Meeting the Soul King
Liu Hao followed the Ichibē Hyōsube and stepped onto the stairs leading to the inner palace of the Soul King. The stairs were wide and long, each step made of the purest white jade, its surface as smooth as a mirror, reflecting his figure and the sacred light around him.
An indescribable aura permeated the air, a concentration of Reishi unique to the Soul King Palace, a purity and holiness unmatched anywhere else in the Soul Society. With each breath, Liu Hao could feel a continuous flow of Reiryoku surging into his body, a sensation akin to soaking in a hot spring, every pore opening and every cell rejoicing.
Liu Hao followed behind Ichibē Hyōsube, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings. The interior of the main hall appeared even more magnificent, splendid, and breathtaking than the exterior.
Finally, Liu Hao climbed the last step and entered the center of the hall. When he looked up and saw the scene in the center of the hall, he stopped in his tracks.
The Soul King —the being who maintains the balance between the Soul Society, the World of the Living, and Hueco Mundo Three Worlds; the being revered by countless people yet almost never seen; the being who, according to legend, created this world but sealed himself within a crystal—suspended in the center of the hall.
He lay inside a huge crystal, a perfect hexahedron, completely transparent, like the purest ice, like the most flawless diamond, emitting a faint blue light.
The crystal floated in mid-air, suspended by four thick golden chains from four directions. The other ends of the chains disappeared into the darkness of the dome, their destination unknown.
Within that crystal, the Soul King's body was clearly visible.
He was tall and thin, his skin so pale it was almost translucent, revealing the faint blue veins pulsating beneath. His face was serene and peaceful, like that of a sleeping person, like that of a dead person, like that of someone who had transcended life and death.
However, what shocked Liu Hao the most was the Soul King's physical condition.
He has no limbs.
His shoulders were smooth cuts, without arms, hands, or fingers. His hips were also smooth cuts, without legs, feet, or toes.
His body was like a severed statue, a human pig, an existence consisting only of a torso and a head. Liu Hao stood in the hall, looking up at the Soul King in the crystal, a complex emotion that was hard to describe welling up in his heart.
The Soul King, described in legends as the Almighty, omnipotent, and supreme being, a god revered, worshipped, and longed for by countless people, actually appeared in this state. He had no limbs, was trapped in crystal, and was suspended in mid-air by chains, like a prisoner, like a sacrifice, like a sealed monster.
Ichibē Hyōsube walked up to the Soul King and stopped. He clasped his hands together, leaned forward slightly, and bowed deeply to the Soul King in the crystal. The gesture was solemn and devout, like a believer praying to a god, like a son bowing to his father, like a subject paying homage to his monarch.
After performing the salutations, Ichibē Hyōsube straightened up, turned to look at Liu Hao, and spoke in a deep, resonant voice, like the tolling of a temple bell, echoing in the empty hall. "Liu Hao, you go forward to pay your respects to the Soul King. I will take my leave now."
These words were spoken casually, as if they were merely stating an ordinary matter. But Liu Hao could sense the weight behind them— Ichibē Hyōsube was telling him that what was to come was a matter between him and the Soul King, and no one else had the right to participate or listen. Even the leader of the Zero Division had to step aside.
Having said that, Ichibē Hyōsube turned and walked out of the main hall. His steps remained steady and composed, but upon closer inspection, one could see that his pace was quicker than when he arrived, as if he did not want to stay in this place for even a moment longer, as if he was eager to leave this sacred yet oppressive space. His monk's robe trailed on the ground, making a rustling sound that grew fainter and fainter until it finally disappeared in the direction of the steps.
Liu Hao stood in the main hall, looking up at the Spirit King in the crystal. His expression was calm, but his heart was turbulent. He looked at the Spirit King's limbless body, the pale paper skin, and the peaceful but weird face, and a thought came to his mind involuntarily - or to be more precise, a complaint.
"What am I supposed to say to this human pig?!"
This thought flashed through Liu Hao's mind, with a sense of absurdity like black humor, a sense of helplessness in the face of an incredible sight, and a sense of emotion about the Soul King's situation that even he himself was not aware of.
Just as Liu Hao was mentally complaining, the Soul King inside the crystal moved.
His eyelids trembled slightly, so slightly that it was almost imperceptible, like a butterfly fluttering its wings, or a gentle breeze rippling across the water. Then, his eyes slowly opened.
Those eyes were no ordinary eyes.
The Soul King's eye sockets contained not two eyeballs, but eight. Each eye contained four eyeballs, making the whites of his eyes resemble a cross.
The instant the Soul King opened his eyes, Liu Hao felt an invisible pressure surging from all directions, enveloping his entire body.
That pressure was not Reiatsu, nor physical force, but something more essential and primal—it was the pressure of the gods, the scrutiny of the creator, and the weight of destiny itself.
However, just as this pressure reached its peak, a voice rang in Liu Hao's ear.
The sound didn't come from outside, nor did it reach his eardrums through air vibrations; it rang directly in his mind, echoing deep within his soul.
"Wandering spirit from another world, we have finally met."
The Soul King's voice echoed in Liu Hao's mind, each word as clear as if carved in stone, each syllable as heavy as a thousand pounds. There was no hostility, no goodwill, no enthusiasm, no indifference in that voice, only an absolute, pure calm that transcended all emotions.
Upon hearing the voice, Liu Hao's body trembled slightly. His pupils contracted briefly before slowly returning to normal. He took a deep breath to calm his emotions, which had been stirred by the Soul King's oppressive aura, and then raised his head to look at the Soul King within the crystal.
His gaze was calm and composed, devoid of fear, awe, flattery, or hostility; it held only the composure one would show to a powerful figure, the calmness one would show to the unknown, and the equality one would show to a deity.
"It seems that Soul King knows my origins," Liu Hao said, his voice not loud, but it echoed clearly in the hall.
He did not bow, kneel, or make any gesture of submission; he simply stood there, speaking to Soul King as an equal.
Because he knew that for someone who could see through his origins, any form of pretense or performance was meaningless. Rather than putting on a show, it was better to be authentic, open, and true to himself.
The Soul King's voice rang in Liu Hao's ears again. "I only know that you are not from this world. As for your specific origins, I do not know."
The moment he uttered those words, Liu Hao's brows furrowed slightly. A hint of disappointment, a trace of helplessness, and a sense of loss that even he himself was unaware of flashed in his eyes.
He has been in Soul Society for a long time, from a small resident of Rukongai to a member of the Fourth Division, to a hero who defeated Aizen, to someone who is about to become a visitor to the Soul King Palace —he has come a long way, experienced countless things, and met countless people.
But one question has always troubled him, and he has never had an answer—why did he come to this world? He thought that the Soul King —this the Almighty being, this god who created the Three Worlds, this being who transcends time and space—would know the answer. But now, the Soul King tells him that he does not know.
"Alright," Liu Hao gave a wry smile, a smile that carried a hint of self-mockery and a helpless sense of relief, "I thought I'd be able to find out where we came from."
His voice carried a hint of regret, a hint of disappointment, and a touch of nonchalant "since that's how it is, then so be it."
The Soul King's voice rang out again, this time carrying a more pronounced emotion—a sense of wonder, a wonder at the wonder of fate, a wonder at the unpredictability of change, "You have altered many of the original trajectories of this world's destiny."
Upon hearing this, Liu Hao's expression remained unchanged. He stood there, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his gaze calmly fixed on the Soul King within the crystal. His voice rang out, carrying an indifferent, almost nonchalant tone. "Yes. So, are you prepared to revert this trajectory of fate?"
The question was direct, frank, and without any embellishment or beating around the bush. Liu Hao wasn't testing the Soul King's attitude; he was directly inquiring about his stance. The Soul King was the ruler of this world, the architect of this destiny, and the source and end of everything.
If the Soul King wanted to restore the course of fate, erase the impact of Liu Hao, and return the world to its "original" state, did he have the ability? Would he do it? Liu Hao wanted to know the answer.
The Soul King's voice rang out again. "No. Since your arrival is the choice of fate, even if this world is destroyed because of you, I will not interfere."
The moment those words were spoken, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence. It wasn't just ordinary silence; it was a silence filled with shock and bewilderment, as if even the air itself had frozen, time had stopped, and the light had dimmed.
Liu Hao's eyes widened slightly. His brows furrowed, and a hint of confusion and bewilderment flashed in his eyes. He looked at the Soul King in the crystal, trying to find some clues from that serene face and to glean some information from that calm tone.
But he found nothing—the King of Soul King's expression remained so serene, so calm, so unfathomable; the King of Soul King's eyes remained so deep, so mysterious, so incomprehensible; the King of Soul King's voice remained so distant, so serene, so unwavering.
"Why?" Liu Hao's voice carried a genuine sense of confusion and incomprehension.
The Soul King's voice echoed in Liu Hao's mind, "Because you yourself are an existence beyond the dimensions of this world. From the moment you descended upon this world, I could no longer foresee its destiny. If your purpose is to destroy this world, I am powerless to stop you. However, everything you have done is filled with compassion for life. Therefore, I am very fortunate."
Liu Hao took a deep breath and asked, "Then why did you call me here?"