Nanatsuki sensed a change stirring within his Inner World. With a single thought, he entered it.
The moon overhead still gleamed immaculate and full, casting its light upon the black desert. Yet now, at the base of the towering white spire that stood amid the darkness, new structures had appeared.
Though none matched the height of the spire, they were far more majestic than any ordinary buildings.
"This doesn't look much smaller than Seireitei..."
The number of buildings was considerable, sprawling across a large portion of the dark sands.
As Nanatsuki stepped into this growing complex, he saw her—Kagehime.
"It's getting a little crowded in here, isn't it?"
"A few more buildings isn't a bad thing. This place used to feel so desolate..." Kagehime tilted her head. "But you've noticed something about me, haven't you?"
Nanatsuki narrowed his eyes. There was an unfamiliar resonance pulsing from his Zanpakutō spirit.
"Sharp as ever..." Kagehime covered her mouth and laughed softly.
Then, like a candle melting into shadow, her body began to dissolve—morphing into a dark pool on the ground.
From within that darkness, a white figure slowly rose.
It was a girl who looked exactly like Kagehime—but everything about her, from skin to hair to garments, was pure white.
"Hollow power..."
Nanatsuki's eyes sharpened. The situation reminded him of Kurosaki Ichigo.
His Zanpakutō and Hollow powers were tightly intertwined, while his Quincy abilities remained separate.
The white Kagehime's gaze was tranquil, though colder than her normal counterpart. Still, she didn't appear hostile—she could be reasoned with.
"Are you still Kagehime?" Nanatsuki asked. "Or do you have a consciousness of your own?"
"We are simply different forms of the same awareness. You can treat us as one whole," the white Kagehime replied calmly.
"That's a relief," Nanatsuki chuckled. "Seems I won't have to fight you like the others did."
Unlike other Shinigami who had to wrestle with an inner Hollow, he felt no invasive madness clawing at his soul.
In fact, he could sense how deeply connected they were—his Shinigami power, Hollow power, and Quincy power were all facets of the same soul.
"Of course," she nodded softly.
"That makes things easier." Nanatsuki exhaled.
She was still Kagehime—just quieter now, subdued by the influence of the Hollow force.
Which meant he wouldn't have to form some complicated bond with an inner Hollow like others did.
He looked up toward the towering spire.
His Quincy power had already been redirected into controlling his Reishi Shell, so it couldn't manifest visually in the Inner World anymore.
Still, there was another presence here—another consciousness, apart from Kagehime.
In a blur, Nanatsuki flashed to the top of the white tower.
Datenshinkotsu sat calmly at the edge, her silver braid trailing beside her like a coiled serpent, glinting under the pale moonlight.
"Every time I come here, you're always staring at the moon," Nanatsuki said quietly.
She turned to him, her face unreadable.
"You've just acquired new power. Shouldn't you be adapting to it instead of bothering me?" Her voice was even colder than the white Kagehime's—utterly devoid of emotion.
"I have a question." Nanatsuki paused. "My Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy powers—they're all part of my soul. That's why they exist in this space."
"But you… you're different. I can feel it. You're not a part of me."
"You are the will of Datenshinkotsu."
"I get that divine weapons can have a will of their own. I've seen that. But I've never heard of one residing inside the wielder's Inner World."
Datenshinkotsu wasn't his only divine weapon. He also possessed Enrakyōden, which he'd salvaged from the Tsunayashiro clan.
Due to the emergence of Reishi Shell Puppets, Nanatsuki had considered using one of them to wield Enrakyōden, potentially sidestepping its side effects.
So he'd attempted to communicate with it.
But when he did, he didn't enter his own Inner World—he entered Enrakyōden's Inner World.
Datenshinkotsu, on the other hand, existed in his Inner World. That was completely different.
Had it just been Enrakyōden, he might've chalked it up to differences between divine weapons.
But even Shihōin Yoruichi confirmed that communication with divine weapons requires entering their Inner Worlds—not the other way around.
Which made Datenshinkotsu a unique case.
"To commune with a divine weapon, you enter its world," Nanatsuki said, locking eyes with the silver-haired girl. "But I've never entered yours."
"So who exactly are you?"
"You see! I told you she's suspicious!" Kagehime burst forth from Nanatsuki's shadow, back in her original form. She stepped up beside him in protest. "Let's kick her out before something bad happens!"
"Does it matter?" the silver-haired girl replied, still unmoved by Kagehime's outburst. "You've already figured it out, haven't you?"
"Hmm... You're not Datenshinkotsu. I've never truly 'subjugated' it. So if someone else is controlling it..."
Nanatsuki's gaze darkened. "Then it must be the will of the Soul King."
After studying the Soul King's fragments and crafting the Hōgyoku, Nanatsuki had come to understand a great deal.
Datenshinkotsu was no ordinary weapon. Its composition closely resembled that of the Soul King's shards. He even believed it could be merged directly into the Hōgyoku without issue.
For someone to control such a weapon—it was either the Soul King's will, or something intrinsically tied to it.
"So you figured it out?" the silver-haired girl finally smiled, faintly. "I slipped up a little too soon, it seems..."
Nanatsuki's heart lurched.
She hadn't denied it.
She was admitting it—she was the will of the Soul King.
When he'd first grown suspicious, Nanatsuki had even wondered if the system itself was the Soul King.
But Datenshinkotsu had appeared only after he established his Inner World—distinct from the moment the system activated.
"Why are you inside my Inner World?"
Nanatsuki stared at the silver-haired girl who'd silently watched over him for more than two decades.
"Now that you've uncovered the truth, are you planning to kick me out?" she said with a hint of disappointment, turning her eyes once more toward the moon. "I still wanted to observe your Fullbring a bit longer."
"Fullbring?" Nanatsuki's brows furrowed. He hadn't even known he had one.
"Yes... what else did you think that was?" She pointed up—at the moon.