BLEACH : THE NINTH KENPACHI

Nearly 800 years ago, under the command of their progenitor Yhwach, the Quincy launched an invasion into Soul Society. This unprecedented assault was met with overwhelming force by the original Gotei 13—founders handpicked by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. The resulting battle was cataclysmic, and the Quincy suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Yamamoto and his brutal First Generation captains.

Following that conflict, the Quincy as a military force were crippled. In the centuries that followed, Soul Society systematically hunted the remnants. The Gotei 13 worked tirelessly to eliminate any Quincy still residing in the World of the Living or hiding within the folds of Hueco Mundo. By all accounts, the Quincy as an organized faction had been eradicated. Only scattered descendants with diluted power remained.

Because these residual Quincy lacked cohesion and strength, the Central 46 and the Seireitei ceased active concern. As generations passed, they were reduced to a footnote in history—perceived as a faded threat.

But no one foresaw what would come from centuries of unchecked growth.

In the present day—an era known to mortals as the Edo period—the balance of power in the World of the Living had shifted. The Tokugawa Shogunate ruled Japan with absolute control. The Emperor and the imperial court remained in Kyoto, but they held little real authority; they were bound by the will of the shogunate and relied on its military power to retain even a symbolic presence.

Even so, the Shogun and his warriors remained only human.

After Tokugawa Ieji assumed the title of the tenth Shogun, strange phenomena began manifesting in and around Edo Castle. It was no longer the Heian era—Japan's traditional exorcists, the Onmyōji, had long since faded into obscurity, and few systems remained to address such spiritual disturbances.

It was during this vulnerable time that a group calling themselves Quincy emerged.

Displaying supernatural prowess, they quickly gained the shogunate's attention. Within months, they had secured elite status among the court. According to intelligence obtained by Soul Society, these so-called "masters" staged many of the incidents plaguing Edo. By luring Hollows from Hueco Mundo with spiritual bait and dispatching them publicly, they showcased their power—earning influence with Tokugawa Ieji through orchestrated heroics.


---

In a fortified sector within Edo Castle, now used as a temporary Gotei 13 stronghold, Captain Gosuke Shigure reviewed the newest intelligence scrolls delivered from Soul Society.

The report came courtesy of the Eighth Division, but the investigation involved contributions from the Twelfth Division's Research Bureau, as well as spiritual field reports from the Tenth and Thirteenth Divisions. The operation reflected Soul Society's deep surveillance network in the World of the Living.

Unlike the hidden faction within the Wandenreich, these surface-level Quincy were unaware they had been under observation for decades. They didn't realize the Seireitei had embedded agents and detection wards throughout the spiritual layers of the mortal world. No move they made went unnoticed.

Reading the report, Gosuke Shigure's expression darkened.

He thought of the Wandenreich—the "Invisible Empire" that, according to classified records, had not yet fully awakened. Yhwach's heartbeat would not resume until 900 years after his defeat. Ninety years later, his consciousness would stir, and nine years after that, he would regain full power.

Which meant... at this moment in time, Yhwach remained dormant.

If it was possible to eliminate these Quincy before Yhwach's revival—perhaps the entire Wandenreich threat could be severed at its roots.

Still, the idea of existing under constant surveillance by that hidden empire, with every decision observed by an unseen enemy, was unsettling to Gosuke. He found the notion almost intolerable.

But that would have to wait. His current objective was clear:

Eradicate the Quincies who had embedded themselves into Edo's upper ranks.

Judging by the intelligence, they were neither militarized nor particularly disciplined. They appeared more like opportunists—powerful but dependent on flattery and display to win favor from mortals.

"They've already lost the spirit of the Quincy," Gosuke murmured. "Reduced to court jesters with spirit bows."


---

Edo Castle.

Since Tokugawa Ieyasu had unified the nation and established the shogunate, this fortress-city had become the de facto capital of Japan. Though the Emperor still resided in Kyoto, it was Edo that held the true reins of power.

In such a hierarchical system, every position of power—including that of the Emperor—was subject to the Shogun's favor. It was no surprise, then, that the Quincy had chosen to align with the Shogun's army rather than the powerless imperial court.

Their strategy was disturbingly effective.

The sudden surge in Hollow activity in Edo Castle—engineered by the Quincy—created mass confusion. Civilians, unable to perceive spiritual entities, witnessed only destruction caused by invisible forces. Streets shattered, homes collapsed, and people panicked in the face of an enemy they couldn't see.

Even Shogun Tokugawa Ieji, powerful as he was in title, remained a man of flesh and fear. The terrifying nature of the attacks broke through his rationality.

So when the Quincy appeared—striking down the Hollow invaders with ease—they were welcomed not as strangers, but as divine saviors. Tokugawa Ieji embraced them, making them honored guests and confidants.


---

In a lavishly adorned hall within the castle, a group of Quincy had gathered.

One middle-aged man, his long hair tied back, wore an ornate kimono as he sipped refined sake. He grinned at a companion seated nearby.

"Sugiura, your idea was brilliant," he said with a drunken laugh. "This sake is leagues above the trash we used to drink. Now, we are finally treated like nobility."

Sugiura, a sharp-eyed man in a formal robe, chuckled. "It's only natural. Those samurai may act high and mighty, but they are still mere mortals. Since we possess superior power, why should we remain hidden? We were born with this strength—it's time we lived like lords."

"You said it," the older man nodded, lifting his cup again.

Around them sat other Quincy, all dressed in traditional garb of the time. Their hairstyles were period-appropriate—ponytails, tied robes, decorative family crests. They lounged like daimyo in a time of peace.

But one of them frowned. "Still... drawing in that many Hollows—doesn't it risk attracting attention from... them?"

The words made the room quiet.

The ones called "them" needed no clarification.

Sugiura's gaze sharpened, and the older man's brow twitched.

"They haven't shown their faces in all these years," someone muttered. "There's no reason they'd appear now over something so minor."

Another Quincy, more hot-blooded, scoffed. "You mean the Shinigami? Let them come. They're not gods. We're not afraid of them."

As the last word left his mouth—

A presence descended.

Suddenly, all the Quincy in the room felt it: the shift in spiritual pressure, the ripple of reiatsu far more refined and disciplined than theirs.

Eyes turned skyward.

A group of black-clad figures stood suspended in midair, hovering above the mansion—Shinigami in their traditional uniforms, spiritual energy steady and sharp. The reiatsu was suffocating.

They had arrived unnoticed, thanks to the thin density of reishi in the World of the Living, which let their spiritual presence remain cloaked until it was too late.

At the center of them, eyes cold and calculating, stood Captain Gosuke Shigure, his gaze locked on the insolent Quincy below.

"You said," he called out, voice echoing like steel on stone, "you're not afraid of us?"