"The King of the Quincy—Yhwach."
Just hearing that name from aizen made it clear: this was no ordinary being.
As for the Quincy, none of the Shinigami present were unfamiliar with the name. They were the only race that could directly rival the Shinigami in maintaining the balance of souls.
But because they tried to disrupt that balance, the Shinigami nearly wiped them out. For the past hundred years, no one had even mentioned the Quincy.
But now—The King of the Quincy?
Four of the seven captains standing there showed confused expressions.
"The Quincy had a king?"
Kyoraku Shunsui turned to Aizen Sōsuke with a surprised look. "Captain Aizen... you actually know about Yhwach?"
It was a fair question. Shunsui had only learned of Yhwach through Yamamoto himself—his own mentor. Knowledge about the Quincy king was rare and heavily guarded.
Aizen adjusted his glasses with a calm smile. "I came across the name once... in the restricted archives beneath the First Division. It was just a brief mention."
He wasn't lying.
At this point, Aizen hadn't yet betrayed Soul Society or accessed the full secrets of the Central 46. His understanding of Yhwach was limited.
Nearby, captains like Sui-Feng, Ichimaru Gin, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Zaraki Kenpachi all turned to look at Kyoraku with curious eyes.
They too had barely heard anything about this "King."
Kyoraku sighed, scratching the back of his head. "It's hard to explain, but in short—Yhwach was terrifyingly powerful. Not just strong... ridiculously strong. He even managed to invade the Soul Society itself."
Everyone froze.
"Wait… like how Yoruichi and Nanaya just did with those weird summons?" one asked.
Kyoraku shook his head, his expression turning grim. "No. This was different. Yhwach didn't sneak in alone. He brought an entire army of Quincy with him."
Shock spread across the group.
The Quincy? The race that was nearly erased from existence? They had once mounted a full-scale assault on Soul Society?
It was hard to imagine. Nanaya had caused chaos with just a handful of summoned constructs. But Yhwach had led a full-blown war.
"A thousand years ago," Kyoraku continued, "before any of us were even born, the Quincy, under Yhwach's leadership, nearly brought Soul Society to its knees. The Captain-Commander still bears scars from that war."
Everyone listened in stunned silence.
Nanaya was powerful, yes. But in the grand scale of Soul Society's history, he was still new.
Yhwach, a human like Nanaya, had become a legend—a nightmare—by nearly destroying everything the Shinigami protected.
"That war," Kyoraku added, his tone heavier now, "was one of the bloodiest in our history. And Yhwach was the reason why."
The captains exchanged uneasy glances.
It was hard to believe that someone like Yamamoto—whom even Nanaya feared—had actually been injured in that war.
Yhwach had stood against the greatest Shinigami alive and survived.
And now, there was Nanaya—another human, somehow wielding spiritual powers on par with captains. He fought eight at once, and still managed to severely wound Hitsugaya.
He had strange powers, unnatural summons, and a mysterious origin.
If left unchecked…
"Nanaya might just become the next Yhwach," someone whispered. "Or even stronger."
Ichimaru Gin chuckled softly, a playful glint in his eyes. "Heh... guess we can't look down on humans anymore, huh?"
The other captains nodded. Their usual pride was gone—replaced by something they rarely felt: caution.
Aizen, however, was quiet. His glasses glinted, hiding the calculating look in his eyes.
"Humans, Quincy… and now Nanaya…" he murmured."This world keeps getting more and more interesting."
"Yhwach!?"
"Create an entire race!?"
Hearing Shihouin Yoruichi's unexpected question, Nanaya frowned and glanced over at her.
"Do I look like a stud horse to you? Creating a race? That's impossible, even for me."
Yoruichi leaned back against the stone wall of the hot spring, yawning lazily. "Who knows? I just thought of it for some reason. With your growth rate, you're beginning to remind me of him…"
She didn't say the name again, but it lingered in the air—Yhwach. The last time a human posed such a threat to Soul Society.
Nanaya gave a small, dismissive snort. "You're overthinking it." He raised his Soul-Slaying Sword, inspecting its edge. "If you've got time to imagine nonsense, help me awaken this thing. It's... weird."
The battle with the captains had forced him to acknowledge something: he couldn't rely solely on the powers he'd brought from another world.
He needed to truly master the abilities of a Shinigami.
According to Unohana Retsu, every Zanpakutō had a soul—a spirit that could be communicated with once its name was known. There were various ways to awaken that connection:
Warming the blade with constant spiritual energy.
Treating the weapon like a companion—always by your side.
Engaging in endless battle to stir the sword's instinct.
But no matter what he tried, Nanaya couldn't feel anything.
Even Tsukuyomi—with his Mangekyō Sharingan—couldn't locate a consciousness within the sword.
"You haven't been feeding it spiritual energy?" Yoruichi asked, brows raised.
"I have," Nanaya replied. "A lot, actually. But nothing happens. It's like there's no sword spirit inside at all."
Yoruichi frowned. "That's... really strange. Even if the soul's being stubborn, you should still sense something. You are a Shinigami now, after all."
Nanaya hesitated. Truth be told, when he'd poured power into the sword earlier…He had heard something. A faint scream.
Was that the soul… crying out?
But he decided not to mention it. "Whatever. I'll try again."
"Yeah, just keep pumping in spiritual energy," Yoruichi said casually. "If you give it enough, it'll have to react eventually."
Nanaya looked at the blade in his hand, still skeptical.
A short while later, he was soaking in the hot spring, Zanpakutō resting against the stone nearby.
From a hidden compartment in a modified machine—something he'd obtained from the Technology Development Bureau—he retrieved an artificial body.
A smuggler's tool. The same kind Urahara used to move items into the human world.
He tinkered with the device, murmuring to himself with a grin:
"Pein Six Paths… revive."
A moment later, six figures appeared, each with a cold expression, rods embedded in their bodies. One bore the face of Aizen Sōsuke—eerily lifelike.
The Aizen-faced Pein nodded wordlessly to Nanaya, then stepped out of the private dimension.
Meanwhile, somewhere deeper in the Seireitei...
"Huff… Huff… Are these guys insane!?"
Ishida Uryu sprinted down the street, panting, sweat trailing down his face. Behind him, over a hundred Shinigami from the 11th Division were chasing with mad grins.
He'd been running for what felt like hours.
"Stop running!" one of the Shinigami shouted. "You're one of Nanaya's allies, right? Fight like he does!"
"Yeah! Nanaya never runs!" another laughed.
"I want a piece of this one!" shouted someone else, releasing their Zanpakutō.
Uryu looked over his shoulder, utterly exasperated. "Only a ghost wouldn't run from this many lunatics!"
In front of the charge were Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika, blades drawn, eyes locked on their prey.
Then, suddenly—
"Sado!?"
Uryu's eyes lit up as a familiar figure rounded the corner ahead.
"Ishida!?"
Sado Yasutora's eyes widened in recognition—and then panic.
Behind him, even more Shinigami surged into view.
Uryu nearly collapsed. "Why the hell are there more chasing you than me!?"
Sado's expression said it all.He had no idea.
For Advanced chapters Visit :: patreon.com/Kaguyahime20