Who are you calling a stable boy?!

Ishida Seishun never expected that Ishida Komagawa had summoned him today to tell him that the Shinigami had taken the initiative to propose a second meeting!

"This shows that Death's side is actually willing to maintain relations with Ping, which is a good thing, Qingxiang!"

Koma said with heartfelt sincerity.

He was genuinely happy.

The worst thing about negotiations and peace talks is when someone is willing but the other is indifferent.

The fact that Death is now willing to propose a second round of talks means that the possibility of resolving the issue without resorting to violence has greatly increased.

How could he not be happy?

But while he was happy, Ishida Seishun was upset.

"Talk? Hmph!"

He snorted coldly: "Fine, let's talk then. I want to see what those Grim Reapers have to say this time!"

He initially wanted to directly berate Koma and stop the second meeting, but then he thought about it and realized that given Koma's personality, no matter what he said, he would not give up the opportunity for the second meeting.

It's even possible that he might provoke them into a rage, detaining the leader of the pro-war faction and only taking the peacekeeping faction to the talks.

It would be better to admit defeat verbally now and then make your move during the second meeting.

He doesn't need to do anything else. All he needs to do is stick to the same demands he made last time. Do you think those Grim Reapers will actually agree to them?

As long as death doesn't intervene, hey, what if we have to hold the talks a third or fourth time?

Thinking of this, Ishida Seishun's smile became even more delightful.

"Qingxiang, you... sigh, this opportunity is hard-won, you must not bring up those requests again."

"Ha, Komagen, whether to mention it or not is not up to you alone. What? Are you finally planning to disregard the voices of your people and act arbitrarily?"

"You! Sigh..."

Koma had considered not bringing Seishun to the meeting, but he knew that if he did so, Seishun would most likely lead the pro-war faction to cause a scene at the meeting.

His muddle-headed brother is truly capable of doing such a thing.

Whether to bring it or not is a dilemma.

The Grim Reaper has given us very little time; the second meeting will take place in two days.

After much deliberation, Komagen had no choice but to bring Aoshiro back with him.

He felt that at least this way, things wouldn't escalate to the worst possible state in the blink of an eye.

The two brothers parted on bad terms, as usual.

Two days later, on a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean, representatives from both the Shinigami and Quincy sides were present at the meeting.

"Oh, Ishida, it's nice to see you again."

He immediately grabbed Koma's hand and shook it enthusiastically. Chunshui greeted him with a smile.

"Yes, Mr. Kyoraku, it's great to see you again."

Komagaru responded sincerely.

Just like the last meeting, the person representing the Shinigami was not the Captain-Commander, but Shunsui, who was assigned by the Captain-Commander.

As the only remaining pure-blooded Quincy family in the world, the Ishida family has limited knowledge of the Seireitei and was unaware of the Captain-Commander's existence. Otherwise, Ishida Seishun would probably have had another reason to rant.

However, Komagaru looked at the delegation of the Shinigami attending the meeting this time and found that there was one more person than last time.

He was a young man who looked to be at most in his early twenties, and he was at the very back of the Death Regiment.

He knew that one could not judge the age of the Grim Reaper by appearance alone. Just like when he and Chunshui were compared, one was white-haired and the other was full of vigor, but Chunshui was hundreds of years older than him. Calling him "brother" was already an honor.

Therefore, Komagaru would not rashly regard this seemingly young Grim Reaper as a member of the younger generation.

As if sensing his gaze, Koma Gen saw the young man raise his head and look at him with a playful smile, exuding a carefree and irreverent air. His golden eyes seemed to gleam with light, causing Koma Gen to be momentarily stunned.

"Brother Komagen?"

"Oh, oh! Excuse me, Mr. Kyoraku, please."

Both sides entered the temporarily arranged meeting room and took their seats opposite each other.

"first--"

Just as Komagaru was about to speak, Ishida Seisho pointed at Harumi, who was at the head of the group, and shouted, "Alright! Stop wasting time! You're all prepared to accept the conditions from last time, aren't you?"

"Blue Sky!!"

Ishida Komagaru raised his hand and grabbed his younger brother.

"What? Is there a problem? This is the result of everyone's discussion!"

Meeting Komagawa's angry glare, Ishida Seisho made no attempt to hide his smug smile.

"you--"

"Ah, yes, yes."

Just then, Chunshui's lazy voice came, causing the two brothers to pause in surprise and look at Chunshui together.

"Mr. Kyoraku, what...what did you say?"

"I said, we can agree to the conditions that Brother Komagen proposed last time."

Chunshui smiled and waved her hand: "Oh dear, so don't be so anxious and upset. Come on, put your little brother down first."

"this......"

"impossible!"

Komagawa was still somewhat bewildered when Ishida Seisho pointed at Shunsui and started yelling, "How could you just agree like that? There must be some kind of conspiracy! I don't believe it!"

"Oh dear, don't say such harsh things, Brother Qingxiang."

Chunshui looked hurt and spread her hands: "But you're right about one thing, we didn't really agree to it."

"There really is one condition."

"As expected! You—"

Just as Qingxiang was about to say something, a hand pressed against his throat.

His knuckles were thick and wrinkled, resembling the sharp talons of an eagle.

This is Komagaru's hand.

Ignoring the cold sweat that instantly beaded on Qingxiang's forehead and the sudden halt in his speech, Koma turned his head and looked at Chunshui with a serious expression.

"Mr. Kyoraku, may I ask... what are the conditions?"

"It's very simple. You proposed sharing the portal technology and jointly guarding Hueco Mundo because you believe you can fight in Hueco Mundo's environment for a long time and fight alongside us against the Hollows, right? But that's ultimately your own judgment. In the end, none of you have ever actually been to Hueco Mundo, have you? If it were you—oh! no offense, but if the personnel you send are not strong enough—it could not only affect the operation of the front-line base but also lead to some unnecessary sacrifices. That's not good!"

"so!"

Chunshui clapped his hands: "Our conditions are very simple. As long as you really have the ability to fight on the front line of Hueco Mundo, we welcome such strong reinforcements!"

Upon hearing this, Komamoto hesitated.

"Well... what you say makes sense, but Mr. Kyoraku, what should we do...?"

"Ah! Regarding this, let me introduce you. The captain of the Special Investigation Team, who is also the current head of the Hueco Mundo frontline base—"

"Brother Chunshui, I can do it myself!"

Upon hearing the sound, Komaju saw a person jump out from the Death Representation and land in the center of the venue.

It was the young man he had just noticed.

"Hehe, my name is Zheng Jing. Let's not get into trouble."

With a wave of his hand, Zheng Jing patted his chest.

"As long as one of you Quincy can withstand an incense stick's worth of defeat in front of me, Old Zheng, not only will you have the technology to cross the interdimensional gate, but you will also be free to deal with those evil Hollows in this mortal world in the future!"

"how?"

Zheng Jing beckoned to the group of Quincy who were grinning at him.

"Do you dare to agree?"

Chapter 18: I, Old Zheng, will see this through to the end.

"...What does this mean?"

After a brief silence, Ishida Komagaru, who seemed somewhat stiff, asked.

"Hmm? Wasn't I, Old Zheng, clear enough?"

Zheng Jing frowned.

"Brother Koma, Zheng has explained things very clearly. Is there anything you don't understand?"

Behind Zheng Jing, Chunshui smiled as she looked at Ishida Koma.

After glancing at Zheng Jing, then at Chunshui, and then at the other Shinigami present, Ishida Komagaru's breathing quickened.

He realized that these Grim Reapers were serious.

"Mr. Kyoraku, this...this is really..."

That's too frivolous.

Before Komagaru could even utter those words, Ishida Seisho spoke first.

"You said it yourself!"

As the astonished Komagawa withdrew his hand, Ishida Seisho, now free from restraint, stared at Zheng Jing and said, "You can decide the time and place, so you don't have to make excuses if you lose!"

Ishida Seishun's idea was very simple.

He genuinely believed that Death would renege on his debt if he lost.

In that case, the Grim Reaper would lose all credibility with the Quincy, and the peacekeeping faction led by Ishida Komagaru would collapse without a fight.

If the Grim Reaper really keeps his promise, it doesn't matter. As long as we get the technology to cross worlds, why worry about not finding an opportunity to make trouble for the Grim Reaper and the Hollows in the future?

In Ishida Seisho's view, regardless of whether the Grim Reaper reneges on the bet in the end, as long as the wager is settled, his goal has been achieved.

He really hadn't expected that the loss would be due to his own problems.

"There's no time like the present, let's start today."

Before Ishida Komagaru could say anything, Zheng Jing pointed to the ground and said, "Don't bother. I think this island is fine. Fighting here will save us from disturbing the people."

As he spoke, he took out a small bronze incense burner and a handful of incense from his pocket and tossed them to Chunshui behind him.

"Come! I, Old Zheng, will set up this challenge right here. Go find some skilled fighters who can last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. I'll wait however many come! I'll fight as many as you can! Until you've completely defeated your master and are utterly convinced of your superiority—"

Zheng Jing pulled out his golden cudgel and pointed it at the Quincy present.

"I, Lao Zheng, will see this through to the end."

"and many more!"

Ishida Komaga raised his hand and had just uttered a word when Shunsui interrupted him in a gentle tone.

“Brother Komagen, these are our terms.”

He looked at Ishida Komagaru, his expression unusually serious.

"The only condition."

Komagaru Ishida choked up.

He understood what Chunshui meant.

Either accept this seemingly childish bet honestly.

Either we part ways and go back to prepare for war.

...He used to have such a meticulous style that was both gentle and firm, so why is he suddenly acting so recklessly now?

Faced with the sudden change in the Grim Reaper's methods, the over-eighty-year-old Ishida Komagaru suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.

"I see."

He slumped his arms down: "If you insist... I hope this will be a good solution."

"Hehe, don't worry, old man, I, Old Zheng, always keep my word!"