In the dark corridor of the grand hall.
The black-haired youth walked deeper step by step. From the shadows beside him, a black cat sprang lightly onto his shoulder.
After licking its paw, the black cat glanced at the youth's profile and said:
"I thought you'd be a bit more cautious. Was it really okay to say that out loud? What if the Sternritter react?"
Even though Cole had said he already had the ability to contend with Yhwach, she still felt it wasn't safe enough.
After all, that was "The Almighty"—a power that could see the future and change the future.
Being cautious was never wrong.
Cole chuckled, not slowing his pace, and said casually while walking:
"Yoruichi, you're overthinking it. What do you think a hyena that's been chained up and abused for years will do the moment it breaks free?"
Yoruichi thought for a moment, then unconsciously swayed her body and tested:
"It'll bite… the one it calls its master?"
"They still don't have that kind of guts." Cole shook his head.
A thousand years was far too long—so long that fear had corroded the bodies and souls of the Sternritter like verdigris.
Even if their chains were removed, most of them still wouldn't bite Yhwach.
They'd more likely flee like stray dogs—desperately putting distance between themselves and Yhwach, drifting homelessly, maybe in Hueco Mundo, maybe in the Human World.
And to them, that alone would already be immense freedom.
Yoruichi frowned, puzzled.
"Then why did you say something like that, when you know they don't have the courage?"
Cole smiled and clenched his fist in front of her.
"On their own, of course they don't have the courage to oppose Yhwach. But what if I can give them courage?"
He kept walking, his right hand sliding along the dark wall as he spoke.
"As the saying goes, one cowardly soldier is nothing—one cowardly general makes a whole army of cowards. Their fear may be carved into their bones, but once they have hope, that fear will turn into boundless hatred and killing intent."
No one wants a blade hanging over their neck.
And the one holding that blade just happened to be a Quincy—cold, emotionless, almost cruelly ruthless.
Take As Nödt, for example—his Schrift was fear, and he was the one who should have ruled fear.
Yet deep down, he was always ruled by fear himself.
And the source of that fear was Yhwach, the King of Quincy.
Even the anime's plot illustrated it well.
For instance, during the Wandenreich's invasion of Soul Society, Cang Du was executed publicly just for losing to Shinigami.
And another example—when Yhwach was weak and still needed subordinates…
He still launched Auswählen (Holy Selection) without hesitation.
Tens of thousands of Quincies died miserably.
With a ruler that cold and ruthless, Cole didn't believe those Quincies had no thoughts of their own.
Their loyalty to Yhwach came from fear.
But if… that fear was removed?
And not only that—if there was also a genius Quincy who could oppose Yhwach with his own power…
Even the most despairing Quincy would ignite with hope.
And when that time came, those Sternritter would turn around and become blades stabbing straight at Yhwach.
Because when traitors strike, they're often more vicious and more lethal than enemies.
Yoruichi clearly thought of it too. Light flickered in her eyes, and she excitedly waved her little paw.
"Then what are you still 'cultivating' for? Hurry up and go! Pull the Sternritter over to your side!"
If she couldn't maintain a perfect transformation into Cole, she'd practically want to do it herself.
That was more than thirty captain-class fighters.
If they all came over…
Even "The Almighty" would have to bow its head.
Cole watched as his clothes got scratched into line after line of tears by the little black cat's claws. He felt a headache coming on and lightly tapped her head.
"Put your claws away. I don't want to change clothes again. I still have to go out later."
The black cat bristled, annoyed.
"At a time like this, where are you going? Is there anything more important than the Wandenreich?"
Cole smiled faintly. His right hand slid lightly through the air in front of him, and he stepped forward.
"Of course. I'm going to meet the only remaining Quincy remnants in the Human World. I'm sure they're very curious about the Wandenreich too."
"..."
The Human World, above Karakura Town.
A black rift tore open out of nowhere, like a vertical black eye appearing in the blue sky.
Many people sensed the spiritual pressure leaking from that rift.
Urahara Shop.
Leaning back in a lounge chair, fanning himself and enjoying a cozy life, Kisuke froze for a moment, then muttered with a strange expression:
"Cole… Yoruichi-san… Rukia… Soi fong… Captain Unohana… and that zanpakuto, Sode no Shirayuki (Sleeve of White Snow)…"
"Why are they showing up together!?"
"And come to think of it, Yoruichi hasn't shown her face lately… has she been doing something with Cole and the others?"
Kisuke sat up, scratching his head with a troubled look, instinctively sensing something was off.
"..."
Kurosaki Clinic.
"I can sense Cole… Unohana… Yoruichi… Soi fong… Rukia… and another unfamiliar spiritual pressure…"
Isshin scratched his head in confusion, then couldn't help grinning, rubbing his chin.
"That kid Cole's not bad—he's got that many girls as companions."
"..."
The Visoreds' former base.
The remaining Visoreds looked up at the sky with odd expressions.
Karakura General Hospital.
A handsome middle-aged man with silver-white hair, a cold expression, and a white suit was handling hospital business.
Sensing multiple spiritual pressures overhead, he lifted his gaze out of instinct.
But quickly, he lowered it again.
He calmly continued his work.
To him, sensing Shinigami spiritual pressure was rare, sure—but lately it wasn't worth being surprised about.
After all, not long ago there had been a huge battle in the sky over Karakura Town.
More than a dozen captain-class forces clashed—just the aftershocks alone had destroyed a corner of the town.
He didn't react much to it. He simply found Shinigami annoying.
So he assumed these Shinigami would leave soon as well.
Because the Human World wasn't a place Shinigami were meant to stay—if strong people stayed too long, it would negatively affect the Human World.
But not long after lowering his head, he suddenly sensed something wrong. His brows furrowed, and he looked up again.
Several seconds later, he frowned and murmured to himself:
"Reishi Subordination… of a Quincy!?"
He didn't know if it was coincidence, but the moment those spiritual pressures appeared, the ambient reishi nearby seemed to fall into chaos.
As if it had been summoned by instinct.
And that was unmistakably Quincy power.
"..."
As for everyone else's thoughts, Cole didn't know—and even if he did, he wouldn't care.
His purpose here was simple.
He was here to find Uryū Ishida and Uryū's father—Ryūgen Ishida.
And the real target wasn't Uryū, but his father, Ryūgen Ishida, who barely showed up in the anime.
This pure-blood Quincy didn't have much plot presence in the anime.
But from what could be seen in various scenes, he clearly possessed terrifying power.
In terms of raw strength, he might even be stronger than Kurosaki Isshin.
More importantly, as one of the last surviving Quincies in the Human World…
He seemed to hold a lot of information.
Thinking that, Cole stretched lazily and smiled at the girls beside him.
"Didn't expect you'd follow me, but it's fine. Since you're here, you can come with me to pay the Ishida family a visit."
Rukia puffed out her cheeks.
"What do you mean 'didn't expect'!? Can we even leave your zanpakuto domain right now?"
Inside Cole's zanpakuto domain, they couldn't be seen by Yhwach's "The Almighty."
But once they left…
They might be seen.
And they had no idea what kind of future Yhwach could see through them.
If the future he saw contained something bad—like Cole's abilities, or a future where Cole was made into the Soul King…
That would definitely have terrible consequences.
Cole explained helplessly:
"Didn't I say it already? Before Yhwach wakes up, he can't really see any future images."
Yhwach right now was like someone half asleep and half awake.
He could instinctively sense some things, but because he hadn't fully awakened, he couldn't make an effective judgment.
"That still doesn't work. How can we be careless about something like this…" Rukia muttered stubbornly.
In front of such a terrifying enemy, she refused to allow even the slightest lapse.
"Fine. Do whatever you want…"
Cole exhaled, stepped forward, and shot downward toward the streets of Karakura Town like a streak of white light.
A bustling scene immediately came into view.
People flowed through the streets, cars streamed past, and noisy chatter rose and fell, mixed now and then with honking horns.
Ramen shops and barbecue joints on both sides gave off tempting aromas.
Even though it was loud and chaotic…
It felt brimming with life.
And that was something the Wandenreich absolutely did not have—its system doomed it to a rigid, suffocating atmosphere.
Walking along the street, Unohana smiled lightly.
"After staying in the Wandenreich for a few days, even I felt oppressed. Thinking about it now, the Human World and Soul Society really are better."
If Hueco Mundo and the Wandenreich represented death…
Then the Human World and Soul Society represented life.
They were the most beautiful places in the world.
If the Soul King had seen some future that made him willing to die, then the greatest possibility was the present-day Human World.
Yoruichi stretched.
"Exactly. I only stayed in the Wandenreich for half a month, and now even looking at white things feels uncomfortable."
Soi fong said coolly:
"In my view, those Quincies in the Wandenreich all have psychological issues to some extent. That's why they're so cruel and twisted."
Cole's mouth twitched. In his heart, he couldn't help complaining:
That really isn't something you should be saying.
You yandere lily girl.
Do you think Seireitei is any better?
Under the lively atmosphere of the Human World, the group gradually relaxed as well.
They walked forward, enjoying the bustle.
Until they turned a corner—
A pure-white house came into view, and Yoruichi instantly reacted like she'd been shocked.
"A white house… those bastards…"
Like a black cat with its fur standing on end, she immediately tensed and clenched her fist.
The other girls didn't react as strongly as Yoruichi, but they all showed some degree of discomfort.
Those days in the Wandenreich had made them extremely wary of the color white.
Cole laughed, amused.
"Calm down a bit. If you're going to get that jumpy the moment you see a white building, how are you going to look straight at the Repentance Cell?"
He remembered the Repentance Cell in Seireitei was built from white Sekkiseki stone.
Before that—
Soul Society's architectural style really needed an overhaul.
Only then did Yoruichi ease up, grumbling:
"Repentance Cell… hmph. When I get back, I'm tearing that place down…"
She figured she'd need years before she could get rid of her "white color" stress response.
"Poor Seireitei Shinigami… looks like you lot are about to become construction hermits again…"
Cole pitied the Shinigami for two seconds in his mind—then, under the girls' watchful eyes, he pressed the doorbell of the white house.
The girls looked surprised.
Before they could figure out why Cole was ringing this doorbell—
The white door creaked open.
Uryū Ishida stepped out. He wore a white robe, looked like he'd just woken up, and carried a lazy air. Seeing the people at the door, he blinked in surprise.
"Cole… Kuchiki— I mean, Rukia… and Captain Unohana, and Captain Soi fong… what are you all—"
Before he could finish, Uryū's eyelids jumped. His scalp went numb as he stared at the girls across from him, who were already taking attack stances.
"Wait—what are you trying to do!?"
In that instant, he remembered the Quincies that had once been hunted down.
Was Soul Society here to take him away!?
Cole looked back at the girls behind him, speechless.
"Can you all calm down? Your reaction is way too extreme."
Rukia had already calmed down. Hearing that, she awkwardly sheathed her zanpakuto and muttered:
"It's not my fault… who told him to wear all white."
A white house, a white medical-coat-like outfit—just for a moment, she felt like she'd been dragged back into the Wandenreich.
Soi fong also returned Suzumebachi (Hornet) to her zanpakuto form and said coldly to Uryū:
"Next time, don't wear white. And don't use Reishi Subordination either. Otherwise I'm worried I'll kill you by accident."
Uryū's face filled with black lines.
"Are you all crazy? What does me wearing white have to do with you?"
Then he suddenly sensed something. He froze for two seconds, then stared at Cole in shock.
"Wait—what's wrong with you!? Since when did you become a Quincy!?"
Only now did he realize that Cole was also wearing white—Quincy battle attire.
Not only that—
He was forcibly dominating the surrounding reishi as subordination.
No wonder Uryū had felt something was off.
(End of Chapter)
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