"Your ability is truly ridiculous. Not only Kyouka Suigetsu, but you can even detect me."
Beltz, seeing that Azashiro had been waiting for him, couldn't help but remark on the absurdity of the spirit Urozakuro's power. Kyouka Suigetsu could hypnotize the five senses and spiritual awareness, and his own psychological invisibility acted directly on the soul. Combined with physical stealth, even Sengoku with his Observation Haki or Shinigami with high spiritual sense couldn't perceive him.
But Azashiro Sōya's ability was the ultimate counter to such stealth. Even if he couldn't "see" Beltz, he could deduce his existence by sensing inconsistencies in the environment. Since Azashiro was essentially merged with the Seireitei itself, Beltz was effectively moving inside Azashiro's body. No matter how perfect the invisibility, he would be found.
"You know of me?" Azashiro looked at Beltz expressionlessly. "I have sensed inconsistent existences in the Seireitei several times, but this is the first time I have seen your face. There should be no one in this world who knows of me without having met me."
"There are too many 'non-existences' in this world," Beltz said softly. "Don't speak in absolutes; it only makes you look ignorant."
Beltz's tone was blunt, but Azashiro did not get angry. He was a man who habitually suppressed his emotions.
"Then, can you state your identity? And your purpose for seeing me."
"I am a Quincy..."
Beltz stated his identity directly. This was Muken; no one would know what happened here. Even the Wandenreich and Yhwach could not see into this void.
Azashiro was a man who strictly adhered to his duty as a Shinigami, though his interpretation of that duty was severely warped. He sought to destroy all Hollows to maintain balance—an act that actually destroys balance. Regardless of whether he acted for a grand cause or personal grudge, Beltz could use him.
"I can help you eliminate all Hollows. In exchange, I want the location of something."
Azashiro did not answer immediately, instead studying Beltz. A Quincy? Merged with the Seireitei, he knew the history recorded in the archives and the blood feuds between the two races. But he didn't know the current state of the world outside, so he didn't know what a Quincy represented today.
"Are those two outside your accomplices?" he asked.
"No," Beltz shook his head. He wasn't lying. Only Liltotto was his partner; Whitebeard was not. "Our time is short. I hope for a quick answer."
"Why should I believe you can eliminate all Hollows?"
"Because I have the power to release you from Muken at any time. If you don't believe me, you can continue trying to fulfill your mission your own way."
"You can release me?" Azashiro was startled. Muken was the most secure prison in the Soul Society; no one had ever escaped. Even merged with the air, he couldn't move his physical body past the triple seals of the Gotei 13, the Punishment Force, and the Department of Research and Development.
"If you can liberate me from Muken, I will tell you anything you wish to know," Azashiro said solemnly.
"Simple. Just touch my hand with the Reishi you've permeated into the outside world." Beltz extended his hand. "But before I take you, answer my question."
"What do you seek?"
"The location of the Oken."
Azashiro's pupils dilated. Even he was shocked by the mention of the Royal Key. "What do you intend to do with it?"
"That is none of your concern," Beltz said coldly. "This is a transaction. You give me the location, I free you and help you kill Hollows. No need to dig deeper."
Azashiro contemplated for a few seconds before nodding. "Fine. But how do I know you won't break your word?"
"With your ability, you could notify the Shinigami outside the moment I betray you. Even in this chaos, Yamamoto would come running if he knew the Oken was at stake."
"The Oken is in the First Division. There is a hidden barrier... the location is..." Azashiro finally revealed the secret.
"Time's up. Touch my hand."
Beltz was feeling the pressure. Bringing Liltotto and Rukia to the One Piece world was manageable, but bringing Whitebeard, the Elders, and a localized Harald back and forth was draining his "travel time" rapidly. He had to finish this before his limit hit.
As Azashiro's Reishi-fused form touched his hand, Beltz activated his travel ability. In an instant, Azashiro Sōya vanished from Muken.
He reappeared on Sphinx Island, or what was left of it. He stood on a floating fragment of land amidst a chaotic battle between pirates and the Navy.
"Stay here for a while. I'll be back," Beltz said as he appeared briefly, then vanished again. "Once I finish my business, I'll take you back to the Seireitei."
Azashiro looked around, dazed. The Reishi he had merged with the Seireitei... was gone. He could no longer feel the Soul Society.
...
Back in the Seireitei, the war raged on. Beltz returned to the First Division barracks and found the hidden barrier Azashiro had described. He wasn't a barrier expert, but he didn't need a traditional solution.
Beltz took a deep breath and activated his Vollständig once more.
"Sklaverei!"
The absolute subordination of Reishi. Everything in the Soul Society was made of Reishi, including this barrier. The "Hakudan Keppeki" designed to counter Quincies hadn't been invented yet, so the kido barrier was defenseless. The barrier disintegrated into basic Reishi, absorbed by the wings on Beltz's back.
The Oken was his.
It was shaped like a golden key, the essence of the Zero Division's bones. Beltz held it, a smile playing on his lips. This single object contained the souls of 100,000 beings from a Jūreichi. It was a more complete power than the scattered fragments he had taken from the Tsunayashiro family.
He didn't consume it himself. Instead, he hurried to a prearranged location where Keiko was waiting. Without a word, he handed her the Oken and the Op-Op Fruit.
Keiko ate the fruit and immediately activated her Age-Age Fruit ability.
"100% Future: The future after devouring the Oken!"
Normally, digesting such power would take decades. But by drawing from a "certain future" where she had already assimilated the power, she could bypass the wait.
Boom!
Between the Soul King fragments she already had and the new Oken, her power skyrocketed. Her Reiatsu expanded like an erupting volcano, punching a hole through the sky of the Three Worlds.
The Seireitei trembled. Yamamoto and Liltotto both stopped, staring toward Keiko in shock.
What is that?!
The pressure felt like a mountain dropped on their shoulders. Muscles tensed; survival instincts screamed.
Was this a new enemy?
Yamamoto was horrified. He couldn't even put down Whitebeard with his Bankai, and now another monster had appeared. If this was an enemy, the Seireitei was finished.
But Keiko, wreathed in overwhelming power, appeared before Yamamoto in an instant. Gripping Enrakyōten, she swung at the demonized Whitebeard.