Sora Inoue’s Visit - Bleach : The God of Flames

The matter of the Sawada couple's return had temporarily come to an end. They had already set off for London together.

During that day's practical combat training, although the Sawada couple, Ninny, and Noel—four people in total—had failed to kill even a single Menos Grande, they had still endured against the Menos Grande for a long time.

In other words, as long as they did not actively seek death, a Menos Grande basically could not kill them.

In London, Ninny and Noel were still the Sawada couple's supervisors. With that, Tsunayoshi could more or less feel at ease about his parents' safety. Adults were more steady than hot-blooded youngsters. They would not charge up and risk their lives against monsters just because of a momentary impulse.

Life seemed ready to return to its proper course. Tsunayoshi prepared to continue staying in Soul Society and quietly wait for the situation to change. But before he could act, someone came looking for him first.

When he opened the door, he was slightly surprised to see that the one who had rung the doorbell was Sora Inoue.

Logically speaking, as Las Noches' chief steward, Sora Inoue rarely left Hueco Mundo. Even when he did leave Hueco Mundo, he would only meet Orihime briefly before returning. It was very rare for him to take the initiative to visit like this.

The only possible explanation was that the situation in Hueco Mundo had changed. Sora Inoue had returned this time specifically to warn him.

"Come in, Brother Inoue," Tsunayoshi said as he opened the door.

"Mm. I contacted the shop manager. He'll be back from Soul Society shortly."

That was the reason Sora Inoue had come to him. Kisuke Urahara was not currently in the World of the Living.

Since that was the case, and to avoid making Sora Inoue repeat himself several times, Tsunayoshi served him tea. The two chatted about daily life while waiting quietly for Kisuke Urahara to return.

"Yo, were you all waiting for me?"

Urahara's carefree voice came from the window. He had already climbed in through it.

"Can't you just use the door properly?" Tsunayoshi complained, then poured Urahara a cup of tea as well.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Sora Inoue did not waste any words and went straight to the point.

"Aizen is preparing to attack Soul Society."

The tea Urahara had just taken a sip of instantly sprayed out of his mouth.

They had gone to such great lengths to help Aizen, and in the end, Aizen was still going to attack Soul Society?

"Be specific. Where in Soul Society? The Seireitei?" Tsunayoshi asked with a frown.

He felt that Aizen did not seem like someone who would go back on his word.

"Above the Seireitei."

Sora Inoue pointed upward with his finger.

Urahara let out a sigh of relief.

So that was it.

Attacking the Royal Palace. Hadn't that already been decided long ago?

In that case, Aizen had already prepared the Ōken?

"Did Aizen ask you to notify us?" Tsunayoshi asked.

"Yes. Three days from now, Aizen will appear in Soul Society."

"What does he need us to cooperate with?" Urahara asked.

For Aizen to send Sora Inoue out so quickly, it meant there was something he needed them to do.

"Aizen said that, if possible, he hopes the Seireitei will put on an act with him."

Hearing those words, Tsunayoshi and Urahara exchanged a glance.

Was this Aizen returning the favor?

Aizen knew that Tsunayoshi and the others were helping him attack the Royal Palace. He even knew that Yamamoto had tacitly approved the matter. In order to separate the Seireitei from this incident, Aizen had asked the Seireitei to stage a performance with him.

"That is what I think as well. Aizen may be trying to sever his connection to the Seireitei," Sora Inoue said, having guessed what Tsunayoshi and Urahara were thinking.

"What is the meaning of doing this? Is Aizen not fully prepared?"

That was the only possibility Tsunayoshi could think of.

With Aizen's arrogant, self-supreme way of thinking, if he ascended to the Soul King's throne, he would have no need to worry about Squad Zero discovering that Tsunayoshi and the others had helped him from behind the scenes.

Because in Aizen's mind, he was the strongest. He could control everything, including the Royal Palace and the Seireitei.

"I don't know. From my perspective, Aizen is still as arrogant and untouchable as ever. I don't know the upper limit of his strength," Sora Inoue said, shaking his head.

Asking him to compare his own strength to Aizen's was making things far too difficult for him.

"Has Aizen changed at all this month? Just judging by appearance," Tsunayoshi continued asking.

"No," Sora Inoue said with certainty. "Even the clothing made from the Ōken was only changed by Aizen into a transparent style. From the outside, he looks no different from when you left."

Tsunayoshi slapped his forehead, and his thoughts gradually became clear.

"Then I roughly understand what's going on. Aizen has not yet broken through to the final stage and achieved perfect fusion with his Zanpakutō."

Only one reason could explain why Aizen insisted on removing the Seireitei from the matter: Aizen's strength was not yet perfect. If Aizen failed, the Royal Palace might blame the Seireitei because of the Ōken.

Perhaps it was also because he had seen Yamamoto's dissatisfaction with the Royal Palace that Aizen was willing to make one more preparation. If he failed, there would still be someone capable of taking action against Squad Zero.

"If that's the case, why is Aizen in such a hurry?" Urahara asked in confusion. "For the sake of the Hōgyoku, he waited for over a hundred years. It's only been one month. He can't endure it anymore?"

"How could a breakthrough in strength be that easy? If we hadn't intervened, perhaps Aizen would still be stuck at the stage where the Hōgyoku was submerged inside him."

Tsunayoshi somewhat understood Aizen's mindset.

Betting his life on the boundary between life and death to advance into a stronger form.

"If that's the case, then it makes sense."

Kisuke Urahara could not help asking, "Tsunayoshi, are you truly confident? If Aizen completes his fusion with his Zanpakutō, that will be a fused state including the Hōgyoku…"

A simple fusion with his Zanpakutō was not something Kisuke Urahara feared too much. But once the Hōgyoku, an artifact possessing infinite possibilities, was added to the equation, perhaps Aizen really could conquer the Royal Palace.

At that point, the ones who would have to face Aizen would be them.

"We've already reached this point. Are you still hesitating, Manager?" Tsunayoshi said. "Even if Aizen truly gains power capable of crushing everything, can he really become the Soul King? With his personality, would he be willing to touch that immovable lynchpin?"

"Taking ten thousand steps back, even if Aizen truly gains control of the world, would that necessarily be a bad thing for us?"

"Under Aizen's reforms, Hueco Mundo went from disorder to discipline. If Aizen were to reform Soul Society, would that definitely be wrong?"

"If Aizen really abandons that throne and chooses to control the world instead, then there is only one possible reason: the Soul King allowed Aizen to control the world."

Tsunayoshi voiced a terrifying conjecture.

He had never believed that the Soul King, who had been mutilated into a limbless torso, was merely a dead object. The Soul King possessed true omniscience and omnipotence.

If Aizen truly reached that point, then it could only mean the Soul King had seen such a world, and that it was under the Soul King's guidance that Aizen had reached that step—because Aizen would make the world better.

Conversely, Aizen might not even get to see the Soul King's face.

If Aizen arrogantly declared he would cut down the Soul King and sit in that position himself, the only ending would be for him to be made into another lynchpin.

Tsunayoshi did not think Aizen was that stupid.

Aizen indeed did not know what the Soul King truly was. But with his intelligence, the moment he saw the Soul King, he would certainly understand that the so-called Soul King's throne was merely a lynchpin used to stabilize the world.

Cut down the Soul King?

At that moment, Aizen would not even have enough time to protect the Soul King. How could he possibly destroy him?

"The Soul King…"

Urahara gave a bitter smile.

He could not refute Tsunayoshi's reasoning.

Ever since he had learned the words "omniscience and omnipotence" from Tsunayoshi, Urahara had realized that perhaps everything they were experiencing now was something the Soul King had once seen.

And what role had the Soul King played in the changes of this world?

Was he really only acting as a lynchpin?

Urahara likewise did not believe that such a powerful being would obediently allow himself to be mutilated into a limbless torso. The only reason was that the Soul King believed doing so would guide the world in a better direction.

Then, during the world's development, had the Soul King used his miraculous power to influence that development and guide the world toward the direction he wished to see?

"I understand. Since this is something Lord Soul King wishes to see, we will prepare according to Aizen's words," Kisuke Urahara said after a period of thought.

"Then, Manager, go find Riruka and Yukio. We'll prepare as usual. I'll make a trip to Soul Society to find old man Yamamoto. Brother Inoue, after you meet Orihime, make another trip back to Hueco Mundo and tell them that the Gotei Thirteen will be waiting for Aizen's arrival in the Seireitei."

Tsunayoshi made a series of arrangements.

There was no need to discuss it with Yamamoto. Tsunayoshi already knew that Yamamoto—no, Kyōraku now—would definitely agree to Aizen's plan.

Kyōraku had already begun taking power. All he lacked before truly assuming the position was a proper pretext.

Kyōraku's style of handling matters was completely different from Yamamoto's forceful approach. With his slick, old fox-like personality, he would definitely cooperate with Aizen's actions.

Tsunayoshi had even already thought of the reason Kyōraku could use to take office.

Yamamoto failed to deal with the enemy properly, allowing Aizen to ascend to the Royal Palace. Therefore, he would be stripped of the Captain-Commander position and sent to the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy to retire…

In Soul Society, after learning of the news Tsunayoshi brought, Kyōraku indeed made the same choice Tsunayoshi had expected.

As for Yamamoto, he did not speak throughout the entire process. On the surface, he looked like an old man on the verge of death.

An emergency captains' meeting was convened.

What none of the captains expected was that the first captains' meeting Kyōraku presided over would be so unserious. Its purpose was not to deal with an enemy, but to ask them to put on an act.

"I never thought there would come a day when I'd have to put on a show with Aizen…"

Shinji's words were filled with endless bitterness.

Although he and the other Visored had already returned to Soul Society, the fact remained that they had been harmed by Aizen. Hatred was not something that could be so easily let go.

"Either way, I'm still cutting him. Whether he survives is his problem," Kenpachi Zaraki said.

He had no intention of going easy.

No matter what, he was definitely going to cut Aizen.

Kenpachi Zaraki's words resonated with many of the captains. Those who could become captains each had their own pride. Unlike Kyōraku, whose bottom line was flexible, they found it difficult to accept being ordered to hold back.

Seeing the atmosphere become somewhat heavy, Kyōraku knew that the result of his first time presiding over a meeting had not satisfied everyone present.

But since this concerned the Royal Palace, how could he possibly tell everyone the full truth?

Sometimes, ignorance was the best protection for them.

"It's fine if you want to go all out. But according to Tsunayoshi's information, Aizen's strength is no weaker than his. Be prepared to protect yourselves. I don't want to have to find replacements for your captain positions," Kyōraku said helplessly.

The expressions of all the captains present changed.

During this period, their strength had improved to varying degrees. But if they wanted to catch up to Tsunayoshi, who had joined forces with Yamamoto to destroy the Sōkyoku, they were still far from enough.

"Ahem. The Shunkō I've newly mastered is still unstable, so I can only use Suzumebachi and Hakuda against the enemy," Suì-Fēng said with her eyes closed, a blush appearing on her cheeks.

Hearing Suì-Fēng's reminder, everyone immediately began to get ideas.

In any case, newly mastered powers were not stable. At most, they could only use the abilities they had possessed back when Aizen was still a captain.

Even Kenpachi Zaraki stated that he planned to fight using only a two-handed grip on his sword.

After all, everyone knew that he could not communicate with his Zanpakutō, much less release it…

Chapter 298: Sora Inoue's Visit