Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero.

Before Fujita's wariness could even turn into astonishment, the look in his eyes froze instantly.

His body stiffened for a moment, then, as if all support had been removed, he slumped softly to one side.

"Fujita?! Enemy attack—!" The Grim Reaper behind him roared furiously, his eyes bloodshot, and almost instinctively drew his sword while simultaneously lunging to the side to avoid the attack.

His reaction was incredibly fast, showcasing his well-trained combat skills.

However, it didn't work.

Just as he let out his roar, his fingers barely touched the hilt of the knife, and his leg muscles tensed in preparation for exertion—

The pure white beam of light, as if it had been calculated in advance, flashed again in the gap before Fujita's fallen body completely blocked the view!

puff!

Same location, same precision, same utter helplessness.

The beam of light pierced through the heart of the second Grim Reaper.

He couldn't even complete the motion of drawing his knife, nor could he take even half a step to evade it.

The roar abruptly stopped, and the shock, anger, and determination on his face were frozen in time.

His body swayed, and almost simultaneously with his companion, he collapsed heavily onto the cold, pale sand, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Crimson blood gushed rapidly from their chests, staining the white sand beneath them, a stark and striking sight.

rustle……

A tall figure emerged unhurriedly from the shadow of the huge, pale rock.

The newcomer was a man with dark skin that stood out starkly against the pale backdrop of Hueco Mundo. Most striking was his left eye, which was tightly closed.

He has an "X"-shaped skewing tattoo that exudes a cold, mechanical beauty.

He was coldly sweeping his gaze over the two rapidly dying corpses on the ground, as if he were merely checking whether two insignificant targets had been hit.

In his hand, he held a similarly peculiarly shaped "weapon".

That wasn't a Zanpakuto, but a sniper rifle that gleamed with a metallic sheen.

The muzzle of the gun seemed to still retain a trace of almost invisible pure white energy.

Lijie Barrow, a member of the Sternritter of the Unknown Empire, whose holy script is "X" and whose ability is "All Things Connected".

No one knows why this elite member of the Quincy King would appear alone in the depths of Hueco Mundo, far from the Soul Society and the Wandenreich's sphere of influence, nor does anyone know his purpose in attacking two Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force patrolling Shinigami.

Was it indiscriminate killing? Was it clearing away obstacles? Or... the prelude to some far-reaching plan?

His pupils glanced one last time at the bloodstains on the ground, his face expressionless.

There was neither the pleasure of killing nor the ease of completing a mission, only an indifference as precise as a machine.

He raised his sniper rifle, its barrel reflecting a cold, hard gleam in the pale sunlight, then ignored the corpse on the ground.

He turned around and walked silently in the opposite direction from the expeditionary force's stronghold.

The figure was quickly swallowed up by the undulating sand dunes and the pervasive pale dust, as if it had never existed.

About fifteen minutes later.

Several whooshing sounds came from afar, and three figures dressed in the same gray-white cloaks of the expeditionary force arrived at the scene with lightning speed.

They were clearly alarmed by the unusual fluctuations caused by the sudden disappearance of their spiritual pressure from their two companions.

"Fujita! Mitsui!"

"Damn it! I'm too late!"

"Be on guard!"

The three expeditionary soldiers quickly dispersed, two of them standing back to back with knives on guard, while the third quickly squatted down to examine his companion's body.

The examiner's expression changed drastically when he saw the clean, penetrating wounds to the hearts of the two men.

"A fatal blow... the residual spiritual energy fluctuations from the wound..."

He reached out and ran his hand over the edge of the wound, his face growing even more ashen, even showing a hint of disbelief and horror.

"This...this isn't Hollow's spiritual pressure! Nor is it Shinigami's spiritual pressure! This is...a Quincy?! How is this possible?!"

"Queens?!" Upon hearing this, the other two guards were simultaneously jolted, turning their heads sharply to look, their eyes filled with the same shock and horror.

Quincy, a term long considered "past" and even taboo in Soul Society history, have somehow managed to have their spiritual remnants appear in Hueco Mundo and kill two elite expeditionary forces?!

"Are you sure?!" a team member asked urgently.

"There's no mistake! This residual spiritual energy is highly consistent with the power characteristics of the Quincy recorded in history! And it's extremely powerful!"

The team member suppressed the turmoil in his heart and spoke quickly.

"Immediately send a report of the situation here, along with samples of residual spiritual energy, back to the camp as quickly as possible!"

"Yes!"

Chapter 71 Quincy

First Division barracks, Captain-Commander's office.

The atmosphere was heavy, and the room was filled with a sense of impending doom.

Vice Captain Chojiro stood respectfully with his hands at his sides, fine beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, and handed the report, which had just been delivered urgently through a special channel, to Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

After reviewing the report, Captain-Commander Yamamoto slowly opened his eyes, which seemed to contain molten lava.

The paper made a very slight rustling sound in his hands, and Chojiro could even feel it as the Captain-Commander's gaze moved.

The indoor temperature was rising silently, and the spiritual pressure in the air was becoming increasingly heavy and scorching, as if a volcano about to erupt was being forcibly suppressed.

The report was short, but the information was shocking: two veteran expeditionary force members were sniped remotely by an unknown entity while patrolling Hueco Mundo.

The blow was fatal, and the residual spiritual energy in the wound, upon preliminary testing, closely matched the characteristics of the "Queen" power as recorded in the annals.

There were no signs of intense fighting at the scene, suggesting that the attackers were far more skilled than ordinary team members and possessed long-range precision strike capabilities. Their motives and whereabouts remain a mystery.

"Queens..." Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni slowly put down the report, his aged voice echoing in the room, carrying a heavy weight that seemed to have traversed a long period of time.

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the thick walls, landing on the blood-soaked battlefield of a thousand years ago.

His brows furrowed deeply.

This is no ordinary event. The term "Queen" itself holds a special place in the hearts of the Soul Society's higher-ups, especially those who lived through that era.

This represents a tragic history that can never be truly forgotten, a life-or-death struggle concerning the survival of the race.

"The remnants of the Quincy... have appeared in Hueco Mundo..." Yamamoto muttered to himself.

"Hueco Mundo has a harsh environment and chaotic spiritual energy, making it an undesirable area for Quincy to operate in. Was their appearance there a coincidence? Were they on the run? Or... has it become their new lair?"

Doubts clung to his heart like vines, if Hueco Mundo had truly become the stronghold where the remnants of the Quincy lay dormant or even grew stronger.

For the Soul Society, that was tantamount to planting a bomb of unknown power.

The war a thousand years ago was so brutal that even Yamamoto felt lingering fear when he recalled it. Although he ultimately won, the price he paid was equally heavy.

"Whatever their purpose, this matter is of utmost importance," Captain-Commander Yamamoto finally spoke in a deep voice, breaking the deathly silence in the room.

"The Quincy have reappeared and are actively attacking the Shinigami. This matter must be taken very seriously! Sparrow Department."

"Yes!" Chojiro immediately straightened his back.

"This information should not be shared with a wider audience for the time being, so as not to cause unnecessary panic and suspicion."

Yamamoto commanded, his tone leaving no room for doubt, "But each squad must be on high alert, especially monitoring the Hueco Mundo passage and the abnormal spiritual pressure fluctuations in the real world."

"Analyze the transmitted spiritual energy residue samples with all our might, and be sure to determine their specific source and characteristics."

"Yes!" The Sparrow Division quickly made a note.

Yamamoto hesitated for a moment, then added, "Also, immediately notify Squad Zero, Yanagawa."

This matter involves the Quincy and takes place in Hueco Mundo, so it is no longer simply an internal affair of the Gotei 13.

The Zero Division has the right to know and the responsibility to intervene; they will deliver the report to Yanagawa.

"Understood!" Que Bu accepted the order and was about to turn around to carry it out.

Shortly afterward, at the Ghost Path Sect's encampment, Yanagawa received a report from the Sparrow Clan.

"Queens? Hueco Mundo? Sniping?" Yanagawa's expression became focused.

He knew of the existence of Quincy, based on information he had gathered from the Great Spiritual Arts Corridor.

Most of the Quincy appear to have been eliminated, and the remaining small number are under close surveillance.

The fact that Quincy have reappeared in Hueco Mundo and attacked the Shinigami Expeditionary Force with such sharpness and precision is no small matter.

Without hesitation, Liu Chuan activated the emergency contact channel on his communicator that led directly to the Spirit King Palace.

Complex spiritual runes lit up on the surface of the artifact, creating a stable cross-space link.

"Lord Hyosube." Liu Chuan addressed the emerging phantom of Hyosube Ichibei, composed of a hazy aura of spiritual particles.

He calmly began to recount the information sent by Captain-Commander Yamamoto, along with his own questions, in a concise and clear manner.

On the other end of the communicator, in the Lingwang Palace, inside the Eye Monk's Hall.

Hyōsuke Ichibei sat cross-legged, and after listening to Yanagawa's account, the smile on his usually gentle face gradually faded.

"As expected... it still happened."

Hyosube Ichibei's voice came through the communicator.

"Yanagawa, this information is very important. Captain-Commander Yamamoto was right to inform you. This matter is indeed of great importance and is no longer a simple matter concerning Seireitei."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts on how to explain that long-forgotten history to future generations.

"Since you have asked, I will explain it to you in detail."

Hyosube Ichibei's voice softened, carrying a distant, reminiscent quality.

"A thousand years ago, the Soul Society experienced a great calamity, and the one who led this disaster was the progenitor of the Quincy, named Yhwach."

He commands an elite force that calls itself the 'Sternritter'.

Their massive invasion of Soul Society was far from insignificant; it even... threatened the very foundation of the world's balance.