"Mm. Looks like I'm still the first to arrive."
Looking at the empty plaza of the front approach, Kirinji was quite satisfied with his own speed.
"You got here pretty fast, Tenjirō."
Kirinji turned his head. A man with black punk-style curly hair appeared right after him. Beneath his wide-framed sunglasses was a toothy grin, and with his dark skin and overall appearance, he gave off a comical hip-hop impression.
This man was the Third Officer, the Divine General of the West, Ōetsu Nimaiya, known as the God of the Sword.
"Ōetsu, did you call us here because of that brat fighting his way up?" Kirinji asked.
Among the five members of Squad Zero, aside from the monk, Ōetsu had the most seniority. When the monk did not appear, Ōetsu handled Squad Zero's affairs.
"Who knows how many ages it's been since another little guy dared to challenge the Soul King Palace? Wouldn't it be a shame not to watch the fun?" Ōetsu said with a smile.
"Another? Who was the last one?"
Kirinji found that strange. Ever since he came to the Soul King Palace, this was the first time he had encountered someone who dared to challenge the Soul King.
"The last one was your former Captain-Commander, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. Back then, he nearly burned the entire Soul Society to ashes. Very scary~" Ōetsu said in a teasing tone.
"Could it have been that time?"
Kirinji remembered that before he had been promoted to Squad Zero, Soul Society had once experienced an extreme high-temperature climate. Later, Central 46 had brushed it off with some nonsensical excuse. Thinking about it now, perhaps that weather had been caused by Yamamoto going all out.
"What are you talking about? Let this one hear as well."
A woman with medium-length black hair, golden hair ornaments, and six golden skeletal arms behind her floated over.
She was the Fourth Officer, the Divine General of the North, Senjumaru Shutara, known as the Great Weave Guard.
"We were talking about someone daring to challenge the Soul King Palace," Kirinji explained.
"Oh? This one is quite surprised as well. To think someone would charge up here so openly."
The thunderous rumbling still had not stopped. As the sound grew louder and louder, that challenger was about to break through all the barriers and arrive within the territory of the Soul King Palace.
"Where's Kirio Hikifune? You didn't notify her?" Kirinji asked.
Ōetsu was just about to answer when a bright and gentle laugh rang out.
"I'm here. Something delayed me for a moment."
The one who came into view was a full-figured woman with purple hair. A rice paddle was stuck in her hair as an ornament. Just from her appearance, one could tell she had a cheerful and friendly personality.
At that moment, Aizen finally succeeded in piercing through the final membrane.
A loud cracking explosion rang through the Soul King Palace together with the roars of five dragons, each in a different pitch.
Aizen intended to use the strongest possible entrance to announce his arrival to everyone in the Soul King Palace.
However, the imagined scene of descending before an audience like a god did not appear.
Aizen did not even see the people of the Soul King Palace.
What entered his vision was a tall ring of white walls.
The Seireiheki?
Aizen smiled disdainfully.
He had already charged through seventy-two barriers. Surely Squad Zero did not think that mere Seireiheki could protect the Soul King Palace?
Perfect.
He would use the last of Goryūtenmetsu's Reiatsu to tear the Soul King Palace's final fig leaf to shreds.
With a casual wave of his hand, the five gigantic dragons bared their fangs and claws as they rushed toward the ring of Seireiheki. Breaking through the seventy-two barriers had mostly relied on the power of the Ōken.
Now, it was time for the Reiatsu of Goryūtenmetsu itself to erupt.
After an intense series of thunderous booms, a section of the circular Seireiheki was blasted away by Goryūtenmetsu. Aizen walked leisurely through the opening.
"So this is the Soul King Palace?"
Strolling through the air as though taking a walk through a courtyard, Aizen looked around with relaxed interest, as if he were inspecting his own property.
The first things that entered his sight were the white plaza and the tall staircase of the front approach. Above the front approach floated five disc-shaped towns. Those were the residences of the Squad Zero members—their Zero Division Detached Palaces.
At the very center of the Zero Division Detached Palaces stood a pillar-like structure.
That was the target of Aizen's journey.
The place where the Soul King resided.
Having found his target, Aizen immediately raised his foot, preparing to go and have an audience with the Soul King.
As for everything else, he did not place it in his eyes at all.
"Are young people nowadays all this arrogant, Kirio?" Kirinji's displeasure at being ignored was practically overflowing.
On the surface, he was questioning Kirio Hikifune. In reality, he was using her to mock Aizen.
Because Kirio Hikifune was the most recent member promoted to the Zero Division, she likely knew something about a person like Aizen, someone capable of charging straight up to the Soul King Palace.
"I remember you. Your name is Aizen, right?" Kirio Hikifune asked with a smile, cupping her face. "I believe Shinji was the one who took you under him. Back then, he even shouted excitedly at me that he had found a genius. Though he said your temperament needed some discipline."
"Oh? I didn't expect Captain Hirako to have thought so highly of me back then. Had I known, I would have gone a little easier on him."
Aizen pretended to be suddenly enlightened, but that expression undoubtedly angered Kirio Hikifune.
Back when she was still in the Seireitei, Shinji and the others used to follow behind her, respectfully calling her "Miss Kirio."
"Oh, right. Hiyori Sarugaki was also dragged into the pit by Shinji. Who told them to always fool around together?"
Aizen's next sentence completely ignited Kirio Hikifune's rage.
Though she looked like a kind and approachable auntie on the outside, her hair now flew upward, turning her into a full-blown fierce woman.
"What did you do to little Hiyori?!"
That was her beloved little Hiyori.
As her lieutenant, Hiyori had practically been cared for like a daughter by Kirio Hikifune during her time in the Seireitei. This had also indirectly contributed to Hiyori's habit of snapping at anyone she met.
Kirio Hikifune's low voice, filled with anger, startled the three Divine Generals around her. None of them had expected that someone who usually seemed like such a good-natured person could become so terrifying when enraged, looking as though she wanted to devour someone alive.
"What else? I merely injected the power of Hollows into their bodies…"
Aizen only spoke half the sentence, leaving endless room for imagination.
As the former captain of Squad Twelve, Kirio Hikifune was no stranger to technical matters. Just that half-sentence was enough for her to imagine Hiyori suffering through countless torments.
"I'll deal with this bastard!"
Leaving those words behind, Kirio Hikifune vanished from where she stood.
Using Shunpo to appear in front of Aizen, she pulled the rice paddle from her hair. In an instant, the rice paddle grew to the size of a shovel, and she slammed it down viciously at Aizen.
With a clang, Aizen was swatted down onto the front approach like a fly.
Kirio Hikifune glared fiercely at him.
"Not only little Hiyori—you even dared to provoke the Soul King Palace. Today, I'll teach you a proper lesson!"
However, the more Kirio Hikifune spoke, the less confidence she had.
She saw Aizen, whom she had swatted down onto the front approach, standing perfectly fine in the plaza. He lightly brushed his sleeve, as though dusting himself off.
Was the hem of his clothing slightly dirty?
No.
Not even a single speck of dust had landed on him.
Aizen was merely putting on an act. Kirio Hikifune's furious blow had not injured him at all.
"Kirio, this man was able to pass through the seventy-two barriers. That means he also possesses the power of the Ōken. That level of force won't be enough to kill him," Ōetsu said.
"Are all my esteemed seniors present?" Aizen gently brushed aside the hair over his forehead, as though speaking of something utterly insignificant. "Come at me together. I'm in a hurry."
"It's only been a few hundred years, and the Seireitei has already raised someone this arrogant?"
Seeing Aizen's contemptuous attitude made Kirinji furious.
"Then I'll grant your wish. Amaterasu Issen, Kinpika!"
Kirinji pulled the sheath from the paddle, revealing the original form of his Zanpakutō—a long-handled blade. His entire body transformed into a streak of golden light and flashed toward Aizen.
When Kirinji appeared again, he was already behind Aizen.
As he confidently sheathed his blade, a wound opened on Aizen's shoulder.
"So an imitation power truly isn't enough after all?"
Aizen reflected on himself.
Unlike Squad Zero's, his Ōken had not been forged from the power of the Soul King. It was a counterfeit forcefully created from a vast amount of Reishi. At most, it could be used to smash through the seventy-two barriers. Using it to withstand Squad Zero's attacks was still impossible.
Threads of white liquid surged from Aizen's shoulder and quickly repaired his wound.
If one truly wanted to be strict, this so-called Ōken was not even as useful as his current body.
This was a body fused with the powers of Shinigami and Hollow, as well as the Hōgyoku.
"Hollow power?"
Kirinji, who was closest to him, immediately noticed the abnormality in Aizen's body. With another flash of golden light, he had already returned near Ōetsu and the others.
"There's something strange about this Aizen fellow," Kirinji said.
In his understanding, there had never been anyone capable of combining the powers of Shinigami and Hollow.
"He is strange. But he is also an exceptionally fine raw gem…" Ōetsu replied softly.
No one knew that beneath his sunglasses, his eyes were gleaming.
Others saw Aizen as a challenger who had come to provoke the Soul King Palace.
But in Ōetsu's eyes, the current Aizen was actually a top-grade embryo.
Something like this would be perfect for forging a blade.
His occupational disease had flared up. At this moment, Ōetsu actually felt his hands itching.
Such premium material could not be allowed to die so easily. Like that Hollow from ancient times, being forged into a Zanpakutō was the best destination for beings like them.
Aizen's gaze met Ōetsu's.
Although he could not see the other man's eyes clearly, his intuition—no, the Hōgyoku—told him that Ōetsu had designs on him.
Interesting.
If the position of Soul King were not more tempting, Aizen would have intended to thoroughly study these so-called members of Squad Zero.
Yet before he could set his sights on others, the other side had already set its sights on him first.
Then let them see who would capture whom first.
Aizen extended one finger with one hand.
A streak of Byakurai instantly shot out.
He disliked the feeling of being unable to see his opponent's eyes. He would start by shattering those lousy sunglasses.
The moment Aizen raised his hand, the Soul King Palace's defense forces had already moved.
Just as Byakurai was fired, a giant clad in heavy armor descended from the sky, blocking Aizen's path.
The giant wore the same outfit as the Blade of the Soul King, only his body size and equipment were different. He was the Shield of the Soul King, one of the Soul King Palace's tool-like attendants, just like the Blade of the Soul King.
At the same time, dozens of black figures surrounded Aizen.
The shield had blocked the attack.
Now it was the Blade of the Soul King's turn to act and take down the enemy
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