It was something wrapped in white cloth.
When it had been entrusted to him, Ryūken Ishida had specifically instructed Uryū not to open it.
Though it inevitably stirred his curiosity, Uryū, out of principle and upbringing, didn't give in. This wasn't about preference—it was a matter of personal integrity.
Besides, who knew if he'd even run into Seiya Arima in Hueco Mundo?
Lost in these scattered thoughts, Uryū continued moving, when Ichigo Kurosaki, charging ahead at the front, called out over his shoulder:
"We're almost at the exit!"
Together with Chad, they snapped to attention, bodies tensing as they all grew serious.
Ichigo pressed his lips into a line and gave a tense smile.
"You guys better stay safe, alright?!"
Chad gave a thumbs-up. "Yeah."
Uryū adjusted his glasses with a smirk. "You think we're amateurs?"
They reached the end of the Garganta. As they neared the threshold, the air trembled and warped until—
Whummmm!
—it split apart.
A grayish-white sky appeared beyond—and the three of them suddenly plunged through open air.
They were falling midair—seriously?!
"AAAHHHHH!!!"
They crash-landed in a mess.
At the same time, deep in Hueco Mundo, the Espada immediately sensed their arrival.
Unlike Shinigami, Arrancar had beast-like instincts and a strong sense of territorial awareness. The disturbance hit them like a reflex.
Should they attack? Observe? Intercept?
Before any decision could be made, a silent call for an emergency assembly had already been distributed among the Espada.
A hastily summoned meeting—yet not a single one dared disobey the call.
Aizen Sōsuke sat at the head of the table, his expression detached, his presence bored, almost like the entire gathering had nothing to do with him.
"Everyone's here, I assume?"
His gaze swept across the room, void of emotion.
Once confirmed, he stood and turned to leave.
As he reached the doorway, Aizen finally spoke in a calm voice:
"I'm not interested in operations. From here on, follow Seiya's orders."
Though the ruler of Hueco Mundo, this timeline's Aizen had been remarkably hands-off.
The Espada couldn't understand it either.
Just what had changed between Aizen and Seiya to shift the balance so?
No one had time to reflect.
On the opposite side of the table, Seiya Arima rose to his feet.
Beside him stood Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru. Without a word, their posture made it clear—they would follow Seiya's commands, no matter what.
"Alright then. As Aizen-sama said, I'll be handling operations."
With his experience as a former captain, Seiya knew that dragging out meetings only invited irritation.
So he kept it short.
The ponytailed, slender man raised one hand, index and middle fingers forming a casual V sign.
"To save time, I'll be brief."
"First order: All Espada are to remain stationed in their sectors. Do not engage unless your territory is attacked directly."
Thump!
A loud bang echoed off the table.
Seiya didn't even need to look to know who made the noise.
With a faint smile and calm voice, he said, "Cool it, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. I'm not telling you not to fight—I'm telling you to wait for the right time."
He knew well there were those who wouldn't just sit still.
"You can sulk if you want, but wasting time now might mean missing your shot at Kurosaki Ichigo."
"So, be patient. Let me finish."
Grimmjow narrowed his eyes, clearly unhappy.
"...Tch."
A reluctant grunt—his own form of agreement.
Seiya continued smoothly.
"Now, to the second order, which is even simpler."
"If you encounter the human named Ishida Uryū, let him pass. Escort him if needed—he's to reach my barrier as soon as possible."
That was all.
With that, Seiya stood and gave a slight bow.
"Now then, everyone—go do as you please."
This was their land.
Compared to Seiya, the native Arrancar knew how to move in their own territory.
One by one, the Espada dispersed to begin their preparations.
Seiya too left the palace.
Unexpectedly, Tōsen and Gin followed behind him.
Seiya raised a brow in surprise. "What's this? You two not heading back to Aizen-sama?"
Tōsen spoke first, voice serious.
"He's nearing the final phase of preparation. We're not needed now."
Gin gave a shrug, tone playful.
"What he's doing now ain't something we should peek at. Even the overflow of his power's enough to kill—you think anyone's guarding that?"
Final phase?
Seiya paused, then gave a small, resigned smile.
Makes sense. Ichigo and his friends invading Hueco Mundo was a fixed point—it meant the final battle was close.
Aizen, thanks to Seiya's presence in this timeline, had condensed the Espada's influence and skipped the creation of Wonderweiss entirely.
All that time and energy had gone into... something else.
That might explain Aizen's aloof demeanor lately.
"Meanwhile, my work's barely yielding results," Seiya said with a sigh.
He was attempting to use the prototype Hōgyoku to mend the Arrancar's flaws, but even with Ichigo's arrival, he still hadn't made much progress.
A real headache.
Gin tried to lighten the mood.
"Well, at least there has been some progress, right?"
Seiya hummed neutrally. "A little... but not enough. Still, I may have one last chance."
Before Aizen gathered his elite forces for the final push to the World of the Living, Seiya would have one final opportunity to analyze and refine the prototype Hōgyoku.
It was a gamble now—pure luck.
He frowned, then stopped walking.
Blind Tōsen noticed it immediately. "What is it? Are you hurt?"
"No, nothing that serious…"
Seiya gently pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his heartbeat slow. His face gradually relaxed.
"It's just… lately, I've been having these heart palpitations. A weird feeling, hard to explain."
Gin blinked. "Stress from overwork?"
"I said it's not like that—it's more of a... premonition."
His gaze lifted, eyes darkening.
"I feel like—even if we win this war... I won't make it to the end."
The air turned heavy.
Neither Gin nor Tōsen responded immediately.
Then Gin forced a grin. "Now now, let's not talk like that. Even if those Espada don't amount to much, the three of us can still handle the Captains, right?"
"Well... unless you and Aizen both take on Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni at once."
Which was obviously impossible.
Tōsen also chimed in. "You're worrying too much, Seiya."
"Maybe…"
Seiya didn't feel reassured.
He stared at his right hand, repeatedly clenching and opening it.
A silent sigh left his lips.
The dread wasn't from any enemy he knew.
It was something... unnameable.
The stronger one becomes, the more clearly one can feel the looming cloud overhead.
A rolling storm blocking out the sun.
Intuition... or fate?
That oppressive feeling had begun to leave physical effects on Seiya.
Despite his efforts to remain calm and optimistic, he knew he had to prepare for the worst.
As the phrase suggested—
There's not much time left.
Steeling himself, Seiya took a breath and smiled again.
"Sorry for worrying you two. Let's go."
"It's time we see just how far that punk Ichigo's going to make it…"
…
Ichigo and company had crash-landed—just as in the original tale.
They encountered Neliel Tu Odelschwanck (Nelliel) and her two goofy subordinates.
Things were chaotic, but after some quick introductions, her minions cried out in unison:
"YOU'RE ISHIDA URYŪ?!"
Uryū blinked in confusion. "Yes… is that a problem?"
The plump Dondochakka Bijin leapt up. "We just got a message from Las Noches! If we met you, we were told to tell you something!"
The lanky Pesche Guatiche flailed excitedly. "If you're looking for Seiya Arima, head that way!"
!!!
It was like they'd triggered a switch.
The trio instantly went from curious to dead serious.
That name left an impression—too much of one.
Ichigo had complicated feelings about him. Even though they'd never met directly, just hearing his name made Ichigo tense.
Chad feared Seiya even more than Aizen.
And as for Uryū—how the hell was a Quincy connected to this former Fifth Division Captain?
Could it be a trap?
Ichigo turned to Uryū. "What do you think?"
Uryū calmly turned to face the direction they'd pointed.
He raised his right hand. "This way, correct?"
His tone left no room for doubt.
After receiving confirmation, he adjusted his glasses and said plainly:
"I have a task to complete—one tied to my family and my origin."
"Don't worry. He won't harm me."
"Once I've finished, I'll rejoin you both."
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Powerstones?
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