The blue skies above are hopelessly clear
At my wit's end, I feel a growing frustration
As if to laugh at us hopeless cowards
Countless eyes stare at us
This soul of mine breaks again and again
All I can do is hold it tight
Until the day it turns to ash
I've absorbed all of this sorrow
It has shaped me, painted me
But that's how we got here, right?
One step at a time, just like breathing
These countless scars on my palm
That no longer fade
Are my badge, my story
I faced the fear and shred it to pieces
And let it walk beside me once more
BLEACH: THOUSAND-YEAR BLOOD WAR
Hey, Shunsui!
How dare you enter my room without my permission again!
I know, I'm sorry, my bad!
What kind of apology is that?!
Unforgivable!
I mean it!
I'm sorry I snuck in, but I was surprised
you had a painting hanging, Old Man Yama, so...
Damn old geezer...
That's a monster that appeared in the Soul Society a long time ago.
It showed up when the Soul Society was facing a crisis...
only to make things much worse.
It will never show up again.
But if it ever does...
Then...
...I'll probably never be back here again.
Old Man Yama!!
You may have been the head of the Soul Reapers...
but your demise was pitiful, Shigekuni Yamamoto.
Let's go, Haschwalth.
Yes, sir.
Trying to show that you won't let me get away even in death?
Pathetic.
Shigekuni Yamamoto, you half-hearted fool.
You will never know why I removed you
from being counted as one of the five Special Threats.
Why didn't you restore your left arm?
You could've done so if you'd ordered that human girl to.
I know why.
You didn't want to exploit humans.
I know all about it.
Even during your battle with Aizen,
you were apprehensive about getting Ichigo Kurosaki involved
because he was a human.
And even now, you stood before me trying to carry the burden of
the Soul Society and the World of the Living on your shoulders...
and you lost.
You've grown weak, Shigekuni Yamamoto.
You used to be different.
The original Thirteen Court Guard Squads that you founded
were Court Guards in name only.
They were a group of savage killers.
But because of that, they were a fearsome bunch.
And as their leader, Shigekuni Yamamoto,
you were truly a beast with the sword...
You used everything and anything to slay an enemy.
The lives of the people, including your own subordinates,
weighed only as much as ash to you.
But that all changed after you exterminated us Quincies.
Upon gaining a peaceful world,
you people had more things to protect and to love.
You've deteriorated into a bunch of weaklings
who would hesitate to take action
to satisfy your pathetic sense of justice and pride.
You died without realizing this, so I'm going to tell you.
The Soul Society is about to perish.
But the Thirteen Court Guard Squads died with us a thousand years ago!
Time to finish this.
Inform every member of the Stern Ritter.
Tell them to thoroughly... crush the Soul Society!
- Wha—?! - What's that?!
Advance, Soldat!
Rebel army foot soldiers!
Stand your ground! We can take them—
Th-They're too strong...
M-Must get help...!
It's over.
Don't disappear!
Finally...
Sorry, I wanted to open it sooner from this side, but...
things never seem... to go the way we want...
Huh? Who the hell are you?
I'm Stern Ritter, Shaz Domino!
The power I was given is—
Hey, hang in there!
The Spiritual Pressure disappeared?!
What was that just now?!
Rukia and Renji...
were they still alive?
Yeah.
Don't worry.
They're alive.
I see...
Thank goodness...
I don't have...much time left.
Though I am a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads,
I was unable to defeat
the despicable people who trampled on the Seireitei.
I led many squad members to their deaths...
I brought sorrow
to their subordinates and to their families...
Only to lose and die in disgrace.
I am deeply ashamed of this.
You, on the other hand, are a human.
Not only should you not be involved in this fight...
you should not even be here in the first place.
So forgive me
for the terrible audacity of asking you this final favor...
Please...
protect the Soul Society...
Ichigo Kurosaki...!
This Spiritual Pressure...
Yes, it must be Ichigo Kurosaki.
Shall I purge him?
No. Let's go.
You...!
I didn't get a response.
That's fine.
That's the kind of man he is.
I know his answer even if he didn't respond.
I'm counting on you, Ichigo Kurosaki...
Your Majesty, I'll handle this...
Ichigo Kurosaki...
I don't know how you did it,
but I'm impressed you broke out of Quilge's "Jail."
But do you really intend to fight me in that ragged state?
Are you the enemy leader?
The "enemy," huh?
I am.
But you could also say that I'm not.
Cut the crap!
I'm asking if you're the one who wrecked the Soul Society!
I did indeed.
Your Majesty...
As you can see, Haschwalth...
he leaves me with no choice.
I will crush him here.
Getsuga...
...tensho!
He should still be alive.
Carry him to the castle.
We'll revive him and put him under my command.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Impossible...!
Is that...
Blut Vene?!
Your Majesty!
Should have known better...
What's that?
You think you won just because you withstood a few of my attacks?
That's not what I meant.
I was right...
I wasn't imagining it.
What are you talking about?
It seems that using Quilge Opie to keep you at bay was a mistake...
I should have used an Arrancar instead of a trueborn Quincy...
Because of that, the memories within your Spiritual Pressure
have awakened too soon.
You kept releasing your Spiritual Pressure to the limit
while in contact with Quilge's "Jail"
in order to destroy it.
The bits of Spiritual Pressure left behind from this explosive release
mixed with some of Quilge's Spiritual Pressure
as it returned to your body.
His Quincy Spiritual Pressure
slowly seeped into the depths of your soul,
drawing out memories within your Spiritual Pressure
from its core...
Quilge's "Jail" is meant to restrain enemies...
It is unable to contain Quincies!
What...are you talking about?
Memories within my Spiritual Pressure?
What's this about Quincies?
I see...
You don't know anything about yourself, do you?
Not even about...
your own mother.
My plan was to take you back and slowly re-educate you...
What are you—?
...but I no longer have the luxury of doing that.
What are you—?
I've decided to force you into submission
and drag you with me!
I said, what the hell are you talking about?!
I'll tell you at the Wandenreich.
Qualkreis!
Now then...
Show me what you've got, Ichigo Kurosaki!
Getsugatensho!
I will pierce you this time!
Don't assume you can evade it with your Blut Vene!
My—
This is...
It is time, Your Majesty.
We've reached our limit for working outside of the Schatten Bereich.
Please return to the Wandenreich.
Impossible.
We should still have time to—
Of course. Sosuke Aizen...
This is one of his tricks.
During the few minutes I was in contact with him,
he slightly altered my senses...
Haschwalth, you knew but kept quiet, didn't you?
I figured it would be pointless to try to stop you.
Well, it doesn't matter.
Let's go.
My time's up, so I'll be going now.
I guess you can't hear me anymore...
Stop!
You think I'd let you go?
After what you did to the Soul Society...
there's no way I'd let you escape!
I said stop!
Farewell, Ichigo Kurosaki.
I'll come back for you again.
Heal your wounds and wait...
...my son...born in the dark...
Everything we had left behind
Our breaths blending as mist
without form or expression
We lie buried as we glare into the distance
I can't hear anything
I can't seem to cut anything
It feels like I'm sinking
Falling, falling
Touching
Eyes struck wide open
Something no one has ever seen
The furthest reaches are now visible to us
It cannot be undone and cannot be stopped
This ensuing struggle
Whisk it away beyond the ends of the earth
Along with our breaths
Take everything
Whisk it away beyond the ends of the earth
Along with our futures
Along with our world
Something no one has ever seen
The furthest reaches are now visible to us
Don't you know God's demand?
As we tear each other down
"I look to the heavens and chase that star."
"Burned into my eyes, the afterglow of its smoke."