The heaviness that pressed on Ichibē Hyōsube's shoulders, as if it had been accumulated for millions of years, seemed to dissipate a little after talking about it.
His somewhat rickety body slowly straightened up, and the sadness and loneliness in his eyes were restrained again, replaced by a deeper and more determined sharpness.
The leader of Zero Division has once again transformed back into the old monster who holds all the "names" of Three Realms and is able to give up everything for the sake of absolute order.
He turned around and faced Yoriichi again. In those big, seemingly honest eyes, only pure reason remained at this moment.
"I don't expect you to understand this."
The monk's voice returned to its former loudness, but it was a little less heroic and a little more unquestionable in its determination.
"I can only ask you, because looking at Three Realms, you are the only one who has the ability to handle all this."
Yoriichi looked at him quietly without speaking.
He knew that what the other party was going to say next was the real core.
"Without your presence, my original plan was for Ichigo Kurosaki to fight Yhwach."
Ichibē Hyōsube said without hesitation, revealing the cruel alternative in a bloody manner.
"Of the two of them, one is the biological son of Soul King, and the other is the perfect vessel that combines all power. No matter who of them survives to the end, the winner will be qualified to replace the old king."
"The one who survives will be put on the throne by us and become the new wedge. This is an unchangeable fact and the only way for Three Realms to survive."
His words were cold and emotionless, as if he was discussing the pros and cons of two items rather than the fate of two living people.
"According to normal development, this is how it should be."
Ichibē Hyōsube's gaze became the Heat, locked firmly on Yoriichi's body.
"But because of your appearance, there is only one answer left for this multiple-choice question."
"The moment Yhwach takes back all his power, devours Soul King, and reaches the pinnacle of his life."
The monk's voice paused, and each word was as heavy as a thousand words.
"You take action, defeat him, and then let him become the new wedge."
"This is our only ending."
Yoriichi's pupils shrank suddenly.
So that's it.
This is the ultimate goal of Soul King and this old monk to let themselves see the truth of all that.
They need an executioner.
An absolute executor who is powerful enough to pin down Yhwach to death and nail him to the throne even when he is at his strongest.
And I am the sharpest knife they have chosen.
"Thousands of years ago, Yhwach came to the Soul King Palace and had a chat with me."
Ichibē Hyōsube seemed to be caught up in some distant memories, and his tone became a bit long.
"At that time, he was not as powerful as he is now, and his 'The Almighty' had not yet fully awakened. Therefore, I easily sealed his power."
"This is also the reason why he will lose to Yamamoto Shigekuni in the subsequent battle."
"But now, thousands of years later, he will never make the same mistake again."
"With his fully awakened 'The Almighty', he may have already seen his end."
"But he came anyway and launched an attack on Soul Society without hesitation."
When Ichibē Hyōsube said this, he suddenly stopped and looked at Yoriichi with a very oppressive look.
"Do you know what this means?"
Yoriichi was silent for a moment.
Countless possibilities flashed through his mind with the help of "Transparent World", and finally, he settled on the most absurd, yet most reasonable answer.
His lips moved slightly and he spoke softly in an uncertain tone.
"He... found a route through which he could win?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ichibē Hyōsube's iconic, deafening and heroic laughter burst out without warning.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
The laughter echoed in the Soul King Palace for a long time, with a sense of relief and excitement of meeting an opponent.
"That's right!"
The monk suddenly slammed the huge brush on the ground, his eyes gleaming.
"Although I don't know what kind of ending he saw, one thing is certain."
He stretched out his thick fingers and pointed at Yoriichi.
"In his world line of victory, you absolutely do not exist!"
Yhwach can see the future and see all things that may happen.
But the power of Yoriichi and the soul of Yoriichi do not belong to this world.
He is like a chess piece that appears out of thin air and outside the rules. He is the only blind spot in the eyes of Yhwach known as "The Almighty".
A non-existent variable that could subvert all his predictions!
Yoriichi finally understood it completely.
This game of chess, from beginning to end, revolves around the "future".
Yhwach sees a future that will win without itself.
Zero Division, on the other hand, placed all its bets on itself, the only variable.
After thinking about all this, Yoriichi's heart, which had become heavy because it had been burdened with too much, calmed down like never before.
The road is clear.
Nothing has changed about what he needs to do, what he has always wanted to do.
Cut him off.
That's all.
Looking at Yoriichi's eyes that had regained their original look, Ichibē Hyōsube nodded with satisfaction.
He knew that this young man had already made his choice.
"Go see your friends."
The monk picked up his brush and turned around to leave, his voice returning to its usual easy-going tone.
"Right now, they are all working hard to prepare for the upcoming war."