章 184: The Soul King’s Wrath

A thought struck Kyoraku, a memory surfacing from years past.

Ailin had once asked him if he should teach Nanao Ise some swordsmanship.

At the time, Ailin had remarked that there was a difference between having something and not using it, and needing something and not having it.

Could it be that Ailin had anticipated this situation?

Or perhaps, even this current crisis was somehow connected to him?

Kyoraku couldn't fathom it.

Captain Ailin, just how many secrets were you hiding?

…

"As expected…"

Stepping out of Unlimited Blade Works, Ailin sensed a wave of hostility directed towards him from the world itself.

"The Soul King's will is enraged because Aizen's imprisonment has altered the future, deviating from the path he foresaw?"

Dark clouds gathered overhead, and bolts of lightning danced among them. The clouds descended rapidly, as if they were about to crush the Seireitei.

Ailin returned to the Kuchiki Manor and silently handed a green-hilted Zanpakutō to his clone.

The clone took the blade and immediately departed, heading towards the Fifth Division barracks.

Once his clone was gone, Ailin looked up at the sky.

Boom!

His reiatsu surged outwards, forming a golden pillar of spiritual pressure that pierced through the Seireitei's Shakonmaku barrier and ascended towards the Soul King Palace, bypassing the seventy-two barriers that protected it.

Rumble!

The guardians of the Soul King Palace, the Royal Guard, were drawn to the immense power emanating from the Seireitei.

The four members of Squad Zero instantly used the Soul King Palace's main entrance to reach the inner sanctum.

"This reiatsu…"

Kirio Hikifune, the newest member of Squad Zero, was the most surprised.

Compared to her time in Soul Society, Hikifune had undergone a dramatic transformation. The once slender and beautiful woman had become a plump and friendly matron.

Although her interactions with Ailin had been limited, she recognized his reiatsu from their time together at captain meetings.

Even back then, Hikifune knew that Ailin was stronger than her.

However, she hadn't anticipated that even after ascending to Squad Zero, completing the creation of the "Royal Key," and surpassing the Shinigami limit, Ailin's reiatsu would still rival her own.

"Oh my, I knew that fellow was extraordinary, but I didn't expect him to reach such a level in the lower realm," Ichibei Hyosube, the leader of Squad Zero, remarked with a hint of surprise in his voice.

Since the creation of the world over a million years ago, Ichibei had only encountered two beings who had reached this level of reiatsu.

Not in terms of sheer power, but in terms of its essence.

The first was the oldest Hollow, the first being to devour souls in this world.

After consuming a tenth of all the souls in existence, that ancient Hollow's reiatsu had surpassed the limits, reaching a level that even Ichibei couldn't comprehend.

It was as if the Hollow had become a concept itself.

The second was the Soul King.

Born from the will of the world, the Soul King was a "god" from the moment of his creation, possessing the "Power of the Almighty" and reigning as the strongest being in existence.

The third was Ichibei himself.

His essence was darkness. After the creation of the three realms and the cycle of day and night, darkness emerged as a concept, allowing Ichibei to ascend to a higher dimension.

Now, within Ailin's reiatsu, Ichibei sensed a similar concept.

The concept of the "sword."

He glanced at Ōetsu Nimaiya, the "God of the Sword" and a fellow member of Squad Zero. Ichibei hesitated to share this revelation with him.

This was the realm that Nimaiya had pursued his entire life but had failed to reach. Learning that someone else had achieved it might shatter his spirit.

Ailin was the fourth being to reach this level through his own power.

Time held no meaning for those who had reached this state.

As long as the concept they embodied existed, they were immortal, supreme beings.

"What is Captain Ailin trying to do?" Hikifune said solemly.

"Well, well, well. Regardless of his intentions, let's observe for now," Ichibei said, folding his arms.

Having served the Soul King for the longest time, Ichibei understood him better than anyone.

Moments ago, the Soul King's will, trapped within the crystal prison, had displayed a tendency towards self-destruction.

And if the Soul King were to destroy himself, the world would descend into chaos without his presence as the lynchpin that maintained the balance between the three realms.

This was an outcome that no one could accept.

The members of Squad Zero were almost certain that Ailin was the one who had caused the fluctuation in the Soul King's will.

Now, with Ailin's reiatsu reaching the Soul King Palace, it was likely that he had something he wished to communicate with the Soul King.

Ichibei made no attempt to prevent Ailin's reiatsu from reaching the Soul King.

He, too, was curious to see if this young man, who had surpassed the limits through his own power, could stabilize the Soul King's will.

Under the watchful eyes of Squad Zero, Ailin's reiatsu reached the inner sanctum of the Soul King Palace, and his will connected with the Soul King's.

This was the second time Ailin had sensed the Soul King's will.

However, compared to the first time, the Soul King's will now seemed filled with rage.

Ailin understood the reason for this.

With Aizen imprisoned within Unlimited Blade Works, the events that were supposed to transpire would never occur. The Hōgyoku would never be completed, and Ichigo Kurosaki, the being who would wield the combined power of Quincy, Fullbring, Hollow, and Shinigami, would never be born.

Judging by the Soul King's current emotional state, Ailin also realized that the "future" the Soul King could see did not include his own actions.

Perhaps it was due to his unique nature, or perhaps the Soul King's ability to see the future was limited when it came to those who had surpassed the Shinigami limit.

Ailin focused his thoughts and connected his will with the Soul King's, conveying his intentions and the path he intended to take.

…

Boom!

The Shinigami within the Seireitei watched in astonishment as Ailin's pillar of reiatsu soared towards the sky.

They couldn't understand why he would unleash such power at a time like this.

However, they noticed that the dark clouds overhead began to dissipate as Ailin's reiatsu intensified. The sense of impending doom gradually faded.

"Captain Ailin, what did you do?"

Once Ailin withdrew his reiatsu, the world seemed to return to normal.

The captains, however, were left with a newfound understanding of Ailin's power.

They had never witnessed such a dense and powerful pillar of reiatsu.

But what truly astonished them was Ailin's control over his spiritual pressure.

If such immense power were to be unleashed, it would engulf the entire Soul Society. Shinigami below the level of a vice-captain would likely suffocate and die under its pressure.

Yet, under Ailin's meticulous control, not a single trace of reiatsu had leaked outwards.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed that Ailin had released such power.

His level of control was simply terrifying.

Within the Thirteenth Division barracks, the captains pondered the implications of Ailin's actions, each lost in their own thoughts.

Shunsui Kyoraku, captain of the Eighth Division, released his grip on the hidden blade within his robes and sighed deeply.

"Ailin-kun, what are you trying to achieve?"

Ever since he had begun to suspect Ailin's involvement in the recent events within the Seireitei, Kyoraku had been reassessing his friend.

But with each passing day, he found it increasingly difficult to understand Ailin's motives.

In terms of strength, perhaps only their teacher, Yamamoto, could pose a threat to Ailin. Everyone else, including Kyoraku himself, was beneath his notice.

And if Ailin desired power, he could easily claim the position of Captain-Commander. At least three or four captains would support his ascension, five or six would remain neutral, and the rest, even if they disagreed, wouldn't dare oppose him openly.

Yet, Ailin had never shown any interest in power or authority.

Kyoraku shook his head and returned to his office, his thoughts troubled.

Within the Thirteenth Division barracks, Jushiro Ukitake, the captain, wore a similar expression of concern.

"Captain Ailin…"

As the host of the Soul King's Right Arm, Ukitake sensed things that Kyoraku could not.

What had caused the Soul King's will to consider self-destruction?

It had been a fleeting moment, a subtle shift in the Soul King's emotions.

But this was the Soul King.

Even the slightest fluctuation in his will could not be ignored.

Ukitake had been prepared to transform into the "God of the One Eye" and temporarily take the Soul King's place as the "lynchpin" that maintained the balance of the world.

However, Ailin had intervened, directly contacting the Soul King's will.

And to Ukitake's surprise, the Soul King's will had stabilized after their interaction.

What had Captain Ailin done?

While the captains remained bewildered and apprehensive, Ailin's clone arrived at the Fifth Division's captain's quarters.