Chapter 138: The Spiritual World Of Kurosaki Ichigo
"Two of the Espada are already out of combat."
"What can we do here, Captain Aizen?"
Ichimaru Gin turned his head, looked at Aizen and asked.
(Ichimaru Gin was referring to Reinhard, who was seriously injured and lost his ability to move, and Harribel, who sealed Yamamoto Genryusai after withstanding his attack with her own body.)
"Ah..."
Aizen sighed and said: "They all performed admirably. After all, no one would have anticipated that the Head Captain of Gotei 13 would personally intervene."
"It seems the abilities of this generation's Gotei 13 captains are questionable."
Aizen didn't particularly care about his subordinates' injuries, but what genuinely surprised him was their ability to seal Captain Yamamoto and temporarily remove him from the battlefield—that truly exceeded his expectations.
"Master Aizen, didn't the item that Tier Harribel just used come from Hueco Mundo Palace?"
At this moment, the observant Tousen Kaname noticed that the pendant Harribel had produced when sealing Yamamoto Genryusai, both in design and pattern, was incompatible with the styles of either Hueco Mundo or Soul Society.
"Unsurprisingly, it should be something from Fiander."
"Fiander?!"
Hearing Aizen's words, Tousen Kaname was briefly surprised, then immediately returned to normal: "That's not unexpected. If it's Fiander, he always enjoys studying unusual things."
At this moment, Aizen suddenly asked a question.
"Haven't you ever considered that Fiander's thoughts and ideas seem remarkably unique?"
"You're correct—he's always been unconventional."
Tousen Kaname responded.
"No! You misunderstand me."
"What I'm expressing is that Fiander appears to possess knowledge from another civilization. Aren't you curious?"
"He clearly practices the power of that civilization, yet he seems deeply afraid of that power."
"What exactly is he... afraid of?"
"Although he's never demonstrated his full strength before us, he remains someone I've never fully understood until now."
A gleam of light appeared in Aizen's eyes, and his thoughts seemed to drift far away. No one knew his true considerations.
At this time, far away in Hueco Mundo, within Kurosaki Ichigo's spiritual world, Fiander was attached to Inoue's spiritual body, and the two groped forward through this featureless desert.
"That... Fiander... Fiander-sama..."
At this moment, Inoue wanted to address Fiander in her mind, but having already promised to join him, calling him directly by name felt disrespectful, and she didn't know the proper form of address.
"It doesn't need to be so complicated. According to that world's etiquette, you can simply call me 'Your Majesty.'"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Inoue said respectfully.
"I want to ask why Kurosaki-kun's spiritual world is so vast. We've been walking for quite some time, and we can't see anything except wreckage on the ground."
"Are we going in the wrong direction?"
Although what Inoue really wanted to ask was whether they were lost, she didn't state this directly out of consideration for his dignity.
"You mean to ask if we're lost?"
Suddenly, Fiander voiced her actual thought.
"Oh? You... how do you..."
"How do I know, you mean?"
Fiander interrupted Inoue aloud and continued: "I should have told you—I'm within your consciousness, the same as the entity that's in Kurosaki Ichigo's body."
"I can hear your thoughts and feelings clearly. Besides, didn't I explain this before?"
"Huh? I forgot!"
"I'm sorry!"
Inoue slapped her forehead apologetically.
"We're not heading in the wrong direction. The reason it's taking so long is because Kurosaki Ichigo's spiritual world is currently engaged in a form of self-preservation."
"The god from a foreign world invaded his body, causing drastic changes in his mind and entire spiritual form."
"He is the only individual in this world who can truly inherit the Soul King's throne, because of his unique bloodline heritage."
Fiander didn't mind Inoue's forgetfulness, but patiently explained to her.
"Then, Your Majesty..."
"Isn't Kurosaki-kun... not human?"
As Kurosaki Ichigo's childhood companion, she clearly understood the changes in his body and personality.
"Human?"
"When did you confirm he was pure-blooded human? You and Sado Yasutora are pure-blooded humans, that's correct."
"Even the Quincy Ishida Uryu is merely a second-generation pure-blood Quincy born from a pure-blood and mixed-blood Quincy union."
"Only Kurosaki Ichigo... he is both an exception and a miracle."
"Before he was born into this world, I, Aizen, and others were already observing him."
Fiander's tone suddenly became extremely heavy, as if discussing something suppressed in his heart for many years.
"But... why are you telling me such things?"
Inoue had always been a girl with a sensitive heart and complex thoughts, and she immediately noticed something unusual in Fiander's tone.
"Why am I telling you?"
"Yes..."
"I've been hiding for so long that I've forgotten who I truly am."
"Perhaps I'm telling you because neither of us wants Kurosaki Ichigo to come to harm. You care for Kurosaki Ichigo, and I don't want him forced to walk the destiny that's been predetermined for him."
"When he sees this world's truth clearly, will he choose to accept fate's shackles, or break those chains to gain new life..."
"I cannot say. In any case... if he still chooses to be my enemy, I hope you can think calmly and consider your position."
"For your sake, I won't necessarily kill him... Because, whether now or in the past, I have always lived as a human being."
Fiander spoke earnestly to Inoue Orihime.
"You must not fully understand what I'm saying now. In short, what I will show you is this world's truth and humanity's predetermined destiny."
After Fiander finished speaking, they continued in silence. After an unknown period, they finally arrived at a location with drastically different environment.
Beside a blood-colored lake surrounded by scorched earth, Inoue crouched down, extending her hand to sense the remaining heat on the charred ground, then looked at the green smoke still rising around them.
"Here... it seems there was a battle not long ago."