Although it was called a war, the conflict between the Shinigami and the Quincy did not last long.
This is not surprising.
After all, the war between the Shinigami and the Quincy is fundamentally different from human wars.
Human wars involve capturing cities, fortifying positions, and factoring in logistics and strategy. But for the Shinigami and the Quincy, war boils down to one simple question: who is stronger?
And there is no doubt—for the current Quincy, the Shinigami are far more powerful.
When the Quincy were pushed into a corner, they had no choice but to propose a truce.
What reason would the Shinigami have to refuse?
Even under the truce, the surviving Quincy were placed under the watchful supervision of the Shinigami. They were sometimes called upon to assist in tasks against the Hollows. Yet, as long as they were allowed to live, and their bloodlines were preserved, it was an acceptable arrangement.
This was the sentiment among most Quincy.
Not all of them held onto the ancient hatred between their kind and the Shinigami.
The ancestors of these modern-day Quincy were peace-loving by nature. They had not followed Yhwach's path of war and invasion against the Soul Society in the past.
In the Soul Society.
Arima had returned, and the captured Quincy had been dealt with accordingly.
And how were they dealt with?
Their limbs were severed, leaving them as immobile human husks, and they were stored in massive glass containers. These conditions rendered them immortal but helpless, eliminating the possibility of any future incidents.
After all, Arima's interest lay in studying the Quincy bloodline. Whether the Quincy themselves were disabled or intact made little difference to his research.
To conduct his experiments, Arima reopened a laboratory he had built in the Dangai, or the Disconnected World.
The Dangai is a dimensional gap—a layered space disconnected from the flow of the outside world and surrounded by the Kōryū, the torrent of time.
The density of time within the Dangai is exponentially higher than in the outside world.
In numerical terms, the ratio is 2,000 to 1.
One year in the outside world equates to 2,000 years in the Dangai.
In the Soul Society, the Dangai serves as both a passage to the human world and a place of exile.
Shinigami who commit grave crimes but are deemed unfit for execution or imprisonment have their Shinigami status stripped away and are exiled to the Dangai.
To those sent there, exile is almost indistinguishable from death.
The Dangai is filled with Kōryū and Kōtotsu.
Kōryū is an energy field that fills the Dangai, preventing souls from moving freely. If a soul becomes entangled in it, they remain trapped in the Dangai forever.
This is why many exiles sent to the Dangai never return—they are immobilized by the Kōryū.
The existence of Kōryū also prevents Hollows and other spiritual beings from abusing the Dangai to move between realms.
However, Kōryū is not omnipresent. It follows specific patterns, and these patterns can be avoided. Shinigami, for instance, use Hell Butterflies to navigate the Dangai safely.
As for **Kōtotsu**, it is the scavenger of the Dangai.
It moves along a fixed path every seven days, destroying everything in its way.
The only way to survive Kōtotsu is to completely suppress one's Reiatsu or to be powerful enough to defeat it.
Many years ago, when Arima was still part of the Twelfth Division, he conducted numerous secret experiments.
Because conducting such experiments in the outside world required accounting for time, he chose to perform them in the Dangai.
In the Dangai, a few days of research could pass in mere moments outside. Moreover, the predictable patterns of Kōryū and Kōtotsu allowed him to build a stable laboratory there.
Arima devoted significant effort to constructing his lab, and it was in this space that he achieved a deep understanding of spirit particles. This knowledge played a crucial role in his rise to prominence and his eventual promotion to the Royal Guard.
After his promotion to Squad Zero, the laboratory fell into disuse.
For years, Arima had little ambition. Upon returning to the Soul Society, he only sought a quiet life.
But meeting Aizen, and witnessing the power of the Soul King's right arm in Jūshirō Ukitake's body, reignited Arima's fighting spirit.
He was so close to uncovering the greatest secret of all—the truth behind the Soul King.
When he was in Squad Zero, he had chosen to retire. But abandoning the pursuit of such knowledge now felt like a waste.
Thus, Arima regained his original ambition.
Whether it was secretly siphoning the power of the Soul King's right arm, mentoring Aizen as a potential ally, or orchestrating a covert attack on the Quincy, his goal remained the same:
To uncover the mysteries of the world.
To study the Quincy thoroughly, the underground spiritual space beneath the Spiritual Arts Academy was inadequate for his experiments.
And so, Arima restarted the laboratory in the Dangai.
Though many years had passed in the Soul Society—and tens of thousands of years in the Dangai—the laboratory remained untouched. The flow of time in the Dangai differs from the normal world, and its rigid existence shields it from decay.
The barriers Arima had once erected to block the Kōryū still held strong, keeping the lab safe.
Everything inside was exactly as he had left it.
To properly study the Quincy, however, new preparations were necessary.
After finishing a lecture at the Spiritual Arts Academy, Arima returned to his dormitory and entered the underground spiritual space.
Through a small dimensional gateway, he stepped into the Dangai.
After walking for some time, he arrived at a hidden location within the Dangai.
Here, a powerful barrier shielded the area.
Using a specific technique, Arima opened a gap in the barrier and stepped inside.
A massive laboratory came into view.
Dissection tables, advanced experimental equipment, and shelves filled with bottles and jars lined the walls.
The most striking features were the jars containing preserved organs and tissues. Larger containers held entire human bodies floating in suspension.
At the center of the lab, Aizen, clad in a pristine white research uniform, was busy with preparations.
○○○
1k words
You know what...