"Aizen, Kyōraku Shunsui, you have crossed the line..."
Ichibē Hyōsube sat cross-legged, both hands casually resting on his knees. Within those bright and spirited eyes was a trace of sharpness: "Even if the heavens outside collapse, as long as Lord Soul King has not issued an order to summon you, you are not permitted to intrude into the Soul Realm without authorization."
As he spoke.
A towering and magnificent aura spread through heaven and earth like ocean tides.
At this moment, Ichibē Hyōsube's figure was infinitely elevated in the eyes of the two men, like a towering mountain reaching into the clouds.
As rolling cloud currents surged, the sky trembled on the verge of collapse amid exploding wind and thunder. Above the jade-white Omotesandō, it seemed as though a giant dragon was stirring the seas of clouds in all directions. The Reishi within several hundred zhang suddenly exploded and trembled, emitting a high-pitched sound like a dragon's roar.
Hualala——!
Waves of violent fierce wind roared like tsunami tides.
Even Aizen and Kyōraku Shunsui, currently the strongest among the elites, still found it difficult to withstand Ichibē Hyōsube's aura. Rare traces of solemnity appeared on the faces of the two men, their clothing fluttering wildly in the fierce wind as they were forced back several steps.
"This matter concerns something extremely important."
Spiritual power surged around Kyōraku Shunsui as he forcefully withstood that thick and majestic aura and took a large step forward, solemnly saying: "The Human World is about to face annihilation. We absolutely must have an audience with the Soul King. Please show leniency, sir!"
"I will say this one final time, go back!"
Ichibē Hyōsube's gaze was like blades, his voice like thunder shaking the heavens: "Lord Soul King currently has an urgent matter at hand. Without Lord Soul King's direct decree, no one may intrude into the Soul Realm. If you still dare behave presumptuously, then do not blame this old man for taking action!"
Anyone could see that the monk was truly enraged.
A gigantic brush as tall as a man had already been grasped in Ichibē Hyōsube's hand. Vast spiritual power surged like a breached flood, crashing against the two people on the Omotesandō.
"Did something happen to the Soul King?"
Seeing the monk's abnormal behavior, Aizen thought slightly, then his expression changed faintly as he frowned and asked: "If the Soul King were still in the Soul King Palace, there should be no reason to reject our request for an audience."
"Ichibē... is it true?" Kyōraku Shunsui was by no means a foolish person. After Aizen's reminder, he immediately thought about how the Soul King had not appeared for a long time recently. Moreover... that sudden palpitation from earlier made him even more certain of this guess.
"The Soul King is unharmed."
Ichibē Hyōsube expressionlessly coldly said: "I will say this one last time. Leave the Soul Realm immediately. Otherwise, according to the rules established by Lord Soul King, even if I kill the two of you here, I will not receive any punishment."
The two exchanged glances and separately saw a trace of shock in each other's eyes.
Their guess had indeed been correct. Something truly had happened to the Soul King, and he was absolutely not inside the Soul King Palace right now. Otherwise, Ichibē Hyōsube would not be this nervous.
Aizen instantly guessed something, his eyes turning cold: "Ichibē Hyōsube, could it be that you did something to the Soul King..."
The moment these words came out, Kyōraku Shunsui's expression drastically changed, likewise associating it with a certain possibility.
Among all the people resurrected by the Soul King, perhaps everyone chose different forms of loyalty, but they still more or less acknowledged each other.
Only Ichibē Hyōsube's stance caused everyone to feel deep suspicion.
The reason was simple.
Among the five great noble clans that originally participated in dismembering the Soul King, Ichibē Hyōsube had been one of them.
Independent from the ancestors of the five great noble clans, he was someone who had lived through unknown ages and still existed to this day, a person who knew all the truth.
"You all... are seeking death."
Ichibē Hyōsube slowly rose while supporting his knees. Naked killing intent was no longer concealed in his eyes, and fury seeped from his thick voice: "Squad Zero's duty is to protect the Soul King. This point has never changed from beginning to end. We... have never once thought of imprisoning or killing the Soul King!"
These words sounded extremely sincere. One could even hear the genuine meaning within them.
But unfortunately... the person speaking was wrong.
If these words had come from anyone else, perhaps Aizen and Kyōraku Shunsui would not have found them discordant.
But coming from Ichibē Hyōsube's mouth, the credibility was nearly equal to zero. It only made them feel he was lying.
"Don't you think it's ironic for those words to come from your mouth?"
Aizen drew the Zanpakutō at his waist, icy killing intent flowing within his eyes: "If the Soul King is truly fine, then let us witness it with our own eyes."
"Aizen Sōsuke, are you planning to force your way into the Soul King Palace?"
Ichibē Hyōsube's gaze was cold, his rough voice suddenly sinking: "I already said just now that Lord Soul King is unharmed."
"Then produce evidence, Ichibē." Kyōraku Shunsui drew his twin blades. Although he was unwilling to wage war, the seriousness of this matter had already far exceeded expectations. The Soul King's safety surpassed everything else, and they absolutely had to witness it with their own eyes before feeling at ease.
"..."
Ichibē Hyōsube fell silent.
He wanted to produce evidence, but the key issue was that he had none!
The Soul King had suddenly disappeared on Xandar, and his whereabouts were still unknown to this day. If this sort of matter spread out, it would easily cause chaos in the other two worlds.
Especially the ambition of Aizen Sōsuke was something impossible to feel reassured about.
But if it were only this, he would not necessarily need to worry too much.
Aizen Sōsuke, who had yet to become a Transcendent, was not worth him spending too much concern on. Although Kyōka Suigetsu's ability was strong, he was not afraid of it in the slightest. Even if Kyōraku Shunsui were added as well, he could still suppress them with a flip of his hand.
The one who truly made him uneasy was someone else entirely.
From the fragments described by Unohana Retsu, the Soul King had been ambushed from behind by a man wearing a multicolored robe and a golden double crown while caught off guard. That was how he disappeared without a trace.
This meant that..... someone had targeted the Soul King.
Perhaps even that trip to Xandar had all been a trap laid out in advance, deliberately luring the Soul King over.
Without clearly understanding the enemy's background, Ichibē Hyōsube did not dare act rashly. He could only disguise things as though the Soul King were still within the Soul Realm. On one hand, this was used to deceive the enemy hidden in the dark. On the other hand, he could secretly investigate information about the enemy.
But the arrival of Aizen and Kyōraku Shunsui had broken his plan.
Ichibē Hyōsube even suspected that the enemy intended to use this method to confirm whether the Soul King was truly still present.
"Ichibē, could it be that you really..."
Seeing him remain silent for a long time, Kyōraku Shunsui's heart gradually sank.
"Looks like today we will have to force our way through no matter what."
A trace of anger brewed deep within Aizen's eyes as terrifying spiritual power fluctuations radiated downward from his blade.
Kyōraku Shunsui remained silent, seemingly agreeing with Aizen's proposal. His arms lowered as the twin blades slanted toward the ground. Surging spiritual power blew away his patterned haori, and his black ponytail rose high into the air.
"Bankai: Fūsui Shibari!"
"Bankai: Katen Kyōkotsu Karamatsu Shinjū!"
"Stop——!!!"
Just as the two were about to release Bankai, a figure stepped out from the Soul King Palace. That majestic and solemn voice descended from the nine heavens like a great bell.
The three men were slightly startled and looked up into the sky.
A man walked down invisible stairs, golden long hair hanging over his shoulders. A pair of glasses rested upon his tall nose bridge, while green pupils revealed cold indifference. His temperament resembled that of a noble and sacred angel.