Ethan's words left Shunsui, Gin, and Yoruichi speechless. Shunsui in particular felt overwhelmed just thinking that Ethan treated something as dangerous as the Hogyoku as a way to pass the time.
At this moment, asking Ethan to hand over the Hogyoku seemed like the right move. However, Shunsui, who was good at noticing details, heard even more information hidden in Ethan's words.
"What do you mean by 'must-complete mission'?"
Ethan glanced at him. As expected of the Captain of the Eighth Division, he immediately caught the most crucial point.
"It means exactly what it sounds like."
"Someone can order you or threaten you?"
Although they had not seen Ethan fight with his full strength, judging from his current power, it seemed unlikely that anyone could force him to do anything.
But the phrase "must-complete mission" revealed something that deeply concerned Shunsui. Who gave Ethan this mission? Did Ethan have no ability to resist? Or what was the real purpose of that powerful individual or organization?
"You're overthinking it."
Ethan briefly explained that he was actually from another world, and the only way he could leave this world was by completing certain specific missions.
Although this explanation sounded unbelievable, Shunsui temporarily chose to believe that Ethan was telling the truth.
After all, the Soul Society, the Human World, and Hueco Mundo were also considered different worlds. With this as a reference, they found Ethan's explanation somewhat easier to accept.
"Truly unbelievable."
As for the claim that he needed to complete a mission to leave, Shunsui still felt skeptical. However, after thinking about it for a long time, he could not find any reason for Ethan to deceive them. If Ethan wanted to lie, he could have used a much better excuse. Looking at it this way, the possibility that Ethan was telling the truth seemed even higher.
"So you must kill the Soul King in order to leave this world?"
"More or less."
"And it won't affect this world?"
This was what concerned Shunsui the most. To be honest, he valued the Soul King less than his teacher Yamamoto did. If Yamamoto were here and heard that Ethan intended to kill the Soul King, there would be no discussion. They would immediately fight to the death.
Shunsui cared more about the safety of the Soul Society. The Soul King came second.
"The Soul King is the…"
"Creator and foundation of the world. I know."
Ethan interrupted him.
"But destroying the foundation doesn't necessarily mean destroying the world. As long as the correct method is used to replace the world's foundation with a new one, all problems will be solved."
"A new foundation?"
Shunsui noticed that when Ethan said this, he glanced at Yoruichi beside him.
"You mean…"
"Yes. That's what I'm thinking."
Yoruichi pointed at herself. She understood immediately and also remembered what Ethan had said earlier about her becoming the Soul King.
"You're not joking?"
"Of course not."
"I have no interest in positions like Soul King or ruler of the Soul Society."
"You're overthinking it. It's simply about becoming the foundation. It has nothing to do with ruling the Soul Society."
Only then did Yoruichi understand. Ethan only wanted her to become a special existence that supported the world, not someone who ruled over it.
"I remember the Soul King always staying in the Soul King Palace. If I replace the Soul King, does that mean I'll be confined there?"
"You misunderstood something. The reason the Soul King doesn't leave the Soul King Palace isn't because he cannot move as the world's foundation. It's because he has lost his self over a very long time."
"What do you mean?"
Ethan took the opportunity to explain that the Soul King in the palace was essentially in a vegetative state, someone who had lost consciousness. In other words, a giant frozen corpse.
Including Yoruichi, everyone present was only now learning that the Soul King was in such a condition.
"Oh my. We've certainly heard something incredible."
Someone like Shunsui, who cared about the Soul Society, immediately thought of another question. Since the Soul King was already in this state, then who had been issuing orders to the Soul Society in the Soul King's name all these years?
Suspicion immediately pointed to the Zero Division.
"Things are getting more and more troublesome."
He had only come along to Hueco Mundo to see if they could retrieve the Hogyoku. He never expected to hear so many shocking secrets. Just thinking about dealing with these matters gave him a headache.
"Is there anything else you want to ask?"
They exchanged glances. Although Ethan had not said much, the information was significant. Shunsui needed time to digest it, and more importantly, he needed to continue observing to judge how much of Ethan's story was true.
If everything was true, what should he do?
Whether it was Ethan planning to kill the Soul King and have Yoruichi replace him, the possibility that the Zero Division had been abusing the Soul King's authority, or the revelation that the Soul King had become a frozen corpse.
Any one of these matters would cause a huge shock in the Soul Society. How could the impact be minimized?
After thinking for a long time, if everything Ethan said was true, Shunsui awkwardly realized that Ethan's method might actually cause the least damage to the world.
Kill the Soul King without affecting anyone, transfer the world's foundation to Yoruichi, and allow the world to continue existing.
If Ethan wanted to kill the Soul King, he would definitely have to face the Royal Guard, the Zero Division. If he defeated them, then whatever those people had done in the Soul King's name would no longer matter.
So perhaps he only needed to stand aside and witness everything.
Shunsui suddenly felt that maybe he could relax a bit.
Gin, however, was thinking about something else.
"You said you can return what I want. Is that true?"
"Matsumoto Rangiku's missing portion of her soul, right?"
Shunsui immediately refocused and listened to their conversation. He did not expect Rangiku to be involved in this matter.
After all, besides Ethan, who knew the story, no one else knew the real connection between Gin, Rangiku, and Aizen.
"It has already been turned into part of the Hogyoku by Aizen. Can it still be separated?"
"Of course."
Although Gin did not fully believe that Ethan could do such a thing, as long as there was a slight possibility, he was willing to try.
Just like when he was a child. Even when revenge seemed impossible, he still took that first step and eventually waited for the perfect opportunity to kill Aizen with a single strike.
"You don't need to worry. The Hogyoku will soon be in our hands anyway. Then you'll know whether I can do it."
If it were a fully awakened Hogyoku, it might be troublesome. But Aizen's Hogyoku had not reached its final stage, so separating Rangiku's portion from it would not be too difficult.
They continued moving toward Las Noches. Along the way they occasionally encountered Hollows that attacked them. These Hollows were usually crushed into spirit particles by Yoruichi.
After destroying who knew how many Hollows, Yoruichi began to feel bored because none of them were strong.
"When we reach Las Noches, there will be opponents who can satisfy you."
In fact, Aizen's research on Arrancar had not only started in recent years. The Arrancar seen in the original story did not appear suddenly. They had been created over more than a hundred years.
This meant that a considerable number of Arrancar already existed in Las Noches. In fact, most of the Arrancar who appeared later were already there.
"Aizen has cultivated quite a few powerful fighters in Hueco Mundo over the years."
As one of Aizen's former subordinates, Gin could provide very detailed information. This was exactly what Shunsui wanted to know. Ethan did not care about the enemies they might face, but Shunsui needed to evaluate both sides to decide on a strategy.
"The ten strongest among them are called the Espada."
Shinigami who broke the boundary between Hollows and Soul Reapers and gained Hollow powers were called Visored. Their symbol was wearing a Hollow mask. Hollows who gained Soul Reaper powers were called Arrancar. Their masks were broken, leaving only a fragment, and their appearance became closer to human form while still retaining the Hollow hole on their body.
"These ten Arrancar are the strongest beings in Las Noches."
"There are actually ten of them?"
Listening to Gin's explanation, Shunsui realized just how much power Aizen had secretly accumulated. If the strongest Arrancar were called the Espada, then the total number of Arrancar must be far greater than ten.
And Arrancar who had broken the boundary between Hollows and Soul Reapers must possess very powerful combat ability.
"This Las Noches is truly dangerous."
Just as Shunsui was sighing about how difficult this dungeon would be, the group arrived outside Las Noches.
"What should we do next?"
Ethan rubbed his chin. He still held the Hogyoku in his hand, tossing it lightly upward, catching it, then tossing it again.
"Where is the Hogyoku stored?"
"Right at the core."
"I see."
Ethan caught the Hogyoku and stopped playing with it. Instead, he raised his slightly open right hand and gathered spiritual power into his palm.
"Then let's just go and get it."
A brilliant blue light condensed into a dazzling beam that shot forward from his palm, extending into the distance. It smashed straight through the wall of Las Noches and continued forward toward the next wall.
A few seconds later, the light and sound faded, and the dust was blown away by the wind. A perfectly straight path leading directly to the center of Las Noches appeared in front of them.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)