Sora could now see a special silver Spirit Ribbon on others.
The silver Spirit Ribbon was the unique aura emitted by the True Spirit of a soul.
Souls would circulate within the Three Worlds, but no matter how many times they reincarnated or what species they reincarnated into, the True Spirit of the soul would not change. This was the most essential thing within a soul.
New True Spirits would constantly be born in the Three Worlds, and occasionally True Spirits would perish.
However, True Spirits were very special; even if the spirit body of a soul was destroyed, the True Spirit would not truly perish.
Even if the spirit body was decomposed into Reishi, the Reishi of the True Spirit would reassemble and restore itself into a True Spirit.
Only by thoroughly erasing the Reishi of the True Spirit could the True Spirit be considered annihilated.
Sora saw two True Spirit Ribbons on Ichigo Kurosaki.
The other True Spirit on Ichigo Kurosaki was most likely the True Spirit of the Soul King; the Soul King would reincarnate as Ichigo Kurosaki's descendant.
Sora glanced at the progress of the 'Path of Transcendence' mission.
[Path of Transcendence: Groom disciples who reach the limits of Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy]
[Current Progress: Grooming a disciple at the limit of Shinigami completed (Sōsuke Aizen), grooming a disciple at the limit of Hollow completed (Nelliel), grooming a disciple at the limit of Quincy completed (Ichigo Kurosaki)]
After Ichigo Kurosaki mastered "Bankai," the 'Path of Transcendence' was completed.
Sora also received feedback; the balance of power within his body was changing.
Originally, the powers of Quincy, Shinigami, and Hollow had already fused.
And now, the "Teacher System," as the materialization of his Fullbring, was also fusing with the other powers.
The system interface seen by his eyes was disappearing.
His Spiritual Pressure was also growing at an immeasurable speed.
With each breath, the increase in Spiritual Pressure was more than Ichigo Kurosaki's entire Spiritual Pressure.
Yet Rukia and Ichigo, who were playing around in the courtyard, were completely unaware of this.
Sora felt as if he were already in a higher dimension; the changes in his Spiritual Pressure had no effect on the things around him.
With a thought, he arrived outside the Three Worlds, at the center of the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the World of the Living.
The original Royal Palace was in this place.
Now, however, there was only a blue crystal sealing a gigantic arm here.
The blue crystal was the 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds' replacing the Soul King.
However, the arm inside the crystal was already riddled with holes.
Pernida was, after all, only the Left Arm of the Soul King, not the Soul King himself. Becoming the 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds' would rapidly consume its existence.
This temporary 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds' could only support the Three Worlds for twenty years, and now it was soon unable to support the Three Worlds anymore.
Before completing the 'Path of Transcendence', Sora wasn't sure how much he could grow within these twenty years, or if he would possess the ability to reforge the Three Worlds by then, so he had also prepared a backup plan.
Over these dozen years, the Soul King fragments that fell into Hell had basically all been collected.
These Soul King fragments were enough to recreate a 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds'.
However, such a 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds' might not be as stable as the one during the Soul King's reign.
The five members of the Zero Division were all here, just in case something went wrong with the temporarily created 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds'.
Seeing Sora arrive, the five of them gathered around.
Senjumaru Shutara frowned: "The boundary between Hell and the Three Worlds is becoming increasingly blurred."
Sora glanced in the direction of Hell.
Originally, Hell and the Three Worlds had distinct boundaries with a relatively wide buffer zone, but now they were almost sticking together.
The Three Worlds were falling toward Hell at a slow speed!
Hell was getting closer and closer to the Three Worlds, so the space of the Three Worlds became increasingly unstable, and spatial passages connecting Hell and the Three Worlds appeared from time to time.
Tenjirō Kirinji asked: "Those Soul King fragments that fell into Hell should have been collected, right?"
"They have been collected..." Sora nodded. "I came here this time to solve the problem of the Three Worlds."
He took out a sphere close to one meter in diameter from his pocket dimension.
This was the Hōgyoku made from all the Soul King fragments collected from Hell.
The power of this Hōgyoku far exceeded the Hōgyoku he and Aizen had made before; it had even reached the level of a Transcendent itself.
"This is the Hōgyoku?"
"Are you going to use it to create a new 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds'?"
The five people sized up the giant Hōgyoku in Sora's hand.
"Even if you use it to create a new 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds', it won't change the status quo of the Three Worlds gradually falling into Hell," Kirio Hikifune sighed.
"Indeed. Creating a new 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds' can only delay the time the Three Worlds fall into Hell. To reverse this situation..." Ichibē Hyōsube tucked his hands into his sleeves and spoke slowly, "I'm afraid only the Soul King, or someone who has walked far enough on the path of a Transcendent like the Soul King, can do it."
"Can't be done..." Tenjirō Kirinji spread his hands. "Delaying it for a day is still a day. In the end, it's just the world returning to its primordial state, back to the state before the Soul King created the Three Worlds."
"Wouldn't that turn into the situation Yhwach wanted to see?" Kirio Hikifune said in a muffled voice.
This would be tantamount to a world-destroying catastrophe for the humans and spirits in the Three Worlds. Countless souls would perish because of this. Kirio Hikifune didn't want to see such a situation.
"I already have a clue," Sora smiled and said, "I intend to reforge the Three Worlds."
"Reforge the Three Worlds?"
The five people looked at Sora simultaneously.
"That's not something easily done!" Tenjirō Kirinji raised an eyebrow.
"Have you... already caught up with the Soul King's footsteps?" A rare look of surprise appeared on Ichibē Hyōsube's face; this truly exceeded his expectations.
Ichibē Hyōsube had long known that the Soul King was paying attention to this young man carrying the 'Shadow of the Soul King'. Initially, he thought the Soul King intended to groom a candidate for the 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds'.
However, Sora Katori's growth rate exceeded his expectations. Inadvertently, he had grown to a level that even Ichibē couldn't reach.
And now, only sixteen years had passed since the Soul King's fall, yet Sora Katori had stepped into another level.
"I haven't seen the Soul King in his prime, so I don't know if I've reached His level..."
Sora raised his hand slightly, and the giant Hōgyoku left his palm and floated up:
"But I know I can do it now..."
"Shatter Hell."
In the next moment, the giant Hōgyoku was crushed by an invisible force, making the five people's eyelids twitch.
The giant Hōgyoku shattered!
If the power within the Hōgyoku erupted, it would definitely set off a Reishi storm sufficient to swallow the Three Worlds again!
This time, there was no Royal Palace space as a buffer; the Reishi storm would instantly swallow the Three Worlds!
However, the berserk blue Reishi was bound by an invisible force.
Sora drew 'Tanten Shinkotsu' (Heaven-Edge Divine Bone) from his waist, and the jade-white blade pierced into the berserk Reishi cluster.
The Reishi cluster was squeezed by the external invisible force and shrank rapidly. At the same time, the blade of Tanten Shinkotsu was also being dissolved by the Reishi cluster.
A moment later, the Reishi cluster condensed into a new blade.
Sora reforged Tanten Shinkotsu using the giant Hōgyoku as the base!
The giant Hōgyoku was almost equivalent to the Soul King's spirit body without the Soul King's consciousness. With this as the base, the reforged Tanten Shinkotsu possessed infinite power.
The appearance of the re-reforged Tanten Shinkotsu didn't change much. The blade body was still white as jade, with simple and exquisite patterns on the back of the blade. The whole thing looked like a sword-shaped white jade.
"Swords can be forged like this?" Ōetsu Nimaiya watched dumbfounded.
Sora held Tanten Shinkotsu and slashed forward.
A streak of white flowing light flashed.
Hell, which was almost stuck together with the Three Worlds, was sliced off like tofu.
Then, an invisible force pushed the separated Three Worlds away.
Sora swung his sword again, and dense flowing light slashed into Hell.
The rain of flowing light fell into Hell, and the entire Hell silently shattered into countless pieces.
In the next moment, tidal wave-like black shadows rapidly swallowed the fragments of Hell.
A moment later, the boundless black shadows gathered in Sora's hand, turning into a palm-sized black sphere.
"Hell is just... gone?!" Ichibē Hyōsube was stunned speechless.
Ichibē Hyōsube himself was a living history book, existing before the Soul King created the Three Worlds. He knew better than anyone how difficult what Sora Katori just did was.
Hell was something belonging to the primordial world, existing before the Soul King created the world. Therefore, even the Soul King couldn't destroy Hell; He only placed the Three Worlds above Hell, isolating Hell spatially.
Yet Sora Katori casually sliced Hell into pieces!
This completely exceeded the scope of Ichibē Hyōsube's understanding!
"It was Lord Soul King's generosity in leaving behind his spirit body; otherwise, it would have been hard for me to reach this level," Sora chuckled lightly.
The current Tanten Shinkotsu possessed the power of the Soul King's body. Combined with Sora's own power, it could exert power surpassing the Soul King.
"That's still exaggerated; this is Hell!" Kirio Hikifune exclaimed.
"Amazing... You have already surpassed Lord Soul King." Senjumaru Shutara's heart was surging. The boy born in her hands had now grown to this extent.
"Then it seems the problem of the Three Worlds can really be solved."
When Sora Katori mentioned reforging the Three Worlds, Tenjirō Kirinji was still half-doubting, but now he had completely dispelled his doubts.
Sora explained his idea to everyone:
"I will forge the fragments of Hell into a 'Hell Furnace'.
This 'Hell Furnace' will become the cornerstone supporting the Three Worlds.
The 'Hell Furnace' will still retain Hell's characteristic of absorbing the souls of sinners.
The souls of sinners sucked into the 'Hell Furnace' will also become part of the cornerstone of the Three Worlds, making the Three Worlds more stable.
Until the souls of sinners wash away their sins in the 'Hell Furnace', their True Spirits will return to circulate in the Three Worlds again.
Of course, this might be an extremely painful and long process."
Sora wanted to use the 'Hell Furnace' forged from Hell fragments to replace the 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds' and support the Three Worlds.
"Using Hell to support the Three Worlds... an interesting idea."
Ichibē Hyōsube stroked his large beard and pondered:
"If it can be done...
The souls of sinners can make up for the wear and tear of the 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds'.
Over time, although doing so will cause the Reishi of the Three Worlds to flow into the furnace, the wear and tear of the 'Lynchpin' will also cause the Reishi in the furnace to escape outward.
What a perfect cycle.
Even after billions of years, there's no need to worry about the problem of the 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds'!"
Sora raised his hand, and the black sphere in his hand rotated rapidly.
Holding Tanten Shinkotsu, Sora's status and realm had reached above the Soul King. All the secrets of this world were revealed before him at a glance.
He was now like someone who had obtained the editor of this world!
Omniscient and omnipotent!
A moment later, the black shadow covering the surface of the sphere faded, revealing a crimson sphere.
The crimson sphere emitted immeasurable heat.
"Such high temperature!"
"Just the emitted temperature is this high. Even a Captain-class soul would probably melt instantly upon entering!"
After the black shadow faded, everyone in the Zero Division instantly felt parched, and even their hair curled up. They relied on their abundant Spiritual Pressure to barely resist the temperature emitted by the crimson sphere, avoiding their bodies being scorched.
"After all, this is compressing the entire Hell together..."
Sora gazed intently at the crimson sphere. The characteristics and rules of Hell hidden within it appeared one by one in his eyes like the underlying code of the world.
With a thought, the internal space of the crimson sphere expanded rapidly, and the sphere's temperature dropped accordingly.
Sora thought for a moment and simply divided the interior of the Hell Furnace into eighteen layers.
The temperature of each layer of Hell was different. Souls of different Spiritual Power levels could last about the same time in the Hell Furnace.
Sora raised his hand and pushed gently. The Hell Furnace flew to the position of the 'Lynchpin of the Three Worlds' and replaced it.
The rules of the Three Worlds appeared one by one in Sora's eyes.
According to his own ideas, Sora connected the Three Worlds with the Hell Furnace.
Next, he also modified some other rules.
Quincies destroying Hollows disrupts the balance of souls?
Changed!
The Soul King could give Shinigami the ability to purify Hollows back then; he could do it now too.
Quincy power would be influenced by the rules. Quincies below the Transcendent level could not destroy the True Spirit of a soul; they would only purify it and send it to the Soul Society. This way, the balance of souls in the Three Worlds would not be affected.
He continued to adjust the rules of Hell and the Three Worlds, adding the ability to guide Shinigami to Hell to the Hell Butterflies, intending to add a duty to Shinigami—sending the souls of sinners into the Hell Furnace.
Hollows were one of the lowest-level rules of the primordial world, so he couldn't modify that. Otherwise, Sora would have wanted to remove the Hollow's characteristic of devouring souls.
Sora didn't touch the other rules maintaining the operation of the Three Worlds.
The Three Worlds had been operating for many years. These rules were intertwined like spaghetti code; changing them randomly might cause other unexpected consequences.
A moment later, the Three Worlds and the Hell Furnace stabilized.
The Hell Furnace was located at the position of the original Royal Palace, in the center of the Three Worlds, maintaining a connection with the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the World of the Living that ordinary people couldn't detect.
However, now one couldn't enter the Hell Furnace directly from the Three Worlds; one needed to open the Gate of Hell to enter Hell.
"Judges?"
Some thoughts rose in the minds of the Zero Division members; they had an additional duty.
"Now that there is no Royal Palace, the Zero Division are the Judges of Hell, specifically in charge of managing the souls that fall into Hell."
...
The heavy book closed with a soft thud.
Saya Katori, Sora and Batsu'unsai's youngest daughter, curled against Sora's side, her head resting on his chest. She stared at the cover for several seconds before looking up at him.
"Dad, did all of that really happen?"
Sora smiled and brushed a loose strand of black hair away from her face.
"Yes, Princess. It all happened."
"You really destroyed Hell?"
"I did."
"And then you turned it into a giant furnace?"
"That part was more complicated than the book makes it sound."
Saya narrowed her eyes.
"Did you really do it with only two swings of your sword?"
Sora hesitated.
"Maybe three."
"Dad!"
"All right, two," he admitted. "But Ichibē added several pages about how impressive his beard looked while he watched."
Saya covered her mouth and giggled.
Her laughter faded. Saya looked down at her hands and fidgeted with her fingers.
"Dad?"
"You can ask me anything."
"Mom told me once that her body was failing before you fixed it."
Sora waited.
Saya raised her head again.
"And you were originally a Reigai, right?"
"I was."
"But Reigai aren't supposed to be able to have children. So how was I born?"
Sora was silent for a moment.
He had expected that question someday, just not while she was still small enough to sit on his lap.
"Ordinary Reigai are artificial bodies created from Reishi," he explained. "They were never meant to live or reproduce the same way normal souls do."
Saya listened carefully.
"But I stopped being an ordinary Reigai a long time ago."
Her eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
"My existence changed as I grew stronger. My body and soul continued evolving until I completely surpassed the limits of what a Reigai was supposed to be."
"So you aren't really a Reigai anymore?"
"Not in the way I was when I was created."
Sora smiled.
"By the end, I had become a transcendent being. My existence was closer to the Soul King than to an artificial soul."
Saya blinked several times.
"So that's why you could have children?"
"That's part of it."
Sora took one of her hands and held it gently.
"Your mother and I had you the same way any parents have a child. You were never something I created with my powers."
Saya looked up at him.
"I wasn't?"
"No. You're our daughter. You were born from both of us."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"So Mom and you really made me?"
"We did."
"Because you loved each other?"
"Very much."
"Even when Mom gives you that frightening look?"
Sora lowered his voice.
"Especially then."
Batsu'unsai's voice came from behind them.
"Darling, what exactly are you teaching our daughter?"
Sora turned around.
Batsu'unsai stood at the entrance with a tray of tea and sweets.
Saya jumped from Sora's lap.
"Mom!"
Batsu'unsai placed the tray on the table, then caught Saya in a hug.
"Were you listening from outside?" Sora asked.
"I arrived in time to hear you."
"The first time you held my finger and called me Mom, I stopped caring about the question."
Batsu'unsai kissed Saya's forehead.
"I would rather be remembered as your mother."
Saya wrapped both arms around her neck.
"I love you, Mom."
"I love you too."
"And Dad?"
Batsu'unsai looked over Saya's shoulder at Sora.
"I tolerate him."
"Your mother proposed to me," Sora said.
Batsu'unsai's eyes narrowed.
"You promised never to mention how that happened."
Before Sora could answer, someone dropped from the roof and came through the open window.
Yuzuki Shihōin, Yoruichi's daughter, landed beside the table and stole a sweet from the tray before anyone could stop her. She wore the same mischievous grin as her mother.
"Thank you for saving this for me."
"That was mine!" Saya complained.
"If you wanted it, you should have moved faster."
Mizuki Matsumoto, Rangiku's daughter, walked through the door while yawning. She had inherited her mother's talent for avoiding work and finding the most comfortable place in every room.
"Is dinner ready yet? Watching everyone train made me hungry."
"You were supposed to be training with us," someone called from the hallway.
"I was supervising."
"You were sleeping under a tree!"
"I was supervising the tree."
Ruri Kuchiki, Rukia's daughter, marched into the room carrying several sheets of paper. Her expression was serious, but every drawing showed a round rabbit wielding a Zanpakutō.
"I have completed the illustrations for Father's book."
Yuzuki turned one of the pages sideways.
"Is this supposed to be Dad?"
"That is the Hell Furnace, you fool!"
"It has ears."
"They are part of its spiritual structure."
Tsumugi Shutara, Senjumaru's daughter, entered behind Ruri. Much like her mother, she examined the drawing and took out a length of thread.
"The composition is acceptable, but the binding is terrible. Give it to me before the pages fall apart."
"Do not alter my masterpiece."
"I am saving it."
The courtyard shook.
Four more sisters rushed toward the house.
Bianca Basterbine, Bambietta's daughter, declared herself the winner before anyone had agreed that they were racing. Cassidy Catnipp, Candice's daughter, shouted that the wind had ruined her hair. Mina McAllon, Meninas's daughter, carried a stone bench under one arm because there were not enough seats at the table. Lotte Lamperd, Liltotto's daughter, was already eating from a bag of sweets and flatly informed the others that they were all too loud.
The four had inherited far more than Quincy power from their mothers.
Batsu'unsai adjusted her glasses.
"If anyone breaks another wall, that person will run one hundred laps around the Seireitei."
Every girl froze.
Sora looked at her.
"That frightening look."
"Be quiet, darling."
More voices came from the courtyard. Bambietta and Candice were arguing over whether Bianca or Cassidy had started the race. Meninas followed them carrying enough food for the entire family, while Liltotto ate from one of the plates without waiting for dinner.
Giselle walked among them with her arms crossed and her cheeks puffed out.
"It still isn't fair," she complained.
Liltotto did not look at her.
"What are you complaining about now?"
"All of you got to marry Captain. I'm the only one who can't marry my captain."
"You have been complaining about that for years," Candice said.
"And you always choose dinner to mention it," Bambietta added.
Meninas gave Giselle a piece of cake.
"You can still sit beside him."
Giselle accepted the cake, but she continued pouting.
"That isn't the same."
Sora looked at her from inside the house.
"Gigi, you don't need to marry me to have a place in this family."
Giselle stared at him.
"Can I still be in the next family portrait?"
"Of course."
"In the middle?"
"No," Bambietta, Candice, and Liltotto answered together.
Giselle smiled anyway and hurried inside.
The quiet room became crowded within minutes.
Yuzuki continued stealing sweets from everyone's plates. Mizuki stretched out beside the table and pretended not to hear when Batsu'unsai asked for help. Ruri insisted on explaining every rabbit in her drawings, while Tsumugi repaired a torn sleeve without even looking down.
Bianca, Cassidy, Mina, and Lotte argued over where everyone should sit. Mina moved the heavy table by herself, while Lotte ate the food that was supposed to be placed on it.
Their mothers were not any quieter.
Batsu'unsai looked at the chaos filling her home and sighed.
"Darling, do something."
Sora picked up Saya and placed her back on his lap.
"I am doing something."
"You are sitting there."
"I am keeping our daughter safe."
"From what?"
A plate flew across the room behind him. Sora caught it without looking and placed it back on the table.
"From that."
Batsu'unsai tried to stay serious, but she smiled.
Saya noticed.
"Mom smiled!"
"I did not."
"You did!"
"I saw it too," Sora said.
Batsu'unsai gave him another frightening look, but this time Sora only laughed.
When everyone finally found a place, the family began eating together.
Saya looked at the closed book lying nearby.
"Dad?"
"Yes, Princess?"
"Does your story really end after you created the Hell Furnace?"
"The battle ended there."
"But what happened afterward?"
Sora looked around the table.
Lotte was hiding food for later. Ruri was drawing rabbits on the corner of a napkin. Bianca and Cassidy were arguing over dessert. Giselle was trying to move her chair closer to him while pretending no one could see her.
Batsu'unsai sat at his side, cutting Saya's food into smaller pieces.
"This happened afterward," Sora answered.
Saya looked around the room.
"All of this?"
"All of it."
"Then the book is missing a lot."
"I suppose it is."
"You need to write another one."
"What should I call it?"
Saya thought for a moment, then raised both arms.
"Dad's Peaceful Life!"
At that moment, something exploded in the courtyard.
Cassidy pointed at Bianca.
"She did it!"
"It was an accident!"
Batsu'unsai slowly stood up.
"One hundred laps."
"It was her fault!"
"Two hundred."
The two girls ran from the room before she could increase the number again.
Sora watched them go.
"Perhaps 'peaceful' isn't the right word."
Saya leaned against him and yawned.
"Then call it 'Dad's Happy Life.'"
Sora looked down at her.
"That title is perfect."
Outside, the Three Worlds continued turning safely around the Hell Furnace. Souls passed through the cycle without fear of the world collapsing again. The battles that had once decided the fate of existence were now stories inside an old book.
Sora had once believed that his second chance had been given to him so he could become stronger, train his disciples, and save the Three Worlds.
Perhaps that had only been part of the reason.
Saya fell asleep against his chest while the rest of the family continued talking and arguing around him. Batsu'unsai sat down again and rested her head against his shoulder.
Sora closed his eyes.
He did not know who or what had given him this second life, but he silently thanked them.
Thank you for giving me this second chance.
Thank you for letting me find a home.
The book had closed, but Sora's story had not ended.