Although Squad Zero was suspended high in the sky beneath the Soul King's Palace and cut off from the Soul Society below, they were never blind to events taking place there. The rebellion led by Aizen Sōsuke and his massacre of Central 46 were now fully exposed before them, as well as the purge of the Tsunayashiro clan by Yuta Hideki, an act that crippled one of the four great noble families. All of these incidents, destined to alter the course of history in Soul Society, lay clearly before Squad Zero.
At this moment, every member of Squad Zero gathered together, reviewing the recorded images. The vision displayed the chamber of Central 46 bathed in blood that had long since dried against the cold stone floors.
Kirinji Tenjirō chewed lazily on a straw, shaking it between his teeth as his long pointed hairstyle jutted forward like the nose of an airplane. He wore his sleeveless haori over an open shirt that revealed his muscular chest. His casual tone contrasted with the gravity of what they were witnessing.
"Oh my… this Sōsuke Aizen really committed treason. He actually killed every member of Central 46."
Senjumaru Shutara, adorned in intricate golden hair ornaments and a flowing white shawl fastened with clasps, stood with solemn poise. Her six skeletal arms shifted quietly behind her.
"This is not the full extent of his plan," she said evenly. "Killing Central 46 is only the beginning. But matters concerning the Gotei 13 are their responsibility. Our duty is to protect the Soul King's Palace, and unless absolutely necessary, we will not intervene."
Ichibē Hyōsube, bald and broad, spoke with deliberate weight.
"Did you notice? Aizen defeated Hitsugaya Tōshirō with a single strike. That alone is enough to confirm the overwhelming nature of his reiatsu. With only an ordinary swing, he incapacitated a captain in Bankai. A man with power of that scale… what exactly is he pursuing?" His eyes lingered on the figure of the Soul King, suspended in the crystal of the Spirit Palace. The Divine King's endless power kept the realms in balance-power that could easily erase all creation if it surged unchecked. Even within the distant chambers of the Reiōkyū, its presence instilled unavoidable awe. Their entire domain had been shaped by the Soul King's will alone, every spell and construct conjured through His existence. It was no wonder the Tsunayashiro family lived in constant fear; if the Soul King willed their annihilation, it would be so swift as to require not even a gesture.
Such power now lay trapped within a static, unchanging shell-a king reduced to a fragmented state of endless life and endless death, unable to truly live nor die.
Ūetsu Nimaiya, his black curls bouncing and his posture relaxed with a showman's flair, tilted his head with a careless air that contrasted the gravity of the moment.
"Even if Aizen's goal is to dethrone the Soul King, it doesn't matter. As long as Squad Zero exists, he won't succeed. No one can break through our defenses."
Behind him, Tenjirō appeared soundlessly, his presence abrupt.
"You shouldn't take it so lightly," he said quietly. His speed was sharp enough to make even Nimaiya falter for a moment.
Nimaiya pointed at him with both hands, clicking his tongue. "Heh. That speed suits the man they call 'Lightning Tenjirō.' It's probably faster than the current Second Division Captain."
"It's just a little trick," Tenjirō replied with a faint smile, straw between his lips again.
The images shifted once more. This time it showed Yuta Hideki, his blade cutting down Kuchiki Byakuya in a single strike before Senbonzakura Kagayoshi could even be released. For the first time, Tenjirō's straw slipped from his mouth and hit the ground unnoticed.
"Just now… did you see what he did?" he asked quietly, his lighthearted demeanor overtaken by disbelief.
Nimaiya's playful expression hardened into still silence. "You… even as Lightning Tenjirō, you didn't see it? If you couldn't follow it, then how could I?" he admitted.
Shutara frowned deeply. "Who is that boy? His movements were invisible-even compared to Shihōin Yoruichi, the Goddess of Flash. To think none of us could follow him…"
Ichibē did not fixate on Yuta's speed, but on something far more entrenched in his duty.
At that moment, he thought he glimpsed Yuta's Zanpakutō, yet his mind failed him. No record, no name, no imprint of such a sword existed within his authority-the authority that defined the names and essence of all things in Soul Society. For the first time in countless ages, unease rippled through him.
"This… is impossible," Ichibē muttered. "Every Zanpakutō has a name-bestowed and recorded. Unless…" His breath caught as his certainty wavered for the first time. His fat fingers trembled slightly as he spoke. "Unless even that law is no longer absolute."
The recording was reversed at Ichibē's command, each frame replayed slowly. A quiet murmur passed from the one who handled the device.
"This boy's name is Yuta Hideki… he only just graduated from the Shinō Academy."
"Further back," Ichibē ordered.
"Reverse it again… stop here."
The chamber fell into silence as each member focused on the blurred shadow of the Zanpakutō in Yuta's hand. Nimaiya removed his exaggerated glasses, his face settling into rare seriousness. He scrutinized the weapon carefully, trying to reconcile what he saw with the knowledge that should have been certain.
Tenjirō glanced between them, sensing the severity in their expressions though he did not yet understand. For the first time in millennia, the Zero Division regarded something with absolute gravity.
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