"Just let him get things going."
Ichibē Hyōsube's voice was so plain that it was almost cold, echoing gently in the empty Soul King Palace. Every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting Yoriichi's cognition.
Yoriichi's pair of ancient and unwavering eyes showed astonishment.
He thought he heard wrongly.
The monk in front of him is the leader of Zero Division and the oldest and most powerful guardian of Soul Society. His mission should be to use everything he has to stop the ambition of Yhwach.
But now he says, let Yhwach continue?
How ridiculous this is.
"What are you talking about?"
Yoriichi's voice turned cold unconsciously, and he even doubted whether the monk in front of him was a replica sent by Yhwach.
Ichibē Hyōsube didn't seem to feel the chill in his tone at all. He still acted as if it were natural. He took the huge brush off his shoulder and slammed it on the ground.
There was a muffled "dong" sound, as if even the whole Soul King Palace was shaking.
"I said, let Yhwach kill Soul King and replace him."
This time the monk spoke more straightforwardly and explicitly.
In those big, seemingly honest eyes, there was only an inhuman reason that abandoned all emotions in order to maintain a certain absolute order.
Yoriichi's brows furrowed tightly. He did not refute immediately, but stared at the other party, waiting for an explanation.
An explanation that could convince him why he should abandon this God of Creation like an abandoned son, who had sacrificed everything to obtain the stability of Three Realms.
"You've seen it."
Ichibē Hyōsube spoke slowly, with a desolate tone in his voice that understood everything.
"Today's Soul King is nothing more than a carcass that has been cut into a stick and its strength is about to be exhausted."
"The price He paid to create Three Realms was too high. Now it is the limit to be able to keep Three Realms from collapsing."
"However, this stability cannot last for long."
"Like a pillar that has been used for millions of years, it has begun to decay from the inside and may break at any time. Once the power of Soul King is completely dissipated, Three Realms will return to Chaos just like what you saw in the illusion."
The monk pointed downward, which represented the direction of Soul Society and World of the Living.
"At that time, Soul Society, World of the Living, Hueco Mundo, all of them will cease to exist."
"So, we need a new 'wedge'."
"One that is powerful enough to replace the current Soul King and become the new pillar that supports Three Realms for the next million years."
Hearing this, Yoriichi understood instantly.
So that's it.
The so-called protection, the so-called loyalty, in the eyes of this old monster who has lived for a million years, are just tools to maintain the highest program of "Three Realms stability".
It doesn't matter who Soul King is.
The important thing is that there must be a "Soul King" existing at that location.
"And Yhwach, as the biological son of Soul King, is currently the most suitable candidate."
Ichibē Hyōsube continued, his tone was like stating a simple mathematical formula.
"As long as he devours the current Soul King, he can inherit that position and become the new Linchpin of the Three Realms. Although his thoughts are very dangerous, as long as he is nailed to that throne, he will no longer be able to move at all and can only be forced to maintain the world he hates most."
"This is the best ending."
What a "best ending".
Yoriichi felt an indescribable chill in his heart.
This is Zero Division's plan.
An extremely cold plan that uses the world as a chessboard and gods as pawns.
"Of course, Yhwach is not the only choice."
Ichibē Hyōsube seemed to see through Yoriichi's inner resistance. He changed the topic and put that cynical smile on his face again.
"That kid from World of the Living, Ichigo Kurosaki, is also a pretty good candidate."
As soon as these words came out, the temperature of the air around Yoriichi seemed to suddenly drop to freezing point.
An uncontrollable aura of terror mixed with Sun Reiatsu flashed from his body, causing Ichibē Hyōsube's thick beard to flutter slightly.
Yoriichi's face, which had always been calm, was now so gloomy that it seemed like it could drip water.
"Who are you talking about?"
His voice was very soft, but it carried an unmistakable murderous intent.
Ichibē Hyōsube didn't care about this, but looked at Yoriichi's rare mood swing with great interest.
"That kid is a perfect mixture of Soul Reaper, Hollow, Quincy, and Fullbring. His existence itself is a the Miracle."
"If we train him and let him be the new wedge, he may be more stable than Yhwach."
"How dare you!"
Yoriichi blurted out almost subconsciously.
The face of Ichigo Kurosaki that was always full of vitality suddenly appeared in his mind, and then he thought of Soul King who was cut into a human stick and imprisoned forever in the spar.
Do you want Ichigo to look like that?
Just thinking about this possibility caused a rage that could consume all things to ignite in his chest.
"Hahahaha, your reaction is really intense."
Ichibē Hyōsube laughed loudly, as if he had seen something interesting.
"I am just raising a possibility. In my opinion, for the survival of Three Realms, it is worth sacrificing anyone. Whether it is Yhwach or Ichigo Kurosaki."
His laughter gradually stopped, his eyes became deep again, and he gently tapped the direction of Yoriichi with the huge brush.
"Or, it's you, Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
"Your power does not belong to this world, but it is powerful enough to affect the balance of Three Realms. If I nail you to that throne, I can surely buy long-term peace."
Yoriichi looked at him coldly and said nothing.
If looks could kill, the monk in front of him would have been burned thousands of times with Sun Reiatsu.
But he knew that he couldn't do it.
More importantly, he understood that what the other party said was the most rational and ruthless "optimal solution" from the perspective of a "god".
And I still retain my "human" emotions and bottom line after all.
"I refuse."
Yoriichi restrained all his breath and spoke word by word.
"I will not let my friends become victims of this cold plan."
"Oh? What are your plans?"
Ichibē Hyōsube asked with great interest, seemingly not surprised at all by his answer.
"Are you planning to stop Yhwach with your own hands? But once you kill him, Soul King's power will be exhausted again, Three Realms will collapse, and your friends will also die."
"Or are you planning to sit on that throne yourself?"
The monk's questions were heart-breaking and put all the dead ends in front of Yoriichi.
Yoriichi was silent.
He found himself in a dilemma.
Looking at Yoriichi who fell into silence, Ichibē Hyōsube once again showed his heroic smile. He picked up the huge brush, turned around and walked towards the way he came, leaving only a meaningful sentence.
"Since you don't want Ichigo Kurosaki to be the new Soul King, I don't care."
"Then, let's find a way to let Yhwach sit in that position."
"In my eyes, the stability of Three Realms is the most basic requirement."
"It doesn't matter who is going to be the wedge, as long as someone steps up."