"You crafty little devil — you knew you couldn't beat Soifon in a straight fight, so you pulled a trick like this?"
"It seems you truly did want to become the Soul King, Yhwach..."
"Sōsuke Aizen completed the final piece of your puzzle, didn't he?"
"Oh? You'd like me to pass that along to the girl Soifon? Understood, Your Majesty, the Soul King."
Ichibē Hyōsube stood in the inner sanctum of the Royal Palace, gazing down at the four satellite palaces below. His hands were tucked into his sleeves. He bowed respectfully toward the Soul King's crystal, then leapt down and landed on the main approach road.
Dusting off his hands, Ichibē Hyōsube flew off in turn toward the three satellite palaces — all except the [Kirin Palace] — and paid each of them a visit in advance, letting them know to prepare a proper welcome for Soifon's ascent to the Royal Realm.
The apology would need to look sincere. After all, as the saying goes — you don't hit someone who comes with a smile.
——Hueco Mundo.
Using spirit particles to stitch Yhwach's corpse back together, Sōsuke Aizen carried the body up to the topmost hall of Las Noches and announced that he would not set foot outside that palace for the next two years — the Arrancar and Shinigami could do as they pleased.
As the great doors sealed shut, four layers of heavy [Dankū] locked into place from all four directions — above, below, left, and right — sealing the hall airtight. No one but Soifon could break through this Bakudō barrier laid by Aizen himself.
"What is he playing at, Sōsuke Aizen..."
Azashiro Sōya stood alongside Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen, his expression a mask of barely-suppressed resentment and frustration.
He hadn't even had time to expand Las Noches — to round up every Hollow in Hueco Mundo and make them his livestock...
And now the man who had been dangling that dream in front of him turned around and announced he had grander ambitions — becoming the Soul King — and wouldn't be playing house with him anymore.
"Can't be helped. Captain Aizen's ambition has always been to claim the throne of heaven."
"As for Hueco Mundo — it was never anything more than one stop along Captain Aizen's journey."
"You were one such stop. So were we."
Gin Ichimaru stood with his hands in his pockets, smiling his usual smile as he watched Azashiro Sōya's face sour. He did love seeing that look.
"Hmph!"
"Just because he becomes the Soul King, does that mean he can sweep away every last Hollow? I don't think so!"
Azashiro Sōya flicked his sleeve and stormed off, his figure gradually swallowed by the corridor's shadows.
[Fine. If Sōsuke Aizen won't manage Hueco Mundo, then I will...]
[Don't come crying to me later, Sōsuke Aizen. And you too, Soifon!]
In a room on the other side of the palace, all of the Quincy — except for Uryū Ishida — had yet to fully recover from the aftereffects of the Auswählen. Even the pace at which they were absorbing spirit particles to restore their bodies had slowed considerably.
"Seriously, what is happening — how did we end up in Hueco Mundo of all places..."
Bambietta sat huddled in a corner, arms wrapped around her knees, trembling. Outside the door, two twin-tailed maidservant Arrancar stood guard — their mere presence was enough to fill the Quincy with dread.
Hollows were poison to them. Pure, lethal poison.
"Who knows — but from the look of things, I'd say Soifon saved us."
"Either way, she clearly doesn't want to kill us. Otherwise there'd be no point going to all this trouble to bring us back here."
As the saying goes, it's hard to speak ill of someone who feeds you. Liltotto munched on the snacks Soifon had left behind before departing, and put in a few good words on her behalf.
"But what could her motive be?" Candice leaned against the wall, her voice faint and weak. "She's not going to use us as test subjects, is she..."
"Probably not."
"Though — maybe she'll just stick us in stasis pods like she did to me last time and have us sleep for a few decades, or even a century. Could happen," said Meninas — the most experienced among them when it came to being taken prisoner.
Late that night. The room next door — Haschwalth's.
Creak——
Soifon pushed the door open and flicked on the light, flooding the pitch-black room with brightness.
"It's the middle of the night, Haschwalth."
"Open your eyes."
Soifon stood with her arms crossed, watching him like a hawk.
"Heh..." Haschwalth opened his eyes. His gaze was plain and unremarkable as it met hers. "My Schrift has already been reclaimed by His Majesty. Even if he hasn't truly died, I can no longer fight as his other half."
Soifon studied the single, ordinary pupil in each of Haschwalth's eyes, and the suspicion coiled in her chest loosened — just slightly.
By rights, as Yhwach's other half, Haschwalth should have gained the power to foresee the future after Yhwach fell into his sleep — and his pupils should have become Yhwach's characteristic triple irises.
Could it be that Yhwach was truly and thoroughly dead?
Reading the doubt on Soifon's face, Haschwalth let out a quiet laugh. "I genuinely cannot feel any connection to His Majesty anymore. If I hold no further value to you, please do what you must. Quickly."
With that, Haschwalth tilted his head back, baring his neck — the posture of a man ready to be cut down.
Thud——
In an instant, six golden bands of light shot out and bound Haschwalth in place. Soifon let out a quiet sigh, then turned, closed the door behind her, and walked away.
Meanwhile, things were going considerably more pleasantly for Uryū Ishida.
On the long conference table inside Las Noches's meeting room, steaming cups of black tea had been laid out, alongside a spread of fine pastries and sweets sourced from the World of the Living.
"Mr. Ishida — are you well acquainted with Lady Soifon?"
Sitting across from him, Harribel and Nelliel watched Uryū Ishida with curious eyes. Beside them, Szayelaporro sat watching him too — though with a rather more predatory gaze.
"I suppose you could say that..." Uryū took a sip of tea to cover his awkwardness. "When I was small, Soifon-nee probably held me in her arms — probably..."
"What does Lady Soifon like to eat? Does she have any special hobbies?"
Nelliel leaned forward over the table eagerly, pressing him with follow-up questions.
"That... I'm not really sure..."
Uryū Ishida thought hard, then shook his head.
At the exact moment their expressions fell with disappointment, Soifon had followed the trail of their Spiritual Pressure to the meeting room. She stepped inside — and froze at the sight of Uryū Ishida sitting there eating and drinking in perfect comfort.
"Didn't I tell you to send him back to the World of the Living?"
Soifon turned her head toward Nelliel and the others.
"I felt that Mr. Ishida had just come through a battle and might need to replenish his strength, so I took it upon myself to..."
Harribel quietly tugged her collar up to hide the flush spreading across her face.
It was absolutely not because they wanted to keep Uryū Ishida here and pry Soifon's personal interests out of him. Absolutely not.
"That's actually quite thoughtful — I didn't think of that." Soifon understood at once, walked over to Uryū, and gave him a light pat on the shoulder. "Have you eaten your fill? I'll take you back to Karakura Town."
The moment she sliced open the Garganta, Nelliel and Harribel both shot to their feet simultaneously.
"Lady Soifon!"
"Surely this time you'll take us with you!"
——Back in Karakura Town.
"That's how it happened..."
After recounting everything, Soifon returned [Still Silver] to Ryūken Ishida.
Ryūken turned the arrowhead over in his fingers, considered it for a moment, then handed it back to Soifon.
The victory had come so suddenly that neither the Kaiser Gesang nor the [Still Silver] had ever been needed.
A king that proud — how could he possibly fail to follow the ritual laid out by the very Kaiser Gesang he himself had written?
"I'm still not at ease, Captain Soifon." Ryūken Ishida's expression was grave. "Please hold onto this arrowhead. In case Yhwach returns."
"...Very well."
Soifon tucked the silver arrowhead inside her clothes, gave a nod to Ryūken and Uryū, and turned to leave.
They stepped out of the Ishida residence together. Their next destination: the Urahara Shop.
"Why is it that Lady Soifon clearly won the war and protected the world — and yet she still doesn't seem happy?"
Walking a step behind, Harribel asked the question that had been quietly puzzling her.
Nelliel, too, turned a curious gaze toward Soifon's back.
"I don't know if we've actually won."
"Even now — I have no sense that victory is real."
Soifon watched the Urahara Shop gradually come into view ahead of her, her expression heavy.
When in doubt, it never hurt to ask Kisuke Urahara's opinion.
She pushed open the door to the Urahara Shop. Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi had already prepared tea and were waiting for Soifon.
The moment the three of them appeared, Yoruichi Shihōin circled around Soifon and began running her hands over her from head to toe. "Soifon, you're all right..."
After all, the entire Three Worlds had felt Soifon's Spiritual Pressure during that battle. Anyone who claimed it hadn't been dangerous would have been lying.
Soifon spread her arms and let Yoruichi finish her inspection, then let out a helpless sigh. "I'm fine, Miss Yoruichi."
Pff——
And then came a warm embrace. Yoruichi Shihōin pulled Soifon tight against her, murmuring words like "idiot" and "reckless" — which made the two women standing behind Soifon absolutely green with envy.
[I want to hold Lady Soifon like that too...] ×2
"Ahem..."
"Captain Soifon — could you tell us in detail exactly what happened?"
Kisuke Urahara coughed once, carefully interrupting the tender reunion.
After Soifon relayed the events of the battle word for word, the expression on Kisuke Urahara's face grew steadily more serious — just like Soifon, not a trace of joy at victory was to be found on it.
"So then — Yhwach was full of fight and spirit right up until the moment Captain Soifon cut him down..."
"And in his final moments, he was still reaching out to seize Sōsuke Aizen's power. Is that right?"
Kisuke Urahara looked at Soifon and asked. She gave him a firm nod in confirmation. He pulled off his bucket hat and scratched his head.
"Troublesome. Truly troublesome..."
"After all, I don't know the limits of [The Almighty]. But I do have a theory."
"Perhaps — Yhwach is indeed dead right now..."
"But — he will return in the future."
The moment Kisuke Urahara delivered his conclusion, it was as though a light had switched on in Soifon's mind — suddenly, everything clicked into place and connected.
Because Yhwach knew: without absorbing the Soul King's power, he would always be at a disadvantage against Soifon in a direct fight. And running away was even further out of the question.
So Yhwach had chosen to die at Soifon's hand as a means of escape — anchoring his resurrection to some fixed point in the future, buying himself time to breathe.
"Truly vile, Yhwach..."
Soifon pressed a hand to her chest — where the silver arrowhead made from [Still Silver] now rested.
Thank goodness she had never let that remarkable little tool enter Yhwach's awareness before the moment it mattered.
Watching the receding figures of Soifon and Yoruichi as they left, Kisuke Urahara fanned himself slowly, and a peculiar smile crept across his face.
Sōsuke Aizen — who would have thought it would come to this for you...
You, who assembled four distinct powers together through such an extraordinary chain of fate — you are quite literally the heaven-chosen one to shatter the Soul King's defenses...
Perhaps — it was precisely because Yhwach saw that potential in you that he made the choices he did.
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: JJK: Naoya Zenin Reborn as a Woman
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone