3-1 Advance of the Soldat

Let us go, Haschwalth.

Sir.

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

Even in death, you would try and stop me?

How pathetic. You soft-hearted old fool. It's for precisely this reason that I stopped considering you one of the five Special Threats.

Shigekuni Yamamoto. Tell me, why didn't you restore your left arm? You could have ordered that human girl to do it and yet you chose not to.

And I know why. You didn't want to exploit the humans.

It's been true all along. Even in your battle against Aizen, you hesitated to involve Ichigo Kurosaki because he's a human.

Even now, against me, you tried to carry the burden of the Soul Society and the World of the Living on your shoulders alone. But you failed.

You've grown soft, Shigekuni Yamamoto... But you weren't always that way.

The members of the original Thirteen Court Guard Squads you founded were Court Guards in name only. They were lawless savages. Killers.

But that just made them all the more fearsome as opponents. And you, their leader, you were no better than a beast with a sword.

You would sacrifice anything to crush your enemy. The lives of your subordinates meant no more to you than the ashes beneath your feet.

But that all changed once you exterminated us Quincies.

Having gained a peaceful world, you now found that there were people you wanted to protect and love.

You developed a sense of justice and mercy, and that made you weak.

I wouldn't want you to die without knowing this, so I'm going to tell you: Though the Soul Society will perish today, the Thirteen Court Guard Squads you founded died along with us a thousand years ago!

Notify every member of the Stern Ritter. It's time for us to finish what we came here to do.

Tell them to show no mercy. Crush the Soul Society!

Soldat, advance!

It's over.

Please no!

Hold on! You can't!

Don't die!

Ah, there we go, finally. Sorry 'bout that. We would've busted you out of that thing sooner, but we ran into a few minor complications on the way.

Better late than never, though, right?

What of Rukia and Renji? Are they both still alive?

Yeah, don't worry about them. They're alive.

I see. Thank heaven for that.

I guess it's obvious. My time is almost done. I failed in my duty as a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. I failed to prevent these monsters from invading the Seireitei.

I led so many of my squad to their deaths. I brought sorrow to their comrades and to their families. And for what? Their sacrifice ended in defeat and disgrace. I will die with that shame.

But what is all this to you? You are a human. This fight isn't your fight. You have no reason to risk your life for us. In fact, you shouldn't even be here in the first place.

You must forgive me. I realize I have no right to place this burden on you, and yet, I must ask this one last favor.

Please... Will you protect the Soul Society...Ichigo Kurosaki?

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

(He left without giving me an answer.)

(But that's all right. That's just the kind of man he is. I know what his answer is without him saying it.)

I leave it in your hands...

Ichigo...Kurosaki.