Farewell X Rekindling X The Soul King Palace's Hidden Watchers

Too bright,

Too dazzling,

A fiery tornado, enveloping a mushroom cloud, shot into the sky.

The surrounding trees, rocks, birds, and animals melted instantly, as if they did not belong to this world in the first place, and there was no trace of them in the world.

"Thump!" At the Ubuyashiki Clan's residence, Kagura, following Ubuyashiki Kagaya's orders, was led into a house by Kiriya Amane. Peeking through the window, he was suddenly blinded by a dazzling light and fell to the ground with a thud... The young Sun-Earring Boy overheard his father and Kyojuro's conversation. Just as the two adults said, a battle involving Eiichiro was clearly beyond the reach of ordinary people like them.

"Like those trees and rocks affected by the commotion, if I were there, they would have melted instantly; right... My heart pounded... Cold sweat poured down my face... The Sun-Earring Boy thought to himself, just like everyone else in this world, his heart trembling with shock and horror, and he couldn't help but shiver."

"Kyojuro..." A soft voice drifted from the small courtyard.

With his back to Ubuyashiki Kagaya, who was peeking from inside the house, Kagaya Kiriya, mimicking Rengoku Kyojuro, channeled a layer of Nen Qi into his pupils, unleashing [Condensation]. He looked up as the mushroom cloud, wreathed in flames, shattered the moonlight and the night wind, slowly blooming in the sky...

He turned his head to look at the young man with fiery blonde hair, who was swaying slightly and also seemed lost in thought, and said meaningfully, "Are you sure... fifty times is possible?!"

[Ordinary] and [Nen] are different. Having had Roy help open his Aura Nodes and begun learning the [Four Major Principles], this man clearly understands the terrifying and horrifying nature of "Nen Ability." It can be said that... for ordinary people, whether or not they have awakened "Nen Ability" is like being in the "sky" and the "earth," respectively. But...

Even with such a vast difference in power, it wasn't as terrifying or astonishing as the clash between Roy and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni!

Just as he himself said, he could never hope to "understand this battle" in his lifetime... It's simply despairing! "Hiss~ Huff~" Rengoku Kyojuro's breathing became somewhat disordered for a moment, which was almost impossible for a "Pillar" who had been immersed in [Breathing Style] for some years.

The young man, with his blond hair hanging down, was unusually silent... Always ready to answer any question, Rengoku Kyojuro was always so cheerful, never refusing anyone's questions. From a young age, he had always presented himself as an "older brother" and a "warm-hearted man," but... fifty times... really wasn't enough, not even... far from enough, not nearly enough...

He lowered his head in shame, remained silent for a moment, and then reflected on his actions, saying, "I was wrong."

He glanced again, his gaze fixed on the sky, and took a deep breath, saying, "Whether it's Lord Eiichiro or the one who fought him, I'm not even a fraction as good as them!"

A Youyou breeze emerged, carrying a faint hint of Scorching Heat. Silence fell once more in the courtyard. Accompanying the two was the violently restrained Beimingyu Xingming, who had once again ripped off the chains with a loud Himejima Gyomei.

The monk, his hands clasped in prayer, his eyes streaked with tears, witnessed the fiery tornado and mushroom cloud sweep across the heavens and earth. He was so astonished that he momentarily lost focus.

When he came to his senses, he started moving the prayer beads as usual.

The Buddhist heart that had maintained stability through chanting scriptures for years suddenly cracked, and shattered in an instant!

Himejima Gyomei was undoubtedly proud.

In the original work, as the strongest Pillar, he can be considered the number one Demon Slayer Corps member in thousands of years since Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Kokushibo left! Especially after opening his Aura Nodes, he mastered [Entanglement], [Zetsu], and [Condensation] at an extremely fast speed, and even... he completed half of [Training], surpassing even Rengoku Kyojuro was the first to convert. Himejima Gyomei believed more than once that he might one day be able to meet Roy. After all, if you really think about it, he only started learning "Nen" a little later than Roy, and the so-called "lack" was only in "years" and "experience".

But now, Himejima Gyomei murmured "Praise the sun." In that instant, he felt like a frog in a well, unaware of the vastness of the world, having broken the three Buddhist precepts of "greed," "ignorance," and "anger"!

"Whoosh~" Another gust of hot air blew in...

The fiery tornado collided with the mushroom cloud, and the aftershocks showed no sign of abating...

At the very center of the explosion,

Two figures stood silently, blades pressed together. One, eyes closed in a daze, with an eerie expression, seemed still immersed in a moment of Visualization, contemplating the [sun]. The other, Shikai to unleash his power, clearly held the upper hand, even... with complete ease, and could easily seize this opening to deliver another fatal blow to the Sun-Earring Boy.

For example [Jokaku Enjo],

For example, [the Taimatsu],

Even without using a knife, he could turn the Sun-Earring Boy into nickel powder with just his fists, or Ikkotsu or Sokotsu.

But,

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni simply observed the Sun-Earring Boy's current state quietly. His heart, which had been frozen for nearly two thousand years without any tremor, suddenly skipped a beat with the slash Roy had just unleashed!

This type of jump has appeared many times before, symbolizing both "danger" and "vigilance."

So, how could a Sun-Earring Boy who wasn't even fifteen years old pose a threat to him, the greatest Zanpakuto of all time, who wields the oldest "fire-type" Soul Reaper?

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni narrowed his old eyes to slits, scrutinizing Roy intently. For the first time in his life, he began to waver in his belief that "[Soul Reaper] are greater than [humans]!"

It should be understood that [Soul Reaper] and [humans] are completely different "species" in the Soul Reaper world.

It's not that when a person dies, they become the Soul Reaper.

In fact, if someone dies in the Human World, they can only become the lowest-ranking Wandering Soul Wandering Soul the Rukongai outside the Seireitei, even... beings that Aizen would reject during his Hollowfication experiments.

Not to mention, [Soul Reaper] are born with spiritual bodies, possess long lifespans, and have immense Reiatsu... Even a hundred-year-old like Toshiro is just a "child" in terms of [Soul Reaper] age, let alone...

Roy,

Bone age less than fourteen

In the world of Soul Reaper, they would easily be categorized as "infant generation" without a single question.

"Pitter-patter!" Flames scorched, high temperature and high pressure crushed down, forming a strong wind that made people's skin tighten...

Consciousness was immersed in the Visualization the [sun], oblivious to the passage of time... Roy went from becoming an atom, to fusing with other atoms, to exploding, losing himself... This dramatic process repeated itself endlessly, for a very long time, until finally...

At a certain moment, having completely mastered the fusion process, he regained himself, sensing his own hands, feet, heartbeat, and breath... To the astonishment of Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, he Youyou opened his eyes...

"Is there anything else?" the old man asked.

"That's all," the Sun-Earring Boy said with a wry smile.

Roy could clearly see that his limbs and bones were withered and drained of his Nen Qi, making it difficult even to maintain the [Gate of Cognition]. He simply threw the [Eclipse] into the [Sumeru Mustard Seed], spread his arms and legs, and collapsed to the ground in a starfish position.

With a "whoosh," a fiery tornado, accompanied by a mushroom cloud, soared higher and higher overhead, gradually fading into the distance...

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's body suddenly trembled. As Roy's Nen Qi was drained, he clearly could no longer maintain the [Gate of Cognition], and it gradually began to fade...

The old man sensed something and knew it was time to go back.

Looking down intently at the Sun-Earring Boy lying at his feet, he slumped like a salted fish, regaining his Nen Qi, and said to Roy in a single word, "Among the young people I know..."

"I, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, hereby acknowledge you as the most talented..."

"Is this considered approval?" Roy: "Unfortunately, I didn't even get a glimpse of your clothes."

"You can't touch it now," Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni lightly tapped the ground with his Ryujin Jakka returned to its ordinary cane form. He then arrogantly stroked his long beard and said, "Can I look forward to your future self?"

Roy grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "Not afraid of getting hacked to death, feel free to look forward to it."

He chuckled softly;... A glint of light suddenly appeared in Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's eyes, and a rare smile surfaced on his usually stern and sharp face. It was a faint smile, fleeting... If Sasakibe Chojiro, who knew him well, had seen it, he would probably have dropped the showerhead in shock, wondering... Someone must have possessed the Captain-Commander!

After all, he had followed Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni for almost two thousand years, and he had never seen him smile at anyone. It was truly... rare!

"Young man, you're really arrogant..." The old man's figure noticeably faded a bit more, and he slammed his Ryujin Jakka on the ground, saying in a low voice, "I'll be waiting for you!"

One more glance, and before the [Gate of Cognition] could urge him to leave,

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni deliberately sought out the gap, and with Roy's thought, through the [Gate of Bleach] overflowing with spiritual light, which hazily obscured one's consciousness, he instantly floated inside...

The familiar feeling of falling came over me.

Consciousness then began to fall.

As Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni slowly opened his eyes, he... had left the Demon Slayer world and returned to the Soul Reaper world. Before him was a familiar little garden, and under the eaves were two Fat Chrysanthemum and Flower Tanuki chasing and playing. Looking again, he turned his head to his side and saw Sasakibe Chojiro, dressed in an exquisite suit, a rapier at his waist, his platinum vertical pupils gleaming. Upon his return, Chojiro immediately seemed to be waiting... for an answer... Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni carefully savored the Demon Slayer world he had just witnessed alongside Roy, remaining silent for a long time before softly offering his thoughts. "Chojiro, perhaps we are trapped by our own foolish and rigid selves."

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni sat Ryujin Jakka- legged in the wooden corridor, Ryujin Jakka, now just an ordinary cane, resting on his lap. Under the bewildered gaze of Sasakibe Chojiro, he looked up at the sun in the sky, which radiated heat and power, and then said, "Like a frog trapped at the bottom of a well, thinking the sky is only as big as the well opening, not knowing..."

"The world is vast, far more complex than... the Three Realms and One Hell."

[Three Realms and One Hell]: The world order established by the first Soul King, maintained fundamentally by the Soul King's body.

Simply put, it can be divided into: the [Human World] inhabited by humans.

The Soul Society, overseen by Soul Reaper (death gods),

Wandering in Hueco Mundo by fallen souls, that is, the void.

And... the final destination of the soul... Hell, symbolizing "the end"!

"This... this..."

"Meow!" In the yard, Fat Chrysanthemum and Colorful Tanuki, who were playing and frolicking, accidentally knocked over the watering can on the wooden shelf, causing a fine spray of water to wet a large area of the grass.

Silence is the only sound in the courtyard right now.

Sasakibe Chojiro stared blankly at Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, seemingly shocked, yet also his mind racing, desperately trying to process this astonishing news. He frowned, swallowed hard, and asked, "So, what exactly did you see?"

"The Sun and the Sun-Earring Boy".

üの"

"A human Sun-Earring Boy, not bound by the Three Realms, but drawn towards the sun..."

Not within the Three Realms... Humans... Sasakibe Chojiro recalled that Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni could enter, but he couldn't, and couldn't even see... that strange "void portal." Everything seemed to be confirming Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's words in the dark.

This First Division Vice-Captain, wielder of the "Lightning" type Zanpakuto [Gonryomaru], was tragically killed during the Thousand-Year Blood War after stealing [Self-Release] from the Sternritter, fatally wounded by Doris Belcher, a member of the Sternritter. This act successfully quelled the rage of Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.

Having followed Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni for nearly two thousand years, he had never questioned the other's words. He remained silent for a long while before finally regaining his composure and saying with a solemn expression, "If it's true, I hope it's false; if it's false, I hope it's true."

Sasakibe Chojiro looked at Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni seriously and said, "Sai, you know, the Soul Society cannot be in chaos, but... the Soul King Palace must know," Sasakibe Chojiro paused, his golden eyes suddenly narrowing, "When Faith collapses, order will also cease to exist!"

It should be understood that the existence of the Three Realms and One Hell, maintaining a relative balance, relies on the power of the "Soul King."

The Squad Zero of the Soul King Palace takes it upon themselves, as well as their pride and Faith, to protect the "Spirit Soul King's corpse" and, consequently, the Three Realms and One Hell. Therefore, if they were to learn that the so-called Three Realms and One Hell is nothing more than "that well" mentioned by Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni Sasakibe Chojiro could almost imagine what kind of crazy things the Squad Zero, their Faith and pride crumbling, would do in their daze!

First of all, it's easy to imagine that he would press his captain and old friend for answers!

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, clad in a pristine white Shihakusho, his white beard meticulously braided into a plait, sat cross-legged on the wooden veranda, curled into a circle and drooping to the ground. Hearing this, he remained silent...

He understood the unspoken meaning behind Sasakibe Chojiro's words, and he grasped the "reminder" and "concern" within them. In fact... even without Chojiro's reminder, he had already deeply considered this issue, which explained why he was often seen daydreaming during meetings by the various Soul Reaper, captains, and vice-captains.

What's meant to happen will happen.

Those who are meant to leave cannot be kept.

The old man leaned against the barracks of the First Division, his seat a symbol of the impending doom of Hell. He squinted at the sun, which blazed with light and heat, and vaguely saw Roy's youthful figure with long, fiery red hair fluttering in the wind. A faint smile slowly curved his weathered lips as Sasakibe Chojiro stared in disbelief, "If something really goes wrong..."

"I'll just cut him down with one stroke."

Sasakibe Chojiro:..."