Chapter 371: Millennium Old Resentment
The origin of the quincy can no longer be precisely traced.
What is certain, however, is that their roots lie with humanity.
During their era of activity, the quincy represented a peak in worldly power. Their influence shaped the balance between realms.
Soul Society—realm of the spirits—is ruled by the shinigami. The material world—realm of substance and form—was once the quincy’s domain. And suspended between them lies Hueco Mundo, a liminal wasteland inhabited by Hollows.
Once, the three realms maintained a delicate equilibrium.
That balance was shattered a thousand years ago.
Yhwach, the progenitor and King of the quincies, led the Sternritters (Star Cross Knights) in a bold assault against Soul Society. The resulting war was the most devastating conflict in Soul Society’s history.
No one knows the full number of shinigami who fell in that battle. But Soul Society ultimately emerged victorious.
After Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni released his Bankai, he and Yhwach clashed in a battle of kings. Though both wielded terrifying power, it was Yamamoto who proved superior, and Yhwach was defeated.
But victory came at a cost.
The once-feared "Sword Demon" stood in the ruins of Soul Society, gazing upon the devastation his Bankai had wrought. Wracked with guilt, Yamamoto vowed to restrain himself. From that day forward, he sealed away the full force of his Bankai, using it only when absolutely necessary. He ceased to pursue war. He chose, instead, to protect.
What he did not know—what even he, in his centuries of wisdom, failed to perceive—was that Yhwach had not perished.