"Really!?" Shutara was a bit skeptical of Ichibe'e's words.
"Really, really!" Ichibe'e quickly nodded.
He pointed at his eyes: "Shutara Senjumaru, look into my eyes. When has this monk ever lied to anyone?"
"Remember, monks don't tell lies!" Ichibe'e swore earnestly.
"That's true!" Hearing Ichibe'e's words, Shutara nodded, feeling that his words had some credibility.
"Alright!" Shutara nodded, no longer pursuing the matter.
Then, she finally remembered. Shutara asked Ichibe'e formulaically: "I'm leaving. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
"No, no!" Ichibe'e shook his head with a smile: "Didn't I say? People strive for higher places. If you can find a good home, I bless you."
"Great! Then I won't be polite!" Shutara smiled. She was also very happy to be able to leave Zero Division.
Subsequently, after getting a definite answer from Ichibe'e, Shutara fell silent.
Her business was done.
However, just because her business was done didn't mean everyone else's was.
After finally dealing with the troublesome Shutara, Ichibe'e finally focused his attention back on Sora.
"So, my lord, what's next for us?" Ichibe'e asked tentatively, wondering which palace Sora wanted to visit next.
At the same time, Ichibe'e was nervous. Although Sora said he wouldn't poach anymore, what if he changed his mind? Could he stop him?
Fortunately, Sora also understood what Ichibe'e was thinking.
So, looking at Ichibe'e, who was guarding against him like a wildfire, Sora smiled.
"Alright, alright, let's not go anywhere else next. Let's go see the Soul King directly!" Sora said.
"Great! Great! Great! Great! Great! Great!" Hearing Sora's words, Ichibe'e was overjoyed.
The Soul King was the last stop. After seeing the Soul King, he could finally get rid of Sora, this troublesome presence!
However, Ichibe'e hadn't considered a very serious problem!
That was, from every place he had visited, Sora had taken something away.
How could he be sure that when Sora saw the Soul King, he wouldn't take something away too?
What gave him that confidence? The Soul King, who had been reduced to a torso? Wasn't a torso even easier to carry away?
But Ichibe'e didn't think about that!
He happily led Sora into the Soul King's chamber.
Looking at the figure before him, which had a body but no consciousness, Ichibe'e was very emotional: "This is the Soul King!"
"Long ago, the Soul King fled with the Five Great Noble Families from another world to this place."
"By chance, they discovered Hell here, a world's ruins. Moreover, this world's ruins still had vitality!"
"So, the Soul King expended immense power to create the Three Worlds, using the Three Worlds as a whole. With this world's ruins, which is Hell, as the foundation, the Three Worlds and Hell exist as two sides of the same coin!"
"This is the balance of the two worlds! The balance between the Three Worlds and Hell, and the balance among the Three Worlds themselves… this is the truth of this world!"
"As long as this balance is maintained, the world can continue to exist!"
"However, there is a hidden danger within this!" Ichibe'e said.
At this point, Ichibe'e let out a long sigh, his emotions very complex: "And that is the Soul King himself!"
"Because creation relied on the Soul King's immense power, naturally, its maintenance also relies on the Soul King himself!"
"That is to say, if one day, the Soul King dies or something happens, breaking the most important balance between the Three Worlds and Hell, the world will naturally collapse!"
"And this problem was known to the Soul King and the Five Great Noble Families, but no one raised it!"
"Until that day, the Tsunayashiro Clan, along with the other four families, ambushed the Soul King. They severed his limbs and arms, binding him here as a device to operate the Three Worlds!"
"Since then, Zero Division, tasked with protecting the Soul King Palace, came into being. As long as the Soul King is protected, this world is safe!"
At this point, Ichibe'e paused to catch his breath.
Then he looked at Sora: "It sounds good, doesn't it?"
"But it's not the case!" Ichibe'e shook his head, pointing at the Soul King: "Look, my lord, at the Soul King's severed limbs!"
"Oh?" Hearing Ichibe'e's words, Sora looked.
However, looking at the Soul King, who, even in his maimed state, seemed to be draped in starlight, Sora didn't notice anything wrong.
Sora looked at Ichibe'e questioningly: "What's the problem?"