On the second day after Seiya and Momo reached some subtle consensus.
Although there was a somewhat urgent feeling in terms of time, this was also an unavoidable topic for everyone in Soul Society.
The question.
What was the price of defeating Yhwach?
Without doubt, this kind of question, starting from its source, was profound enough in nature to make people think deeply.
Considering various reasons related to this aspect, everyone had gathered together at this moment to conduct corresponding discussions about this question.
So then.
"Let me give a simple opening statement?"
Kyōraku clapped his hands as usual, putting his palms together, revealing a composed, even somewhat pleasing smile.
"Regarding the Quincy enemies who will arrive tomorrow, do you all have any specific countermeasures?"
Brief silence.
Many people present looked at each other at this moment.
It could only be said that the number of people attending this meeting was too exaggerated, and their nature was equally complex... so much so that before opening discussions about this matter, everyone's attention had already been attracted by their respective concerns.
It was getting a bit awkward...
Nanao, as the lieutenant of Squad One, nervously clenched her hands. She looked toward her captain's back, her mood inevitably tightening by three parts.
And at this moment, the first to break this strange balance was literally an 'uninvited guest'.
Bazz-B, with bandages wrapped around his body, directly stood up. His momentum showed no signs of weakening due to his injuries, and his words at this moment were still resounding and forceful.
"Hey hey hey! You Soul Reapers aren't going to say anything?"
Brushing away Hanatarō's panicked hands that came over, this guy's expression was as arrogant as ever.
"The only reason I can patiently sit here now is because I heard you guys could find a way to deal with Yhwach? But... if you can't do it, things would be completely different, right?!"
The group of Quincy sitting beside him didn't speak.
But this behavior was 'tacit approval' in a certain sense.
Without doubt... as people who had been backstabbed by Yhwach, this group's resentment had reached an almost visibly exaggerated degree.
Among the remaining Quincy, Liltotto, who also had a portion of speaking rights, raised her chin noncommittally at this moment, making a supplement in a bland tone.
"Although what this guy says doesn't sound very nice... regarding opinions, we can maintain consistency."
The temporary alliance, all for the purpose of being able to kill Yhwach.
If this goal couldn't be achieved, then there would be no meaning for the Quincy group to participate.
Thinking about the problem from a rational perspective, it wouldn't be strange at all for Liltotto to make such a statement.
But speaking itself was a behavior that needed consideration.
After all... there would always be some idiots who couldn't understand the implications.
"Hey! This is in front of the Captain-Commander, shouldn't your tone be a bit more respectful?!"
Renji.
This guy appeared here as a temporary representative of Squad Six captain duties in Byakuya's absence.
"Hah?!"
Bazz-B raised his eyebrows, his facial expression forming a mirror-like reversal with his inner thoughts.
"You guy... when did you become such a bootlicker?"
"Don't talk nonsense! I'm the acting captain of Squad Six of the Gotei 13, this is my duty, and also the dignity I must maintain!"
His words were resounding and forceful.
But Rukia, standing behind Ukitake, had already helplessly closed her eyes.
This guy...
The thought of maintaining big brother's dignity was acceptable, but this method was really questionable.
Don't 'embarrass yourself' in this kind of place!
Ukitake, as if he could understand Rukia's thoughts, smiled bitterly and half-turned around, raising his hand to pat her head.
—He was too familiar with this kind of guy who wouldn't listen and couldn't be reasoned with.
After all, he was a guy of non-noble birth.
Making this kind of irrational behavior wasn't really worth condemning.
But...
Among the current Gotei 13, there was far more than just Renji as this kind of 'fool'.
"Just a bunch of stray dogs, what qualifications do you have to speak so boldly here?"
"What?!!!"
Even Liltotto, who had been sitting expressionlessly in the corner, turned her head.
Everyone saw the thin figure mixed among the captain ranks step forward slowly, his face showing a visible 'disdain'.
"What, not convinced? Then explain your origins."
Without waiting for others to respond, Sui-Feng had already said contemptuously.
"Yhwach's Auswählen is a kind of power and life recovery, right? Then if we analyze according to this logic, aren't you guys equivalent to the dregs left after being devoured?"
Lies don't hurt people.
Truth is the sharp blade.
After all, Yhwach's Auswählen had already been used once before everyone's eyes, and this extraordinary power had left a deep impression on everyone.
For this very reason, the current sharp criticism was so piercing.
"Guys like you who managed to survive..."
"If it's not simply because the time you awakened your powers was too short, then it's because Yhwach felt your power was utterly insignificant, not even worth him spending energy to continue exploiting."
"There's no other explanation besides this answer, right?"
A kind of direct confrontation that made all the Quincy unable to help but stand up.
"No no no, we can't pretend we didn't hear those words..."
"Even beautiful girls would get angry over such statements!"
"Being simply looked down upon is no big deal, but this brain-aching feeling really can't be ignored."
The tense atmosphere immediately reached its peak.
The conflict had an escalating trend in an instant.
Kyōraku hadn't been able to say anything yet, but several captains who had been sitting obediently on the side had already come over directly.
The big dog's performance could be said to be as stable as always.
"Insolent fools! This is where the former Captain-Commander and Squad Zero reside, how can we allow you people to run wild?!"
Unexpectedly, even Hitsugaya stepped forward at this moment.
"Please calm down a bit? We're still in the discussion phase... If you can't stabilize yourselves, I'm also happy to help."
Rangiku, as vice-captain, looked like she'd been punched, grimacing as she came over, hurriedly whispering.
'Captain! What are you doing... you're not usually like this!'
Facing his vice-captain's warning, Hitsugaya just gave a cold glance, then withdrew his gaze.
What made him angry and furious was never attitude.
But literal 'facts'.
"Honestly, I don't trust you guys at all."
His right hand lifted slightly, passing around his neck until he gripped the hilt at his back.
The captain who had always been considered the weakest in current strength due to his small stature and shallow qualifications, at this moment displayed some momentum called 'authority'.
"You rushed into Soul Society at the slightest disagreement, recklessly going on killing sprees."
"How many Soul Reapers have you killed? Have you ever counted? They all gave their lives for the Gotei... they were true heroes."
"But what about you? What price did you pay? Just having your power stripped? Just getting these minor injuries? Just being betrayed by that shameless leader of yours?"
Just that?
"What a joke!!!"
Boom!!!
With a fierce shout, the spiritual pressure that exploded around Hitsugaya formed turbulent currents, instantly spiraling upward toward the sky, forming a torrent that was striking to behold.
His eyes widened in anger, letting out an extremely shrill cry at this moment.
"The Soul Reapers killed by you, what was their sacrifice? You guys won't even say a single sorry... do you really think we're easy to bully?!!!"
A literal emotional explosion.
Yet in a certain sense, it was also the voice of many Soul Reapers present.
War was never lukewarm interaction, but fiery collision...
Even compared to the original story, there had been great restraint in casualty numbers, but losses of this degree still couldn't be ignored.
Even more so, many captains had just recently buried their own squad members and barely calmed their inner emotions...
So what about now?
In a blink of an eye, they were asked to join hands with their former blood enemies?
Perhaps truly mature people could weigh the pros and cons of this aspect and make more correct judgments.
But for Hitsugaya, who still retained some naivety at this moment and cared extremely about his squad members... this was completely unacceptable!
Even if he abandoned his position as captain, even if he wasn't understood by others, he had to voice this questioning at this moment.
"What face do you have to speak so boldly here?!"
Not holding the moral high ground.
The Quincy present all inevitably showed embarrassed expressions at this moment.
Facts were an unavoidable part. Even if they could gloss over things in the name of 'His Majesty', in the end...
This was also an endless spiral of blood feuds.
Kyōraku, who had originally planned to mediate, opened his mouth slightly, but the monk standing beside him directly reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
This thick-browed guy just silently shook his head.
Without words or explanation, at this moment he merely stopped Kyōraku's action...
This guy was really strange to the extreme.
But from the Captain-Commander's perspective, the other party's indication was something he absolutely couldn't ignore.
So?
Among those present, they were either people he couldn't afford to provoke, or people whose feelings he had to consider?
This was too difficult.
Did the so-called Captain-Commander really have any 'real power'?
Kyōraku was already getting a headache and understanding why the old man had suddenly aged so much over these years.
Governing with you bunch of guys, how could the Gotei 13 possibly be built up properly?!
I don't want to do this anymore!!!
It was in this subtle yet tense atmosphere.
A voice cut across from the side.
"I think we should temporarily put aside this kind of meaningless hatred."
Everyone turned their heads.
They saw Gin leading the Hueco Mundo group, standing calmly at the edge.
This group hadn't made any obvious moves since joining the meeting, like observers in another sense, only choosing to speak up now.
Bathed in everyone's gazes.
Gin showed no signs of stage fright at this moment.
After all, he was also a leadership figure who had acted in Hueco Mundo for a long time, plus his previous experience as a captain...
This guy's logic when speaking was definitely clear.
"The cycle within the three worlds has always been an unequal process."
"Whether Soul Reapers or Quincy, they constantly carry out killings to maintain balance."
"Regarding this aspect... we Hollows are actually the biggest victims, aren't we?"
This was indeed the case.
As a group filled with violence and killing, the very existence of Hollows was 'absolute villains' in another sense.
Anyone could kill these mindless monsters without restraint.
And even at this moment, standing behind Gin, representing the truly ultimate combat power of Hueco Mundo, these few guys...
In the end, more than half were also beings who had fought their way up from the bottom.
"Look, these guys have no feelings about their comrades' lives or deaths."
"Of course... I'm not promoting this bloodless, tearless trait. Rather, I think at this time we should temporarily put aside these prejudices and unite with each other."
"Let's handle the urgent matters at hand first, right?"
Facts spoke louder than eloquence.
For everyone in Hueco Mundo, except for some extremely special individuals, others indeed had no concept of their own kind.
It was either you eat me or I eat you anyway.
Who's being friendly with you?
The three-way talks at this moment had quite a sense of 'steam civilization' colliding with 'prehistoric culture'.
Soul Reapers, Arrancar, Quincy.
In the end... being able to gather these three groups together for a meeting was already abstract and exaggerated enough in itself.
"..."
Hitsugaya barely managed to calm himself down.
His teeth slightly closed, clenched tight. Like trying to press down a boiling water lid about to be pushed open by steam, his face showed 'dissatisfaction'.
"But... even so, I still find it hard to trust these guys."
Facing this level of questioning, the Quincy were equally unwilling to be outdone.
"What a joke, do you think I would trust you guys?!"
Bazz-B seemed to voice the thoughts of all the Quincy present.
"That's it! Even without your help, we can kill Yhwach ourselves!"
He stood up, and the group of Quincy behind him made the same reaction.
Were they leaving?
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Powerstones?
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