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

The Invisible Empire, the Palace of Ice.

Yugaran Hasward remained seated beside the throne, his icy blue eyes calmly gazing ahead, as if contemplating the future of the empire, or perhaps simply lost in thought.

Yaskin Nakruvar leaned against an icicle, listlessly tossing the strange die with a cynical smile on his lips.

suddenly--

Hasward, who was sitting upright, shuddered violently.

This action caused Yaskin, who seemed absent-minded, to stop throwing and catching the dice instantly, and the dice landed in his palm with a "snap".

His smile faded, and beneath the slightly curled bangs on his forehead, his eyes sharpened as he stared intently at Hasward.

Because, in Askin's mind, only someone who could keep the Sternritter calm and composed, seemingly unfazed even when the sky were falling, could do so.

The only possible explanation for His Majesty's most trusted lieutenant's obvious physical reaction is that it is directly related to His Majesty, or that it involves the life and death of other Holy Knights!

Hasward's usually exquisitely sculpted face now seemed to have cracked open like a millennia-old glacier, revealing an expression of "shock" and "disbelief".

"...disappeared."

"What disappeared?" Jaskin asked immediately, his ominous premonition growing stronger. He instinctively gripped the dice in his hand.

Hasward's gaze seemed to pierce through the walls of the ice palace, reaching towards an extremely distant direction, as he slowly said:

"The connection and feedback of the sacred script 'X' bestowed by His Majesty... has completely disappeared."

"What—?!" Askin's pupils shrank sharply, and the relaxed expression that had been on his face froze completely, replaced by a shock that was a mixture of horror and absurdity.

“Lijie Barrow?! That guy who boasted that he was His Majesty’s greatest masterpiece and closest to God… his sacred script connection… disappeared?! How could this be?! Could it be that he…”

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

The sacred script was directly bestowed by His Majesty and is bound to the Quincy's soul. Unless His Majesty personally takes it back, or... the host dies and the soul is completely annihilated, the connection will never be severed without reason!

“It seems our plan…” Hasward closed his eyes, as if trying to calm the unusual turmoil in his heart.

He opened his eyes again a few seconds later, his eyes now displaying their usual coldness and absolute rationality, but beneath that coldness lay a deeper gravity and scrutiny.

“A major unexpected event occurred that we had not anticipated at all. Lijer Barrow…failed.”

"Defeat? Lost to that young Shinigami from the Zero Division?"

Yaskin's voice rose, filled with disbelief.

“We all know Li Jie’s strength! Even if the opponent is the Zero Squad, Li Jie’s ‘All Things Connected’ should theoretically be enough to deal with most situations in his Perfected Body state!”

That young Grim Reaper named Yanagawa... just what kind of monster is he?!

Hasward paused for a moment, seemingly reassessing all the known information.

When he spoke again, his voice had completely regained its calmness and order, but the instructions he gave foreshadowed a major shift in the future policy of the invisible empire:

"The intelligence was wrong, the assessment was insufficient, and we seriously underestimated the strength of this new member of the Zero Squad—Yanagawa."

He is capable of directly defeating, and possibly even completely eliminating, Ridge Barrow, who wields the sacred symbol 'X'; therefore, his threat level must be raised.

He paused, then continued, "Since the 'key' capture plan has failed..."

The most urgent task is to clean up the mess and eliminate all clues that might point to the Empire. We must not give the Soul Society, especially the Zero Division, a chance to trace our origins back to us.

“From this moment on,” Hasward’s voice, resolute and unwavering, echoed through the cold palace.

"The entire Invisible Empire has entered the highest level of silence and closure."

Recall all members on non-essential missions, freeze all potential infiltration and covert operations, and strengthen the concealment barriers around all outposts and the Ice Palace.

"Until we receive new, clear instructions from His Majesty, all proactive actions against Soul Society and the Zero Division shall cease."

Yaskin took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and nodded.

He knew that Hasward's judgment was correct.

The defeat of Lijie Barrow was not only the loss of an important fighting force, but also meant that their plan against "Wang Jian" was completely exposed and thwarted, and that the enemy's strength far exceeded expectations.

Continuing to act at this point would be extremely risky.

"Understood," Yaskin replied in a deep voice, his carefree smile returning to his face, but this time, it carried a hint of cold killing intent.

"We'll remember this debt, and the grudge against Li Jie..."

"Wait for the right moment," Hasward interrupted Yaskin.

"Until His Majesty returns and bestows upon us new guidance, patience and concealment are our only principles. Pass down the order."

"Yes."

Yaskin accepted the order, turned and quickly left, his figure disappearing at the end of the ice palace corridor.

Haschward sat alone, his gaze once again fixed on the direction of Hueco Mundo, remaining silent for a long time.

Chapter 88 The Monk's Speculation

The Great Void Forest, the core area where the immense forces clashed, is now eerily silent.

Not far from the core area of ​​the battlefield, in a pile of ruins, a slightly disheveled figure leaped out—it was Asido.

He staggered after landing, but managed to steady himself. Without bothering to brush the sand off his body, he suddenly looked up and gazed towards the center of the battlefield.

Despite the considerable distance, he could still clearly "sense" that the two terrifying spiritual pressures that sent shivers down his spine had... completely vanished.

The battle is over.

Asido gripped the narrow blade tightly, his gaze fixed on that direction, filled with indescribable shock and... a hint of bewilderment.

He has struggled to survive and hunted Void creatures in this Great Void Forest for hundreds of years, witnessing countless brutal battles.

He has fought against various powerful Hollows.

But a battle of that level was completely beyond his comprehension.

The monster that the Quincy finally manifested, with its earth-shattering attacks, exuded a power level that made him instinctively tremble, as if he were facing some kind of higher-level being.

And that young Shinigami wearing the white captain's haori...

The jet-black dragon he unleashed, the eerie black flames, and especially the massive magic array that enveloped hundreds of meters at the end...

That was not the power of the Grim Reaper he understood at all!

At this moment, a huge wave of emotions surged in Asido's heart. When did such a terrifying figure appear in the Soul Society?

Why has the Quincy, a name long buried by the dust of history, reappeared with such power?

Just as he was still struggling to calm his emotions, Liu Chuan's figure slowly emerged from the edge of the pit in the center of the battlefield.

He didn't look much different from before, still wearing that pure white haori, only the edges were slightly torn and stained with some dust from the battle.

His face was calm, and his breathing was steady, as if what had just ended was not a life-or-death battle, but a routine drill.

He took out the Zero Squad's exclusive communicator from his pocket, and the communication was quickly established.

The scene on the other end of the communicator was not projected directly, but Hyosube Ichibei's voice could already be heard:

"Liuchuan, I've already sensed something about Hueco Mundo. I suppose you've made some progress on your end. How is it going?"

“Lord Hyosubu,” Yanagawa replied, giving a concise and clear report.

"The Quincy who attacked the expeditionary force was named Ridge Barrow, who claimed to be a member of the Sternritter of the Unknown Empire."

The sacred symbol 'X' has the ability 'all-encompassing' and possesses multiple enhanced forms. Its final form's strength approaches or even surpasses the pinnacle of a regular Captain-level Bankai.

It has now been confirmed that he was killed.

He paused briefly, then added crucial information:

"Their actions were clearly aimed at me, with the goal of obtaining the 'King Key'."

They seem to believe that all members of Squad Zero have had their bodies reshaped into 'King Keys'.

This attack on Hueco Mundo was a deliberate bait and trap to lure me here.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication, followed by the knowing voice of Hyosube Ichibei, tinged with a deep smile:

"As expected. It's all for the 'key'... After a thousand years of dormancy, they strike with such swift and decisive action, targeting the Zero Division directly. It seems their obsession and schemes against the Spirit King Palace have never diminished."

Your victory not only demonstrates the strength of our Zero Division, but also severed one of the enemy's top generals. The Quincy's losses this time are truly heavy.

Yanagawa calmly stated his observations and judgments:

"Although the enemy is strong, their operation mode is more like a precise hunt carried out alone, without any other Quincy cooperating or providing support."

No large-scale Quincy activity was observed in Hueco Mundo, suggesting this is likely not their stronghold or main base.

"Yes, it matches my prediction." Hyōsuke Ichibei's voice carried the composure of a wise man who had discerned the essence of the game.

"The environment in Hueco Mundo is harsh and the spiritual energy is chaotic, making it an undesirable place for Quincy to develop."

They chose this location because it is far from the center of Soul Society, making it easy to hide and set traps.

This operation by Lijer Barrow is more like a high-risk, high-reward special operation.

Now that the operation has failed and its core combat force has been weakened, the forces behind it will surely be alarmed.

His tone shifted to a calm, strategic analysis:

"I speculate that after this battle, the Quincy confirmed that their 'key' capture plan had failed and that they had lost important combat power."

In order to protect themselves and avoid being traced to their true lair, they will likely take the most extreme measure—going completely underground and entering a deeper state of concealment.

Before they have amassed sufficient strength or await a crucial opportunity, they will likely not reveal themselves again, much less launch such a risky, proactive attack.

Upon hearing this, Yanagawa agreed, as Hyosube Ichibei's judgment was basically in line with his own thoughts.

Having lurked for a thousand years, the Quincy must be extremely cautious in their actions.

A meticulously planned operation to seize the key failed, and they even lost a key fighter, which was enough to make them realize the strength of their opponent.

Continuing to risk exposure would be counterproductive.

"In other words, although this trip to Hueco Mundo failed to directly attack the Nest of the Destroyer, it was through this direct confrontation that we achieved something."

Its key plot was thwarted, its high-end combat capabilities were reduced, and it was forced into a period of complete silence for the foreseeable future.

Liu Chuan concluded, "From a strategic perspective, we have achieved the initial goals of deterrence and containment."

“That’s right,” Hyosube Ichibei affirmed.