Led by an Arrancar, the dark-skinned woman did not show the slightest trace of stage fright. She also did not care how much hostility she might receive after entering Hueco Mundo's territory as a shinigami. Her expression remained relaxed as she resolutely stepped into the central area of Las Noches and made her way toward the main hall.
Inside the main hall, numerous figures had already gathered.
Arrancar, Shinigami, bount, and now, even quincy had joined them.
The gathering itself was enough to make anyone who was familiar with the various factions of the spiritual world feel astonished.
Yet the woman did not show much surprise.
Her eyes merely swept across the hall before finally settling on the figure sitting upon the throne at the center.
Looking at Mazuru, the woman smiled casually.
"Your place isn't bad."
She glanced around the enormous hall before continuing in a teasing tone.
"It must have taken you quite a bit of effort to build such a magnificent palace in a barren place like Hueco Mundo."
"There's no need for polite words."
Mazuru's expression remained calm.
"Las Noches is able to reach this scale because of Aizen."
His gaze fell upon the woman who had come all the way here.
" Shihouin Yoruichi."
His voice remained indifferent.
"Speak. What are you doing here?"
"If I remember correctly, we're enemies now, aren't we?"
Yoruichi immediately raised her eyebrows.
"Hey, hey. That's a pretty hurtful thing to say, Mazuru."
She placed a hand against her chest with an exaggerated expression.
"Regardless of what happened, we've known each other for so many years. Why are you suddenly treating me like an enemy?"
"You have to understand something."
Mazuru looked at her calmly.
"I'm no longer from the Soul Society."
"Soul Society has become your enemy, but that doesn't mean I've become your enemy as well."
Yoruichi quickly explained.
"Yeah?"
Mazuru looked at her with interest.
However, the next moment, his tone became considerably colder.
"You don't need to deliberately come here and reminisce about the past."
He leaned slightly against the throne.
"Get to the point."
"So cold..."
Yoruichi muttered under her breath.
She had never imagined that the Mazuru who had once been so gentle and easy-going would eventually become someone who treated even an old acquaintance with such indifference.
However, she had not come to Las Noches today simply to exchange pleasantries.
There was an important reason for her arrival.
"Something happened in the Soul Society."
Yoruichi's expression gradually became serious.
"The quincies led by Yhwach have launched an all-out assault on the Soul Society. In a very short period of time, the Gotei 13 has already suffered considerable casualties."
The moment those words fell, the atmosphere within the main hall subtly changed.
Several arrancar exchanged glances.
Even the bount, who had always harboured deep hatred toward the shinigami, revealed complicated expressions.
However, a few people remained completely unmoved.
They were Bazz-B, Ichimaru Gin, Kenpachi Azashiro, Tousen Kaname, and lastly, Kyo Mazuru.
None of them showed the slightest surprise.
Bazz-B was a quincy and had once been a member of the Sternritter. He had already known that the quincies would eventually launch an all-out attack against the Soul Society.
He had even come to Hueco Mundo earlier alongside Askin and the others precisely because they wanted to establish an alliance with Hueco Mundo before the war began.
The purpose was obvious.
They wanted to obtain a large number of cannon fodder from Hueco Mundo and use them to consume Soul Society's strength.
As for Gin and the others, they were also unsurprised because they either knew about the existence of the Wandenreich long ago or had learned about it directly from Mazuru.
"That's quite good news."
After remaining silent for a moment, Mazuru actually praised the development.
"What's the saying?"
He smiled faintly.
"Those who have lost the people's support will eventually be attacked by everyone."
His gaze swept across the hall.
"It seems the Soul Society really is unpopular."
"Not only does Hueco Mundo want to destroy them, but even the quincies have decided to destroy them."
He chuckled.
"Although, considering the crimes committed by the Soul Society under the control of Central 46 and the nobles over the years, perhaps it isn't surprising."
Yoruichi silently cursed him in her heart.
'Just how much does this guy hate Central 46?'
He could actually take advantage of an opportunity like this to ridicule them.
Of course, Yoruichi could not deny that the Central 46 of the Soul Society were hardly pleasant people.
She was one of the four great noble families herself, and even the previous head of the Shihouin clan had held his own opinions about the Central 46.
But there was nothing she could do about it.
The Central 46 system was an ancient institution deeply rooted in Soul Society.
On the surface, the forty-six members represented the highest authority and justice within Soul Society. Everything from laws to major decisions was ultimately governed by their judgment.
But in reality, the Central 46 represented the interests of the various noble factions.
The selection of each generation of Central 46 was essentially the result of compromises, negotiations, and exchanges of interests among the nobles.
Among all the previous generations, the current Central 46 could even be considered one of the weakest.
The reason was simple.
Before Mazuru defected from Soul Society, he had already destroyed a major portion of the nobles.
Many high-ranking and middle-ranking noble families had been wiped out completely.
That had severely weakened the foundation supporting Central 46.
While Yoruichi was silently complaining about this in her heart, Mazuru spoke again.
"So, you came all the way to Hueco Mundo simply to tell me this?"
His gaze narrowed slightly.
"And then what? You want me to send troops to the Soul Society while they are fighting the quincies?"
"I have to admit, right now is indeed an excellent opportunity."
His voice remained calm.
"While the Soul Society and the quincies fight each other to the death, Hueco Mundo could launch an attack and wipe out both sides."
He spread his hands slightly.
"At that point, the entire Soul Society would belong to me."
His eyes fell upon Yoruichi.
"Yoruichi, my good friend, thank you for bringing me such wonderful news."
Yoruichi sighed deeply.
'So, what exactly happened to you?'
She looked at Mazuru.
'How did you become like this?'
Back then, she had never imagined that this man would eventually develop such a personality.
On the surface, there was nothing particularly wrong with what he had said.
In fact, after hearing Mazuru's words, several arrancars in the hall began showing signs of interest.
After all, from their perspective, this really was an excellent opportunity.
The shinigami and quincy were currently fighting a massive war.
Both sides were suffering casualties.
If Hueco Mundo entered the battlefield at this moment, they could potentially reap enormous benefits.
However, Yoruichi knew that Mazuru understood the real reason she had come here.
After all, it was Mazuru himself who had told her and Urahara Kisuke about the Wandenreich back then.
And not long ago, Mazuru had even revealed information about the quincies and the Wandenreich to Kyouraku Shunsui.
So, there was no way he did not understand what was happening.
This performance of his was deliberate.
He was simply pretending not to understand because he did not want to interfere.
Unfortunately, when Yoruichi thought about the current situation in Soul Society, she knew that she had no choice but to come to Hueco Mundo and make this attempt.
The quincies led by Yhwach had spent a thousand years preparing for this war.
When they finally launched their attack, the Gotei 13 suffered heavy casualties in an extremely short period of time.
Even if Soul Society were to fall, there was still the Zero Division stationed within the Soul King Palace.
The combined strength of the members of the Zero Division was undoubtedly greater than that of the Gotei 13.
They were the strongest defensive force protecting the Soul King and the Royal Palace.
But sometimes, relying entirely on the Zero Division was not enough.
If Soul Society placed all of its hopes on the Zero Division, then they had already lost.
Soul Society had to save itself.
Because there was always the possibility of an unexpected development.
What if even the Zero Division lost?
Yhwach had been preparing for a thousand years.
There was no way he had failed to consider the existence of the Zero Division.
Even when Aizen had previously used the Hōgyoku to attack the Soul King, he had taken the existence of the Zero Division into consideration.
The only thing Aizen had failed to anticipate was that he would be defeated by Kurosaki Ichigo before the Zero Division could even intervene.
Therefore, Yoruichi could not simply sit back and wait for the Zero Division to solve everything.
She raised her head.
Her golden eyes met Mazuru's crimson eyes.
This time, there was no playful smile on her face.
She spoke directly.
"Kyo Mazuru."
"I came here to form an alliance with you on behalf of the Soul Society."
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]