Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was, of course, no stranger to the concept of a spiritual subspace.
Such structures were not something ordinary beings could construct.
In the long history of Soul Society, only one group had ever demonstrated the ability to manipulate Reishi to such a degree—
the Quincy.
Over the countless years of his life, Yamamoto had exterminated more Quincy than he could remember.
No one in Soul Society understood their nature better than he did.
Nine hundred years ago, on the very land of Soul Society, he had fought a catastrophic battle against Yhwach, the progenitor of the Quincy.
That war had nearly destroyed Soul Society itself.
Although Yamamoto emerged victorious in the end, the price paid by the Shinigami was unimaginably heavy.
Entire divisions were wiped out, and it took centuries for Soul Society to truly recover.
It was also after that battle that Yamamoto learned something crucial
Restraint.
In his youth, he had been nothing more than a violent beast who incinerated everything in his path.
After that war, he learned to temper his rage, to think before acting.
The man he had been for the past nine hundred years was completely different from who he once was.
Unfortunately, only a handful of people truly understood that change.
The Shinigami born after that era knew only the stern, disciplined Captain-Commander—not the monster he once was.
"So," Yamamoto said slowly,
"you believe that the spiritual subspace hidden within the shadows was created by the Quincy?"
His gaze fell upon Gosuke Shigure.
Gosuke replied calmly,
"Other than the Quincy, I can think of no one capable of creating such a structure."
"More importantly," he continued,
"the Quincy possess a unique advantage—they can manipulate Reishi within shadows themselves."
"What advantage?" Yamamoto asked.
Gosuke Shigure's tone grew heavy.
"Nine hundred years ago, the war between the Shinigami and the Quincy took place inside Soul Society."
"Although the Quincy were defeated, if even a small number of powerful Quincy survived—"
"And instead of fleeing to the Human World, they chose to hide within Soul Society itself—"
"Then creating a vast spiritual subspace beneath Seireitei would not be impossible."
Silence fell.
Yamamoto could not help but recall the events of nine hundred years ago.
Official records stated that the Quincy were completely eradicated after the war.
But as someone who had lived through it, Yamamoto knew the truth was not so clean.
Soul Society itself had been left in ruins, and the Shinigami were forced into a long period of recovery.
Although the Quincy were hunted down afterward, the number of Quincy corpses recovered was… fewer than expected.
At the time, Yamamoto had assumed the survivors fled to the Human World.
Now
Gosuke Shigure had presented another possibility.
That some of them had never left at all.
Yamamoto's thoughts quickly settled.
Regardless of the truth—
If this spiritual subspace truly originated from the Quincy, he would not allow it to continue existing.
He had already shown mercy once.
If the Quincy were plotting again, he would not hesitate to erase them completely.
"Captain Urahara," Yamamoto said, turning his gaze,
"is there a way to enter this spiritual subspace?"
Urahara Kisuke adjusted his hat and answered evenly,
"Although it is extremely well-hidden, at its core, it's still a space attached to Soul Society—similar in nature to a Dangai."
"Now that we've confirmed its existence," he continued,
"by analyzing its Reishi wavelength, I can construct a Senkaimon-like gateway specifically tuned to that space."
"It will take time," he added,
"but it's absolutely feasible."
Yamamoto nodded once.
"Then I leave this matter to you," he said gravely.
"Construct the gateway as soon as possible."
The meeting concluded.
After leaving the First Division, Gosuke Shigure returned to Squad Eleven.
That day, instead of drinking tea as usual, he silently drew his Zanpakutō.
Strictly speaking, he hadn't swung his blade seriously in many years.
From his rebirth until now, the number of times he had fought at full strength could be counted on one hand.
He gazed at the blade in his hand.
Perhaps this time…
I'll finally need to use it again.
Some time later, Gosuke Shigure received another summons.
When he arrived at the First Division headquarters, he found several captains already present.
Besides himself, Shihōin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke were there.
In addition, three veteran captains stood waiting:
Unohana Retsu
Kyōraku Shunsui
Jūshirō Ukitake
Including the Captain-Commander, seven captains were present.
For the current Gotei Thirteen, this represented nearly its full peak strength.
Gosuke Shigure—the contemporary Kenpachi.
Yoruichi and Urahara, whose true strength far exceeded their official records.
Unohana and Yamamoto, captains from the very founding of the Gotei Thirteen.
And Kyōraku and Ukitake, veterans with centuries of experience.
"Old man," Kyōraku Shunsui said lightly,
"calling this many of us at once is pretty rare, isn't it?"
Unohana Retsu's eyes were already narrowed, her expression unusually serious.
Yamamoto did not answer immediately.
"You'll understand soon enough," he said.
His gaze shifted toward Urahara Kisuke.
At that moment, Urahara was busy adjusting equipment alongside a strange-looking man whose appearance was distinctly unsettling.
Gosuke Shigure recognized him instantly.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
Although not yet a captain, his Reiatsu already placed him firmly at captain-class.
Which meant
There were effectively eight high-level combatants present.
With Mayuri's assistance, complex devices were rapidly assembled within the First Division hall.
Ukitake examined the machinery curiously.
"What exactly is this?" he asked.
Urahara glanced at Yamamoto.
"Captain-Commander," he said,
"everything is ready."
Yamamoto's voice was firm.
"Begin."
Urahara activated the device.
In an instant, Reishi was drawn violently from the surrounding space.
The air twisted
And a gateway formed before them.
The moment it opened, a frigid, oppressive chill surged out from the other side.
The spiritual pressure alone made the atmosphere tense.
Something
Something deeply hostile
Waited beyond that door.
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