Restricted Death

Chapter 227 War is Imminent
The information revealed in Yamamoto's words caused Shin to frown deeply.

He keenly caught the subtle contradiction in the Captain-Commander's words: Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni seemed unaware of the Quincy's specific activities over the past few hundred years, which had been lurking in the shadows, waiting for a chance to make a comeback. However, when the topic of Yhwach's impending resurrection came up, there was no surprise on his face, which was marked by the passage of time. Instead, there was a heavy, knowing look, as if a boulder was pressing down on him.

This calmness itself spoke volumes, Xin thought to himself. He knew it all stemmed from his insight into the future of this world, but the truth was stuck in his throat, impossible to utter. His seemingly "predictive" pronouncements, in the face of a cunning and experienced opponent like Yamamoto, were like water without a source or a tree without roots, appearing hollow and elusive.

Aizen's skepticism back then, which carried a sense of meticulous research, was a more natural reaction.

“Captain-General,” Shin began, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of probing, his gaze fixed on the other man’s deep eyes, “you… seem to know a lot of things.” He paused deliberately, trying to find a crack in those calm, unwavering eyes.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto's eyes, like those of a furnace, were fixed intently on Shin, his sharp gaze almost tangible, carrying the pressure of scrutinizing one's soul. This prolonged, oppressive silence nearly froze the air in the room. Instead of directly responding to Shin's probing, he forcefully steered the conversation back to its core in a heavier tone: "What else do you know about the Quincy and Yhwach?"

Then, seemingly to completely dispel Xin's concerns, or perhaps to gain greater intelligence value, he added clearly and coldly: "I can overlook your crimes of smuggling across the Transcendental Gate and concealing your Zanpakuto, and I will not question how you obtained this information."

The letter, however, became somewhat demanding: "Could you let me into the Great Spiritual Library?"

"Don't even think about it!" Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni refused resolutely, his voice firm and leaving no room for negotiation.

But what followed was not a pure accusation; instead, he gave this refusal a heavy explanation: "The Seireitei has its own rules, and it is these rules that have maintained the stability of the three realms to this day. I will not allow anyone to break the rules, Tachikawa Shin. I have been more lenient with you than necessary."

His gaze carried a complex meaning, a mixture of warning and scrutiny.

Kyoraku and Ukitake remained silent to the side.

Xin hesitated, his knuckles unconsciously tapping his knees as he weighed the urgency of the situation against possible solutions. After about half a minute of tense silence, he slowly raised his eyes, looked directly at Yamamoto, and asked the most crucial question: "Now that you understand all of this, I would like to ask, what do you plan to do next?"

In his own calculations, killing Yhwach before he fully awakened and regained all his power was undoubtedly the best option.

However, achieving this is easier said than done. Not to mention the overall strength of the Sternritter in the Unknown Empire, whether they can even enter the Unknown Empire now is still an unknown.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's weathered yet remarkably resolute face remained unmoved. He uttered eight words clearly and deliberately, through gritted teeth, like a hammer striking a steel nail: "Prepare for war, annihilate the enemy!"

war……

The mere mention of that word caused Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro to gasp almost simultaneously, their subtle gasps jarringly audible in the otherwise silent room. A chill instantly ran down their spines and up to the top of their heads.

The word "war," spoken by this thousand-year guardian of Soul Society, carried immense weight! It foreshadowed not a small-scale conflict, but a colossal wave capable of shaking the very foundations of Soul Society, the Human World, and even Hueco Mundo, impacting the entire Three Realms!
Chojiro Sasaki, who had been standing silently by his side like a statue, suddenly tensed up, every wrinkle on his face filled with severity. He had followed the Captain-Commander for more than two thousand years and had experienced the war a thousand years ago, so he knew how terrifying Yhwach was.

Now, that persistent threat has returned, more insidious and more pervasive than before, how could this old adjutant not be terrified?

Xin closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, seemingly integrating all the fragments of information in his mind. Half a minute later, he opened his eyes again, his gaze unusually calm: "I know. The enemy's entire fighting force, and their hiding place."

These words struck them like a thunderclap.

"Please wait!"

"Please wait a moment!" Ukitake Jushiro finally couldn't hold back any longer. He looked up abruptly, his voice slightly trembling with urgency, his eyes filled with worry and disbelief: "Captain-Commander! Isn't it too... too hasty to suddenly say that we're going to start a war now?"

His gaze shifted urgently to Shin. "And Shin! This matter is of utmost importance, involving countless beings in Soul Society and even the balance of the three realms! Can you really be certain that what you know... is absolutely accurate? Moreover... how can you explain the scale and scope of preparing for war to the Gotei 13, to all the Shinigami, to the Central 46, and even to the people of the human world?" His worry was palpable, filled with fear of the immense cost of war.

Yamamoto said expressionlessly, "Ukitake, you're still too naive."

He paused, then said, "I remember now. More than two hundred years ago, during the war with the Quincy, you always advocated for renegotiation with the Quincy, right? You wouldn't truly understand the threat from the Quincy if you hadn't experienced that war a thousand years ago."

"..."

Listening to their conversation, Shin suddenly realized something that had been puzzling him: since Yhwach had been defeated and put into slumber a thousand years ago, and the fundamental conflict between the Shinigami and the Quincy—the dispute over the rules of the soul cycle—had been long-standing and irreconcilable, how did the two sides maintain a delicate "coexistence" without large-scale conflict during the long seven hundred years in between?
At this moment, Yamamoto's hidden attitude, Chojiro Sasakibe's unforgettable gaze, and Ukitake's completely "unaware" worry were instantly pieced together like scattered puzzle pieces.

The fog in his mind instantly dissipated! Now, he was completely certain: Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni had long known that Yhwach would eventually make a comeback! Moreover, this Captain-Commander... he also believed, or rather, could not help but believe, the future foretold by the ancient "Holy Emperor's Hymn"!
The truth behind the war against the Quincy of the present world that was downplayed more than two hundred years ago has suddenly become clear: it was not the product of an accidental conflict or a breakdown in negotiations at all! It was clearly a preemptive "purge operation" initiated by the highest decision-making level of Soul Society, who already knew about the prophecy, and aimed to nip the threat in the bud!
Unfortunately, they failed, and a significant number of Quincy fled during the war and went into hiding.

The official narrative is that the Quincy were nearly wiped out, but in reality, the Quincy only lost a few weak forces.

Ukitake still seemed unable to accept it: "Nobody wants to see war come. I think we should be more cautious about the Quincy."

He felt that what was originally just an interrogation of Xin had suddenly turned into a war after the commander-in-chief listened to some of the conversation, a change that was too swift for him to accept.

Kyoraku appeared relatively calm, but his gaze remained fixed on Shin, flickering uncertainly.

In the Great Spirit Book Corridor, he saw all the information related to Shin, including Shin's somewhat chaotic private life. In addition to what he had just mentioned, there was also the fact that Shin had contacted Yoruichi Shihouin. However, he did not mention this matter, but planned to ask Shin about it in private.

However, all the information he knew was limited to what Shin had experienced in Soul Society.

He had no idea who he met or what happened to him in the world.

Coincidentally, truly significant events seem to occur in the present world.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto said, "This matter will naturally be communicated to all captains and the Central 46 later. However, war is imminent, and even if we don't want to admit it, we cannot avoid it. The enemy has already begun to sharpen their swords in the shadows, and we must make sufficient preparations."

Xin then suddenly sighed and said, "No, this matter cannot be publicized until the day the war truly begins."

Yamamoto turned his gaze to him again. Faith raised his head, looked at the ceiling of the quiet room, and said, "This spiritual barrier is used to prevent outsiders from eavesdropping. You must be wondering why I would do something so unnecessary. After all, the people here are among the strongest in Soul Society. Who could possibly be able to eavesdrop on our conversation silently?"

The group pondered upon hearing this. They had indeed had such thoughts before, and they were waiting for Xin to clarify things for them.

He only heard the letter say, "The enemy is everywhere."

Kyoraku paused, then asked, "What do you mean?"

Shin remained calm and said, word by word, "The enemy is hiding within this Seireitei; they are everywhere!"

Kyoraku, Ukitake, and Chojiro Suzaku were all horrified upon hearing this.

Kyoraku chuckled blankly, "You... what are you talking about?"

Shin didn't laugh along with him, but calmly said, "After the war ended a thousand years ago, the Quincy's Empire of Light no longer exists. Now they are the Wandenreich, just with a different name. And the reason for the name change is that their hiding place is in the shadow of Seireitei!"

The letter didn't give them time to be shocked, and continued, "This means that everything that has happened in Seireitei all along has actually been within their sight. The enemy knows us very well."

"How can this be……"

“Nothing is impossible,” Chojiro Sasakibe said solemnly. “With the power of those Quincy, it’s not that difficult for them to do something like this.”

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni simply kept a cold expression on his face.

The enemy's hiding place was actually inside the Seireitei, and everything that happened in the Seireitei was under their watchful eye.

The information was so shocking that Kyoraku and Ukitake were unable to recover for a long time.

No wonder, no wonder Xin suddenly made such a move.

Kyoraku immediately asked, "Then how can we find them?"

Xin hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't know."

He knew that Ishida Sōken definitely knew how to enter the Invisible Empire, but he would never tell him.

The Quincy will not betray their Emperor, because the life and death of all Quincy are in Yhwach's hands.

Unless he can help it resist the power of holiness.

But it will be several years before the next holiness.

At this moment, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni spoke directly: "Does he know about that Quincy named Ishida Sōgen?"

“We mustn’t lay a hand on him,” Xin said immediately. “Otherwise, the Invisible Empire might just take his life.”

Kyoraku pondered, "In other words, what we need to do now is to secretly and slowly find a way to enter the Wandenreich, while also keeping it from the Quincy's sight..."

This is too difficult to do; they have always been in a passive position.

“Once the Quincy discover that we know of their existence, they might do something. They can attack us at any time, and we can only passively accept it.”

Those present were speechless upon hearing this, and an eerie silence fell over the room once again.

Then Xin added, "I have two ideas."

A glint of light flashed in Yamamoto's eyes: "Speak."

"Firstly, we can temporarily relocate everyone in Seireitei, then place a large barrier around it, and destroy everything within the barrier," Shin slowly explained his idea. "However, this will inevitably alert the enemy, and they will certainly take measures before we act. We can announce a large-scale campaign to conquer Hueco Mundo, and then take this opportunity to transfer a large number of our forces away. Then we can place a barrier around Seireitei and gradually move everyone out. In this way, even if the enemy takes any action, they will be trapped inside the barrier, like turtles in a jar."

Upon hearing this, Yamamoto's face showed shock and anger: "What...what are you trying to do?!"

The Seireitei was mostly inhabited by nobles, and Shin's actions were tantamount to disregarding the lives of these nobles!

Once the barrier appears, the enemy will inevitably launch an attack. Will the nobles left behind in Seireitei have any chance of survival?!

He didn't believe that Xin hadn't thought of this, or that Xin certainly understood it and did it on purpose!

Kyoraku and Ukitake also frowned at the same time.

Xin remained calm and said, "Since the Captain-General thinks this method is inappropriate, we can consider a second method."

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni stared coldly at the letter.

He only heard Xin utter a few words indifferently: "Zero Squad".

(End of this chapter)