"Name…"
Inside the Ninth Division.
After a brief interrogation, Yoriichi generally learned Rinshiro Tsukishima's identity and the reason he followed that "God."
He was a lawyer in the Human World… actually, more like a legal shyster, with truly excellent eloquence.
Even after surrendering and being arrested, he still defended himself.
Fortunately, Hinamori Momo was very simple-minded and stuck to her principles, not easily swayed, otherwise, he might have actually been released.
As for the reason he followed the "God," it was simple.
He wanted to be resurrected.
Setting aside whether this resurrection was truly a resurrection in the actual sense.
Just the fact that the guy could give a Rukongai resident with no spiritual pressure any spiritual pressure was already an extremely rare occurrence.
Yoriichi integrated these things in his mind for a moment and immediately saw the special nature of that "God"...
After a while, he stood up and ordered someone to invite Captain Urahara of the Twelfth Division.
He already had some guesses in his heart, but he couldn't be sure yet.
There were only so many of the Soul King's organs.
Something that matched regeneration and bestowal...
"Why must it be an organ?"
Kisuke Urahara rushed over from the Twelfth Division after receiving the message.
Upon arrival, after understanding the situation, he immediately raised a crucial question,
"In my opinion, every inch of the Soul King's flesh and blood contains unimaginable power."
"Just like the Soul King's fingertip, which Rangiku possesses, it's just a fingernail part."
"Such a tiny area can bestow her with the power of cutting; can a fingernail be considered an organ?"
Kisuke Urahara shook his head, denying,
"No, obviously not."
"From this perspective, according to the story… the Soul King had his hands cut off, his feet severed, and then his internal organs were thrown into the Three Realms…"
"Assuming that the process of cutting off his hands and severing his feet took place in the Soul King Palace, then blood would surely have been shed during that process, right?"
"Even if there was no blood, he must have had bones, right? The Soul King's right hand clearly has a distinct skeletal structure."
"Since there are bones, the inside is clearly not hollow."
"In that case, why can't bone marrow be considered a part of the Soul King's body?"
At this point, Kisuke Urahara paused, his gaze fixed intently on Yoriichi,
"This is a reasonable guess I can offer, based on your statement."
"Although the Soul King might not have bone marrow, in my view, the only thing that fits regeneration, bestowal, and exists within the human body is bone marrow."
"Actually, I considered blood before, but the source of blood is cell synthesis in the bone marrow, and no matter how much it's squandered, it's always limited."
"And judging by how that 'God' is wantonly squandering power, what he controls is clearly unrelated to blood."
"At the same time, this can also explain why the power he bestows can permanently enhance a person's spiritual pressure…"
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
Kisuke Urahara's tone was somewhat profound; speaking of it, the concept of "bone marrow" is also a bit abstract.
But as long as it is regarded as a spiritual pressure seed, it is not difficult to understand.
It is similar to an engine; as long as it integrates into another's soul, it can continuously operate.
At the same time, losing a little does not have much impact—because it can regenerate.
Considering it is the Soul King's bone marrow, its regenerative ability must be beyond ordinary imagination.
Others might take half a year to regenerate, while he might only need half a day, or even less time…
Fortunately, his whereabouts were discovered in advance.
Otherwise, if another ten or several decades passed, allowing him to develop an army of several thousand people.
The Soul Society would probably have to pay an immeasurable and heavy price to deal with them.
"..."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni stood quietly in the room with his hands behind his back, deep in thought for a moment.
Just as he was about to say something, the communication device on the table emitted a crisp notification sound.
Picking it up, he saw it was a message from Rangiku.
After reading the content of the message, his expression tightened slightly.
Kisuke Urahara noticed these subtle changes in Yoriichi and was about to open his mouth to ask what had happened.
Yoriichi suddenly looked up, his expression serious, and said:
"Bad news, that guy saw the situation was bad and escaped. According to Rangiku, he probably fled to the Human World."
"The situation is urgent, let's not talk about these things now, let's hold a meeting first."
Saying that, he quickly walked to the window and took out a Hell Butterfly he kept in his office.
After conveying the message to it and ordering it to transmit the message to each Division, Yoriichi looked back at Kisuke Urahara and let out a long sigh,
"But it's not all bad news; those Rukongai residents who were misled by Rinshiro Tsukishima have been successfully rescued."
"At the same time, because Rangiku appeared suddenly, several high-ranking members of the group were also captured in one fell swoop."
"Although one leader escaped, as long as he is still within the Three Realms, the day will come when he is caught."
"Let's go to the Gotei 13."
Yoriichi adjusted his collar, "The Captain-Commander will probably be furious again this time."
This was inevitable; as things stood, the Soul King's bone marrow was more threatening than his left or right hand.
Assuming he could convert ten Fullbringers every day, that would be thirty thousand people in ten years.
Even if these thirty thousand were all cannon fodder, and even if he couldn't convert them daily, after twenty or thirty years...
It would still be enough to cause immeasurable damage to the Seireitei.
...
Gotei 13.
The atmosphere was as oppressive as ever. Yoriichi Tsugikuni stood among the ranks, suddenly remembering that the last time they had a meeting like this was ten years ago.
However, unlike last time, the situation this time was not particularly urgent; resolving it within ten years would not pose a major problem.
However… it was better to be as quick as possible; the longer it dragged on, the more variables there would be.
Thump thump.
Yamamoto Genryusai slowly walked in, leaning on his staff.
He stood at the head of the table.
He first took the Ninth Division's report from Chojiro Sasakibe and read it carefully, then suddenly gripped his staff tightly and cursed, "Bastard!"
Of course, this angry curse was not directed at the Ninth Division.
Instead…
Yamamoto raised his eyebrows, staring at a certain person with piercing eyes:
"Kyōraku Shunsui, didn't you solemnly promise Old Man that the disappearance of these Rukongai residents was just a minor matter?"
"Why is it now that even the Soul King's bone marrow has appeared?"
"Explain, what is a minor matter?"
He now wanted to furiously throw the documents in his hand to the ground to vent the anger in his heart.
If it weren't for the Eighth Division's assurance back then, he wouldn't have entrusted this seemingly simple task to the Ninth Division.
If he had known earlier that the mastermind was so special and troublesome, he would have sent Chojiro Sasakibe to thoroughly purge the group of villains to eliminate future troubles.
How could the leader have escaped?
Of course, the two Shinigami dispatched by the Ninth Division, Matsumoto Rangiku and Ichimaru Gin, being weaker was also one of the reasons.
But they were still young and had room to grow, so Yamamoto Genryusai did not blame them.
After all, they were juniors, and their future was long.
Conversely, Kyōraku Shunsui, as a Captain, was in a completely different situation.
"Oh, Old Man Yama, you can't blame me entirely for this; District 62 is too remote."
Kyōraku Shunsui stood there, tilting his head slightly, a helpless smile on his face.
He reached up to adjust the straw hat on his head, as if trying to shield himself from Yamamoto Genryusai's piercing gaze,
"Even if the Eighth Division has informants in every Rukongai, it wouldn't be so extravagant as to send some outstanding informants to such a remote place."
"The incident happened so secretly; it's already quite remarkable that we were able to obtain intelligence and make corresponding preparations within a week."
"Not to mention, before actually making contact, who could have known that the so-called mastermind was actually a part of the Soul King?"
He sighed deeply, as if expressing immense helplessness and regret for this sudden turn of events,
"Of course, it's impossible to say no mistakes were made. As for the intelligence matters… you can handle them as you see fit."
"Even if my Captain position is revoked and given to someone else, there's no problem at all."
"I recommend Lisa-chan~"
His words were somewhat reckless, making Yamamoto Genryusai's beard bristle and his eyes widen in anger.
Knowing full well that a Captain's position could not be changed at such a critical moment, Kyōraku Shunsui still said such things…
He was clearly trying to take a break and avoid unknown risks.
Yamamoto Genryusai certainly wouldn't let him have his way, and he snorted heavily: "Do not mention this matter again."
"Let's get back to business. Regarding this apprehension mission, who among you is willing to take it on?"
His gaze swept over everyone again,
"Don't give Old Man any more excuses. This isn't the situation from last time."
Last time, they could say the mission was too dangerous, so the Captains were unwilling to take risks.
But this time was different; although it was only troublesome, someone had to take responsibility.
The Human World is vast, and it's almost impossible for a single Division to accurately find one person in the vast sea of humanity.
Not including Japan, if they ran to Europe or other countries, the trouble would be immense.
So, several Divisions must act together.
The Ninth Division must participate, as they are most familiar with this incident.
And the Eighth Division, whose intelligence work still needs to be followed up by them.
Besides that…
Yamamoto Genryusai's scrutinizing gaze once again swept over the Captains present.
These Captains were all shrewd individuals; they understood Yamamoto Genryusai's implied meaning in just a few words, so they remained silent for the time being.
They believed that two Divisions were enough, at most it would take a few more years…
Anyway, as long as he was in the Three Realms, he would eventually be found.
However.
Yamamoto Genryusai did not comply with their wishes at all. His scrutinizing gaze fell on several people, as if seeing through their thoughts.
He said word by word, solemnly: "Second Division, Tenth Division, Thirteenth Division, it's you."
"As Captains, you must cooperate as much as possible with the Eighth Division and Ninth Division… Be sure to dispatch personnel to assist them in investigating this matter!"
At these words, the three Captains were all startled.
Yoruichi Shihouin clicked her tongue, a hint of unwillingness on her face, feeling troubled and wanting to refuse on the spot.
However, Yamamoto Genryusai seemed unwilling to waste any more words.
He forcefully tapped his staff and snorted coldly again:
"Silence! This matter is not open for refusal."
"It's merely an investigation mission. If you're unwilling to do even small things on a daily basis, what if a major event like an enemy invasion of Seireitei occurs…"
"Will you also shirk responsibility repeatedly like this today?!"
"Truly disgraceful!"
"Go act."
"Don't make Old Man say it a second time."
...
The meeting ended, but Yamamoto Genryusai's oppressive voice still echoed in their ears.
Shiba Isshin stood under the eaves of the Gotei 13, his head bowed, and sighed heavily.
He really didn't understand why his Tenth Division also had to participate in this investigation mission.
On the surface, there was no connection at all, right?
Perhaps the Captain-Commander felt he was too idle?
That was also possible.
Due to the improvement in living conditions in Rukongai in recent years, the opportunities for their patrol teams to play a role had greatly diminished.
Before, they were often responsible for escorting criminals, just like the Ninth Division.
"Times have changed; the changes in just a few decades are like those of several centuries in the past."
"If it continues to develop like this, my Tenth Division won't be merged into other Divisions, will it?"
Thinking carefully, this was not impossible. The purpose of the Tenth Division was to combat crime.
Their duties overlapped to some extent with the Ninth Division.
But their scope of jurisdiction was undoubtedly more complex, for example, they also handled disputes like quarrels.
Nowadays, these disputes have at least sharply decreased by over 50% compared to decades ago.
To make matters worse, the number of Shinigami in the Tenth Division was continuously increasing…
Shiba Isshin felt a pang of anxiety. In truth, these developments were beneficial for the peace of the Soul Society.
But the problem was, if the Tenth Division disappeared and merged with other divisions, what would become of him, their Captain?
Once he lost his position and influence as Captain, the Shiba branch family would inevitably decline rapidly.
This was a situation he absolutely did not want to see.
Therefore, he had to perform well on this mission.
Just as Shiba Isshin was lost in his thoughts, footsteps approached from ahead.
He looked up and saw Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Yoruichi Shihouin, and Kisuke Urahara slowly walking towards him.
Their conversation drifted into Shiba Isshin's ears.
It sounded like they were discussing how to resolve the mission.
"Yo, Captain Shiba, long time no see!"
Yoruichi Shihouin was the first to notice Shiba Isshin's presence, and she warmly greeted him.
Although they had seen each other at the meeting just now, in reality, the two had very little interaction over the past few decades, as their families had no close ties.
Now, by a stroke of luck, they were reunited because of this mission, and Yoruichi Shihouin naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip away.
"Come join us, Captain Shiba. This mission is not to be underestimated; one careless mistake could destroy the entire Soul Society."
"To put it bluntly, the Soul King's marrow on the enemy is like an uncontrollable plague."
"Yoriichi, Kisuke, and I are discussing how to contain this plague."
"Captain Shiba, do you have any ideas?"
"Even a small one would help."
Coincidentally,
Shiba Isshin had no ideas at all.
When he usually carried out missions, he basically just used Getsuga Tensho against enemies, and if Getsuga Tensho didn't work, he'd just use Getsuga again.
Eventually, he would eliminate the enemy, and he also had his Bankai.
He had originally intended to use the same old tricks against this enemy who possessed the Soul King's marrow.
Suddenly being asked to offer insights... Shiba Isshin pondered for a few seconds, then nodded and said:
"If it's a plague, we'd definitely have to start from the source, right?"
"I heard the Ninth Division previously captured many high-ranking members of the 'God' cult."
"Did you learn the true identity of the so-called Soul King's marrow from them?"
"Like its name or something?"
He looked at Yoriichi, his gaze filled with inquiry.
Yoriichi thought for a moment, then nodded lightly:
"Indeed, we did learn his name, though we're not sure if it's his real name."
"His name is Shuji Yagami, and his dream is to become the new god of the Soul Society, which is why he spares no effort in recruiting subordinates and expanding his influence."
"According to the captives we apprehended, his abilities include, but are not limited to, infusing spiritual pressure, siphoning spiritual pressure, and also spatial manipulation."
"Considering he is a Fullbringer, he might possess more than just the Soul King's marrow within him."
"So this spatial manipulation ability is very likely independent of the Soul King's marrow."
"It's with this ability that he was able to successfully escape from the Soul Society."
"Spatial manipulation?" Hearing this, Shiba Isshin's eyes widened slightly; this was no small matter.
No matter the ability, strong or weak, anything involving space was extremely terrifying.
Also, what was this about siphoning and bestowing spiritual pressure?
The latter was easier to understand.
The former...
"No need to worry, Captain Shiba. The fact that we are discussing this means we have a way to deal with him."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni seemed to understand the confusion in Shiba Isshin's emotions, and he calmly explained,
"As for his ability to manipulate space, we simply need to seal off the surrounding space, which the Twelfth Division can easily accomplish."
"As for siphoning and bestowing spiritual pressure, we can avoid that by not making close contact with him."
"According to a cult member, he can strip others of their spiritual pressure and then bestow it upon other people."
"We don't know the upper limit of this ability, but given that it's the Soul King's power, it's best not to get close."
"Getsuga Tensho is very suitable for this mission."
"I think this might be why the Captain-Commander arranged for the Tenth Division to participate as well."
"After all, in the current Seireitei, there are very few Captains who possess long-range destructive abilities."
Indeed.
Leaving aside the confidential Bankai that cannot be used in the Human World, there are basically very few Zanpakuto whose Shikai possess both destructive power and mobility.
It's not that a Captain's sword must have destructive power.
Like Kuchiki Byakuya.
His Shikai, Senbonzakura, can at most only injure enemies of the same level.
In contrast, Getsuga Tensho can directly cut an enemy in half.
Shiba Isshin nodded thoughtfully. If that was the case, it made sense, and he felt a little more at ease.
As long as it wasn't because the Tenth Division had nothing to do.
Exhaling, temporarily putting aside his worries, the four continued to discuss the mission.
Soon, it was the day to organize the team members to enter the Human World and begin their investigation.
...
"Karakura Town is my responsibility; it happens to be my main base here."
Kisuke Urahara, wearing his Captain's haori, stood in the air and said to the Captains beside him,
"I remember there are quite a few Fullbringers here in Karakura Town. Perhaps we can try to activate their powers to help us locate the target."
"That Fullbringer named Shuji Yagami will certainly not easily abandon his ambition to attack the Soul Society."
"So, if the number of Fullbringers suddenly increases significantly in a certain area, then that place is very likely to have a problem."
Saying this, Kisuke Urahara took out some items from his person and distributed them to everyone.
After his explanation, everyone learned that these were spiritual pressure detection instruments developed by the Twelfth Division, incorporating the investigative nerves found in Hollows.
Compared to the previous spiritual pressure detectors used by the Soul Society for Hollows, this instrument was more refined and advanced.
It could detect the spiritual pressure of different groups, including Humans, Hollows, Shinigami, Quincy, and Fullbringers.
Furthermore, it would distinguish them with different colors, similar to spirit threads, making it clear at a glance and very convenient.
Shiba Isshin took the instrument and nodded lightly, indicating that he would go to Naruki City to investigate.
Yoriichi chose a place even further away from Naruki City.
And Yoruichi Shihouin simply picked a random area.
She didn't believe they could catch that guy so easily anyway.
If it were her, during the time the Soul Society was deploying, she would have already fled abroad.
However, she also knew that even if Shuji Yagami couldn't be found for now, it didn't matter.
After all, that guy harbored the ambition to become a god, and a god couldn't hide in the shadows forever.
So, even if they left him alone for now, in ten or twenty years, he would inevitably reappear.
By then, as long as they were fully prepared and executed a decapitation strike, all problems would be solved.
"Everyone, good luck."
"The Eighth Division has also dispatched some personnel into the Human World, infiltrating human society, and some have even reached the Western Branch."
"Although normally the eastern and western territories don't interfere with each other, the current situation is critical, and we can't afford to be so concerned."
"If the Western Branch is breached by the enemy first, then the entire Three Realms will fall into danger..."
Kisuke Urahara continued to explain the overall situation to everyone.
After the explanation was complete, everyone quickly dispersed, heading towards their designated targets.
For a time, the sky above the Human World gradually returned to calm, as if it were the brief tranquility before an impending storm.
...
At the same time, Shuji Yagami, who had chosen to flee after being discovered by the Shinigami, felt a surge of panic.
He looked around, feeling as if he was being watched by something.
To test the Shinigami's current level of vigilance towards him, and also to prevent the Shinigami from pursuing him,
he came up with a plan and decided to send one of his subordinates back to the Soul Society first.
Then, as expected, something went wrong.
Under the arrangement of nearly ten thousand Shinigami,
in less than half an hour,
the subordinate was captured alive.
"!"
Shocked, Shuji Yagami was speechless. He had no idea how he had been exposed.
He had been so careful and cautious; in his original plan, he wasn't supposed to act officially for another ten years or so.
By then, with tens of thousands of troops, overthrowing the Seireitei would have been as easy as turning over his hand.
Now, look.
Forget about overthrowing.
Even self-preservation was difficult.
"Which useless guy was it? It seems I can't stay in Japan anymore."
"The Soul Society has arranged so many people, there's no reason the Human World wouldn't have them..."
"Damn it."
Shuji Yagami gritted his teeth, hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly pulled out a notebook and a pen from his person, hastily scribbling something on it.
After he finished writing, there was no visible change on the surface.
But in reality, in the Soul Society, the subordinate surrounded by the Shinigami suddenly bled from all seven orifices and died on the spot.
This sudden scene greatly frightened the Shinigami present, who thought he had taken some potent poison beforehand.
"My apologies, but you took my seed and became a part of me."
"Since you no longer have any value, please be generous and die."
Shuji Yagami muttered to himself, a trace of coldness and determination flashing in his eyes.
He looked at the contents of the notebook and abruptly closed it.
About three seconds later, his figure vanished into thin air.
As a Fullbringer, Shuji Yagami's ability was not spatial manipulation, but rather the granting of wishes.
No matter how absurd the wish, as long as it was written down, it would be granted immediately after three seconds.
Of course, this ability was not without a price.
For every wish granted, he had to sacrifice a part of his body in exchange.
Either hair, or a small piece of a fingernail; in short, it was painless and inconsequential.
Even if he wished for harm to others' lives,
under the influence of his special constitution, he could fully recover within half a day and regrow any lost body parts.
In the past, Shuji Yagami rarely used this ability.
He only occasionally used it to develop some followers, and then used their lives to achieve his goal of killing people.
—Of course, those he killed were, in his eyes, evildoers, and some of his followers were also evildoers.
There were too many of these guys; he couldn't kill them all with his own physical body alone.
Until one day, he accidentally encountered a Shinigami.
The appearance of the Shinigami completely overturned his original worldview.
Shuji Yagami could not accept that after those evildoers died, they could continue to exist in the afterlife.
Thus, he made a wish to go to the afterlife.
As usual, this wish was successfully granted.
Then...
Shuji Yagami completely failed to understand why, under the rule of the Shinigami, there were still evildoers appearing?
In his opinion, there was only one possibility, and that was—the Shinigami were inactive.
They had not fulfilled their duties; they were unworthy of being gods!
Once this seemingly rebellious thought appeared, his actions became uncontrollable.
Subsequently, an even bolder ambition quietly formed in his heart.
—He wanted to become a god!
A god who transcended the Shinigami!
If there was no justice in the world, then he would become justice!
With this... he would re-establish order in that chaotic Soul Society.