Kisuke Urahara listened in silence to Suzuki Makoto's statement and did not raise any questions. Suzuki Makoto was happy with this; he took the intelligence regarding the Wandenreich he had previously heard from Soken Ishida, combined it with some things from his own memories, embellished it slightly, and dumped it all on Kisuke Urahara.
In the worlds he had visited before where he had no memories, the final antagonists to be dealt with were all terrifying to a certain degree—opponents that the locals, other than himself, likely had no way of dealing with. Although this world was finally a place he was slightly familiar with, considering his past experiences traveling through worlds and the world line that had already begun to change, Suzuki Makoto did not want to bet his chance of victory on some "protagonist halo."
Yhwach's final defeat and death were the result of a convergence of many factors: Jugram Haschwalth's concealment, Sosuke Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu, and of course, Ichigo Kurosaki's sheer brute force. And these were merely some of the reasons.
But in the present where Suzuki Makoto had arrived, even Rukia was no longer called Rukia Kuchiki. Heaven knows what the future will actually look like. So, even though Sosuke Aizen had already begun to guard against the Wandenreich, Suzuki Makoto still wanted to pull Kisuke Urahara into the fold.
As one of the Five Special War Powers designated by the authoritative decree of Yhwach—that "miniature Soul King"—for possessing "Means," Kisuke Urahara was able to prepare so many countermeasures for the Quincies during the brief window between the two attacks on the Seireitei. If he were given spoilers about Yhwach's existence decades in advance, perhaps he could provide some different surprises.
As for the others... they were really just there to make up the numbers.
"Are there any more questions?"
"Yes—I cannot even form a simple and direct evaluation of your true strength, so I am even less able to understand Yhwach's abilities. Also, regarding the abilities of those Sternritter members, is there more detailed data?"
"You need not worry about the current power of the Sternritter members, because they will die very soon. Yhwach will not spare these delicious souls. Therefore, until the war breaks out, the vast majority of the Sternritter members cannot be confirmed, so telling you now would be useless."
The cruelty of the Wandenreich caused Kisuke Urahara to feel alarmed once again. It was no wonder the man before him would choose to rebel against the Wandenreich. If one's own power was merely to make one's King taste a bit more delicious when eaten, even the strongest person would be unable to endure such a thing, right?
"As for Yhwach's power... by the way, you should know of the Soul King, and you know the Soul King's current appearance, right?"
"...I know."
Suzuki Makoto's words dealt another critical hit to Kisuke Urahara. He had originally thought this was some enormous secret, but later discovered that whether it was the Nobles or Aizen, they were all clear on this point. Now, even the Quincies knew.
"Think of him as the Soul King before he was attacked."
"How is that possible!"
The man's doubt blurted out. This skepticism stemmed from his instinct as a Shinigami, not from the result of careful thought.
"I know you do not believe it, but you should at least believe in my strength."
Telling the other party about Yhwach's power now undoubtedly lacked evidence, so Suzuki Makoto could only use himself as an example.
"Even I do not dare to harbor a single thought of killing him while within the Wandenreich. Is there anything inappropriate about comparing him to the Soul King?"
"But if he is truly that strong, why was he defeated by the Captain-Commander a thousand years ago?"
Even if Kisuke Urahara had confidence in Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto's strength, he would not feel that the old man could defeat even the Soul King.
"Because a thousand years ago, his power was not complete. And this time, he has made up his mind to march on the Soul King Palace only after regaining all the power that belongs to him."
Incomplete?
Suppressing the immense shock in his heart, Kisuke Urahara could only nod. He did not feel that with Suzuki Makoto's strength, the man would have the leisure to come over, beat them up, and then tell him stories. That could only mean that everything the other party said was true; he had come to find them solely to seek comrades who could fight side-by-side against Yhwach.
"Then, why do you not go to the Soul Society? Join forces with the Gotei 13, and there is also the Captain-Commander—he defeated Yhwach once before."
"Kisuke Urahara, have you forgotten that the war between the Gotei 13 and the Quincies was not limited to just that one a thousand years ago?"
Suzuki Makoto questioned coldly.
The man pursed his lips; he recalled exactly which war Suzuki Makoto was bringing up.
"I resist Yhwach because I do not wish for him to destroy the Quincy race, nor to destroy the Three Worlds established by the Soul King—not to bow my head and declare myself a subject to you Shinigami or the Seireitei!"
"I know what you are thinking, and I know what you will do. But I can tell you very clearly: as long as you are outside this barrier, discussing those four syllables—'Yu-Ha-Ba-Ha'—with anyone will attract his gaze. I do not wish for my current ally to be hunted down by the army I once trained."
Kisuke Urahara nodded in silence, speaking no more.
His goal achieved, Suzuki Makoto naturally would not stay any longer. He dissolved the barrier and descended toward the ground.
"Later, I will try to gather the Quincies in the World of the Living to protect them. Karakura Town, this Heavy Spirit Ground, is quite good. I will instruct them not to have any interactions with you. As for you, I believe you are not the kind of person who would sit by and watch the Three Worlds be destroyed, Kisuke Urahara. Otherwise, you should have started acting long ago when you learned the truth about the Soul King."
This sentence moved Kisuke Urahara's heart. He looked up at Suzuki Makoto.
"Since you know the truth of my defection, you must also know Sosuke Aizen's true colors?"
"Of course."
"Then... why do you not go seek Sosuke Aizen's help?"
"Because when Sosuke Aizen learned the truth about the Soul King, he had already begun to act."
Kisuke Urahara was startled at first, then suddenly understood.
He himself had chosen silence when facing the nature of the Soul King. But Sosuke Aizen was different from him; after understanding all of this, Aizen immediately began to pursue higher power. To him, the Soul King was no longer some unattainable god, but an existence he could replace!
Therefore, whether it was Sosuke Aizen or Yhwach, it made no difference to Suzuki Makoto. They were both ambitious figures who wanted to kill the Soul King and then become the Soul King. Even if Aizen helped Suzuki Makoto kill Yhwach, Suzuki Makoto would inevitably have to face Aizen afterward—perhaps an Sosuke Aizen who already had a deep understanding of him!
And he, Kisuke Urahara, did not possess that kind of terrifying ambition, so naturally, Suzuki Makoto was not worried about leaking too much intelligence to him.
He pulled down his hat and let out a sigh.
____
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