It is best if war never happens.
The same goes for fighting, and for petty squabbles.
Of course, it's impossible for a human to live without a single conflict or dispute.
But in a world that's already complex and headache-inducing, isn't it better to live in peace whenever possible?
"So, wipe that look off your face, you damn monk."
"I assume you are aware that the flap of a butterfly's wings can return as a typhoon. If this war is buried and Yhwach settles in as the King of the Quincy, it will only return as a far more violent bloodbath later. Have you no thought for the aftermath brought about by your pathetic idealism?"
"We have to work to make sure it doesn't turn out like that. Of course, I'm not saying simple effort without a plan is enough. From what I see, it seems you think the very existence of the Quincy is the problem."
"You, who know the truth, dare to do this? The Quincy are nothing but a blight upon this world. This was the opportunity to crush them completely."
"Why? Are you afraid a second Soul King will emerge? Or are you scared the Quincy will slaughter every Hollow they see, causing the balance of the Three Worlds to collapse and return the world to the Void?"
"All of the above."
The monk glared at me as he spoke.
It's a ridiculous notion, but the monk, in his own way, truly believed he was acting for the sake of the world.
In reality, the act of a Quincy eradicating a Hollow was no different from grabbing and shaking a precarious scale.
Looking back at the time of the Soul King proves it. Especially... the sight I witnessed on that day, when I fought the Soul King with everything I had, is still etched into my mind.
The holes that tore through the fabric of reality as Reishi was pulled to be used as weapons, the collapsed balance, the resulting distortions.
I can't forget how that broken world felt—as if it would shatter at a single touch.
It was a trauma, plain and simple. It was literally the sight of the world falling apart.
"So you intend to kill all the Quincy. Just like you did when you killed the Soul King?"
"It is for the sake of the world. It was a necessary sacrifice! Why do you focus only on the trees and fail to see the forest!"
I scratched my head as he pounded the floor in a fit of passion.
What the monk said wasn't necessarily wrong.
But my response has always been decided.
It has been the same for a million years.
"The Quincy are an evil that disrupts the world's balance, so they must be eliminated... fine, let's put everything else aside and just talk about that. Are the Quincy truly evil?"
"They are evil. An evil that threatens the balance of the Three Worlds, an evil that must be purged."
"For them, fighting Hollows is a matter of survival. Is it a sin to struggle for your life, to protect your very existence? Should they have just died without resisting the Hollows?"
"It is for the sake of the world."
The world does not turn without someone's sacrifice.
Yes, I know that well enough. I have no intention of denying it.
Denying that fact would be nothing less than insulting the Soul King's choice to sacrifice his own life.
But that doesn't mean it's okay to justify the sacrifice of others.
Especially not when that sacrifice is forced upon them by someone else's will rather than their own.
That is wrong. No matter what grand justification you attach to it, the fact that it isn't right remains unchanged.
Even if the heavens forgive the act of taking no responsibility yourself while forcing sacrifice onto others, I will not.
If that is what's required for this great world of yours, then I will gladly abandon the world.
"Before you condemn their struggle for survival as a sin, shouldn't you have tried to have at least one conversation? You label them as evil without giving them the minimum opportunity? Is that your justice?"
"It is the Great Cause."
"It's a problem that could be solved if both sides just gave an inch. Why do you pretend not to know the answer when it's right in front of you? Can't the Soul Reapers cooperate so the Quincy don't have to use their power? Soul Reapers could protect the Quincy's lands, or the Quincy could move into areas managed by the Soul Reapers."
"Those are mere temporary expedients. Yhwach will one day reach the truth of this world, and when that happens, blood will inevitably be shed."
"Temporary expedients? Are Quincy immortal? Are they the Soul King? If they die and come to the Soul Society, you can just recruit them as Soul Reapers. Then you can have them protect the areas where the living Quincy are. And I've been holding back on saying this, but don't just say things won't work before you've even tried talking, you bastard..."
Perhaps because of the alcohol, my emotions were bubbling over and I felt a parching heat inside me. I let out one deep sigh after another.
Seriously, a million years ago he wasn't this much of a blockhead. What the hell happened in the meantime to make him this narrow-minded?
I rubbed my face with my hands and continued thinking before dropping them.
Fine, there must be a reason why this bastard is acting like this.
The monk is stubborn, but he's not an idiot.
If that's the case, a logical reason to suspect would be...
"You—what exactly did you see?"
"...."
"What, did you see a future where the King of the Quincy kills the Soul King? Did you see the world right on the brink of destruction? Or did you see something close to it?"
As if I had hit the mark, the monk stared at me in silence for a while before quietly opening his mouth.
"Fate does not change. Even though we watched as you said, Yhwach declared war on the Soul Society. Exactly as I saw."
"We stopped the bloodshed, though."
"It was only possible because you were there. But by that logic, isn't that just hindsight? Is everything well just because the end was good? Without you, the Soul Society would have suffered immense damage. They might have even fallen into a state beyond recovery. Yhwach—that thing's eyes still remained."
"...."
This time, it was I who fell silent, having nothing to say.
Just as the monk said, a literal bloodbath would have occurred if I hadn't been there.
"You cannot carry the world on your back by intervening forever. No matter how strong you are, you have but one body, and what is meant to happen will eventually happen. If so, shouldn't we at least minimize the damage?"
Wait.
Hold on a second.
"So what you're saying is, since I can't do everything alone anyway, I should just give up and slaughter the Quincy. I almost fell for that one."
This son of a bitch's gut is a nest of vipers. And not just any snakes—massive pythons.
I let out a hollow laugh, slapped my forehead, and swept back my hair.
"Did I step in and tell them to stop fighting and make up right now? No. I told them not to fight and to listen to what I had to say. I resolved it through dialogue, not force. No matter how deep the conflict, it can be settled if you talk it out. Look at us now—am I showing off my power or getting into a fistfight with you? We're just having a bit of a tug-of-war because our opinions don't match. Is that true or not?"
"There are conflicts in this world that cannot be resolved through dialogue alone. Survival is one of the primary examples."
"And you're saying that applies to the Quincy?"
Just to be sure, I asked, and the monk nodded.
In that moment, a surge of rage flared up within me, nearly erupting, but I took a deep breath to cool my head.
"Fine, let's summarize. The Quincy's 'eradication' harms the balance of the world, so the Soul Reapers will pressure them not to break that balance, and the Quincy will define the Soul Reapers as enemies who threaten their right to survive, leading them to start a war just like they did this time? So we're back at square one?"
I'm not just saying 'no' blindly; I'm even providing alternatives for him to consider. So why the hell does this bastard keep saying no?
What exactly is he rejecting? What about this is so displeasing to him?
Wait...
"You never had any intention of listening to me in the first place, did you?"
Yeah, now it makes sense.
"You were planning to ignore me completely until Yhwach, who threatens your position, disappeared or died. And then you spout all this nonsense about 'the sake of the world,' trying to pull the wool over my eyes. You never intended to understand or listen from the start. Of course, that's why the conversation keeps going in circles."
"That is a leap in logic."
"I wish it were. If I'm wrong, tell me now. If you tell me I've misunderstood and that I'm wrong, I'll apologize."
"The reason the Quincy must be killed is, as I stated before, because their very existence is a blight upon the world."
"If that's the case, what about Hollows? You haven't forgotten that the primordial world almost ended because of them, have you? Surely you won't claim you didn't know. According to your logic, Hollows are also a threat and a blight to the world, so why do you leave them alone? Is it because you think they're fine as long as they're imprisoned in Hueco Mundo?"
"Because Soul Reapers can purify Hollows."
"And I'm telling you the Soul Reapers can help the Quincy!"
Parallel lines, yet again.
It was like chanting scriptures to an ox. Actually, no. Chanting to an ox would be better.
Who knows, maybe the ox would one day attain enlightenment and reach nirvana.
But talking to a wall is a different story.
An ox might not understand, but it at least listens. A wall doesn't even listen.
"I'll ask you one last time. Are the Quincy evil?"
"They are evil."
"Then I'm done talking."
Saying so, I drew my blade.