Sōsuke Aizen

"Who? Huh?!"

Song Que's heart jolted. The scene before him twisted and changed, and in a dizzying instant, he found himself in an unfamiliar void.

Nothing surrounded him. The silence was absolute.

"Where... am I?!"

Song Que swept his gaze around, alarm and uncertainty rising in his chest.

Then he spotted a figure seated in a chair not far away. His pupils widened, disbelief flooding his face.

"You... you're—!!"

The man in the void raised his eyes slightly, a faint smile on his lips. He seemed gentle and refined, yet carried an air of one who looked down upon all living things.

"A pleasure to meet you, Song Que. Or should I call you by your original name, Song Zihan?"

Those simple words made Song Que go rigid. His expression changed sharply.

Song Zihan was his real name back on Blue Star, before he crossed worlds.

He stared at the man. That face was so familiar, yet so out of place, that it sent a chill through him.

"Sōsuke Aizen?!"

The man nodded slightly, his voice calm and composed.

"That's right. It's me."

"How are you... I thought..."

Song Que's thoughts were in chaos. He stumbled over his words, unable to make sense of what was happening.

Aizen smiled softly. "No need to be surprised, Song Que."

"I can give you a brief answer to every question on your mind."

"I am indeed the Sōsuke Aizen you remember. Your arrival in this world, my appearance—everything began with this: the Hōgyoku."

"The Hōgyoku's power carried you across worlds to Douluo Continent. As for me, I have been asleep within it all along."

Song Que forced down his shock and tried to sort through his tangled thoughts. He asked in a low voice:

"If I remember correctly, weren't you sealed away in Soul Society in the end?"

Aizen's gaze grew distant, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"The world believes I was imprisoned forever. Only because I let them believe it."

"When Shunsui Kyōraku released me to fight, what he freed was merely an empty shell. The real me had long since taken the Hōgyoku, broken through the barrier between worlds, and left Soul Society."

Understanding dawned on Song Que, though the revelation left him shaken.

"So that means..."

He was about to press further when Aizen raised a hand and cut him off.

"My apologies. What remains of my consciousness has little strength. I can speak with you only briefly."

"The moment you touched the Hōgyoku, I used my spiritual power and its power to give you a substantial gift."

"I have completely hidden you from the Divine Realm's prying eyes."

Song Que froze. Shock and confusion flashed through his eyes, along with a joy he could barely conceal.

"Hidden me from the Divine Realm?! You mean... even Tang San can't sense me? Is that really possible?"

Aizen nodded, his expression unchanged.

"After expending so much spiritual power, my consciousness is about to enter a long slumber."

"We can discuss the rest when I next awaken."

"You need not be so wary. I bear you no ill will."

As his words faded, so did his presence, his figure seeming to melt into the void.

"There isn't much time. A few things more."

"First, attach the Hōgyoku to the hole in the hilt of your blade martial soul. The blade will evolve into a complete martial soul."

"Second, the Hōgyoku will reshape the nature of your soul power, giving it the properties of spiritual pressure. From now on, you can freely use every ability of the Shinigami System, unhindered by this world's laws."

"Third, I leave you Shin'ō Academy's complete set of the Complete Kido Records, as well as the Shihōin Family's full Shunpo Secrets."

"The Hōgyoku has brought us together and bound our fates. I have left behind three spiritual-power clones to protect you in times of peril. Until we meet again, young man."

His voice faded away.

Aizen's figure vanished completely into the void.

Song Que's mind swam. The scene before him rushed backward, and in an instant, he was back in his shabby little house.

He still stood in the same spot, the translucent orb resting firmly in his palm.

"Brother Song Que? What's wrong?"

Seeing him standing motionless, Huo Yuhao spoke up in confusion.

Song Que came to his senses and looked at Huo Yuhao. "Was I... spacing out just now?"

Huo Yuhao blinked. "Not exactly. You just held the orb and stared at it for a few seconds."

"So only an instant passed..."

Song Que murmured to himself. He looked down at the Hōgyoku in his palm, emotions churning.

So this is the Hōgyoku... I've been sitting on a mountain of gold and crying poverty.

Was it quiet throughout my childhood because my martial soul hadn't awakened yet?

According to Aizen, my martial soul never finished evolving. No wonder it was so ordinary despite my innate full soul power.

But then Song Que frowned.

Is Sōsuke Aizen really that Sōsuke Aizen?

If he is, can I actually trust a word he says?

Just looking at him gives me the creeps.

His thoughts kept racing, but moments later, Song Que could no longer contain his curiosity.

With a thought, his long-bladed martial soul appeared in his hand.

"Forget it. I can't stay mediocre for the rest of my life!"

He looked at the empty circular hole at the top of the hilt. Its size and shape matched the Hōgyoku in his palm perfectly.

"This is it!"

Without hesitation, Song Que pressed the Hōgyoku into the hole.

Humm—!

A low hum sounded, almost too faint to hear.

The Hōgyoku fused with the Zanpakutō. Brilliant light in nine colors burst forth, filling the little house.

After a moment, the radiance slowly faded.

The blade in his hand had changed completely.

At first glance, the change was hardly striking. On closer inspection, it somehow seemed even more ordinary than before—just a standard-issue blade, with nothing remarkable about it.

Huo Yuhao watched in utter confusion, unable to understand what had happened.

But in the next instant, a flood of information from his martial soul surged into Song Que's mind. Understanding flashed through him, and delight filled his eyes.

"So that's how it works! This is great!!"

"Brother Song Que?"

Huo Yuhao was bursting with curiosity. "Your martial soul... changed? What happened?"

"Come on. Let's talk outside."

Song Que suppressed his excitement and smiled as he pulled Huo Yuhao toward the door.

"It's too cramped in here. I might lose control of my power and wreck the house."

The two hurried outside to an open stretch of ground.

Song Que gazed at his transformed Zanpakutō, weighing his options.

What should I choose?

A Hundred Year Soul Ring can't sustain Bankai. I'd better choose a Zanpakutō with an unusual ability or a powerful Shikai.

A Thousand Year Soul Ring might barely sustain Bankai, but its capacity is limited. A Zanpakutō with an overly powerful Bankai is out of the question.

A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring should be enough for a typical Zanpakutō with Bankai.

A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring... A Zanpakutō on Ryūjin Jakka's level would probably need one of those.

With that, Song Que channeled his soul power. Five soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black—appeared and circled him.

"A Soul King?!"

Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted in shock.

How is that possible? Didn't Brother Song Que say just yesterday that his soul power was only at level forty-seven?

How did he suddenly become a Soul King and gain a ten-thousand-year fifth soul ring?

We haven't even hunted any soul beasts!

Huo Yuhao was completely baffled. He could not make sense of it.