"Inside the shadows…!?"
After hearing Yoruichi's explanation, Soi fong stared in disbelief at the shadows inside the room.
"An empire actually exists within the shadows… and it's the Quincy from a thousand years ago… with that many powerful experts…"
If someone else had said this, she absolutely wouldn't have believed it.
How could something that absurd be real?
But the one saying it was Yoruichi.
As she thought that, Soi fong couldn't help reaching out and touching the shadow beneath the blanket—yet all she felt was the mattress's soft give.
Cole lay on the bed, lazily saying, "Soi fong, you're so dumb. How could you possibly sense the Wandenreich just by touching the shadows?"
In a normal shadow, nothing could exist at all.
Since the Wandenreich could hide within shadows, it had to be using some kind of barrier—like the underground space beneath Kisuke's shop.
You needed a special method.
Or you had to tear it open with brute force to enter.
Soi fong was furious, glaring viciously at Cole. "I know that! I just… can't believe it, that's all."
The Quincy clan, who nearly wiped out Soul Society a thousand years ago—after losing, they didn't flee back to the Human World to barely survive.
Instead, they stayed inside Soul Society.
Coexisting with Soul Society's shadows.
While the Soul Reapers lived under the sun…
The Quincy lived in the shadows beneath their feet.
And the two sides spent a thousand years like that.
Yet during that entire time…
The Soul Reapers knew absolutely nothing.
It was so outrageous it felt like hearing a myth.
"Soi fong, I know it's shocking, but it's true. Cole and I saw those hidden Quincy with our own eyes."
Yoruichi looked at Soi fong seriously.
Soi fong subconsciously swallowed, her heart tightening—so tense she didn't even notice Yoruichi wasn't wearing a stitch.
"Then… Cole, what do we do? Do we start a war with the Wandenreich first?"
She gripped her zanpakuto tightly.
If those Quincy were really as terrifying as Cole and Yoruichi described…
She honestly didn't have confidence in an absolute victory.
"Well…"
Cole rubbed his chin, then started telling Soi fong about the Soul King and Yhwach.
"…In other words, the Soul King is about to die. To ensure the stability of the Three Realms, a new Soul King has to be created…"
"And Yhwach is the best choice, so we need to wait for his power to fully awaken…"
"So before that, it's best not to provoke Yhwach. Wait until he wakes up—then that will be the best time to act…"
After hearing Cole's explanation, Soi fong was practically dumbstruck, not even knowing what to say.
Unbelievable.
Now it involved the Soul King too.
But why would the sealed Soul King tell Cole any of this?!
He was betrayed by the founding ancestors of the Five Great Noble Clans—his arms severed, his organs torn out, and he was forcibly sealed inside crystal for countless ages.
Just hearing that was enough to make your skin crawl.
In that situation, would the Soul King really have no hatred at all—willing to sacrifice himself for the survival of the world?!
As the commander of the Stealth Force, dark suspicions surfaced in Soi fong's mind.
After she voiced her thoughts, Cole couldn't help rubbing his chin as well.
"What you said… I honestly never considered. But if it's the Soul King, shouldn't he have foreseen all of this long ago?"
Soi fong and Yoruichi froze.
Cole didn't explain further.
To him, if even Yhwach—with his defective, incomplete Zenchizenno (The Almighty)—could see future scenes and change the future…
Then how could the Soul King, who truly possessed Zenchizenno (The Almighty), not see today's outcome?
Maybe countless ages ago…
At the very moment the founding ancestors of the Five Great Noble Clans betrayed him, the Soul King already saw the future of today.
But he also saw the cycle of life across the Three Realms, humanity and souls living in peace, and the world continuing steadily forward.
And so he chose to sacrifice himself.
Using his body as the foundation of the Three Realms, creating the stability and prosperity of the present day.
And even after all this time, the Soul King still possessed self-awareness, subtly influencing the Three Realms.
Without that resolve…
The Three Realms probably would have collapsed long ago.
"How can it be like that…"
Soi fong and Yoruichi widened their eyes, staring at Cole in disbelief.
"Going by what you're saying, the Soul King chose self-sacrifice… If that's true, then isn't the Soul King just… too miserable?"
"Who knows?"
Cole also sighed.
For him, what happened in the Soul King's era was simply too distant.
All those hidden truths…
Had long since vanished like clouds passing by—so much so that even if you wanted to investigate, there was no way.
The two women fell into silence.
Seeing that, Cole smiled. "If you're that curious, why don't we go ask one of the people involved?"
"The people involved?"
The two women froze.
Cole pointed up at the sky, grinning. "Isn't that big monk from the Zero Division the one who knows what happened back then?"
The scene shifted.
Inside the ruined Soul King Palace.
Because the damage from the last great battle had been far too severe, the Phoenix Palace still hadn't risen into the sky even after all this time.
While the Zero Division members—and those manifested zanpakuto—worked diligently repairing the Soul King Palace…
A rift was torn open in the sky above the palace once again.
Sensing the spiritual pressure within that rift, Ichibe's face instantly darkened.
"That bastard… what is he here for again?!"
Last time, Cole came to the Zero Division by directly smashing the Zero Division out of the sky.
He bulldozed several Zero Division members and fought his way into the Soul King's Inner Palace—he even saw the Soul King himself.
And the truth of the Soul King was exposed.
But that wasn't what infuriated Ichibe the most.
What infuriated him most was that Cole said the Soul King still had self-awareness.
Because of that, for the past while, Ichibe had been constantly on edge, terrified the Soul King would suddenly wake up and cut him down as a traitor.
That fear made it so he hadn't slept well at all.
In the end, he simply moved out of the Zero Division palace and into the Soul King's Inner Palace—watching the Soul King's presence with his own eyes while enduring the torment in his heart.
He even ended up with dark circles under his eyes.
At the same time, the other Zero Division members also sensed Cole's arrival, and unease rose in their hearts.
"What is he here for now?!"
With those thoughts, all the Zero Division members gathered outside the Soul King's Inner Palace, staring at the rift with solemn expressions.
A few minutes later.
Cole stepped out of the rift and entered the Soul King's Inner Palace, complaining irritably at the people in front of him:
"I'm telling you—why do you guys put up so many layers of defenses for no reason? I had to break through so many barriers just to get here."
With his current method of tearing open a Garganta (Black Cavity), there was nowhere in the Three Realms he couldn't go.
But the Soul King Palace had set up countless barriers specifically against that, making the trip pure suffering inside the rift.
Like a pilgrimage—one obstacle after another.
After hearing Cole, everyone in Zero Division except Senjumaru turned black in the face.
Why put up so many defense barriers?
And you still have the nerve to ask?!
Weren't those all for stopping you?!
For everyone else, even if they knew the Soul King Palace existed, they still couldn't locate it.
To enter the Soul King Palace, they had to create an Oken (King's Key) and use it as a pass to enter the Soul King's domain.
But none of that applied to Cole.
Because he could locate the Soul King Palace whenever he wanted, and even tear space open to enter directly.
Oetsu stared at Cole, teeth clenched. "Looks like the defenses still aren't enough. We need to add a few hundred more layers."
Tenjiro nodded in deep agreement.
Senjumaru looked at her companions, speechless. "What's the point of making more barriers? Even if he couldn't tear space open, couldn't he just knock the Soul King Palace out of the sky again?"
The Zero Division members went blank.
Right.
They forgot about that part.
This bastard could just knock the Soul King Palace down.
Thinking of that, Oetsu nearly blew a gasket, fixing Cole with a dangerous stare.
After all that talking…
Why not just solve this guy outright?
Cole raised an eyebrow, pulled out his Nyoi Kin'kobou (As-You-Wish Golden Cudgel) from his chest, and said, "If you want to fight, I'll gladly oblige. I've mastered some new abilities lately."
For Zero Division, as long as the Soul King Palace wasn't destroyed, they could revive endlessly here.
But Quincy power could erase everything.
He really wanted to know—when those two forces collided, which rule would prevail.
At that moment, Soi fong and Yoruichi walked out as well and quickly latched onto Cole's arm.
"Cole, don't cause trouble here."
"We didn't come here to fight."
With the two women stopping him, Cole finally dropped the idea of fighting. He clicked his tongue lazily.
"Relax, relax. I'll stay calm."
Ichibe spoke at the right time. "Human boy. Why have you come to the Soul King Palace this time?"
As he spoke, Ichibe remembered what Cole said—that the Soul King still had self-awareness.
He was ready to question him properly.
Otherwise, living on edge all day wasn't sustainable.
Cole didn't waste time and asked directly, "I came here mainly to ask about what happened a thousand years ago."
"Back then, was the Soul King forcibly sealed by the founding ancestors of the Five Great Noble Clans… or did he willingly accept being sealed?"
"Why didn't he resist?!"
The moment those words fell, the expressions of the Zero Division members changed. Their gazes unconsciously turned toward Ichibe.
That question was no small matter.
It touched on the sin of the entire world.
If the Soul King was forcibly sealed, it would at least be easier to stomach.
They could use "the Three Realms" as an excuse, and their guilt wouldn't be quite as heavy.
But if the Soul King willingly accepted being sealed…
Then not only did it deepen their crimes, it also exposed how ugly their hearts truly were.
Ichibe fell silent for a moment, then slowly said:
"I don't know why you suddenly want to ask this, but even I did not fully understand everything back then."
"I only know that, although the sealing process was cruel… the Soul King did, in fact, have room to resist."
"After all, the Soul King's power is Zenchizenno (The Almighty). The power of the entire world originates from him."
"The founding ancestors of the Five Great Noble Clans were no exception."
"But perhaps the Soul King saw a future that could not be avoided no matter what he did."
"Or perhaps he found some hope in the new world… though his true intent is unknowable."
"In any case, it seems the Soul King deliberately offered no resistance, and was sealed eternally into a 'keystone'…"
Ichibe spoke slowly.
Every time he recounted that history, he couldn't help recalling the Soul King's presence.
He was such an ordinary person—yet he possessed godlike power, tirelessly saving the world day after day.
In terms of personal charisma…
He was dazzling, towering, radiant.
Everyone present fell into silence.
Although Ichibe didn't state it outright, his words made the truth clear.
Under the betrayal of the founding ancestors of the Five Great Noble Clans…
The Soul King didn't rage and retaliate. For the survival of the world, he willingly sacrificed himself, creating the birth of the new world.
Oetsu irritably scratched his head, looking at Cole with annoyance.
"Why are you asking about this kind of thing?"
What use was knowing the truth?
It only deepened the guilt in their hearts, and yet they still had no way to change anything.
After all, sacrificing only the Soul King stabilized everything.
But if the Soul King revived…
Then the ones sacrificed would be the Three Realms.
They could still tell which was heavier and which was lighter.
Cole didn't argue. "Because some things happened, and we wanted to understand the truth behind the Soul King's sealing."
"Things? What things?"
Tenjiro asked curiously.
Cole raised an eyebrow and didn't answer. Instead, he pointed past Ichibe toward the Soul King's Inner Palace and said:
"The Soul King… is about to die, isn't he?"
The words hit like thunder.
The five Zero Division members instantly changed expressions. Without hesitation, they drew their zanpakuto and aimed them at Cole.
Their eyes flashed with sharp killing intent.
"How… how do you know that?!"
Ichibe stared at Cole, gripping his massive brush so hard his joints nearly whitened.
What Cole said was too shocking.
Information about the Soul King was always handled by the Zero Division.
And only they should know the Soul King's condition.
Even Yamamoto didn't know.
Otherwise, if word spread that the Soul King was about to die, it wouldn't just shake Seireitei—every world would be thrown into chaos.
Cole didn't care in the slightest, speaking casually. "Didn't I say it already? The Soul King told me some things."
Hearing that, Ichibe's face turned purple.
The other four Zero Division members all sucked in a cold breath.
"The Soul King told you… that he's going to die?!"
Ichibe stared at Cole in disbelief. "What nonsense are you talking about? He—the Soul King—how could…"
He couldn't even finish the sentence.
The Soul King, sealed for countless ages, told a human he was going to die?
What kind of situation was that?
What did it even mean?
In the end, Senjumaru asked the question everyone was thinking.
Cole fell silent for two seconds, then sighed.
"The Soul King told me he's going to die. So to ensure the Three Realms remain stable, after he dies, a new Soul King has to be created—one that will serve as the keystone stabilizing the Three Realms."
"But I don't know whether the Soul King is truly good or truly bad. I don't know whether he really has that kind of resolve."
"That's why I came to the Soul King Palace on purpose."
(End of Chapter)
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