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"Haschwalth?"
"If it's Haschwalth, he absolutely deserves to be on the list!"
"That makes five consecutive rankings for pure-blood Quincies!"
"The Shinigami are probably coughing up blood from anger right now!"
…
Still reeling from the shock of the Giant of Light, the moment the name "Haschwalth" appeared, the entire Silbern burst into excited uproar.
Inside the grand hall, every gaze turned in unison toward the highest tier, settling on the tall figure with cold features, blond hair, and blue eyes.
"Congratulations, Haschwalth," Valkyrie laughed wildly, his arrogance unrestrained. "I hope the next ranking shows even more despair-inducing power. Crush the Shinigami's faith in one go!"
After witnessing his own ranking, especially feeling the immortality granted by the Miracle, Valkyrie's confidence had swollen even further.
"Exactly," Lille Barro added smugly. "Once they see what comes next, the Shinigami might as well surrender without a fight."
Yet despite all the noise and celebration, Haschwalth's expression did not change.
Cold. Impassive. Unmoved.
Being ranked sixth among the strongest seemed to bring him no joy at all.
At the same time, the text on the screen slowly faded.
The scene shifted.
"Crash—"
The first thing to appear was a torrential downpour.
Cold rain poured from the sky, drenching the screen and washing away the blood that stained the ground.
In moments, the background revealed a horrifying sight.
A river of blood, pooled and flowing, vivid enough to make one's heart clench.
"This is… Soul Society!"
Even under the heavy rain, the squad barracks continued to burn fiercely.
Within Seireitei, an uproar broke out as every Shinigami recognized the place instantly.
It was the very Seireitei where they stood now.
"So it's true," Sasakibe Chōjirō growled, slamming his fist into the wall. "That future bloodbath really does begin here!"
By now, after one ranking after another, the outline of the future had become painfully clear.
The war began with the invasion of Soul Society.
Then it spread to the Royal Palace.
And finally, it ended in the City of the True World.
"Chōjirō, calm yourself," the Commander-General said, his tone unusually restrained. "In a way, this is actually good news."
"Good news?" Sasakibe froze.
The Commander-General nodded.
"Yes. Now that we understand the overall course of the war, there's no need for blind suspicion anymore. We only need to do one thing."
"And that is…"
"Find them before the war begins."
His gaze was deep and resolute.
Find the hidden base of the Wandenreich, and wipe them out before they ever reach Soul Society.
If they succeeded, Seireitei would be spared.
Meanwhile, the video continued.
"Stop right there!"
"You turned Soul Society into a slaughterhouse and killed so many Shinigami. Do you really think I'll let you walk away, Yhwach?!"
…
The furious roar instantly drew everyone's attention.
As the camera slowly moved, it finally settled on a young face.
"That's… Ichigo?!"
The moment he recognized him, Kurosaki Isshin exploded in shock inside the shop.
Grabbing his head, he shouted in disbelief, "What's going on? How did Ichigo get dragged into this war too? Wasn't he just fighting Byakuya Kuchiki at Sōkyoku Hill?"
Panic hit him like a punch to the chest.
The moment he saw Ichigo's face, Kurosaki Isshin's heart leapt into his throat.
"Isshin-san… from the looks of it, Ichigo eventually turns enemies into allies with the Gotei Thirteen. He even becomes reinforcements who save the Soul Reapers."
Urahara Kisuke frowned, scanning their surroundings.
There were no other Soul Reapers in sight.
And judging from what Ichigo was shouting, it seemed he was facing Yhwach alone.
Putting the clues together, Urahara quickly reconstructed the scene.
Clearly, the Wandenreich invasion was already in its final stages. Yhwach was about to withdraw, leading the pure-blood Quincy back in triumph.
And Ichigo?
He had been completely alone.
"Ichigo…"
"An ally of the Soul Reapers… the one who saves the Gotei Thirteen?"
Isshin's lips trembled as he murmured to himself.
His eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
He had watched countless future visions by now. He knew these were things that would happen.
But this time, the one in the center of it all was his son.
No matter how much he tried to stay calm, as a father, fear seeped straight into his bones.
What if—
What if Ichigo was killed by Yhwach right there?
Wouldn't that mean watching his own child die before his eyes? A white-haired father sending off his black-haired son?
The thought alone drained all strength from Isshin's body.
His shoulders slumped, the light vanished from his eyes, and in an instant he looked ten years older.
And just as they were speaking, the scene shifted again.
This time, the camera stopped in front of Ichigo, fixing on two figures standing opposite him.
"Yhwach…"
"And the other one. The man beside him should be Haschwalth, right?" Urahara narrowed his eyes, studying him closely.
At first glance, Haschwalth left little impression beyond a cold, somber air.
He was quiet, restrained, and his presence didn't overwhelm like Yhwach's.
On top of that, he seemed to be deliberately suppressing his spiritual pressure, making it hard to gauge his true strength.
"Don't tell me Ichigo's about to charge in and swing at both of them by himself?" Isshin's face turned pale just imagining it.
And sure enough—
The thought had barely crossed his mind when, on the screen, Yhwach continued walking away.
Ichigo roared after him again, fury spilling out of every word.
"Stop! Yhwach! I said stop! Do you hear me?!"
Cold rain lashed against his face.
Ichigo screamed himself hoarse, but Yhwach never slowed.
Finally—
Ichigo snapped.
Driven by rage, he raised his Zanpakutō and lunged forward, slashing at Yhwach's back with everything he had.
"…It's over."
Isshin closed his eyes in despair.
He couldn't bear to watch anymore.
"Kurosaki Ichigo," Haschwalth said, his tone like that of an elder scolding a wayward child. "As a descendant of pure-blood Quincy, what gives you the audacity to raise your blade against His Majesty? To commit such treason against the Quincy progenitor?"
He stopped abruptly and shot Ichigo a cold glance.
At the same time, his hand moved to his waist, drawing the star-emblazoned sword of the Sternritter.
Then—
Clang!
In full view of everyone, he lifted his arm and brought the blade down in a single strike.
The next sound was the unmistakable clatter of something breaking and hitting the ground.
Clang.
Zangetsu's black blade bounced once on the wet stone.
Ichigo stood frozen, staring blankly at the broken sword at his feet.
"My Zanpakutō… is broken?"
In that instant, it felt as if his soul had been ripped away.
Only despair and grief remained in his eyes.
The torrential rain pouring down from the sky mirrored the chaos and agony in his heart.
At the same time—
In the real world.
On the rooftop of Karakura First High School, Ichigo let out a shocked, disbelieving shout.
"What?!"
"When did I ever become a descendant of a pure-blood Quincy?!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
"..."
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