Chapter 130: Deceptions and Desks

Yamabuki Haruto’s eyes flicked between Thomas and Mary, assessing their reishi signatures. Compared to a Gotei 13 captain’s reiatsu, their power was modest, but Haruto knew better than to underestimate Quincies. In Bleach’s Thousand-Year Blood War, the Sternritter’s unorthodox abilities had nearly toppled the Soul Society, despite their reishi often paling against a captain’s. A thousand years ago, the Quincy lacked the Schrift of Yhwach’s later forces, but their mastery of reishi manipulation was still a lethal wildcard.

Fifteen minutes later, six Quincies gathered in the dilapidated Rukongai warehouse, their gazes locked on Haruto. Suspicion hung thick in the air, but Thomas stepped forward, his voice brimming with confidence. “This is His Majesty’s undercover agent in Soul Society. Show them, uh… what’s your name again?”

With a casual wave, Haruto summoned a reishi bow, its azure glow mirroring the Quincies’ own. The sight disarmed the group instantly—reishi manipulation was a Quincy hallmark, unattainable by Shinigami. To them, it was as impossible as a fish sprouting wings. “Yamabuki Haruto,” he said smoothly, letting the bow dissipate.

Mary’s eyes narrowed. “An undercover agent? Why weren’t we told?”

Haruto flashed a youthful, disarming grin. “His Majesty doesn’t share his plans with just anyone. I’m one of his trusted confidants.”

“Who’re you calling nobodies, kid?” one Quincy snapped, his hand twitching toward his weapon. The others bristled, their reishi flaring.

Haruto raised a placating hand. “Easy. Are all the Quincies in Soul Society here? What I’m about to share is critical.”

Thomas nodded. “Just us six. Speak.”

“Good,” Haruto said, his smile turning enigmatic. He reached into his shihakushō, producing a folded paper. “The Gotei 13 has learned of the Wandenreich’s existence and devised a strategy to crush it. This is their battle plan. Make sure it reaches Yhwach.”

Mary’s brow furrowed. “How does a low-ranking Shinigami get such sensitive intel?”

“Low-ranking?” Haruto scoffed, tossing the paper onto a rickety table. “I’m a Chief of Staff, personally involved in crafting this plan. Now, what’s your mission here?”

Thomas hesitated, still thrown by Haruto’s sudden shift in demeanor. Mary, however, spoke with smug confidence. “We came to scout, but the Shinigami are pathetic. We’re planning a decapitation strike. The Gotei’s Captain Commander, Yamamoto Genryūsai, is the target. His subordinates are weak, so he can’t be much better. We’ll take his head and offer it to His Majesty.”

Haruto’s jaw nearly dropped. Yamamoto? The man whose Ryūjin Jakka could incinerate armies? The First Division barracks needed no defenses because Yamamoto himself was an impregnable fortress. Even Yhwach, at this point in Bleach history, would hesitate to face him directly. These Quincies were delusional.

He couldn’t hold it in. Haruto burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. “You’re serious? You think you can take that old man’s head?”

The six Quincies glared. “What’s so funny?” Mary demanded.

“Your ambition is… inspiring,” Haruto said, his tone mockingly regretful. “But you won’t get the chance.”

“Why not?” Mary snapped.

“Because you met me.”

Before they could react, Haruto raised his hand, and a Heilig Pfeil—a holy arrow of condensed reishi—lanced from the ceiling. The warehouse’s dim light caught the arrow’s gleam as it tore through Mary and another Quincy, reducing them to ash in an instant. Blood and reishi splattered the walls, and the remaining four Quincies froze, stunned.

“You’re a Quincy!” Thomas shrieked, his voice cracking. “Why attack us?”

Haruto’s smile vanished, his voice cold as steel. “His Majesty ordered me to take your lives.”

The words hit like a thunderbolt. Yhwach was no benevolent leader. In Bleach canon, his ruthlessness was legendary—killing subordinates on a whim, devouring their souls in defeat, or sacrificing them via Auswählen to bolster his power. Loyalty to him was a gamble, and betrayal was a constant fear.

“Impossible!” Thomas roared, his reishi bow trembling in his hands. “I’m loyal to His Majesty! He’d never—”

He whirled on his two surviving comrades, paranoia overtaking him. “You two! What did you do behind His Majesty’s back?”

“We only grumbled a bit!” one protested, his voice shaking. “It wasn’t even disloyalty!”

“You’ve doomed us!” Thomas screamed, firing a Heilig Pfeil at his allies. The two Quincies retaliated, their own arrows clashing in a chaotic flurry.

Haruto watched the infighting with grim amusement. Just like Yhwach’s Sternritter, he thought, recalling the Thousand-Year Blood War. Yhwach’s defeat came not just from Ichigo Kurosaki’s blade but from the betrayals of Aizen, Uryū Ishida, and Jugram Haschwalth. Aizen shielded Ichigo, Uryū’s Still Silver disrupted Yhwach’s power, and Haschwalth’s visions muddled reality and dreams. Yhwach’s own subordinates turned his “guaranteed win” into a catastrophic loss.

“Stop it!” one Quincy shouted. “We need to kill this—”

His words cut off as Haruto’s Heilig Pfeil pierced his skull, ending him instantly. The warehouse fell silent, save for the crackle of dissipating reishi.

Haruto’s ruse had worked. By sowing doubt and invoking Yhwach’s name, he’d turned the Quincies against each other, thinning their numbers. But Chiyo was still out there, and the Quincy threat wasn’t over. He needed to find her—and warn the Gotei 13 before more enemies emerged from the shadows.