Twenty kilometers Outskirts Naruki City, the Senkaimon opened, and the immense Reiatsu of Captain-level being instantly enveloped the mortal World of the Living, silencing the Quincy still lived around Naruki City.
"Over here!"
Ginjiro's voice came through the communicator, and everyone who had come to the World of the Living quickly gathered there.
"It really was just a remnant of Reiatsu, but why did it appear here?"
Byakuya Kuchiki's indifferent voice rang out, his eyes reflecting a cluster of red Reiatsu flames, the surrounding vegetation all dried up.
"Perhaps something from that guy wandered in the Garganta, then pierced through space to come to the World of the Living, after which space was restored!"
Kensei Muguruma voiced his speculation, and he once again deeply felt Zero's power; even after being sealed away for twenty years, he still possessed the ability to influence the world.
Mashiro Kuna, puzzled, "Kensei, why isn't that thing wandering in the Dangai?"
"Idiot, did you waste your time studying at the Shin'ō? The flow of time in the Garganta is basically the same as in the World of the Living and Soul Society, while the Dangai is a fixed passage, where the flow of time is two thousand times faster than in our world."
As soon as Kensei finished speaking, Kaien chimed in, "Kensei is right. If that thing was wandering in the Dangai, then Captain Kurotsuchi should have detected it already."
Let's look for it first!
The team Captain split up to search, trying to figure out what it was.
"Nangong Ling's hand dispersed into Reishi as soon as it appeared, making it impossible to track."
Kaname Tōsen's slightly electronic voice came from behind the mask, while Aizen, standing behind him, looked surprised. "How interesting. I thought he was completely sealed away, but it seems not."
Tōsen quickly pressed keys to analyze. "That's right, a soul with Reiatsu intensity exceeding level three cannot automatically decompose into Reishi particles, let alone reincarnate as a human. Judging from the automatic decomposition speed of Nangong Ling's hand, he is very likely controlling it."
Aizen smiled. "Perhaps he's plotting something."
In an instant, Aizen's mind flashed through various materials about the 'Battle of the Soul King Palace' that his undercover agents had sent him, but he didn't find anything amiss.
Aizen reaffirmed: Nangong Ling was indeed defeated by the combined might of all the Soul Reaper, and this might just be a backup plan for him to make a comeback.
When the post-war data came in, Aizen was shocked. Even someone as strong as Nangong Ling had failed. While he was shocked by the Soul Reaper's hidden strength, Aizen was also secretly pleased that he hadn't attacked the Soul King Palace first.
Now that we have access to a wealth of information, we have far more room to maneuver in dealing with those incredibly powerful Grim Soul Reapers...
Gathering his thoughts, Aizen asked Tōsen, "How's the search for his other half going, Lang Zuo?"
"We've already secretly searched all areas of Rukongai with numbers above 50, but haven't found anything. We're currently narrowing down the search area, but it's not going very fast."
"Um!"
Aizen merely nodded slightly at Kaname Tōsen's answer. He knew that Mayuri Kurotsuchi had greatly increased his surveillance of Rukongai in recent years, and the Seireitei had also intensified its search for talent.
Too many Soul Reaper have died in battle, and the Seireitei needs to replenish its ranks with fresh blood; after all, many Captains and Vice-Captains grew up after joining the Court Guard Squads from Rukongai.
In the World of the Living, the Captains had only been searching for a few hours when the Soul Society issued a retreat order, and upon their return, they were met with another Captains' Meeting.
But it only lasted a short while. The meeting ended, and the Captains, their faces solemn, walked out of the meeting room and quickly left, followed closely by their Vice-Captain...
Following behind Kenpachi Zaraki, Ashido remained silent. Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa, who were waiting outside, also followed. The four remained silent the whole way, but the three subordinates sensed the bloodthirsty fighting spirit emanating from Kenpachi Zaraki.
Seeing that his Captain's Reiatsu was surging, Ikkaku Madarame finally couldn't help but ask curiously, "Captain, is there a new operational target?"
Zaraki, who was being questioned, suddenly stopped in his tracks. The sudden surge of Reiatsu startled the three of them, and the five members of the First Division, separated by a twenty-meter corridor, were instantly unable to move until Zaraki regained control of the rampant Reiatsu.
Ikkaku Madarame, thinking he had said something wrong, was about to apologize when Zaraki suddenly grinned. "Tch, you noticed so quickly? Looks like my suppression of Reiatsu really isn't enough."
Zaraki looked up and continued laughing, "That's right, a new order has indeed been issued, but it's not an attack; it's to hold the line and temporarily abandon the search for the Quincy."
Ikkaku and Yumichika exchanged bewildered glances, about to speak when Ashido interrupted, "Then we don't have to do anything? No fighting, why are you so happy, Captain?"
Zaraki explained, "That's because Nangong Ling was likely not completely sealed. His subordinates are very powerful, but unfortunately, they are no match for me. Now I finally have the chance to avenge myself for what happened hundreds of years ago."
"A feud from hundreds of years ago? Captain and Nangong Ling have known each other for a long time?" The usually silent Ashido exclaimed in surprise. He had mixed feelings about Ling, being grateful to Ling for bringing him back from Hueco Mundo, but also hating the betrayal that came without warning.
"That happened a long time ago, when we weren't Soul Reaper. We met in a remote area of Rukongai, fought a battle, and for now, you could say it was a draw!"
With Zaraki turned and left. Next, he was going to the Twelfth Division to Mayuri Kurotsuchi that treacherous Mayuri Kurotsuchi to find out where Nangong Ling was.
The intelligence also reached the Soul King Palace, Monk summoned the remaining three members of the Zero Division to discuss countermeasures... That's right, someone has been promoted...
Ten years ago, Kisuke Urahara passed the Monk's test and was promoted to the Zero Division. The Monk still claimed to the Court Guard Squads that it was the Soul King's decree.
Kisuke Urahara's title is 'Master of Innovation'. He invented countless things, primarily Gigai and Modified Soul, as well as Tenshintai, sealing techniques, and so on...
Most importantly, Urahara was able to invent the Hōgyoku, which can be used to create a temporary Soul King in critical moments. It was precisely because of this ability that the Monk promoted him.
Urahara lived up to the Monk's expectations, successfully inventing the Soul Society's Shihakusho knitting machine ten years ago, which can quickly sew Shihakusho for new Soul Reaper.
They even replicated the spring water of Tenjirō Kirinji, using it to create Medical Pod that could quickly heal the soul's injuries, and the Soul King Palace gradually became more technologically advanced.
The four people formed a circle on the Omotesandō. The big -Monk of the Eye said with a serious expression, "Nangong Ling's Reiatsu is showing signs of activity in the World of the Living. The Gotei 13 went to the location, collected the Reishi, and tested them to be active."
"The seal is perfectly fine; it's in a state of absolute isolation, separated by several spatial distances," the Monk turned to the man in the hat. "Kisuke, can you explain this?"
There was something the Monk didn't dare say: the isolation strength was on par with the Barrier that sealed the Soul King, so there was no possibility of being able to manipulate one's own Reishi particles while separated by space.
After a moment's thought, Kisuke Urahara, "There's a possibility that he arranged all of this in advance; it was an autonomous soul he created."
"Modified Soul?" Kirio Hikifune asked with a somber face.
"No, it should be more advanced than Modified Soul; it should be able to autonomously complete the commands set by Nangong Ling."
After arriving at the Soul King Palace and obtaining a large amount of resources, Kisuke Urahara's research level reached a new level. He knew how terrifying the Reishi Arts that could create the Ōken was, and using it to create a new soul would be no problem at all.
"The key question is, can we find out which soul he created?" The Monk's face was cold. The war of twenty years ago cannot be repeated; they could no longer win.
Urahara gave the answer that it was "beyond the scope of technology," and even the previously silent Ōetsu Nimaiya clearly stated that he had not yet forged a Zanpakuto capable of doing so.
Within the seal, there was an endless darkness. Zero could sense Mimihagi's Reiatsu, but couldn't see where it was... As for Ukitake himself, he was no longer himself; he had been completely corrupted.
"It must have been a long time, right? It's time to see how the other me is doing."
Zero's soliloquy went unanswered. He closed his eyes and, through his mind, saw a red soul flame flickering in the darkness.
He began to use his mind to rush towards the flame across endless space. After a while, Zero's mind merged with it, and through it, he saw New World.
Zero murmured to herself, 'After all this time, it's only reached the infant stage?'
This baby is like another zero, with completely identical thoughts and memories that do not contradict each other; the only difference is strength and lineage.
This zero was born from this world.
Before Zero could continue looking at the ceiling, a white-haired little boy reached out and touched his face. Zero smiled back at him with his rosy cheeks.
The little boy shouted something excitedly, but perhaps because his hearing wasn't fully developed yet, Zero only caught the word 'father'...
This is Naruki City in the World of the Living, located in a luxurious Western-style mansion.
A little boy ran to the nanny's side, looking curiously at his younger brother, who was less than two days old, in the cradle. He wanted to reach out and touch him, but was afraid that he would cry like he had yesterday.
He glanced at his father, who was sitting on the sofa, frowning as if deep in thought, and didn't dare to interrupt.
"Don't worry, young master, he hasn't cried at all today!" The nanny saw his worry and encouraged him.
The little boy gently reached out his hand, and his two-day-old brother suddenly laughed, leaving both the nanny and the little boy in disbelief.
"Father, come quick! My little brother is smiling!" the little boy shouted happily as he turned around.
"Oh? You really smiled."
The white-haired man, who had been pondering something, peeked over and saw that his previously furrowed brows relaxed, as if he had suddenly realized something.
"Okay, then I'll call you Ryūsaki, Ryūsaki Ishida, haha!"
This is the Ishida Family. The man who named the child is named Sōken Ishida. He had pondered the question of his second son's name for a long time, and now he has finally found a solution.
The eldest son Ryūken Ishida, greeted his younger brother, "Hello, Ryūsaki. My name is Ryūken, and I'm your older brother. I'll take care of you from now on."
Zero couldn't hear very clearly, but he could still make out some sounds. His vocal cords weren't fully developed, so he couldn't speak, only babbling in protest. The man, however, thought he was happy...