Driscoll's body crashed to the ground.
He lay soaking in his own blood, eyes wide open, staring lifelessly at the sky... until finally he fell completely silent.
Ulquiorra stepped forward slowly.
Arrancars do not possess emotional fluctuations known to humans, and even witnessing another's life and death firsthand wouldn't cause the slightest disturbance.
So after just a glance, he pulled his gaze back, focusing on the figure of the person nearby.
Chōjirō was unsteadily getting to his feet.
His body was covered with bruises, his face showing signs of distress. It wasn't hard to see... in the previous confrontation, he had been at a disadvantage.
Considering that even his Bankai, his trump card, could potentially have been stripped away, without Ulquiorra's help, the possibility of Chōjirō's death would certainly have been high.
For this very reason.
This made the Arrancar feel strange.
From his perspective, Ulquiorra couldn't understand the other's behavioral logic at all.
"You should have already known what was about to happen, right?"
"But not only did you not take the Shadow Infiltration Drug, you didn't even notify me before taking action."
"As a cooperating party, your actions leave me confused... Chōjirō."
To the Arrancar's puzzlement, Chōjirō maintained an indifferent attitude.
"I have... nothing to say to you people."
"This again?"
Ulquiorra's tone became somewhat peculiar.
He wasn't without emotions before, and naturally wouldn't have made similar gestures.
But after experiencing many things, he could feel his emptiness being filled, gradually becoming fuller.
An expression of disdain appeared on the Arrancar's face.
"To persist for something intangible, even at the cost of your life?"
"If I could understand you somewhat before, now I... really despise this behavior and manner."
Knowing but not acting is a sin.
Chōjirō remained silent.
Whether it was due to simple shame or some other reason was unclear. He made no response, just maintained his closed-eyed stance, standing in place.
"This is the adherence of us old-fashioned people, someone like you... wouldn't understand, and doesn't need to understand."
Perhaps describing these people as stubborn old men would be most fitting.
Even understanding what they were about to face, they wouldn't break their principles, and even at the cost of their lives, they seemed to show no signs of regret.
Perhaps these people had determined their fate from the beginning.
"Our deaths are not meaningless."
Chōjirō sheathed his sword. He staggered for a moment, was supported by those around him to stand steady, but then shrugged off their help.
"This is the steadfastness of us old-school Soul Reapers! It's also the spirit that must be preserved!"
"Some things can change, because that's the general trend, it's the direction of the world... we don't intend to reverse these things."
"But correspondingly, these things that seem old and stale to you—if no one persists in them, they will truly disappear..."
This was Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's awareness, as well as his belief.
If dying for this, it would be as he wished.
The spirit and integrity soaked in blood would only become more brilliant and eye-catching.
"The glory of death, not the shame of life."
As the close aide of the former Captain-Commander, Chōjirō best understood his spirit and beliefs.
His current steadfastness was just like that.
Faced with such persistence and will, Ulquiorra merely turned his head aside, murmuring as if in a dream.
"...I really don't understand."
Isn't life worthless once you're dead?
The beliefs between the two sides were bound to conflict, but both were the type to cut off conversation when views didn't align, and after averting their gazes, they simultaneously maintained silence.
Chōjirō endured the pain, issuing orders at this moment.
"Pass the word down, tell everyone to be alert, don't give these villains the opportuni..."
"There's no need for that anymore."
That was another voice unfamiliar to Chōjirō.
Turning his head.
He could see a blonde, tall Arrancar woman with a high degree of exposure, floating down from the side.
A distinct number "3" was tattooed on her waist.
Tier Harribel.
Even after the disbanding of the Espada, she still maintained her number. This act itself was a show of respect for the past.
She looked down at the two before her, repeating in a steady tone.
"The Quincy invading Soul Society, the one you just eliminated was the last one."
Ulquiorra paused for a moment, then said expressionlessly.
"What's going on?"
"Literally... it seems you didn't listen carefully to the previous battle meeting."
Harribel raised her right hand, unzipped the zipper covering half her face, revealing her original appearance.
"This invasion is not a full-scale battle, but rather a probe of a different kind. So according to the original plan... this guy shouldn't have died."
The person Harribel was referring to was Driscoll.
"A death would make the other side extremely cautious, causing problems for the next actions."
The atmosphere became slightly awkward, as Ulquiorra lowered his eyes, looking at the completely silent figure.
"I didn't think things would be so complicated... I'm sorry, at the last meeting, I was in the final stage of fusion."
Admitting mistakes also requires courage.
But compared to denying responsibility, Ulquiorra seemed more inclined to express remorse for his error.
Harribel silently sighed.
"If it were before, I would indeed hold you accountable. But we're no longer in a superior-subordinate relationship..."
Pausing for a moment, she stepped forward slowly, raising her hand to gently pat his shoulder.
"And regarding these matters, those who made the arrangements seem to have backup plans... it's probably better not to worry too much."
"Is that so."
Ulquiorra nodded slightly. His thoughts were always easy to understand, and he never dwelled on things too much.
He just lowered his gaze, looking at the corpse at his feet.
"Are all the so-called Quincies only this capable?"
His interest had always been focused on the Quincies, after all, Hueco Mundo had been preparing for this great battle for a long time.
Although he had no interest in life and death, being such dangerous opponents, even someone as indifferent as him would be curious about their strength.
"No, this should be one of the weaker tiers."
Harribel responded with a firm tone, pausing for a moment, then repeating as if to emphasize.
"According to known intelligence, the Sternritter has more than thirty members... this guy didn't even activate his Schrift power when fighting with you, right?"
Crossing her arms over her chest, Harribel seemed to know the process of their confrontation even though she wasn't present.
"This indicates that he was quite careless, just wanting to steal the Bankai, without taking his opponent seriously."
"..."
Although it was certain that there was no substantial direction in her words.
This subtle way of speaking made Chōjirō, who had been silent on the side, feel extremely uncomfortable.
Is this really not a dig at me...
"How long are you two going to stay?"
Though he had the corresponding mental preparation, seeing two Arrancars wandering freely in Soul Society, acting at will.
As an old-school Soul Reaper, it was indeed somewhat hard to bear.
Harribel responded calmly.
"Naturally until your Captain-Commander deems the crisis over and dismisses us."
Captain-Commander, Shunsui Kyōraku.
Although he was Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's star pupil, his command style was completely different from his mentor...
At this point, as an outsider, Chōjirō could no longer make any comment.
He could only helplessly close his eyes.
"Then you... can do as you please."
Out of sight, out of mind.
Better go report the situation to old man Yamamoto.
...
Temporary assembly!
At the meeting in Soul Society, captains from each division gathered together.
Shunsui Kyōraku, as the meeting host, had already arrived early. After confirming that the last member was in place, considering that time was of the essence...
He immediately spoke.
"I believe everyone already knows our current situation?"
"It's almost as we predicted long ago... our great enemy."
"The Invisible Empire, which was once eradicated a thousand years ago, seems to have risen again."
No one responded, either waiting for Shunsui to elaborate, or waiting for him to propose some more constructive suggestions.
Not surprised by this result.
Shunsui continued.
"I know that before today, some captains were definitely confused about the intelligence we had."
"Like why these 'strange' guys appeared? What exactly do they want to do?"
"Such questions were definitely numerous... uh, regarding this aspect, I would be happy to discuss it with everyone after the meeting."
But before that.
"Regarding the crisis we are about to face, may I ask if all captains can reach a consensus?"
Just as Shunsui had discussed earlier with Seiya.
Without witnessing and knowing the reality, anyone would harbor some hope.
Only after truly facing danger would many people realize their shortcomings.
The so-called internal and external troubles...
Perhaps this is what it means.
Shunsui sighed inwardly, and the usually noisy meeting, no matter when, was exceptionally quiet today.
How nice—everyone was like this when old man Yama held meetings before.
Now Shunsui truly experienced the feeling of a "real" Captain-Commander.
"Since everyone has no objections, I can smoothly move to the next stage... but before that, gentlemen."
Shunsui took a glass bottle from Nanao beside him, held it in his hand, and shook it gently.
"This 'Shadow Infiltration Drug,' please don't miss it, take it regularly to maintain internal balance and strength."
After all...
"You should have heard from former Lieutenant Chōjirō, right? The enemy can indeed steal Bankai. Without this, some of us might be in grave danger."
Silence is tonight's Cambridge.
Looking at everyone behaving so obediently, Shunsui felt relieved but also resigned in his heart.
Seiya...
What you wanted to do has finally been accomplished today.
But where are you now?
...
"Seiya, Seiya?"
Candice's voice came from beside him, bringing Seiya back to his senses.
"...Hmm?"
He instinctively sat up, revealing a dazed expression.
Candice put her head on Seiya's stomach, slightly raised her head, curiously looking at him.
"What just happened to you? Your expression looked so strange, as if you suddenly saw something terrifying."
"Is that so..."
Seiya belatedly touched his cheek.
He had indeed recalled many things, but they were too fragmented, impossible to piece together into a complete outline.
Those.
Were probably also part of what once belonged to his original self.
These ambiguous things often appeared in Seiya's mind, considering the recent situation, the "self" hidden within Ichigo Kurosaki was probably experiencing the same.
Memories don't vanish into thin air, nor are they fabricated.
So preserving these things had its own meaning...
But now, as a clone, he didn't need to know yet.
"Look, you're distracted again!"
Candice's complaint made Seiya show an embarrassed smile. He wanted to say something but couldn't find the reason to speak.
In the end, he could only lightly laugh and apologize.
"I'm sorry... I was thinking about the task His Majesty assigned during the day."
"Ah, you mean that~"
Mentioning business, Candice seemed to lose her spirit.
She was like a cat, closing her eyes, making purring sounds in her throat.
"It was just supposed to be probing, but Driscoll insisted on going over there... losing his life isn't surprising, is it?"
"Although we have the ability to steal Bankai, that guy was so prone to getting carried away."
"He probably got careless after succeeding and was caught by others, and was finally killed."
It doesn't matter~
"It's just an unlikable guy who died, in the end, victory will definitely belong to our Invisible Empire."
Candice's attitude almost represented most of the Sternritter members.
This arrogance and prejudice stemming from the bone was also essentially Yhwach's attitude.
"Moreover, didn't Quilge return safely?"
"He went to Hueco Mundo and came back, and he doesn't seem to have encountered any significant resistance along the way."
"This means that our next opponents only need to focus on Soul Society~ Just mere Soul Reapers, very easy to deal with."
Seiya pondered for a moment, then revealed a calm smile.
After all, there was no room for "rebuttal."
"I hope it's like that."
"It should absolutely be like that!"
Candice suddenly sat up, pressing her upper body against him, and bit his earlobe.
She started blowing into his ear.
"Rather than discussing those depressing things, why don't we..."
The feeling of affection couldn't be stopped, especially for someone who controls the power of lightning, she never liked hiding her feelings.
She made a reclining motion, her smile spreading like a cat tasting blood.
"If it's you, it's okay to mess up my hair a little... it feels more exciting."
Her right hand dropped down, pressing gently.
"Let's do something fun."
Extravagant and chaotic life.
This was the true portrayal of today's Invisible Empire.
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Powerstones?
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