Three Gods' Move

"So, it's come to this."

"You know I wouldn't be down here again if it wasn't important…"

"I'm aware. I have been monitoring the battle above, that old man seems to have done something foolish."

"Haiz, this isn't the time to talk about that. Do you accept the deal?"

"I think I'd rather stay here. It's quiet and comfortable. Why should I help you?"

"We have reason to believe Orihime didn't die."

Aizen, who was in full control of the tempo earlier, became speechless. He had indeed been very disappointed in Yamamoto because of the matter previously. He had only made the deal to keep track of her position in Soul Society because he expected a cell mate. Who would have thought the damned King would interfere? Seeing his reaction, Shunsui knew he had the advantage. He silently left the cell, leaving the sealing mechanisms open. Although he was still locked on that chair, it shouldn't be an issue for Aizen to break free.

As Shunsui left, Aizen smiled and realized that he had been played. Shunsui held the information that would intrigue him from the beginning and waited for Aizen to gain full control of the negotiation. Although he always complained about becoming the acting Captain-Commander, Shunsui was certainly capable enough.

'Hmph, very well. I'll make a move when the time is right. I want to see what exactly that monster has been scheming for these few millennia.'

...

When Shunsui returned to the surface, the fighting had calmed down significantly. Yamamoto sat with his sword out in the middle of the rubble waiting for the rest of the enemies. Due to the pressure he was emitting, no one could approach. When Nanao saw her captain arrive, she approached to give him a summary of the battles he missed. However, before she could finish, a large black shadow formed a portal near the battlefield.

Out walked several Sternritters and the remaining Quincy army. Only a select few hadn't arrived, those who were designated to come to the Soul Palace. From the portal out came As Nodt, Cang Du, PePe Waccabrada, Gerard Valkyrie, Mask De Masculine, Gremmy Thoumeaux, and Loyd Lloyd disguised as Yhwach.

"So, you are alive. I thought I killed you a thousand years ago. Yhwach, I will show you the price of coming out of hiding! You should have cherished your life, instead you're here to die! Bankai: Zanka no Tachi!"

While Yamamoto went berserk and charged at Loyd, the other Quincy broke off and went in search of other opponents. Yamamoto tried to stop them, but Loyd released a blut field that covered the whole area. Although it quickly broke due to the strength of Yamamoto's bankai, it was enough to let the others fan out. He didn't bother pursuing them and focused on the man he saw as Yhwach first.

The fight between Yamamoto and Loyd was not one that Loyd could win. Every exchange was harder to defend. He could not approach due to the invisible flame cloak around Yamamoto. He could not actively defend because the blade would erase everything it touched. Loyd knew he was extremely disadvantageous, but still fought with fervor. Seeing the fight was being dragged out, Yamamoto released his third bankai form, Kaka Jumanokushi Dasojin.

Every Quincy he slayed in the genocide from a thousand years ago rose from the ground. Their bodies were made from compacted ash of their corpses. The endless undead attacked Loyd ceaselessly as he struggled to defend. However, Loyd was able to keep them at bay. The Quincy were practically unbeatable in the Soul Society due to everything being made from spirit particles. As long as a Quincy had access to spirit particles in the environment, their Reiatsu would be limitless.

Realizing that he would lose the battle of attrition, Yamamoto decided to end it all with his final move. This final technique of his was the most dangerous. If he did not control it properly, it could mean the end of Soul Society. He appeared close to Loyd so that he could properly angle the attack. He swung horizontally with a slight upward arc, releasing a blade of heat that completely incinerated Loyd in a single strike. The blade continued onward into the sky, breaking a hole through the protective layer of Seireitei, and then burning a hole in the sky.

Loyd fell to the ground, over half his body was incinerated by the last attack and he didn't even have time to blink. Just as Yamamoto was going to chase after some of the other Quincy, he noticed that Loyd was transforming back into himself. On his face was a simple smile of victory. Yamamoto didn't understand what happened when he sensed his connection to his bankai was severed. Unfortunately for the person that captured his bankai, Yamamoto's body was extremely unstable at that time.

As soon as the balance within his soul was broken by the medallions that steal bankai's, he detonated in nuclear proportions. Everyone in Soul Society felt the shaking of the world due to his death. In the end, what Mayuri had said came true. Only a few days had passed and Yamamoto ended up detonating. This would be a day of mourning, but the invaders had only stopped for a moment when the explosion happened. Once the Soul Reapers realized that Yamamoto had lost and died, the moral dropped significantly and the Quincy soldiers began to turn the tides again.

…

In the darkness, Orihime stays seated while focused on her inner world. She had spent a very long time manually collecting shards inside the vast ocean. She would then examine the shard and find the correct place for it on the mirror covering the surface of the ocean. Eventually, there would be no more spaces and then the ocean of energy would become the reflection of her true self. This, in theory, would mean she no longer needs to release spiritual power to create Reiatsu. She should be able to instantaneously generate Reiatsu with a thought.

Every day was five and a half years in this place. Orihime had already spent five years in here focused completely on advancing. She could see from how low the ocean water is that her time is running out. But she realized that the lower the level of spiritual power in her Hakusui was, the easier it was to find the shards. Once she realized this, she decided to drag out the time as much as possible. Fortunately for her, Orihime's bankai was very well suited for this sort of operation. The individual minds of her clones were able to efficiently utilize her spiritual power.

During this time, her parallel thought had been focusing on reading the Akashic Records. Although her mind was capable of handling the information, she still could only remember small bits of it after they were read. She learned that to know everything about the universe is to become part of the records themselves. Therefore, she had to leave a lot of information sealed so that she doesn't lose her mind in the universal record. Rather than actual knowledge, simply viewing the records was strengthening her soul and mind.

Another year passed and Orihime had almost completed the mirror of her true self. There was only a single spot that was missing. However, no matter where she searched, she could not find the last piece. She could not last much longer since her reserves were practically empty. Just as she was about to give up, her inner world changed to the valley of flowers she recognized. Seated under a bare tree was Amanozako.

"I see, you have finally returned here."

"This isn't my inner world. However, I don't know exactly what this is."

"This is the inside of the object you call 'hogyoku'."

"I see. So, this is His inner world? Or a world created with this fragment?"

"The thing you believe to be the knowledge of the universe, the 'Akashic Records', is simply your mortal mind's interpretation. Everything you know comes from this 'fragment' therefore it is also everything He knows. However, your soul is special. Although He knows everything you know, there is something in your world that He cannot see."

Orihime thought back to the bookshelf in the blank space. The reason it didn't fade away with everything else is because that knowledge is untouchable by the hogyoku. This meeting confirmed her suspicion and realized why she and Aizen were able to become His pawns. The hogyoku is created from the blood of the Soul King. Although it has taken an existence of its own and rebelled against its previous master, there is still a connection.

"Is this why I cannot complete my transformation?"

"Indeed. The last step is breaking the connection with Him and completely becoming the master of the 'hogyoku'."

"Well, if it's killing him, I already planned to do that…"

Orihime gave a sly smile and Amanozako seemed to be smiling underneath her mask. The world around her faded away and turned to black. Not long after, Orihime opened her eyes.

"It's time I finally made a move. I'll pay you back for that last attack, Yhwach."