Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began When I Became Yoriichi's Sister

Chapter 770 Spirit King

Ikuko stood at the edge of Sōkyō Hill, with the entire Seireitei below laid out before her.

“Look, no matter where you are, there’s no palace that matches the status of a king.” Yuko suddenly pointed to the side. “Hey, there’s a rather shabby building over there. Whose house is that? How come there’s such a stinking ditch in Seireitei?”

Yoruichi didn't even need to look over to know what this guy was talking about, and immediately chuckled: "You've lived in that incredibly shabby building for decades, haven't you?"

"Can you count it as a number even if it starts with a single character?"

Ye Yi looked speechless: "You really are the type to get your revenge the moment you suffer a loss."

Yu Zi snorted coldly, a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth.

Her upturned lips slowly turned down, a shrewd glint in her eyes, and she continued, picking up where she left off: "But since the Seireitei is located here, there must be a reason."

"Oh? What's the reason?" Yoruichi crossed her arms and looked at her with interest. "Perhaps he's not in Soul Society?"

This guy has never bothered to know the secrets of the Spirit King; it would be a miracle if he could guess them.

Yuko shook her head: "But we can't do it in Hueco Mundo or the real world, can we?"

"And coincidentally, someone reminded me yesterday."

"A reminder?"

"Hmm, I think the Soul King may not exist in Hueco Mundo, nor in the human world, and perhaps not even in Soul Society."

"Instead, it is a spiritual space, or a different space, that is independent of the Three Realms."

Yoruichi's pupils contracted slightly: "Hey, hey, who reminded you?"

"Could it be Old Man Shan?"

This guy was looking for the Cleansing Realm Chapter all night, and he only greeted Old Man Shan, right?

“Oh? I guessed right?” Yuko narrowed her eyes slightly. “However, considering the possibility that Seireitei might exist as a subordinate of the Soul King, I guess this guy’s headquarters is definitely closer to Soul Society.”

“After all, Aizen said he wanted to pull the Soul King down from the Heavenly Throne. If this were in Hueco Mundo, wouldn’t he… wait…” At this point, Yuuko paused, then suddenly looked up at the sky, “The Heavenly Throne…”

"Could it be..."

Yoruichi smiled helplessly: "It's probably this."

Yuko revealed a satisfied expression: "So the Throne of Heaven has a double meaning?"

"It refers to both the status of the Spirit King and his location."

Yoruichi couldn't help but retort, "If you're so good at reading comprehension, why don't you become a Japanese literature teacher?"

"If I become a Chinese language teacher, what will happen to Meiyu? Won't she go hungry?"

"..."

What do you take teachers for?

"In other words, the Soul King exists in the Soul Society, or in an alternate dimension above the Seireitei." Yuuko gazed up at the sky above the Seireitei, seeing absolutely nothing unusual. "Is that what you mean?"

“Yes, that’s another dimension that exists independently of the Seireitei.” Yoruichi put one hand on her hip and sighed. “Unless you have a special Royal Key or are led by the Zero Division, no one can go up there.”

"Wang Jian? Zero Squad?" Yuko was taken aback. "Seriously, is it really okay for you to just tell me like this so openly?"

"If you were an ambitious person like Aizen, of course I wouldn't tell you."

Yu Zi chuckled: "You talk as if people don't know this. It's common news."

Ye Yi's eyelid twitched, and she raised both hands: "Commonplace? OK, then you can ask someone else for information."

"I was wrong."

"You slid down too fast, didn't you?!" Ye Yi glanced at her blankly, sighed again, and continued, "You can think of the so-called King's Key as the key to unlock the Spirit King's Palace."

"The Spirit King's Palace is a separate space where the Spirit King and the royal family reside, and it is equipped with 72 barriers."

"Without Wang Jian, it would be impossible to enter normally."

"Royalty? There's royalty?" Yu Zi blinked. "Then wouldn't your status as one of the four great noble families be quite demeaning?"

"...Is this the point of focus?"

Yuko's eyes narrowed slightly: "Zero Squad, it sounds like it's a bit more advanced than Old Man Yama's First Squad?"

"Late-game boss?"

"What is all this nonsense?" Yoruichi rubbed her temples, finding it really difficult to talk to this idiot. "Listen carefully, the so-called Zero Division is also known as royal agents."

"Specifically responsible for protecting the Spirit King's Palace and the Spirit King."

"Their existence and strength surpass those of the Gotei 13. Unless a major crisis arises that even the Gotei 13 cannot handle, they will not easily show themselves. Each member has created significant events for Soul Society and holds a pivotal position."

"The last person to be promoted to the Zero Division was Kisuke's predecessor, the former captain of the Twelfth Division."

"The former captain of the 12th Division? So, it seems that the Zero Division isn't necessarily stronger than that old man, is it?" Yuko noticed the key point. "So, they were able to be promoted because they made special contributions to Soul Society?"

“In a sense, you’re not wrong.” Yoruichi closed her eyes slightly. “Hikifune Kiryu, who is Kisuke’s predecessor, was promoted because she created the technology to modify souls and put them into the body.”

Finally, she heard something she knew, and Yuko's eyes widened slightly: "Technology has changed destiny?"

Yoruichi's eyes flickered slightly: "But don't think too simply. As royal agents, they are influenced by the power of the Spirit King and can no longer be compared with ordinary Grim Reapers."

"The power of the Spirit King?" Yu Zi frowned slightly. "They've also broken through the limits of the Grim Reaper?"

Since they are called the Zero Division and are influenced by the Soul King's power, they certainly won't be limited to the limits of a Shinigami.

At the very least, he can't be weaker than Old Man Shan, right?

If your Zero Division can't even beat the First Division, that's really pathetic.

Yoruichi shrugged: "It's normal for someone who bears the heavy responsibility of protecting the Soul King to possess that level of power."

Yuko grabbed her hair behind her ear and wrapped it around her ear twice, revealing a look of sudden realization.

Yhwach, that's what he's worried about, isn't it?

The so-called Zero Squad and Soul King.

No wonder this guy didn't step forward to reap the benefits back then; it turns out there were other experts above him.

Yuko's intuition tells her that the final boss has changed!

It's possible that the Quincy and the Shinigami will wash away their thousand-year-old feud, and perhaps even Aizen will join forces to defeat the Soul King.

However, what Yuko didn't understand was, "That old man from the mountain isn't bad either, is he? Why didn't he get promoted to the Zero Division?"

Although the old man in the mountain may not be very good at science, he's still quite capable.

The best in Bleach.

Is this not enough to make the Zero Division take it seriously?

Or is it that any piece of trash, once subjected to the power of the Spirit King, can easily transform into a monster even more powerful than the old man of the mountain?

No wonder Yhwach was hiding in his hometown to recover his strength.

That's not right either. Weren't you defeated by the old man from the mountain a thousand years ago?

How are you going to fight against the Zero Division and the Soul King?

Yoruichi answered Ikuko's question: "You underestimate Captain-Commander Yamamoto too much."

"His strength would make becoming a member of the Zero Division a piece of cake."

"The so-called members of Squad Zero are not recruited under duress."

Yu Zi suddenly realized: "That's actually quite humane, isn't it? That guy, the Spirit King."

Yoruichi blushed with embarrassment: "What do you mean by 'that guy, the Spirit King'?"

While the two were chatting idly, the atmosphere on the field had already become incredibly tense.

Taking advantage of the moment when he repelled Ichigo, Kariya ascended into the air and raised Misa, who was wrapped in golden lightning, high in his hand.

"Let me show you the power of the Purification Chapter."

As he spoke, a flash of lightning erupted from the sword and shot towards a corner of Seireitei below.

Ye Yi's expression changed: "Idiot! You've distracted me."

She was about to use Instant Step to catch up with the bolt of lightning.

The lightning was so fast that even Ichigo's Shunpo couldn't dodge it, but for someone with the title of "God of Flash," that speed was nothing.

Just as Yoruichi was about to activate Shunpo, a delicate shout came from the side.

"stop!"

A streak of flame, trailing a meteor-like rain of fire, crashed into the lightning in the sky, causing it to explode mid-air.

boom!

Flames and lightning collided in mid-air, causing an explosion that sent a blast of wind through the air, raising a cloud of dust.

Ichigo, covered in wounds, looked at Yoshino and said, "Miss Yoshino? What are you doing here? It's dangerous here!"

Yoshino did not respond, staring intently at Kariyagami in mid-air.

She misunderstood God, but she also knew that his actions were wrong.

"God...you're wrong. You can't destroy the whole world, nor can you make everyone die with you. Those who followed you, they just wanted to live!"

Kariya looked down at her, his gaze as cold as if he were looking at a stone.

"Fangye, you're still so naive. To live? To live like a rat in the shadow of death? That kind of life is better off not living at all."

"So you're going to stand up for them?" Ichigo walked up, carrying his Zanpakuto, and stood next to Yoshino. "You think too highly of yourself, you bastard!"

"You've got it wrong, Kurosaki Ichigo." Kariya looked at the two of them coldly. "What they want is the power to conquer the world, not just to survive."

Kariya is right. If it was just about survival, then Bount wouldn't have needed to come to Soul Society with him.

What they desired was not just revenge, but to become the masters of a new world after taking revenge.

At least, most of them think so.

Yoshino was not affected by Kariya's words. She knew that there was also Bount who was not what Kariya thought.

Her gaze turned serious: "What about Koga Takeshi? Does he think the same way?"

Kariya-gami lowered his eyelids slightly and did not respond.

"Miss Yoshino, since we can't persuade him, we'll just have to beat him to his senses!" Ichigo turned his head and asked, "Will that work?"

Fangye took a deep breath, and crimson flames ignited around her: "Although I am not as strong as him, at least I can't watch him continue to make mistakes."

"Alright! Let's go!"

With a stomp of his foot, Ichigo transformed into a black lightning bolt, instantly soaring into the sky.

"Crescent Moon Sky Slash!"

A massive, crescent-shaped burst of dark red spiritual pressure swept out.

"Gate! Use Flame Giant Fist!"

At the same time, Yoshino was also directing Getter. The flaming puppet, wielding a giant fire fist, launched a surprise attack from another side.

"madness."

Kariya snorted coldly and gently waved the Misa in his hand.

The gale instantly formed several huge tornadoes, which not only shredded the black crescent moon, but also blew the flames spewed out by Gate back.

Ichigo twisted his body forcefully in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the wind blade. But Yoshino wasn't so lucky; she wasn't a combat type, and was directly thrown away by the blast wave, rolling several times on the ground.

"Miss Yoshino!" Ichigo shouted.

"Don't look at anyone else, Ichigo Kurosaki!"

Kariya appeared instantly above Ichigo's head, and Misa struck down with the force of a thunderbolt.

boom!

Ichigo blocked with his sword, but the terrifying pressure sent him crashing to the ground like a cannonball, causing the rocky ground of Sōkyō Hill to collapse and create a deep crater once again.

Yuko, standing some distance away, stroked her chin and turned to look at Yoruichi: "I can't imagine them winning."

"What do you think?"

It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned it, because Yoruichi's face immediately darkened as soon as she did.

"Whose fault do you think it is?"

You idiot!

Inside the arena, Yoshino got up from the ground, with Gete standing in front of her, staring intently at Kariya God above.

Kariya noticed the slight change in the fiery aura emanating from Gate and narrowed his eyes: "So that's how it is. You also drank that woman's blood."

Yoshino bit her lip lightly, and before she could do anything, Kariya God vanished into the sky in an instant.

Fangye's pupils contracted slightly. Before she could even search for his movements, the figure appeared directly behind her.

"But... it's too weak."

Even with Yuuko's enhancement, Yoshino's strength is still insufficient.

Moreover, the protection that Yuko provided to Yoshino was more about protecting her life than enhancing her abilities.

Click...

Yoshino's fingernails, which were used to control Getter and were emblazoned with emblems, were shattered by Kariya, causing him to collapse limply, powerless.

Kariya didn't even glance back at her, and walked straight toward Ichigo.

"Oh no!" Ye Yi's expression changed drastically. "The emblem is shattered!"

The emblem is the medium through which Bount controls the puppets. If the emblem is lost, the puppet will at least lose its power, or at worst go berserk and turn against its master.

"and many more."

Yuko stopped Yoruichi from rushing forward to save Yoshino.

"The puppet didn't move."

“What…” Yoruichi’s eyes widened.

Just as Yuko said, Getter did not turn against his master like the other dolls they had seen before.

She merely showed signs of discomfort, and even... she still firmly protected Yoshino behind her.

Yoruichi looked shocked: "Why?"

Even without the crest, the doll does not attack its owner on its own initiative.

Yuko watched this scene: "I think it's because Yoshino and the doll have developed a kind of bond that no one else has."

Kariya once said that he needed Yoshino's power, because Yoshino possessed emotions that other Bounts did not have.

The Bounts are an emotionless race, most of whom have gone mad over the long years and treat their dolls merely as objects of use.

This is the reason.