"What kind of person dares to trespass into the Soul King's Palace?"
Just as Daniel and Aizen were admiring the Soul King's Palace, a furious shout suddenly echoed from afar. Dozens of Shinigami clad in armor and armed with weapons charged forward—these were the Holy Soldiers guarding the Soul King's Palace.
The Soul King's Palace isn't guarded solely by a few members of the Zero Division; it is also defended by a considerable number of Holy Soldiers. These soldiers maintain order within the palace, even though, in truth, the Soul King is little more than a figurehead.
Only a few people know the truth—most merely believe that the Soul King remains confined to the main hall. Nonetheless, because the Soul King still enjoys certain imperial privileges, his attendants must carry out their duties, which mostly amount to mindlessly patrolling around the palace.
Occasionally, the Soul King does issue orders to the Soul Society. For example, during the Ice Wheel incident involving Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Zanpakutō, the Soul King's Palace played a part—after all, there were two Ice Wheels involved back then.
"These guys—are they modified?"
Daniel muttered under his breath as he watched the advancing Holy Soldiers. It was common knowledge that the density of spiritual particles in the Soul King's Palace is extremely high. Even lieutenant-level Shinigami are immediately overwhelmed upon entering, yet these Holy Soldiers seem to be significantly weaker than a lieutenant.
So how can they run so swiftly through the Soul King's Palace? They must have been modified—engineered to adapt to the intense spiritual particle density.
These Holy Soldiers aren't cyborgs per se; they are selected from the Soul Society. Their lifespans aren't nearly as long as those of the Zero Division's members. In fact, new batches are recruited periodically. This also explains why, despite the Soul King's Palace being separated from the Soul Society for so long, many still know about it—if the Zero Division were to vanish from the public eye entirely, most would eventually forget about them.
Boom!
Before the charging Holy Soldiers even reached Daniel and Aizen, Aizen struck. In a single swift swing, his Zanpakutō erased all the approaching soldiers.
But more Holy Soldiers appeared from the distance—only to be immediately halted by a booming voice. A moment later, a portly woman slowly walked forward.
"Did they come so quickly?"
Daniel was surprised. He'd expected that after so many years the Zero Division would have grown complacent, but both the Holy Soldiers and the Zero Division members had arrived right on time.
"Are they just too bored? I can almost understand why that guy who forged our Zanpakutō ended up with a beautiful Zanpakutō Personal Guard," Daniel mused.
In Daniel's mind, the Zero Division was reputed to enjoy unparalleled honor and authority in the Soul Society—qualities few envied. But if he were offered a spot in the Zero Division, he would never accept; the life there would be unbearably dull.
The Soul King's Palace is vast, roughly comparable in size to the Ice Palace of the Invisible Empire, yet despite its vast area it feels terribly empty.
The palace comprises several main sections: the principal hall where the Soul King resides; five satellite halls that house the Zero Division members; the palace district surrounding the main hall; and the living quarters for the Holy Soldiers.
There are no entertainment facilities—what passes for a "district" is little more than a single street. Spending a few years or even a decade here might be tolerable, but hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of years would be unendurable.
No wonder Captain Kiryū Kotobuki of the old era once rejected an invitation to join the Zero Division—he must have known the life inside all too well.
It seems that King Nimaeya Ōetsu, having grown exceedingly bored, created a beautiful female Personal Guard at the Zero Division. At least, they provided pleasant conversation and pleasing company.
"'Aizen Sōusuke, you have no business here,'"
A voluptuous woman stopped about fifteen meters from Aizen and fixed him with a complex expression.
"Long time no see, Captain Yetsubune Kirio," Aizen greeted with a smile.
"Ah, so it's you,"
At the sound of Aizen calling her by name, Daniel immediately recalled who she was—Yetsubune Kirio, the former captain of the Twelfth Division under Kisuke Urahara and a senior of his.
She had joined the Zero Division only about a century ago; the time span was short. Aizen knew her well, having served as the vice-captain of the Fifth Division back then.
"I'd rather not meet you under these circumstances. Back then, Heikō Makoto said you were dangerous—I thought he was joking. But it seems you really are dangerous."
This was the setting of the Soul King's Palace. Aizen had come here uninvited and had already slaughtered several of its Holy Soldiers. Whatever his purpose, it was clearly an illicit design against the palace.
"Captain Heikō's senses are impressively sharp—much respect for that," Aizen admitted sincerely. Being able to perceive his true nature under the influence of Mirror Flower, Water Moon was a rare talent—something not many could do. (Perhaps it had something to do with Heikō Makoto's own Zanpakutō ability.)
Since both Zanpakutō dealing in illusions should exhibit some resistance to Mirror Flower, Water Moon, it wasn't surprising that Aizen had designed his later tactics to repel Kirio and her comrades.
"'Aizen, trespassing into the Soul King's Palace—do you know what crime that is in the Soul Society? You'd better surrender, or you'll face severe punishment.'"
"Ha ha, trespassing into the Soul King's Palace? Then have the Soul King himself come forth and pass judgment on me. In my eyes, the Soul King's Palace is nothing more than a flimsy prison, and the Zero Division is no better than a cadre of jailers—more precisely, jailers of puppets. Captain Yetsubune Kirio, you've been here for over a hundred years. Have you gone senile?"
"Enough, Aizen—you're insolent."
At Aizen's words, Yetsubune Kirio's face darkened. With a swift gesture of her hands, a huge wooden cage materialized out of thin air around Daniel and Aizen.
"Wood Release—no, it should be the Soul Tree. Captain Kirio uses the Soul Tree to temporarily elevate souls into the Zero Division."
Daniel muttered to himself as he looked at the wooden cage.
Through this temporary soul elevation, later innovations like the Righteous Soul Orb and Soul Remains were developed. Incidentally, Kisuke Urahara himself is not without people; his relationship with Yoruichi in the past with Captain Kirio was excellent—this was why the Zero Division even had access to healing hot springs.
"Captain Yetsubune, you don't actually think that no one knows about the true state of the Soul King, do you? Others might yield to a mere puppet—but I, Aizen, will not kneel before a puppet."
"How do you know of that?"
Yetsubune Kirio looked at Aizen in astonishment. She had only learned of the Soul King's true condition after joining the Zero Division—only the heirs of the four great families of the Soul Society were qualified to know such secrets. Kisuke Urahara could know because of his childhood friend, Yoruichi.
"Enough idle chatter. We're pressed for time. Over at Stark's—"
Daniel interjected suddenly, cutting off the nostalgic exchange.
"Stark's? What are you saying?"
Captain Kirio looked at Aizen strangely. In the current situation, it appeared that she held the advantage. Her Soul Tree—created from her own body—was extraordinarily resilient and could even absorb spiritual particles to grow. This was her Life Barrier, not something one could easily break through.
"Room: Slaughterhouse."
At that moment, Captain Kirio's face suddenly went pale. Just as she turned to look behind her, a voice sounded—and before she could react, her head was flung clear into the air.
"How? When did you come out of your Life Barrier?"
Captain Kirio's head soared into the sky. Staring at the now-empty Life Barrier and at Daniel, who still maintained a stance with his Zanpakutō, she was utterly baffled. How were Aizen and Daniel not trapped? And how did Daniel appear right behind her?
"Captain Kirio, my Zanpakutō's Mirror Flower, Water Moon is not a conventional Water-type Zanpakutō—it is pure hypnosis. From the moment you saw me, all five of your senses have been under my control."
As the former captain of the Twelfth Division, Captain Kirio could not escape the effects of Aizen's Mirror Flower, Water Moon. Back then, Aizen had worked for years to ensure that, throughout the Soul Society, his Mirror Flower, Water Moon would reveal his true nature.
"Mirror Flower, Water Moon? That can't be…"
Even if Captain Kirio did not believe it, by that point she was too weakened to resist. It was fascinating to watch as those who had fallen under Mirror Flower, Water Moon muttered to empty air while releasing their techniques—a stark demonstration of its terrifying power. One member of the Zero Division was disposed of that easily.
"What on earth is happening? Aizen—how did you end up here? Kirio, what's going on?"
In the next moment, another Zero Division member arrived.
"Tenjirō, be careful with Aizen!"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Captain Kirio shouted, trying to warn him. Unfortunately, he seemed not to hear her, and he strode straight toward them.
The newcomer was a young man sporting a bizarre "airplane" hairstyle and peculiar sunglasses—a member of the Zero Division, Tenjirō Kirinji, master of the Kirin Pavilion, who had ascended to the Zero Division through techniques of Break. His main achievement was the invention of the Healing Hot Spring, and he had once served as the captain of the Fourth Division under Urahara.
He and the previous captain, Mōnohana Retsu, shared a good rapport. Recalling that both he and Captain Kirio had once been affected by Mirror Flower, Water Moon, it was clear that back then Aizen was only a low-ranking officer—not yet a vice-captain. In his days at the Maō Reiryoku Academy, Aizen was very low-key; unlike Gin Ichimaru or Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who graduated in a year, he lingered for a full six years like Rukia or Renji. Then, he methodically climbed the ranks in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads—from a regular member to an officer, then vice-captain and captain—a flawless, "nice guy" persona. No one suspected his ulterior motives before his self-detonation.
"Next, it's going to be tough."
Following standard procedure, Tenjirō Kirinji was swiftly decapitated by Daniel's blade and his head placed beside Captain Kirio's—a shared fate for those caught in this calamity.
But that was the end of it for the newer Zero Division members. Those who had ascended to the Zero Division only a few hundred years ago, like Tenjirō and Kirio, might have a chance for survival at Aizen's hands. The remaining three, however, were entirely different.
Nimaeya Ōetsu had become a Zero Division member nearly two thousand years ago, and Shudora Senjūmaru similarly so—one wielding a Zanpakutō and the other a Death Dominator set. Their ascension periods were roughly equivalent.
"Did that monk really not inform Aizen of their true strength? I wonder if he truly didn't know or deliberately kept silent."
Having effortlessly dispatched two Zero Division members, Daniel found the behavior of the Army's First Captain extremely odd. The Soul Society had named everything; surely they knew the power of Aizen's Zanpakutō. After all, he even knew the abilities of Renji's Zanpakutō, yet he didn't warn Kirio or Tenjirō—how strange.
If that monk truly were unaware of what was happening in the lower echelons of the Soul Society, that would be absurd—but Daniel did not believe it. Just look at the original Zero Division: when the battle between the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and the Star‐Crossed Knight Order ended, they appeared promptly—neither too early nor too late. Their timely appearance was impeccable.
Had they shown up sooner, Captain Yamamoto might not have perished. In other circumstances, the Zero Division might have simply abstained from involvement. But Yhwach's true objective is the Soul King. To have them not fight alongside him is simply laughable.
"This place is really lively. What are you two playing at? Count me in."
Just as the confrontation ended, a third Zero Division member appeared—a heavily built man with a punk-style black haircut, wearing odd sunglasses and wielding an unusual Zanpakutō. This was Nimaeya Ōetsu.
"Be careful, Wangyue," Kirio and Tenjirō cried in unison upon seeing him. "His Zanpakutō's ability is pure hypnosis."
"Now that's an interesting power. I wish I had that kind of ability," Nimaeya remarked.
Before anyone could react further, Nimaeya suddenly materialized beside Aizen and swung his Zanpakutō. Aizen snorted, and in the ensuing clash, there was a crisp "crack" as Aizen's Zanpakutō shattered—its blade breaking off—and then his body was split in two with a single strike.
"That was a mutual instant kill—so that must be the fabled Zanpakutō," Daniel observed.
Kyoufuku, that is the name of Nimaeya's Zanpakutō. It was so incredibly sharp that no sheath could be crafted for it—a weapon said to be indestructible, capable of cleaving through anything, leaving all things in two. Compared to Shiru's "Universal Severance," it seemed rather low-end.
Although Daniel was aware of this Zanpakutō, he had not mentioned it to Aizen—mainly because he doubted it was truly that formidable. But witnessing it with his own eyes, he confirmed its reputation. No wonder it could decapitate three of Yhwach's bodyguards in one blow and severely wound the fourth.
"Now it's your turn," Nimaeya said with a mischievous grin as he eyed Daniel.
"That is a very sharp Zanpakutō. I'd like to see if it's truly as sharp as they say," Daniel replied.
In that moment, a palm-sized bronze, square, four-legged cauldron appeared in Daniel's hand. Within seconds, it expanded to the size of a normal cauldron. Daniel grasped it firmly.
Arriving at the Soul King's Palace to face "that monk" – the Shinigami who had survived from the Soul King's era to the present – Daniel had come fully prepared.
(End of Chapter)
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