[BiTPR2] Renewed Revolution: Spirit World V

[Rater202]

"If it's killing and replacing the soul king, that's my absolute last resort becuase I'm pretty sure that involves a really crappy quality of life."

[KnightDisciple]

Las Noches Gates

Las Noches Gates

"What's going on," the Sexta says, "is that my Fraccione and I discovered and potential security risk this past night, and not only was my investigation into it rendered fruitless by a wildcard but becuase of that same wildcard my Fraccione is dead and her soul trapped in Hell..."

She's disturbingly calm as she says this.

"The emissary I sent to Soul Society to warn them of the potential mutual threat and to request any information they were willing to divulge on the prime suspects should have returned by now, perhaps schedule a more formal meeting if necessary. I should meet with them."

She pushes herself up.

"And then... I'll need to check with Lord Segunda if it counts as starting a war if the other side shot first."

In less than two minutes, the Segunda is present, looking far more serious than the last time he saw Svetlana.

"You spoke to the guards of war, Sexta. Those words were a joke. What happened?"
================================================== ======================

[The bar]

"Constantly, but if we don't know about them and couldn't predict them... how can we worry about them? You creating koan or something?" Hasunaga notes, poking fun. "In all seriousness, though. I think you guys have grown strong enough that you can tackle pretty much anything else. I mean, we took down and absorbed the resources of a big corporation, the Quincies are beaten... I am kind of still worried about that guy that offered to take you to Hueco Mundo that one time, but he hasn't shown up since you guys encountered him at Mt. Fuji.

If he had any significant threat left to pose, we would probably know by now."

_______________________

[Command Division Offices]

"She's an ayakashi, more specifically a nine-tailed fox. They're not a category of spirit that Shinigami tend to interact with - they don't like to mess with even the youngest of your kind. Half the time they don't even mess with other ayakashi. For that reason, my clan has taken upon itself the mission to safeguard those they DO interact with, when they're of malicious intent.

I take it that Echoes are not a typical concern around here, are they?"

[The bar]

"I mean, you're not really wrong. Just...kind of an itch between my shoulders?"

He frowned in thought.

"Wait, Mikael? What about that whackjob?"
================================================== =======

[Command Division Offices]

Masaru blinked at that.

"i've honestly never encountered or even heard of one. That's honestly fascinating, though. Tell me, are any of them...dragons?"

Masaru's sword-spirit stirs within his soul, curiousity mixed with inherent pride leaking out just a bit.

[Kuroimaken]

"If it's killing and replacing the soul king, that's my absolute last resort becuase I'm pretty sure that involves a really crappy quality of life."

"A fellow Gurren Lagann fan, I see. You sure take 'doing the impossible' seriously." Bai teases. "No, it's actually a lot harder than that.

Either wait patiently and observe the conflict between Shinigami and Von Geister draw to a close... or join them in beating the Ghost King. At the end of that conflict lies your prize."

__________________________

[The Bar]

"That guy smells like seventeen different kinds of trouble and he's only ever show up to make already sketchy crap into something worse. Last I heard, he tried to talk Naito into letting him mess with whatever made up his soul. He apparently caused an eruption on Mt. Fuji, too.

If there's anyone we still have to look out for, it's that guy. The fact he hasn't shown his face in a while worries me, but that just means I don't drop my guard until I'm sure his soul is scattered to the winds."

____________________________

[Command Division Headquarters]

Shinji can't help but let out a soft chuckle. "Yes! Quite a number of them, actually. Lake dragons, stream dragons, cloud dragons, sky dragons, heavenly dragons, lightning dragons, storm dragons... There are entire ayakashi ecosystems centered around dragons. Their shapes and powers are as unique and multiple as their environments.

Your sword spirit, Ancalagon, is unlike any dragon ayakashi I have ever encountered, however."

[Rater202]

Las Noches Gates
In less than two minutes, the Segunda is present, looking far more serious than the last time he saw Svetlana.

"You spoke to the guards of war, Sexta. Those words were a joke. What happened?"

"My apologies, Lord Segunda," Svetlana says while exhaling deeply. "I'm afraid I may be emotionally compromised. Last night, I became aware that weeks ago--before my child and I left into the desert so that she could learn more accurately what it was like to be a Hollow--that I and she had been... It's difficult to describe, but it was as if portions of ourselves were somehow extracted and placed in a simulated world. One based on the history of one Mikael Rautiainen. And Ishinomori Koutarou, current head Captain of the Gotei 10, was also present, seemingly allose abducted and left in the simulation. After weeks in the simulation, my child--my Fraccione--discovered a method of escaping, and we awoke having inherited the memories of our simulated selves..."

"I sent a messenger to the Soul Society, both to warn them of potential assaults in the dream realm and to verify if their HEad Captain had similarly gained such memories, among other things... While I took my Fraccione to investigate for evidence that the simulated events were based on actual occurrences and to try and find the prime suspects: BAsed on observations in the simulated world, the act was most likely performed by Mikael himself, the Awakened Sin Rostra--who, as you well remember, seemed obsessed with my Fraccione before she was entrusted into my care--or someone with access to Mikael's Fullbring. While in the mortal world, we made contact with someone purported to be Mikael who agreed to meet with us, only to arrive at the designated location--a mountain in China seemingly made of spirit matter--that Mikael had been dead for some time."

She pauses to breathe.

"I made an error. I'd... Forgotten that mortals need oxygen. The Sin Rostra took advantage of my fraccione's altitude sickness--the compromised cognitive function of oxygen deprivation--to provoke her into trying to slay the one that had seemed obsessed with her with his own Zanpakuto, which led to her exhaustion. The sin Rostra in question then ripped off his own mask, placed it upon my Fraccione's face, claimed that he'd only ever wanted to protect her, and then seemingly allowed himself to be consumed by an invisible force which then physically manifested as a perfect, hollowfied doppelganger of my Fraccione wearing the mask of a Hollow I'd known and traveled with before I became an Arrancar--one who was slain but not devoured around the time my fraccione would have been born."


Part of the deal for allowing Sarah to remain in Las Noches was that she submit to noninvasive testing to determine how the 'anti-negacione' properties of her armor worked, why her reiatsu seemed so familiar to Svetlana, and possibly why the Sin Rostras were so interested in her.

If Turiel had been keeping up with the reports(I mean, he was the one who ordered that so where else would the reports go?) then he knows that Sarah was more hollowfied that what little data the Arrancar had on other Fullbruingers indicated was normal and that after she absorbed the item she channeled her power through--the one she made clear she'd rather die than part with when taken into custody--that she gained markings highly similar to those of the same Hollow Svetlana is mentioning now, causing suspicion that Sarah may be that Hollow reincarnated. Seemingly confirmed.

"The being introduced herself as Shin-Tan Ubai, utterly disrupted the investigation beyond the point that it could be salvaged, claimed that my Fraccion was now a Shinigami, and then tore her soul from her body and banished her to Hell as some deluded means of protecting my Fraccione from the same fate. It was then that I was taken unaware by a Garganta opening beneath my feet, and I was then returned against my will to our gates."

Svetlana looks down at the sand.

"I apologize. I may have to recuse myself from the investigation into the Sin Rostra, dealing with this rogue spirit, or both. I'm... I'm angry, Lord Segunda. Angrier than I'd ever thought possible. I'm not certain... It may be best for the city of Las Noches if I avoid any situation where my emotional state could compromise my judgment."

"A fellow Gurren Lagann fan, I see. You sure take 'doing the impossible' seriously." Bai teases. "No, it's actually a lot harder than that.

Either wait patiently and observe the conflict between Shinigami and Von Geister draw to a close... or join them in beating the Ghost King. At the end of that conflict lies your prize."[/COLOR]

"I like my plan better. At a bare minimum, it makes Sarah functionally immortal and too powerful for Hell to matter."

"Also, what exactly do scarlet enveloping faces have to do with anything?"

[Kuroimaken]

[Forest of Menos]

"Trust me, even functional immortality ain't what it's cracked up to be. It figures that you wouldn't listen, but oh well, I had to try.

And scarlet enveloping faces have everything to do with this.

All joking aside, I still needed to check that you didn't really consider killing the Soul King an option. Trust me, the one future where you succeed out of the nine million, four-hundred and fifty seven thousand, three hundred and twenty-eight where you fail just results in reality unraveling itself like a cheap sweater.

Huh. Come to think of it, that's a lower probability than I thought."

[Rater202]

"I have no intent to make my Master a mutilated corpse maintaining an artificial separation of the world."

[Kuroimaken]

"Oh yeah, possibility 9457329.

Look, you can't get the Sin out of Sarah, but you can annul the sentence. Or rather, Hell's King can."

[Rater202]

"Oh yeah, possibility 9457329.

Look, you can't get the Sin out of Sarah, but you can annul the sentence. Or rather, Hell's King can."

"So can literally anyone strong enough to break the shackles and chains. Or someone who has been given--or has taken--the power of the wardens. I imagine that by the time the Hell King is someone you can force to do what you want, you're already strong enough to get out yourself."

[Kuroimaken]

"That doesn't annul the sentence, it just makes you break out of jail. Or gives you the crappiest day job imaginable.

I'm talking about a full pardon. Not something you need to beat the King of Hell for. And let's face it, do you want Hell under the control of a borderline edgelord teenager?"

[Rater202]

"That doesn't annul the sentence, it just makes you break out of jail. Or gives you the crappiest day job imaginable.

I'm talking about a full pardon. Not something you need to beat the King of Hell for. And let's face it, do you want Hell under the control of a borderline edgelord teenager?"

"If Self-Defense is something that mortals can be condemned to Hell for int he first place, then the alleged King of Hell--an existence I have never heard of until today despite a memory reaching back countless lifetimes--would never pardon any soul. of his own will"

"Considering that I can't think of many crimes that deserve being removed from the cycle of reincarnation to be endlessly hunted and eaten alive by giant apes for all eternity until you are so broken that total oblivion as a shattered soul is a mercy to begin with, I don't believe the alleged King of that place would be a reasonable person. Ergo, the only way to get the Pardon is to kick his ass until he gives it to you, and if he's as powerful as such a position would entail, by the time you can do that you can break out on your own and once you've broken out there ain't' **** he can do."

[Kuroimaken]

"Ah, you've stumbled upon an interesting detail there. Why haven't you ever heard of a King of Hell? I mean, the Soul King is a thing, it would stand to reason that there's someone at the top of Hell's hierarchy too, wouldn't it?

But then, why hasn't anyone heard of him? Why didn't someone proclaim themselves as the King of Hell, either? You said it yourself, Anybody who runs such a place in the way it's run can't be a reasonable person.

Doesn't it stand to reason, then, that someone who could do what you describe should've arisen already?"

[Rater202]

"One argument is that the King of Hell doesn't exist."

"Another is that the King of Hell doesn't exist yet."

"As for why no one powerful enough to break the chains yet exists... Circumstances. Just becuase something is possible, that doesn't mean it's probable. The power of my Master's soul is to take other souls within her and make them part of herself without losing her own identity. The Devil Queen's heart and the ancient Soul Fragment that carries it makes us essentially a living Hollow that retains a rational mind. Cut off from our body, our inherited hunger will drive Sarah to find the Desert of Broken Souls on the fourth level of Hell and consume the reishi and fragmented souls that compose it. My master is uniquely suited to grow stronger while in Hell, to become strong enough to shatter the chains, as there are no Gods--no being or realm is absolute."

[Kuroimaken]

"Uniquely suited, yes. I would tend to agree.

Given the alternatives, it's far from foolproof, but it's the plan with the best chances of success.

Assuming, of course, that it's built on the correct premises. For instance, that the broken souls of Hell have actual power that Sarah can take for herself."

[Rater202]

"Uniquely suited, yes. I would tend to agree.

Given the alternatives, it's far from foolproof, but it's the plan with the best chances of success.

Assuming, of course, that it's built on the correct premises. For instance, that the broken souls of Hell have actual power that Sarah can take for herself."

"All of the Ambient spiritual pressure in the Fourth Layer of Hell, if not all of Hell, comes from those broken souls. It's a paradox, really: Most of those completed souls didn't have any power before being Damned. The ambient environment of Hell, it's intense spiritual gravity, the very act of dying over and over again, and the fleeing from the instruments of that death increase the powers of these souls many, many times over... for some reason. If the Wardens of Hell were not far, far stronger, and altruism and cooperation not rare among the types who are condemned to Hell, I do believe that there would have already been many mass jailbreaks..."

"Of course, it's possible that if the Universe were truly a designed system that Hell was created in such a way to inspire Hope in the sinners in order to prolong their torment...."

"Regardless, within the very fundamental nature of Hell lies one of the keys to my Master's eternal Freedom from the Injust Punishments and Corrupt System it represents."

[Kuroimaken]

"You'll get no argument from me that what's happened to Sarah is unfair. But corrupt is a stretch.

Sarah is in an unique position to be able to break out, sure. But what does that say of her predecessors? Surely in such a high-pressure environment at least ONE diamond in the rough should've been able to break the shackles, so why didn't they?

What if the wardens simply don't know any better because they have been without a King for untold millennia?"

[Rater202]

"A system is corrupt if it is bent to the profit of those who establish it. My master was only defending herself and had no knowledge of the weight of her Sin. She'd not be Hellbound if she'd killed twelve mortal killers intent of dismembering, defiling, or devouring her being. A Shinigami who abuses his power, who goes rogue and murders mortals, or who otherwise commits sins that would condemn a mortal to Hell has the same 'afterlife' as a Shinigami who is a moral Paragon. A Hollow is cleansed of its sins after death--whether virtuous or sinful, a Hollow's afterlife is determined by its mortal life. Fair, for a lesser hollow, but unfair for a Menos or Arrancar, one who has gained moral awareness and thus responsible for their actions... I mean, under normal circumstances, once a Hollow is born the original person is gone forever. A Hollow who never consumed more souls than they had to and stopped entirely upon becoming an Arrancar, who attempted to live peacefully, who genuinely repented the sins of their maddened, lesser self could be condemned to Hell becuase in life their dominant soul, a person who no longer existed, happened to have killed five men in a bar fight."

"Turiel and Quidel can't possibly be the same people they were in life anymore. They committed the same crimes my beloved Master Performed, right in front of her, for the pettiest of reasons, except far worse as the hollows they slew were Menos and thus composed of hundreds or thousands of souls compared to the few dozen my master destroyed, and unless those two people who no longer exist were huge bastards when alive, they'll never suffer the same punishment for their Sin that my Master would have for hers."

The hatred in Shin-Tan Ubai's voice is palpable.

"Maybe you wouldn't consider that corrupt, but a system that applies to both mortals and spirits but that punishes mortals far more harshly than spirits--especially crimes against spirits--is inherently biased toward the spirit world, and therefore corrupt."

"I can't fix the system--things would be worse without the system, and changing it is a slow process that's outside my power, and honestly, I have no empathy or sympathy for anyone who isn't my Master. The best I can do is make it so that it's injustices can't harm her any longer."

"And if you're suggesting that this Soul-eating Devil-Princess elevate her most beloved Master to the position of Demon-Emporer, I have to ask of you: What's the catch? The Soul King's a corpse in a gilded cage, or at least he was. Why should his counterpart be any different?"

[Frozen_Feet]

[Soul Society; Seireitei]

After wandering aimlessly for a couple of hours, Hoshigaki Senshi happens within eyesight of the Spirit Arts Academy. He regards the ancient institution with nostalgic eyes for a time, before an idea hits him.

Not much later, he finds himself at the gate. One of the sixth year students is serving as a gate guard and regards the approaching Gotei officer curiously.

"Greetings. Uh... could you tell me who is the Headmaster at the moment?" , Senshi asks from the student. Way back when Senshi attended, the headmaster was still esteemed Izanagi-no-Mikoto, founder of Gotei. But obviously that can't be the case, for Izanagi left after the Scarlet Garden... and Kenpachi Osuma's death. Senshi recalls Zheng Li Lin was the headmaster also, because he had to sometimes hold lessons under Li's watch... but Li is gone, too, and Senshi is finding himself out of the loop.

"Sure. It is Suzaku Fuyu", the student answers helpfully. "And you are...?"

"Hoshigaki Senshi, Seated Officer of the Combat Division" , Senshi proclaims. To his shame, the name "Suzaku Fuyu" tells him exactly nothing. Was that someone from the Command Division...? "I'm currently, uh, suspended from my normal duties due to injury and... thought I'd come to discuss the possibility of teaching in the Academy while I recover."

"Understood, Sir. Do you have a scheduled appointment?"

"No" , Senshi admits. "It really only just hit me. I can, uh, come back another time if the Headmaster's not available..."

"I can call and check, Sir."

"You can? That'd be great."

---

Sometime later, Senshi finds himself sitting in the Headmaster's office, the introductions already done. Silently, he wonders how much easier getting to meet the Headmaster must be now that the Headmaster is not also a Commander or Captain of Gotei.

"Instructing at the Academy, Hoshigaki-san? Many seated officers do hold classes on the side, even Captains have done so. A member of the Guerilla Squad could provide invaluable insight to our latest batch of students. But have you talked with your Captain yet?"

"Not... yet" , Senshi admits. He's been somewhat distracted by the Headmaster's appearance. Even after seeing him, Senshi can't remember him. He can't even tell his age. Suzaku Fuyu turned out to be a gentleman with long, grey mustache, beard and hair... but otherwise, he looks no older than Senshi. Somehow, Senshi is reminded of how that girl teased him for being older than Masaru. In this situation too Senshi has to wonder if appearance and social station have anything to do with appearances.

"Well, obviously you'll have to do that. You'll have ample time, however. This... sick leave of yours doesn't seem to be ending soon."

"Sure seems so. I mean... you're right."

"In any case, I'll give you the papers so you can hand them to your Captain and sort it through. But I still wonder... what sparked this interest in you? "

"Well... I really just wanted to see the future generation with my own eyes, you know? I think... there are some really interesting people learning to be Shinigami these days."

The Headmaster raises an eyebrow. "That is true. One of them is even a literal giant."

There's a tick in the corner of Senshi's eye. "Yeah, I think I've met the guy... uh, I mean, I saw the circus tent outside..." Thinking about Ryouma again all of a sudden doesn't help Senshi's train of thought.

The Headmaster pushes his glasses up his nose and looks piercingly at Senshi. "He is, indeed, hard to miss. So was he who sparked your interest?"

Senshi is taken aback by the question. "Huh? No... I mean... sort of? I'm a bit worried about how the guy will turn out, but... hey, you whipped me into shape, so..."

The Headmaster crosses his hands and leans his elbows on his desk. "So not only him?"

Senshi hesitates. "Well there's another... this girl. I keep bumping at them in the same places. Okay, so I think it's really been just twice when they were in the same place, but... they... left an impression."

"And who is this girl, may I ask? I'll have you know we have strict policy of no romantic relationships between teachers and students..."

Senshi blushes. "Nonono! It's nothing like that! It's just...", he takes a moment to gather his thoughts, "I met her a while back during small hours and she... said some eeriely perceptive stuff to me. I just wanted to find out what she's really like."

Suzaku Fuyu's brow furrows. "Small hours? If she is one of the new students, that would be breaking curfew. I'll have to check with the dormitory supervisors. So, who, exactly, is this enigmatic girl?"

Senshi barely resists the urge to scratch his head. "Her name escapes me, but... her appearance is quite striking. She has pink..."

"Magenta."

"... sorry, magenta hair. Her eyes are of odd color too... one blue, the other yellow. Can't remember which is left or right..."

Fuyu nods in understanding. "Ah, that would be Zaraki Nasumi. A brand new, first year student. Technically joined around the same time as that other person we mentioned. She was only recently loaned an Asauchi from our stores."

Senshi's face brightens. "So, can you tell me something about her?"

Fuyu looks to the side. "I'm afraid there isn't much to tell. She is a very recent arrival into Soul Society. Only appeared after the catastrophe in Rukongai. The lottery sorted her into the Zaraki district, but since Zaraki was gone by that point... I do not know who pointed her to our doorstep, but she was very lucky."

"Zaraki... Nasumi... oh, so that's why she has that name...", Senshi mutters, then returns his attention to Fuyu. "Hey... what about Nasumi... is that her...?"

"I'm afraid I could not tell you the answer even if I wanted to" , Fuyu states. "Our records state she did not remember her full first name upon reaching the lottery draw, so she was given her current name by an officer on duty. She appears to be one of those souls who was so traumatized by her death that she has forgotten her past life... at this point, it's impossible to tell if she will recall any of it."

Senshi smiles. "Is that so. Well, thanks for satisfying my curiosity. Maybe I will see her in class."

The rest of Senshi's meeting returns on more business-like tracks and he's eventually sent off with a pile of forms and applications in his hands, to show to Masaru. It's only when he's past the gates that it hits him.

"Waitaminute... if she's been here so little time, how'd she figure all those things out about me and Masaru?"

Senshi grabs his head, even more confused than before. The girl saw them at the evacuation of the destroyed hospital... but could she have deduced all that from just meeting them briefly? Or is she some kind of a stalker? If she did break the curfew... why? And... now that he thinks of it... how did she cross all the way from the Academy and the Combat Division and back without anyone noticing? That's a long way, even with Shunpo! First years aren't supposed to know Shunpo!

Senshi is about to turn on his heels and go running back to the Headmaster, but manages to calm down. The Headmaster looked like a perceptive, reasonable fellow. Surely, they've already figured this out and will go through the trouble of checking if she really was sneaking out.

But... what if she wasn't? What if Senshi was seeing things? It's not... impossible... is it now? He slaps himself on the cheeks and tries to walk way in a dignified manner. The gate guard must think he's crazy! He's not crazy! He's perfectly well-adjusted fellow and a future Academy instructor!

Or that's what he keeps telling himself as he walks back to the Combat Divisioon...

[Kuroimaken]

"A system is corrupt if it is bent to the profit of those who establish it. My master was only defending herself and had no knowledge of the weight of her Sin. She'd not be Hellbound if she'd killed twelve mortal killers intent of dismembering, defiling, or devouring her being. A Shinigami who abuses his power, who goes rogue and murders mortals, or who otherwise commits sins that would condemn a mortal to Hell has the same 'afterlife' as a Shinigami who is a moral Paragon. A Hollow is cleansed of its sins after death--whether virtuous or sinful, a Hollow's afterlife is determined by its mortal life. Fair, for a lesser hollow, but unfair for a Menos or Arrancar, one who has gained moral awareness and thus responsible for their actions... I mean, under normal circumstances, once a Hollow is born the original person is gone forever. A Hollow who never consumed more souls than they had to and stopped entirely upon becoming an Arrancar, who attempted to live peacefully, who genuinely repented the sins of their maddened, lesser self could be condemned to Hell becuase in life their dominant soul, a person who no longer existed, happened to have killed five men in a bar fight."

"Turiel and Quidel can't possibly be the same people they were in life anymore. They committed the same crimes my beloved Master Performed, right in front of her, for the pettiest of reasons, except far worse as the hollows they slew were Menos and thus composed of hundreds or thousands of souls compared to the few dozen my master destroyed, and unless those two people who no longer exist were huge bastards when alive, they'll never suffer the same punishment for their Sin that my Master would have for hers."

The hatred in Shin-Tan Ubai's voice is palpable.

"Maybe you wouldn't consider that corrupt, but a system that applies to both mortals and spirits but that punishes mortals far more harshly than spirits--especially crimes against spirits--is inherently biased toward the spirit world, and therefore corrupt."

"I can't fix the system--things would be worse without the system, and changing it is a slow process that's outside my power, and honestly, I have no empathy or sympathy for anyone who isn't my Master. The best I can do is make it so that it's injustices can't harm her any longer."

"And if you're suggesting that this Soul-eating Devil-Princess elevate her most beloved Master to the position of Demon-Emporer, I have to ask of you: What's the catch? The Soul King's a corpse in a gilded cage, or at least he was. Why should his counterpart be any different?"

"The true nature of the Soul King is a fairly close secret to a select few. For many, the simple level of isolation from the rest of us confers the authority anyone needs in his name. But the Hell King is different - as the ultimate warden of the ultimate prison, he needs to exert his authority in order to make himself known.

That is to say, his authority flows not from his personal power necessarily, but from his crown. So to speak. That is why no one has attempted to grant unto themselves that position.

They have no crown with which to adorn their heads."

[Rater202]

"The true nature of the Soul King is a fairly close secret to a select few. For many, the simple level of isolation from the rest of us confers the authority anyone needs in his name. But the Hell King is different - as the ultimate warden of the ultimate prison, he needs to exert his authority in order to make himself known.

That is to say, his authority flows not from his personal power necessarily, but from his crown. So to speak. That is why no one has attempted to grant unto themselves that position.

They have no crown with which to adorn their heads."

"Look, this is starting to sound like the Quincy Messiah thing Band-Aid-Brand was spouting about: A fairy tale with no practical value beyond maybe a shred of truth that utterly fails to live up to the legend. Ya got anything useful to share?"

[Kuroimaken]

"I wasn't being metaphorical. OK, maybe a little because it's not a crown, it's a staff. But I am otherwise feeding you facts. I don't want to give away the whole thing, just spare you a couple millennia of wait and Sarah Smith a possibly equally long amount of torment.

I want to help you a little along your way because you're not wrong in what you want. But you might be getting a little ahead of yourself method-wise. I get that you don't want to trust a complete stranger, Shin-tan Ubai. But I can at least promise you that I don't get anything out of revealing this information."

[Rater202]

Millenia...?

Shin-Tan Ubai laughs. Heartily. There's an almost malicious mirth to it.

"My beloved master's sheer determination to live a life without pain was so absolute that I was able to forge that desire into an armor that can't be broken save maybe an effect that's absolute. Do you know what that kind of stubbornness and desire to live means in a survival scenario? Millenia? Sarah will be a Vasto Lorde within the week."

[Kuroimaken]

"In 1 out of every 52637 scenarios, that's the average.
In 1 out of every 5692 scenarios she dies for good.
In 1 out of every 362 scenarios, it turns out you grossly miscalculated her potential for growth.

Trust me... I checked out each of 15 million, nine-hundred and fifty-thousand, three-hundred and two timelines.

Your belief in Sarah Smith is commendable, but your underestimation of the gravity of Hell is not.

Besides, Vasto Lorde power is not going to be enough. Even if it were, she would become an existence that no one of the current powers could ignore.

She would never know peace again."

[Rater202]

"Ten 'Typical' Vasto Lorde working in Tandem could obliterate the entire Gotei 10. and Conquer Soul Society."

"One Vasto Lorde, born of a Lesser Hollow who is already the equal of a Menos and fed exclusively on the ultra-dense reishi and uniquely powerful souls of Hell is more than a match for the chains and gates"

"As for the current powers: Mommy swore an oath, after she got it through Sarah's thick skull that her life was forfeit too if Sarah screwed up and that she didn't have any ulterior motives for acting to help her, that she wouldn't let anything hurt Sarah if she could stop it. Mommy's an Espada now. Soul Society isn't gonna be stupid enough to risk alienating one of the Espada by insisting that they have to do anything to her absurdly powerful Fraccione. Not as long as the truce is in effect."

"As for the Hollows... Meddle Not in the affairs of Reapers, as they hate you unconditionally. Meddle not in the affairs of Hunters, for their Unholy Arrows leave not even scraps behind. Meddle not in the affairs of the Complete Lords, for they are Gods and you are either food, toy, or pet."

"That's a bit of wisdom that was shared by the members Anim's pack. I'm sure that every Hollow that makes it back to sapience picks up something along those lines. You don't poke the bear. You don't tickle the sleeping dragon. You don't spank the tiger, and you don't swim in the same stretch of river as the hippo or the crocodile. The first person who picks a fight with her will be badly beaten or killed, as is the custom for when the fraccione or Espada are challenged, and then only the dumb will want to start trouble if she doesn't. To the other Espada, other than Mommy, she'll be too valuable an asset to waste."

[Frozen_Feet]

[Soul Society; Seireitei; Combat Division]

"Hey, Ricky, my man. Is the Captain in his office?"

The younger member of the "Pack" perks up as Senshi Hoshigaki greets him. "Huh? No, I think he had an appointment. Why, is it something acute?"

"Nah. Just visited the Academy and got a discussion going about me doing some teaching on the side." Senshi shows the stack of papers he's carrying.

"Oh, okay. That's a thing Officers do, yes." Ricky clearly has no real opinion on this one way or another.

"Yeah. Hey, could you stuff these in the Captain's mail box for me?"

"Sure thing."

Senshi hands the papers to Ricky and the two part ways. Masaru can go over the proposition when he has time. Having little else to do, Senshi returns to his quarters after getting some chow at the Division cafeteria.

When was the last time Senshi actually spent time home? Looking at the dust on the floor, he realizes he hasn't been here too much lately. First was his vacation, then his injury and stay at the hospital, then his obsessive training... oh no, there probably isn't anything left in the fridge. Senshi sighs. Why is he so hungry again? He just ate!

...

"Don't be silly, Senshi boy. You know no amount of eating can fill the hollow space inside."

Senshi looks around, just to check that weird girl has not somehow snuck into his apartment. But no, he's alone. He's just remembering her words, that's all.

Senshi grasps his hair and sighs. "What is wrong with me?"

His words hang heavy in the empty room.

...

What, not even commentary from his shoulder devil? He was expecting some, damn it!

...

Still nothing? Oh well. Might as well do as his comrades suggested and get some rest. So he rolls out a futon and begins undressing. But after he's taken off his sash and is holding his sheathed sword in his hand, he kinda just gets stuck staring at it.

This goes on for several minutes.

"Ah, screw it!" Senshi sits in a lotus position and places the sword in his lap. He might as well enter Jinzen and get to the root of this...

[Dorizzit]

[Soul Society]
???

Naito has found a nice, quiet, out-of-the way spot near some trees to sit down and think for a bit. Having once again separated himself from his friends, the troubled Quincy broods angrily. They try some of the breathing exercises they've picked up in order to calm down, but this is accomplishing very little other than making them look like an individual with a deep-seated contempt for the concept of suffocation. Sighing once, finally, Naito breaks out of a rigid sitting position and lays back on the ground, plucking at the grass absent-mindedly with one hand.

A buzzing noise comes from Naito's pocket.

What in...

Naito slides their phone out of their pocket and looks at the message they just received.

"...What?"

Naito blinks.

"...Wait, WHAT?"

Combat Division HQ

Suddenly, the conference room that Masaru and Shinji are in seemingly begins to shake, but simultaneously does not move at all, creating a mildly disorienting effect. A blue circle of light appears about 2 meters above the ground before momentarily expanding into a cylinder and fading to reveal Aoi.

"Shinji 'Kuzunoha Shiki XLV' Kamogawa. Your-"

Aoi presumably doesn't finish her sentence before someone reacts in some way, at which point she politely goes silent.

[Kuroimaken]

[Forest of Menos]

The man bops her in the head. It doesn't hurt, but it sure as hell feels humiliating.

"You also don't leave it the hell alone waiting for an opportunity to EAT YOU! Whether it's a week, a month, or two millennia, Sarah Smith is NOT going to emerge from Hell the same young woman as when she was tossed inside. Svetlana's newly-minted position can only carry her so far if Sarah's presence upsets the entire balance of Las Noches, at which point Jehoel and the rest of the Espada are going to cut ties with her even if it kills them!

Worse yet, you think Von Geister is the only Vasto Lorde that's a threat? Big fish make waves - and even blue whales can be overwhelmed by enough sharks.

Last but not least, you're forgetting one very important variable."

________________________

[Combat Division HQ]

"Aoi-san, urgency notwithstanding, you should always try teleporting outside the location and knocking on the door first. You could end preemptively attacked from the shock, you know." Shinji notes as soon as the blue cylinder begins to form. Like he saw her coming somehow.

For a moment, a glint of that fox-eye appears.

[Rater202]

Forest of Menos

"And you think a new Hell Queen will upset the social balance less than a new Vasto Lorde that just wants to live in the city? Whatever, what's this variable of yours?"

[Kuroimaken]

"Haroda Tamaki.

You probably didn't pay much attention to the crew he hung out with, but even they won't let his soul comfortably rest in your master's stomach."

[Rater202]

"Haroda Tamaki.

You probably didn't pay much attention to the crew he hung out with, but even they won't let his soul comfortably rest in your master's stomach."

"I don't much see what that's gotta do with it. I've got a small chunk of his heart's power here, but I ain't done crap to his soul. Giving this piece of Red Joker to my Master would be different from one Fullbringer giving their Fullbring to another. They do that all the time."

[Kuroimaken]

"Yes, well, they're going to want the guy back, and from their perspective you're just some random crazy girl that killed him to get it. It's in your best interest to make friends with them if no one else.

Before you even start, yes, they have what it takes to put his soul back together, and then rebuild the guy's body. Raw power may not be what they're all about, but those kids are ridiculously resourceful."