Chapter 271:
"Kurosaki never bowed before despair."
Uryū Ishida drew his pure-white silver bow with one hand, the flowing Reishi light along its string growing ever more concentrated.
"Even against a seemingly invincible enemy, he will break the predetermined outcome."
Haschwalth rested one hand on his sword's hilt, his long golden hair stirring gently in the night wind.
"Foolish blind faith."
Haschwalth said evenly, "So-called hope is nothing but an illusion the weak use to numb themselves."
Uryū Ishida's eyes darkened slightly, and the arrow of light in his hand abruptly swelled.
Haschwalth's face lay hidden beneath the dome's shadow, a strange gleam flickering in his eyes.
In the pitch-black night, several overlapping images actually split apart deep within his pupils.
That was the divine authority temporarily transferred to him only while His Majesty slept.
The Almighty.
"Every step Ichigo Kurosaki takes follows a predetermined path."
Haschwalth stepped forward, his riding boots ringing crisply against the stone slabs in the empty hall.
"No matter how he struggles, the only end awaiting him is to have his spine utterly broken by His Majesty."
"His blade cannot sever fate, nor can his anger change the outcome."
"The key you entrusted to him is merely an invitation leading him to the executioner's block."
At that pronouncement, Uryū Ishida's fingers tightened slightly around his bow.
But the wavering on his face lasted only an instant before giving way to an even colder resolve.
"Since you possess His Majesty's power and have already seen every future that will unfold..."
Uryū Ishida pushed up his glasses. "Why did you bother asking that question just now?"
The air in the hall seemed to still.
Haschwalth stopped and looked down at the young man below the steps.
"Foreseeing the course of the future does not mean understanding a