No, Shin was not sleeping.
Just as he heard Aizen's voice and was about to reply, he suddenly felt the scene before him shift. In the blink of an eye, he was no longer in the Soul King Palace.
All around him was a chaotic landscape, as if the heavens and earth were just beginning.
Here, there was no boundary between life and death. All souls, including ordinary souls, Pluses, and souls consumed by desire, Hollows, were part of the cycle of Reishi.
But after an unknown period, this cycle was broken. Hollows began to devour Pluses, Pluses became fewer and fewer, Hollows more and more. Furthermore, Hollows constantly devoured each other, and the world seemed on the verge of entering a state of stagnation, without life or death, advance or retreat.
It was at this moment that a new life was born, the Soul King. After him, Hyōsube Ichibei and the ancestors of the Five Noble Clans were also born.
The Soul King used his Quincy power to purify Hollows, allowing the world to restart its cycle.
The ancestors of the Five Noble Clans wanted to use the Soul King's power to separate Reishi from matter particles, to divide the boundary between life and death, and to establish a new cyclical world.
The ancestor of the Shiba clan wished to persuade the Soul King to agree.
However, the ancestor of the Tsunayashiro clan took the opportunity to seal the Soul King. Yet, the Soul King offered no resistance, allowing the Five Noble Clans, in conjunction with Ichibe, to sever his limbs, gouge out his heart, and cut open his internal organs.
The Soul King became a sacrifice, and chaos was divided into the three worlds: the world of Reishi, the world of matter particles, and the Hollow World—the paradise of Hollows formed by the Reishi of vanquished Hollows.
Thus, the inglorious history of Soul Society was born. The ancestors of the Five Noble Clans and Ichibe, having escaped a world on the brink of collapse, crowned the Soul King as the king of Soul Society to conceal their crimes.
...
Shin witnessed the evolution of this world from the perspective of an observer, a feeling akin to watching a documentary about the evolution of the universe in his previous life.
He guessed who had most likely pulled him into this world. Only the Soul King could accomplish such a feat.
Sure enough, as the timeline reached the present, a figure solidified in the void.
He had an ordinary appearance, with short black hair and a white robe. What was unusual was that the pupils of his eyes were star-shaped, and just one glance would draw one into their profound depths.
Shin narrowed his eyes. "The Soul King?"
Before this, Shin had never imagined that the Soul King still possessed his own consciousness, or even retained his power.
He didn't know why the Soul King had pulled him into this world and shown him the world's evolution. Nor did he know the Soul King's current strength, or whether he was friend or foe, so he maintained a cautious attitude.
"You may call me that. I have no name myself." The Soul King's voice was gentle and calm.
Shin asked, "Where is this?"
The Soul King explained, "This is my mental world. Don't worry, time is static here. Even if you spend a lot of time here, the outside world will not progress."
Shin sighed, "I never expected to meet the legendary Soul King in this way. What an honor."
The Soul King, however, ignored Shin's polite remarks and asked, "Shin, is that how I should address you?"
"What do you mean?" Shin asked nonchalantly.
"You are not from this world, am I right?" The Soul King smiled.
"I don't understand what the Soul King is talking about."
Shin feigned ignorance, appearing calm on the surface, but a storm raged in his heart. This was his biggest secret, one he had never told anyone.
"You don't need to deny it. In fact, I knew the moment you arrived in this world."
"I am very curious about your existence because I cannot see through it, including your powers, which do not belong to this world."
The Soul King looked at Shin with interest.
Shin silently marveled that the Soul King was indeed the pinnacle of the Bleach world. Even after being dismembered and sealed, he could still control the world so deeply. Not even an outsider soul like him had escaped his notice.
He stopped pretending and asked directly, "So, why did you bring me into your mental world? To show me the truth of the world?"
The Soul King said, "What you just saw is the truth, but not entirely the truth. After all, one's inner thoughts cannot be seen through images."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Shin couldn't help but ask.
The Soul King countered, "Before this, you were probably planning to kill Yhwach, seal Ichibe, and eliminate the rest of the Zero Division, right?"
Shin did not deny it. "That's right."
His and Aizen's plan was to kill Yhwach when Yhwach killed Ichibe, have Ikaros destroy all the Zero Division Riden, completely kill the rest of the Zero Division, and seal Ichibe.
Ichibei was a different existence from the rest of the Zero Division. He was born at the same time as the Soul King and controlled all 'black' in the world. As long as there was black in this world, he would be immortal and indestructible, hence he could only be dealt with through sealing.
The Soul King slowly said, "Ichibe is not so simple. A thousand years ago, after sealing Yhwach's Almighty, he let Yhwach go. A thousand years later, he deliberately allowed Yhwach to enter the Soul King Palace."
"His goal has always been only one: to steal my power, to legitimately control the entire world, and to become the true king of this world."
Shin knew that Ichibe was definitely not a simple guardian of the Soul King, but he had not expected him to want to seize the Soul King's power.
"Ichibe wants to seize your power, but you've been sealed for a million years. Why doesn't he act directly, instead of using Yhwach?" Shin asked, voicing his confusion.
The Soul King shook his head. "No, he did act, but he found that my consciousness still existed, and he couldn't seize my power at all. In the end, he had to reseal me."
"This world has two powers, 'black' and 'white.' I gave Ichibe the title 'Monk Who Calls the Real Name' and bestowed upon him the power to control all 'black' in the world."
"But after I was sealed, Ichibe's ambition was exposed. He wanted to seize the power of 'white' and become the king of the world."
"He guided Yhwach to attack the Soul King Palace, to completely kill me and absorb my power. After that, he could make Yhwach into a new wedge for the three worlds and steal my power."
Shin was surprised that Ichibe had hidden himself so deeply and plotted for thousands of years. He was also curious about the residual power of the Soul King.
Shin asked, "Since you still have power, why don't you actively get rid of Ichibe?"
The Soul King replied, "I lost my body and was sealed, so I cannot use my power. Only this consciousness remains in the world. Ichibe cannot forcibly seize my power, but Yhwach can."