3-6 A Reason to Join Forces

What the hell?!

The Hollows, they're gathering.

Down here, filthy Hollows! I, Uryu Ishida, the last of the Quincies, challenge you!

Is he really the last one?

It was thought they all became extinct 200 years ago.

Rukia?

Well, not exactly. They were systematically killed by the Soul Reapers.

Huh?!

Soul Reapers were also referred to by other names back then. They were called Balancers or Regulators.

The number of souls in the Soul Society and in the human world does not change by much as time goes by. They just trade places between the two worlds. It's the job of Soul Reapers to regulate that -- to keep the balance.

It worked, until the Quincies disrupted the equation. The Quincies didn't cleanse the Hollows. They destroyed them completely. If things had continued that way, the balance between the two worlds would have collapsed.

It would have meant the apocalypse.

Umph...

So there were many meetings between the Soul Reapers and the Quincies, but to no avail. The Quincies refused to listen to reason.

Finally, there was no choice. The order was given for the Quincies' annihilation.

I can't kill them with just one shot anymore.

Something's wrong.

I'm losing my strength and there are far too many Hollows coming for that small amount of bait.

But none of that matters!

Sensei! I swear to you I will avenge your death!

Uryu!!!

Alright, Uryu! Now I understand why you think Soul Reapers are your enemies. I don't know who was right and who was wrong, the Soul Reapers or the Quincies...

...but I'll tell you one thing I know for sure, Uryu. Your methods are completel–

That's all ancient history.

Huh?

I don't care about some slaughter that happened 200 years ago. It's just one more fact that was passed down to me from my sensei.

In fact, when I heard that story, I think I sided more with the Soul Reapers than I did with the Quincies. That is, until my sensei was murdered.

To the very end, he tried to convince the Soul Reapers that Quincies were necessary. He kept encouraging them to work together, suggesting new ways to fight the Hollows.

Since the Soul Reapers live in the Soul Society, there would always be a delay when it came to dealing with Hollows in this world.

It would make sense to have people like us who could watch out for immediate danger and react to the problems quickly.

But the Soul Reapers always had the same answer to his efforts: "Don't interfere with our work."

Then one day, five Hollows appeared and surrounded sensei. It was two hours before they finally arrived.

If only they had listened to his advice. If only they had heeded his warning, then he wouldn't have been alone. Help would have reached him in time.

And sensei wouldn't have wound up dead!

Now do you understand?

That's the reason that this is so important, why I have to prove to you and to all Soul Reapers the superior strength of the Quincy!

Watch and witness the true power of-

Shut up already!

Hrgh oww! What is your problem?!

You messed up your own story! Your sensei wouldn't want you to prove the strength of the Quincies.

You said it yourself. His greatest hope was for Quincies and Soul Reapers to work together! Isn't that right?!

!!!

Come on, think about it! When will you ever have a better chance to do that than right here surrounded by enemies?

You say we're at opposite poles, but I say when two warriors are heavily outnumbered, the trick is to fight back-to-back.

It's kill or be killed. What's more important here is, together, we can kill a lot more.

Isn't that a good enough reason for us to join forces?

After all, we both share the same single-minded purpose.

............

My mother was killed by a Hollow.

After all the agony I suffered, I wanna make sure others don't suffer the way I did.

My father and my sisters went through so much pain after mom was killed.

It was so hard for me to watch.

That's something I don't ever want to see again.

............

I'm not a superhero. I know that I can't protect everybody in the world.

But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be content protecting only the people I can hold in my arms either.

I am going to protect as many people as I possibly can.

Your method of using bait to deliberately draw Hollows here just to prove a point is only endangering innocent lives. I don't agree with that.

But right now is not the time for arguments. We've gotta work together. You and me.

So whaddya say?

What do I say? I think you talk too much.

But I understand what you're saying.

I have to help you survive this battle, or you won't be around for me to kick your butt!

Sounds like a plan!