"Whether I'm still willing to fight for the Soul Reapers after knowing the truth?" Ichigo repeated the phrase. For some reason, he thought of Aizen, and a strange feeling crept into his heart. He quickly shook his head. "You're wrong, Mr. Urahara. I've never fought for any particular race or faction. I've always wanted to protect my family, my friends, and Karakura Town, where everyone lives. However, if I can learn the true cause of this war and find a way to resolve the conflict at its source, to completely end the feud between Soul Reapers and Quincy, that would be for the best."
After all, his mother was a Quincy, and Uryū Ishida was a Quincy. Ichigo disliked meaningless conflict. His goal now was to defeat the enemy's leader, the so-called King of the Quincy, and put a stop to this senseless war.
"Resolve the conflict? Before that, Mr. Kurosaki, do you know what kind of existence the 'Soul King' truly is?" Urahara asked with a faint smile.
"The Soul King? Isn't he the leader of all you Soul Reapers? And what's his stance on this war? Also, Aizen... why was he so obsessed with getting into the Soul King Palace and replacing the Soul King?" Ichigo was confused, but he was suddenly reminded of Aizen. The way Aizen had screamed at and condemned Urahara before being sealed was still fresh in his memory.
"The Soul King cannot be described simply as the leader of the Soul Reapers," Urahara sighed. "The Soul King was the first guardian to stand between humans and Hollows in the primordial, chaotic world that existed before this one—a world where the boundary between life and death did not even exist. He is the ancestor of all: Quincy, Soul Reapers, and Fullbringers. He was a Quincy, a Soul Reaper, a normal human, and possessed countless abilities like those of the Fullbringers. He was a symbol of hope, presiding over all things in that chaotic world."
"A Quincy, a Soul Reaper, a Fullbringer, and a normal human all at once?" Ichigo was stunned. He and the Soul King seemed to have a lot in common. His own father was a Soul Reaper, his mother a Quincy, and while acting as a Substitute Soul Reaper, he had also learned the power of Fullbring with Ginjō's help.
"In that era, countless eons ago, all things in the universe were ambiguous. There was neither life nor death, neither progress nor retreat. It was a world that merely swayed gently, slowly waiting for eons to cool. Even becoming a Hollow was part of the cycle of spiritual particles." Urahara calmly described the primordial world. "But eventually, Hollows began to devour humans. At that point, the cycle came to a complete halt. If things had continued, all souls would have eventually merged into one gigantic Hollow, and the world would have entered a state of complete stillness. But, as if the world itself rejected this outcome, a miraculous being was born. Someone who could exterminate Hollows, turning them back into sand-like reishi and restarting the world's cycle..."
"That was... the Soul King?" Ichigo whispered involuntarily. He sounds like a good person. So why did Aizen harbor such enmity toward him?
"Precisely. Although other individuals with special powers emerged at that time, the Soul King was the most outstanding, possessing nearly omniscient and omnipotent abilities. However, as he continued to destroy Hollows, the world was still not saved from stagnation. The Soul King continued to protect a world that was slowly dissolving into chaos. Yet, there were those who could not accept such a world. Five individuals, not as powerful as the Soul King but still formidable. They were the ancestors of the Five Great Noble Clans, including the Shiba Clan."
Urahara slowly narrated the history. "They each had different motivations. The ancestor of the Tsunayashiro clan feared that the power of extermination would one day be turned against him. The ancestor of another clan believed a world was needed to serve as a lid for the 'pit' that would later be called 'Hell.' The ancestor of the Kuchiki clan believed a new order was necessary to bring stability to the world. The ancestor of the Shihōin clan believed a greater form of circulation was needed to move the stagnant world forward. And the ancestor of the Shiba clan believed that Hollows also had hearts, and thus a path of purification, not extermination, should be explored.
"However, their motivations mysteriously converged on the same goal: to separate the existing world. A world of spirit particles, a world of physical matter, and a sandy paradise where the Hollows born from the intersection of both would eventually end up. Perhaps other forms of worlds would be born as a byproduct, but the most important thing was to clearly divide the worlds of 'life' and 'death.'
"To make this tri-world separation a reality, the power of the transcendent man, the Soul King, was necessary. It is said that the Shiba ancestor intended to persuade him—but in that moment of opportunity, the Tsunayashiro ancestor sealed the Soul King within a crystal. I did not witness what happened then myself... but what followed is the history of the Soul Society itself. The man who would later be called the Soul King, with his omnipotent power serving as the 'linchpin,' allowed the five of them to create the foundation of a new world.
"Soul Society, the World of the Living, and Hueco Mundo. They divided souls into life and death, and with that cycle, they elevated the world to a new stage. Unwittingly, the managers of this world came to be known as—'Soul Reapers'."
"Shiba..." Ichigo glanced at his father, then thought of Ganju in the Soul Society. It turned out he and Ganju really were relatives; that Baiyue Tong character wasn't just spouting nonsense. And the Shiba Clan had such a long history, tracing back to before the new world was even born. It truly surprised him. He also heard familiar names—Kuchiki, Shihōin—and thought of Byakuya, Rukia, and Ms. Yoruichi right in front of him, which gave him a slight sense of kinship.
However, Ichigo finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought his ancestors had committed some unforgivable sin, but it sounded like they were decent. Their belief that Hollows had hearts and that a path of purification should be sought resonated strongly with him. The only issue was that while the Shiba ancestor was talking, someone else took advantage and betrayed the Soul King. This gave Ichigo a bad feeling. If the Soul King was already sealed, who was living in the Soul King Palace? Could it be that Aizen was the loyal official trying to root out the traitors? No, no, no... that can't be right!
"Therefore, the so-called Soul King that everyone speaks of is actually a sacrificial lamb. It's just that his power itself is equivalent to that of a god," Urahara said somberly. "This current tri-world was created by the treacherous ancestors of the Five Great Noble Clans, who used the savior of mankind as a sacrifice."
With that statement, Ichigo completely lost his composure. On one hand, he never imagined the dark side of the Soul Society was this outrageous. On the other, if he remembered correctly, Mr. Urahara had just said something about wanting him to become some kind of "King."
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (168 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (180 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (110 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (170 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (68 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (110 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (60 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (100 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (50 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it