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Yes.
Just as Aizen had predicted—
the Captain-Commander's fury erupted.
His aged face was contorted with rage,
and the words "Pureblood Quincy"
were like a switch flipped in his mind,
reawakening memories from a thousand years ago.
Back then—
the Gotei 13 had only just been founded.
In their struggle for control over the worlds,
Yamamoto had led the Shinigami in war
against the Pureblood Quincy.
During that Thousand-Year Blood War,
the Quincy progenitor Yhwach
was finally defeated by the Bankai of Ryūjin Jakka,
his consciousness and heartbeat sealed away in deep slumber.
And so—
the Pureblood Quincy fell into ruin.
For centuries afterward,
save for a few human-world survivors clinging to life,
they stirred no more trouble.
Time passed.
And the Captain-Commander gradually forgot them,
no longer seeing them as a threat.
Until now.
Until future Hitsugaya had revealed—
that the Pureblood Quincy would one day return,
revive their power,
and invade the Soul Society,
reducing the Seireitei to ashes.
Learning this in advance
sent Yamamoto's anger spiraling out of control.
He nearly blew up not just his office—
but the entire First Division.
"Captain-Commander, please calm yourself!"
Seeing the room in ruins, Sasakibe Chōjirō grew pale.
If the old man's rage grew any further,
he might truly destroy the division.
Chōjirō hurried to reassure him.
"I've already done as you ordered! I've contacted the Technology Development Bureau!"
"I'm sure, with Captain Kurotsuchi's intellect—and the clues revealed in the ranking video—"
"We'll soon uncover where the Pureblood Quincy are hiding and wipe them out completely!"
At this point,
it was all Chōjirō could do:
steady the Captain-Commander's emotions,
remind him that, with the video continuing to reveal the future,
the advantage lay with the Shinigami.
The Quincy had already been exposed—
they were the ones now on the defensive.
Meanwhile—
In Silbern, within the crystalline ice palace,
a cold voice broke the silence.
"So… our identities have been revealed."
Golden hair. Blue eyes.
Jugram Haschwalth's expression was calm but his gaze deepened.
He had long expected this—
with the ranking videos showing more of the Sternritter,
exposure was only a matter of time.
He just hadn't thought it would come so soon.
At this stage—
Yhwach still slept.
He had not yet returned to full strength.
To be exposed this early
was no good news for the Wandenreich.
Below him,
the Sternritter stood in mixed reactions.
Some were worried.
Some indifferent.
Most, however, were arrogantly shouting to start the war early.
"Haschwalth…"
"There's nothing to worry about."
Lille Barro, the Sternritter's guard captain,
spoke in an unwavering tone.
"So what if our identities are revealed?"
"With the full strength of the Sternritter,
crushing the Shinigami captains will be effortless!"
"We have nothing to fear!"
His words dripped with arrogance and absolute confidence—
as though not a single captain in the Gotei 13
was worthy of being his opponent.
At that moment—
the black screen brightened again.
A new caption slowly appeared:
[Rank 8]
[Zanpakutō: Katen Kyōkotsu]
The new announcement
immediately pulled everyone's attention back to the screen.
Upon seeing the name "Katen Kyōkotsu,"
the Shinigami were once again stirred with excitement.
The Zanpakutō Katen Kyōkotsu—
one of the rare dual-blade Zanpakutō in all of Soul Society.
Two blades, one long and one short.
And its wielder—
Kyōraku Shunsui.
The Captain-Commander's own disciple,
a man trained by the strongest Shinigami in history,
and one of the few captains with over a century of experience.
His strength was immeasurable,
his limits unknown.
No one had ever seen how far he could go
if he stopped joking around and fought seriously.
That mystery was what made him so dangerous.
"Kyōraku Shunsui, huh?"
"This guy definitely deserves eighth place."
"Stronger even than Kuchiki Byakuya or Hitsugaya Tōshirō…"
In the underground base of the Fifth Division,
Aizen glanced at the screen and nodded in agreement.
Putting aside age and rank,
Aizen understood Kyōraku's nature well.
Outwardly laid-back, playful, even lazy—
but underneath that façade
was a calculating mind and battle experience unmatched.
Once he drew someone into his rhythm,
he became lethal.
"Yeah…"
"Honestly, even I can't read Captain Kyōraku."
"Once he gets serious, he's a real monster,"
Gin said, smiling in approval.
Inside, though, he was thrilled—
he couldn't wait to see
the footage of Katen Kyōkotsu's future battles.
On the screen—
As the text faded,
the scene transitioned to a battlefield.
"Captain…"
"From the start, you've been alternating hands with your blades."
"Don't bother hiding it anymore. I've already figured you out—you fight dual-wielded."
Above the skies of Karakura Town,
stood Coyote Starrk,
elegant in his white Espada uniform,
holding his Zanpakutō in one hand.
Across from him—
draped in a pink haori patterned with flowers—
stood Kyōraku Shunsui,
calm and ready.
The sight of this matchup alone
shook Las Noches to its core.
"The Primera Espada—Starrk?!"
"He's the opponent?!"
"That Zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu—just how powerful is it to warrant a fight like this?!"
The entire palace erupted in uproar.
No one had expected that the eighth-ranked Zanpakutō's introduction
would begin with such a high-caliber opponent—
none other than the strongest Espada himself.
A clash between the top of Hueco Mundo and one of the oldest captains—
a confrontation destined to leave all of Soul Society breathless.
(End of Chapter)
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