"Keep up, Renji! We're almost there!" Rukia yelled as she and Renji arrived at a colossal rocky environment that vaguely reminded her of Kisuke Urahara's underground chamber beneath his shop.
"Yeah, yeah Rukia. Would you chill out? We're here aren't we?" Renji responded as they looked around the battlefield. Every single Soul Reaper, including lieutenants and captains, was here and there was excitement buzzing in the air, of course with the exception of a few who were anxious. Rukia walked up to her brother who was in the frontlines and bowed slightly.
"Brother."
Byakuya turned to look at his sister. "Rukia. I hope you are ready. This will not be like Aizen. This battle will lead to a lot of casualties." He then placed a hand on her shoulder. His stone-faced expression was still there, but she could see warmth and reassurance in his eyes. "Do not be afraid. Always move forward. We will win this war, sister."
Rukia blinked as she tried to process what her brother said to her. 'He... he called me sister. He very rarely, if ever said that to me.'
The moisture in her eyes threatened to spill out for some reason, but she managed to hold it back.
"Yes, Brother." She said, nodding with determination. A few moments later, three enormous pillars of reiatsu came from the sky and slammed on to the ground a couple of hundred metres from the Soul Reapers, who had unsheathed their swords and got into their stances. In the left pillar, an army of Quincy soldiers emerged. In the right pillar, another army emerged from it. In the middle pillar however, only three people emerged from it; a middle aged looking man with long black hair, her former friend Uryū Ishida and a mysterious person wearing a white hoodie was in the middle of the two.
"It has been a thousand years, Yhwach." The old man grumbled. "And it is clear that you have not learned your lesson from a millennium ago. It would seem like I would have to teach it again. All of you will die today by my hand, and this time, I will make sure you are permanently reduced to ash."
The middle aged looking man chuckled. "You have grown old, Shigekuni Yamamoto. It is sad, pathetic almost, to see the strongest Soul Reaper I have ever battled reduced to a withered old man. I will not die today or ever, and neither are my children. If by some miracle, I somehow do fall in this war, then my sons here," he gestured to the two people next to him, "will win for the Wandenreich."
Yamamoto scoffed while Rukia glared at Uryū. She yelled, "Uryū! Why are you doing this? Why did you join them? They want to destroy everything!"
The man with the glasses just materialized a Quincy bow and glared right back at Rukia. "I have no reason to tell you why I joined the Wandenreich, Shinigami. As to why I am doing this, I want to see the Sereitei and the whole of Soul Society burn. Isn't that right, cousin?"
"That's right."
That voice shocked her to the core. She knew that voice. It sounded so familiar.
The person first looked at Yhwach, who nodded once, then removed his hoodie, revealing his identity. There were collective gasps behind her, but she barely paid attention to them, only paying attention to the person with the orange hair.
"Ichigo." She breathed. Ichigo turned to look at Rukia, who looked taken aback by the intense glare she was getting. She then watched in horror as Ichigo disappeared. She then heard screams of pain and agony behind her. She turned to look at what was happening behind her and her eyes widened in horror as she saw dismembered bodies and headless corpses, covered by a massive pool of blood. It was as if the entire ground was bleeding.
The perpetrator swung his sword to remove the blood of it and started walking towards her, Hollow mask materializing around him. The petite woman tried to move but her body was frozen in fear. She tried to speak but her voice was gone. She then saw Ichigo raise his sword and swing it with all his might, creating a very large wave of reiatsu to come towards her.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
Rukia watched helplessly as the wave of reiatsu got closer and closer. Before the attack hit, screamed one word.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
XXXXXXXXXX
Rukia woke up in a panic, turning her head around to look at her surroundings, quickly realizing that she was in her room. Breathing heavily, she tried to forget the nightmare that was so vivid, but was unable to. She clasped her head in frustration. It had been a couple of day since the events of that... day, she had been getting frequent nightmares almost every night, and they were getting worse. The door to her room opened and Byakuya walked in with his stoic expression, but Rukia could have sworn there was a hint of concern in his eyes.
"Rukia. Are you alright?"
'No. No I'm not alright.' She thought. 'Not after that nightmare.'
"Y-Yes, Brother. I'm alright." She answered as normally as she possibly could, however the narrowed eyed stare that Rukia was given told her that Byakuya did not buy it, but before he could speak, two Hell Butterflies flew into the room and landed on their shoulders.
"All captains and lieutenants are to go to the meeting hall." Lieutenant Sasakibe's voice was heard from the butterflies. "This is an emergency meeting. I repeat, this is an emergency meeting."
Byakuya looked at Rukia and spoke, "You heard lieutenant Sasakibe, Rukia. Get ready, for we must leave immediately.''
Rukia nodded and got out of bed. When she was ready, she and her brother left the mansion and made their way towards the meeting hall. As they continued to walk, she noticed that every Shinigami were looking at her in apprehension and a little bit of fear. She didn't care what they thought of her at the very moment. She did look in their direction and they immediately pretended to do something else. She inwardly shook her head as she and Byakuya continued to walk and eventually arrive at the 1st Division barracks. It appeared that they were the last to do so as everyone was already inside.
Well, almost everyone.
After Ichigo's assassination, a lot had changed. The lieutenant of the 5th Division was still in the 4th Division recuperating from her injuries and her mental state. The Captain Commander had the ban on the Vizard removed and quickly reinstated some of them back into their positions. Since some roles were already filled, they went into different divisions and got new positions; Kensei Maguruma, Shinji Hirako and Rojuro Otoribashi were reinstated as the captains of the 3rd, 5th, and 9th Divisions respectfully, Mashiro Kuna became Kensei's second lieutenant; Lisa Yadomaru became the 8th Division's lieutenant while Nanao Ise became the 3rd Seat. Hiyori Sarugaki became the 12th Division's 4th Seat, which pissed her off for some reason; Love Aikawa was confirmed to be living in the Sereitei, but no one knew where he was and Hachigen Ushoda became the new Kidō Corps Commander. Yamamoto claimed that the reason he brought them back to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads was to increase its strength, but some suspected that that the actual reason was to reduce the enemies they had created while making sure they never found out. The other thing that had changed were the captain's attitudes. Kenpachi had become a slave driver with his division, which resulted in numerous injuries and very near death experiences. The more surprising ones were Yamamoto's students. While they did have their kindness and laidback attitude, they were now stricter, and they no longer talked with Yamamoto, unless it was at a captain's meeting.
Byakuya took his normal place with the line of captains while Rukia stood behind Ukitake and the meeting officially began.
"I have called this captains meeting to let you know that the Zero Division is coming and they will arrive any moment now. I will say this in warning; do not engage in battle with any of the members. If you do that, it will be the most humiliating defeat of your life. Do you understand me?" Yamamoto barked.
Everyone except Kenpachi nodded an affirmative while the big man just growled, not even looking at the Captain Commander. The old man inwardly sighed.
'He has been like this ever since he learned of Kurosaki's assassination. What am I going to do with him?'
(Flashback, two days after Ichigo's assassination)
Captain Commander Yamamoto put his pen down and rubbed his forehead with his remaining hand. He was busy doing immense amounts of paperwork and he was feeling a headache coming. Over the centuries, he had learned to have patience when it came to paperwork, but that didn't mean it was less tedious. He stopped rubbing his forehead as he felt Kenpachi's reiatsu approach his office. He then heard his lieutenant intercept him and an argument ensuing.
"Captain Zaraki, you cannot enter the office. Captain-Commander Yamamoto is very busy and will not be seeing anyone." Sasakibe's voice was heard.
"I am not here to see you, Sasakibe, I am here to see Yamamoto." That intrigued the old Soul Reaper as Kenpachi almost never called him by his name.
"As I said, he is very busy. Please leave."
"Only warning; Move or be moved, Sasakibe." Zaraki growled.
Not wanting a fight to happen between his lieutenant and one of his captains, he yelled, "Sasakibe! Let him through!" There was no sound for a few seconds before the door opened, showing a livid Kenpachi Zaraki who closed the door so hard it came off its hinges, before walking to Yamamoto's desk.
Yamamoto glared at Kenpachi, which was very impressive, considering the fact that his eyes were closed. He grumbled, "You do know that you are going to pay for that door."
The wild man scoffed. "I could give a rat's ass about your door. I want to know why you guys turned your backs on Ichigo!"
Yamamoto opened one eye. 'So he has found out about Kurosaki. It was bound to happen sooner or later, but I wonder who told him?'
"Who told you that?"
"Who told me doesn't matter!" He growled as he pointed his sword at Yamamoto's face. "Tell me why you betrayed the guy who saved this place multiple times, you old fucking bastard!"
It was silent in the office for a few moments. Then the temperature in the room slowly rose up to the point where it was almost unbearable. Yamamoto stood up and, enforcing a little bit of reiatsu in his cane, revealed his zanpakutō. "Allow me to tell you two things, Captain Zaraki." He grunted. "One, I do not have to explain my actions to you. Two, I do not tolerate disrespect, boy. It would seem I have to punish you personally. Reduce all creation to ash, Ryūjin Jakka."
Fire erupted from the Captain Commander's sword, causing Kenpachi to grin maniacally. He had always wanted to fight Yamamoto one-on-one, but couldn't due to the old man being busy and Central 46 being a pain in the ass. He was NOT going to let his ONLY chance to fight Yamamoto slip by.
"Bring it on, old man!" He yelled, removing his eyepatch and letting his intense reiatsu erupt from him like a volcano, almost completely forgetting the reason he came to Yamamoto in the first place. Yamamoto didn't look impressed, only opening his other eye when Kenpachi's reiatsu kept going up.
"Captain Commander Yamamoto!"
Both men turned to look at the messenger bowing in the corner, somehow not losing consciousness being so close to the two men.
"I have come to inform you that you have been summoned by Central 46 to discuss the assassination of Ichigo Kurosaki and the amount of reiatsu that came from this office."
Kenpachi, pissed that his one chance to fight Yamamoto was gone and didn't get the answers he was looking for, left angrily while Yamamoto sighed and resealed his Shikai. He then looked at the messenger.
"Very well."
(End flashback)
The Captain Commander was snapped out of his thoughts when Hitsugaya raised his hand. "I'm sorry, Captain Commander Yamamoto, but what is this 'Zero Division'? To my understanding, there are thirteen divisions in the Gotei 13."
Ukitake stepped forward and spoke, "You are fairly new, so allow me to explain. The Zero Division is also known as the Royal Guard. They are the Soul Reapers that protect the Soul King and there are only five members."
"What?!" Suì-Fēng exclaimed. "Only five?! Are you kidding me?"
Kyōraku chuckled, "No, Captain Suì-Fēng, he is not kidding and yes, only five. But here's something you have to understand. All five of the members are captains and their power combined, is greater than that of the entire Thirteen Court Guard Squads." This shocked all the other captains who did not know about this Zero Squad, except Kurotsuchi, who just seemed annoyed and Kenpachi, who grinned.
"Indeed. One of them could soundly defeat in battle. That is how powerful each individual is. However, before they arrive I would like to address another matter. Step forward, Rukia Kuchiki."
Rukia looked at the old Shinigami in shock and confusion but continued to walk towards the Captain Commander, successfully managing to ignore the looks she was receiving from everyone else. Once she reached him, Sasakibe pulled out an object from his Haori and walked up to her. Her eyes widened as she noticed the Lieutenant Badge in his hands.
"Due to her actions in the fight against the traitor known as Sōsuke Aizen and his army of Arrancar, I hereby officially promote Rukia Kuchiki of the 13th Division to the position of Lieutenant. Wear this badge with honor and never waver from the duties and responsibilities that come with that position, girl."
Rukia took the badge gingerly, bowed deeply at the Yamamoto and Sasakibe, and made her way back to her position. She stared at it for a couple of moments before putting it on her arm. She had wanted this position for so long, she should have been elated. But she wasn't. She wasn't feeling any type of positive emotion when she put it on. It just reminded her of what she did in order to get this, and that left a bitter taste in her mouth. When she looked up, she saw some of the lieutenants give her smiles as if to say, "Congratulations." She simply stared at them icily and eventually the smiles turned into looks of awkwardness and apprehension.
The double doors then suddenly opened and everyone turned their heads. Suì-Fēng, Hitsugaya, Shinji, Kensei, Rose, and the lieutenants except Sasakibe immediately assumed that five nobles who had calm personalities and carried themselves properly were going to enter the room.
Boy, were they wrong.
A group of five entered the room. There was a broad and large man with a bald head, large beard and red eyes with a large set of red prayer beads; a dark-skinned man with thick, black hair that was shaven and dyed green on the sides of his head; a slender woman with 6 robotic arms attached to her back; a plump woman with squinted eyes and pink hair, and a lean-built and a very tall man with black hair arranged into an outlandishly large pompadour, with tapered sideburns and he was chewing on a small stick.
This was the Zero Division.
Tenjirō Kirinji, who was known in his time as a Captain as 'Lightning Fast Tenjirō' because of his Hoho skills, yelled, "Ladies and gentlemen! We're here! We're here! We're finally here! That's right, Squad Zero is in the house! How are all of you doing, you weaklings of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads? Have you been exercising, sleeping a lot and eating healthy?!"
This caused almost everyone in the room to sweatdrop. Shinji drawled, "Man, these guys are not what I had in mind..."
Smack!
A hand smacked him across his head. A pissed off Shinji, turned around and clutching his head, seeing the plump woman. He yelled, "What the hell did you do that for?!"
Kirio Hikifune, the last person to join the Royal Guard because of the invention of the Gikon, smiled, "Hello, Shinji! Hiyori is not with you?"
"Lady, do I know you-" He stopped as something hit him. "Wait a minute. Did you say 'Hiyori'?"
To his irritation, the woman just laughed. "Oh, come now, Shinji! Don't you remember me? It's me, Kirio!"
The Vizard's eyes widened, "WHAT?! Y-You're Ms. Kirio? You have changed so much, I didn't recognize you!"
"Oh, come now. I haven't changed that much." Grumbling came from the pink haired woman's stomach. "Ah, I'm so hungry!" She cried out, causing the man to deadpan.
Ichibē Hyōsube, the one who gave everything their names, cleared his throat. "Come on everybody, that's enough of that! I know that everyone has missed each other, but everyone can talk later. Let's focus on what we came here to do." He then looked at Yamamoto. "Hello, Genryūsai. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Yamamoto nodded. "Yes it has, Osho. Now what brings you and the rest of the Royal Guard here today?"
"By order of His Majesty the Soul King, we came here to tell you that His Majesty's son, the Quincy King, Yhwach has reawakened."
Yamamoto's eyes opened in shock while Ukitake, Kyōraku and Unohana gave each other worried glances. Rukia almost fell to the ground in shock.
'Yhwach!? That is the man who was in my nightmare! He is the Quincy King AND the Soul King's SON?! What the hell is going on here?'
Everyone else... was confused, to say the least. Hitsugaya was about to ask the monk about Yhwach, but interrupted by the Captain Commander, who banged his cane. "That is impossible! I killed him with my own hands! I made sure of it!" he barked.
The monk chuckled darkly, which for some reason unnerved everyone including Kenpachi. "No, Genryūsai, you did not. All you did was drain him of all his power when he was trying to survive Zanka no Tachi, Kita: Tenchi Kaijin. He is still alive and has an army with him. You have to prepare yourselves for the war ahead, and I know that it is going to be hard, especially without that Ichigo boy you killed."
Kensei stepped forward, "What are you talking about, old man? 'That Ichigo boy' that you speak of sacrificed his life to stop Aizen. He wasn't killed by us." he finished, looking at the Vizard who returned to the Soul Society who had looks of confusion. The Shinigami cursed inwardly.
Ichibē looked at Kensei with an eyebrow raised, "You do not know? I cannot say I am surprised. You were one of his friends. All right then, let me tell you, Vizard. You were not there, after all. After Sōsuke Aizen was defeated, Ichigo Kurosaki was betrayed by everyone here except Kenpachi Zaraki. She," he pointed at Suì-Fēng, "slit his throat in an attempt to finish him off after she," he then pointed at Rukia, immediately noticing the dark circles around her eyes, "reluctantly cut his torso. Then Genryūsai here," he finally pointed at Yamamoto, "used Hollow bait to finish the boy. Such a shame really. He truly had potential to be the best out of all of us."
The Vizard could not believe their ears. They had always considered Ichigo a part of their group, and they felt like they owed a debt to Ichigo they could never repay. To find out that the same organization they worked for was the one responsible for Ichigo's death was... shocking was a very nice way of putting it. Lisa looked at her Captain with hurt and betrayal in her eyes. Kyōraku attempted to speak, but she just ripped off her lieutenant's badge and walked out, followed by the rest of the Vizard who also tore off their Haoris and lieutenants badges.
Tenjirō walked up to Unohana with his head tilted to the side. "Hey Retsu. It's been a while. Now I don't know if I should thank you and your lieutenant for not losing your humanity and participating in the assassination, or pissed off that you didn't help the kid when you could have. All I can say, is that I am disappointed."
Unohana's expression remained impassive while Isane tried to melt into the floor because of all the attention.
Ōetsu Nimaiya, the creator of Zanpakutō and a very unpredictable man spoke, "Oh, and another thing. All of you are coming with us to the Royal Palace. The Reiō himself wants to speak to you guys."
Kyōraku tilted his hat up so that he could see the man. "Really? Then this should be interesting. I have one question though. How are we supposed to go there? I don't suppose your Tenchuren is big enough for all of us?"
"Man, of course not! That thing is way too small for ALL of us. But..." he then walked towards the doors and pulled them open, revealing a portal to the Reiō's room.
"Who ever said that we came here by the Tenchuren, huh?"
XXXXXXXXXX
(Royal Palace)
The Thirteen Court Guard Squads, including the Zero Squad, walked up to the crystal that held the God, who was staring at them. Captain Commander Yamamoto walked past everyone else and bowed.
"It is an honor and privilege to meet you in person, mighty Reiō. Why have you summoned us?"
Everyone in the room, except the Royal Guard had their jaws hit the floor in shock at the scene in front of them. There was a universal fact that was throughout the Sereitei.
First Division Captain and Captain Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto bowed to NO ONE.
Although to be fair, this is literally the King of Souls, so even he can make an exception.
The being was silent for a few moments before he spoke, "Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. It is a pleasure to finally the man who has been given the name 'The Dragon of the Soul Society'."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Now, on to business. I have summoned all of you here for two reasons; but first let's talk about the Quincy and Yhwach. Yamamoto, you fought my son a millennium ago, correct?"
Yamamoto nodded.
"Good. So you have the best chance at defeating him since you know some of his strengths and weaknesses, but that cannot happen with one arm. You need to go to that human girl, Orihime Inoue and fix your arm, along with Shaolin Fēng." Yamamoto was about to open his mouth to protest, but the Reiō quickly spoke before he could a single word. "I understand you want the humans to stay out of the affairs of the supernatural, but I am afraid that is no longer possible. They became involved the moment they manifested their powers, and soon, you will need them to be your allies."
"If I may, Your Majesty?" Ukitake spoke. The Reiō simply looked at him and nodded. "I do not think that will be possible. Kisuke Urahara and his allies have stated that they want nothing to do with the Gotei 13. How are we going to convince to help us once more?"
"There are many ways to convince a person to help you, Jūshirō Ukitake. You just need to figure it out which one you want to choose." The being was cryptic in his response. "Now hear me, captains and lieutenants of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. The enemy you will face are unlike any enemy you have ever faced before. They are called the Wandenreich. The army of foot soldiers called Soldats are as strong as the lieutenants and they are capable of close quarters combat. There are twenty six elite soldiers called the Sternritters. They have two main powerups, mainly Quincy: Vollständig and their Schrifts. They also have medallions that can steal Bankai and devices that travel through shadows."
Kurotsuchi's eyes widened in interest, the action being noticed by the Reio. "I see that last part has captured your attention, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and there is more. Yhwach himself has two very powerful techniques of his own that can turn the tide of the battle, namely The Almighty and Auswählen. You will know if he has used the Almighty if you see multiple pupils in his eyes, just like me. However, even though he has mastered it, his version is incomplete."
"Incomplete?" Mayuri asked.
"Yes. In general, the Almighty is arguably one of the most powerful abilities in all of the three realms, four if we count Hell, alongside Kyōka Suigetsu's Perfect Hypnosis, Zanka no Tachi's flames and a very few more. The Almighty allows him to not only see every possible future, but also control which one occurs. However, as I've said, his version is incomplete and only has three pupils, using half of his power. He has not unlocked its full capabilities, which is indicated by my four pupils. Now I cannot stress this enough: You cannot, under ANY circumstances, let him use his Almighty. Auswählen gives him a huge boost in power, but at the cost of sacrificing the people in his army, but it is not consistent. You can use the ones who have survived the Auswählen and turn them against Yhwach. That is the plan. Any questions?"
No one spoke.
"Good. Now onto the next subject. Ichigo Kurosaki, does that name ring any bells?'' he asked, noticing that some of them were looking down or flinched. "Hm, it would appear that it does, judging by your reactions. Now approximately six days ago, Ichigo Kurosaki fought Sōsuke Aizen, an ambitious but very intelligent man who wanted to create the Ōken and kill me. He sacrificed his life to stop a man that not even Yamamoto himself could defeat, and you thank him by stabbing him in the back, both figuratively and in the literal sense. Explain your actions."
The Captain Commander grunted, "I will repeat the same thing I said to Kisuke Urahara. That boy had grown too strong, too fast. If not stopped, he could have become power hungry and turn on us and destroy the Sereitei, Your Majesty."
The Reiō looked up at the thought in thought. He spoke, "I hear your explanation, and I have to say that I understand where you are coming from. However, you are forgetting one crucial fact."
"And what is that, Your Majesty?"
"That boy was able to defeat the enemies of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads because he only used his strength to protect others and he had many opportunities to destroy the Sereitei. His determination and conviction was towards saving Rukia Kuchiki. The best example of this is the Ryoka invasion. Had that boy arrived after she was executed, he would have had intense rage and most likely would have gone after Byakuya Kuchiki." he finished while looking at the noble. The noble had his eyes closed and listening, as usual.
"Byakuya Kuchiki."
The stoic man opened his eyes and looked at the god.
"Do you regret turning on Ichigo Kurosaki?"
Byakuya was silent for a few moments.
"Well?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I do."
The Reiō slightly tilted his head to the side as he looked at Kyōraku and Ukitake. "I am assuming that the both of you regret your actions." He only received nods in return. He then looked at perhaps the most remorseful one, who was staring off into space.
"Rukia Kuchiki.''
Rukia almost jumped out of her skin. "Y-Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Reiō chuckled, a sound that Rukia found... weirdly soothing. He quickly turned serious again.
"Do you regret betraying Ichigo Kurosaki?"
Everyone was silent as all eyes fell on the petite woman. They all knew the answer to the question, no doubt about it. Her behavior after all had changed drastically over the last few days. She no longer talked to anyone other than her brother, Captain Ukitake, Unohana and Renji, Unohana because she was terrified and could not say no to her. She quickly quit the SWA (Sereitei Women's Association) and was always cold and brutally blunt towards anyone else when she did decide to talk, almost to the point where people began to compare her to her brother and they, including her friends were afraid to even approach her. Tears fell down her face as she collapsed on her knees.
"Yes, I do. Every single day." The petite woman weakly answered, remembering what she had done a couple days prior.
'Of course she would regret her actions.' He thought as he stared at her with an impassive expression. 'They were very close after all, even though they did not know it.'
"Very well. Now, listen closely everyone. You have a couple of years before Yhwach invades the Sereitei. Train yourselves and for everyone who have not done this yet, you MUST attain and master Bankai. Mayuri Kurotsuchi, you will be responsible for finding ways to counter their Bankai-stealing tech. Am I understood?"
"YES, YOUR MAJESTY!" Everyone except Zaraki, Kurotsuchi, who was smiling gleefully and Nemu yelled.
"Good. Now everyone with the exception of Kenpachi Zaraki, Yachiru Kusajishi and Unohana of the 4th Division, follow Hikifune and Shutara as they will take you all to our special Senkaimon so you can return to the Sereitei." When everyone left, the Reiō stared at the Shinigami he told to stay behind, more specifically the little girl with pink hair that was on the large man's shoulder, who was staring at him with an innocent and curious look on her face.
"Yachiru Kusajishi." The Reiō spoke. "Do you know who, no, what you are?"
Yachiru had a very confused look on her face for a couple of seconds, but then her eyes widened as she realised what he was talking about. She quickly nodded.
"Does he know?" He asked, gesturing at Zaraki who was confused as to what they were talking about.
"No." She shook her head. "Kenny doesn't care about that. All he cares about is fighting. If he wants to kill himself while fighting, I'll help him. If it makes him happy, then I'm happy."
"Hey."
"I see." The Reiō nodded his head, ignoring Zaraki completely. Without turning his head, he asked, "What are your thoughts, Nimaiya?"
"Hey!"
"He can unlock it, but he's too ignorant and like she said, he only cares about fighting." Ōetsu responded.
"Interesting. Do you know her real name, Hyōsube?"
The Monk's smile widened. "Of course, Your Majesty. I was the one who named her after all."
"HEY!"
Everyone then turned their attention towards Zaraki. "What the fuck are you talking about!?"
The Reiō continued to ignore him, leaving Zaraki fuming at being ignored. "Ms. Unohana. Before I continue, I have to ask, which name do you prefer?"
Unohana was caught off guard by the question, but quickly regained her composure. "I would prefer if you called me Retsu, Your Majesty."
"Very well. However," the Reiō's face turned completely serious. "When the time comes, you must bring her back and undo your greatest sin." When she heard that, the raven haired woman's eyes widened, but quickly nodded, knowing that arguing with the most powerful being in the Soul Society would be fruitless.
"Good. You may leave." The Reiō then created a gateway not unsimilar like the Senkaimon, except this one was bigger and glowing more brightly. As they left leaving Ōetsu, Tenjirō and Ichibē, the monk spoke, "I would like to see the look on their faces when they see that boy in front of them, especially Genryūsai and that Kuchiki girl."
The dark skinned man smiled. "Yeah, that would be entertaining, however I do have one concern, Your Majesty." His expression turned serious. "Are you sure that unlocking his full potential AND giving him that much power is a good idea? I understand he fits the bill to replace you, but I'm afraid he will one day turn on us, Your Majesty. The kid's scary enough as it is."
The Reiō slightly smiled. "Do not worry, Nimaiya. That boy will still know the difference between right and wrong. He will use my power wisely. Kirinji, bring the boy to me."
The Reiō's expression turned deathly serious.
"It is time to start the ritual."
XXXXXXXXXX
The God stared at the body of his successor, Ichigo Kurosaki. Once one of Nimaiya's girls retrieved him and he died shortly after arriving, he had ordered Tenjirō to preserve Ichigo's body for as long as possible. Kirio and Senjumaru have arrived shortly after Ichibē contacted them using Tenteikurā. They watched as the god started to chant.
"Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine, make the clock reverse, let existence intertwine. Heal what has been hurt, change the fate's design, save what has been lost, exchange a life for mine."
At first, nothing happened. Then, numerous symbols began to form glowing and sizzling was heard, as if they were burning into the hybrid's skin, the symbols taking the form of a very large tattoo that easily took up Ichigo's entire back. The Soul King's body started aging during this process, becoming very old to the point it looks like a gust of wind could blow him over. A glowing flower surrounded Ichigo, with the petals of the flower slowly began to whither and crumble away with the Soul King's life force, flowing into the deceased Ichigo, but he smiled, knowing that his torment would end very, very soon.
"Gisei."
Almost instantly after he said that last word, a rupture of light surrounded the Reiō and Ichigo. It was so bright that the Zero Squad members had to close their eyes or use a forearm to protect their sight. After a few agonizing seconds which felt like hours, the light disappeared. Everyone looked at Ichigo, seeing a tattoo of a flower appear on his back.
Tenjirō grinned. "This kid's gonna be terrifying."
Ōetsu also grinned. "I know right? He was already strong to begin. He's gonna be invincible when he wakes up!" Ichibē walked up to Ichigo and stared at him with an inquisitive look on his face.
'Indeed. With the latent Shinigami, Hollow and Quincy abilities, plus the powers and knowledge gained from the Reiō, he is unstoppable. While I may control all things black in the universe with Shirafude Ichimonji, I have no doubt in my mind that if we were to fight all out, he would soundly defeat me. If he chose to rampage, no one could stop him.'
His inquisitive look turned into a frown.
'You knew, didn't you Sōsuke Aizen? That is why you did this. You wanted the boy to not only surpass you but also be the strongest out of all of us, including the Zero Squad.'
His frown deepened.
'Your son... truly is a terrifying specimen.'
(Elsewhere)
A sneeze echoed throughout a very dark and empty void of space.
"Someone must be talking about me." A voice filled with superiority and amusement spoke. "How amusing."