'Well, Kurosaki…' Yhwach spoke in a low and cruel voice. 'It would seem that you finally found yourself to me' he then smiled viciously. 'Just I have foreseen...with my eyes!'

The shingmai then immediately readied his two zanpakuto. Not sure if he was being played or not.

'Oh, what is wrong, Kurosaki?' Yhwach said with false pity. 'Why so surprised? Haven't your version of me not already told you that you exist only to serve my will? That every action you made was only done for my benefit and no one else? That you, despite all your power and accomplishments. You are still nothing but another clog within the wheels of fate!'

Ichigo then growled as he then pointed his swords at the mad king. 'You…are telling me that this was just a setup! To set some ulterior motive!?'

'Of course, Kurosaki Ichigo! Did you truly believe it would be anything else! And now that you are here, I can finally-'

SMACK!

Then Ichigo's complete and utter bafflement. He saw Robert Acctrone slap Yhwach right in the face with enough force to push him back. This was followed by Hashwalf kneeing him at the back of his spin, making the Quincy king cry out in pain like a literal whining girl. Before Lille Barro hit him in the groan with an audible crack with his left knee, causing Yhwach to fail and roll down the staircase next to Ichigo. With a horrifical painful expression.

'Oh, Lloyd, if you want to be my double, you have to take this role more seriously,' an aged voice called out behind Ichigo.

The shinigami then turn around to find an older man in a white rope uniform. He had long gray hair over his back, A grown-out mustache and beard while wearing a gray vizor over his eyes, and a very welcoming presence.

At first, Kurosaki thought the man was a caretaker of the palace itself or an advisor…only to immediately realized it was Yhwach himself…the real one.

Then Ichigo turned his head away to see the other Yhwach and gasped when he saw the man's body slowly morph into another person. They had short brown hair, a lean build…and a third eye on his forehead.

Now apparently known as Lyoud, the man got himself while rubbing his head and nether regions. 'Oh, come on, your majesty, I was just having fun. After all, you must admit it was priceless seeing that kid's re-ACK!?'

Lyoud was immediately slammed back down to the floor by the bottom end of Haschwalth's sword.

'As the acting double for the Emperor. Playing juvenile pranks like this should be out of the question. Especially in front of our apparent savior,' the grandmaster said harshly. At the same time, Robert shook his head in disapproval.

'Honestly, Lyoud. What would have happened if Kurosaki? attack you in retaliation for your actions?'

The young man then gave off a goofy grin. 'Oh, I am sure all you guys would protect me, right?' He called out reassuringly but the rest of the Schutzstaffel, but they responded with indifference.

'I would have let him drop your ass. After dissing my boss,' Lille said harshly while rolling his eyes.

'I prefer to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Not those foolish enough to dig their own grave,' Gerard remarked in dismay.

'I honestly would have allowed the other Ichigo to kill you just to see his strength in person,' Gremmy chirped.

However, Askin was busy sipping an expresso mug before realizing he was addressed. 'Oh, I…honestly just don't care all that much about you.'

Lyoud then lowered in the face in comedic hurt. '…well aren't you all such wonderful guardsmen'

'Enough…' Yhwach spoke sternly, and immediately all the sternritter, even Lyoud, bowed before him. Much to Ichigo's surprise and then the emperor looked toward Haschwalth.

'Be sure to discuss the upcoming plans and the rest of the sternritter order while I talk to Ichigo Kurosaki personally,' Yhwach ordered, and the grandmaster nodded.

'Of course, your majesty,' Haschwalth acknowledged and quickly walked out.

'Come, Kurosaki, walk with me, and I will tell you everything you need to know,' Yhwach said, and the shinigami immediately followed the Quincy King.

A short time later, Kurosaki was found on the other side of the Silbern palace and near a group of pillars with glass walls locked between them. Then Yhwach came to a halt.

'Forgive Lyoud's unruly behavior. He just wanted livin up the place after all; the king then chuckled. 'It's, in fact, the other reason why kept him here, to begin with.'

Kurosaki then sighed in annoyance. 'To be honest, your so-called double almost made me kill him. I mean, if your guards didn't attack him. I would have been completely fooled otherwise.'

The king then chuckled a bit more. 'Yes. Lyoud has remarkable talent in acting…shame he cannot apply it to everything else.'

Yhwach then smiled a bit more before frowning and narrowing his eyes. 'Right then, let's get to the matter at hand' he then faces Kurosaki. 'Tell me, how much do you already know about my plans and intentions?'

Ichigo then stared at the man before letting out a quick breath. 'Well, I know you want me to fight against Barragan, and…you want me to be your successor?'

Yhwach nodded. 'Indeed...and I need you to fight against the hollow king because I can no longer do it in the future.'

Ichigo then narrowed his eyes. 'You are no longer capable of fighting against Barragan?' the shingmai question. 'But aren't you more than powerful enough to take that guy out on your own?'

The Quincy king then looked at Ichigo and shook his head. 'If I was a few decades younger, I might have. But unfortunately, my power has waned dramatically since the last time I fought him. While his power has grown to the point that it now has the potential to rival my own.'

The shinigami then widen his eyes in shock upon hearing the news. 'Wait...so you're telling me that old bastard might become almost as strong as you!?' Ichigo spattered. 'Just what kind of power this Barragan has?'

Yhwach shook his head. 'I do not know. Not even with the power of my Almighty. But I know that he will eventually approach my level of power within the near future and will have a decent chance of defeating me...and if he does, the balance of the cosmos will collide upon my death.'

Ichigo then looked at the king in concern. 'Your death...does that mean you are using the power of the soul king to keep the world in balance?' he asked, and the king nodded.

'I do...as it goes for the same for all Quincy kings in the past,' Yhwach explained. 'For when the five great shingmai noble families mutilated the Reio's body. He was trapped in a horrific state between life and death. So that the five great nobles could turn him into a linchpin of the universe for their use and when the descendent of the Reio. The first Quincy king saw what became of his father. He killed him, took his power as his own, and inherited his status of maintaining the universe's balance. Delivering his father from such a horrifying fate and carrying on the Reio's will to bring order to a once chaotic world.'

The old monarch then looked over his aging hands and then pressed to the pillars of the palace. 'So for every one thousand years, the power of the Reio has been passed down from one Quincy king to the next. With me being the 999th holder of that power...and likely to be the last of such a ruler.'

Ichigo took in everything Yhwach said and then looked over the Quincy king. Then as Ichigo sensed and analyzed his spiritual power, he noticed that it was unstable and fluctuating rapidly.

Then a grim realization hit him.

'I understand now,' the teen spoke. 'It isn't just because you have gotten too weak to face Barragan...it's also because the power of the Reio itself has also weakened as well. Thus the real reason for trying to make me into your successor wasn't so to inherit your power...but rather so I can use my own to become the next soul king.'

Yhwach then nodded. 'You are quick on the uptake Kurosaki. Usually, when a successor is chosen, they pick a Quincy with the unique powers to share and take away the power of others by distributing and retrieving pieces of their souls along with another that shares at least one part of that power and acting as the chosen Quincy's other half. However, over the past one thousand years, no Quincy was ever born with such abilities again aside from maybe Uyru, who only has immunity to my power.'

The king then began to walk over to the window and stare out towards the horizon. 'Why this is the case, no one knows. Other than perhaps a sign that a new era of kings is coming, With our Ichigo, the black prince meant to become the first of those kings. As he would inherit my power and add it to his own...' Yhwach then narrowed his eyes. 'But he refused.'

Ichigo then remained quiet for a moment then began to ask the one question that had been bugging him the moment he mentioned it to Robert.

'Okay, then why?' The shingmai question, and then Yhwach turns to face him. 'Why does your Ichigo refuse to become the soul king? He should know how much is at stake and what would happen by refusing. I mean, he would have the power to protect everyone with it, including his friends and family.'

Yhwach then remains quiet and then lets out a deep regretful breath. 'You need to understand Ichigo...our black prince maybe be willing to sacrifice his life for his friends and family...but he would never do so for others and, in fact, despises the people of the soul society and the world of the living.'

Ichigo then narrowed his eyes. 'Is this because of what happened to his father?'

'Yes...' Yhwach answered. 'Ever since the day his father's...damnation. Ichigo held a terrible grudge toward the people of this world. Due to their unforgiving beliefs of the shinigami...to the point that the only reason he even bothered to join the holy kingdom was that it was at the time the only way could gain the necessary training to protect his friends and family,' the aged Quincy's face then harden. 'However, when he was called to become ruler of the people he despised...it pushed him over the edge.'

Yhwach then walked behind Ichigo and took off his vizor revealing his tired brownish red eyes. 'To point...that had I not suggested to switch places with you...he would have betrayed us to our enemies...and abandon his friends and family to them if they refused to side with him.'