"Is this the perception of light?"
After finding the opportunity for fusion, Kyoya spent a day in quiet contemplation and successfully merged his Observation Haki with the sensory abilities of the Pika Pika no Mi.
Now, Kyoya could use his control over 'light' to gain perception through it.
However, perhaps because his Observation Haki and the Pika Pika no Mi's abilities had only just begun to merge, this new perception might not yet be as powerful as his Observation Haki, but it was still stronger than his Reikaku.
Moreover, Kyoya's sensory range had expanded to encompass the entire Seireitei.
This meant that even though Kyoya had been staying in the 11th Division's Captain's quarters these past few days, everything that had happened in the Seireitei during that time had been within his perception.
Still, Kyoya could sense that his current state was something that might not occur again for a hundred years. If he carelessly withdrew from this training state, there was no guarantee he could re-enter it later.
Additionally, while some events had unfolded differently from what he knew, the final outcome remained largely the same. No major characters had died in this incident, so Kyoya chose not to intervene and instead focused on deepening the fusion of his powers.
As his Observation Haki and the Pika Pika no Mi's abilities merged further, Kyoya detected something hidden even deeper within his perception range.
'No doubt, this must be the Reiatsu of the 8th Kenpachi, Azashiro Kenpachi, fused with the space of the Soul Society...'
The ability of Mayuri's Zanpakuto, Urozakuro, in its Bankai state allowed him to merge his Reiatsu with other objects, enabling him to control them. Even 'space' could be manipulated if his Reiatsu invaded it.
Azashiro had been imprisoned in the Muken for over 150 years.
In other words, that was more than enough time for Azashiro to fully infuse his Reiatsu into most of the Soul Society. While Kyoya had known about this before, he hadn't been able to perceive Azashiro's Reiatsu until now.
In fact, almost no one in the Bleach World, not even Yhwach, Ichibe, Aizen, or Yamamoto, could sense Azashiro's Reiatsu merged with the Soul Society.
Previously, whenever Kyoya needed to discuss something confidential with Gin, he would use his Conqueror's Haki to create a [Domain of the Conqueror], expelling all surrounding Reishi to prevent Azashiro from eavesdropping.
Now, however, since he could perceive Azashiro's Reiatsu, Kyoya could use [Observation Killing] to block Azashiro's perception of him. But Kyoya didn't pay much attention to Azashiro.
Instead, his focus was now directed toward the Soul King Palace.
The Soul King Palace was created by Ichibe as a sanctuary to protect the Soul King.
Its structure resembled a pillar with pointed ends at the top and bottom.
Inside, it was divided into four areas: Soul King Greater Palace, the Zero Division's Castles, Soul King Palace Front Approach, and the Soul King Palace's District.
After merging his Observation Haki with the Pika Pika no Mi's abilities, Kyoya touched upon the essence of his power.
Just as Ichibē's essence was [Black], allowing him to absorb all concepts of black in the Bleach World to enhance or restore his power, Kyoya now possessed a similar principle.
Wherever the concept of [Light] existed, Kyoya's Observation Haki could extend its perception.
Undoubtedly, although the Soul King Palace was separated from the Seireitei by 72 powerful barriers, the distance between them did not exceed the Seireitei's radius… 365 spirit miles.
This was still within Kyoya's perception range.
Clearly, just as Ichibē could absorb the [Black] essence of the Shinigami's Shihakusho from the Seireitei while in the Soul King Palace, Kyoya could also perceive everything in the Soul King Palace through the [Light] within it while remaining in the Seireitei.
In Kyoya's perception, the Soul King Palace housed four immensely powerful Reiatsu.
Their intensity was no less than that of the Gotei 13's Captain-Commander, Yamamoto.
As for the remaining figure, Kyoya could perceive them through [Light] using his Observation Haki, but if he relied solely on Reikaku, he couldn't detect even a trace of Reiatsu from this person.
Evidently, like Ichigo after using the [Final Getsuga Tensho], this individual's Reiatsu had transcended the Shinigami's dimension, ascending to a higher plane of existence.
This was the oldest being in the Soul Society… and perhaps the strongest under the Soul King: Hyosube Ichibe!
"Oh?"
Just as Kyoya sensed Ichibe, the monk suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp with suspicion as he glanced around. A moment ago, he had felt as though something was observing him.
However, after carefully probing his surroundings, Ichibe detected no trace of such a presence.
An ordinary person might have dismissed it as a fleeting illusion.
But Ichibe knew better… that sensation was no mere trick of the mind.
Because, what had alerted him was not a disturbance in Reiatsu, but an anomaly in the [Black] that composed his very being.
This only deepened his confusion.
As the oldest existence in the Soul Society, the one who had named all things, Ichibe stood as the strongest beneath the Soul King himself.
His millions of years of life had granted him insight into the fundamental truths of the world, earning him the title of [Wisdom] among Yhwach's Five Special War Powers.
'It wasn't the Soul King... nor was it Yhwach...'
After touching his chin, Ichibe finally shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
"Ah, well."
"Whoever was watching me, as long as they don't interfere with the Soul King, it matters not."
To Ichibe, guarding the Soul King was his sole duty.
As for everything else, after countless millennia, very little could still pique his interest.
After all, unless one entered the Soul King Palace and obtained the [Oken], all things would eventually dissolve into Reishi, becoming part of the endless cycle of souls.
Only by binding one's life to the Zero Division's palaces could one achieve true immortality… where even death was but a temporary setback, reversed so long as the palace remained.
And Ichibe himself was even more unique.
As the namer of all things, even if he were slain, so long as someone spoke his name, he could borrow their Reiatsu to resurrect.
Moreover, since his essence was [Black], he could rapidly absorb all [Black] in the world to restore his power.
Kyoya wasn't surprised that Ichibe couldn't detect his perception.
After all, Haki and Reiatsu belonged to entirely different power systems.
Had his system not malfunctioned, sending him not to the One Piece World but to Bleach World, where it then adapted, Kyoya would never have gained the powers of the One Piece World here.
In his estimation, even an awakened Yhwach couldn't use [The Almighty] to decipher Haki.
Much like how Yumichika's Ruri'iro Kujaku was the bane of Azashiro's Urozakuro, and Azashiro's power countered Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu, Kyoya's Haki was, in a way, an immunity to Yhwach's omniscience… a natural counter.
Shifting his focus from Ichibe, Kyoya extended his perception toward the Soul King Greater Palace.
There resided the only true 'God' of the Bleach World.
And yet, this 'God' stood in stark contrast to the 'God' of the One Piece World.
In terms of sheer power, the Soul King far surpassed One Piece's [Moon God] Imu. After all, while Imu required the Ancient Weapons to destroy the world, while the Soul King's power alone had been used by the Five Great Noble Houses to split existence into three worlds.
The 'God' of One Piece hoarded the world, treating all life as their property.
The 'God' of Bleach, however, had willingly become the 'linchpin' that stabilized reality… sacrificing himself for the sake of all existence.
Even after having his limbs severed, his organs hollowed out, and his power drained, the Soul King never sought vengeance against those who had reduced him to such a state...
As Kyoya's Observation Haki and the Pika Pika no Mi's abilities merged further, he finally sensed the Soul King's presence.
Like with Ichibe, his Reikaku detected no Reiatsu from the mutilated figure.
But the moment his Observation Haki brushed against the Soul King, Kyoya came into contact with the Soul King's will.
Back in the Seireitei, behind closed eyelids, silent tears began to streak down Kyoya's face.
After his Observation Haki came into contact with the Soul King's will, Kyoya felt himself enveloped by an immense yet gentle presence.
At the same time, he came to understand the Soul King's purpose.
Indeed, the Soul King sought death as release… but at the same time, he was also searching for a new path for this world.
The Bleach World was an abandoned, half-finished creation of the [God].
A million years ago, this world was created by [God].
But for some unknown reason, after creating life and the Hell that forcibly absorbed wicked souls to grow, the [God] took no further action.
Thus, in this incomplete world, the boundary between life and death was in chaos. The living and the dead seemed no different… until one day, the souls of the dead began to degenerate, transforming into monstrous beings that devoured the souls of the living. These were the Hollows.
If left unchecked, all souls in this world would eventually be consumed by Hollows, which would then cannibalize each other until only a single, monstrous Hollow remained.
Faced with this fate, the will of the world gave birth to a being capable of eradicating Hollows completely-
The Soul King.
Under his leadership, those who gathered around him and received his power finally managed to subdue the Hollows.
But they all knew that as long as humans existed in this world, Hollows would never truly vanish.
One day, a supreme Hollow that had devoured every soul in existence would inevitably emerge.
To prevent this future, the Soul King sought to create a new world… one that would clearly separate the worlds of the living and the dead, giving each their own domain.
But to seize control of this new world, four of the five founding nobles betrayed him. Using the Soul King's own power, they split existence into three worlds: Living World, Hueco Mundo, and Soul Society.
Afterward, they sealed the Soul King. Fearing his retribution, they reduced him to a mere 'linchpin', a stabilizing force that kept the three worlds from collapsing.
And just as they predicted, over the course of a million years, the Soul King never attempted to break free or seek vengeance.
Because long before their betrayal, he had already foreseen this 'future'.
Had it not been his own will, those four noble houses could never have sealed him or used his power to reshape the world.
This was why Ichibē often said, "All of this is the will of the Soul King".
For a million years, the three worlds remained stable… but the Soul King saw even further into the future.
As more and more wicked souls were dragged into Hell, it grew stronger.
One day, the will of Hell would awaken.
No… perhaps it already had.
In its hunger for rapid growth, Hell would soon begin manifesting in the Living World more frequently, consuming souls to fuel its expansion.
Eventually, all three realms would become nothing more than nourishment for Hell.
To alter this fate, the Soul King chose the future where Ichigo was born.
Or rather, the future of Ichigo's son… Kurosaki Kazui.
After what felt like an eternity, Kyoya withdrew from the Soul King's will and opened his eyes.
He did not judge the Soul King's choice.
Perhaps entrusting his will to future generations was the 'growth' the Soul King had undergone over these million years.
As the will of the world, the original Soul King had intended to annihilate all souls to prevent the rise of the Ultimate Hollow, returning the world to primordial destruction.
But after witnessing the future, he chose self-sacrifice… allowing existence to continue. This was the shift from 'God' to 'Human'.
Meanwhile, Aizen sought to ascend from 'Human' to 'God'.
Aizen and Ichigo represented the two paths the Soul King had left open.
Aizen embodied the Soul King's original impulse… to reclaim all power, facing Hell's threat with divine might.
Ichigo, on the other hand, represented the inheritance of will across generations… each era building upon the last until, one day, the problem of Hell would finally be resolved.