on the desk before him. He looked at no one, but he could feel the atmosphere in the hall changing.

Forty-six seats. Forty-six votes.

The nobles' gazes began to shift, turning toward the seats of the Four Great Noble Clans—to Tsunayashiro Shiki, Shihōin Qianri, Kuchiki Ginrei, and Shiba Chuanlu. They were not looking at those people themselves, but at the power behind them.

The vote began. Each sage and judge raised a hand in turn.

In favor.

Against.

Abstain.

The numbers rose in alternation, never pulling far apart.

Twenty votes in favor, seventeen against, nine abstentions.

Twenty-two votes in favor, nineteen against, five abstentions.

Twenty-three votes in favor, twenty-one against, two abstentions.

Only the seats of the Four Great Noble Clans remained.

Tsunayashiro Shiki raised his hand—approval.

Shihōin Qianri raised his hand—approval.

Kuchiki Ginrei fell silent for a moment, then raised his hand—approval.

Shiba Chuanlu did not move. He leaned against the back of his chair and stared at the ceiling, as if he had not noticed the vote had even begun. Every gaze in the hall focused on him. The sages and judges held their breath, waiting for his decision.

Chuanlu slowly lowered the hand supporting his chin and looked around the hall. His gaze paused briefly on Tsunayashiro Shiki's face, then briefly on Shihōin Qianri's, before finally falling on Yamamoto.

"Abstain."

A low commotion rose in the hall. Shiba Chuanlu, one of the Four Great Noble Clans and the strongest man present aside from Yamamoto, had chosen to abstain.

He offered no explanation.

He did not need to.

The vote ended.

Twenty-four votes in favor, twenty-one against, one abstention. The approval votes exceeded half. The resolution passed.

Yamamoto rose to his feet. The chief judge of Central 46 struck the resolution bell. Its deep, lingering toll echoed through the hall like some ancient incantation.

"Resolution: The Quincies are to be forcibly expelled or detained. Those who refuse to comply are to be killed. The Gotei 13 will carry out this order."

Yamamoto stood in the center of the hall, his shadow stretching long beneath the lights. He looked at no one and merely gave a slight nod.

The sages and judges began to disperse. Some looked grave, some whispered among themselves, and some shook their heads with sighs, but no one objected. The resolution had been made. Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto could not challenge it, much less them.

Shihōin Qianri stood, straightened his collar, and headed out of the hall. As he passed Tsunayashiro Shiki, their gazes met. There were no words, no expressions—only that brief exchange of looks before they each looked away and departed in different directions.

Kuchiki Ginrei also rose. His movements were slow and steady, as though everything deserved to be taken seriously. He gave Yamamoto a slight bow, then turned and left.

Shiba Chuanlu was the last to stand. He tried to straighten his loose formal attire, failed, and it remained crooked. He walked over to Yamamoto and paused.

"Captain-Commander."

"Chuanlu."

"When you act, go easy on them. Some Quincies are humans."

Yamamoto glanced at him.

"This old man knows."

Chuanlu nodded and said no more. He turned and walked out of the hall, his footsteps light and lazy, just as they had been when he arrived.

When Yamamoto stepped out of the hall, Chōjirō was waiting outside.

"Captain-Commander."

Yamamoto did not stop walking. "Notify the Thirteenth Division. The Captain-Commander is convening them."

"Yes."