"I thought the members of the Zero Division would rather die than yield—but it seems they're nothing more than this."
Seeing Nimaeya Ōetsu nod in immediate agreement under my threat surprised me. I was merely issuing a routine ultimatum; after all, if you want to obtain someone's belongings, without applying some pressure, how could they ever hand them over so easily?
If it were someone like Ichigo or Uryūlong, a threat would surely be useless. But clearly, Nimaeya Ōetsu isn't that type. Had I not possessed the means to genuinely put his life at risk, perhaps he might have stood his ground—but who am I to complain?
Maybe Ichibee Hyosube's side could eventually claim ultimate victory, but if the satellite hall were utterly destroyed, even he might not be able to resurrect its occupants. When Yhwach clashed with him, it was obvious he hadn't accounted for the monk's ability—this very oversight is what allowed his foes to be revived.
Just as Yhwach can resurrect members of his Star-Crossed Knight Order, his power to revive isn't universal; it only works on those who have embraced his Sacred Script ability. Ordinary Extinction Masters—even he—could not be revived.
Of course, the reason Nimaeya Ōetsu agreed so quickly might be that, compared to the current circumstances, Yijisijiba has become a trivial matter.
"So it was underwater after all—there really are a lot of Zanpakutō."
Nimaeya Ōetsu's forge isn't located on a floating island at all; it lies beneath the sea. Under normal conditions, even infiltrating his Phoenix Hall wouldn't reveal the Zanpakutō he has crafted.
Yet I had no particular interest in these Zanpakutō. Even though I might now be considered a proxy Shinigami, I've never cultivated my own Zanpakutō. After all, I'm still alive—and Shinigami walk the path of the pure soul, which simply isn't for me. I have no intention of abandoning my body; if it weren't for the ancient one's constant exposure to dark energy, he wouldn't have feigned death to discard his mortal coil.
In other words, Yijisijiba—this very Zanpakutō—is like the Hakkyōken or Yan Luo Jingdian: it can be wielded as long as one has spiritual particles. That is how it came into my possession.
The greatest boon of this world for me is its approach to spiritual power and the means of soul elevation. For ordinary folk, an enhanced soul equates to a longer life.
"Transforming that ancient Great Hollow into a Zanpakutō—if the monk so desired, he could probably turn Hollows into Zanpakutō, or perhaps even transmute a Shinigami's soul into one."
Before long, I obtained Yijisijiba from Ōetsu's grasp. This very Zanpakutō was later employed by Chikugenyami to contend with the three great forces of Shinigami, Hollows, and Extinction Masters. Had it not been for the utterly overwhelming Bankai of Heikō Makoto's Zanpakutō, the mere splitting effect of Yijisijiba would have sufficed. It can even summon that ancient Great Hollow into battle—and if one has sufficient reiatsu, it can split itself into an army of one hundred thousand. Heikō Makoto once accomplished the feat of contending with an army of that magnitude singlehandedly.
"Apologies—please, rest for now. Once everything is over, I'll let you go."
Once I had secured the Zanpakutō, I promptly knocked Ōetsu unconscious and then headed for Kirio's Buta Hall. I've never been particularly interested in forging Zanpakutō myself, but I was determined to acquire the culinary creations that Kirio makes—dishes that can boost a Shinigami's spiritual power cap. Rukia, Byakuya, and Renji all achieved super-captain-level strength thanks to her cooking; this kind of enhancement is on par with, if not superior to, hollowfication or Arrancar transformation.
"Aizen Sōusuke, what are your thoughts upon seeing the Soul King?"
Inside the main hall of the Soul King's Palace—where the Soul King resides—I had just finished witnessing Aizen dispatch Shudora Senjūmaru when I noticed someone already standing before the Soul King, as if waiting specifically for him. It was a towering, imposing figure with a massive bald head, thick eyebrows, and a luxuriant beard beneath his lips—the head of the Zero Division, Ichibee Hyosube.
"Boring."
A sly, mocking smile curled on Aizen's lips. Whether he was deriding Ichibee or the Soul King himself, one thing was clear: had he seen the Soul King's true form, Aizen would never utter the word "boring"—after all, that was his ultimate goal. But not now.
After conversing with Daniel and learning that beyond this world lay countless others, Aizen's perspective had fundamentally changed. "You know," he remarked coolly, "you're not the first Shinigami to arrive here—and you won't be the last." His tone caught Ichibee Hyosube off guard; he had expected Aizen to be utterly astonished, yet he soon regained his composure. Still, his words carried a chilling implication.
"I'm not surprised. With the long history of the Soul Society, I doubt I'm the only one—perhaps I wasn't the first, but I can be sure I'll be the last."
How long the history of the Soul Society truly spans is difficult to determine—no record precisely states it—but estimates suggest at least tens of thousands of years. In fact, it could be deduced from the current four great families: the head of the Shihōin is the 23rd generation, Yoruichi is the 22nd; Byakuya Kuchiki is the 28th generation—if each generation lasts roughly a hundred years, that totals nearly three thousand years, which is but a blink compared to the lifespans of Shinigami. The Thirteen Court Guard Squads boast a history spanning a millennium—the current captain being the first generation, while Fūtachi Jūshirō and Kyoraku Harumi each lead their own divisions. Even if we halve that and subtract a bit, it still amounts to at least 100,000 years.
With such an extensive history, the Soul Society cannot have only one Aizen. The adage "new talents rise with each generation" is no myth—consider the captain of the Eleventh Division; by the time of Geng Mu Jianba, he was already the 11th generation due to the emergence of countless powerful individuals who ultimately clashed amongst themselves. Even now, Endless Hell still imprisons the Eighth Generation Jianba.
"Everyone who comes here tells me the same thing: 'What right do you have to act as you do? You can cause all the chaos you want down there, but why must you come here looking for death?'"
At that, Ichibee Hyosube's expression softened into a smile of lamentation and compassion. Had one only seen that smile, one might have mistaken him for a kind soul. Viewed from another angle, though, he bore a striking resemblance to Aizen in certain respects.
"Because this time, it's different." Aizen's tone remained unnervingly calm.
Yes, different—this time there was an unforeseen twist, one that neither Yhwach nor the monk could have ever predicted.
"Different? What's so different, Aizen? I'll show you—you're nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well. Behold the Thousand-Mile Celestial Palm!" Ichibee Hyosube declared without waiting for Aizen's response. As he unleashed his palm strike, a gigantic hand materialized in mid-air, imbued with an incomparable surge of reiatsu so potent that even Aizen couldn't help but be visibly moved.
Boom!
Just as Aizen was about to react, the enormous hand struck him, slamming him out of the main hall of the Soul King's Palace. Aizen's body streaked through the air in a flash of light before vanishing into the horizon.
"Hidden."
After dispatching Aizen, Ichibee Hyosube casually flicked the enormous brush he held. In mid-air, it darted across and inscribed a colossal character meaning "hidden." As that character flashed before the main gate of the Soul King's Palace, it vanished—taking the entire palace with it.
That is the power of Ichibee Hyosube—the power of words. That gigantic brush is his Zanpakutō.
"Truly, he lives up to being the oldest Shinigami in the Soul Society. This power is astonishing—but it's only just begun to get interesting."
Landing steadily, Aizen—his battle robe tattered—suddenly laughed. As he laughed, his robe began to repair itself at an incredible speed. The sixth Hōgyoku evolution had once again transformed Aizen back into the calculating, supremely confident tactician he once was. As he had said before, evolution is always accompanied by ugliness—hence, his previous Hōgyoku forms were so hideous, their deformity even affecting his disposition.
In the original tale, Aizen was defeated by Ichigo not only because Ichigo's power far exceeded his own—shattering his composure—but also partly due to Aizen's altered state of mind.
"Have you arrived?"
Sensing the rapidly approaching reiatsu of Ichibee Hyosube, Aizen sneered coldly and raised his left hand, muttering rapidly:
"Faintly emerges a murky emblem—untamed, arrogant talent; surging tides, negation, paralysis; in an instant, an impediment to eternal slumber. The crawling Steel Princess, the self-mutilating clay doll—combine, rebound, extend to the ground, and know your own impotence. Break Technique No. 90, Black Coffin."
The moment Ichibee Hyosube appeared, black shadows immediately swarmed around him, swiftly enclosing him.
"Blacken, One Character."
Within the Black Coffin, Ichibee Hyosube began chanting. In the next instant, a brilliant flash of blade light burst forth, shattering the Black Coffin in an instant. At that moment, as I watched the enormous brush in his hand, its tip had transformed into a blade.
"Inner Break Technique, Third Path: Iron Wind Slaughter."
After dismantling Aizen's Black Coffin, Ichibee Hyosube retracted his Zanpakutō, raised his right hand, and concentrated a powerful surge of reiatsu in his palm. It then transformed into a massive dragon head. With a roar from that dragon head, an immensely powerful hurricane erupted from his mouth.
"Binding Technique No. 81: Severing Void!"
Sensing the hurricane's overwhelming might, Aizen immediately deployed a transparent defensive barrier in front of him. At the moment the hurricane collided with the barrier, he swiftly Shunpo'd aside. It turned out that Aizen's decision was wise—the Severing Void barely held against Ichibee Hyosube's Inner Break Technique, lasting only a moment before being shattered. Had Aizen remained behind it, he would have inevitably been swept away by the hurricane.
The hurricane, now without a target, did not cease but rapidly expanded, obliterating the nearby spiritual pillars in an instant.
"Aizen, let me see your strength—hopefully, you won't disappoint me."
Facing Aizen, Ichibee Hyosube—whether out of confidence or otherwise—although he had activated his Bankai, did not employ its full potential. Instead, he engaged Aizen using Kidō. For Ichibee Hyosube, encountering an opponent like Aizen was a rare occurrence in his long life, and he wasn't eager to end the battle quickly. If his adversary had been Yhwach, the situation would have been entirely different.
"As you wish."
Although Aizen uttered these words, he had no intention of matching Ichibee Hyosube in a Kidō duel. My own Kidō techniques are already perfected, but facing the oldest Shinigami of the Soul Society in that realm would be like using a short sword against a spear. Instead, Aizen opted to avoid Ichibee's Kidō and rapidly closed the distance, engaging him with swordsmanship. Their clash made the entire Soul King's Palace tremble.
"It looks like the battle has begun. The ferocity of it—does that mean Aizen is truly that formidable?"
The thunderous roar that reverberated throughout the Soul King's Palace did not escape my notice. Although I too wanted to witness the duel between Aizen and Ichibee Hyosube—a confrontation absent from the original tale—I was preoccupied with studying Kirio's techniques, soul cultivation, and Tenjirō Kirinji's hot spring methods, so I couldn't spare any attention for that fight at the moment.
Originally, neither Kirio nor Tenjirō were willing to teach me, but after I threatened them with Mirror Flower, Water Moon, they begrudgingly agreed. Having experienced that dreadful sensation firsthand, neither wished to repeat it.
"Aren't you worried about Aizen?"
Kirio and Tenjirō had also heard the commotion outside. They couldn't understand why I had summoned them to learn techniques at such a critical moment.
"Why should I worry? He came here to challenge the Zero Division in the first place—and I gave him that chance."
According to Aizen's own plan, he was destined to face Ichigo eventually, and his defeat was inevitable. In any case, his ambitions were fulfilled—even though, in my view, the outcome was predestined from the start. If Aizen were an Extinction Master or a Perfect Realization practitioner, then with his current reiatsu, his battle with Ichibee Hyosube would be hard to predict. But after all, he is a Shinigami.
"Rest assured, this will actually be a good thing for you. At the very least, you won't have to remain in the Zero Division forever."
My words caused Kirio and Tenjirō to fall silent. Only when one truly becomes a member of the Zero Division does one come to understand its reality—and by now, there was no room for regret, especially since that monk would not grant any.
Meanwhile, during the fierce battle in the Soul King's Palace, in the World of the Living where Arrancar clashed with Shinigami, each side was engaged in its own deadly skirmish.
"What exactly is Aizen waiting for? Or does he have some hidden scheme?"
Kisuke Urahara and his group hid in the distance, watching as Aizen, engulfed in flames, confronted Captain Yamamoto. Urahara felt that something was amiss with Aizen at that moment, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what.
(End of Chapter)
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