In that moment, the truth of the world became completely clear.
No one raised any objections.
This was a story told by someone who had personally lived through it, and none of the nobles present refuted a single word of it. That alone proved the truth was not in question.
For a while, everyone was at a loss for words.
Their expressions grew particularly complicated.
They had never imagined that the Spirit King, whom they had respected—and even worshiped as a god—was, in reality, nothing more than a sacrificed victim betrayed by others.
The current Three Realms…
Were all built upon the Spirit King's flesh and blood.
Even after countless ages had passed, they were still feeding on the Spirit King's body.
You could say that everyone present carried original sin on their shoulders, because all of them had been born thanks to the Spirit King's sacrifice.
And the founders of the five great noble clans, the ones who had done all of this…
Had used power, wealth, authority, and glory to deceive the entire world.
Then relied on those things to rule that world for endless ages.
With that thought, everyone looked toward the nobles standing among them, a different light in their eyes.
Noble families whose halo of glory had just vanished…
Were they traitors?
Or heroes?
Did they really still have the right to rule Soul Society?
Yoruichi and the others looked extremely awkward; even the perpetually stoic-faced Byakuya looked a little ugly.
Isshin coughed twice and said, "Our clan's founder was a good guy, you know. He never planned to go along with those few."
Seeing Isshin trying to slip away at this timing, Yoruichi gave him a vicious glare.
"This was something all five founders did together. Don't even think about running from it. And in the end, they were still thinking about the world as a whole."
No one wanted an absolute god to exist.
In that sense, the five founders killing the Spirit King could be considered understandable.
After all, even without the Spirit King's will, the Three Realms were still stable and peaceful, and the cycle of life was running unusually smoothly.
The Shinigami present couldn't help letting out a long, deep sigh at those words.
The age of the Spirit King was too far away, even for long-lived beings like them.
On top of that…
The reasons for betraying and stabbing the Spirit King in the back were something they simply had no way to judge.
Because they didn't know what would happen to a world that gave birth to a god with absolute power.
Maybe it would become better.
Maybe it would become worse.
Thinking about it carefully, they realized they had no right at all to pass judgment on the actions of the five noble founders.
And because of that, all they could do was accept this reality.
To go on living in a world that had been created upon the Spirit King's sacrifice.
And at the same time…
Continue to bear that sin.
Ichibe didn't notice what the Shinigami were thinking. He stared at the Spirit King with deep emotion, as if reminiscing about something.
"In that age, all phenomena existed at once, but everything was vague and indistinct," he said quietly.
"Life and death both meant nothing. There was no progression, and no retreat."
"But it was as if the world itself rejected that state of being… for a single life was born. That life was the Spirit King."
"Even after endless ages have passed, the continuation of the world still depends on the existence of the Spirit King."
Saying this, Ichibe lifted his head, his gaze turning cold as he swept it over everyone present.
"That is why I will use my life to protect the Spirit King. I will not allow him to suffer even the slightest injury."
Everyone let out a deep breath when they heard that.
They understood what Ichibe meant.
He wasn't protecting the Spirit King's freedom—he was protecting the Spirit King's existence.
Even if the Spirit King's limbs had been chopped off…
Even if his organs had been dug out…
Even if he had been turned into a living, mutilated husk and sealed within that blue crystal—
He would still protect the Spirit King's life.
Because the Spirit King's life was the Three Realms themselves.
Aizen was silent for a moment. Then he took a deep breath, looked at the Spirit King inside the blue crystal, and asked in an unusually grave tone:
"Ichibe… if the Spirit King dies, what will happen to the world?"
Ichibe had said earlier that the founders of the five great noble clans had used the Spirit King's power to create the current Three Realms.
Even now, the Spirit King still remained in a state between life and death, maintaining his role as the "wedge" that held the Three Realms together.
If that wedge vanished…
What kind of changes would occur?
Aizen had a bad premonition about this.
Cole let out a small laugh and glanced at Aizen.
"Aizen, for someone so clever, you really couldn't figure that much out?"
"Human… what did you say?"
Aizen glared at Cole, face dark.
A mere brat who hadn't even lived twenty years had no right to mock a Shinigami who had lived for centuries.
Cole didn't argue with him. He simply looked toward the Spirit King and said calmly, "Isn't the answer already obvious?"
"The founders of the five great clans stole the Spirit King's power and used it to create the life-cycle system of the Three Realms."
"But they didn't kill the Spirit King. Instead, they kept him in this state to maintain his role as the 'wedge'."
"That proves they couldn't become an existence like the Spirit King just by taking his power."
"In other words, if the Spirit King dies, the power he uses to maintain the Three Realms will disappear as well. And what will happen to the Three Realms then?"
As he said this, Cole slowly exhaled.
"The world would collapse. Just like countless ages ago, everything would return to chaos… until it was all completely destroyed."
Cold sweat beaded on the foreheads of the Shinigami present.
They couldn't help looking toward Ichibe.
If the Spirit King died…
Would it really have such a disastrous impact?
Under their gazes, Ichibe slowly nodded.
"You're right. If the Spirit King dies, the world will become exactly as you described—perhaps even worse than it was in those ancient days."
Everyone drew in a sharp breath.
They had never imagined that the seemingly solid system of the Three Realms could be so fragile.
The life or death of the entire world was tied to one person.
As long as that one person died…
The whole world would be buried with him.
Aizen's face turned ugly. He looked at Ichibe and ground out:
"So… is it because, after the Spirit King dies, the Three Realms will collapse and the world will return to the state it was in before—hollows devouring humans until the strongest hollow is born?"
If that were the only danger, he felt he might still have a way.
He was the foremost researcher of hollows, after all.
In this world…
There was hardly anyone who understood hollows better than he did.
He could create a special hollow and then let that hollow—
"Not just that…"
Ichibe shook his head, ready to explain things to Aizen in detail—when his expression suddenly changed. He shouted:
"Don't you dare!!!"
He glared furiously at the Arrancar who had suddenly rushed toward the Spirit King at extreme speed. It was none other than Barraggan Luisenbarn, now in his Shinigami-like form.
The former king of Hueco Mundo had flames of madness and greed blazing in his eyes.
The black mist that signified decay boiled around his body.
His white, skeletal right arm gripped a black battle-axe whose handle was formed by golden chains.
He threw all his strength into swinging that axe at the blue crystal.
He had understood it.
In this world, the strongest species should have been hollows.
Because all forms of life were food for hollows, until the very end, when the most powerful hollow of all was born—
A hollow that devoured the entire world.
The hollow that filled the "hole" in the world itself.
If he killed the Spirit King, then with his power, there was a very good chance that he could become that world-devouring hollow.
When that time came…
He could crush Aizen as easily as stepping on an ant.
Thinking that, Barraggan could barely suppress the madness in his heart. He swung his axe with all his might.
"Rot away to the very limit!!!"
Starrk had originally wanted to stop him, but Barraggan was simply too fast.
All he could do was sigh and watch that retreating back helplessly.
"Has he gone crazy…?"
"This isn't Las Noches in Hueco Mundo. Any random Shinigami here has combat strength comparable to the Espada."
"Especially those ones from the Spirit King's Palace."
"Any one of them could obliterate an Espada in seconds."
In a place like this, Starrk truly had no idea where Barraggan's courage came from—to attack the Spirit King of all targets.
Tier Harribel said coldly,
"Idiot."
Ulquiorra added in a flat voice,
"Aizen-sama wouldn't approve of this either."
The moment Barraggan's axe came down, the Shinigami present all raised their right hands as one, extending their index fingers.
"Hadō no Yon: Byakurai (Way of Destruction Number Four: White Lightning)!"
Dozens of blinding white bolts shot across the sky like falling stars, reaching Barraggan in an instant.
The dazzling light enveloped him.
Even though his body was shrouded in the black mist of decay, he couldn't withstand that many Byakurai.
The rotting darkness was pierced through.
That terrifying skeletal body was shattered piece by piece.
As the former king of Hueco Mundo, the very symbol of death, Barraggan now felt a terrifying approach of his own death.
A hideous grimace twisted across his skull-like face.
He glared at Aizen and roared,
"Aizen!!!"
In the final instant, as his skull was about to be blown apart, Barraggan threw all the strength he had left into his arm.
He hurled the black battle-axe in his hand straight at Aizen.
But as the axe flew through the air, it slowly crumbled into black reishi and vanished.
It didn't even come close to hitting Aizen.
Because Barraggan's body…
Had already been blasted to dust and scattered ash.
Of course, this was just a minor incident.
After they finished Barraggan off, the Shinigami present didn't even spare his remaining bones a glance. They simply withdrew their gazes again.
Aizen looked at Ichibe and said coolly,
"Go on."
He still wanted to know exactly what consequences the Spirit King's death would bring.
Cole also turned toward Ichibe.
As for what would happen to the world after the Spirit King died, he didn't actually know the details either.
Ichibe nodded, unconcerned by the little interlude. He continued his explanation for everyone present.
Only the Arrancar stood there with complicated expressions, staring at the spot where Barraggan had vanished.
The dignified former king of Hueco Mundo…
Had died in such a pathetic way.
He hadn't even been worth a second look from those Shinigami.
Shinigami…
Were truly terrifying.
"If the Spirit King dies, there will be five possible effects."
"One: the hollow that devours everything. In the end, the entire world would become a single hollow."
"Two: the expansion of Hell. In the end, the entire world would be corroded and assimilated by Hell."
"Three: a dead and silent world. The biosphere of the world would wither for a long time… and might even disappear entirely."
"Four: the world's upheaval. The Three Realms would collapse because of this, merge into one, and fall into absolute chaos."
"Five: the Spirit King's power disperses. There is a high probability that a new Spirit King would appear… but it's also possible that one wouldn't."
After Ichibe finished, the faces of everyone present grew especially grim.
The consequences of the Spirit King's death…
Would absolutely be catastrophic for the world.
Five possibilities—any one of the first four could lead to the destruction of everything.
And the fifth wasn't exactly good news either.
After all, who could say whether the world would ever give birth to a new Spirit King?
Even if it did, the new Spirit King's own will and intentions had to be taken into account.
An all-knowing, all-powerful god…
Just existing might be enough to bring disaster.
"The hollow that devours everything… the expansion of Hell… a world that withers… the upheaval of the Three Realms… and the Spirit King's power fading away…"
Aizen recited the five possibilities, his expression turning darker and darker.
He understood.
Until these five issues were resolved…
He couldn't lay a hand on the Spirit King again.
His goal was to create an ideal world, not reduce it to ruins.
Seeing everyone fall silent, Shinji hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice,
"Um… so, none of you are asking, which means you all know what that 'Hell' actually is already?"
He might have been a former Seireitei captain.
And he had heard a little about Hell.
But he honestly had no idea how a place that took in sinners could possibly end up devouring the entire world.
Was Hell really that dangerous?
Cole found himself wondering the same thing. He looked toward Ichibe, hoping for an answer.
Ichigo, on the other hand, was the most straightforward. He clenched his fist and said,
"Hey, baldy, I've seen that 'Hell' you're talking about. Back in the World of the Living, a sinner's soul once called forth the Gates of Hell."
"Isn't that a good place?"
"Sinners get punished there, and the victims can feel relieved. Sounds great to me."
The Shinigami present all showed varying degrees of confusion at that.
To be honest, they didn't know much about Hell either, because Hell and Soul Society were completely separate systems.
Any sinner judged to be headed for Hell was beyond Soul Society's jurisdiction.
So even though there were two places that both received souls, there was a gulf between them that was hard to put into words.
No one knew what things were really like inside Hell.
Kyoraku scratched his head.
"I do know a little about it," he said. "It's a world of despair. Once you go in… there's no way out."
Yoruichi followed up immediately, adding a few more words.
"According to the intel passed down in our clan, Hell was born even earlier than the current Three Realms."
Everyone was shocked.
They hadn't expected Hell to have such an ancient history.
At that moment, Kisuke let out a sigh. He ruffled his hair in frustration and looked around at everyone.
"You guys… things have already gotten to this point. Is there really any need to keep hiding it?"
"Let's just tell them the truth about Hell."
(End of Chapter)
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