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The Soul Reapers, having lost their Captains and Lieutenants, were no longer a match for us. Rather than dragging out a war within the Soul Society, we shattered every Tenkai Ketchu and returned Karakura Town to its original location. Then, using the Jurechi and its hundred thousand souls, we forged the Ouken.
“At last! The dawn of a new age!”
Is gripped the Ouken, her voice ringing with delight. For something called the 'Royal Key,' I had expected some grand power, but it was a mundane-looking key. Its only peculiarity was its function: no matter where you turned it, it opened a path to the eternal Royal Palace. We opened a gate directly from the World of the Living, and only Is and I stepped through to the heavens.
“Halt! Who goes there!”
The Royal Guard—the direct escorts of the Soul King—each possessed Reiatsu that was far from ordinary. Their strength clearly surpassed the Captains of the Gotei 13; one could argue each was on par with a Captain Commander. Unfortunately for them, the gap between us was already insurmountable. I slaughtered them all in an instant.
“Finally, we meet face to face. Reio!”
Behind the doors of the king's residence sat a colossal core. It looked like something out of an old sci-fi movie—a pulsing, mechanical heart for a world. I tilted my head as Is called it a core, but the truth became clear soon enough.
—Once again, an uninvited guest sets foot in this place.—
To my surprise, the core spoke. Or rather, I realized after closer observation: it wasn't a living thing. It was the source of the Soul Society, a massive accumulation of spiritual power. If the world were a tree, this was the root. This was the Soul King.
“So this is the 'Secret of the Soul King'?”
“Indeed. The Soul King is nothing more than a battery of spiritual energy and a system designed to maintain the cycle of reincarnation for millennia! This is the god the Soul Reapers bow to!”
Is let out a derisive sneer at the core. I certainly hadn't expected the 'King' to be a mere object.
—Thou who entered here long ago through a chance opening, why have you returned?—
“To shatter you and change the world! This will no longer be a world ruled by a machine, but one ruled by me!”
—It is futile. You lack the power.—
The Soul King claimed it was impossible, but from where I stood, it looked simple. If the Soul King served as the root of the Soul Society, we just had to swap it for a different one. I could tell at a glance that this chamber was built exactly for that purpose.
“I don't need power; I can simply make it or take it. Ruel, cut the tether connected to the Soul King.”
Is spoke as if she'd already researched every facet of this god. At the 'head' of the Soul King, I saw it—a single line. It wasn't large, but it was the lifeline connecting the King to the Soul Society.
Fwish!
Clang!
I tried to sever the line with a manifested blade, but a wall blocked my strike.
—That is my final protective barrier. It is impossible to break.—
“Nothing is impossible. If a barrier is made of Reiatsu, I can kill it. Even if you're the Soul King, your essence is still just a lump of spiritual energy.”
I swung again, imbuing the blade with the power of True Death. The barrier vanished as if it had never existed, offering no resistance as the line was sliced cleanly through.
—How can this be! You... what are you...—
The Soul King's presence began to dissolve as its connection to the Soul Society was severed. In that moment, Is moved with predatory speed, taking the King's place. The severed tether reached out on its own, fusing into her back. With the old King gone, Is took the position for herself.
“The 'Soul King' is no longer a hidden enigma. I have become the King.”
“Congratulations on becoming the god of a new world.”
“And I, in the name of God, bestow Hueco Mundo upon you.”
The tether faded from sight as Is stepped down. Even without the visible line, her connection to the Soul Society remained. She was a true god now.
It wasn't difficult for her to seize control. The Soul Society was already effectively her hands and feet. The "traitor" Is was suddenly revered and placed on a pedestal by the remaining residents. The Soul Reapers couldn't say a word. After all, the Soul King was a god of their own making, and Is had ascended to that throne. As for me, I split my time between Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society.
In the Seireitei, I lived a life of leisure in the Royal Palace—the repurposed Squad 1 barracks. In Hueco Mundo, I reigned from the Palace of the Four Emperors, a renovated Las Noches. Occasionally, wars broke out with the Hell world, and I even met their King. Like the Soul King, the King of Hell was an entity ruling over his own domain. His power was a match for mine or Is's. However, unlike him, we were a couple. Our combined might dwarfed his, so he didn't dare venture out. If he did, he'd just die.
When I was first told I'd be reincarnated as a Hollow, I wasn't exactly thrilled. Now? I'm glad. If I hadn't become a Hollow, I never would have stood alongside Is, fought with Tibel, or claimed Yeriel as my own. These were achievements only possible because I was born a monster.
“Now then... shall we go clean up the Hell world?”
The struggle isn't over. There's still a very appetizing piece of prey left: Hell itself.
Well, this marks the end of The Hollow Chronicles. It's not so much that I rushed the ending as it is that there isn't much left to write. I wasn't sure where to take the story after the final battle with the Captain Commander, so I decided to wrap things up here.
In this final chapter, I touched upon the nature of the Soul King and incorporated elements from the Bleach movie 'Hell Verse.' This epilogue shows everyone living their best (if monstrous) lives, with a new conflict against Hell on the horizon.
Thank you all for sticking with the story this far.
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