The Tailed Beast Cannon—an overwhelming blast of power, not unlike a Cero but far more devastating—erupted from Qiye's fingertip.
The energy beam tore forward, space itself warping around its passage. But then, just as it was about to explode, the air in front of Qiye twisted violently. Space collapsed on itself—distorted like shattered glass—and in that instant, the entire attack vanished without a trace.
Yamamoto's eyes widened in disbelief. For a heartbeat, he was frozen, stunned by what he had just witnessed. Then, realization struck.
"Boy… where did you send that attack!?" His voice was sharp, filled with both shock and dread.
Qiye lowered his hand calmly, as though nothing extraordinary had happened. His tone was almost casual.
"I don't know exactly," he said, his lips curling slightly. "But it looked important. A heavily defended place. That's where I sent it."
The old man stiffened, horror flashing across his face.
Qiye had seen it—the trace of the Soul King's Palace. Even though normally one needed the Ōken, the King's Key, to reach that sacred space, his Rinnegan had pierced through the layers of reality. And once Qiye saw it, he could reach it. Capture it. Tear it open.
So, without hesitation, he had happily used Kamui to warp the Ten Tails' Tailed Beast Cannon straight into the Soul King's Palace.
The thought made Yamamoto's scalp prickle. A chill spread down his spine—a rare reaction from the man who had lived unshaken for over a millennium.
"You… you hurled that thing into the Soul King Palace!?"
Even he, the Captain-Commander, who had seen and endured countless wars, could not keep calm now.
The destructive force of the Ten Tails' Tailed Beast Cannon just moments ago was enough to make him feel death pressing down on him. If it struck him directly, he might have barely survived. But the Soul King's Palace?
If that sacred place was struck…
At that very moment, within the Soul King Palace, inside the Zero Division's grand compound:
A towering figure read through a dossier in silence. His body was massive and muscular, his skull bald and gleaming. Heavy brows shadowed his eyes, while a thick beard stretched down to his chest. His robe of the Shinigami was covered by a wide-sleeved haori, the crest of the Zero Division embroidered proudly across its back. A large crimson rosary hung around his neck, swaying slightly as he shifted. Wooden clogs clacked against the polished floor as he walked.
His eyes—pale and unsettling, with whites filling the sockets—narrowed as he frowned deeply at the report in his hand. This was Ichibē Hyōsube, the leader of the Royal Guard, though here he was referred to as Yamato Shang.
"Nanaya… what exactly is this boy?" he muttered, his voice low but filled with unease. "He is undeniably human, and yet his power is monstrous. Worse—his abilities bear no relation to the Soul King at all."
For once, even Ichibē seemed troubled.
Yhwach's rise had been terrifying, yes, but it was explainable. The Quincy king was the son of the Soul King himself, inheriting fragments of his power. That divine connection was what had made Yhwach so dangerous.
And that was precisely why the Royal Guard had hesitated to destroy him at once—Ichibē and the others had entertained the possibility of shaping Yhwach into the next Soul King, a replacement wedge to preserve the balance of the three realms.
For without the Soul King, everything—Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, the World of the Living—would collapse into chaos.
Even the omnipotent Soul King, after countless years, had grown unstable. His existence, once absolute, was now fragile. He could fail at any moment. A successor had to be chosen.
But this boy, Nanaya…
Ichibē's frown deepened. He could not understand it.
The world was governed by four known powers:
The power of Shinigami.
The power of Hollows.
The power of Quincies.
The power of Fullbringers.
Yet Nanaya's abilities fit none of these categories.
No… it was worse. His strength seemed to come from the origin itself, a raw force that bent rules, as though he had created an entirely new power.
But such a thing was impossible. That was the realm of the Soul King alone.
Could a mere human… truly be a second Soul King?
The thought was absurd, and yet…
As Ichibē pondered, his senses screamed in alarm. The space before him twisted violently, black energy condensing into a dense, spiraling sphere. His expression shifted instantly, the whites of his eyes narrowing.
"What is this!?"
The answer came in the form of destruction.
"BOOOOM!!!"
The Tailed Beast Cannon erupted inside the Soul King's Palace.
The impact was apocalyptic. A deafening blast shook the heavens, tearing apart the pristine halls. The explosion expanded outward in a semicircle, its destructive wave vaporizing everything in its path.
The five outer palaces encircling the Soul King's main hall were annihilated in an instant, their majestic walls and towers ripped apart as if they were nothing more than paper.
A colossal mushroom cloud surged into the sky, rising like a scar above the sacred realm.
The force of the blast smashed against the palace's defenses. The seventy-two protective barriers that isolated the Soul King's Palace from the Seireitei shone brightly, seals flaring as they absorbed the shock.
These barriers were ancient, intricate, and nearly impossible to bypass. They were what made traveling between the Royal Realm and Soul Society so complex.
But under the impact of the Ten Tails' Tailed Beast Cannon…
Twelve of those seventy-two barriers shattered.
The Palace trembled. Its stability faltered.
Elsewhere in the Royal Realm, the other members of the Zero Division snapped to attention, drawn by the catastrophic blast. Their eyes widened as they turned toward the heart of the explosion.
"Oi, oi… what the hell just happened!?" a voice rang out in disbelief.
It was Ōetsu Nimaiya, the eccentric creator of the Zanpakutō. His face twisted in shock as his gaze fell on the devastation.
"The Great Palace—was it just blown apart!?"
The man who appeared looked nothing like a member of the legendary Zero Division. His appearance was almost comical. He had black, punk-styled curly hair that hung down past his neck, and wide-framed sunglasses that covered his eyes. He wore a grass-green shirt and a pair of simple slippers, giving off the impression of a street rapper rather than one of the strongest warriors in the Soul Society.
This man was Nimaiya Ōetsu, the creator of the Zanpakutō. He stared at the rising mushroom cloud in disbelief, his tone half-serious, half-incredulous.
"Wait a minute… Could it be that Yhwach and his army are already here!?"
Before Yamato Shang could respond, another figure appeared beside them. This time it was the southern guardian of the Zero Division, Hikifune Kirio, also known as the "Ruler of the Grain King's Domain." She had once been the captain of the 12th Division, long before Kisuke Urahara had taken over that post.
Kirio's appearance was just as striking as Ōetsu's, but in a very different way. She had long, flowing purple hair, decorated with a large spatula-like ornament. Spiral patterns curved along her cheeks, and her lips were painted with a glossy black polish. Around her waist were two wide belts, stretched tightly around her full figure. Unlike the lean and sharp form of most Soul Reapers, Kirio was noticeably plump, her presence both motherly and intimidating at once.
Her eyes widened in shock as she gazed at the devastation spreading across the Zero Division's domain.
"That explosion… It came from inside the King's Palace!"
Both she and Ōetsu shared the same expression—utter disbelief. The Soul King's Palace was not just another fortress or building. It was the very core of the Soul Society, the sacred place upon which the balance of the three realms depended. The Seireitei and the entire Gotei 13 existed for one single purpose: to defend this holy site.
Yet here they were, watching one of the palaces of the Zero Division erupt into ruin. And at the very center of all those palaces stood the Great Inner Palace—the dwelling of the Soul King himself.
Out of the smoke and wreckage walked Yamato Shang, his body battered, his face grim. His towering frame still radiated power, but the damage was clear—his robes were shredded, his once-mighty beard was completely burnt away, and the massive rosary beads that hung around his neck had been broken into fragments. Even for someone of his strength, the blast had not left him unscathed.
With a deep, heavy voice, Yamato spoke:
"It wasn't Yhwach… it was that human boy, Nanaya. He… tore open space itself and sent his attack directly into the Soul King's domain."
Even as he said the words, Yamato's massive hands trembled slightly. It was not simply the raw power of the Ten Tails' Tailed Beast Cannon that terrified him—though that destructive energy alone could rival world-ending calamities. What shook him to his core was the fact that a single human had demonstrated the ability to reach into the most protected sanctuary in existence. If Nanaya wished it, he could enter the Soul King's Palace at any time. That power threatened not only the Soul King but the stability of the entire world.
Ōetsu's sunglasses slid slightly down the bridge of his nose, his eyes narrowing in alarm. "What did you just say!?"
Kirio's face turned pale. Her voice trembled as she repeated, "That human boy… he really attacked you across dimensions? He could reach the Soul King's Palace itself?"
Yamato gave a slow, reluctant nod.
The air turned heavy with the weight of those words. Both Ōetsu and Kirio instinctively drew in sharp breaths. The thought of any being—not a Shinigami, not a Quincy, not even a Hollow King—having the ability to reach the Soul King so easily was unthinkable.
Kirio spoke first, her voice tight with urgency. "Wait. You mean to say his attack not only pierced through space itself, but even left you in such a state? Yamato, look at yourself!"
It was only then that Yamato truly realized how badly he had been affected. His once proud appearance had been reduced to something almost pitiful. The impact of that single attack had torn his clothing, incinerated his beard, and shattered his rosary. If he had not reacted at the last second, perhaps even his body would have been annihilated.
For Yamato, this realization was sobering. His expression hardened, his gaze cold. "That human… his power is terrifying. Without question, he is not weaker than me when I fight at full strength with Bankai."
Ōetsu and Kirio froze, unable to process the weight of that statement.
The Zero Division was said to be the strongest force in all of Soul Society, but everyone knew that reputation largely rested on the overwhelming might of Ichibei Hyōsube, the leader of the division. Compared to him, the other members were considered lesser—but still powerful beyond measure. Even then, within the division itself, Yamato Shang was widely regarded as the strongest after Ichibei.
And yet, here was Yamato, admitting openly that a mere human boy's power was on par with his own.
Ōetsu frowned, his sunglasses hiding his shaken eyes. "So that kid… does he mean to harm the Soul King as well?"
"I can't say," Yamato muttered. His brows furrowed deeply. "I don't know what his true motives are. But his power… his power is something I don't understand at all. It doesn't belong to Shinigami, Quincy, Hollow, or Fullbringer. It's as if he wields something entirely new, something… close to the Soul King himself."
Kirio swallowed hard, her unease only growing. "If what you say is true… that human could break into the Soul King's Palace whenever he wishes. If that's the case, then nothing in this world is safe anymore."
Before anyone could respond, the skies above them rippled. The seventy-two protective barriers of the Soul King's Palace flickered into view, straining as space itself twisted under unnatural pressure. Through the distorted ripples of reality, the faint image of a boy could be seen.
Nanaya's cold gaze cut across the space, landing directly on Yamato, Ōetsu, and Kirio. His voice was calm, yet sharp as a blade.
"Zero Division, is it? Listen well—I have no interest in your so-called Soul King. Don't provoke me. But if you insist on making trouble, I won't hesitate to destroy this entire place."
His words hung in the air like an executioner's blade. Then, almost casually, Nanaya gestured toward the twisting vortex. "By the way… here, I'll return these two to you. Consider it a small lesson."
The warped space shuddered, and with two heavy thuds, two figures dropped through the barrier, crashing onto the ground.
"Senjumaru!"
"Kirinji!"
Kirio gasped, immediately rushing forward to catch the injured bodies of Senjumaru Shutara and Kirinji Tenjirō, two other members of the Zero Division. Both were battered, barely able to stand.
"Are you two all right!?" Kirio asked desperately.
Senjumaru forced a bitter smile, clutching her stomach. "Hardly… that boy did something to me. My spiritual power… it's sealed away."
Tenjirō grimaced, his expression dark with anger. "Tch. Same here. My spiritual energy's been locked up tight. What the hell did that brat do!?"
Hearing this, Ōetsu, Kirio, and Yamato all drew in sharp breaths at once. For a human boy to not only pierce their sacred domain, but to seal away the power of Zero Division members so casually… it was a reality none of them wanted to accept.
The air was filled with dread.
Nanaya had shown them just a fraction of his true might, and already, the strongest guardians of the Soul King could feel fear settling deep in their hearts.
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