Chapter 122: Bloody Battle, Half a Year Later

Yamabuki Haruto froze, hand raised to smack the Soul King’s amber cocoon. The chamber door creaked open, revealing Ichibei Hyōsube’s bemused expression. “The Soul King can’t move, but show respect,” Ichibei said, coughing lightly. “He sustains our existence. Please… step off His Majesty.”

Haruto waved awkwardly, retreating from the cocoon. Caught like a kid.

“Your talk is done,” Ichibei said. “Leave the hall. I’ll guard His Majesty.” He dragged Haruto out, into Nimaiya Ōetsu’s Phoenix Palace.

“What’s this about?” Haruto asked, eyeing the vibrant palace.

Ōetsu grinned. “Your Zanpakutō—Reversal, Silver Angel—it’s a soul fragment, not my Asauchi. You’re no true Shinigami. I can reforge it—”

“No way!” Haruto snapped. The Soul King’s flesh, absorbed after coercion, had spiked his Reiatsu, but side effects loomed. Reforge my blade? They’re plotting to make me the next human pillar. His system-forged Zanpakutō, unbound by Ōetsu or Ichibei’s Shirafude Ichimonji, was at least as potent as their work.

Ōetsu shrugged at Haruto’s refusal. Ichibei’s gaze sharpened. “I won’t pry about your talk with His Majesty, but a serious question: join The Royal Guards? Protecting the Soul King protects the Three Realms. Every soul treads on his sacrifice. You’re no exception.”

“Absolutely not!” Haruto said. “I want to retire comfortably, not slave for a million years like you. Got paid leave? Insurance? Didn’t think so. I’m happy as Gotei 13’s strategist. The Soul King warned of a catastrophe soon. You’re not joining the fight?”

Ichibei chuckled. “As long as the Three Realms hold, I don’t intervene—unless the enemy reaches the Soul King Palace.”

“Then send me down,” Haruto said, itching to leave.

“Fine,” Ichibei said, opening a shimmering portal to Seireitei. With a shove, he sent Haruto tumbling through.

Ōetsu frowned. “Letting that wild card roam free? Not your style.”

Ichibei laughed. “Trust His Majesty’s judgment. He says this boy will change the world.”

Haruto landed in the First Division Barracks, dazed. “What kind of Kidō was that?” Lucky to be back unharmed. But Ichibei’s watchful eye lingered. That flesh wasn’t free. If the Soul King falls, I’m their backup.

“Yamabuki, you’re back?” Yamamoto Genryūsai’s voice grounded him.

“Captain-Commander, summon all Gotei 13 officers,” Haruto said gravely. “It’s urgent.”

The Captains assembled swiftly—Unohana, Tsunayashiro Fuka, Shihōin Chihiro, and others. Haruto faced them. “I spoke with the Soul King. In six months, the Quincy army, led by Yhwach, will invade. We must prepare.”

Six months. The Captains’ faces darkened. For immortals, it was a blink.

Haruto scanned the room. The Gotei 13 was incomplete, missing key Captains. The Soul King hinted his Bankai could counter Yhwach’s Almighty—Omniscience and Omnipotence. I need Bankai in six months to survive.

Yhwach’s Almighty had two facets: foresight, seeing all possible futures like grains of sand, and future manipulation, striking from moments ahead. Against Ichibei, Yhwach stole Shirafude Ichimonji’s Bankai, dismembering him in seconds. Ichigo’s true Bankai, unmatched in power, shattered under the Almighty, beyond even Orihime’s rejection. Only Tsukishima’s past-altering Book of the End, paired with Aizen’s Kyōka Suigetsu, turned the tide.

Without Aizen, born centuries later, Haruto’s hope rested on Reversal, Silver Angel’s Bankai, likely spatial like its Shikai. His flesh-enhanced Reiatsu now matched Yamamoto’s Shikai without Vollständig. Bankai could rival Zanka no Tachi.

“Captain-Commander, recruit the strongest from all realms,” Haruto urged. “Bolster the Gotei 13. Our survival—Soul Society’s—hinges on this battle.”