Hueco Mundo, the domain of Hollows and Arrancar, differed greatly from the Soul Society.
Instead of cities with streets and buildings like the World of the Living, it was a barren wasteland with desolate, desert-like terrain and towering stone cliffs.
Hollows had always been the adversaries of Shinigami, so Hueco Mundo could be considered the Soul Society's hostile faction.
And now, Aizen, a Shinigami, was about to become the leader of Hueco Mundo.
Moreover, he was capable of achieving this!
"Let's move."
…
In the World of the Living, Hui wasn't currently accompanying Ichigo.
He only needed a general understanding of the plot's progress and didn't need to shadow the protagonist constantly.
He was currently lounging in a recliner, reading a book in his villa.
He chose not to continue researching Reiryoku because he would inevitably become engrossed in it.
Now was clearly not a good time to lose himself in research.
The pages of the book turned themselves as Hui's gaze remained fixed. Yet, he was aware of an uninvited guest in his villa.
A... powerful Shinigami.
Hui wasn't particularly bothered by the fact that his residence had been discovered. It was to be expected, as he had never truly concealed his whereabouts.
He had caused such a massive commotion in the Soul Society last time.
Although he had thoroughly beaten all those Shinigami, making himself a taboo subject, the Captains wouldn't completely ignore him.
They were accustomed to being the dominant force in this world.
Though they had some adversaries, to be honest, if Yamamoto wished, he could easily annihilate all Hollows.
He wouldn't even need to personally intervene; just a few Captains would suffice.
Therefore, it was more accurate to say that Hollows were their prey, creatures they farmed and used as tools to train young Shinigami.
In this world, they were the supreme rulers.
However, a significant problem had emerged in their control.
For so many years, they had been unaware of the existence of a human as powerful as Hui.
Their investigations yielded nothing.
So, besides Hui, did this mean that there were other equally powerful, mysterious beings hidden in the shadows of this world?
This made them uneasy, especially... the Shinigami of the Zero Division!
The Zero Division, also known as the Royal Guard, was an exceptionally special Shinigami squad.
They were Royal Special Forces, not under the jurisdiction of the Central 46, but directly under the command of the Soul King, responsible for protecting the Soul King's Palace and the Soul King himself.
The Zero Division was established long before the Gotei 13.
It consisted of only five members, all of whom held Captain rank. Their squad symbol was the Daphne, it symbolized glory, immortality, eternity, pleasure, and forever.
And the combined combat power of these five individuals surpassed that of the entire Gotei 13!
Most importantly, all members of the Zero Division were immortal. Even if their physical bodies were destroyed, as long as the Soul King existed, they could be resurrected by calling their names.
However they mostly resided on the soul King palace.
However, not leaving the Soul King Palace didn't mean they were ignorant of the outside world.
On the contrary, they were very knowledgeable about the world beyond.
Naturally, they were aware of Hui's rampage in the Soul Society.
This was the reason for their unease.
Because in Hui, they saw power even greater than their own.
And this power represented a threat to their lives.
Yes, a threat to their very existence.
Although they were immortal, it wasn't entirely true.
They could still die.
To understand this, it's necessary to explain the background of the Zero Division.
The selection criteria for the Zero Division were incredibly strict, even draconian.
To become a member, one had to create something in the Soul Society that the soul King recognized as creating history within the Soul Society. Only then would they be selected.
Among the current Zero Division members, Nimaiya Oetsu was even the inventor of Zanpakuto!
After being selected, their bones would be reconstructed by the Soul King's power.
These reconstructed bones also served as the key to entering the Soul King Palace – the Ōken.
Because the Zero Division members' bodies were recast into Ōken, their actual hearts resided in the soul king palace, specifically the Zero Division Riden.
Thus, even if they were killed, as long as the Zero Riden remained intact, they could be fully resurrected by calling their names, effectively achieving a resurrection loophole.
It was precisely for this reason that the Zero Division's sole mission was to "protect the Soul King."
As long as the Soul King existed, the Soul King Palace wouldn't be destroyed.
And if the Soul King Palace remained intact, so too would the Zero Riden, ensuring their immortality.
Therefore, to protect the Soul King, the Zero Division members would spare no effort, even if it meant dying ten thousand times or resorting to any means necessary.
The representative of the Zero Division, Ichibe Hyosube, had hinted to Shunsui Kyoraku during the Vandenreich arc that if Yhwach defeated Ichigo, they would turn Ichigo into the new Soul King.
Speaking of which, it's necessary to explain the Soul King.
The Soul King was the supreme ruler of the World of the Living, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo, the ultimate god of the entire worldview.
He was the cornerstone and foundation of all worlds' existence. If the Soul King perished, all worlds would collapse.
It sounded imposing and magnificent, a being of unimaginable power.
However, in reality, although called the "King," theSoul King was a limbless torso sealed within a large crystal.
This "torso" was protected by the Zero Division and resided within the Greater palace, the innermost sanctum of the Soul King Palace.
In the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, the Soul King was injured by Yhwach and then killed by Ichigo, who was under Yhwach's control.
After the war, to replace the deceased Soul King, Yhwach comepletely abrorbes the soul king, becoming the new Soul King.
Therefore, the Soul King wasn't a specific individual; anyone could become the Soul King...
Having clarified the connection between the Soul King and the Zero Division, it's now understandable why the Zero Division members were wary of Hui.
Their mission was to protect the Soul King, but in truth, throughout their endless, immortal lives, they were protecting themselves more than the Soul King.
They were safeguarding their own immortality.
As long as the Soul King lived, they would live forever.
However, in the previous battle, Hui displayed power that seemed capable of killing the Soul King!
Perhaps he wasn't quite there yet, but the possibility existed.
What concerned them most was the potential existence of more individuals like Hui hidden in the shadows.
Therefore, they had to determine whether Hui was merely an anomaly, or if there truly were many more like him!
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