It descended.
"Guh, just kill me!"
Seeing the surrounding temperature soar once again and the moisture in the air continuously evaporate, Quilge's ominous premonition came true.
The viscous, materialized killing intent crushed down on the surroundings like the heavens and earth overturning. An extremely berserk spiritual pressure, akin to the descent of a true sun, surged forth.
The heavy oppression caused the heavily injured Quilge to vomit a mouthful of dark blood, nearly making him pass out.
An existence even more terrifying than before had arrived.
Blistering Reiatsu lingered around Yamamoto. The old man stared coldly at the slumped figure on the ground, enunciating every word:
"Sternritter, Quincy, when did you arrive?!"
"Tell me your name, and..."
"Where is Yhwach?!"
The deep voice rumbled like thunder in his ears, causing unconcealable horror to surface in Quilge's eyes.
This Head Captain of the Gotei 13 was far more terrifying than he had anticipated, and far more terrifying than the Wandenreich's intelligence had suggested.
*Did His Majesty truly fight against such a monster back then?*
Only he, as a martial arts instructor, could barely withstand such oppression.
If it had been any of the newer generation Sternritter members, they would have probably succumbed to this overwhelming pressure long ago.
Suddenly, Quilge's expression became somewhat subtle.
His attention had been entirely focused on the enraged Yamamoto, causing him to momentarily forget the young Soul Reaper who had instantly crushed him.
Judging from the twisting, burning Reiatsu radiating from both of them, they were practically cut from the same cloth.
It was just that Yamamoto's expression was more stern, while the young Soul Reaper gave off the illusion of a latent, unpredictable danger.
"Being discovered by you is only my own fault for lacking skill."
Quilge coughed violently, the vomited blood dyeing his collar red.
"But if you think you can use me to learn His Majesty's location, you are purely daydreaming."
"The Sternritter never betray!"
Yamamoto said nothing. He simply took a deep breath, the scorching heat surging through his nasal cavity into his lungs, causing the Reiatsu lingering around his body to become even more frantic.
He was like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
It was only because his temper had been ground down and his tolerance raised by a certain bastard that he held back. Had this been a few hundred years ago, he wouldn't have wasted a single word on the enemy.
The moment the man dared to appear before him, he would have already been burned to ashes.
"Teacher, why are you wasting your breath on him?"
Naraku Sora curled his lips. "To deal with a tough nut like this, we naturally need to bring in the professionals."
Hearing this, Yamamoto paused. He immediately retracted a bit of his Reiatsu, his eyelids drooping as his voice softened slightly.
"That is true. I shall summon Captain Shihōin here at once."
Saying so, he prepared to cast the Bakudō, Tenteikūra.
However, before he could even begin chanting the incantation, Naraku Sora interrupted him again.
"Yoruichi isn't good at dealing with his type."
"The professionals I'm talking about are from a completely different field."
At first, he hadn't recognized who the man was, but when that signature Vollständig appeared, along with his unyielding will to fight to the death...
Naraku Sora finally had a sudden realization and remembered the man's identity.
The Sternritter's martial arts instructor, designated with the letter "J". He possessed a strong military temperament—ruthless, arrogant, and fanatically loyal.
Against someone like this, the interrogation methods of the Onmitsukidō and Shino Prison probably wouldn't be enough.
"You stand guard here for now. Don't let the intruder escape. I'll be right back."
Naraku Sora left these instructions and, without giving Yamamoto a chance to speak, vanished from his spot.
Watching this sudden burst of Flash Step speed, Yamamoto revealed a surprised expression.
*If I remember correctly, this brat's proficiency with Flash Step shouldn't have been this high before, right?*
*It's only been a few days. Isn't this rate of improvement a bit too exaggerated?*
Meanwhile.
Naraku Sora rushed hastily into the laboratory, unceremoniously interrupting the two men who were currently discussing which body part to start dissecting first.
"Kisuke, Mayuri, it's time for you two to shine."
"Come with me."
Urahara Kisuke looked up blankly. "Go where?"
"I'm not going. Until I finish researching this subject, I don't want to go anywhere!" Kurotsuchi Mayuri's entire attention was focused on Ashisogi Jizō.
"That's not up to you."
Naraku Sora chuckled. He reached back, hooked his arms around both of their necks, and dragged them out of the laboratory without another word.
The two instinctively struggled with all their might, but they quickly and astonishingly realized that no matter how hard they tried, Naraku Sora's bent arms were like iron clamps locked around their necks.
They couldn't break free at all.
The pragmatic Urahara Kisuke quickly gave up resisting, allowing Naraku Sora to do as he pleased.
To him, his current life was like being forced into submission; rather than fighting it desperately, it was better to just lie back and enjoy it.
At the very least, there was absolutely no shortage of research materials and projects. It was much more interesting than staying in Squad 2.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri, on the other hand, still looked defiant. He tried to struggle and turn his head several times, but Naraku Sora ruthlessly shoved him back down each time.
Soon, the trio arrived near the back mountain of the Squad 1 barracks.
When he clearly saw the two men clamped under Naraku Sora's arms, Yamamoto was stunned for a moment.
"Brat, are these the professionals you spoke of?"
"That's right, Teacher. Let me introduce them to you. This is Urahara Kisuke, a former seated officer of the Squad 2 Detention Unit. He excels in scientific research, and his intellect is no less than mine."
"And this is Kurotsuchi Mayuri, former Prison Warden of the Shino Prison and current 3rd Seat. He is equally highly intelligent and specializes in biological modification and pharmaceutical manufacturing."
Naraku Sora presented the two men, who were now standing ramrod straight, before Yamamoto.
Feeling the sudden, blistering aura, the previously struggling Kurotsuchi Mayuri instantly settled down. The two of them simultaneously offered Yamamoto an awkward yet polite smile.
It was one thing to mess around with Naraku Sora, as he wouldn't actually use a heavy hand on them.
But the old man in front of them was completely different.
No matter what, he was the Head Captain of the Gotei 13. The proper respect had to be given.
"This brat, Naraku Sora, said you two have a way to pry information out of this guy's mouth."
Yamamoto didn't dawdle. He got straight to the point, pointing at the half-dead Quilge at his feet.
The two followed the direction of his finger and saw a man in a military uniform lying on the ground with a weak aura, flashing them a disdainful smile.
*Two Soul Reapers who aren't even Captains think they are worthy of making me, Quilge, submit?*
*Hah, keep dreaming!*
"A Quincy?"
Compared to the still-bewildered Urahara Kisuke, the more experienced Kurotsuchi Mayuri was clearly more knowledgeable.
"It's actually a real Quincy."
"What a pleasant surprise. Did he invade the Soul Society from the World of the Living?"
"I've wanted to study their anatomy for a long time, but I never had the chance."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri stepped forward, his eyes shining as he meticulously examined the figure on the ground.
Quilge's scalp went numb under his gaze. He felt an inexplicable sense of horror, as if he were being stared down by a natural predator.
"He is not a Quincy from the World of the Living, but from the Sternritter,"
Yamamoto reminded them. "Hundreds of years ago, the Quincy King, Yhwach, led the Sternritter in a war against the Soul Reapers. Although they failed, they were not driven to extinction."
"And he is one of their remnants."
Urahara Kisuke suddenly understood. "Head Captain, you want to know information regarding the Quincy King, right?"
Yamamoto nodded.
The two scientists locked eyes, seemingly communicating through their gazes alone.
"Lord Mayuri, do you have any ideas?"
"Conventional interrogation methods probably won't work on him. Let's start directly from the neurological or spiritual level."
"Good idea. I was thinking the exact same thing."
The two didn't avoid Quilge while conversing; in fact, it seemed they were deliberately discussing it right in front of him.
As their methods were gradually fleshed out, Quilge's face grew increasingly pale.
*Haschwalth was right!*
*Soul Reapers really are a bunch of utterly evil bastards!*
However, right now, it would be difficult for him to even die.
Yamamoto merely releasing his Reiatsu was enough to suppress all of his movements. He couldn't even lift a pinky finger.
At this very moment, Quilge plunged into deep despair.
Midway through their research, Kurotsuchi Mayuri made a trip back to the laboratory and brought over all the materials they might need.
Based on their foundational knowledge of pharmacology, the two quickly developed a hypnotic serum specifically targeting Quincies. It could paralyze the nervous system to a certain extent, forcing the subject to spill information uncontrollably.
The specific inspiration for this came from Ashisogi Jizō's paralyzing poison mist.
Despite Quilge's desperate resistance, he was still force-fed an entire bottle of the truth serum.
It wasn't long before his entire expression became dazed.
"I ask you, where is Yhwach located right now?"
"His... His Majesty..." A hint of resistance surfaced on Quilge's face, but it quickly vanished. "In the highest building of Silbern."
"Where is Silbern?"
"Within the shadow dimension at the bottom of the Seireitei."
A trace of gloom flashed across Yamamoto's face. If he hadn't obtained this intelligence, he never would have imagined in his wildest dreams that the defeated Quincies from back then were actually hiding in the shadows.
Coexisting day and night with the Soul Reapers for hundreds of years!
Yamamoto shifted his gaze away. To him, Quilge no longer held any value.
"Is there any way to enter the shadow dimension?"
Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri exchanged a glance and shook their heads almost simultaneously. "We haven't started any research in that field yet."
If they had been told earlier, perhaps they would have found a way to delve into it.
But looking at Yamamoto's expression, he clearly didn't have that kind of patience.
Just then, Naraku Sora suddenly reminded him,
"Teacher, have you forgotten about Senior Brother Kyōraku?"
"His Zanpakutō seems to be able to traverse through shadows."
Hearing this, Yamamoto's eyes lit up.
Without another word, he directly erupted with astonishing Reiatsu, immediately casting a Tenteikūra that covered the entire Seireitei.
A massive, web-like Reiatsu filled the sky, spreading toward the limits of one's line of sight.
Squad 8 Barracks, rooftop.
Having finally finished his work with great difficulty, Kyōraku Shunsui lay back comfortably, enjoying the beauty of life. A bottle of sake sat beside him, emitting a faint, fragrant aroma.
"What a beautiful..."
A voice suddenly rang in his ears, interrupting his half-spoken sentence.
"Kyōraku Shunsui, I am giving you exactly ten minutes to rush to Squad 1. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences."
Kyōraku Shunsui: "?"