I said you are all war criminals

Hong Xia said so.

Byakuya narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze seeming to cut Hongxia in half.

"An ordinary person? An ordinary person who can remain so calm under the spiritual pressure of a captain?"

His tone was full of suspicion, even a hint of sarcasm. "Who are you? What methods did you use?"

Hong Xia shrugged, "I'm really just an ordinary person. As for your spiritual pressure... maybe it's just your illusion? I don't feel anything."

This nonchalant attitude made Byakuya even more confused. He couldn't understand how a normal person without any spiritual power could remain so calm under his spiritual pressure. Was she hiding her strength? Or... did she have some special defense?

"Death, if you keep pestering me like this, I'm going to take action."

Xiangzi interrupted Byakuya's questioning impatiently.

Byakuya realized that further questioning would yield no answers, so he decided to give up for now and brought the conversation back to the main topic.

"Regarding the plan to turn all of humanity into Quincies..."

"...Where did you learn about this plan?"

Xiangzi's face changed slightly.

When she was invited here by Hongxia, she didn't expect to hear this plan from the mouth of the Grim Reaper.

This is a top secret plan!

147

Chapter 147 History.

"A plan to turn all of humanity into Quincy?"

Xiangzi narrowed his eyes, and his sharp gaze seemed to pierce through Byakuya's calm mask.

Byakuya's tone held a hint of warning: "Once this plan is implemented, it will completely disrupt the balance between the living world and Soul Society, causing unimaginable disasters."

"Balance? Disaster?"

Xiangzi seemed to have heard a ridiculous joke and couldn't help but sneer. "Shinigami are so arrogant, always taking everything on themselves. The balance between the living world and Soul Society? What does that have to do with you? For the past hundred years, you Shinigami couldn't even enter the living world, and the world was still fine, wasn't it? Don't take yourselves so seriously!"

She took a step forward, approaching Byakuya, and met his gaze without fear. "You Shinigami are just a bunch of guys hiding in the shadows, claiming to maintain the balance of the world, but in reality, you don't care about the real world. Now you suddenly jump out and say you want to protect the real world, don't you think it's ridiculous?"

Byakuya remained calm, "The Quincy's ambition will sooner or later drag the world into the abyss."

"Ambition? You sound like you Shinigami don't have any."

Xiangzi retorted bluntly, "Don't forget, who attacked Yhwach? Who launched the attack on the real world?"

"Is this how Quincy whitewash their past?"

Byakuya finally let out a cold smile, "It was you Quincy who launched the attack on Soul Society a thousand years ago."

"This is our line. You Death Gods really know how to distort history!"

Xiangzi slammed his hammer on the table. "In the final analysis, you're just relying on the massacres you inflicted on us Quincies, so you're making up stories at will... a thousand years ago, two hundred years ago, and now you're just looking for an excuse to attack us again!"

"Thousands of years ago, it was you Quincy who first provoked the war, attempting to overthrow the order of Soul Society!"

Byakuya's voice was as cold as ice. "As for Yhwach, his ambitions go far beyond this. His goal is to devour the present world and reduce everything to nothing!"

"What nonsense!"

Xiangzi laughed in anger, "You're confusing right and wrong! It's you, the Death Gods, who are greedily grabbing the spiritual power of the living world and forcing us Quincies into a dead end! It's Ichiri-sama who's fighting for humanity!"

"That's not for humans, it's just for manipulating humans."

Byakuya lowered his voice, suppressing his anger.

"Manipulation?"

Xiangzi laughed so hard, as if he had heard something hilarious, that he collapsed on the ground, even covering his stomach with his hands. "You Death Gods really like to flatter yourselves! Control? What are we controlling?"

She had laughed enough, straightened up, and stared at Byakuya with a sharp look, "The ones who truly control everything are you, the Shinigami! You hide in the shadows, secretly absorbing the spiritual energy of the living world, and you call it 'maintaining balance'. How hypocritical! Disgusting!"

Xiangzi's words completely ended the topic.

Byakuya spoke slowly, his tone cold: "It seems that you have been completely brainwashed by Yhwach."

"brainwashing?"

Xiangzi raised his eyebrows and said with thunderous momentum, "Your Highness Ichiri is fighting for the future of all mankind! And you are the real masterminds behind this! You are afraid of the power of the Quincy and afraid of losing control of the world, so you want to stop us!"

"Control? That's ridiculous."

Byakuya stood up, looking down at Shoko, "We never intended to control the real world. We were simply fulfilling our duty to protect it from the Hollows."

Byakuya didn't waste any more words. He knew that arguing with someone who had been thoroughly brainwashed was like playing the lute to a cow. He turned around, ready to leave this tense atmosphere.

At this moment, Hong Xia, who had been silent the entire time, spoke. Her voice was clear and melodious, like a breath of fresh air in the tense atmosphere. "Would you two like a drink? I think alcohol might help us communicate better."

Xiangzi was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "Communication? With a lying god of death? Forget it."

Bai Ya paused, without looking back, and said in a cold tone, "No need."

Hong Xia sighed and took out a kitchen knife from under her bar.

"I say, both of you, sit down."

Hong Xia said politely.

"Thank you."

A huge pressure exploded, and both Xiangzi and Byakuya felt it. It was a different kind of power from spiritual pressure. They both looked at the knife. The knife looked like an ordinary one, but the handle was in the shape of a dragon. On the side, there was a vivid dragon painting with claws spread out.

Only Li Xi was stunned when she saw Hong Xia take out a kitchen knife.

"Hongxia, let's not talk about Xiangzi for now. Kuchiki is the god of death. You use a kitchen knife—"

Before Riki could finish his words, he saw Xiangzi and Baiya silently return to the bar and sit down.

Hongxia pushed a wine glass filled with amber liquid in front of them. The aroma of wine, with a subtle hint of fruit, was permeating the air. Byakuya didn't even glance at it, but took the glass and drank it all in one gulp. His Adam's apple rolled, as if he were swallowing fire instead of fine wine. Xiangzi examined the contents of the glass with a scrutinizing gaze. After a moment's hesitation, she tilted her head back and drank. The spicy liquid slid down her throat, making her frown.

"Cough cough..."

Xiangzi put down his wine glass and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "What the hell is this? It tastes really weird. It's even worse than the drink you just mixed."

"This is the fruit wine I brewed myself, with some special spices added."

Hong Xia said with a smile.

The alcohol had subsided, and the tense atmosphere had indeed eased somewhat. Hong Xia sighed softly and said, "You two, I'm just an ordinary person. I don't understand your thousand-year-old grudges. I only know that after all the fighting, ordinary people like us are the ones who suffer in the end. Besides, it's foolish to continue discussing things that happened a thousand years ago. The past is the past. What's important is the present and the future."

She looked at the two of them with a sincere attitude, "Whether it's a Shinigami or a Quincy, excessive fighting will only bring disaster to the world. Do you really wish to see the lives of the living in this world destroyed?"

Xiangzi curled his lips and said nothing, clearly dismissing Hongxia's words. Byakuya fell into deep thought. Although he was a noble, he had also served as a military officer and had been stationed in the real world. Hongxia's words reminded him of his former comrades, the Shinigami who had sacrificed their lives to protect the real world.

Hong Xia continued, "I know there's a deep hatred between the Shinigami and the Quincies, and it's difficult to put aside our prejudices all at once. But, is there no other solution? Must we fight to the death?"

She picked up the wine jug and refilled both of their glasses. "Have a drink, calm down and think about this."

In Hong Xia's hand, the Eternal Spirit Sword was still shining.

148

Chapter 148: Orders.

"...Anyway, that's what I heard."

Between the thrones, Xiangzi told Goto Ichiri everything he had heard and seen.

Goto Ichiri sat on the throne, her entire body hidden in the shadows, making it difficult to see her expression. After a long silence, she slowly spoke, "Xiangzi, what do you want?"

Xiangzi was stunned for a moment, then knelt on one knee, placed his right hand on his chest, and said devoutly, "Your Majesty, you are the only sun in my heart. Serving you is my greatest wish."

Goto Ichiri fell silent, seemingly unsatisfied with the answer. The hall fell into a dead silence once again, and Xiangzi felt her heart was about to burst. She didn't understand why Goto Ichiri wasn't satisfied, given her apparent loyalty. Did she want to hear a more explicit confession? Or was she testing her sincerity?

"Xiangzi,"

Goto Ichiri spoke again, her voice even deeper than before, "Look at me."

Xiangzi didn't dare disobey Goto Ichiri's order, her heart pounding like a drum. She slowly raised her head and met Goto Ichiri's deep gaze. That gaze was as dark as the depths of the universe, as if it wanted to suck her in. At that moment, Xiangzi felt dizzy, as if she was in endless darkness and nothingness, unable to find a direction or support. There was no emotion in Goto Ichiri's eyes, as cold as ice that had been frozen for thousands of years, only scrutiny, as if he was looking at an inanimate object, a cold tool.

"You really don't want anything?"

Goto Ichiri asked word by word, and each word was like a heavy hammer hitting Xiangzi's heart.

Xiangzi felt her throat tighten. She swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty: "I... everything I want has been granted by His Majesty."

"is it?"

Goto Ichiri's mouth curled up slightly, but the angle was so small that it made people think it was an illusion. "Toyokawa Shoko, you still think you are a half-demon, not a Quincy. What you want is still the glory of a half-demon."

——The King of the Quincies can see things in parallel worlds.

Among the Quincies, this is an open secret.

Xiangzi knew that Ichiri had seen the world line he had simulated, but he didn't expect that he would actually bring this matter to the table. Xiangzi's heart trembled. As the King of the Quincy, how would Ichiri view the King of Half-Demons?

Xiangzi bit her lips tightly, and even though the blood seeped out, she seemed unaware.

Indeed, in front of Byakuya Kuchiki, she played the role of a loyal Quincy, perfectly portraying her respect for the Quincies and her contempt for the Shinigami.

However, all this is just a lie, a thin disguise.

Shoko had been a Quincy for only a few months, and her sense of identification with them was tenuous, let alone deep loyalty. All her expressions of affection, all her deference and obedience, were merely carefully rehearsed performances, a mask worn to gain trust. Yet, even so, she had always been confident that her disguise was flawless, never expecting Goto Ichiri to see through her. She had believed she could conceal her secret forever.

"His Majesty……"

Xiangzi spoke with difficulty, his voice trembling, "I..."

How would the King of the Quincies treat those who harbored ulterior motives?

Xiangzi put himself in other people's shoes and felt that he would be made into sashimi.

"No need to explain,"

Goto Ichiri interrupted her, his tone unable to tell whether he was happy or angry. "I know what you want. The glory of a half-demon, I can give it to you. You want a country that belongs only to half-demons, I can give you that too."

Ichiri continued, "Half-demons and humans alike are all my children."

"Your Majesty is holy."

Xiangzi lowered her head and answered respectfully. Her voice sounded calm and submissive, as if she was truly grateful for Goto Ichiri's arrangement.

The glory of being a half-demon? Xiangzi wanted it, dreamed of it. But she knew better than to think that Goto Ichiri's so-called "gift" was just another form of shackles. She was like a puppet, manipulated by Goto Ichiri.

Goto Ichiri stood up and slowly walked to Xiangzi. She looked down at Xiangzi, her eyes as sharp as a knife. "Xiangzi, do you know what I admire most about you?"

Xiangzi raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, please explain clearly."

"Your ambition."

There was no emotion in Goto Ichiri's voice. "You desire equality. That's the most ambitious thing you can do."

Xiangzi remained silent.

And Yili finally seemed to be fed up and put his hand on Xiangzi's head.

"Xiangzi, the sacred text you hold is [U], the U of Utopia."

Ichiri continued.

"Originally, your ability was to transform the surroundings into a space inaccessible to inferior races... This was a very powerful ability among the many knights of Starry. However, if you want to fight against the Shinigami, this ability alone, or the demon blood in your body alone, is not enough."

The warmth of spiritual pressure enveloped Xiangzi, as if she were soaking in a hot spring, so comfortable that she almost uttered a sound. Xiangzi could feel her sacred text [U] cheering, and the spiritual pressure in her body was almost boiling.

“Utopia is not just a utopia.”

Goto Ichiri withdrew his hand, his tone as calm as if he was recounting a trivial matter. "Shoko, the equality you seek shouldn't be a world where all those who fail to become half-demon die. In your domain, everything, including you, will be bound by the rules, and no one will be able to resist."

Xiangzi realized that his ability to read holy words had changed.

——What a terrifying power.

Although the Holy Words were granted to the Knights by Ichiri, Xiangzi believed that this power should be wielded by the Knights themselves, by her own extended power. However, Ichiri simply brushed Xiangzi's head, and the Holy Words power Xiangzi had built over the past six months was completely altered, completely... deteriorated.

If a Quincy truly loved Ichiri, they might feel honored, but for Xiangzi, she only felt humiliated.

Feeling Ichiri's spiritual pressure dissipate, Xiangzi quickly lowered his head and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your gift!"

Yili frowned slightly at Xiangzi's attitude, but even so, she didn't let her words carry any emotion.

"Tomorrow, you, Yukinoshita, and Gosuke will go to Soul Society together. Go and tell those Shinigami that the real world is the human world, and that Shinigami should be like the dead and keep their mouths shut."