Lured into the Abyss

What this guy said at the end wasn't just empty talk; he probably really was confident he could make a comeback... only his life form wouldn't be Old Deus anymore.

Ultimately, although his essence was shattered, the concepts of "war" and "battle" did not disappear from the world, so it was normal for him to return from nothingness.

—Iori deliberately did not use his privileges to search for his existence.

Judging from Arteshu's last words, he may have been very interested in the lives of weaker races... I wonder which one he chose, and whether he will retain his memories?

Judging by the timeline, if Riku and Schwi are lucky, they might even be able to be reincarnated into Schwi's backup hidden energy module... Of course, with so many intelligent life forms in the Disboard world, the probability of encountering this young couple is extremely low.

Hmm, probably not.

At the height of Jin's starry sky, on the boundary between the azure sky and the starry night, floats a magnificent yet simply designed palace. When viewed from above, it resembles a giant cross, with four detached palaces connecting to the central main hall.

[Soul King Palace]!

This is the most mysterious and noble place in the Three Worlds, with a spiritual pressure density that is almost tangible. It is also the residence of the Soul King, the Lord of the Three Realms.

This palace, which has remained virtually unchanged day after day, welcomed a familiar uninvited guest today.

"What, knowing I'm here, why aren't you coming out to greet me?"

Standing on the floating platform of Omotesando, Iori's tone was polite (?) yet elegant, with arrogance overflowing from his words, which naturally angered some people.

"Here we go again... Although I can't stop you, I still can't accept it... The dignified [Soul King Palace] just comes and goes as it pleases."

A Great Monk, Hyōsube Ichibē, suddenly appeared in front of Iori, his face full of solemnity.

He has already been resurrected once, but most of his abilities have been sealed by Iori. Although he is still a top-tier fighter in the Three Worlds, he obviously has no chance of resisting Iori.

"What exactly did His Majesty the Spirit King discuss with you? Why was he so lenient towards a soul of unknown origin like yours..."

He names everything in Soul Society, knows everything, and theoretically nothing can be hidden from him. He knows the true names of everyone's Zanpakuto.

But he couldn't see through Iori at all—he thought the Soul King should know Iori's background, but in fact the Soul King didn't know any more than he did.

Is it necessary to tell you?

Iori smiled slightly, "Just you?"

"..."

The Great Monk looked displeased, but after a short while, he greeted Iori with a bright smile.

He put his hands in his sleeves and bowed respectfully. "Lord Aizen's arrival is an honor for our Zero Division. Soul King said that you can see him at any time—would you like us to show you the way?"

One figure after another appeared around Iori, vaguely surrounding him. But this time, unlike last time, no one launched an attack; instead, they bowed like Great Monk.

Tenjirō Kirinji!

Shunshunmaru Shutara!

Blade God, Nimaiya Ōetsu!

In addition, Hyōsube Ichibē the Monk with Eyes Ichibei.

This is the complete lineup of Zero Division, and each member is a master far surpassing the Captain-level.

But they dared not be disrespectful in front of Iori, for a simple reason:

If they cooperate obediently with Iori, then Iori is quite easy to talk to; but if they don't cooperate, the destruction of the Three Worlds is only a matter of Iori's whim.

"No need to lead the way, step back."

Iori ignored the four people and went directly to the central hall through the Soul King Palace Omotesando.

As he entered the gate completely sealed off by the Kido, which Time Stop, Iori sensed an ancient and powerful presence—

Soul King!

"We meet again."

"It's earlier than I expected... Are you confident now?"

"Yes, everything went very smoothly. All I need to do is cooperate with me to design it properly."

And so, Iori gradually arrived before the Soul King, and saw the incomplete figure sitting on the throne.

Iori didn't know what the Soul King looked like in other people's eyes, because ordinary Shinigami couldn't see the true face of a god. The eyes that were vaguely revealed were extremely rational, looking down on all things in the world from a high position.

But he could directly perceive the essence of things, and in his eyes, the Soul King was just an ordinary middle-aged man who was extremely tired. He even had all his hands and feet, only they were different colors from his body.

Everything in this great hall is still, except for the Soul King and Iori, who can move freely. After Iori broke the so-called "imprisonment" on the Soul King, the Soul King locked himself in the hall, temporarily maintaining the Three Worlds, waiting for Iori to finally liberate him.

He knew that what Iori said was not an empty promise; they could finally be freed from the ancient tragedy. Even as a symbol of reason and order, the Soul King was still extremely excited.

"My knowledge, my vision, my very existence—I can share them all with you... I will let you understand everything about this world!"

Thank you for your cooperation.

Iori smiled slightly, "Then, Your His Majesty the Spirit King, please be prepared—we may have to repeat the simulation many times."

Then, the entire Soul King Palace trembled!

The Kido that Time Stop failed, and immense spiritual pressure surged from the Soul King, transforming into an endless stream of black turbidity, but it was all contained by the Golden Kingdom released by Iori.

"I'm sorry, I can't control my power very well either... After all, the container itself is damaged, and it's difficult to control if I actively release it."

"It's alright, I'll help you!"

Iori said cheerfully, "First, let's stop the Three Worlds from functioning... and let all the souls go to sleep!"

Chapter 549 guides us to the Abyss of Naraka.

Iori stood in the empty palace, her eyes closed as if waiting for something, while the Soul King himself stood in the center of the hall like a beacon.

Extending outwards from beneath this creator god are strands of light resembling circuits. In appearance, they resemble the Kekkou of Quincy, but their scale and spiritual pressure density far surpass them, even Yhwach cannot compare.

These dense threads of light covered the entire hall, then stretched along the plane into the void, covering the entire sky as far as the eye could see—

The Soul King's nerves!

Even though his power was greatly weakened by the dismemberment of his body, he still had the ability to control the entire world when necessary, as he was doing now.

With a single thought, he can easily alter the composition of matter wherever he touches, and even spacetime is within his perception; no subtle change can escape his notice.

The Zero Division must be stunned. Realizing what's about to happen, even with the Soul King's orders, they might still rush in regardless.

But Iori didn't give them a chance, or rather, she completely ignored everyone else and just went about her pre-arranged actions:

He slowly raised his hands, his fingertips shimmering with golden light, his eyes deep and calm, as if he had seen through the essence of all things in the world. With his movement, the entire space of the Three Worlds began to tremble slightly, as if responding to his call.

Buzz!

A powerful Reiatsu fluctuation was released from his body, but it spread out along the Soul King's nervous system.

"[Time Stop]"

Iori murmured softly, her voice, though soft, pierced through time and space, spreading throughout the entire Three Worlds.

In an instant, the ever-flowing time seemed to be tightly gripped by an invisible hand, coming to a standstill like a gear stuck in a lock.

Whether they were Shinigami from Soul Society, humans from the World of the Living, or Hollows from Hueco Mundo, all life forms fell into a deep sleep at this moment. Their consciousness was frozen, time lost its meaning for them, and they didn't even have time to realize what was happening.

Even beings like Yamamoto and Stark, who are second only to the Beyonders, were not exempt.

—If the Great Monk hadn't had his abilities sealed by Iori, he might have been able to escape this world-class Kido.

At this moment, everything was frozen, and the entire Three Worlds became a giant "World Egg," which in Iori's imagination was several small worlds wrapped in a giant vesicle, and then quietly suspended in the void.

All Creation ceased to flow, and all changes awaited Iori's next move to begin.

"Um?"

Suddenly, Iori felt something. When he observed the stillness of the Three Worlds, a "thin sheet" deep within his soul was naturally punctured.

However, this was not his original goal, and now was not the time to be distracted.

"What's wrong?"

The Soul King looked at Iori quietly, "You're distracted."

"Sorry, I just thought of something... No problem, let's begin."

Iori's gaze swept over the Soul King, Soul King nodded slightly, indicating that he could continue. At the same time, the Soul King also released his entire body, using the rest of his body as a "tool" for Iori to use.

His very existence is the cornerstone of the Three Worlds, and his authority and abilities are key to Iori accomplishing all of this.

"The Great Thousand Worlds... reincarnation..."

Iori a deep breath, his eyes snapped open, and a deep and brilliant rainbow light radiated from his body. He was bathed in unparalleled divine power, and golden light surged out like a tide, instantly covering the entire Three Worlds in Bleach where no one could see.

"Segmentation!"

Iori said in a low voice.

As he spoke, the Three Worlds space began to tremble violently, as if it had been torn apart by an invisible hand.

The Soul Society, the World of the Living, and Hueco Mundo —these three worlds were originally closely connected. However, the "Dangai" between them began to expand, and the hidden Kagoya within it gradually emerged. Then, each of them was gradually separated, and the boundaries between them became clearly visible.

Beneath these three worlds, the existence of Hell gradually comes to light.

—This description may not be entirely accurate.

Although the general understanding is that "the Three Worlds are a whole, jointly suppressing the Hell that can only enter and not leave", in reality this system is not rigorous and has many loopholes and unreasonable aspects, otherwise the Soul King would not have needed to make such a great sacrifice.

For example, among the Three Worlds, the Void Realm is relatively far from the World of the Living and the Soul Society, but it is very far from Hell, and is even in a state of being half-swallowed. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is part of Hell (the surface).

In a certain theatrical version, the Hueco Mundo of the Hueco Mundo battle between Ichigo Kurosaki Minotaur Form and Ulquiorra spread to Hell and were even observed by the inhabitants of Hell, thus triggering a series of events.

This fully proves that Hueco Mundo and Hell are essentially like the first floor and the basement, while the World of the Living and Soul Society are like two other buildings—except that Hell's basement is so large that its underground space can even swallow the two buildings next door.

"Can you see it, Iori?"

"Yes, it's very clear... As expected, although it is layered, there is no clear division between each Bleach... The entire system is incomplete and unstable, and it is missing the most important link."

Iori stared at a certain point in the void and shook her head slightly.

Hell, a place filled with spirits beyond redemption, has always been a shadow over the Three Worlds. Iori's gaze pierced through layers of space, landing directly on the deepest part of Hell, her eyes showing no hesitation, only calmness and determination.

The general public's understanding of Hell is generally limited to two points:

One is a soul that committed heinous crimes in its lifetime. Instead of being guided to Soul Society, it is led to Hell by "jailers" to suffer torment and never be reincarnated.

Secondly, regardless of good or evil, if one's spiritual power reaches level three or above (Captain-level), the corpse cannot be decomposed and can only be sent to Hell.

This has created the unique environment of Hell —it is filled with vicious sinners and powerful spirits, including all the captains of the Thirteenth Division from the First to the present.

This is why a Great Noble is specially assigned to guard the gates of Hell, because if the things inside get out of control, the entire Three Worlds will be in danger of destruction!

This is just a "man-made disaster." If it were just spirits causing trouble, the Soul Society could easily find a way to resolve it, instead of living in constant fear and unease for tens of thousands of years.

What's even more terrifying is that Hell itself is a living being!

It is like the Taotie in China mythology, with an inexhaustible appetite for spirits and Reishi, but it will never let any soul leave. Therefore, the scale of Hell has been expanding since the creation of the Three Worlds - Hell can be regarded as a special kind of Menos Grande.

At this moment, the entire Three Worlds were frozen, but Hell still retained its consciousness. When Iori looked at it, the Void-Severing Boundary trembled slightly, and layers of silt immediately appeared in it, as if it had just woken up and turned over.

But Iori didn't care. He ignored the obviously hostile Hell consciousness and instead focused his attention on its interior... the countless spirits that had accumulated over countless millennia!

"It's time to clean up these incorrigible beings."

Iori muttered to herself, then her figure flashed and disappeared from the main hall of the Soul King Palace's Palace.

This place, filled with pain and despair, is unusually quiet at this moment—the effect of Time Stop still also envelops this place, which is inside Hell.

After all, not every spirit can be as powerful as the Hell consciousness... All the sinner spirits were frozen in place, unable to move. Iori's figure appeared in the depths of Hell, with endless darkness beneath his feet and countless twisted spirits all around him. With a single step, he crossed this Bleach and arrived in a deeper layer of Hell space.

Sometimes it's a vast ice plain, sometimes it's a sea of suffering where lotuses bloom, sometimes it's a dense, twisted jungle... Iori continuously pierces through the Bleach, swimming from top to bottom through Hell!

"Start rotating!"

Iori raised his hand and gently tapped his fingertip. A golden light burst forth from his fingertip and spread out instantly, dispelling the Time Stop Kido on a small scale.

But those spirits that were frozen and then released, before they could even be dazed or come to their senses, began to rapidly decompose into pure Reishi dissipation into the void.

Only "consciousness" remained in place as a semi-transparent wisp of smoke, eventually falling into Iori's hands and being collected into the [Depiction of Nature and Society], all of which were now bathed in the glorious light of the Golden Uranus!

Call!

Call!

Call!

Iori's movements did not pause for a moment. His figure traversed through Hell, and wherever he went, all the spirits were decomposed, leaving only the purest Reishi.