Why was he in the Royal Palace?
The memories slowly flooding back into Higashino Shuuichi's mind gave him the answer.
Back in that fictional future constructed by the Fullbringer Akimi, Higashino Shuuichi had used the pretext of "fighting the enemy together" to ask Ōetsu Nimaiya and the others to help him undergo special training.
Because Higashino Shuuichi's reasoning was extremely solid, Ōetsu Nimaiya gladly agreed to his request.
After seeing Higashino Shuuichi's zanpakutō, the very first training plan Ōetsu set for him was to help Higashino Shuuichi fully release his zanpakutō.
However, even though he was hailed as the "God of the Sword," the creator of all asauchi…
Even Ōetsu Nimaiya couldn't just directly push Higashino Shuuichi's zanpakutō into its final Bankai form. All he could do was follow its original design and complete the final release step by step. What Ōetsu could provide was merely a way to speed that process up.
But that immediately brought up a problem: for each step Higashino Shuuichi's zanpakutō advanced in release, it needed his own strength to have risen to a matching level as a baseline.
To give Higashino Shuuichi a real, substantial boost in power in a short span of time—once or twice, maybe. But do it too many times, and even Squad Zero would be drained.
So Ōetsu Nimaiya came up with a compromise. Using his own ability, he would "trick" the zanpakutō, subtly shifting the concept so that certain external "gifts" could also be counted as increases in Higashino Shuuichi's own strength.
Once he heard this plan from Ōetsu, the first thing Higashino Shuuichi did was go to Ichibē Hyōsube and ask whether the latter could grant him a chance to be resurrected.
Because Higashino Shuuichi knew very well just how broken Ichibē Hyōsube was.
As the one who had named everything in Soul Society, as long as Ichibē Hyōsube willed it, he could erase the existence of anything in Soul Society—living or dead—or make it reappear.
Even conceptual things were no exception.
Heck, even if Ichibē Hyōsube accidentally messed around and lost his own life, as long as there was someone in Soul Society who remembered him and spoke his name in their heart, the guy could revive on the spot.
"Life," something incredibly precious in the eyes of others, was, to Ichibē Hyōsube, practically worthless.
So when Higashino Shuuichi went to him saying he was worried that he might be sneak-attacked and killed by Yhwach while Akimi was possessing him, and asked for a resurrection opportunity on that basis, Ichibē Hyōsube only pondered for a moment before agreeing.
After all, reviving one Shinigami really was just a matter of "saying a name" for Ichibē Hyōsube. It didn't require any additional price from him at all.
With Higashino Shuuichi's reasoning so airtight, Ichibē simply had no grounds to refuse.
Then, after Ichibē Hyōsube verbally agreed, Higashino Shuuichi finally revealed his true objective.
"However, Ōetsu Nimaiya-dono told me that, if I want my zanpakutō to reach its final release as quickly as possible, I'd better find more suitable 'gifts' to act as symbols of my growth in strength.
Since Ichibē-dono has agreed to revive me once, could we turn that chance into an ability instead?
Something like… at the moment I'm on the verge of death, I can establish contact with you, and you will definitely respond to my request and call out my name.
If so, it would be killing two birds with one stone."
Higashino Shuuichi had laid everything out in an orderly, reasonable way, but in reality, as someone who knew this world was just a fictional future, he was already plotting how to use this ability to build ties with Squad Zero once he got back.
Use the ability only when he was on the brink of death?
Once he returned, who would still remember the "promises" Higashino Shuuichi made in this fabricated world?
Higashino Shuuichi had no doubt that, as soon as Ichibē Hyōsube accepted his request, the very first thing he would do after returning would be to use the ability to contact Squad Zero.
Sure, the members of Squad Zero were all a handful and didn't have that much sense of belonging to Soul Society. They didn't necessarily feel any special obligation to a Shinigami simply because he was a Shinigami.
But Higashino Shuuichi had a perfect conversation script prepared.
All he had to do was say he came from the future, then dump all the dirty laundry about Yhwach and the Wandenreich, and back it up with the ironclad fact that he could directly contact Ichibē Hyōsube… would the real Squad Zero fail to believe him?
In any case, in this fictional world, the Squad Zero members had believed his whole concocted story.
This fantasy was constructed using the real future as a template, so their reactions should, in principle, be equivalent to how the Squad Zero of reality would react.
At least, that was what Higashino Shuuichi firmly believed.
It was just that, with how things developed afterward, even he couldn't say whether he had succeeded or failed.
Because while Ichibē Hyōsube had agreed to his second request in theory, when it came to actually implementing it, he coordinated with Ōetsu Nimaiya and installed a trigger switch in Higashino Shuuichi's soul. Once his death was confirmed, that switch would activate and notify Ichibē to immediately call out Higashino Shuuichi's name—so he wouldn't get dragged off to Hell.
And that wasn't even the most important part.
The key point was: since Ichibē Hyōsube was the first one Higashino Shuuichi had gone to, his "gift" was also the first one granted. That meant, due to the traits of Higashino Shuuichi's zanpakutō's final Bankai release process, Ichibē's gift was also the first to be forgotten along with one of the Bankai abilities.
According to Ōetsu Nimaiya's original plan, once Higashino Shuuichi completed his final Bankai release, all the memories he had forgotten would be returned to him. It was only a brief period of amnesia, nothing to worry about.
But Akimi, who was possessing Yhwach, launched the attack on Squad Zero ahead of schedule, and as a result Higashino Shuuichi never did complete his zanpakutō's final release under Ōetsu's guidance.
After the great battle ended, Higashino Shuuichi didn't get a chance to see Ōetsu again and ask about those lost memories either, because he was immediately sent back to reality.
So this crucial trump card ended up being truly forgotten by him.
And now, as his soul was reconstructed after his rebirth, Higashino Shuuichi discovered within those lost memories that this wasn't all he had forgotten.
In that fictional future, he had forgotten his Bankai abilities a full ten times. Which meant, in effect, that he had gained ten separate boosts of very different kinds.
Most of them were filler "gifts" Ōetsu had cobbled together for the sake of the process—for example, soul-training methods and soul-shaping techniques obtained from Kirio Hikifune;
Or the Kaidō Onsen Method (Healing Spring Method) generously provided by Tenjirō Kirinji, along with a custom technique for Higashino Shuuichi to guide fragments of the Soul King's power into his own Kaidō (Healing Arts);
Or, for another example, the shihakushō-weaving techniques and battle skills using flying needles that Senjumaru Shutara had provided with great reluctance.
But there were heavy hitters among them as well. For instance, the resurrection switch created by Ichibē Hyōsube, and the Inner Hadō No. 3: Tetsufū Satsu (Iron Wind Kill);
And Ōetsu Nimaiya's own masterpieces: the zanjutsu technique Chōgetsu (Lifting the Moon), and a cheat-like item he spent a full day forging for Higashino Shuuichi—sacrificing one permanent Bankai-ability slot in exchange for a single opportunity to completely release his zanpakutō.
Among all these, aside from Kirinji's upgrades to his Kaidō and Ōetsu's teaching of Chōgetsu—both of which Higashino Shuuichi had partially rediscovered through daily training—he had forgotten everything else.
"No wonder it was so easy for me to create Quincy clones after I returned. It never felt unfamiliar at all. So it was because I had already learned how to shape new souls from Kirio Hikifune… I just didn't remember it at the time."
After reviewing his memories, Higashino Shuuichi realized that he had already subconsciously been using some of these things, without ever noticing that these were abilities the "old him" had never mastered.
"I see many familiar traces on you. Have you been to our Royal Palace before?"
Higashino Shuuichi hadn't actually spent that long revisiting his memories. While he was flipping through those forgotten fragments, Ichibē Hyōsube had been observing him as well—and very quickly noticed a lot of intriguing details.
For example, the shihakushō on Higashino Shuuichi's body wasn't the one issued back when he first became a Shinigami. Its material and craftsmanship even surpassed the work of the current Senjumaru Shutara.
If she found out, Senjumaru would absolutely fly into a rage.
Someone in this world making a shihakushō better than hers?!
With her personality, she'd absolutely hunt down that Shinigami and demand a showdown.
Another example: Higashino Shuuichi's zanpakutō clearly wasn't a standard issue original.
Higashino Shuuichi himself couldn't see it, but Ichibē Hyōsube could.
Inside the blade of Shuuichi's zanpakutō, there was a second, smaller zanpakutō embedded—one that looked very similar to his own.
No, calling it a "small zanpakutō" wasn't quite right. What it actually was… well, they'd probably have to ask Ōetsu to know for sure.
But one thing was certain: that little blade definitely hadn't come with Higashino Shuuichi's original zanpakutō.
And then there was the real kicker. In Higashino Shuuichi's soul, Ichibē Hyōsube saw his death—and, more importantly, the reason that death had caught his attention and prompted him to feel the urge to call out Shuuichi's name.
That thing was very clearly a work done in his own style.
Which meant that whatever was inside Higashino Shuuichi was, with extremely high probability, something Ichibē himself had crafted. Yet, despite remembering everything that had happened since Soul Society was created by the Soul King, he simply couldn't recall when he had ever made such a thing for Higashino Shuuichi.
So who exactly was Higashino Shuuichi?
On the surface, he looked like a simple, clearly defined Shinigami. But in Ichibē Hyōsube's eyes now, things weren't so simple at all.
On the other side, the moment Higashino Shuuichi heard Ichibē's question, he immediately understood that some of his secrets had pretty much been seen through.
Which wasn't surprising. As the "big brother" of Squad Zero, Ichibē Hyōsube was intimately familiar with the abilities of every other member. That was only natural.
Besides, Higashino Shuuichi was only able to come here in the first place thanks to something Ichibē had personally crafted.
Of course, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At least it saved him the trouble of having to explain everything from scratch.
"I don't know if Ichibē Hyōsube-dono is aware of the Soul King's Eyes?
Through a special Fullbring granted by those eyes to a human, I once traveled to the future. In that future, where Yhwach resurged and attacked Soul Society again, I was fortunate enough to gain your recognition, Ichibē-dono, and received a period of training here in the Royal Palace.
All of the abilities I currently possess, including the one-time resurrection you bestowed on me, Ichibē-dono, were gained back then."
Higashino Shuuichi stated the facts sincerely.
Not a single word of what he said was technically a lie—he had just left out a lot of details.
If you asked why he was so good at this kind of thing… well, the answer was simple: he'd studied journalism in his previous life.
"The Soul King's Eyes… and the future, huh?"
Ichibē Hyōsube didn't just smack down Higashino Shuuichi's statement on the spot.
Whether it had been Tsunayashiro Kamihara before, or himself now, in a world full of strange, supernatural abilities, the claim of "coming from the future" had a surprisingly high credibility.
"So, what else did you see in that future?"
Sure enough, no one could escape those three little words—curiosity kills. Even Ichibē Hyōsube couldn't suppress his curiosity when tempted with the chance to know the future in advance.
"I also saw Yhwach's death, and saw you, Ichibē-dono, turn him into the new Soul King after his defeat."
Higashino Shuuichi replied.
That, in fact, should have been Ichibē Hyōsube's long-standing plan.
Although in Higashino Shuuichi's memories it didn't seem like Ichibē's first thought was to use Yhwach…
But after living in this Bleach world for so long, Higashino Shuuichi was absolutely certain that there was no way Ichibē Hyōsube didn't know Yhwach was still alive, regathering his power and plotting to retake his strength and launch a counterattack against Soul Society.
The reason he had done nothing was precisely because he regarded Yhwach as the finest possible candidate for a new Soul King.
So Higashino was very confident that revealing this fact would skyrocket his favorability with Ichibē Hyōsube.
And indeed, it did. When Ichibē heard his answer, that huge mouth of his curled even higher.
He was truly delighted.
"That is good news!" Ichibē Hyōsube was very satisfied with the future Higashino Shuuichi described. "Since you have already died in Soul Society and been awakened here in the Royal Palace by me, and since I can clearly see from you that you have indeed received our recognition—and considering the level of strength you now possess—becoming a new member of Squad Zero would hardly be out of the question.
So, Higashino Shuuichi, on behalf of the Soul King, I formally invite you to join Squad Zero. Are you willing?"
Huh?
Higashino Shuuichi was stunned. This development was going off script. He'd only wanted to keep milking Squad Zero for benefits—he had never planned on actually becoming one of them.
As everyone knew, becoming a member of Squad Zero meant having one's body rebuilt using the Ōken.
That thing, in essence, was the purest form of the Soul King's power. You could very well say that Squad Zero members were tools used by the Soul King to enact his will.
Higashino Shuuichi had no intention of slaving away for years only to end up completely shackled in the end.
"Ichibē-dono, it's not that I'm unwilling. It's just that I believe you already know why I was revived by you here in the Royal Palace.
Right now, I still can't bring myself to cut off my ties to Soul Society.
Besides, you should also know that the one I follow at present has his own ideas about you and the other lords of Squad Zero. Until that lord has settled his own affairs, I'm afraid I won't be able to accept your invitation, Ichibē-dono."
Even in refusing, he couldn't shut the door completely. Higashino Shuuichi still planned on asking Ōetsu Nimaiya to help him solve the problem of his zanpakutō's complete release, so after thinking it over, he decided he could only use Aizen as a shield.
After all, nothing Aizen did was a secret before Squad Zero.
Ichibē Hyōsube's tacit approval of Aizen's actions had itself been granted under the Soul King's will.
Because only in that way could the "child of destiny" be brought forth as planned.
So Higashino Shuuichi's excuse wouldn't tank his impression score with Ichibē; it would actually raise it.
From Ichibē's point of view, he had no idea that Higashino Shuuichi already knew he'd had his eye on Aizen for a long time.
So what Higashino said instead painted him, in Ichibē's eyes, as a sincere, honest Shinigami, bad at lying and extremely loyal.
This wasn't just some Shinigami—this was the best backup candidate for Squad Zero, a devoted supporter of the future Soul King!
"So what do you want to do now? Stay in the Royal Palace for a while, and go back after Baraggan is defeated, or…?"
The more Ichibē Hyōsube looked at him, the more satisfied he felt. Combined with what he already knew of Higashino from the past, this really was a Shinigami who had always been loyal to Aizen. As long as he could pull Higashino into Squad Zero's ranks, he would definitely become an excellent member in the future.
Hearing that, it wasn't as if Higashino Shuuichi didn't want to stay a few more days in the Royal Palace. But the timing right now was far too delicate, and he couldn't bear to let go of all that reiatsu from Baraggan.
He had, after all, just been killed once by Baraggan using Atedis as a setup. But now that he'd recovered his forgotten memories and knew all of Baraggan's trump cards, he wasn't about to repeat his mistakes.
And the main point was: Squad Zero's training mostly improved his techniques, whereas to maximize the gains from that training, Higashino Shuuichi's own reiatsu needed to keep up as well.
Besides, there would be chances for Squad Zero training in the future—but the chance to kill Baraggan and devour his Hollow core, there would only be this once.
Aizen had clearly already treated Baraggan as a disposable pawn. Even if Higashino Shuuichi didn't make a move this time, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni would still eventually step in and finish Baraggan himself.
So Higashino Shuuichi's answer was firm. "I want to go back immediately. But I also hope, Ichibē-dono, that you can grant me a chance to return to the Royal Palace after this incident is over. There are some changes in me that I'd like to discuss with Ōetsu Nimaiya-dono."
"Are you sure? You were just defeated by that Baraggan in tandem with that special Hollow. You don't want to stay here for a few days first?"
Ichibē Hyōsube asked again, curious.
Even in all his long life, it was rare to see a Shinigami so eager to hurry back to his own death.
But Higashino Shuuichi's attitude was unwavering.
Ichibē Hyōsube simply didn't know that the previous Higashino Shuuichi had been sitting on a treasure mountain without realizing it.
True, the Baraggan-plus-Atedis combo had been a brutal counter to him before—but now, Higashino Shuuichi held the complete release of his own zanpakutō in his hands.
Deep in his heart, he also wanted to see just how powerful his zanpakutō would be once fully released.
After all, just a few isolated "mini-Bankai abilities" had already been enough for him to suppress the vast majority of current Gotei 13 captains and Arrancar.
Of course Ichibē Hyōsube had no idea what was going on in his head. But Higashino Shuuichi was, objectively, a unique case in all history, and the traces from the various Squad Zero members all over him weren't something you could fake. So Ichibē still harbored a bit of expectation toward recruiting him.
Once he'd confirmed Higashino Shuuichi's resolve, Ichibē Hyōsube scratched his bald, gleaming head.
"In that case, once this whole incident is over, go to the Shiba clan and have them send you up to Squad Zero."
With that, Ichibē drew a circle on the ground with his own zanpakutō and indicated that Higashino Shuuichi should jump through.
Higashino Shuuichi didn't hesitate. With Ichibē Hyōsube's firm promise in hand, he leapt straight in.
After a brief passage through darkness, below him lay Las Noches, still not yet withdrawn.
"Arrogant Dragon, filth-ridden land, rage that cannot be stopped, the source that wakes from dreamless sleep—gale, blazing flame, bitter frost, thunder's roar, the earth itself—burst forth, unhindered, return without obstacle; all things destroyed, all returns to origin.
Hadō 99: Goryū Tenmetsu (Five Dragons Turning to Annihilation)!"
Dragon roars burst forth, Dragons surged in. Under the full weight of the reiatsu Higashino Shuuichi poured into it, the vast Las Noches didn't completely crumble, but it was left covered in scars—especially the central grand hall area he had "specially taken care of."
The dome shattered, exposing Baraggan and Atedis beneath, still patting each other on the back and celebrating.
"Higashino Shuuichi?? Impossible!! How are you still alive!!"
Baraggan had been absolutely certain he'd killed Higashino Shuuichi. So what was this Shinigami, looking exactly like him, doing right in front of his eyes?
Higashino Shuuichi only smiled.
"I was just messing with you just now, Baraggan. You've played all the cards in your hand, haven't you?
Now…
It's my turn."
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