Chapter 64: Meeting You Is No Different From the Creation of the World |
Yeruashi strode through the shattered streets of the Seireitei, holding little Rukia by the hand, while Hisana, Nelliel, and Lilith followed close behind.
Soi Fon remained suspended in the air nearby, her gaze distant and lost as she watched Yeruashi's retreating figure, as if she still couldn't wrap her mind around what had just happened. She only snapped out of her trance several seconds later when she noticed Yeruashi looking back at her.
Regaining her composure, Soi Fon drifted gracefully to the ground before him. After a momentary hesitation, she offered a respectful greeting. "I greet the esteemed King of Hollows."
Yeruashi paused and smirked, as if struck by an amusing thought. He turned his attention toward her. "Whom do you serve, Shaolin?"
Soi Fon was merely a codename, passed down through the lower noble Fon family for generations; her true name was Shaolin.
Ever since she had inherited the title from her grandmother, no one had addressed her by her birth name. The sound of it coming from Yeruashi's lips made her uneasy, but she quickly recovered and answered the question. "I serve Yoruichi-sama, the twenty-second head of the Shihoin clan."
Yeruashi nodded in satisfaction and pressed further. "And what of the Shihoin clan?"
Soi Fon fell into a state of bewilderment. Hearing his second question, she whispered in a trembling voice, "The Shihoin clan serves... the King."
As one of the Four Noble Families of the Soul Society, with representation in the Central 46 and one of the highest statuses in the Seireitei, the Shihoin clan possessed absolute loyalty to the King—for it was he who had granted them their prestige.
In the past, she had sworn an identical oath to Yoruichi-sama...
Because of this, Soi Fon found it nearly impossible to control her emotions at this moment.
As the King of Hollows, Yeruashi held a supreme and unshakable status, identical to that of the Soul King.
On the day she took her oath, she had pledged her loyalty not only to Yoruichi-sama but to the two sovereign kings of the world.
That meant...
According to that oath, her loyalty belonged to Yeruashi just as much as it did to Yoruichi-sama!
In the past, Soi Fon had often thought that under no circumstances would she ever give her loyalty to Yeruashi, believing it belonged entirely to Yoruichi-sama.
She could never have imagined that the twists of fate could be so extraordinary and unpredictable.
Yeruashi stepped forward and gently lifted Soi Fon's chin with the tip of his finger. A playful smile danced on his lips as he spoke slowly. "Then... continue to follow Yoruichi."
With those words, Yeruashi walked leisurely past her. He tilted his head toward the sky and gave a graceful wave of his right hand.
Whoosh!
Following that motion, a golden radiance lit up the sky above the Seireitei. It quickly took the form of a transparent pillar of light, enveloping Yeruashi, Nelliel, and the others.
Rumble!
Then, the small plot of land they stood upon lifted smoothly into the air, encased within the transparent column that bridged the heavens and the earth.
Soi Fon, Yoruichi, Aizen...
The eyes of every Captain in the Gotei 13 were fixed on Yeruashi as he ascended toward the sky within that golden glow.
Yeruashi let his gaze sweep over Retsu Unohana, Yoruichi Shihoin, Sosuke Aizen, Yamamoto Genryusai, and the rest. Then, his figure vanished into the sky above the Seireitei amidst a ripple in space.
The Captains of the Gotei 13 only turned their eyes away from the heavens once the golden light had completely dissipated, long after Yeruashi's presence had faded.
An absolute silence reigned over the Seireitei for a time, until Ichibei Hyosube spoke up, patting his bald head. "It's time for us to return as well. Handle the rest on your own, Shigekuni... Come, Isshin Shiba."
"Right... Understood!"
Isshin Shiba had been in a daze when the leader of the Zero Division addressed him, but he recovered quickly and nodded politely. He then led the members of the Zero Division toward the Shiba clan's grounds.
Yeruashi could open a spatial rift to the Soul King Palace at will, but the members of the Zero Division did not enjoy such luxury. To return, they needed to launch a Heavenly Pillar into the sky using the Shiba clan's specialized cannon...
Yamamoto Genryusai silently watched the Zero Division depart before turning to the Captains of the Gotei 13. "Begin the damage assessment."
"Sir!"
Sosuke Aizen and the other Captains stole one last glance at the spot where Yeruashi had vanished before dispersing to carry out the Commander-General's orders.
Only Yoruichi Shihoin remained standing alone amidst the ruins of the Second Division headquarters.
Whish...
Not only did she have the closest relationship with Yeruashi among all the Shinigami of the Gotei 13, but she had also been completely oblivious to his true identity... and what had she received in return?
"..."
The total destruction of the Second Division's barracks!
It seemed...
Her close acquaintance with the mythical King of Hollows had backfired spectacularly!
What a complete disaster!
*
Within the small dimension of the Soul King Palace, a spatial ripple appeared, like the surface of a calm lake being disturbed.
Shortly after, Yeruashi stepped out of the ripple directly at the main entrance of the palace, still leading little Rukia by his side.
Lilith appeared behind them first, followed by Nelliel and Hisana.
Initially, Yeruashi had hesitated about bringing Hisana and Rukia to the Soul King Palace. Ultimately, he decided it was better not to constantly travel back and forth between the Seireitei and the palace for Hisana's treatment. After all, he was the King of Hollows.
Upon returning, Yeruashi paused and stroked his chin thoughtfully. 'Did we damage the Second Division's headquarters a bit much? Forget it, it's not like I'm going back now...'
Yeruashi had enjoyed his time with Yoruichi and Soi Fon during his service in the Second Division, but he realized that showing them special treatment after taking Lilith, Nelliel, Rukia, and Hisana to the palace might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
If the residents of the Seireitei mistook him for some kind of pervert with a preference for cute lolis, they might start 'sacrificing' young girls to the King every year...
While Yeruashi was certain many beautiful women would be willing to serve the irresistible and majestic King of Hollows of their own accord, he still didn't want to be misunderstood!
Whoosh!
Yeruashi stepped forward, looking toward the highest point of the Soul King Palace, and clenched his right hand against the empty air.
In response to that gesture, about a hundred Divine Soldiers flew out from the Greater Soul King Palace toward them.
The soldiers looked around in bewilderment, trying to grasp what was happening, before bowing respectfully to the King of Hollows.
Ignoring their presence, Yeruashi pressed his palms together.
Whoosh!!!
The Greater Soul King Palace dissolved into countless tiny particles of Reishi, which swirled together to form a massive sphere.
Then, the Reishi scattered, coalescing into different materials and shapes until a brand-new palace stood in its place.
"King of Hollows... you..."
The Divine Soldiers were stunned by the sudden transformation.
Yeruashi lowered his hands and spoke calmly once the reconstruction was complete. "There is no need for such a commotion. From this day forward, I am not only the King of Hollows, but the Soul King as well."
As he spoke, he waved his arms, connecting the new palace to the main entrance, which took the form of a semi-circular stone plaza.
Then Yeruashi walked forward unhurriedly, leading little Rukia, who was currently in a state of shock and detachment, much like Hisana.
Neither Rukia nor Hisana truly understood the root of the conflict between Yeruashi and the Gotei 13 Captains, but they were beginning to grasp the magnitude of the situation.
The Soul Society... had a supreme king.
Ordinary souls living in the various districts of the Rukongai might be entirely unaware of this fact. However, Rukia and Hisana, having lived at the Second Division headquarters for several years and frequently interacting with Yoruichi and Soi Fon, were well aware of it.
Furthermore, Hisana loved to read, and thanks to Yeruashi's position, she had access to an extensive library. She was well-versed in the history of the Soul Society, including its creation by the two supreme kings approximately a million years ago.
"Mr. Yeruashi..."
Hisana followed him hesitantly at first, then stopped again, her voice trembling as she struggled to maintain her composure.
Yeruashi paused and turned his head, smiling carefree at the worried Hisana. "Stop worrying over nothing. What has happened hasn't changed who I am in the slightest."
"How could it... not change anything..."
His words helped Hisana regain a bit of her sanity, but her voice continued to shake violently.
The King of Hollows!
The Soul King!
The two supreme kings who created this world a million years ago! Without even realizing it, she had lived side-by-side with such a being for years...
Yeruashi had always held an exalted and noble status in Hisana's eyes, but she had never dreamed that his true standing was so unimaginably high!
The gap between her assumptions and reality was simply too vast—beyond comprehension!
One could say the distance between them was as wide as the world itself...
An ordinary soul and a supreme king—there was no greater disparity in status.
"To be perfectly honest, my participation in the creation of this world and my meeting you were both simple coincidences, or perhaps the whims of fate..."
Yeruashi gave a carefree smile. "Therefore, from my perspective, there is absolutely no difference between those two events."
Nelliel closed her eyes and sank into thought, trying to grasp the essence of his words. According to that logic, her own meeting with the King of Hollows was no different from the creation of the world, because both were nothing more than simple coincidences.
Perhaps it was because from Yeruashi's point of view, even the creation or destruction of a world was a mundane occurrence, no different from a chance encounter on the street...
Just as a person walking down a road feels no difference whether they see a white or a red flower blooming by the wayside.
Nelliel looked at Yeruashi with a mixture of awe and reverence, thinking that only a sublime and omnipotent being like the King of Hollows could truly understand such a truth.