Chapter 110

Above.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni furrowed his brow and swept his gaze over the scattered captains.

Now.

The Gotei Thirteen's strength is lacking; fresh blood is urgently needed.

The captains below answered one by one.

"However."

"Aside from the position of Head Captain, Kuchiki Senya even refused the invitation to join the Royal Guard."

"This may cause a poor impression."

Below.

Kyoraku Shunsui, who had always been cynical and slack, wore an uncommonly solemn expression.

Beside him.

Bai Zai also furrowed his brow.

The Royal Guard's invitation to Kuchiki Senya to join represented the Spirit King's command.

Soul Society.

The Spirit King's command is absolute.

Even the great nobility cannot defy it; it is the highest order.

However.

Kuchiki Senya actually refused it so casually…

Since ancient times.

No one has ever been able to resist the temptation of joining the Royal Guard!

It seems.

The storm in Soul Society is not yet over…

"The affairs of the Spirit King Palace are beyond our authority to interfere with."

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni merely squinted and said softly, gazing at the sky outside the window, his expression shifting between dark and light.

……

At this moment.

Above the Seireitei.

The Spirit King Palace, which had existed for a million years and lay hidden beneath layer upon layer of prohibitions, was uncommonly bustling.

On the open ground of the plaza.

"Refused?"

"Is he serious?"

Hikifune Kirio, with her purple hair and the look of a plump aunt, widened her eyes.

Shutara Senjumaru, elegant in bearing and dressed in splendid robes, was also full of surprise.

To think.

Someone could truly refuse the temptation of joining the Royal Guard!

One must know.

Joining the Royal Guard grants immortality, as well as the powerful strength one has long dreamed of!

Even so.

Kuchiki Senya refused, without the slightest hesitation!

In the middle.

Ichibei Hyousube also darkened his face, stroked his beard, and said in a low voice:

"Kuchiki Senya's refusal."

"Means that his failure to kill the traitor Aizen earlier was deliberate!"

Not killing Aizen.

Perhaps there were hidden reasons — for instance, his Bankai time was insufficient, his spiritual power was lacking…

As for not joining the Royal Guard! It was practically slapping his disregard for the Spirit King right across everyone's face!

In the field.

The atmosphere was utterly oppressive.

All of them.

Knew the origin of Soul Society, the origin of the Three Worlds, and the true truth concerning the Spirit King.

However.

This matter, for the lower residents, is absolutely sealed, absolutely forbidden information, because it is all too dark.

And the Royal Guard.

On the surface, they are the Spirit King's guards; in truth, they are more like overseers of the Spirit King, who has been hacked apart and is half-dead!

Only when the Spirit King willingly serves as a puppet, a wedge, can the Three Worlds remain stable!

Only then can they possess infinite lifespans.

An incomparably lofty status, and power ten thousand times stronger than before!

Previously.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni had discovered the truth of the world.

However.

He chose to submit.

A deep sense of powerlessness flooded his heart.

Even later, though his heart still leaned toward justice, he only did his duty conscientiously within the Gotei 13 under his jurisdiction.

Sweep the snow from one's own doorstep; pay no heed to the frost on another's tiles.

Even he, hailed as the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years, upon learning the truth of the world, felt utterly powerless, with no resolve whatsoever to change it.

However.

Now.

Kuchiki Senya had made a completely different choice…

"Beep beep beep~"

Ichibei Hyosube's expression was calm as he tapped the ground lightly, pondering for a long while.

"The Royal Guard cannot be deployed lightly."

"Aizen's threat cannot be ignored either."

Futabi Wang Yue, Higen Toshiro, Shutara Senjumaru, and Kirio Hikifune all looked toward Ichibei Hyosube at the same time, their pupils contracting slightly.

It seemed.

He had already made his decision.

Watch the tigers fight from atop the mountain! Let Aizen and Kuchiki Senya tear each other apart; whoever the final victor was, that would be the target the Royal Guard would annihilate!

"Such an existence that threatens the stability of the Three Worlds must never be allowed to exist in this world!"

Ichibei Hyosube's words were absolutely decisive! Filled with unquestionable resolve!

……

Meanwhile.

Hueco Mundo.

Inside a palace entirely grey-white in color, covering an immense expanse of land.

Upon a towering throne.

A man with an expressionless face, cold and arrogant eyes, a wisp of brown hair hanging before his brow, looked down at the several figures below.

And at the colossal slash mark stretching to the end of his line of sight, boundless and impossible to take in at a glance.

Even though many days had passed.

That slash mark showed not the slightest sign of fading.

In fact.

Even a Menos Grande entering it would be instantly shredded into fragments by the endless, boundless sharpness contained within!

That was Kuchiki Senya's warning to Aizen, and to all of Hueco Mundo, delivered across thousands upon thousands of miles.