At this moment, inside the Eighth Division barracks.
The usually lazy Shunsui Kyōraku had been napping in his wicker chair. When Nanao Ise woke him, his spirits had been low.
But hearing this, he jolted like ice water had been dumped on him. He sat up instantly.
His lips showed a bitter smile, but his eyes gleamed strangely as he muttered to himself:
"Two years of hidden surveillance... hey, hey... no way, Segawa..."
"Could it really be... like that...?"
When he heard Shigure mention two years of surveillance, connecting it to the pre-battle strategy meeting content, a horrifying thought immediately appeared in his mind.
Beside him, Nanao Ise found his reaction even stranger.
Though she knew her captain appeared lazy but was actually meticulous, far beyond ordinary people.
But just as she was about to ask, Shigure's voice transmitted through Tentei Kūra again—
"You probably find my words quite unbelievable, right...?"
"That someone could secretly observe me for two years without being detected..."
"Moreover, a Quincy who couldn't possibly exist within the Seireitei."
Hearing this, in the Tenth Division, Tōshirō Hitsugaya nodded quietly to himself.
This did sound rather fantastical.
But then what Shigure said next completely stunned him—
"I apologize, but if you think that, you're mistaken."
"Your error lies in assuming from the start that 'Quincies don't exist within the Seireitei.'"
"Moreover, you all believe this bizarre, swift attack caught us off guard"
"Because the Quincies used special movement methods, bypassing the Soul Membrane's existence."
"But actually, they've been... existing within the Seireitei all along."
!!
Hearing this, all captains and lieutenants froze simultaneously.
In that moment, they even held their breath together.
Even calm individuals like Retsu Unohana and Byakuya Kuchiki couldn't help widening their eyes.
Shigure's words completely halted their thinking.
Quincies, the natural enemies of Soul Reapers... actually existed within the Seireitei...?!
From any angle... this seemed completely impossible...
Moreover, nearly every part of the Seireitei was under constant patrol by various divisions. Quincies simply couldn't exist there.
At this moment, among all the captains, only Shunsui Kyōraku reacted differently.
The light in his eyes grew even deeper.
"Yes... of course... I should have thought of it from the start..."
Muttering softly, Kyōraku's lips slowly curved into a faint smile.
Beside him, Nanao Ise remained frozen, awaiting Shigure's explanation.
Sure enough, after a moment, Shigure's voice transmitted again—
"When the Quincies invaded the Captain-Commander's office, they triggered absolutely no Soul Membrane alarms."
"Moreover, there wasn't a trace of hollow reaction throughout Soul Society."
"When they left, the situation was identical. Clearly, this alone proves it."
As they continued listening, everyone's expressions grew increasingly grave.
Once they accepted what Shigure said, everything seemed to become less obscure.
And Shigure's words didn't stop—
"Perhaps everyone knows that a thousand years ago, a war between Soul Reapers and Quincies already erupted."
"In that battle, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, with his overwhelming strength, completely suppressed and nearly killed the Quincy progenitor—a man named 'Yhwach.'"
"With their leader fallen, all the Quincies fell into irreversible defeat."
"After their defeat, that group of Quincies lost their dwelling place."
"Finally, they fled to where Soul Reapers' guard was most relaxed at the time—inside the Seireitei itself..."
"Then, using extremely special methods, they constructed invisible spiritual particle spaces within the shadows of all buildings in the Seireitei, hiding inside them."
"Therefore, when they declared war on the Captain-Commander, they called themselves..."
"The Wandenreich."
...?!
The so-called Wandenreich... was actually an empire hidden under everyone's noses... within the shadows...?!
Hearing this, all captains and lieutenants were utterly shocked.
Their minds even went briefly blank.
No one imagined the Quincies would... choose such a desperate survival method to hide...?!
Forget the Captain-Commander and others a thousand years ago—even after a millennium, they today couldn't possibly think of this!
Even having already considered this possibility, Kyōraku's eyes showed震 shock.
Though they had no idea how Shigure, at his age, learned these ultimate secrets.
But he'd never been... someone who could be judged by common sense!
Moreover, two or three years of working together—Shigure had long earned their absolute trust through his repeated actions.
This trust wasn't superficial or circumstantial, but... emotion from the depths of their hearts.
Besides, he simply wasn't someone who spoke empty words.
Since he said this now, it certainly wouldn't be wrong.
However, if this was true...
Didn't that mean... for a thousand years, all Soul Reaper actions were almost completely exposed to the enemy...?!
All captains and lieutenants immediately darkened, their expressions becoming extremely grave.
In such a war, this massive intelligence gap between both sides
Had already become the Gotei's...
Greatest disadvantage!
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