"Kyoraku Harumi…"
Harumi, the next captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, may outwardly appear jovial—fond of beautiful women and fine wine—but in truth his inner depths are impenetrable. One can glean a hint of his character from the nature of his Zanpakutō's ability. A Zanpakutō is a manifestation of one's soul; although its power cannot reveal every nuance of one's personality or style, it does offer a rough sketch—much like how Hisoka in Hunter × Hunter deduced character traits from Nen abilities. Generally, those with a simple, straightforward nature tend to possess enhancement-type abilities. In the same way, a person of simple character will have a Zanpakutō that primarily focuses on physical attacks.
At this moment, Harumi has launched a sneak attack on Daniel. Clearly, he overestimated his chance to catch Daniel off guard—relying on the fact that Daniel supposedly did not fully understand the nature of his own Zanpakutō ability—just as Harumi once attempted to ambush Stark. Unfortunately for Harumi, Daniel is well aware of his Zanpakutō's true power.
Though Daniel had no desire to strike first, when his opponent makes the first move the situation changes. Without hesitation, Daniel swept his hands through the air, tracing a brilliant, golden arc that abruptly opened a teleportation gate.
The sudden change forced Harumi to melt into the shadows. He reappeared a short distance away—cautious, yet not far enough to be safe.
"Room—Slaughterhouse!"
Before Harumi could fully materialize, Daniel activated the Surgical Fruit's power to exchange him to the other side of the portal. By the time Harumi recovered and tried to dash back, it was already too late.
"Goodbye, and have a pleasant vacation," Daniel said with a wry smile as he waved goodbye to the desperate Harumi. In fact, he deliberately transported Harumi into the world's largest desert—no matter how fast Harumi runs, by the time he arrives everything will have long since settled.
"Just what did you do?"
Of course, the commotion did not escape Kisuke Urahara and his cohorts. Even though they were embroiled in their own fierce battle with Aizen, none of them—especially Futaguchi Jushiro, who is one of Harumi's oldest friends and a fellow comrade—could ignore what was happening.
"Is that how you gain entry to the Soul King's Palace?"
Urahara's group quickly deduced from Daniel's maneuver that this was precisely the method by which Aizen had infiltrated the Soul King's Palace without a Royal Key. And indeed, that was why Daniel's own tactics had become so troublesome: Aizen didn't even need to fight; if he could simply transport each opponent to a different location, they'd be defeated without a real battle.
"Alright, you all continue—fight at your leisure. I've got matters to attend to," Daniel called out.
Even though Aizen was being encircled, he remained effortlessly calm. He could have smashed his foes in an instant if he wished. Perhaps he was merely playing, or maybe he was waiting for Ichigo to arrive. But that was Aizen's business, not Daniel's.
"Ah, the Five Satellite Halls… the progenitor of the Kamataiji clan—truly, in his own way, remarkable."
Daniel's announcement that he had "matters to attend to" was not mere pretense. His true objective now was to destroy the Five Satellite Halls of the Zero Division. As long as the Soul King endures, the Zero Division remains effectively immortal. Originally, these halls were constructed by the forefather of the Kamataiji clan for his own purposes—but they ended up benefiting Ichibee Hyosube instead.
With the Zero Division rendered unnecessary, the halls themselves become redundant. In theory, obliterating these halls is extremely difficult. However, thanks to a "back door" left when they were built, Daniel now had a way. Once activated, the Five Satellite Halls would collapse.
The Soul King serves as the wedge maintaining balance in the world. Under normal circumstances, to prevent personal ambitions from corrupting the system, no one is allowed near him. Who can be sure that the Zero Division, tasked with protecting the Soul King, has no ulterior motives? Just as the Kamataiji forefather feared the Soul King's betrayal and thus was deprived of most of his own power, the situation is perilous.
When the Soul King became the "wedge," the plan was for him to remain in the palace while a formidable Kidō barrier was erected outside so that no one could approach. As long as the Five Great Ancestors kept their secrets, no one would even remember that there was once a Soul King's Palace hovering over the Seireitei.
Yet because the Kamataiji forefather's selfishness led him to build the Five Satellite Halls and establish the Zero Division, the current order is essentially "ruling by the emperor's proxy."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
When Daniel shattered the Kidō array protecting the Five Satellite Halls, the halls began to tremble violently. With the protective Kidō gone, they started to collapse apart.
The sudden disruption caused everyone—Aizen and his cohorts—to cease fighting in unison.
"Tell me, Aizen—do you wish to destroy this world?"
Gazing at the disintegrating halls, Kisuke Urahara's face paled. He had never expected Aizen to be so insane. Compared to the prospect of the world's destruction, even Aizen ruling the Soul Society wouldn't be as terrible.
Aizen ignored Urahara's exclamations, and his gaze shifted to Daniel—who stood amid the crumbling halls. It was clear that these ruins were his doing.
"Don't tell me—you intend to destroy the world?"
Though Aizen had a contingency plan in place should the world be destroyed, he personally did not wish for it to perish.
"Never have I said that I wanted to destroy this world," Daniel replied coolly. "I merely intend to fulfill the Soul King's will—to eliminate the Zero Division. In the end, only the Soul King's Palace will remain."
"'The Soul King's will'?" Aizen looked at Daniel in perplexity.
"In a way, yes. The Soul King's Palace was never meant to require a Zero Division in the first place. The whole Zero Division business was simply an excuse invented by certain Shinigami who desired immortality. And yet, in the end, he became the first to fall. Isn't that fascinating?"
"Are you referring to the Five Great Families?" Aizen glanced briefly at the members of the Four-Flower Court.
"Indeed. The progenitors of the Five Great Families—members of the Zero Division. Yet, when they were on the verge of success, Ichibee Hyosube ambushed and wiped them out."
Daniel slowly revealed his theories and suspicions. Whether his words were true was beside the point—no one could prove him wrong, so for all intents and purposes, they were accepted as fact.
As for the history of the Soul Society in days gone by, Daniel cared little, and indeed very few in the Soul Society did either. The present was all that mattered. Much like in the original work when Hisasaki Shūhei learned of the Soul King's origins and then continued his duties as a Shinigami, what difference does it make?
"Alright, let's discuss matters once we're out of here. For now, everything here will vanish."
The collapse of the Five Satellite Halls wasn't merely a fall – they disintegrated into reiatsu. Everything in the Soul Society is formed of spiritual particles. To revert to that state is to return to the origin.
"What will become of the Soul King?"
Urahara asked.
"Nothing will happen. Soon, a powerful Kidō array will form around him, making it nearly impossible for anyone to approach." Daniel replied. Though he spoke confidently, he wasn't entirely sure how things would turn out—after all, the current Soul King isn't complete, and the brilliant minds of the Soul Society are many. Even the most rigorous defenses have loopholes. Look at the Soul King's Palace now—Kisuke Urahara has already gathered the strength of numerous Shinigami to open a portal."
With that, Daniel sliced open a brilliant golden teleportation gate and, together with Aizen, stepped through it—emerging on the "Twin Execution Hill" of the Soul Society.
As for Kisuke Urahara and his group, Daniel paid them no mind; their own portal remained active, and they could depart from there. It was the perfect opportunity to retrieve several vice-captains who had long adapted to the high spiritual particle density of the Soul King's Palace.
"Is everything you say true?"
On Twin Execution Hill, Aizen asked quietly.
"I'm not entirely sure of what's true. I merely obtained this information from Ichibee Hyosube. And whether it's true or not – it's been so long. Is it worth worrying about?"
"That's true," Aizen nodded in agreement. "After all, I'm not one of the Five Great Families. Such matters only affect those families."
"What do you plan to do next? Continue fighting them?"
Aizen was known as the traitor of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads; even if he abandoned his pursuit of the Soul King, the Court Guard would never let him go—especially while he arrogantly lingered in the Soul Society.
"Let's wait and see. Some things still need to be handled first."
"Whatever, just don't die. They arrived pretty quickly—Ichigo, I presume."
At that moment, Daniel sensed a familiar surge of spiritual pressure rapidly approaching—Kurosaki Ichigo and his father, Ichikane, were on the way.
[Insert Meme: "The newest '6 9 Shu Yi Ba Kan' meme is live!"]
"Teacher Shen, why are you with Aizen? Don't you know what he intends to do?"
When Ichigo arrived at Twin Execution Hill and saw Daniel and Aizen together, he was visibly astonished. He bore deep ill-feelings toward Aizen—after all, Aizen had schemed against Rukia and had even attempted to turn Karakura Town into a Royal Key.
"I know all too well. This is merely an internal revolution in the Soul Society. Tell me, Ichigo: from what standpoint are you trying to stop him? Are you representing the Shib family, one of the Soul Society's four great noble clans, or are you acting as a proxy Shinigami? Do you really understand how things work in the Soul Society?"
"Teacher Shen, I don't understand what you mean," Ichigo replied, perplexed.
"Ichigo, I recall that you were among the top in your class at school. Don't you know what revolution means? You've been immersed in Rukia's affairs so long that you may have developed a skewed perception of the Soul Society. The Soul Society is ruled by the nobles—noble families enjoy enormous privileges. You learned about that in history class, didn't you?
Rukia must have told you about the state of the Flowing Soul Street. That place is utterly lawless, where killing is an everyday affair. Do you think such a state is normal? Dividing the Soul Society with a Killing Energy Stone into a noble zone and a slum – doesn't that sound just like what you've read about in textbooks?"
Teacher Shen then proceeded to explain the history of the Soul Society—the origins of the Soul King, the Five Great Families, the past of Tōsen, and even the death of Ge Kuang, as well as the situation on Flowing Soul Street.
With the might of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, could they change Flowing Soul Street's condition? Certainly they could—but there was no way to do it. The matter was tied up with the nobles and the unique circumstances of the Soul Society.
Although Teacher Shen had solutions, even the Shinigami themselves wouldn't meddle. Thus, I had no need to stir up further trouble.
That said, I could use these words to fool Ichigo. Compared to other Shinigami, my words wouldn't affect me—but who cares? Ichigo is human, and with his righteous nature, my words are perfectly suited to him. Perhaps that is what they call "the cunning of a gentleman."
"Rukia's fate—while Aizen's actions are certainly questionable, what about Urahara? Why did he implant the Hōgyoku into Rukia's body? He kept it hidden so well before… wasn't it all an elaborate ploy to use you and Rukia as pawns to trap Aizen?"
Viewed from another angle, the meaning and outcome of the same events change completely. This may not wash Aizen's hands clean, but it would certainly drag Urahara down with him.
"So that's how you see me," Urahara replied. Soon, Kisuke Urahara, the head of the Four-Flower Court, and Captain Yamamoto along with others arrived. Even Byakuya Kuchiki, Geng Mu Jianba, and members of the Masked Legion had come. It appeared that the battle in the World of the Living was over.
"Am I not speaking the truth?" Urahara was left speechless. Whatever he had done, Ichigo and Rukia could easily forgive him—but certain individuals would not, especially Byakuya Kuchiki.
"Enough of the idle chatter—at the end of the day, we're going to fight. Last time, you ran away; this time, it won't be so easy," Geng Mu Jianba suddenly shouted, leaping forward while brandishing his Zanpakutō.
"Is this what they call a scholar meeting a soldier?" Geng Mu Jianba's immediate attack left Daniel momentarily speechless. Yet from his blow it was clear that constant fighting had allowed his strength to recover rapidly—almost as if he were regaining his original power.
Geng Mu Jianba was incredibly strong. He had once injured Mounohana Retsu a thousand years ago. The reason he now appeared so feeble was not that his strength had diminished, but rather that he deliberately suppressed his power in battle so as not to overexert himself—and only unleashed it when facing a worthy opponent.
For someone like Geng Mu Jianba, Daniel found it hard to fathom such behavior—but it was not something Daniel would ever do.
"Room—Slaughterhouse!"
Realizing that fighting Geng Mu Jianba directly was fruitless, Daniel decided not to engage further. Instead, he activated his Surgical Fruit power and performed a spatial exchange, whisking Geng Mu Jianba away.
"I'm no Shinigami—I won't meddle in the internal affairs of the Shinigami. Farewell."
Before Geng Mu Jianba, red-faced with fury, could charge after him, Daniel opened a golden teleportation gate and departed from Twin Execution Hill. Though Daniel was curious to witness the ensuing battle between Aizen and the other Shinigami, staying any longer would inevitably entangle him further. It was best to return and regroup, reviewing his gains.
"Yhwach, along with Ichibee Hyosube, should suffice to elevate me to half-god status," Daniel mused.
The Hōgyoku enables the evolution of the soul. And because the Hōgyoku was created using the power of the Soul King, who among us can wield the Soul King's power on par with Yhwach? Not to mention the oldest Shinigami—and the most ancient of Hollows.
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