They traveled through time at the same time, but the villainous scientist

Chapter 452 Spiritual Palace

“That’s… the Spirit King’s Palace…”

Kisuke Urahara stared in disarray at the inverted, sacred, and awe-inspiring floating palace complex in the sky.

How could this be...? Why would the Spirit King Palace be like this...?

His brain was working frantically, and countless taboo knowledge and crazy conjectures that he had deliberately sealed away and buried deep in his memory were forcibly awakened at this moment and connected at an unprecedented speed.

The fusion of Aizen and the Hogyoku… the awakening of the Hogyoku's will… that pillar of light that shot into the sky, tearing apart the surface of the world… Mayuri Kurotsuchi's unusual behavior… and his question about the "Will of the Soul King" just now…

A terrifying answer, one that would almost shatter his entire worldview, gradually took shape in his mind.

Kisuke Urahara turned his head sharply, staring intently at the leisurely figure not far away, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief.

"You did this... Mayuri Kurotsuchi!"

"Hogyoku..."

Kisuke Urahara's breathing became rapid, each word seeming to drain all his strength.
"From the very beginning, a part of the Soul King has existed inside the Hogyoku! What did you do to forcibly link the 'fragment' inside the Hogyoku with the 'main body' of the Soul King Palace!"

You used Aizen and the Hogyoku as bait to lure the entire Soul King Palace... out of the dimensional rift!

"Ah……"

His response was Mayuri Kurotsuchi's laughter.

"Knew it……"

He let out a long sigh, as if admiring a perfect work of art.
"Kisuke Urahara, look."

It came down, didn't it?

Like a satellite captured by a planet's gravity, it offered no resistance, no struggle, not even the slightest reaction of its own 'self'.

"This phenomenon is the best proof."

That supreme being, worshipped by the Soul Society for millions of years, that so-called 'wedge' maintaining stability in the three realms, had no will at all.

It was merely an 'object' possessing immense power, yet long since dead.

“A scarecrow that was placed on a throne to frighten everyone.”

"And those self-proclaimed noble beneficiaries, those four noble families who have guarded this 'secret' for generations, are the real gods behind this colossal lie."

……

On the battlefield, in the center of the ruins.

Bathed in the pure white pillar of light that connected heaven and earth, Aizen Sousuke slowly raised his head, gazing up at the divine realm that had descended upon him, his face revealing extreme joy and satisfaction.

After a century of planning, the ultimate goal has finally been revealed.

"Hahaha...hahahahahaha—!"

The laughter that had been suppressed for so long finally burst forth from his chest. The laughter was initially low, then rose high, and finally transformed into a wild laugh filled with endless ambition that resounded throughout the entire Seireitei.

Before his laughter had even faded, his figure had already transformed into a white streak of light, breaking free from the Earth's gravity and rapidly ascending towards the Spirit King Palace in the sky along the enormous pillar of spiritual light!
That is the throne of the gods.

Starting today, it will have a new owner.

However, just as his figure was about to touch the inverted sea of ​​clouds, a sudden change occurred.

Five immense spiritual pressures, each with a distinct color and nature, descended suddenly from five different locations within the Spirit King Palace, like five divine pillars piercing the heavens and earth, precisely intercepting Aizen's path of ascent.

Space was forcibly frozen in that instant, and time seemed to stand still.

None of those five spiritual pressures belonged to any known system in Soul Society; they were more ancient, purer, and closer to the origin of the world.

They intertwined into an invisible net, pinning Aizen's figure firmly in mid-air, preventing him from advancing even an inch.

Immediately afterwards, five figures slowly emerged at the edge of the dazzling sea of ​​clouds.

Zero Squad.

Royal agents.

The last and strongest line of defense for the Guardian Spirit King's Palace.

They didn't even utter a single word; simply standing there, their absolute presence, transcending even the captain's level, declared their stance to the entire world.

This road is blocked.

"Heh~ Is this the end? The guards in the cage have finally made their appearance."

Inside the underground research institute, Mayuri Kurotsuchi clearly saw this scene through a spirit screen floating in the air. He curled his lip and let out a disdainful sneer.

He casually waved his hand, turned off the screen, and turned to walk into the shadows of the research institute.

"Huh?" Kisuke Urahara was taken aback upon seeing this.
"Mayuri Kurotsuchi! Aren't you going? Isn't the 'truth' you seek right there in the Spirit King's Palace? Now is the perfect opportunity!"

"Kisuke Urahara, you still don't understand."

He spoke without turning his head, his voice sounding somewhat ethereal in the empty research institute.
"The essence of the Hogyoku is nothing more than the imitation and application of the Soul King's power."

Do you think that the 'genuine' who controls the vast majority of the Spirit King's power wouldn't have any backup plans to deal with the 'counterfeit'?

"The farce of Aizen Sousuke has come to an end."

What he could ultimately grasp was only that embellished, false 'truth.' That's not what I wanted.

"So what... do you want?"

Kisuke Urahara pressed for an answer.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi's figure had already reached the shadow in the corner of the wall, and that darkness seemed to come alive, writhing like a pool of thick ink.

"What I want,"

His voice came from the shadows.

"It's something hidden beneath the 'stage'..."

Before he could finish speaking, his figure was completely swallowed up by the surging darkness and disappeared without a trace.

The next moment, when Mayuri Kurotsuchi opened his eyes again, he found himself in a completely different world.

There is no sky, no sun, moon, or stars here, only a bottomless, eternal darkness.

The air was cold and deathly still, as if even the flow of time had frozen.

Beneath his feet lay a vast, boundless city, but what constituted this city was not bricks or steel, but a kind of highly compressed, completely materialized pure black "shadow".

An empire built from shadows.

Countless lines radiating a cold, icy blue light, like the veins of a city, spread and flowed among these dark buildings, outlining a city with the exact same layout as Seireitei, yet presenting a strangely mirrored, inverted reflection.

This is the shadow cast by the Seireitei. It is an invisible empire hidden and isolated by the laws of the world.

"I see……"

Mayuri Kurotsuchi looked around; this was another dimension constructed of spirit particles.

The arrival of the Spirit King Palace not only tore the sky apart, but its enormous mass and spiritual pressure also caused temporary disturbances and distortions to the spatial structure of the entire world.

Just like throwing a boulder into a calm body of water, it will inevitably create eddies that lead to the bottom...

It was through this 'vortex' that he had the opportunity to come to this place that should not have been discovered.

And that was his real purpose.

Just then, the surrounding shadows began to surge violently.

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Several figures dressed in pure white uniforms and wearing cloaks with star patterns emerged silently from the shadows all around, surrounding Mayuri Kurotsuchi in the center.

Each of them exudes a kind of aggressive and exclusive spiritual pressure, a power system completely different from that of the Grim Reaper and the Hollows.

Cold, pure, and sacred, it also carries an absolute will to destroy all those who are different.

The Sternritter.

However, faced with this encirclement that would suffocate any captain-level Shinigami, Mayuri Kurotsuchi didn't even lift an eyelid.

He straightened his unusual collar and shouted loudly into the distance:

"Ha~ Is this your way of treating guests, Yhwach?"

He didn't even use honorifics, but instead called out the taboo name directly.

"Be bold!"

"How dare you address His Majesty by his name!"

These words instantly enraged the Sternritter members around him.

One of the men, sporting an exaggerated mohawk and possessing the most volatile temperament, suddenly burst into flames, his violent spiritual pressure nearly igniting the surrounding space.

"You mere Grim Reaper, I'll burn you to ashes!"

However, just as he was about to make his move, a majestic, vast, and unquestionable will, like an invisible mountain, descended from nowhere into this world of shadows.

Bring him here to see me.

(End of this chapter)