"What... are you talking about?!"
Naraku Sora looked utterly shocked, his eyelids twitching as his Schrift 'D' acted up.
*'I can understand every single word, but why does it make absolutely no sense when put together into a sentence?'*
He seriously suspected that Ichibē Hyōsube had eavesdropped on his conversation with Aizen; otherwise, how could a casual, offhand remark become reality? Out of nowhere, he was being asked to become the Spirit King.
*'Are you joking with me right now?'*
"I mean exactly what I said."
Ichibē Hyōsube, thinking Naraku Sora hadn't heard clearly, grinned. "It means that if you are willing, I can promise you the position of the next Spirit King."
"The supreme existence that maintains the order of the three realms."
"When that time comes, whatever you want, whatever you wish to do, we, the members of the Zero Division, will execute it for you."
"Even if it means erasing all life across the three realms, we would not hesitate in the slightest."
Ichibē Hyōsube spoke of this bloodcurdling topic with terrifying nonchalance.
To him, the living beings of the three realms were nothing more than a string of meaningless numbers. As a guard of the Spirit King, his sole duty was to protect the Spirit King.
"Could you explain why it has to be me?"
After his initial shock, seeing that Ichibē Hyōsube hadn't forcibly seized him to stuff him into some unknown dark world as a backup Spirit King, Naraku Sora relaxed a little.
Since they were still talking, there was room for negotiation.
The role of the Spirit King didn't absolutely have to be his.
Perhaps this thick-eyebrowed monk was just bluffing, waiting for him to slip up so he could exercise the Zero Division's authority to execute him first and report later, eliminating the threat.
"It is very simple. It is the Spirit King's own will, and the fact that you meet almost all the conditions to become the Spirit King."
"I need not elaborate much on the former. The Spirit King has conveyed His approval of you to me. This is something no other Soul Reaper, or rather, no other living being, can satisfy."
"Sora, I have lived for a very long time, longer than you can possibly imagine."
"Soul Reapers are considered a long-lived species in the eyes of humans, but in my eyes, they don't even amount to babbling infants."
"The Soul Society has existed for a million years, yet I appeared in this world long before the Soul Society even existed. My life has been so long that even I can't remember it all clearly."
"But the one thing I can be certain of is that, as the Spirit King's most loyal subordinate, I have never seen or even heard—"
"The Spirit King has never expressed approval for any individual lifeform."
"Not even for me."
"Speaking of this, I never expected that I would actually feel a sense of jealousy."
Ichibē Hyōsube burst into laughter, shaking the bamboo leaves and sending the koi fish in the pond scattering in all directions.
Naraku Sora raised an eyebrow.
*'Good news: the Spirit King acknowledges me.'*
*'Bad news: the Spirit King ONLY acknowledges me.'*
For such a supreme existence, no one could guess what He was truly thinking. Even Ichibē Hyōsube, who had also lived for a million years, couldn't understand it.
Since He acknowledged him, He must have discovered some unique shining quality within him that differed from the rest.
*'Hollowfication?'*
*'Unlikely. According to Aizen, long before he began his experiments, someone in the Soul Society had already paved the way.'*
Even though the higher-ups of the Soul Society had repeatedly issued strict orders forbidding research into Hollowfication and soul-related taboos, the more it was forbidden, the more people couldn't resist lifting the veil to peek at the infinite scenery hidden beneath.
Thus, the records in the Great Spirit Book Gallery contained numerous examples of both success and failure, and it was even mentioned in some of the Twelfth Squad's documents.
In this regard, Naraku Sora was definitely not unique.
If anything, he was merely ahead of everyone else in his mastery over Hollowfication.
*'Then could it be my Quincy powers?'*
*'Considering that the Spirit King is the true progenitor of all Quincies, would my insignificant Quincy power really catch His eye?'*
*'That remains to be seen.'*
*'Besides these, what else is noteworthy about me?'*
*'Could it be... my world-shattering intellect that surpasses everyone in the Soul Society?'*
Naraku Sora took a deep breath, suddenly feeling a bit more appreciation for the Spirit King.
Ichibē Hyōsube: "..."
Although he didn't know what was going on, judging by the sudden excited expression on the kid's face, it probably wasn't anything good.
To prevent him from letting his imagination run wild, Ichibē Hyōsube quickly continued:
"As for meeting the conditions to become the Spirit King."
"Sora, do I really need to say more about the power within you?"
"Soul Reaper, Hollow, Quincy."
"Although you are missing the most crucial piece of power, the fact that these several powers can perfectly fuse together without any conflict makes you an absolutely unprecedented existence."
"As for the missing piece, that is actually the least of our worries."
"I can promise you that if you are willing to move into the Greater Palace, any wish you have will be fulfilled."
Ichibē Hyōsube's eyes burned brightly as he waited for an answer.
Naraku Sora thought for a few seconds.
"For example, making all female Soul Reapers wear miniskirts?"
"?"
"Then, building a water park that far surpasses the Phoenix Palace?"
"??"
"Renaming the Soul King Palace to Harem—"
"!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a terrified expression appeared on Ichibē Hyōsube's rugged face, and he hastily interrupted:
"You mustn't speak such nonsense!"
"To me, names possess a special power. If they are changed on a whim, it will inevitably invite unimaginable disasters."
After saying this, he wiped the beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.
He suddenly felt that it would be better for the Spirit King to maintain the status quo; replacing Him with someone else should be postponed for now.
It was hard to imagine what kind of apocalyptic scenario would unfold if this guy actually became the Spirit King.
Even after living for a million years, Ichibē Hyōsube found it a bit too much to handle.
The problem was, in all those million years, he had never met someone with such bizarre and eccentric ideas.
*'Could it be that this is the reason the Spirit King acknowledged him?'*
Ichibē Hyōsube shook his head repeatedly, tossing this treasonous thought to the back of his mind.
"Actually, there is one more thing."
"As the original namer of all things in the Soul Society, even the concepts of 'Zanpakutō,' 'Shikai,' and 'Bankai' were named by me."
"The moment an Asauchi is handed to a Soul Reaper, I know its name."
"However—"
"Just like yesterday, when Nimaiya Ōetsu, the God of the Sword, was unable to communicate with your Zanpakutō, I too have no way of knowing its name."
"This means that you exist outside the rules as we know them."
"So, Sora, I will ask you one last time."
"Are you willing to become the Spirit King?"
Even though he didn't unleash any Reiatsu, and his expression didn't change in the slightest, Ichibē Hyōsube simply stared calmly at the young man before him.
Yet, a heavy, oppressive pressure fell upon Naraku Sora as if the heavens and earth were overturning.
It seemed like a question, but it was actually coercion.
This attitude greatly displeased Naraku Sora.
Moreover, although he wasn't entirely clear on the Spirit King's current situation, judging from his past life memories and the data Aizen had researched, it was definitely not a good job.
It was even worse than the Emperor's Golden Throne next door.
If he really became the Spirit King, wouldn't he have to spend the rest of his life in that sunless place?
Most importantly, once he chose this path, it would inevitably arouse Aizen's suspicions.
Knowing Aizen, once he discovered the truth, he would absolutely include the Soul King Palace, along with the Zero Division, in his plans.
Then he would exhaust everything to ruthlessly crush and shatter this system without hesitation.
If that happened, what difference would there be from the Aizen in the original story? Wouldn't he still end up walking that hopeless path...
Naraku Sora's pupils shrank as he thought of a terrifying possibility.
Snapping back to reality, he raised his gaze without a shred of fear:
"Whoever wants to be the Spirit King can be it, just don't come looking for me."
Ichibē Hyōsube shook his head, a helpless expression appearing on his face:
"Since you are unwilling, then I have no choice but to take action and erase this threat that exists outside the rules."
"I'm sorry, Naraku Sora, but I cannot let you see the Spirit King."
As soon as his voice fell, a massive, palm-leaf-fan-like hand reached out directly, and a profound, heavy Reiatsu crushed down.
Naraku Sora's expression changed drastically. Words could hardly describe how he felt in that moment.
It was as if he were making an enemy of the entire world.
A tide of malice surged from all directions, transforming into an overwhelmingly massive force that threatened to crush him into dust.
Not daring to hesitate for even a fraction of a second, the Reishi within his body converted, and a low hum resonated.
Sonído!
Since Ichibē Hyōsube had already seen through him, there was no need to hide it anymore.
At such a close distance where it was almost impossible to react, only an erratic movement technique like Sonído could escape that giant hand.
The monk grabbed empty air.
The moment the muffled sound echoed, the figure had already vanished from his sight.
A look of surprise flashed through Ichibē Hyōsube's eyes.
He indeed knew about the powers residing within Naraku Sora's body; he had known the moment the boy stepped onto the Main Approach of the Soul King Palace.
But what was surprising was that this kid was so proficient with Hollow abilities.
It was almost like instinct.
Shouldn't a normal Soul Reaper instinctively use Flash Step in such a critical moment?
Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Ichibē Hyōsube instantly locked onto the powerful Reiatsu that had appeared behind him.
A towering pillar of fire erupted from the ground, completely obliterating the clouds gathered above the Detached Palaces. Scorching flames dyed the sky, looking like an inverted sea of fire as intense heat permeated the air.
On the blade burning with Reiatsu flames, electrical arcs clashed fiercely with Kidō Reiatsu.
Naraku Sora twisted his waist, his muscles pulling taut like a bowstring, emitting a teeth-aching crackle as his joints ground together like metal, bursting with sound.
He stepped forward, making the ground tremble.
The blade's gleam swept through the void, slashing down with a torrent of lightning and fire.
BOOM—!!
The sound of clashing metal echoed through the heavens. White shockwaves erupted from the center of the collision, the deafening explosions solidifying into a tangible force that expanded in all directions.
Amidst the ear-splitting roar, countless brilliant streaks of lightning and fire intertwined, almost swallowing everything in sight.
Terrifying shockwaves exploded layer by layer, causing the earth for miles around to heave violently like ocean waves.
In that moment, the overwhelming fluctuation of Reiatsu spread throughout the entire Soul King Palace!
---------------