BLEACH : THE NINTH KENPACHI

Within the Soul Society—

Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai received a letter from the World of the Living.

The one who penned this letter was Gosuke Shigure—the current captain of the 11th Division, and the man who had inherited the name Kenpachi. He was also the leading commander overseeing the Soul Society's current purge of the Quincy.

In his letter, Gosuke Shigure expressed no sympathy toward the Quincy.

He simply reported in precise terms what he had done and encountered in the World of the Living.

As for whether the surviving Quincy should be spared or destroyed, the final decision rested in the hands of Yamamoto Genryūsai.

The aged commander sat in silence for a long time before rising to make a decision.

But before that, he visited a particular individual.

A man who had arrived in Seireitei not long ago.

It was because of this man that Central 46 had declared the annihilation of all Quincy in the current era.

On the surface, the official reason given by Central 46 was that the Quincies' indiscriminate destruction of Hollows disrupted the balance between the worlds.

That, according to the balance of souls that governs the cycle of reincarnation, was an unforgivable crime.

But in truth, the matter was far more severe than what was publicly announced.

The Quincies in the World of the Living were few in number, and following the Lichtreich campaign hundreds of years ago—where the Quincy were devastated by the Gotei 13—the Soul Society had refrained from further purges for nearly eight centuries.

If balance alone was the issue, the annihilation order would've come long ago.

The real catalyst had come from a far more alarming source.

The mysterious man was none other than Ichibē Hyōsube—the Monk Who Calls the Real Name, the High Priest of the Royal Guard, and the one who named all things.

The man who had been watching over the Soul King since the primordial era.

He had foreseen a sliver of the future.

A glimpse so grim that the entire Zero Division had been stirred to act.

According to what he saw, the Spirit King—the cornerstone of the worlds—had begun to display abnormal fluctuations.

That instability, if left unchecked, would someday be catalyzed by the Quincy.

And in that fragment of the future, it was the Quincy—led once more by a figure bearing the name Yhwach—who would bring ruin upon the Soul Society, obliterate the Gotei 13, and collapse the three realms into chaos.

Ichibē Hyōsube had seen a possible future where history repeated itself, with even more catastrophic consequences.

And so, he delivered an order directly from the Soul King's Court: The Quincy must be erased. Entirely.

As the spiritual world's highest authority, Ichibē's word was final.

He spoke for the Soul King, and his visions were never taken lightly.

Yamamoto Genryūsai, however, had not simply obeyed.

The elder commander, who had once stood against Yhwach a thousand years ago with his Bankai Zanka no Tachi, came to speak with another member of the Zero Division—Tenjirō Kirinji, also known as Hot Spring Demon Kirinji, the original master of Kaidō healing arts and a combatant of fierce strength.

"You're being too merciful, Yamamoto," Kirinji said coldly.

"Even if the Quincy have dwindled, their blood runs deep. Their power is genetic—innate. If you let them be, sooner or later, another Yhwach will rise from among them. And when he does, the world will burn once more."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Ichibē saw this future. That's why the Soul King's will was clear—destroy them all."

Yamamoto's face remained stoic, but his voice rang with the tempered steel of a man who had lived through countless wars.

"If I could defeat the first Yhwach, I can defeat the second."

"Must we judge the present based solely on the shadow of a future that may or may not come to pass?"

"If that future is inevitable, then everything we do now is meaningless. But if that future has not yet come to pass, then what we are doing now is no different from blind slaughter."

He fixed Kirinji with a sharp gaze.

"Have you, too, become like Ichibē—so cold that you've forsaken the present for the sake of a hypothetical future?"

Kirinji fell silent.

Then Yamamoto handed him Gosuke Shigure's report.

Kirinji read it wordlessly.

When he finally spoke, it was after a long silence.

"In the World of the Living, the vast majority of Quincy have already been destroyed. That much is certain."

"This matter… may be brought to a close—for now."

"But the surviving Quincy must live under the strict surveillance of the Soul Society. If they do not comply, they must be eliminated. No exceptions."

He raised his eyes and locked them with Yamamoto's.

"This is the last mercy I will offer. I'll speak with Ichibē myself."

Yamamoto inclined his head slightly.

"Thank you, Kirinji."

Kirinji waved it off, though there was a flicker of emotion behind his usually brash demeanor.

To see Yamamoto—once the embodiment of judgment by fire—show this kind of restraint… it was something rare.

The same man who had once cleaved through legions with Ryūjin Jakka, who had brought Yhwach to the brink of death with a single swing of his sword, was now showing mercy.

Back in the World of the Living—

Gosuke Shigure received a sealed message from the Soul Society.

He read it swiftly, then looked up at the man before him: Kohei Ishida.

"You're very fortunate," he said simply.

Kohei Ishida looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Gosuke replied,

"Perhaps because most of the Quincy have already been destroyed in this operation, Soul Society now considers the remaining ones to be no longer a significant threat."

"And so, they've decided to let you live."

"For real?" Kohei blinked, stunned, then a wave of relief washed over him.

Joy, disbelief, and gratitude collided in his expression.

So many of his people had been slain.

And yet, if this carnage could be halted—if his children could live—it would be worth it.

He would give his life a hundred times for that.

But Gosuke's next words were cold and sharp.

"Of course, this mercy has its price."

Kohei froze. "Price?"

"You remaining Quincies will live under the full surveillance of the Soul Society.

You will not be permitted to act without oversight.

Any sign of resistance—any hint of rebellion—and you will be destroyed."

"That's the condition. Compliance, or death."

"I am willing. We are willing." Kohei said it immediately, without hesitation.

He bowed his head, deeply and humbly, as if to say:

Whatever it takes… for the children to survive.

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