"Is this the Royal Palace..."
Sōsuke Aizen stood on the Main Approach of the Royal Palace, watching several floating islands hover in the air.
"The five circular floating islands suspended in the air are the Zero Division's palaces, where the Zero Division members reside. The pillar floating in the center is the Greater Spirit King Palace, where the Soul King is located," Sora said, staring at the figures ahead.
On the Main Approach, besides master and disciple, the members of the Zero Division stood.
"The Zero Division doesn't look very friendly."
Sōsuke Aizen could find no sign of Yhwach, but he noticed that the five members of the Zero Division were all looking at them with hostility.
Their leader, Ichibē Hyōsube, stood with his arms folded across his chest and shouted, "Intruders in the Royal Palace face the death penalty!"
"Are they being controlled? Does Yhwach have the ability to control minds?" Sora frowned. "Could it be the power of Hell?"
Both the Lord of Hell himself and his Zanpakutō possessed the ability to control minds, so Sora subconsciously felt the five were under such influence.
Kirio Hikifune clapped her hands, and countless branches sprouted from the ground, trying to separate them.
But Sora didn't want to waste time with them. He drew his sword and slashed a beam of light that shredded the incoming branches.
"Sōsuke, hold them off. Although I haven't sensed Yhwach's spiritual pressure, he should be in the Royal Palace right now." Sora intended to go straight for the Greater Spirit King Palace.
"I will stop them." Sōsuke Aizen nodded.
Sora dipped his head slightly, pushed off with his legs, and leapt toward the massive pillar in the sky.
"This task is a bit tricky..." Sōsuke Aizen said, sounding helpless.
Even though he had stepped onto the path of a Transcendent, dealing simultaneously with the combined force of the five Zero Division members was not easy.
Ōetsu Nimaiya pulled a sword from a jelly tank beside him.
At first glance the sword looked no different from an ordinary Zanpakutō, but in reality it possessed extraordinary sharpness and smoothness; it was practically unblockable.
Whoosh—
The long blade sliced through the air at breakneck speed. The air offered no resistance, and in an instant Sōsuke Aizen was cut in half.
"Got him?"
In a corner, the white-haired young man looked haggard and exhausted. He seemed to have aged thirty or forty years, his face turned into that of a white-haired middle-aged man.
He was burning his own soul. Modifying the cognition of the Zero Division had been too difficult; it was impossible to accomplish without paying a heavy price.
Crack—
Sōsuke Aizen's body, split in two, suddenly shattered into countless pieces like broken glass.
"Such a sharp sword — it seems to merge with the air... Fortunately, I used Kyōka Suigetsu as soon as we met; otherwise I might have broken my promise."
Sōsuke Aizen's voice came from behind the white-haired middle-aged man.
He could now activate Kyōka Suigetsu silently.
Even Ōetsu Nimaiya and the others hadn't noticed the light of Kyōka Suigetsu when it flashed.
"Was I discovered even while wearing an invisibility cloak..." The white-haired middle-aged man's face fell.
"An invisibility cloak can indeed hide external perception, but in an environment with extremely high reishi concentration, a local depression in reishi is equally conspicuous." Sōsuke Aizen chuckled softly.
The white-haired middle-aged man said nothing. Instead, he silently used his Schrift ability, altering the air around Sōsuke Aizen into highly toxic Hollow venom.
"The air changed suddenly... An interesting ability."
Sōsuke Aizen's figure appeared farther away.
The white-haired middle-aged man recalled the ability of Kyōka Suigetsu that His Majesty had told him about. Thinking quickly, he shouted, "Use wide-area attacks! Kill him!"
"As you wish, Lord Soul King."
Tenjirō Kirinji's paddle-like Zanpakutō gave off a golden light that illuminated every inch of the Main Approach.
Kirio Hikifune clapped her hands again, and more branches surged from the ground.
Senjumaru Shutara hurled a paper fan that fired countless golden needles in all directions.
Ōetsu Nimaiya took out another sword whose tip spewed raging flames, setting the branches ablaze.
The Main Approach of the Royal Palace was quickly turned into a sea of fire.
"Lord Soul King? That title... has their cognition been influenced?"
Sōsuke Aizen noticed how the Zero Division addressed the white-haired middle-aged man, and his eyes narrowed immediately.
However, he had to handle the Zero Division's attacks right now and had no time to dwell on it.
Several translucent barriers sprang up around Sōsuke Aizen, blocking every assault.
"He has revealed himself! Ichibē Hyōsube, why don't you attack?" the white-haired middle-aged man said, turning to Ichibē Hyōsube beside him. "Don't forget your duty to protect the Royal Palace. Clear out the intruder quickly!"
"The Royal Palace is under attack; intruders face the death penalty! However, before that, I must ensure the safety of the 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds'..."
A strange smile tugged at the corner of Ichibē Hyōsube's mouth.
"But the Lord Soul King doesn't seem to be in the form of the 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds'..."
"What are you doing!"
"Are you going to disobey the Soul King's orders, Ichibē Hyōsube?!"
The white-haired middle-aged man's expression changed drastically. He continued to push his Schrift ability further. His appearance aged rapidly by another few decades; even his hair and teeth began to fall out, and the wrinkles on his face deepened.
Yet Ichibē Hyōsube seemed unaffected. Blade light flashed repeatedly, slicing off the white-haired old man's limbs.
"What is going on? I clearly modified their cognitive parameters. I should appear as the Soul King to them right now!"
The white-haired old man lay on the ground, having lost his limbs. He couldn't understand why his ability had failed.
"Fortunately, the modification on those four was successful... Even if I die, their cognition won't return to normal immediately!"
A moment later, the limbless white-haired old man was sealed inside a blue crystal.
However, after being sealed within the crystal the white-haired old man stopped breathing. Ichibē Hyōsube had failed to create a 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds'.
"Dead..." Ichibē Hyōsube murmured with slightly vacant eyes. "He didn't have the qualifications to become the 'Lynchpin'..."
The ability of 'Parameter Modification' hadn't failed. Rather, Ichibē Hyōsube believed that the duty of guarding the 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds' was paramount. If there was a problem with the existing 'Lynchpin', he had to make a new one.
The white-haired old man had altered their cognition, disguising himself as a lively Soul King. Therefore Ichibē Hyōsube believed the former 'Lynchpin' had failed and a new one was required.
"The qualified person went there..." Ichibē Hyōsube lifted his head, looking toward the Greater Spirit King Palace where the Soul King was located.
"The influence didn't disappear even after death?" Sōsuke Aizen also noticed the pitiable state of the white-haired old man. Seeing Ichibē Hyōsube leap up, intent on heading deeper into the Royal Palace, Aizen immediately raised his hand to stop him.
"Hadō No. 90: Kurohitsugi."
A black coffin rose abruptly, encasing Ichibē Hyōsube.