Soul King Palace
The Monk and Ōetsu were sitting together, discussing the recent chaos in the Soul Society.
The Spirit Tea floating before them no longer emitted steam; the topic of conversation was even heavier than the brew.
The chaos in the Soul Society had persisted for centuries. If it continued like this, the Soul Society would never be able to develop properly.
As he spoke, the Monk, Hyosube Ichibe, suddenly looked up.
The crystal-clear sky of the Soul King Palace, which was so meticulously maintained, darkened without warning.
It was not an eclipse, nor was it the gathering of storm clouds; rather, a fundamental 'light' was being stripped away.
An indescribable, massive 'curtain' descended from unobservable heights. It was the physical manifestation of darkness itself, devouring light, devouring color, and even faintly devouring the very sense of space.
No, this wasn't true devouring; it was erosion! That curtain was like another world descending from another dimension, invading their world and bringing down a darkness that did not belong to this reality.
The Sun's light appeared pale and weak before this curtain, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, swallowed without even stirring a ripple.
"...What... is happening?"
Ōetsu looked up, watching in shock as the world grew darker and darker. He gazed at the descending darkness that seemed poised to envelop the entire Soul King Palace, yet his spiritual senses felt nothing at all.
It was as if everything he saw before his eyes simply did not exist within his spiritual perception!
The Monk frowned slightly. He turned his head, abruptly facing the deepest part of the Soul King Palace.
"Not good. Reio-sama... is in danger!"
The darkness, which seemed intent on shrouding the entire world, descended, causing the Soul King Palace to grow increasingly black and dim.
The Monk's ability was to control 'Black,' and he could even manipulate the night of the entire Soul Society, yet at this moment, he was helpless against this descending curtain of darkness!
He and Ōetsu immediately stood up. All the other Royal Guard members within the Soul King Palace also turned their gaze toward the main hall, the Inner Sanctum of the Soul King!
Almost the moment his voice fell, the dark curtain covering the heavens underwent a change.
From within that pure, bottomless darkness, an even deeper existence seeped out—the shadow of shadows, the darkness of darkness.
It had no fixed form, sometimes flowing like thick mist, sometimes still like the Abyss.
More terrifyingly, it did not seem to fully exist in this dimension; it was more like a 'gaze' from an unknowable realm cast through a crack in the world's curtain.
Though they could not see it, they could feel that above the Inner Sanctum of the Soul King, a pair of cold and indifferent eyes had seemingly opened.
Deep within the pupils, the movement of the entire universe seemed to be reflected, looking down upon all things in the world.
"Reio-sama!"
The Monk ignored everyone else and immediately flew toward the Great Inner Palace. His speed was at its limit, enough to cross the numerous halls of the Soul King Palace in an instant.
However, the darkness descending from a higher dimension seemed to transcend the very concept of speed.
The Monk could only watch helplessly as that deepest darkness, which seemed to contain the night sky of a universe, 'flowed' into the gateway of the Great Inner Palace like a bird returning to its nest.
And then—
The darkness vanished.
It didn't dissipate; rather, as abruptly as it had appeared, it was 'withdrawn' without a trace.
Light spilled out once more, and the Soul King Palace returned to normal, as if the darkness that had just swallowed everything was merely a collective hallucination.
But Hyosube Ichibe's heart sank into a valley colder than that darkness.
He now stood within the Great Inner Palace, the core location that maintained the existence of the Three Realms.
He stood frozen in place. His eyes, accustomed to the million-year history of the Soul Society, were now filled with unbelievable shock and horror.
In the center.
The massive, translucent Soul King Crystal—which condensed all the technology, wisdom, and power since the birth of the Soul Society to anchor the Soul King's body and will—was... empty!
The Soul King's body, which originally floated within it with limbs severed and power sealed, yet still served as the foundation of the Three Realms... was gone without a trace!
There was no sound of shattering crystal, no trace of a spiritual pressure explosion, no resistance, and not even a single lingering breath of existence. The crystal was perfectly intact, its smooth surface reflecting Hyosube Ichibe's pale face, but inside, there was only void!
Reio-sama was gone.
And it wasn't just the body. Hyosube Ichibe could clearly feel that the connection branded deep in his soul through the 'kings key,' linking him to the Soul King, had also vanished!
It was gone completely, gone cleanly!
A cold sensation of numbness surged up his spine, instantly freezing his entire body.
"...This is bad."
He murmured to himself, his voice as dry as rubbing sandpaper.
The foundation maintaining the balance of the Three Realms had disappeared.
The Human World, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo, which were separated and stabilized by the Power of the Soul King, would collapse once that power was no longer maintained. When that happened, there was no telling how many people would die!
However... the tremors he expected did not occur.
The collapse had not begun.
This meant... perhaps the Soul King had not died, but had instead broken free from the seal!
But either way, the Monk's expression changed drastically.
Even if the Soul King wasn't dead, a King capable of walking freely among mortals was something they were unwilling to see.
The Soul Society regarded Adyneus as the Soul King precisely because he was merely a harmless divine statue.
Because he was just a symbol, people didn't care that there was such a hands-off King above them.
And the fact that they were able to turn the Soul King into a symbol in the first place was not something honorable to speak of.
"Monk, what happened?"
Ōetsu finally reached the Inner Sanctum of the Soul King as well, asking with equal tension.
"..."
The Monk continued to stare at the empty crystal, and only after a long while did he speak softly:
"Either this world is about to be destroyed, or... the heavens are about to change."
He turned around and walked past Ōetsu, saying as he went:
"Get ready. No one is allowed to speak a word about the disappearance of Reio-sama. The news must be strictly suppressed."
Ōetsu now saw the empty crystal as well, and he too showed a look of shock.
He also knew... what this represented.
But what neither of them saw was that the crystal was not actually empty; at the very least, a man was inside it, emitting a strange light.
"Mmm, tasty Soul King, even Yhwach says it's good."
The man's voice seemed to not belong to this dimension; no one could hear it.
"Although I don't have much power, I have the status of an Outer Deity. The power of the Soul King that even Yhwach couldn't finish consuming can all go into my stomach."