Chapter 244: The Zero Division and the Eye Monk
Those who arrived alongside the Shinigami and moved toward the other Aerial Courtyards were, naturally, the Quincy.
They had long understood the taboos of the Soul King Palace, and they knew the root of the problem was not the humans scrambling through the skies. So the moment they landed, they began repairing their flying machines as if guided by some revelation.
It was strange.
Everyone, from every side, seemed pulled by the same invisible concept, arriving smoothly and without incident at this sacred land, the foremost place among the Three Realms. Yet even after their feet touched the ground, there was no satisfying sense of arrival, only an uneasy quiet, like stepping into a page that had already been written.
"Interesting," Yhwach murmured, his crimson eyes turning toward the towering palace. "Ichibe Hyōsube vanished deep within the Soul King Palace, and no news has come out. So that is it. Things are far more interesting than we thought, Haschwalth."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"What is your view of the situation?"
"I dare not speak, Your Majesty."
"It is fine. I permit you to offer counsel."
"Yes."
Haschwalth stood steady before his king and nodded once.
"I believe this operation, matching the Shinigami's actions, must be because they also received information about Aizen Sōsuke beginning to summon the Guest Star. However, I do not understand why the Shinigami possess a tool that allows entry into the Soul King Palace, and their hasty entry is truly…"
"Heh heh," Yhwach laughed, cutting him off. "That does not matter. Yamamoto Genryūsai likely prepared two plans from the beginning. The root of the problem still lies with the Zero Division."
His gaze swept across the broken courtyards as memory surfaced, a future once seen through omniscient eyes.
After learning that Aizen possessed Chakra, Ichibe Hyōsube had solemnly decided to enter the Soul King Palace to contemplate and verify the facts.
Then the monk never emerged again.
The remaining members of the Zero Division began fighting among themselves, as if infected by some unseen impulse, or driven by internal strife that could no longer be restrained. It did not look normal. It did not feel normal.
Is there something within Chakra that caused Ichibe Hyōsube to lose control, and then influenced the Zero Division?
Yhwach frowned at the palace hanging high above them.
Aizen Sōsuke.
At the same time, Haschwalth was thinking as well.
He wondered if everyone had been contaminated by a concept, something subtle enough to slip past reason. The Quincy had found a way into the Soul King Palace early too. The memory was hazy, as if wrapped in fog, but the result was clear. Using remnants once left behind in the Research and Development Department, they had forged tools capable of entering the Soul King Palace.
That, too, was strange.
Those who were not of the Zero Division should not be able to enter or exit this place freely. Without the guidance of the Ōken and the Shiba Clan's Secret Arts, it should have been nearly impossible to pinpoint the Soul King Palace and reach it directly. Yet both the Quincy and Mayuri Kurotsuchi had obtained records and traits tied to the Zero Division's physical bodies, then arrived almost simultaneously at this legendary holy land.
Haschwalth could name the answer, even if naming it made his throat feel dry.
Aizen Sōsuke.
That mysterious man had used unknown means to place the flesh and blood of Zero Division members into everyone's hands, allowing it to be blended into tools. And once those tools were completed, everyone instinctively forgot the taboo of approaching the Soul King Palace, only realizing the truth after the fact, when the door was already open.
With Aizen's existence now undeniable, Haschwalth found ordinary language inadequate. The bizarre scenes, the synchronized arrivals, the quiet unity of action that should have been impossible, it all felt like a gentle suggestion threaded through Aizen's techniques, guiding everyone to the same stage at the same time.
Should he reveal it?
Or should he continue acting according to his own heart?
"…Your Majesty," Haschwalth said at last, choosing the safest shape of truth, "I believe the Zero Division fell into chaos due to internal conflict after Ichibe Hyōsube's disappearance. That is why they could not descend to the Seireitei to manage the situation."
"Mm. That is indeed the case."
Yhwach stood on the platform, looking down on the ruined palace below.
"However, the Zero Division is the leader of the Shinigami no matter what. Yet they have been reduced to this state by internal fighting, with their flesh and blood even falling into the world, allowing us and the Gotei 13 to examine it and forge keys to the Soul King Palace. How ironic."
"Yes, Your Majesty. But it is also our greatest opportunity. If we gather our fighting strength and assault the interior of the Soul King Palace, everything can be ended."
"That is right." Yhwach's eyes narrowed, sensing something faint and old. "However, I can feel my old friend's Spiritual Pressure in the palace opposite us."
"Your Majesty…"
"No need for further words, Haschwalth." Yhwach's tone sharpened into command. "Take the Sternritter to the Soul King Palace and kill Ichibe Hyōsube. I will go and see what progress my old friend has made over the years."
A low chuckle escaped him, almost pleased.
"I truly look forward to seeing what abilities he can display."
In the distance, a gigantic long blade suddenly pierced through a Floating Island Palace. The impact blasted stone and gravel into the air, and debris began to rain down like a collapsing sky.
Yhwach smiled and slowly flew toward that direction.
Only after stepping deeper into the bounds of the Soul King Palace could one truly feel the severity of the Zero Division's internal conflict.
Rules had been broken. Boundaries were torn open. Blood and wreckage lay everywhere, smeared across sacred halls like profanity. It was impossible to guess what hatred could drive those once united to tear each other apart so completely.
Perhaps, for them, their own beliefs mattered more than anything else.
The Quincy stood among shattered corridors and half collapsed structures, watching the palace continue to fall apart around them. Their expressions differed, confusion mixing with unease. After Yhwach left, the remaining members of the Sternritter and Wandenreich exchanged looks, unable to grasp what madness their leader had embraced.
He had suddenly spoken of a dream.
Suddenly claimed a path to the Soul King Palace.
Then brought them here for a swift assault.
What was going on?
"Hey, hey," one Quincy muttered, voice tense. "What is happening? We are going to the Soul King Palace right now? And how did we even get this flying machine? When did we acquire it?"
"Was it not recent?" another answered uncertainly. "When everyone was searching the Seireitei and discovered flesh falling from the sky?"
"Did that happen?"
"I think so?"
"It did, right?"
"…."
The murmurs spread, a circle of uncertainty tightening on itself.
Haschwalth remained expressionless. He did not join their questions. He only raised his hand and gave a single silent signal.
Prepare to move.
And the Quincy, still unable to explain how they had arrived here at all, began to follow.
.....
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