Chapter 157 – 157 ⥤ Free Labor

T/N: The information here about the Soul King is all based on the novel “Bleach: Can’t Fear Your Own World”, which expands more on the story. Yes, it’s different from the anime content, so let’s consider that the background story of this universe here is from the novel.

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In ancient times, before the concepts of Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, or the World of the Living existed, all of reality was one chaotic, primordial realm.

This world, overrun by Hollows that preyed upon its inhabitants, maintained its stability through the continuous circulation of Reishi — a cycle that even included the Hollows themselves.

When these Hollows began evolving into the first Menos, the Soul King emerged — born as if the world itself rejected these evolved creatures.

Using his mighty Quincy powers, the Soul King protected the world’s inhabitants by destroying the Menos, converting them into Reishi sand and temporarily halting the world’s deterioration.

Yet five powerful beings, dissatisfied with this state of affairs, joined forces to create what they believed would be a better world.

These five sealed the unresisting Soul King within a crystal and harnessed his omnipotent powers to split their single world into three: Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the Human World, thereby establishing the cycle of life and death.

Despite the Soul King’s compliance, the five beings — distrustful and fearful of his vast power — dismembered him. They tore off his Right Arm of Stillness and Left Arm of Progress, then methodically carved out his heart, removed his legs, and mutilated his organs.

This left the Soul King trapped between life and death for millions of years in endless agony.

So the Soul King’s right arm was but one of these scattered pieces!

Despite the incomplete records, Aizen managed to reconstruct this historical narrative. While the revelation shocked him, it also sparked his curiosity about the Soul King’s true purpose.

If the documents spoke truth — wasn’t the Soul King an omniscient and omnipotent being?

Why, then, did he willingly submit to the five noble founders, allowing them to torture and dismember his body?

What was his purpose?

As old questions found answers, new mysteries surfaced.

An insatiable curiosity grew in his heart, driving him to uncover the truth through his own efforts.

But the Daireishokairō’s records alone couldn’t satisfy this desire. The Tsunayashiro family, who managed the place, had destroyed much of the content, leaving him with mere fragments.

Perhaps the Tsunayashiro mansion would yield more answers.

When this thought struck, Aizen could barely resist the urge to leave the Daireishokairō immediately for his new destiny.

Only someone’s silly giggling forced him to suppress this impulse.

After organizing his findings, Aizen quietly approached Akira.

To his surprise, his companion was actually reading — and seemed thoroughly absorbed!

Curious, Aizen glanced at the text.

[Shigekuni Yamamoto encountered a massive white Hollow in the Rukongai and engaged in battle.]

Below lay detailed descriptions of the battle.

Aizen was taken aback — he found it difficult to imagine any Hollow in Hueco Mundo capable of overwhelming Captain-Commander Shigekuni Yamamoto.

More surprising still, from its description, the creature hadn’t even reached Vasto Lorde, the pinnacle of Hollow evolution.

“Sōsuke, shall we excerpt this part, organize it, and submit it to the ‘Seireitei Communication’?” Akira contentedly closed the book and turned to him.

Hearing this, Aizen discreetly stepped away…

To avoid getting splattered with someone’s blood.

Since the Konsō Reisai, this fellow’s talent for courting death had grown remarkably. Yet somehow, he kept surviving these reckless endeavors.

Such behavior defied evaluation.

After a quick organization, they recorded all data and information on Aizen’s hard drive and departed the Daireishokairō as they had come.

The whole process proved surprisingly uneventful — almost unnaturally so to Aizen.

Having achieved his goal, he departed without further mumbling with Akira, heading to his secret laboratory in Rukongai to pursue his forbidden experiments.

After returning to the 11th Division, the priest received an invitation from Tessai Tsukabishi.

“You want me to lecture at the Kidō Corps?”

He stared suspiciously at the muscular man before him, wondering if Hadō spells had addled his brain and made him speak nonsense.

“That’s right!” Tessai sat cross-legged opposite him, hands on his knees, “There’s no need for that look — I’m completely serious. With your mastery of Kidō, you’re more than qualified! This is a sincere invitation, Captain Kisaragi!”

Tessai bowed deeply, his manner earnest.

Akira stroked his chin, contemplated for a moment, then gladly accepted. He had some innovative ideas about Kidō anyway, so why not let the Kidō Corps members help bring them to life.

Even with his exclusive Trait Unique Insight, collective wisdom remained the best approach.

Besides, this was free labor. Might as well put it to good use.

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Led by Tessai, they arrived at the Kidō Corps barracks in the southwest of the Seireitei.

The complex dwarfed any single division of the Gotei 13 in size — fitting for an organization of equal status.

In the spacious training ground, intricate patterns shimmered through layers of complex Bakudō barriers, showcasing the Kidō Corps’ profound heritage.

Hundreds sat cross-legged on the floor, eagerly watching as their anticipated lecturer entered through the main gate — a prodigy who had created an entirely new Kidō system (pattern inscription), the current Captain of the 11th Division, the Captain-Commander’s personal disciple, and Soul Society’s brightest rising star.

Lord Akira Kisaragi!

At the training hall’s front, Akira and Tessai stood with arms crossed, their fierce and valiant aura more befitting members of the 11th Division than the Kidō Corps. The Corps members, however, paid this peculiarity no mind.

“Before we begin the formal lesson, we must first understand: what is Kidō?” Akira struck a pose, mimicking his old master’s teaching style, and to everyone’s surprise, successfully intimidated the entire audience.

Even Tessai couldn’t help but view him with newfound respect. He had thought his former student remained merely at the genius level, yet in such a short time, Akira had developed the bearing of a master capable of founding his own school.

Indeed, appearances could be deceiving.

“Can anyone answer me?”

A hand shot up immediately.

“A spell that uses Reiryoku as its base, assisted by incantations and hand gestures.”

Akira nodded, “A textbook answer, perfectly standard. But not what I’m looking for.”

“Kidō combines Reiryoku, incantations, and hand gestures in various ways, with functions that encompass everything. To define it merely as a means of attack would be too narrow-minded. So here comes the key question: how do we develop new Kidō and Kidō systems?”

“This is the topic I’ll be teaching today.”

Thanks to Genryūsai’s frequent “guidance” (aka beatings), Akira had developed considerable teaching expertise. With just a few simple sentences, he had captured everyone’s attention and outlined the day’s lesson.

Though Tessai couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this scene seemed oddly out of place.

“What’s the principle behind Shakkahō? It’s simply converting Reiatsu into fire and releasing it, right? But people’s vision is too narrow. Why are most Hadō limited to lightning and fire, with so few other elements? We must learn to harness other elements’ power. Only then can we create truly different Kidō.”

Akira shared all the ideas he had carefully developed, even adding new ones on the spot.

He described techniques like Advent of a World of Flowering Trees, Wood Human Technique, Kirin, Rasenshuriken, and Water Dragon Bullet Technique.

According to him, these members had grown inflexible from years of rote learning, losing their ability to imagine. Yet the essence of Kidō was simply turning imagination into reality.

Given the advanced Kidō techniques like Hachigyō Sōgai and Time-Space Regression that Hachigen would later demonstrate, everything Akira suggested could indeed become reality.

His task was to guide their thinking and expand their horizons.

The Kidō Corps members proved quite capable. While creating new Kidō might be beyond them, they could readily replicate existing concepts.

Especially now that he had shown them the way.

Tessai soon joined the discussion with enthusiasm, seeing Kidō’s true potential unfold before him.

Watching the lively scene in the training hall, Akira nodded with satisfaction — free labor truly was the best. For minimal compensation, he could have these people perfecting Kidō at no cost.

When they tired, they would even use Kaidō to rejuvenate themselves. It was perfect.

Having shared his incomplete plans, Akira dusted off his hands and departed.

The Kidō Corps members watched him leave with tears of gratitude in their eyes.

“Good people like Lord Kisaragi are rare these days.”

“Dedicating everything to Kidō, yet not caring about fame.”

“A role model for us all, truly a role model!”

“We must not disappoint Lord Kisaragi’s expectations. Even if we don’t eat, drink, or sleep, we must develop all these Kidō!”

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East Rukongai, 80th District.

“Remember to conceal your Reiatsu. We’re here to capture Menos, not fight with Hollows.” Aizen gave this reminder before activating the device and opening the Garganta.

Akira chuckled, “Understood. Everyone in Soul Society knows how cautious and careful I am.”

Aizen: “…”

Did this guy have any self-awareness at all?

In the current Soul Society, even Captain-Commander Yamamoto wasn’t as famous as you, Great Priest Kisaragi.

Suppressing his urge to retort, Aizen laid down a smooth path of Reishi and used Shunpo the moment he entered the Garganta. His speed was so great that he left behind multiple afterimages.

When Akira stepped into the Dangai, thunderous rumbling arose from the darkness ahead. A massive figure charged forward like a dump truck, crushing everything in its path into Reishi.

He had gradually gotten used to this sight. The Kōtotsu was like his pet — once it caught his scent, it would come running immediately.

Unfortunately, he didn’t dare let it get too close yet. He’d wait until he was a bit stronger.

Akira burst into Shunpo and quickly caught up with the figure ahead.

Unlike his simple Reishi stepping stones, Aizen’s fine control could create a grand highway. Not just two people — even eight horses could run side by side without issue.

After a long journey, the Garganta’s exit opened ahead, and two figures leaped out, landing on white sand.

Aizen quickly adjusted his condition and used Reikaku to sense the surroundings. Only after confirming there was no danger did he take out his equipment and begin surveying the silvery-white sand.

Hueco Mundo teemed with Hollow groups and Menos, but its vastness — no smaller than Soul Society itself — made exploration difficult. The Shinigami’s knowledge of this realm remained limited, so finding suitable experimental subjects would require some luck.

Perhaps he had exhausted his luck during the Daireishokairō visit, as Aizen’s recent expeditions to Hueco Mundo had yielded nothing.

Left with no alternative, he enlisted Akira’s help, hoping to venture deeper into Hueco Mundo together. With Akira’s legendary luck, they would surely encounter at least a few groups of Gillians.

If fortune truly favored them, they might even discover some Adjuchas groups — or better still, draw out that Vasto Lorde, “Pink-something”, who had been coveting his body.

Soon enough, Aizen detected a Hollow group’s Reiatsu. Under his guidance, the pair moved swiftly beneath the moonlight.

The Reishi density in Hueco Mundo far exceeded that of Soul Society. This abundance allowed weaker Hollows to sustain themselves by absorbing Reishi from the air.

It also meant that anyone capable of manipulating Reishi could fly — though doing so would rapidly drain one’s Reiatsu.

Aizen would never attempt something so foolish merely for show. The same couldn’t be said for a certain someone.

Looking up at the figure soaring through the sky, he fell silent. From start to finish, this man’s Reiatsu hadn’t diminished in the slightest — as if it were somehow infinite.

Had his Reiatsu recovery always been this absurd?

Above the wasteland, chaotic and violent Reiatsu swirled as a massive group of Hollows battled, devouring one another in their desperate pursuit of evolution.

The scene was savage — blood spraying, limbs flying.

Suddenly, a figure entirely unlike the Hollows appeared in the dark sky.

At the battlefield’s edge, a black-purple worm emerged from the white sand, silently attaching itself to a Hollow’s body, its ugly compound eyes fixed intently skyward.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep