CHAPTER TWENTY

A Certain Kyogoku

Shuhei Hisagi, who had been dispatched, and Tessai, the person who had done the dispatching, were unaware that when a Tenkaiketchu post was operating on its own, it automatically set coordinates to the center of its effective radius. In this case, the center of its effective range was…

“…This is…a Kyogoku?”

Shuhei Hisagi regained consciousness in a place entirely different from Urahara Shoten. From the moment he was sent flying he had felt a strange sense of drunkenness, like missing his footing in Dangai, but he didn’t feel like much time had passed.

“Well…that’s because the flow of time in Dangai is weird. So I guess I can’t use it as a standard to judge by.”

Hisagi, who had been transported through darkness that didn’t even exist in Dangai—through the garganta—first dedicated himself to grasping the situation he had been thrust into. Looking around, it seemed he had been transported to an indoor structure that was not much different from any in the Soul Society.

However, there was no source whatsoever for outside light, and the inside of the room wasn’t lit by hotaru kazura. Instead, it seemed to be entirely illuminated by the newfangled lighting equipment that was also used by the Department of Research and Development.

“Why, in a building like this…”

He thought that he might not have actually been transported correctly into the Kyogoku and had instead drifted into the Soul Society somewhere, but he sensed that the concentration of reishi adrift in the air around him was indeed different from that of the world of the living or the Soul Society. His knowledge didn’t extend to Hueco Mundo, but according to interviews he had done, he didn’t think that desert would contain Japanese structures such as this.

“In which case, this definitely has got to be the Kyogoku… Right?”

When he probed the spiritual pressure, he felt something rather large coming from somewhere far below his current position.

Below? Am I on such a high floor?

In addition to the spiritual pressure being distant, because the reishi’s concentration around him was irregular, he had difficulty distinguishing between the individual spiritual pressures. However, one among them made a particularly striking impression on his memory.

“Wait, wait…is Captain Zaraki’s spiritual pressure mixed in?”

So that means the Soul Society has made a move? I see, since my message to request Gentei Kaijo was cut off…

Because Hisagi had no idea of the separate incidents that had occurred in the Soul Society, he mistakenly came to believe that the Soul Society had independently sensed something was wrong in Karakura Town and started an investigation of their own that brought them to the Kyogoku.

Okay, but are Kyogoku really that easy to find? They might have captured members of the religious group and looked into it themselves…

It’d be a piece of cake for Captain Kurotsuchi if he had a sample of one of the posts… But I guess a lot of time really has passed…

“Well, if Captain Zaraki is here, I guess I don’t have to worry about battles… Anyway, I’ve got to meet up with them and tell someone about Mr. Urahara.”

He tried to pull out his Soul Pager, but naturally it was still blocked from communicating with the Seireitei.

Thinking that he needed to first join with the Soul Reapers who were here by following the spiritual pressure, Hisagi once again probed the state of his surroundings.

“Captain Zaraki’s spiritual pressure is pretty far off…How many floors has this place got?”

Based on the fact that the other spiritual pressures seemed quite far below, he guessed he was in a tall tower or somewhere near the top of the place.

“Where’s the door? …Huh? The hell is that?”

At that point, Hisagi realized that what he at first had thought was a pillar was in fact something entirely different. The thing at the center of the room was a gigantic cylindrical glass case installed on some kind of apparatus. The transparent vessel, which looked like it could easily fit an entire person, was currently empty, and though the device was also connected all over the place with electrodes and what looked like reishi tubing, it didn’t seem to be currently in operation.

“When I interviewed the Department of Research and Development, I saw something that looked like that.”

Figuring that the device might be related to recent events, Hisagi painstakingly examined it to figure out what it was and whether it had a forwarding system that led outside, but he didn’t find any written information or any data at all that indicated what the thing could be.

“Ah, damn it. If I could just get in contact with Akon… Maybe I should just break this thing. But if I break it, it might be one of those things that can’t be undone…”

As he was considering that, Hisagi heard a voice from behind him. “Oh, that’s supposed to be my throne!”

“Huh?!”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t break it, if possible, since I wouldn’t have any other place in this castle to rest if you did. Yes, indeedy!”

It was an innocent voice.

Yet it was also a voice that made him feel mental and physical repulsion. Hisagi had heard that voice before—it was several weeks ago, while he was covering the Shino-Seyakuin.

He turned around to find the child who had been terribly wounded back then.

“You…”

“I’m Hikone Ubuginu! Umm…and you’re Shuhei Hisagi, aren’t you?! Thank you so much for earlier!”

When Hikone bobbed their head down in a bow in front of him, Hisagi automatically froze.

What is this? This kid’s spiritual pressure is making me…

At that moment, Hisagi had a realization.

He realized that his sense of the Kyogoku’s concentrated reishi was an illusion. Of course, the reishi in the Kyogoku’s atmosphere was already concentrated, but the spiritual pressure that Hisagi stood in was far denser than any regular Kyogoku.

Is the room filled with this kid’s spiritual pressure?

Since he had leapt right into the fluctuations of that spiritual pressure, Hisagi hadn’t noticed that he was next to the child.

The Soul Reaper, who was neither a girl nor a boy, tilted their head as they asked Hisagi, “But why are you also here, Mr. Hisagi?”

“Oh, I’m…”

“Oh! Did Lord Tokinada call you? If you’re Lord Tokinada’s guest, then please let me be your host to the best of my abilities!”

“Uh…”

When he heard the name Tokinada, Hisagi’s spine straightened. Though he had never met the aristocrat directly, he recognized at this point that it was clearly the name of an enemy.

“Tokinada Tsunayashiro is here?”

“Yes, he’s down there right now! Would you like to greet him?”

“Uh! I-Is he?”

Hikone’s openness made Hisagi hesitant and vaguely apprehensive. The situation was too strange, and he felt instinctively cautious. However, he couldn’t retreat now.

He had no idea whether this had happened by chance or was an inevitability, but it seemed that he had plunged much deeper into the bosom of the enemy than he had ever imagined himself capable. When Hisagi realized his situation, he immediately steeled himself. At the same time, it once again occurred to him that the spiritual pressure of the child standing before his eyes was indeed very abnormal.

It contained Soul Reaper, human, Quincy, and also Hollow.

That spiritual pressure, which contained the amalgamation of all sorts of konpaku, had transformed into something different from what he had encountered in the past at the Seyakuin. The presence of Hollow had become more pronounced, and as though reacting to that, the other varieties of spiritual pressure had also increased.

This kid was dangerous back then, but this spiritual pressure is on a completely different level now.

It wasn’t just instinct, but also his experiences up until that point that brought him to this conclusion.

Seriously, have I ever been so intimidated by a kid?

In Hisagi’s mind, the faces of Toshiro Hitsugaya, Yachiru Kusajishi, and Hiyori Sarugaki appeared.

I guess I have been, actually.

Even as cowardice caused him to cringe inwardly, Hisagi corrected his appearance and addressed Hikone with a serious expression. “Hey.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Do you know what this Tokinada guy is trying to do?”

“You mean Lord Tokinada?”

Hikone turned toward Hisagi with their wide eyes, but didn’t leave much time before they broke into a smile and answered, “I don’t understand complicated things so much! But if Lord Tokinada is doing it, I think it’s the right thing to do!”

“That’s not something you should say lightly.”

“Huh? Why is that?”

Hikone tilted their head in confusion. Hisagi chose his words carefully. “Just think for yourself for a minute. That Tokinada guy could be wrong about some things, right? Because there isn’t a completely perfect person who exists in the world.”

What he actually wanted to say was, “That Tokinada guy’s a crook, so don’t listen to him.” But if he said that, Hikone likely wouldn’t have even given him a chance to explain and surely wouldn’t believe him.

Kaname Tosen, who had edited the Seireitei Bulletin in the past, hadn’t shied away from concluding that evil was simply evil. On the other hand, he also hadn’t written off as fools those who had been tricked by evil. But in many senses, Hisagi still didn’t have as much experience as Tosen and so ended up sounding rather crude.

“Wrong? What is it that’s wrong with Lord Tokinada?”

“Well, that’s…”

“From whose perspective does it seem like he’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

Hikone had asked that not out of sarcasm but out of genuine curiosity. Hisagi hadn’t expected such an answer from a child who still seemed full of youthful innocence, so he hesitated.

“Well, you know…I can’t say that it’s the whole world, but in the Soul Society and the world of the living, well, in each of the societies of those places, it would look that way to them.”

“I see… In that case, I don’t think he’s wrong to me.”

“What?”

“For me, my whole world is what Lord Tokinada gave me.” Hikone spoke only the truth, matter-of-factly. “I don’t know any other worlds. But there’s no reason I need to know about them.”

“But, that’s…!” Hisagi swallowed his words.

Up until then, Hikone’s eyes had seemed to convey placid innocence, though they also gave the impression of a profound, cavernous vacancy. However, after the words Hikone had just uttered, Hisagi felt with certainty that they contained within them the light of a strong will.

Looking at those eyes, Hisagi thought for a moment. Hikone wasn’t just being swept along by circumstance, but was planting their own roots into the world with their own childlike, yet determined volition.

But…

Hisagi felt that there was something missing. Just looking at Hikone’s face, which Hisagi now saw conveyed strong will, he couldn’t help but see Hikone also as the bearer of a serious deficiency. As Hisagi’s thoughts churned over this conundrum, Hikone continued, “Even if Lord Tokinada was doing something that everyone in the world thought was wrong, it wouldn’t be wrong to me.”

“Just…stop.”

“For example, even if everyone else says Lord Tokinada is a bad person…to me, Lord Tokinada is justice! Yes, indeed!”

“Stop that!”

Justice.

The moment the word entered Hisagi’s ears, he unintentionally raised his voice.

Hikone’s eyes went wide as though with surprise, then they immediately bowed their head to Hisagi.

“I’m sorry. Did I do something to upset you, Mr. Hisagi?”

Hikone seemed genuinely apologetic, and Hisagi felt guilty and averted his eyes.

“No… Sorry for shouting.”

Then he turned his eyes toward Hikone, realizing he couldn’t run from this. The face of his blind Soul Reaper teacher flashed into his mind as his hand gripped into a tight fist.

“You should not speak about justice…so lightly.”

“Huh? Why not? Lord Tokinada told me that all the Soul Reapers in the Soul Society are principled people who fight for the sake of justice. Oh, but of course, I’m not one of the Court Guard’s Soul Reapers. So is that why I’m not allowed to talk about justice?”

“That’s not the issue… There isn’t just one kind of justice. You can’t assume that the justice that Tokinada speaks of is the same one the Soul Reapers mean.”

Although Hikone appeared childlike, there were some aspects about their knowledge that were more adult. Hisagi felt troubled, not knowing how to break things down and explain them to Hikone. However, Hikone grasped Hisagi’s intentions and even said the words that Hisagi was hoping he would not: “Yes, sir! Lord Tokinada did say that! That’s why Lord Tokinada and I might fight against all of the Soul Reapers soon!”

“What did you say?”

“Since it seems like everyone is finally here, I think that Lord Tokinada will be calling me. I’m very sorry I wasn’t able to give you a proper reception, Mr. Hisagi.”

After saying that, Hikone once again bowed their head and tried to leave. Hisagi was taken aback for a moment, then he tried to stop the child’s retreat.

“Wait! Why have you got to fight? The Soul Reapers aren’t your enemies! You don’t have a reason to fight!”

Hikone turned around when he called out to them and looked at Hisagi with natural curiosity in their eyes.

“If Lord Tokinada says that all the Soul Reapers are enemies, then I have lots of reasons to fight. Isn’t it enough of a reason to fight if our justices are different?”

“Killing each other isn’t the only answer. To begin with, Kenpachi Zaraki is one of the people you’re saying you want to fight—he’s a ranking captain. He doesn’t care if you’re a little kid. He’s not the type of guy to hold back against a strong opponent. It’s just my impression here, but I think you’re probably pretty strong. Still, if you do fight him, you’ll end up dead.”

“Will I?”

“You will, so…”

He wasn’t intending this to sound like a threat, but Hisagi was desperately attempting to stop Hikone. However, Hikone broke into a gentle smile that seemed to indicate acceptance. “Then I will fight until I die for Lord Tokinada. Because no matter what happens, if I can’t live up to Lord Tokinada’s expectations, then there isn’t any value in my being alive.”

Hikone wore the expression of a child who was innocently looking forward to picnic plans for the next day.

“You idiot! You don’t just say you’re going to die, or that your life doesn’t have any value, so easily!”

Hisagi raised his voice again, and Hikone bowed their head somewhat sorrowfully.

“I’m very sorry. It seems that I really do just make people angry.”

“Don’t apologize, damn it… It’s not your fault. I know that.” After Hisagi’s frustrated reply, he started to recite a kido chant: “Bakudo number sixty-three. Sajosabaku.”

“Huh!”

Chains of light created from reishi wrapped around Hikone and restrained them.

“Sorry. I think I’m Tokinada Tsunayashiro’s enemy, but that doesn’t make you my enemy,” Hisagi declared. “You wait here. I’m going to have a talk with this Tokinada guy…even if it means I have to get rough with him.”

Hikone didn’t appear angered or saddened by this and replied almost awkwardly, “I’m sorry…this is hard to say, but I think that’s impossible.”

“What?”

Pling! The Bakudo chains broke into pieces and were sent flying. But Hisagi had already assumed that might happen. Based on his perception of Hikone’s spiritual pressure, he hadn’t assumed the child would be restrained so easily.

However, he was still dealing with a child. He thought he might have been able to successfully tie the child up if he exploited the difference in their levels of experience. Needing to get another plan into motion right away, Hisagi started to put together his next kido, but…

In the blink of an eye, Hikone disappeared.

“Wha…?”

Hisagi’s eyes opened wide with surprise as he felt something near his solar plexus. It was the palm of Hikone’s hand—the child had come right up to his chest before he’d realized it.

Thunk. There was a light press on his solar plexus, and at the same time, an enormous amount of spiritual pressure flowed into him, vehemently shaking Hisagi’s Saketsu and Hakusui.

“Guh!”

Though he didn’t feel any pain or suffering, a deep, chilling darkness began to erode away his consciousness.

“Mr. Shuhei Hisagi. You won’t be able to win against me, Lord Tokinada, or Ms. Aura. It’s impossible for you to sway anyone with brute force.”

As Hisagi’s consciousness faded, that voice, which was sincerely apologetic, reverberated in Hisagi’s mind.

Wait.

You’re not going out there to die. I finally understand. I know what you’re lacking.

Hey, wait, just wait…

Though Hisagi tried to shout, he could no longer make a sound. Hikone, who had turned their back to him, was of course smiling as they uttered the next words, which Hisagi heard as his consciousness dropped fully into the darkness.

“So please, please don’t push yourself. Please take a rest here! Yes, indeed!”

≡

Directly Below the Castle in the Air,
Palace Courtyard

The sound of dry metal echoed through the palace courtyard.

The zanpaku-to that had appeared from Tokinada’s shadow had been blocked by his own sword, which he had drawn at some point.

“Kageoni, is it? It’s far beyond impolite to step on the shadow of a Tsunayashiro, you know?”

As Tokinada cackled, Kyoraku’s entire body appeared from the shadow.

“How troublesome. I have to fight someone who knows my abilities from the start.”

“That lunkhead! He got a head start!”

Kenpachi was indignant, and a vein popped out on his forehead when Kyoraku launched his surprise attack. From Kenpachi’s standpoint, this happened after he had patiently waited through a tedious conversation, and it was clear even to those observing that he was in a bad mood.

Seeing that, Madarame and Yumichika spoke to each other, their faces oozing sweat.

“Captain General Kyoraku might be in hot water later…”

“After all, our captain hates having his prey taken from him more than anyone…”

However, Kenpachi had leapt in order to knock Kyoraku aside so that he could face Tokinada…

“Hikone.”

While he continued locking swords with Kyoraku, Tokinada’s mouth warped into a grin as he called that name.

In the same moment, an ominous and heavy spiritual pressure broke forth from the castle into the air above their heads.

“Guh…!”

All those who had gathered there were fundamentally powerful, with extensive combat experience. While Nanao, who primarily used kido, was an exception, it could still be said that this was a group that specialized in fighting on the front lines among the most powerful of their kind.

However, even they froze for a moment in reaction to that spiritual pressure.

It was the young Soul Reaper they had just confronted in the Rukongai. Though the child’s spiritual pressure was certainly of the same nature, the pressure it exerted had increased many times over in this short period of time.

After Hikone’s name was called, just how much time had really passed?

In actuality, it had only been a few seconds, but to those who stood in awe of that spiritual pressure, it felt like it had been several minutes or even several hours.

“The hell is this…?” Candice, who could barely stand it, muttered as her face dripped with a cold sweat…

Then that thing fell down to the ground.

The spiritual pressure transformed into a harsh wind and brought up a cloud of dust, making the surrounding air warp just from the impact. Then the child who had disseminated such sinister spiritual pressure raised an innocent voice—too innocent—with delight that seemed to be the polar opposite of the power they exerted.

“Oh, I finally landed nicely! I’m so glad!”

Hikone Ubuginu.

Not much time had passed since they had faced the child in the Rukongai. However, the version of Hikone that Grimmjow and the others saw now gave them the momentary illusion that several years had passed.

It wasn’t that Hikone’s stature or face had changed. The nature of the child’s spiritual pressure hadn’t changed either. The child’s abnormal growth was in the depth of their spiritual pressure, which now gave the impression that the child had fought in several hundred battles.

“Lord Tokinada! I apologize for the delay! What would you like me to do?”

“Ah yes. Wait a bit, Hikone.”

Tokinada crossed swords with Kyoraku and cackled.

“Thanks to you, it’s finally complete, Kyoraku.” Tokinada just barely warded off the successive attacks from Katen Kyokotsu as he spoke proudly. “That is Hikone Ubuginu…the next Soul King.”

The moment those words rang out, some of those present swallowed their breaths and several narrowed their eyes as though that was exactly what they were expecting, while the rest looked as though they had no interest in that conclusion.

In terms of what they had assumed based on previous events, most of those there, including Ginjo, had to completely revise their expectations at this point. Hikone had said they were “being allowed to become the Soul King,” but when the actual head of the Four Great Noble Clans, Tokinada, spoke those words from his very own mouth, the gravity of the situation was clearly different.

As though brushing aside the forceful impact of those words, Kyoraku smiled cynically and continued. “Even if you are from one of the Four Great Noble Clans, isn’t it unforgiveably disrespectful to say you’ll replace the Reio himself?”

“Don’t make me laugh. You must know, don’t you? You know what kind of being the Reio is. If you know that, then don’t you think that in fact the most respectful thing to do would be to replace him?”

Tokinada’s words as he fought on the ornate balcony were becoming difficult to make out over the bewildering clash of weapons. However, Halibel’s ears picked them up clearly. The woman looked at Hikone and, without hiding her repugnance for Tokinada, murmured, “Are you saying you intend to make a little child such as this a sacrifice for the Soul Society?”

“The child isn’t even coming to your aid in this situation?”

“Yes. To Hikone, our fight seems like child’s play.”

Tokinada temporarily moved away from Kyoraku and yelled to Hikone, “Hikone! Hikone! Look at those who are here.”

“Yes, sir! I can even see some people I just met!”

“Yes, and do you like them, Hikone?”

“Yes, sir! They all took it very seriously when they fought me! They faced an opponent like me with determination! And they will become my people soon, so I don’t have any reason to not like them!”

Not knowing much about them, and though Hikone had previously been antagonizing them, the child readily said they “liked them.”

The exchange was more than enough to give the impression of something ominous and wrong, but the conversation that followed made that eerie innocence transform into something repulsive.

“I see. That is more important than anything, Hikone. You must cherish those you love. Do not forget to offer your sincere devotion to them!”

“Yes, sir! Thank you, Lord Tokinada!”

“But also…these are my enemies. Could you kill them for me, immediately?”

Tokinada gave that cruel order in a booming voice.

Hikone did not so much as twitch an eyebrow as they agreed resolutely, wearing an innocent expression. “Yes, sir, Lord Tokinada!”

Though the child understood the meaning of Tokinada’s words, they showed not a single sign of misgiving.

“I will put my whole heart into beating them!”

“Is that…Hikone Ubuginu?”

Just seeing Hikone made a cold sweat break out on Nanao’s back.

Outwardly, Hikone appeared to be nothing more than a young child who could not be determined to be a girl or boy. However, that was not in alignment with the concentration of spiritual pressure the being called Hikone contained, which made the child all the eerier.

The young “Soul Reaper-like thing” brightly unsheathed their own zanpaku-to.

“Thank you very much! It finally grew to this level because of the fight you all let me have with you!”

After bobbing their head in a bow, they spoke their zanpaku-to’s release.

Of course, the release was entirely different from any of the ones Hikone had used until that point.

“Hatch and perish, Ikomikidomoe.”

Then it let out its birthing wail.

Accompanied by a fierce tornado of reishi, the blade of the zanpaku-to swelled and formed the shape of a single living creature. Compared to the gigantic monstrosity from earlier, it was reduced in size, but despite that, when Ikomikidomoe stood on the ground he was a grotesque object slightly larger than a house.

The impression the creature’s form gave off more acutely than before was that it specialized in indiscriminate killing.

For how the creature had shrunk, its spiritual pressure had become even more concentrated, as though it had balanced with Hikone’s abnormal bearing in strength. This white monstrosity was surrounded by an overwhelming atmosphere that likely would have prevented a powerless Soul Reaper from so much as standing before it. It conjured to mind the image of the beast that would bring about the end of the world.

Hikone, who stood on top of it, looked out at all the surrounding faces with eyes that seemed both pure and empty, as they politely bowed their head.

“I’m so happy I got to meet you all! Even after I kill you, I will never forget our memories! Thank you so much!”

Hikone ran Blut Arterie, characteristic of Quincies, through their hands and did something nearly unbelievable. They created a bow directly from the reishi in the air and used Quincy abilities to condense a Cero arrow, which they fired.

“Seriously. Now you’ve really done it. Sheesh.”

Liltotto’s voice was composed, but she clucked her tongue in amazement.

Hollow reishi released using that Quincy technique approached them—and in narrowly avoiding this attack by an element they were incompatible with, the Quincies had a realization. The realization was that the Hollow reishi contained in the arrow was incredibly potent. Had they been hit directly, a normal human or Soul Reaper would sustain a fatal wound, not to mention the Quincies, for whom the Hollow factor was poison.

Meanwhile, Grimmjow and the other Arrancars were turning cautious eyes not to Hikone, but to the monstrosities being created by the zanpaku-to.

“Seems strange. He has the body of an Adjuchas, but his spiritual pressure is on Vasto Lorde level… No, it would be pretty high even among the Arrancars.”

With that, Halibel referenced the character of their opponent: “Based on what he’s said, it seems he would be an ancient Menos that lived around Barragan’s time.”

Considering some of what that thing had said to them earlier, even if Ikomikidomoe wasn’t the oldest Hollow, they could guess he had lived a long life from far before their time. But why would a being like that have become one of the Soul Society’s zanpaku-to? Halibel didn’t know the reason, but what she was certain about was that though he was a Hollow like them, at present, he was not their ally.

The polar opposite of Halibel and Nelliel, who let themselves speculate about what their opponent might be, Grimmjow’s mind was set simply and exclusively to pondering how to bring down the opponent before his eyes.

“Cut, Pantera!”

The moment he said his release, a zephyr of spiritual pressure blew around him as well and struck Ikomikidomoe’s large body like a whirlwind. In order to release his full strength right from the start, he swung his sword and transformed into his Resurrección form. Then he immediately leapt at Ikomikidomoe.

Taking that as a cue, Halibel and Nelliel also spoke their Resurrección releases.

“Hunt, Tiburon.”

“Praise, Gamuza.”

The storm of spiritual pressure raged in the palace courtyard like a frothing current.

“Oh!” As he watched the Arrancars transform into their Resurrección states one after another, Kenpachi Zaraki cried out in delight. When the captain saw Grimmjow’s form and spiritual pressure as the Hollow immediately accepted the fight, he said with a fiendish grin on his face, “I see. That blue-haired prick isn’t all bark.”

“Um…Captain. I must at least remind you that right now we’re on the same side as that guy.”

When Madarame pointed that out, just in case, the corner of Kenpachi’s lip lifted and he replied, “He is—for now.”

Then, while shouldering his zanpaku-to, Kenpachi surveyed the spiritual pressures of Tokinada, Hikone, and Ikomikidomoe and murmured appraisingly, “All right then…which one of them’s the strongest?”

However, as though to obstruct his evaluation, there was a change in Ikomikidomoe.

From all sides, the Arrancars—Corpse Unit included—attacked.

Ikomikidomoe remained immobile to the very end while taking the brunt of the attack, but then eventually lowered himself and quietly enlarged his spiritual pressure. Just then a gigantic eye seemed to open in the middle of his body like Fura, and his body started to gleam.

“Hm? What the hell is that?”

“I can’t figure out what he’s aiming for, but that sure doesn’t give you a good feeling, does it?”

Standing in front of Madarame and Yumichika, who were both on guard as they wondered what was happening, Kenpachi narrowed his eyes as he said, “All right, you two, buck up.”

“Huh?”

“If you don’t, you’ll end up dead.”

After Kenpachi’s breezy warning, he proceeded to unsheathe his zanpaku-to and bring it down in a vertical line. At the same time, an enormous amount of reishi was discharged from Ikomikidomoe’s body.

The blinding light swallowed a part of the Kyogoku.

The Cero went in all directions.

It couldn’t really be called a Cero so much as a reishi explosion that centered on his body. Just as soon as the ground lifted and the palace’s roof tiles were pulled off and sent flying, they vanished.

The Arrancars that had been in Ikomikidomoe’s vicinity bore the direct brunt of the attack, but its power was dampened by a water shield that Halibel had instantly put up around them. Though everyone was somewhat scuffed up, they were not gravely wounded.

Considering that concentrating spiritual pressure was usually what made a Cero more powerful, diffusing a Cero in all directions would be pointless. However, because Ikomikidomoe had such a vast amount of spiritual pressure at his disposal, his Cero was even more powerful than a typical one, regardless of the fact that it had been diffused.

Nanao had used Bakudo, and the Quincies had expanded their Blut Vene to its maximum extent in order to mitigate any injuries. As for Kenpachi, he had forcibly dispersed the flash of light by cutting it. As a result, he and Madarame and Yumichika, who had been behind him, were unharmed. Kenpachi cracked his neck as he once again set out to select his prey.

“Well, that sure was close. You’ve got some nerve,” said Kyoraku, who had been hiding in the shadows. He slashed at Tokinada as though nothing had happened.

Though Kyoraku had instantly evaded the flash of Cero by stepping into the shadow that it had created, he had no idea how his opponent had defended against the attack, as Tokinada had not even a speck of dirt on his kimono.

“Oh well, it seems the garden and estate were all for naught. I’ll need to have Aura remake them later.”

Tokinada smiled sarcastically as he spoke. Kyoraku replied, “You have more friends then?”

“Not a friend. She’s simply a pawn.”

“I don’t know who this person could be, but my condolences. But…I see. Is that zanpaku-to an erosive type?”

“Oh, so you noticed.”

Seeing Ikomikidomoe’s form directly, Kyoraku was able to guess at the reason Hikone had some Hollow power. For reasons unknown, a pronounced Hollow nature seemed to dwell in Ikomikidomoe, which was already a rarity as a living-creature zanpaku-to. By linking that zanpaku-to with their soul, it seemed that the Hollow reishi assaulting Hikone was being infused into the child’s body. Under normal circumstances, Hikone’s konpaku boundaries would become unsettled, and the user’s body would have burst by now.

However, whether it was due to the influence of the Fragments of the Reio embedded in Hikone’s body or because Ikomikidomoe was regulating it, Hikone was taming that power and had even begun to master it.

What kind of recklessness made that possible?

Considering the nature of Hikone, a newly born Soul Reaper, Kyoraku quietly looked at Tokinada.

“Don’t be so deplorable to that child. What are you intending to do with them?”

Tokinada’s cruel smile remained on his face as he said, “Now that you’ve felt their spiritual pressure directly, you know for certain, don’t you, Kyoraku?”

Kyoraku did not answer, remaining silent as he swung his sword. Dodging it by a hair’s breadth, Tokinada continued to smile.

“They can become the Soul King. Just as Ichigo Kurosaki and Kugo Ginjo are able to.”

“So you were lying when you said you didn’t know much about Ginjo.”

“You didn’t believe me anyway though, did you, Kyoraku?”

“I have one more question for you…” At that point Kyoraku’s smile disappeared. With a serious expression he asked, “Was what you told Nanao also a lie?”

“Hm…? Oh! You mean about her mother!”

“Are you really sure you weren’t involved in her judgment?”

“I almost wish I could say I was, but…unfortunately, that was the truth.”

Then, though they were in the middle of a sword fight, Kyoraku sighed. “I see… Too bad.”

“Hm?”

Not understanding the meaning of Kyoraku’s words for a moment, Tokinada was bewildered. However…

When he realized the reason for them, a delighted smile came over his face as he cried out, “So you made a Pinky Promise then! Ha ha ha! That was close!”

“I don’t remember telling you about that game.”

Kyoraku’s Katen Kyokotsu used techniques related to various types of play, such as the games Takaoni and Kageoni. Though it wasn’t strictly a game, but just linked to child’s play, the Pinky Promise was an ability that channeled the implication of children saying, “Let’s play again.”

If either of them lied to each other, first, the liar’s fingers would stop moving. At the second lie, all the bones in the liar’s body would become incapacitated as though a fist had crushed them, and at the third lie, the liar would be assaulted with an intense pain as though their entrails were being pierced by needles from the inside out.

It was a technique to use in battles against opponents who were prone to lying, or for use against people who had been put under his control and whom he needed to retrieve information from. However, since Ohana would become upset when he made pinky promises with other people, Kyoraku did not use the ability often.

And while he had it activated, there was a drawback, in that he also could no longer lie.

“I can tell without needing to see it. Aren’t you underestimating me? You really should have used that ability in the First Company barracks! Had you done so, you wouldn’t have been so late and you could have settled things!”

“I couldn’t have drawn my sword on you, much less used my shikai on you, before you even drew my suspicion, now could I? If that’s your way of thinking, I was late from the moment I didn’t kill you.”

“Ha ha ha! That’s certainly true!”

Though Kyoraku was rather pleased that Tokinada’s words were not what he had expected, Tokinada continued to provoke Kyoraku while maintaining his smile. “Really now, it’s quite irritating to tell only the truth. Oh, right—I wasn’t involved in Nanao Ise’s mother’s execution, but I did make the suggestion that there was a possibility her daughter carried the divine sword, and that we should torture her!”

“Guh!”

Kyoraku’s face changed color.

Satisfied with Kyoraku’s reaction, Tokinada continued to tell the truth with a rapturous look on his face. “To be honest, though, I was confident you had it. But compared to the Tsunayashiro, you are practically a peasant, even as a higher-ranked noble. I thought that you would get ideas in your head if I were to implicate you…don’t you think the plot in which I wait to tell you until the girl is persecuted because you hid the sword and it’s too late to take anything back would be so much more fun?”

“…”

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Don’t make that face at me, Kyoraku! Don’t worry! Ginrei Kuchiki squashed that proposal. That incorrigible old geezer—he acts hard, but really he’s soft!”

“I see… So that’s how it was. I need to express my gratitude to Ginrei… Take that!”

Hiding fierce vehemence behind his relief, Kyoraku continued to swing his sword. Tokinada received his successive attacks and, as though to further rile Kyoraku, asked, “What’s wrong? What’s with your measly fighting? Putting aside the Pinky Promise, you’re not using Iro Oni, Takaoni, and Kage Okuri. Are you that frightened of my zanpaku-to’s abilities?”

“Yes, I am frightened. It is quite terrifying.”

“Hm?”

Kyoraku smiled boldly, and Tokinada was slightly dubious. Then Kyoraku backed off for a moment and asked something strange. “What was the name of your zanpaku-to again?”

“Do you really need me to tell you? You’ve already looked into it and figured it out, haven’t you?”

“Yes, now I’m certain based on your reaction…” A cynical smile came over Kyoraku’s face. He looked up at Tokinada from under his hat with a glare. “…that it’s not true that the name of your zanpaku-to is Kuten Kyokoku…Isn’t that right?”

“…”

Now Tokinada’s expression went blank.

“I’ll take your silence as affirmation—since we both cannot tell a lie.”

Kyoraku quietly steadied his breath and went on. “I was skeptical. That your Kuten Kyokoku can send your opponent’s zanpaku-to’s abilities flying is certainly frightening. But, of course, that power seemed slightly underwhelming for the zanpaku-to that the Tsunayashiro family has protected all this time.”

“…”

“And as for the name Kuten Kyokoku…it has a similar ring to my own Katen Kyokotsu, doesn’t it? So I thought you might have blocked its power with a fake name, partly just to spite me.”

There were several examples of zanpaku-to being called fake names in order to limit their abilities. Whether or not Kyoraku knew it, Yumichika Ayasegawa’s zanpaku-to, Fuji Kujaku, had a fake name to hide the true ability of Ruriiro Kujaku.

“It’s in your nature. Once we came up with a method to defeat that sword and began to implement that, you planned on calling it by its real name to release its true abilities, didn’t you? And there was only one reason you wanted to do that—you just want to see our faces in despair. Am I wrong?”

Tokinada sighed at Kyoraku’s questioning and then pinned a cold stare on Kyoraku as he said, “You really just cannot read the room, Kyoraku. If you figured out that much, why didn’t you at least consider continuing with the ruse for my sake? The term wet blanket was made for you.”

“You gave me too many hints. Perhaps you were hoping to pour salt in the wound, taunting me by saying, ‘The name Kuten Kyokoku happens to sound awfully similar to your own sword’s name, don’t you think?’ after your game was up. Was that it?”

“You’re half right. The other half was a reminder to myself not to forget my suspicion and hatred of you.”

Tokinada grinned, raising the corner of his mouth and once again letting out an obnoxious laugh.

“Sip the world and wear the horizon—”

“Huh!”

Realizing that was part of Tokinada’s release incantation, Kyoraku used shunpo to close the distance between them and swiped at Tokinada.

He could not allow the man to release his zanpaku-to. Having decided that, Kyoraku had been looking for a chance all along to slay Tokinada when his guard was down. Kyoraku didn’t have the time to go through the process of Iro Oni or Takaoni. He simply thrusted, leaving everything up to speed. If the man tried to retreat, Kyoraku was confident he could pursue him and slay him.

However, at that moment something unexpected happened.

Tokinada, who had intentionally stepped forward, seemed to allow himself to be stabbed by Kyoraku’s blade, and Kyoraku barely missed the man’s vitals. Even Kyoraku hadn’t been able to predict that move. He hadn’t thought that Tokinada was prepared to let himself be wounded in order to block Kyoraku. That could only mean one thing: instead of interrupting his release incantation, there was enough value in invoking the zanpaku-to’s abilities for Tokinada to put his life on the line.

“Duplicate and curtail…all of creation equally, Enra Kyoten!”

Tokinada smiled as he said the name, blood running from his mouth. Then, in front of Kyoraku’s cautious eyes, the zanpaku-to blade transformed. The silver blade, stretching from a geometrical hilt of squares and cross-shaped wedges, was bright like a mirror. In the next moment, the sword body began to radiate, and a light brighter than the sun blinded Kyoraku’s single eye.

“Huh?!”

A zanpaku-to that controls light?

The extravagant, blinding light momentarily robbed everyone of their judgment. However, naturally it was exactly as the Captain General of the Thirteen Court Guard Companies had predicted. Kyoraku recovered his senses far faster than any normal person and twisted his sword as it stabbed Tokinada. However, one moment prior, Tokinada had moved to kick Kyoraku and pull himself away.

“Guh!”

Kyoraku was sent flying, but someone stopped him.

“Are you all right, Captain General?!”

“Thank you, Nanao. That was somewhat clumsy of me, wasn’t it?”

Smiling cynically as he stood up, he looked toward Tokinada as his eye began to regain sight. Tokinada stood there, unharmed.

“Huh?”

There was evidence of Tokinada’s kimono having been cut. However, though there were traces of blood on the skin revealed by the slashed kimono, Kyoraku did not see the wound itself.

“What’s wrong, Kyoraku?”

Tokinada, who had a serious wound until only a moment ago, was delighted. “You wanted to see it, didn’t you? This is my…no, it is the Tsunayashiro’s zanpaku-to that has been passed along from generation to generation, the oldest one…it is the one and only Enra Kyoten.”

It was not just Tokinada’s wound that was missing.

The hilt that Tokinada gripped…and the blade that had been there just moments ago…was gone.

≡

Cyberspace

“It seems that Hikone and Ikomikidomoe are using their true power. Lord Tokinada has spoken his zanpaku-to’s true name.”

“Your spiritual pressure perception is really on cheater level.”

“I’m not omnipotent. I have simply ‘scattered’ pieces of myself here and there throughout the Kyogoku.”

“You can turn yourself into a gas and make offshoots of your sensory organs. That’s cheating if I ever saw it.”

They were in a subspace Yukio had created using his powers. Ginjo and the others had gone elsewhere, leaving only Aura and Yukio in that place.

“So what are you going to do now?” Yukio asked in a cool tone while fiddling with his game.

“If I attempt to assist them at the wrong time, I’ll get dragged into it. I think it would be best to wait for a good opportunity.”

“What about Kisuke Urahara?”

“Well… I apologize. Let’s put that discussion on the back burner.”

“What’s wrong?”

He’d noticed that Aura’s complexion had changed. When Yukio paused from his game to inquire about it, Aura smiled thinly and said, “It seems that our guest who arrived in the ‘throne’ has awakened. Let us head over there.”

She narrowed her eyes at the thought of the invader who was not present as she said with some admiration, “It is surprising he would show up there right from the start… What an interesting individual you are.”

≡

Palace Courtyard

“Your spiritual pressure has shot up in less than half a day.”

Grimmjow stated that as though seeking confirmation, and Hikone smiled and answered while fighting the Quincies high in the air, “Yes, sir! It’s because all of you were kind enough to fight Ikomikidomoe! Thank you so much for doing that!”

Hikone’s personality itself hadn’t changed, but their spiritual pressure had risen in strength by several degrees. Though Grimmjow had voiced his incredulity, he wasn’t especially surprised. When they had confronted one another in the Rukongai, he observed that the Soul Reaper Hikone had become strong enough to be mistaken for someone else just weeks after they had fought in Hueco Mundo. In which case, Grimmjow was not surprised that Hikone had progressed further in this short amount of time.

That was because he knew.

He knew a type of Soul Reaper who had made an explosive amount of progress in a short time, in just the same way, and who had continued to show striking progress even while battling.

“So you’re the same as Kurosaki,” Grimmjow muttered to himself as he dodged Ikomikidomoe’s attacks. He asked Hikone, “You said you’d become the king, didn’t you?”

“Yes, sir!” Hikone answered with an invigorated smile.

Grimmjow put on a wicked grin.

“I see…and you still believe that?”

Grimmjow was not addressing his question to Hikone, but rather to Ikomikidomoe. The zanpaku-to that had transformed into a beast cackled in a way that reverberated as he answered, “You may rest easy, young Arrancar.”

The voice, which seemed to resound from deep within the ground, also seemed to have gained power compared to earlier.

“I will eventually consume that brat. I will make Hueco Mundo mine to rule.”

“Knew it. That’s what it felt like. I don’t know why you turned into a zanpaku-to, but you’re the same as us.”

“You claim I am the same as you? Do not be conceited. Your ilk are a far cry from those such as Barragan and me. You are nothing more than a starved beast that crawls in the desert.”

At these words from the monstrosity who clearly disdained him, Grimmjow bared his teeth in a smile.

“Looks like I made the right decision coming here after all.”

Grimmjow honed his boiling spiritual pressure and started to walk right toward Ikomikidomoe.

The reason Grimmjow had come all the way out of Hueco Mundo to search for Hikone in the first place was because the boy—or girl—had piped up with words the Arrancar could not ignore.

“I don’t care what the hell you are. If you’re standing in my way, I’ll keep going until I kill you and eat you.”

His instincts were driven by a memory from the past.

“Let’s walk together. You will become our king.”

When he took a step closer, his flesh would rankle. The monster that stood before his eyes and the one who controlled it in the shape of a Soul Reaper child were clearly dangerous beings. The appearance of the Soul Reaper and the childishness he sensed from their tone was nothing more than a papier-mâché façade. The Adjuchas-like appearance of the monstrosity was also nothing more than a front.

He understood that.

The Soul Reaper named Hikone had a spiritual pressure with qualities similar to Ichigo Kurosaki’s, but the child wasn’t like a living creature so much as a pocket of nothingness that had popped up in the world. If the world itself had a konpaku, it was as though a hole were carved into it the moment that konpaku Hollowified.

The monstrosity called Ikomikidomoe was the opposite of that. The being struck that hole with everything it had, like the incarnation of avarice itself. Ikomikidomoe was perhaps a monster with an equal, if not greater, spiritual pressure than the former king of Hueco Mundo, Barragan.

“We are aware of that now.”

“We were destined to be Adjuchas. But you were meant for something greater.”

Regardless, he took another step.

Thoughts of losing didn’t cross his mind. But these were not easy opponents to defeat. If things went sideways, he understood they could send his head flying with one hit.

However, Grimmjow did not stop walking.

He had no need to fight. After all, this was an internal conflict among the Soul Reapers, and he had no reason to be used by them.

However, Grimmjow had come here. No one had told him to come, and his reason for coming to the Soul Society from Hueco Mundo hadn’t changed.

Grimmjow did not smile at Tokinada’s words. He didn’t doubt them either. Tokinada only destroyed the world because he wanted to see it happen. While Grimmjow had understood that was an abnormal idea and though he had recognized that Tokinada was an enemy to hate, he didn’t think the thoughts themselves were entirely foreign.

That was because Grimmjow knew—no matter how trivial a reason it was, if it was one’s own path, then that was enough of a reason to make an enemy out of the world.

He had only one reason to fight Hikone.

“…become the king…”

Hikone and the monster that stood before him had each declared that. Had they been normal beings, he could have brushed it aside as foolish nonsense. Had he been the person he was when Aizen controlled him with overwhelming power, he definitely would have ignored them. However, after fighting against Ichigo Kurosaki and remembering the poignant appeals from his friends, those were words he would never turn a deaf ear to.

Because if he did brush it off, in that moment he would be denying his very own flesh and his very own blood.

“Eat us, Grimmjow.”

For what this declaration had called to his mind were the voices of his fellow Hollows deciding to give up their paths of their own volition and turning to Grimmjow as their king.

He was not doing this for the sake of his friends.

However, the part of them that had become his own flesh and his own blood stirred Grimmjow’s instincts as a beast.

It was because she knew his nature that Halibel, who was the true ruler of Hueco Mundo, did not call herself its king. No matter how those around them viewed it, the moment she took that name, she knew she would begin a fight to the death against Grimmjow.

Grimmjow as he was now, with his instinct back, would likely bare his fangs even knowing he would lose to the likes of Aizen or Barragan.

“I won’t let anyone deny me this.”

Grimmjow condensed his spiritual pressure into the claws of his hands as he leapt right at the gigantic monster in front of him. He moved like a heroic predator, ready to annihilate even a natural disaster.

“I’m the king.”