Bleach: Stirring Up a Storm

”If there is anyone who can replace Aizen in her heart, it can only be you, Captain Hitsugaya.”

Recalling Shunsui’s parting words, Hitsugaya looked at Hinamori in his arms and couldn’t help but doubt himself. Could he really do it? Or rather, was this even the right thing to do?

Perhaps, as Kōe had said, trying to help Hinamori grow up little by little was also a way to replace him.

Hitsugaya hoisted Hinamori onto his back. *’If the Aizen of the past was a massive tree that sheltered you from the wind and rain—seemingly considerate, yet suppressing the other saplings beneath him—then from now on, I will be the equally small companion by your side. I can’t guarantee you a life free of worries, but I won’t dictate your life for you either. However many hardships come our way, we’ll just face them together, Hinamori.’*

*And then there’s that guy who hates trouble...* Thinking of Kōe, Hitsugaya couldn’t help but shake his head. Although the man rarely had anything pleasant to say, perhaps their next meeting wouldn’t have to be as hostile as before.

If Kōe could hear Hitsugaya’s inner thoughts at this moment, he would undoubtedly declare with great magnanimity that he had never taken it to heart anyway. Whether Hitsugaya’s attitude toward him was good or bad was far less important than the tempura sitting right in front of him.

”Are you really that hungry?”

”Mmph, mmph...” Kōe finally managed to swallow the food in his mouth, his chopsticks never pausing as he continued speaking to Yoruichi. ”Watching those brats train the past few days made me so mad I couldn’t even eat.”

”And you’re not mad anymore?” Yoruichi asked in return.

Kōe shook his head. ”No, I just realized later that getting angry takes physical effort. Once I calmed down, I was even hungrier. Those brats think they can torture me? No way!”

Yoruichi shook her head helplessly. She had just raised her hand to pat Kōe’s back and help him wash his food down, but her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of someone, causing the force of her hand to unconsciously increase.

With his attention entirely focused on the ramen in front of him, Kōe was smacked on the back of the head and face-planted straight into his bowl. This wasn’t him eating the noodles; it was clearly the noodles eating him!

”Wh-What are you doing?”

Yoruichi didn’t answer him, merely tapping her finger against the screen in front of them.

Kōe gritted his teeth and lifted his head. Wasn’t everything fine just a moment ago? In less time than it took to eat a meal, what kind of trouble had those guys caused now?! Unless a couple of them had died, absolutely nothing would be able to quell the rage brought on by a face full of noodle soup!

But when he saw the bald old man on the screen, the curses that had already reached his throat were forcefully swallowed back down. ”Cough, cough! Old—Captain-Commander, why are you contacting me so suddenly...”

Indeed, the old man on the screen was none other than Yamamoto. Since there was new intelligence regarding Aizen, he naturally had to discuss it with Kōe, who was currently in the World of the Living. Furthermore, Kōe was slated to play a crucial role in the upcoming war.

However, seeing Kōe’s current leisurely appearance, wasn’t he relaxing a bit too much? Yamamoto was just considering whether he should give Kōe a stern reminder when Inoue suddenly burst into the room.

”How are they doing today, Chō...” Inoue walked in casually, but the moment she saw Yamamoto’s stern face, she instantly stiffened up. ”H-Hello there.”

However, as she bowed her head, her gaze uncontrollably drifted toward the noodles hanging from Kōe’s head. She almost choked trying to hold back her laughter. ”M-Mr. Chōzuka, did you... get into another f-fight with Miss Yoruichi?”

Kōe’s old face burned with embarrassment. The originally appetizing aroma on his face now seemed pungent. Was this what psychological trauma felt like? He was never eating ramen again!

”I suppose you could say that, Inoue,” Kōe replied with a sigh. Yoruichi, having enough tact, hurriedly handed him a towel. As Kōe wiped the broth from his face, he turned to Yamamoto and asked the obvious, ”Is there a reason you contacted us so suddenly, Captain-Commander?”

”We have reached a conclusion regarding Aizen Sōsuke’s true objective,” Yamamoto said slowly. Seeing that Inoue seemed to be making a move to leave, he added, ”You should listen as well. What I am about to say concerns you humans too.”

Inoue looked a bit conflicted and cast an inquiring glance at Kōe. Kōe nodded. ”Since the Captain-Commander says so, you should stay.”

”Okay...”

Perhaps because Inoue was present, Yamamoto detailed the investigation process very thoroughly. It was likely to ensure Inoue harbored fewer doubts about their findings. Although Kōe felt it was somewhat unnecessary, he didn’t interrupt Yamamoto.

”Most of the traces Aizen left behind were various research materials, but the document Ukitake finally discovered in the Great Spirit Book Gallery was an exception—the creation of the Ōken. We believe that is Aizen’s true objective.”

The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew heavy. Inoue looked at the slightly tense expressions on Kōe and Yoruichi’s faces and couldn’t help but ask, ”The Ōken, what is that?”

”It is the Royal Key,” Yoruichi said without turning her head, her voice sounding incredibly serious. ”There is a king in Soul Society, Inoue.”

”Really? I didn’t see one before, so I thought there wasn’t.”

”Forget about you not seeing him, even I’ve never seen him.” This time, it was Kōe who spoke up, a hint of teasing in his tone. ”Although the Soul King is the king, he has handed complete control of Soul Society over to Central 46 without interfering. Because of this, over the long years, those fortunate enough to have laid eyes on him are few and far between.”

On the screen, Yamamoto nodded as well. ”The Soul King is a symbol in Soul Society, and an absolute existence. The royal palace where he resides is located in a separate dimension within Soul Society, guarded by the Royal Guard. The Ōken is the key that opens the path to the dimension where the king resides!”

Inoue seemed to understand a little. The last thing Aizen had researched was information regarding the Ōken, which meant his target was this elusive Soul King?

”So, does that mean Mr. Aizen wants to take the king...”

”To destroy the king. That should be his objective, but the problem facing us—and you humans—does not lie there.” Yamamoto finished Inoue’s sentence, simultaneously throwing out another problem.

If the Soul King was Aizen’s target, why wasn’t the Soul King the current problem?

While Inoue was pondering this, Kōe voiced the answer to her question. ”Crucial intelligence like the location of the Ōken wouldn’t have any written records in the Seireitei. Generally speaking, it’s passed down orally through generations by key figures. So it’s highly unlikely that Aizen knows the location of the Ōken, right, Captain-Commander?”

”Correct. The location of the Ōken is passed down solely by word of mouth from one Captain-Commander to the next. I am certain that Aizen does not possess this intelligence.” Yamamoto confirmed Kōe’s guess and continued, ”Combined with that document, we believe what he knows is the Ōken’s creation method—that is, the method to forge the Ōken.”

”So the problem lies in this creation method, huh?” Kōe sighed. Behind him, Inoue also grew tense.

”To be more precise, the problem lies in the materials required to make it. The creation of the Ōken requires one hundred thousand souls and a Jūreichi with a radius of one spirit ri!”

”One hundred thousand! Souls...” Inoue suddenly looked dazed. One hundred thousand souls meant one hundred thousand lives. Sacrificing one hundred thousand lives to forge the Ōken—she couldn’t even begin to imagine how tragic such a scenario would be.

”Indeed, but what concerns you is not just the souls.”

Not just the souls? Inoue stared unblinkingly at Yamamoto, her breathing gradually quickening.

”The so-called Jūreichi refers to a spiritual singularity located in the World of the Living, which shifts with the changing of eras. Currently, the specific land in the World of the Living that most easily gathers souls and possesses this spiritual singularity is the Jūreichi.”

”Could it be, the current Jūreichi is...”

”It seems you understand. The Jūreichi that Aizen requires is Karakura Town!” Yamamoto said at a measured pace. ”One hundred thousand souls and a Jūreichi with a radius of one spirit ri—does that sound a bit abstract to you? Let me make it clearer. If Aizen follows the texts to create the Ōken, Karakura Town, its adjacent lands, its humans, all of it...”

To Inoue, these words painted a despairing picture of the apocalypse...

”All of it will be wiped from this world. Completely erased!”