Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero

a few days later.

When Liuchuan woke up, all her fatigue had vanished, and her mind was clear and bright, as if she had been washed by the purest spring water.

Within his body, the power that had broken through the limits in the "Unentering the Path of Enlightenment" had now completely settled, like a vast and deep ocean, calm and still, yet containing boundless potential that could unleash raging waves at any moment.

He slowly opened his eyes, and what came into view was the guest room of the Sleeping Pig Palace, which was filled with a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Beneath me was a fluffy, comfortable blanket, and the air was filled with a blend of calming spices and the subtle sweetness of food.

Instead of getting up immediately, Liu Chuan first quietly introspected on his body while lying on the couch, confirming that his condition was better than ever before, even more fluid and natural than when he first emerged after his breakthrough.

Then, he sat up and stretched his muscles.

Just then, the sliding door to the room was gently pulled open a crack, and Kiryu's face, with a warm smile, peeked in.

"Oh my, Yanagawa-kun, you're awake? How are you feeling? The medicine that Tenjiro gave you is working well, isn't it?" Her voice was light and cheerful, as if she was afraid of disturbing him.

"Thank you for your care, Kiryu-senpai. I have fully recovered and am in great condition."

"That's good! That's good!" Kiryu patted his chest, looking relieved.

"The monk Bingzhubu said that once you wake up and recover, go to the Yanheshang Hall to find him. He has something important to tell you. Wash up and change your clothes first; breakfast will be ready soon!"

Liuchuan nodded, and after a quick wash, he changed into a pure white Zero Division haori.

After enjoying the ever-delicious and spiritually enriching breakfast prepared by Kiryu Hikifune at the Wa-tun-den, Yanagawa bid farewell and headed towards the Eye Monk Hall along the familiar corridor.

Inside the temple, Hyōshūbe Ichibei stood with his hands behind his back in front of a huge window, gazing out as if deep in thought.

Hearing Liu Chuan's footsteps, he slowly turned around.

"Yanagawa, how's your recovery going?" Hyosube Ichibei asked with a gentle smile, his tone more casual than before, as if he were speaking to a true colleague.

"He's out of danger," Liu Chuan replied.

"Hmm, it seems you've fully digested the gift of 'not entering the path of enlightenment,' very good."

Hyosube Ichibei nodded in satisfaction, his eyes sweeping over Yanagawa.

"Since that's the case, it's time. Come with me to pay our respects to Lord Spirit King."

Pay homage to King Ling.

This word stirred something within Liu Chuan.

Since arriving at the Spirit King Palace, he has experienced many things, but he has still not seen the source of everything, that supreme being.

He was indeed filled with a keen interest in exploring this Spirit King. If he hadn't been "chosen" by this being, he might still be living his peaceful and unknown life in the small courtyard of the Ghost Path Clan.

He even doubted whether this Spirit King truly possessed some kind of ability to foresee the future and understand cause and effect; otherwise, why would he have been noticed among the thousands of Death Gods?

"Yes." Liu Chuan suppressed the turbulent thoughts in his heart and nodded in agreement.

It's time to meet the "starting point" of everything.

The Spirit King Palace floats in the very center of all the main halls.

A moment later, Yanagawa followed Hyosube Ichibei into the room.

Liu Chuan noticed that an object was floating in the very center of the hall.

It was a pure blue crystal that seemed to absorb all light yet emitted a faint glow from within.

The crystals are irregularly elliptical in shape, with a smooth, mirror-like surface.

It floats there quietly, as if it were the central anchor point of this sea of ​​rules, the hub of all things flowing.

What truly shocked Liu Chuan was the interior of the blue crystal.

There, a person is suspended in mid-air.

No, perhaps using "person" to describe it is no longer appropriate.

It was the form of an adult male, but... he had no hands and no feet.

The ends of the limbs are smooth cross-sections, as if they were "erased" from their source by some absolute force.

His eyes were closed, his face calm and serene, even carrying a divine indifference that transcended joy and sorrow.

He is like a carefully packaged "specimen" displayed at its core, or a "saint" who voluntarily sacrificed his limbs to maintain some kind of grand balance.

There was no earth-shattering pressure emanating from him, but merely "seeing" his presence, Yanagawa could feel the immense power within him.

This is... the Spirit King?

The "Karma" that maintains the balance between Soul Society, the Human World, and Hueco Mundo? The supreme being served by the Zero Division?

The scene before him far exceeded all of Liuchuan's previous imagination.

He envisioned the Spirit King as perhaps an incomparably majestic giant, perhaps a radiant deity, perhaps an unfathomable sage…

But I never imagined it would be like this—a mutilated body, imprisoned in a crystal, having lost its limbs, seemingly trapped in eternal stillness.

The stark contrast and shock left even the usually composed Liu Chuan stunned, his mind instantly filled with countless guesses and questions.

Hyosube Ichibei stood quietly beside him, seemingly having anticipated Yanagawa's shock.

The truth of the world seems to be more complex and more... heavy than imagined.

Hyosube Ichibei's grand voice slowly rose, unhurried, as if recounting an ancient epic, almost forgotten by time, yet heavy with emotion.

"This is Lord Spirit King. His true name is Adnes."

"Countless ages ago, this world was not what it is today. There was no birth, no death, no progress, no regression. Souls were in a state of chaos, and spiritual particles flowed freely—that was everything."

Even if a soul loses its balance and becomes 'empty', it is merely an insignificant link in this eternal cycle of chaos.

Until... the Void, no longer content with merely wandering, began actively devouring living souls, thus ending the cycle.

Hyosube Ichibei paused, as if recalling the despairing scene of everything returning to silence.

"If left unchecked, one day all the souls will be devoured by the Void, or merge together to form a single 'Great Void'."

The world will fall into utter 'stillness' and 'nothingness'. It is at this moment that the Spirit King… is born. Or rather, awakens.

"He possesses a power that is completely opposite to, yet mutually reinforcing and restraining, the power of 'annihilation'."

With this power, he caused those 'voids' that had broken the cycle and devoured souls to completely dissipate, returning them to the most basic spiritual particles, forcibly restarting the world's cycle. The chaos was temporarily halted.

Liu Chuan listened silently. The power of annihilation? So the source of the Soul King's power is the same as that of the Quincy, or even more fundamental.

"However, new orders are often accompanied by new desires and conflicts."

Hyosube Ichibei's tone became complicated.

"At that time, there were five beings whose strength and wisdom far surpassed those of ordinary people, who were later known as the 'Five Great Aristocratic Ancestors'."

They witnessed the Spirit King restore order, but they felt dissatisfied with this still chaotic world, where life and death were blurred, and progress and regression were unclear.

Their motivations varied: some sought a clearer order, others craved more absolute control, some feared the recurrence of the threat of the void, and still others explored a more distant future...

But incredibly, their goals ultimately converged on one point—to completely separate the chaotic world.

"They conceived of the 'Three Realms'—the world of spirit particles (Soul Society), the world of vessels (the human world), and the wasteland where ethereal beings belong (Hueco Mundo)."

With the three elements separated, each performing its own function, and operating in an orderly cycle, perpetual stability and development can be achieved.

But such a great achievement is beyond human capability.

They need... the power of the Spirit King, that primordial power of creation and destruction, as the 'wedge' to separate the world.

Liu Chuan's heart stirred. The Five Great Aristocratic Ancestors... The Three Realms Divided... Prologue.

So the power structure of Soul Society, the Human World, and Hueco Mundo was actually created by human hands. And the Soul King became the most crucial tool.

"The ancestor of the Shiba family, with a benevolent heart, intended to persuade Lord Rei-o to take the initiative to help him complete the separation in a relatively peaceful way."

Hyosube Ichibei's voice lowered slightly.

"However, the ancestor of the Tsunayoshiro family... took advantage of the fact that Lord Rei-ou was listening to the advice of the Shiba ancestor, and secretly used a secret method to seal Lord Rei-ou... within this specially made crystal."

"Seal!" Liu Chuan's gaze suddenly fell on the blue crystal.

It turns out that it wasn't the Spirit King's residence or throne, but... a prison! A prison personally set up by the ancestors of the five noble families!

"Lord Spirit King... saw it." Hyosube Ichibei's voice trembled slightly, not with fear, but with a deep sense of compassion and reverence.

"At that moment, or perhaps even earlier, he had already 'seen' certain aspects of the future, the scene after the separation of the three realms, the sacrifices and chaos that separation would inevitably bring, and he also saw..."

If he refused, the world might slide into an even more unpredictable abyss. He... chose to accept.

They chose to accept being sealed away and become the "Wedge".

Liu Chuan felt a chill rise up his spine; what an immense vision and spirit of sacrifice that was!

Would one willingly confine oneself for some "potentially better" future?

"The five progenitors, using the sealed Soul King and his omnipotent power as a 'wedge,' forcibly tore apart the chaos, shaped the boundaries, and ultimately created the three realms we know today. The Soul Society, the Human World, and Hueco Mundo were born from this."

Hyosube Ichibei recounted this groundbreaking feat, but his tone was heavy, devoid of joy.

"However, the human heart is unpredictable." His voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a hint of chilling mockery and anger.

Even though Lord Lingwang was willing to act as the "wedge" to maintain the balance of the Three Realms, those ancestors still harbored deep fear in their hearts.

They feared that one day, the Spirit King would break free of the seal and use his omnipotent power to settle old scores.

"So they made a decision that was... utterly despicable."

Hyōjube Ichibei's gaze slowly swept over the smooth cross-section of the Spirit King's limbs within the crystal.

"They cast Lord Spirit King into a paradoxical spiral called 'living while dying.' They... severed Lord Spirit King's arms that controlled the concepts of 'movement' and 'stillness.'"

Yanagawa's breath hitched. Severing both arms? Not just to weaken his strength, but to strip him of the power to "move forward" and "remain still"? What a cruel and meticulously calculated scheme!

"But that's not enough." Hyosugi Ichibei continued recounting the bloody truth, each word seemingly carrying the stench of blood.

"Led by the ancestor of Gangmidai, several ancestors have spent thousands of years researching and weakening the existence of Lord Lingwang."

They...removed the Spirit King's heart, cut off his feet, dissected his internal organs, and stripped them one by one from his body, removing the corresponding powers and strength they contained...before throwing them down to the mortal realm.

Heart ripped out, feet cut off, abdomen disemboweled... Liu Chuan felt a wave of nausea.

This is no longer just sealing or weakening; it is the most extreme form of torture and dismemberment!

To dismember, peel away, and discard a creation-level being as if it were the lowest experimental material!

The sole purpose was to create a powerless, easily controlled, and easily manipulated "tool" and "symbol"—a "king" to be easily controlled.

Hyōsuke Ichibei concluded, his voice regaining its composure, "This is the truth about Lord Rei-ō."

The truth is so cruel, so dark, so... disgusting.

Liu Chuan stood still, his gaze fixed on the incomplete figure within the crystal.

Previous speculations about the Spirit King's ability to "foresee the future" and investigations into the reasons for his "choice" were all shattered by this shocking truth.

Instead, a complex emotion that is difficult to describe arises.

The Spirit King, Adnes. The savior of the world, the wedge of creation for the three realms, and also the victim of the most tragic betrayal and torture in history.

He, Liu Chuan, a visitor from another world, was drawn into the conflict because of the "gaze" of this tragic being.

The Zero Division's duty is to protect the Spirit King's Palace and maintain the balance of the three realms... Beneath its glorious surface lies such a bloody original sin and shackles.

After Hyosube Ichibei finished speaking, he fell silent, seemingly giving Yanagawa time to process this shocking truth.