"Star Cross Knights?"
"How does it feel like this entire organization exists just so Yhwach can specifically deal with the Royal Guard?"
All across the world of the Shinigami, viewers were grumbling and questioning what they were seeing.
"Think about it. Over in the present world, Yhwach has already summoned all the Star Cross members to his side."
"But according to what the Zero Division themselves said, throughout all past history, there has never been a case where the Star Cross fought the Royal Guard."
"Doesn't that mean this clash is a brand-new variable that never happened in the original timeline?"
"In the original history, before the world line got messed with, the monk never realized there was a so-called 'apostle' by his side who could steal his power."
"And that apostle was planted there by Yhwach, from the very beginning!"
"In the original flow of events, Yhwach never used this method at all."
"He never even thought of using a Star Cross Knight's ability to deal with the Monk."
"Only after the Heavenly Screen rankings appeared did he suddenly realize he still had that card to play."
"If your opponent never even knew the Star Cross Knights existed at the start…"
"Then when one suddenly appears in front of him, that sheer unfamiliarity is enough to dull his instincts and lower his guard!"
"After all, everywhere in Bleach's storyline, there's one rule about the Star Cross Knights: only those who possess special powers are qualified to fight under that banner."
"All the powerless Quincy commoners? Yhwach treats them like trash and wipes them out without hesitation."
"But for the Royal Guard, no one ever bothered to tell them anything detailed about the Star Cross Knights!"
"So if you think about it, this is really the Heavenly Screen's fault."
"A history that originally never happened has been forced into existence because of these ranking videos, letting Yhwach seize an opportunity and settle an old score with the Royal Guard."
At this moment, for the first time in a long while, many viewers actually found themselves feeling indignant on the Zero Division's behalf.
"To be honest, if not for the Heavenly Screen's meddling…"
"The Royal Guard would have walked their original path. With their level of power, when it came time to face Yhwach, they absolutely wouldn't have been pushed around like this!"
"But now? It's too late…"
"Five hundred years ago, this squad was still hailed as the guardians of the world…"
"And in the very next second, they were turned into Yhwach's sacrificial pawns."
"In the ranking videos, they even had their most brutal, bloody 'execution' of Ikkūn (Ichibē's subordinate) broadcast for everyone to see."
"After that, if you ask who the most hated people in the entire Bleach world are…"
"The Royal Guard definitely ranks near the top!"
"Most of the Shinigami in Soul Society, the souls in Rukongai, plus the viewers in the human world…"
"All of them developed this vague desire for revenge against the Central 46 and the Royal Guard."
"Thankfully, that 'backstabbing Ikkūn' scene only exists inside the Heavenly Screen's video. In reality, it still hasn't actually happened."
"Even so, seeing the state they're in now, I still can't help but feel a little sorry for them."
…
Soul Society.
Spirit Palace – Zero Division's detached hall.
Inside the video, as the Heavenly Screen's perspective returned to the Royal Palace, the remaining Royal Guard members were huddled around the Monk.
Their faces were completely filled with panic and unease.
"Monk!"
"Hey!"
"Hurry up and wake up!"
"You're the captain of the Royal Guard—you can't collapse on us at a time like this!"
"If even you go down… then who's going to protect the Soul King?"
"And without you giving the orders, we don't even have a sliver of a chance to win this fight!"
Right now, every word coming out of their mouths was just a truthful reflection of reality.
Ordinary viewers heard their frantic shouting and couldn't help sighing in their hearts.
"Man…"
"Once upon a time, the Royal Guard stood above everyone."
"And now?"
"They've fallen this far."
"Even the Soul King's safety is being trampled on like some disposable thing."
"What's worse is… to protect the world, these people have never once hesitated to put their lives on the line."
"Yet no one ever imagined they'd end up being toyed with by someone else's schemes, turned into bombs lined up around the Royal Palace…"
"And when those bombs finally go off, the whole world gets dragged into the blast."
"Talk about tragic."
"In the beginning, they were the world's shield."
"But after the Heavenly Screen aired everything, their image completely flipped."
"They went from 'guardian angels' to 'butchers.'"
"Yet even while being cursed and misunderstood, they're still fighting with everything they've got."
"That's probably the saddest part."
…
Back in the video.
The Monk lay sprawled over the shattered crystal coffin, finally starting to regain some consciousness.
"Cough… cough…"
After a violent coughing fit, he slowly pried his heavy eyelids open.
"Huh…?"
"I'm still alive?"
"The Soul King…"
His gaze instinctively shifted to his proudest pièce de résistance.
But what entered his eyes was only the sight of a crystal coffin shattered into countless fragments.
The Soul King's body had vanished without a trace.
"You're finally awake, Monk."
"We did everything we could, but in the end, we still failed to guard him."
"The Soul King's body was stolen by that bastard Yhwach!"
"While you were unconscious, all kinds of things happened."
"To put it simply—it was total chaos."
"And the final result is this: the Soul King's gone."
"We lost. Completely."
One of the Royal Guard members quickly summarized the situation.
The Monk's expression grew darker and darker as he listened.
"The Soul King… is he dead?"
he muttered.
"Not yet."
"For the moment, the Soul King has just been turned into Yhwach."
"It looks like he's using the Soul King's power to reshape the world."
"We just went and checked the Heavenly Screen."
"That bastard's already taken the Soul King's seat and become the highest existence in this world."
"The greatest future variable for Bleach's world has appeared."
"And that variable is… Yhwach has replaced the Soul King!"
The Royal Guard's report left the Monk frozen in place.
"…So that's how it is."
"No wonder I failed."
"Turns out that in the middle of everything, Yhwach managed to snatch away the Soul King's position first?"
"This really is an unexpected twist…"
His eyes grew more complicated as he spoke.
"So there was a Star Cross Knight, planted here in the Royal Palace the whole time…"
"Should we say that the man's infiltration was just too thorough?"
"To think he managed to stay hidden until now…"
"Even we never noticed his presence."
"Monk… what are we going to do now?"
"If even the Soul King's throne has been taken by Yhwach…"
"Isn't that game over for the world?"
Panic crept into the Royal Guard members' voices again.
"Calm down."
The Monk took a deep breath, forcing his agitation back down.
Then, in a grave tone, he spoke.
"Right now, the Soul King's essence is spread throughout the world."
"If we want to stop Yhwach from completing the reconstruction of reality…"
"Then we have to start with every authority that makes up the Soul King's existence."
"If he finishes absorbing all of those powers…"
"Then taking them back from him will be utterly impossible."
"But the problem is…"
"At this point, the parts of the Soul King's power that can still be taken from him are almost gone."
"Nearly everything has already been swallowed up and turned into that man's strength."
"Unless…"
"Unless we immediately contact the Shinigami in the present world who are already fighting Yhwach…"
"And entrust the very last sliver of the Soul King's authority to someone we can rely on."
A look of cold resolve flashed through the Monk's eyes as he said this.
"You want to entrust the Soul King's power to someone else?"
a Royal Guard member asked.
"To whom?"
"Of course—Kurosaki Ichigo."
"In the present world, the only person who can bear that responsibility is him."
"I've already seen his strength through the Heavenly Screen's videos."
"He's the only one who has any hope of defeating Yhwach."
"If even he can't do it…"
"Then this world truly has no future."
"But there's still a problem. How do we even get the Soul King's authority to him?"
"After the Royal Palace was chosen as the battlefield…"
"The entire space was twisted."
"In our current state, it's no longer possible to casually establish a link with the world below like before."
"Yeah, that's a serious headache…"
"However…"
The Monk closed his eyes briefly, sinking into thought.
"There is one option left."
"And that is…"
"To release that man."
"You mean…"
"Aizen Sōsuke?"
Every Royal Guard member's expression changed.
"Exactly. Him."
"If we want someone on the other side who can confront Yhwach…"
"Other than Kurosaki Ichigo…"
"There is someone in Soul Society we absolutely cannot ignore."
"And that person is Aizen Sōsuke."
"If it hadn't been for his rampage in Hueco Mundo back then…"
"Kurosaki Ichigo would never have been forced to grow this far."
"In a way, it's precisely because of Aizen that Ichigo became who he is now."
"And now, in order to fight Yhwach, we have no choice but to borrow his strength again."
"Call it destiny if you want."
"Once, he was our worst enemy."
"Yet now, we're being forced to pin our hopes on him."
"Somehow, that sounds incredibly ironic…"
"But when you really think about it, the only one who can stand on the same level as Yhwach…"
"Is someone like Aizen."
"He almost replaced the Soul King himself. The only reason he didn't is because he was sealed beneath the ground."
"In this current situation, that fact has turned into our only opening."
"And if we go by what the Heavenly Screen showed of the future…"
"In the battle against Yhwach, Aizen really did play a decisive role."
"At the very least, to some extent, he put tremendous pressure on him."
"It's precisely because I saw that future that I decided to take this gamble."
"So you're saying we should release Aizen from the deepest level of the prison, ahead of schedule?"
"In other words…"
"We're going to drag an event that belongs to the future into the present?"
"Are you sure doing this won't cause an even worse disaster?"
"Aizen Sōsuke isn't exactly harmless."
"He doesn't put anyone in his eyes."
"Even the Soul King, to him, is just a being that can be replaced."
"If we let someone like that out…"
"Can we really still win?"
"For all we know, we might not even have time to deal with Yhwach before Aizen kills us first."
"Have you thought about that possibility?"
The Royal Guard voiced the fear lodged in everyone's hearts.
"You're right."
"Aizen Sōsuke is indeed an extremely dangerous man."
"But precisely because of that, he's qualified to fight Yhwach."
"In this world, ordinary strength simply cannot stand against that monster."
"Only monsters can fight monsters."
The Monk's tone was rock-solid.
"Besides, in that future…"
"He actually did confront Yhwach in battle."
"With his personality, he wouldn't act unless he believed he had some chance of success."
"If he dares to fight in the future, then releasing him a little early now won't cause too large a deviation."
"On top of that, after that future battle, he didn't go on to destroy Soul Society again."
"That means he's dangerous, but not completely uncontrollable."
"Still…"
A Royal Guard member hesitated for a long moment, then asked quietly,
"Will you take responsibility for this?"
"I'll bear everything."
The Monk nodded without the slightest hesitation.
"If we do nothing, the Soul King's throne will stay in Yhwach's hands."
"And then it really will be the end of everything."
"At the very least, we have to roll the dice once."
"If fate is determined to drag this world into the abyss…"
"Then let us be the ones to struggle against it to the bitter end."
"…Understood."
The Royal Guard members exchanged glances.
"Since you've already made up your mind, we'll follow your judgment."
"However, there's still one practical problem."
"Aizen is currently imprisoned in the deepest level of Soul Society's underground."
"If we want to release him, we have to get the approval of the Head Captain and the Central 46."
"Otherwise, even if we forcefully break his seals from up here…"
"The chains binding his body and the laws binding his sentence won't change."
"And that kind of half-hearted release won't give us the kind of ally we need."
"You're right."
The Monk frowned slightly.
"Looks like we have no choice but to make contact with Soul Society."
"Tell them everything."
"Tell them that if they want to protect the world…"
"Then they have to agree to suspend Aizen Sōsuke's sentence."
…
Gotei 13, First Division Barracks.
The Head Captain's hall, where the captains had gathered, was dead silent.
Everyone stared at the Heavenly Screen.
The moment they heard the Monk saying, "We must release Aizen Sōsuke," the entire room erupted.
"Have they lost their minds up there in the Royal Palace?!"
"Did I hear that right? Release Aizen?"
"The same Aizen who slaughtered the Central 46 and betrayed Soul Society?"
"Kisuke, tell me I misheard that."
Shunsui adjusted his hat, squinting one eye toward Urahara, who stood in a corner with his usual fan.
"Unfortunately, Kyouraku-san, your ears are working perfectly."
Urahara's tone barely concealed his bitter amusement.
"From a purely tactical standpoint, I can understand their idea."
"After all, Aizen is indeed someone who can sit at the same table as Yhwach."
"But emotionally speaking…"
"I'm not surprised everyone is reacting like this."
On the main seat at the front of the hall, Yamamoto Genryūsai's beard trembled violently.
The veins on his forehead bulged.
"Ridiculous!"
He slammed his staff against the floor.
"The man called Aizen Sōsuke betrayed the Gotei 13, trampled upon justice, and almost plunged all realms into chaos."
"For such a criminal, even being bound for twenty thousand years is too light a punishment!"
"And now they want to release him?"
"Do they intend to spit on Soul Society's pride and the blood of those who died?"
The spiritual pressure surging from the old man made the wooden pillars creak.
Many seated captains instinctively broke into cold sweat.
"But… Head Captain…"
Ukitake drew a deep breath and forced himself to speak.
"If we look only at the information from the Heavenly Screen…"
"There is no denying that, in that future, Aizen did deal a heavy blow to Yhwach."
"In the end, the world managed to survive."
"That is an indisputable outcome."
"Perhaps we really do have to—"
"Enough!"
Yamamoto barked, cutting him off.
"Do you want to ally with the man who betrayed your comrades?"
"Do you wish to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with someone who would treat the Soul King as a stepping stone?"
"Are you saying the Gotei 13 has fallen so low?!"
The hall fell silent again.
No one dared to answer.
At that moment, a hell butterfly fluttered into the room, landing on the Head Captain's finger.
The old man's expression darkened even further as he listened to the message from the Royal Palace.
"They want us to approve a suspension of Aizen's sentence," he growled.
"To remove part of his restraints and let him fight in the present world."
"Absurd!"
"Even if the world is destroyed, I will never borrow the hand of that man!"
The spiritual pressure erupted once more, burning the air itself.
Shunsui watched the old man's shaking shoulders and sighed softly.
"Head Captain…"
"If we stubbornly refuse to move, the only ones we'll be dooming…"
"Will be the people living in this world now."
"Even if it's distasteful… sometimes we still have to choose the lesser evil."
"Shunsui!"
Yamamoto's eyes blazed.
"Are you lecturing me?"
His voice rose sharply, and the pressure around him surged yet again.
But he had already pushed his aging body past its limit.
The next second, his vision blurred.
The rage that had carried him this far suddenly turned into a wave of dizziness.
The staff in his hand slipped.
His massive spiritual presence wavered—
And then the Head Captain collapsed backwards, fainting from sheer fury and strain.
"Head Captain!"
Several captains rushed forward in alarm, catching him before he hit the floor.
"Quick, call the Fourth Division!"
Ukitake hurried to stabilize his spiritual pressure.
Zaraki scratched his head, completely bewildered.
"Tch. Old man couldn't handle it, huh?"
"What a pain."
Shunsui looked at the unconscious Yamamoto, then slowly straightened.
His gaze turned toward the Heavenly Screen, where the Royal Palace still flickered.
"…In that case," he murmured, a complicated light in his eyes,
"I'll take responsibility."
He lifted his head, addressing the hell butterfly that still hovered nearby.
"Relay my answer to the Royal Palace."
"In place of the Head Captain, I approve suspending part of Aizen Sōsuke's sentence."
"Under the condition that, once the war ends, he returns to confinement."
"In order to protect the world…"
"We'll borrow the devil's hand—just this once."
The hell butterfly shimmered and flew off.
In the Royal Palace, the Monk received the reply.
A faint smile finally tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"So they chose to bet as well…"
"Good."
"Then let's see…"
"Between the man who seized the Soul King's throne…"
"And the man who once tried to overturn that same throne…"
"Whose will is stronger."
The viewers watching from every corner of the worlds held their breath.
Aizen Sōsuke—
The name that had once thrown all realms into chaos—
was about to step back onto the stage.
And this time, his enemy was the man sitting on the Soul King's seat.
Yhwach.
…
(End of Chapter)
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