Several weeks had passed since Joseph and the abyssal knights were defeated, and during that time, many Quincy and civilians alike focused on rebuilding the homes they lost, the wounds they sustained, and the lives they lost in the chaos caused not just by the Arrancar invasion but even by the hands of their brethren.

Meanwhile, the Sternritters of the rebellion who survived, such as Bazzard and Quilge, faced imminent discipline—with both having their title of sternritter and nobility stripped from them. Unlike Quigle, who was executed by beheading for his crimes, Bazzard, due to his heroic actions, was allowed to stay in the holy kingdom as a soldat until he proved worthy enough to regain his rank.

Ichigo was sent to the medical center to recover fully.

However, despite the disaster that had happened, another lay over the Horizon, when the leader of the Dark Ones appeared to the sternritter order in the Palace of Governence.

Ganryū Ryōdoji.

"I see..." Ganryu said grimly from his hologram within the center chamber of the palace. "To think that a Regent would be capable of such treachery..." he then looked to the Sternritter order. "But unfortunately, I have more grave news to share"

Jurgram then narrowed his eyes. "Is it about about the Oin seal?"

Ganyru then displayed a stern and haunting expression.

"Yes...for the seal will soon break"

The rest of the sternritter Including Gremmy, Generad, and Askin of the imperial guard held hesitated and concerned expressions after hearing that.

"How long?" The Grandmaster asked and Ganyru sighed. "About six months...at most"

Everyone was alarmed as they mumbled among themselves until Liltotto Lamperd spoke up.

"Couldn't Ichigo become the soul king and pour more power into the seal?" She argued urgently but Ganyru slowly shook his head.

"That point has already passed weeks ago. For the Oin has taken far too much damage and corruption to absorb any more power, and the methods of creating a new one have been lost" The Dark One leader explained in dread and then gripped his fist. "Already The Shinigamii have started moving their forces through the cracks within the seal and are only growing more numerous and more powerful with each passing day"

Hashwalf then narrowed his gaze. "...while the Holy Kingdom and Xcuation have yet to fully recover," Je thought grimly while folding his hands.

Uryu then looked towards Jurgram. "And what would you have us do Grandmaster?" Ishida asked and the blond man then let out a deep inward breath.

"It seems we have no choice...we must deploy the Dangai training regiment"

Nearly everyone in the chamber gasped while Ganyru widened his eyes in interest.

"Grandmaster..." As Nodt spoke eerily. "Are you sure you wish to put our people at such a risk?' He asked seriously. "For something like that could easily send us all to our doom before the Shinigami even fully arrive"

Hashwalf's face then became stern. "We have little choice As Nodt," he said solemnly. "With the time we have now, our forces are simply not ready for the upcoming invasion especially since we are still licking our wounds from the last one" He then held his gaze over everyone. "We can only hope...that the shinigami that aid us now or at least those that we are willing to trust, will continue to do so for this operation to succeed"

Meanwhile, in the medical center, Ichigo listens to the news from Uryu inside his room alongside Aizen who wants to personally see his condition.

"So Hashwalf is planning on using the Dangai to train the Quincys in the upcoming Shinigami invasion?" Ichigo questioned and the White Prince nodded.

"Given the massive losses we suffered it is only logical that we must use the time displacement of the dangai to train our men as fast as possible and if the shingmai..' he then eyed Aizen 'That is on our side keep the Kusgungai at bay we can condense eight months of training within lessen an hour'

Ichigo then nodded. 'But I guess they didn't do it sooner because the Quincy don't exactly trust them...' his eyes then narrowed and then glanced at the former captain. "No offense"

Sosuke shrugged. "None taken. For even though some Shinigami and Quincy have lived by side for the past thousand years, it was only so because we were powerless to fight back due to our seals..." he then frowns. 'And in turn, made us powerless to defend ourselves from being assaulted'

"Indeed...' Ishidia agreed reluctantly. 'Though thankfully within the past hundred years, there are those that at least are willing to accept the Shinigami and fight alongside them"

Aizen nodded. "True...and it's not like I or my men or Tosuen's and Isshin's didn't expect we would one day have to face our former comrades upon cutting our ties with them"

Ichigo then looked up in curiosity at Sosuke. "So I take the shinigami organization you used to be part of was also called the Gotei 13?"

The Brunet Shinigamii remained silent for a moment and then pushed up his classes. "You are quite perceptive Ichigo...and I take you to have a version that was similar to the one in your world?"

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah and I am wondering how different it is from mine so I'll be ready to know what I am up against"

Aizen stared at Ichigo ominously and after a long moment let out a deep breath. "I suppose that is fair..." he then looked out the window showing the ruins of the Silver City and the dampened blue sky overcast by gray clouds. "But to truly understand the Shinigmai of this world. I must start right at the beginning..."

The former captain then prepared to tell his story.

"In the beginning...over a million years when the Nobles and their associates were just cast down into the dark pit that was Hell for the crime of desecrating the Reio and attempting to hide away their sin. The shingmai ranks descended into chaos"

"As many were assaulted by past sinners, some betrayed one another for the sake of dominance and spite and others sought to escape and take revenge on the Quincy that wrongly accused them"

"Yet due to the nature that was Hell. None of us could die from the torment inflicted by the sinners or even amongst ourselves"

"While those who tried to leave were dragged back down to the pit by the very chains that bound their very souls... not less they wish to render themselves powerless by breaking them"

"Yet even that was made impossible when the lid to the pit of Hell was closed shut"

"From then on the only order in Hell...if it could be called that was the Division led by the High Priest"

"Which was founded primarily to protect the Noble heads from sinners who constantly fell into the pit.. along with their former subjects"

Ichigo winded his eyes uneasily. "So they ended up getting tortured by sinners...eventually each other?"

Sosuke let out a deep breath. "Hell was meant to be a place meant for the vilest of souls Kurosaki. Who have committed the most unforgivable sins imaginable and have no form of regret in doing them... but unfortunately the Shinigami was the exception to that rule until most ended up inevitably broken and end becoming just as vile as the sinners themselves"

Ichigo then had a sorrowful face as he lowered his head. "And I guess the Nobles were spared that kind of pain because they had others to protect them?"

Aizen folded his hands. "That and the fact they were extremely powerful themselves" he commented while continuing his story.

"Power..."

"If there was any meaning in such morbid land it was that"

"For power was what decided the weak and strong"

"Power was want to be made people fear and bend to your will"

"It was it that makes one's intentions into reality"

"And there was perhaps no one else who knew that better...Then Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto"

Ichigo's eyes winded while Uryu cast his gaze in dread.

"The old man..." he spoke out. "So I guess he is one the guys I have to face?"

Aizen then narrowed his eyes on Ichigo. "Tell me...what do you know about the Genyursai in your world?"

Kurosaki then looked confused at the question before answering it. "Well, not much, but I know he is insanely strong, basically the strongest captain in the Gotei 13. To the point that not even the Yhwach or Aizen in my world were willing to face head-on without weakening him first"

Sosuke then hummed. "Well...I can tell you the same applies to this Yamamoto as well..." he said as he went on with his tale'

"At first, no one knew who was or even cared, as they all thought he was just another Shinigami or sinner to be punished and used...but soon his strength was quickly made apparent as he carved his way through the bowels of Hell, striking down any that dared to stand against him"

'Until he meant his match in the form of the High Priest '

"For despite his great strength, it was impotent before one who could control the concept of names, especially in the form of a blade that embodied it"

"However, instead of tossing the youth away like others before him, The high priest offered Genruysai the means to bring order to the realm and eliminate the suffering our people endured"

"And Genruysai accepted the offer"

Kurosaki then furrowed his brow. "I don't get it...' Ichigo questioned in confusion. 'If that monk could defeat the old man, why did he need him to conquer Hell?'

"Because he was bound to his loyalty to the Five Great Clans " Aizen answered. "And refused to leave them vulnerable" he then forrow his gaze at Ichigo. "However, Genyurai was more than up to the task"

Aizen then looked up into the sky from a window and continued.

"For past hundreds of thousands of years, Genyurai sought out and subdued countless powerful sinners and Shinigamii to form his ranks, and eventually, the single Division that once severed the disgraced Noble Families transformed into a powerful nation that forged the once chaotic realm Hell into an unforgiving Iron fisted empire'

He then paused as he looked over to Ichigo.

"However, even the conquering of Hell wasn't enough for the High Priest"

Ichigo then gave Aizen a questioning look. "Did he intend to conquer the soul society with his newly reformed army?" he asked. "Even if he did, how would they escape?"

Uryu then sighed. "If it came down to it, but no…" he explained while folding his arms. "The High Priest…wanted to make peace with the Quincy in exchange for allowing the Shingmai to live in the world of the living and the soul society, and as for how they managed to escape from Hell…' His eyes narrowed. "That would be due to the Oin"

Ichigo then lit up his eyes on realization upon remembering what Ishidia told him about Gajou's meeting. "I see…So before the Oin was used to seal the Shingmai away...It was first used to set them free?"

Aizen nodded closed his eyes in thought and then continued.

"Such is the power of an object that can manipulate space and time in the hands of the High priest…he was all but all but unstoppable"

He then opened his right hand and stared back at Ichigo.

"And that was his plan…by having an immortal army of Hell that numbered in literal the billions, a war between them, the World of the Living, and the Soul Society would devastate the realms beyond comprehension and break the cycle of reincarnation forever. So naturally, Yhwach despite his people's objection, accepted the terms"

Sosuke's eyes then darkened, and his voice lowered. "But Genruysai had no intention of accepting peace"

Kurosaki then became uneasy by the tone of Aizen's voice.

"So what did he do then?"

Sosuke then looked up at the ceiling, stared at it for a moment, and then stared back at Ichigo. '

"Despite growing much stronger over the past million years. Genriysai knew he stood little chance against the High priest's conceptual power, and so he sought to surpass his limits as a shingmai by aiding in my former mentor's studies Bansui Amatsuki"

Ichigo then tightened his brow. Bansui…' He then remembered facing an old man with dark purple hair with a white streak on top. His right eye was covered with a Hollow mask remnant and wore a purple kimono with a dark purple Halama and black vest.

But the one thing he remembered most about after facing him was that four-eye skull wooden hollow mask zanpaktou staff he used.

"Amatsuki…" the teen committed. 'I remembered fighting him when he tried to destroy the soul society…and this version of Yamamoto wanted to work with him?"

Aizen nodded. "Unlike in your universe, Hollowfication was not a forbidden subject, just a dangerous often impractical one to enchant Shingmai' he then frowns. "However, Genryusai was willing to take any risk to surpass his limits and eventually through much trial and error…they both managed to create the first Hokegou"

Ichigo then gasped as his jaw dropped in shock. 'And did...Yamamoto implanted himself with that !?"

Sosuke shook his head. 'No, it was still imperfect and could only be used once…but that was all Genryusai needed to make his desire into a reality" Aizen then folded his hands below his chin. 'For the Hokegou granted him that by fusing him with his zanpaktou…and in doing so…"

He then stared directly into Ichigo's eyes.

"He transcended his limits...and evolved into a being akin to that of a god"

Ichigo then broke out into a cold, sweet on hearing that, as he remembered that was what had essentially happened to the Aizen in his world when his desires were manifested by the Hokegou.

Sosuke then continued with his story.

"When the High Priest found out about Genryusai's treachery and tried to strip him of his power once more…well… let's just say that concepts were no longer exempt from the burning of Ryujin Jakka's flames…or anything else for that matter"

Ichigo then dropped his jaw in terror of what he had just heard. 'You mean…this guy can burn away actual concepts!?'

"Indeed" Aizen confirmed. "And after that conflict, there was nothing left of the High Priest…nothing…not even his name"

Ichigo then winded his eyes and his jaw dropped in a horrifying realization. "You mean...none of you can recall the name of Ichibē Hyōsube!?"

Aizen and Uryu stared blankly at Ichigo and then at each other before giving looks of dejection.

"I can assume that is the same name of the High Priest in our world as it is in yours..." Aizen mused before shaking his head. "But I am afraid none of us here can recall that name anymore"

The teen's heart then went cold as he sunk further into his seat "So the old man…has gotten that powerful in this world?"

"Likey gotten more, so I presume" Uryu Joined in. "Even when he majesty was in his prime, it took everything he had just hold off that monster…who now calls himself emperor…and at the end of the last war, Yhwach had to nearly sacrifice the entire Sternritter Order just to create and use a possible future to seal him back in Hell through the Oin" he then eyed back at Ichigo. "Frankly, if you want to stand a chance of defeating him, your full recovery isn't enough"

Isidia then focused directly into Ichigo's eyes. "You will likely need to fuse with your zanpaktou once more"

Meanwhile, within the deepest bowls of Hell, stood a massive towering palace that stood attack from above a rocky ceiling below a lake of fire. Surrounding it were four cities, each hung by four chains that connected a single one to the carven ceiling, and surrounding the lake of fire stood a much larger city made of brimstone and black marble that stretched seemingly endlessly across the landscape covered in dark fog.

Within the inner chamber of the palace, was a simple room with several wooden pillars and floors with golden banners of the Gotei 13 symbol hanging from the walls.

While the one that stood at the front of the room stood Generaysai Shinegkgei Yamamoto.

He sported a black mustache and the remains of his balding hair tied in a knot. He was dressed in a stylized black Haori with a golden kimono underneath. While resting on a simple black mat above a small flight of stairs with his legs crossed.

Beside him stood four individuals, two on each side, and their faces shrouded in shadow. On the left side, consisted of an older teenager with a long sword strapped to his back and the large brunt of a man with black hair shaped into a mullet, and on the right side stood a woman with six metallic arms and a man with green jacket skin, and large curly black hair.

In front of them stood thirteen other individuals their faces shrouded in shadows, each divided into two rows evenly, and in between them stood a young black-haired female-looking man bowing in submission.

Hubert Leinheart.

"I have told you everything that you needed to know and more, Emperor Genryusai" The former noble head pleaded while pressing his head on the floor. "I will even fight on your behalf at the front lines if you wish it"

Genryusai then looked coldly at the pathetic man, resting his left jaw on his left hand. "I will admit that your information has proven useful Joepsh" the Emperor admitted. "Even the information my spies have gathered never came close to the amount you have provided... especially since you somehow survived.

Joesph then crept a smile of relief.

"Unfortunately..." Yamamoto uttered which then made Quincy's heart nearly stop.

"Considering your arrival here in Hell in addition to your willingness to betray your comrades without a second thought…' he then got up and walked down to the Quincy, got directly into his face, and glared at him with his red unforgiving eyes.

"Your usefulness has come to an end"

Hubert's eyes winded and diluted in fright and immediately backed away from the ruthless man.

'B-but you said you would spare if I told you everything I know and submit to you I will be spared!" he ranted in hysteria. "You…YOU SWORE I-"

With a flash of power from Yamamoto's eye, Hubert's body was engulfed in flames. His rant now devolving into screams that echoed throughout the halls, while the rest of Shiningmai within the rooms looked on impassively.

"I lied…" Geneyusai answered simply as he looked over at screaming Hubert's burning form. His clothes were now wholly burnt off, leaving him naked with third-degree burns. 'And you were such a desperate fool that you deluded yourself into believing your kind can earn salvation'

He then grabbed his sheathed zanpaktou strapped to his waist and tapped the point of it on the wooden floor. Which then opened up a hole below Joesph and caused him to fall and splash into the lake of fire below…alongside innumerable other victims who wailed in unrelenting agony without end.

"When in truth…" The emperor spoke while looking over the screaming souls within the fiery pit with a face filled with nothing but unfeeling contempt and cold burning rage. "The only thing your kind deserve is damnation"

Well, it is the start of the new year and the beginning of the new and unforcedly the last arc in the paths of the five kingdoms.

The Hell Reaper Arc.

It was fun writing this fanfic over the past couple of years but after this arc is over the Path of the Five Kingdoms will come to a close and I will begin working on other projects afterward.

However, until then stay tuned for more chapters, and see you all soon!