Rise of the Wandenreich

Previous	The New Shinigami Guardians & the Broken Balance
Concurrent	Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Asguiaro Ebern Return to Hueco Mundo Wandenreich vs. The Arrancar
Next	Ichigo Kurosaki & Ayon vs. Quilge Opie Fall of the Seireitei
Rise of the Wandenreich
Conflict	Quincy Blood War
Date	June 12th, 2003
Place	1st Division Office, Seireitei, Soul Society & Silbern
Outcome
1st Division Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe is killed by the Wandenreich. The Wandenreich formally declare war on Soul Society. The Wandenreich reveals they have conquered Hueco Mundo and imprisoned Tier Harribel. Chōjirō's funeral is held and his body is cremated. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto orders the Gotei 13 to prepare for war immediately.
Participants
Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe † Luders Friegen † Jugram Haschwalth 5 Wandenreich Members Driscoll Berci 3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa Asguiaro Ebern † Emperor Yhwach Tier Harribel

Rise of the Wandenreich is an event taking place during the Quincy Blood War, consisting of the Wandenreich openly declaring war against Soul Society and launching an initial incursion against the Gotei 13.

Prelude

Seven messengers of the Wandenreich confront Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

In his office in the Seireitei, Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto notices a flash of lightning from the Bankai of his lieutenant, Chōjirō Sasakibe, as he finishes receiving reports from the Ninth Division and Eleventh Division prior to the Shinigami reporting to him being decapitated while beginning to deliver the Tenth Division's report. Upon turning around, Yamamoto finds seven masked individuals standing across from him at the other end of the room, where Luders Friegen greets Yamamoto and states that they have come to declare war.

Yamamoto claims that there is no greater security than his own presence.

Pointing out how easy it was to infiltrate the office of the Captain-Commander, Luders questions if Yamamoto's security is lax, but Yamamoto simply proclaims that there is no greater security than his own presence, which Luders acknowledges before declaring that this is Yamamoto's last moment of arrogance.

Declaration of War

Chōjirō Sasakibe is impaled by a massive Heilig Pfeil.

Suddenly, Chōjirō is impaled and pinned to the wall by a massive Heilig Pfeil. With Yamamoto expressing shock at this, Luders assures him that he does not need to mourn for Chōjirō, who has demonstrated the fate of a hopeless death following a desperate struggle that is destined for all of the Shinigami, before proclaiming that the Wandenreich will annihilate Soul Society in five days. Yamamoto moves to Chōjirō with Shunpo, shatters the Heilig Pfeil impaling him, and holds Chōjirō with his left arm while glaring at Luders, who infers that Yamamoto wants to know who they are and refuses to tell him since he should already know prior to Shadows enveloping him and the other six individuals.

Chōjirō informs Yamamoto that the Wandenreich can do something to their Bankai.

In response to this, Yamamoto furiously tells them to wait and unleashes a torrent of flame with his Shikai, Ryūjin Jakka, that envelops the room and bursts out from the balcony. In the aftermath, Yamamoto sees that the messengers have disappeared and deduces that they can move through the Shakonmaku undetected because there are no traces of their Reiatsu within the Seireitei. Suddenly, a mortally wounded Chōjirō reveals that there is something he must tell Yamamoto and reveals that the enemy can do something to their Bankai, to Yamamoto's alarm.

Luders Friegen has his arm severed by Yhwach for bickering with Asguiaro Ebern.

Shortly afterward, at Silbern, Luders walks into the main hall alongside his six companions and notices a badly burnt Asguiaro Ebern kneeling nearby, which he mockingly commends as he considers forgiving Ebern for getting overzealous on his mission and being left injured, though Ebern quickly clarifies that he would never bow before Luders. Suddenly, an aggravated Luders is interrupted when Yhwach cuts off his right arm, causing him to collapse and scream in agony while Yhwach reminds him that they are not to argue in his presence since he dislikes conflict before requesting that they relay their report for peace.

Yhwach permits Luders to give his report while lying down due to his injury.

With Luders gasping in pain in a pool of blood on the floor in front of him after having had his right arm severed, Yhwach observes that he does not need to strain himself by attempting to sit up since he must be in incredible pain and permits him to give his report while lying down, which Luders thanks him for. However, when Yhwach notes that Luders does not need his legs either if he is not going to sit up, a mortified Luders forces himself up and claims that he would never disrespect Yhwach by talking to him by lying down. As a petrified Ebern watches this, a smirking Yhwach invites Luders to begin his report.

Yhwach questions the accuracy of Luders's predictions about the future.

Once Luders finishes his report, Yhwach picks up on Luders proclaiming that Soul Society would be destroyed in five days, and when Luders explains that this would be enough time for both the Gotei 13 and the Wandenreich to prepare for battle, Yhwach reminds him that this is in the future, which unnerves Luders, and brings up the latter's assessment of Soul Society and the Human World collapsing in the near future if the Hollow population were left unchecked after being sent out to observe the border intensity level. When Yhwach inquires about whether he is a prophet, a trembling Luders is initially unable to answer him.

Yhwach brutally kills Luders.

Luders eventually confirms that he is not a prophet once Yhwach presses him on it, only for Yhwach to assert that he wishes to hear of the present instead of the distant future if Luders cannot accurately predict it prior to blowing the latter's head off in a fountain of blood. With Luders's limp body collapsing, Yhwach turns his attention to Ebern and notes that there is nothing worthy of praise or punishment about him since he kept Ichigo at bay. However, after Ebern thanks him for this, Yhwach tells him to become a foundation for peace and blows his head off as well.

A defeated Tier Harribel is held captive in chains by Yhwach in Silbern.

Following this, one of the other messengers questions if a departing Yhwach is okay with disposing of Arrancar soldiers since he previously called them valuable for not requiring combat training, though Yhwach simply shapes the throne he was standing on into a set of stairs that he ascends toward a curtain above him as he proclaims that they can always get more Arrancar because Hueco Mundo is under his control and is simply another foundation stone toward invading Soul Society, which he emphasizes by pulling the curtain aside to reveal a bloodied and defeated Tier Harribel strung up in chains while in her Resurrección, Tiburón.

The Crimson Cremation

Byakuya Kuchiki details Chōjirō's hidden capabilities and extensive loyalty to Yamamoto.

Some time later, in the Seireitei, the Gotei 13 captains and lieutenants stand assembled before the crematorium containing Chōjirō's body, where 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki informs his lieutenant, Renji Abarai, that Chōjirō was a Shinigami who should have been a captain because he achieved Bankai before 8th Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku or 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake were even born, but never displayed this ability in public even once since the Gotei 13 was founded. Byakuya notes that captains are not always men of integrity, which led some of them to disparage Chōjirō and treat him like a seated officer due to him not taking part in battles even after learning of his capabilities.

Yamamoto mourns for Chōjirō prior to ordering that his funeral pyre be lit.

Byakuya details how Chōjirō never once resented his position as a lieutenant despite this and always turned down offers to become an interim captain or hold the responsibilities of a captain as 3rd Division Lieutenant Izuru Kira and 9th Division Lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi did until recently whenever there was a vacancy from captains being replaced due to his fierce loyalty. With Renji startled by this, Byakuya observes that Chōjirō swore to remain a lieutenant to Yamamoto for as long as the latter was alive and concludes that Yamamoto's grief must be beyond imagining for the younger captains since Chōjirō died upon using his Bankai in battle for the first time. Standing mournfully in front of Chōjirō's pyre, Yamamoto orders that the fires be lit.

Jugram Haschwalth informs Yhwach that Ebern's Medallion did not work on Ichigo Kurosaki.

Soon afterward, in Silbern, three attendants clean up the blood on the floor as Jugram Haschwalth picks up Ebern's Medallion and brings Yhwach's attention to it. Haschwalth notes that it seems to have been used, but did not end up functioning properly, which Yhwach is perturbed by. With Yhwach determining that they will have to use a special method for Ichigo after all, Haschwalth asserts that being able to verify this is quite significant even though they expected it, and after musing that impatient fools are necessary at times, Yhwach instructs Haschwalth to have the Jagdarmee in Hueco Mundo capture a few more Arrancar, which Haschwalth affirms.

Aftermath

Mayuri Kurotsuchi addresses his fellow captains during a meeting about the incursion.

That evening, in a captains meeting in the First Division barracks, 12th Division 3rd Seat Akon finishes delivering his report on the incursion to the assembled captains and is dismissed by his captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who steps in to explain that the Ryoka identifying themselves as the Wandenreich are connected to the recent mass disappearance of Hollows in the Human World, which has caused a great imbalance of Souls and could possible mean the destruction of both the Human World and Soul Society itself, before assuming the captains are astute enough to know the only ones able to erase Souls from the cycle of rebirth are Quincy.

Yamamoto declares that the Gotei 13 will be preparing for battle immediately since they will not trust the word of the Wandenreich and cannot lose the upper hand.

While the captains silently look at him in response, Mayuri admits they do not know how the Quincy survived and expanded their forces, but asserts that they must be cautious about the Wandenreich's ability to pass undetected through the Shakonmaku and Chōjirō's dying words about their apparent capability to seal and neutralize Bankai. Suddenly, Yamamoto interrupts to claim Mayuri has shared enough information and request to know where the Wandenreich's base of operation is. When a hesitant Mayuri admits they have not determined this yet, Yamamoto concludes they have no way to attack the Wandenreich yet and orders the captains to prepare for battle, as they have no reason to trust the declaration that the battle will begin in five days when the same faction dared to mount a surprise attack and must prepare for battle immediately so as to not let the Wandenreich get the upper hand again.