Michibane Aura's life was mostly one of apathy, passivity, with nothing changing; a life of inertia, stretching out before her, undulating. She had no attachment to anything, nor did she particularly like her lifestyle. Therefore, she had no reason to refuse Tokinada's invitation. She was only interested in perfecting her Fullbring. She had accepted Tokinada's proposal because it provided her with vast opportunities to practice what interested her.
But at first, she didn't understand what Tokinada was trying to do. At first, she was instructed to defeat Hollows. As she continued to defeat Hollow after Hollow as instructed, she felt as if her senses were slowly fading. She felt that maybe she had been dead from the beginning and that her body was moving on its own due to some error. Every day, this feeling grew as she mechanically did the things she was told.
Eventually, she began to embrace this very illusion. However, despite her lack of enthusiasm, her fundamental Fullbring ability grew rapidly. Then one day, Aura realized that she had become incredibly strong, almost monstrous. With her ingenuity, she could have led a comfortable life, but she wasn't interested in wealth or status; and she also had no reason to desire them.
So, she decided to simply go with the flow and follow Tokinada's orders. Tokinada's ambitious games changed from mere 'games' to a clear vision since the time he stole a zanpakutou from its owner, brought it back to the Soul Society, and transferred it to his own clan. The zanpakutou controlled the furious torrent of temporal and spatial chains and discovered a vast Kyogoku in the Garganta.
Tokinada then dedicated himself to analyzing the Tenkai Kecchu created by Urahara Kisuke. Aura stole the prototype from the vault and delivered it to Tokinada. It was then mass-produced in the thousands. To honor the birth of a new king, followers were necessary. And so, a religious organization emerged in the living world. Aura gathered hundreds of thousands of followers, showing them various 'miracles' and dedicated the cult to Tokinada to serve as his puppets.
A throne representing the 'new world' was also necessary. Aura built a huge castle in the sky and offered it to Tokinada. Tokinada wanted the palace to be in the sky so that it would become a symbol of majesty. It was possible for Aura to control and rebuild the excessive amount of pure reishi in order to create, but she didn't understand why she was asked to do so. Tokinada wanted to build a throne, but for whom? He said she would know soon. During the war between the Shinigami and the Quincies, the Four Great Noble Houses were also attacked by soldiers, and there were many casualties, but Aura took care of the Quincies. Tokinada himself was not present at the mansion at the time; he was in the Hooden (Phoenix Palace), busy stealing a zanpakutou using the power of his own zanpakutou. Once the battle ended, Tokinada set his plan into motion.
"I'm going to have you create the king's body."
"Does that mean I have to give birth to a child?" Aura asked seriously.
Tokinada laughed heartily.
"Hahaha! No, no, of course not! Do I look like the type of man who sees women as mere tools to give birth? And besides, I've already had a wife; she's deceased, but I maintain chastity. This is just a toy for you to assemble and break as you wish. Enjoy it as much as you like."
While discussing the lowest of actions, he also praised the hero of the war, Ichigo Kurosaki.
"You know, his existence is truly intriguing. Although Aizen played a major role in the circumstances surrounding his birth, much of it was attributed to vague things, like the 'miracle of love.'"
Aura realized that both the throne and the followers were for the king, undoubtedly. Only, in this case, the order was reversed. Tokinada would create a king after preparing a kingdom. Piles of konpaku were placed before her. Corpses, one after the other; of Shinigami, Quincies, humans.
"I collected these bodies on the battlefield. This should be enough. There are also Fullbringer corpses among this pile. Use them as you see fit."
Another 'component' was provided by Tokinada; it was distinctly different from the others. It was not alive, but it seemed to have its own will. Aura felt it resonating with its dense presence. But she didn't know its identity, which intrigued her. Tokinada told her:
"Now, start working. It doesn't even need to have the form of a person. We don't need to worry about the brain cells, since we already have a good component for that. Anyway, as long as the Saketsu (Binding Chain) and Hakusui (Soul Sleep) are functional, the body can be kept alive under any condition."
This was something new to Aura. The creation of a god. Giving life to a new king.
______________________________
**Hikone's POV**
Hikone remembers when he first "woke up." His condition was unpleasant. He couldn't lift his neck, he couldn't sit up. His skin barely stretched over his body. But he was still "alive" in an ironic sense.
There was a woman and a doctor who took care of him. Every day, they poured power and healing to keep his skin and flesh together. It hurt more than anything, but for some reason, he felt calm in their presence.
_____
**[TIME SKIP]**
The hall was bathed in unsettling silence, illuminated only by floating strands of reishi emanating from Hikone's sleeping body, resting at the center. Tokinada crossed the hall with a satisfied smile, his hands clasped, watching the still figure of his "masterpiece."
"Aura, Yamada," Tokinada began, his voice cutting through the silence like a sharp blade. "It seems our little king is finally ready. Isn't it magnificent?"
Seinosuke Yamada adjusted his hat with a finger, maintaining his casually disdainful expression. "Yes, magnificent, if we ignore the fact that we're probably playing with the creation of a literal god," he said with a slight ironic tone. "But I admit, the compatibility of the 'core' is impressive. He's functional, and even ready to interact with external stimuli."
Tokinada laughed, a low, almost theatrical sound. "You underestimate me, Yamada-San. Though I must say, Urahara and that exiled captain would be furious if they knew I stole something so precious from them. Ah, how exciting to think about it."
Aura, who was standing beside Hikone, tilted her head slightly, her cold eyes reflecting the glow of the reishi around her. "The body has been stabilized," she said, almost emotionlessly. "I truly believe it may be stable and 'alive.'"
Tokinada approached, observing Hikone's face, his grandest creation. "Very well," he declared, satisfied. "It's time to awaken the next king, Aura, do the honors."
Aura nodded slightly, kneeling beside Hikone. Her fingers hovered over the body's chest, and a wave of dense, controlled energy surged through the hall as she transferred a burst of reishi into him. For a moment, everything stood still.
Then, Hikone's eyes opened.
There was an unmistakable gleam in his gaze — a mixture of innocence, curiosity, and a chilling trace of something greater. He blinked a few times before focusing on Tokinada, and to everyone's surprise, his eyes seemed to shine with excitement.
"You..." Hikone's voice was weak but clear. "I know you."
Tokinada smiled, leaning slightly forward. "Yes, Hikone. I am Tokinada Tsunayashiro. I'm the one who allowed you to live. I'm your master, and the one who will lead you to the throne that is rightfully yours."
Hikone watched Tokinada closely for a moment before grinning widely, almost childishly. "Tokinada-sama..."
"Good boy," Tokinada said, pleased. "But before that, I have something for you." He gestured to an object wrapped in cloth on a nearby pedestal. "Your weapon. The zanpakutou worthy of a king. Ikomikidomoe."
Hikone's eyes gleamed with excitement as he carefully took the object. When the cloth fell away, the room was immediately filled with a wild, terrifying reiatsu. The pressure was suffocating, almost crushing, as the primal power of the zanpakutou seemed to rebel against its new master. Aura stepped back slightly, while Seinosuke merely adjusted his glasses, watching the scene unfold with clinical interest.
However, Hikone did not flinch. He gripped the blade firmly, and after a few moments of silent struggle, the reiatsu in the room began to dissipate. When everything was calm again, Hikone looked at Tokinada with a satisfied smile. "I've tamed it. It's mine now."
Tokinada let out a pure laugh of satisfaction. "Splendid! Truly splendid! Now, my young king, it's time for you to experience your power. There are many enemies ahead who deserve to be crushed by your divine strength."
Hikone nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Tokinada-sama. I will eliminate all enemies. For our kingdom."
Tokinada, still smiling, watched as Hikone twirled Ikomikidomoe in his hand, testing the weight of the blade. He had no idea that, soon, that same power would be his undoing.
____
Hikone closed his eyes for a moment. Then, he opened his eyes and slowly spun Ikomikidomoe in his hand.
"It's a shame..."
"Hiko..."
In the next instant, Tokinada felt a gust of wind slicing through a part of his body.
"...?"
Before he could understand the source of this sensation, Tokinada saw his own right arm detached, still holding the zanpakuto, flying upwards in a high arc through the air.
"Wh-?"
Even before the pain was transmitted to his brain, his right arm, just a moment before, had been ripped from his body in the blink of an eye. The pain of losing his right arm coursed through his entire body, but the doubt that emerged in his mind temporarily pushed the pain aside.
"It can't be..."
Tokinada had always been a cautious man, spending centuries preparing his plans and counterplans for betrayals. But he NEVER imagined he would die by the hands of his masterpiece so early.
Hikone had a look of pity on his face.
"I'm sorry, Tokinada-Sama, but... you're too dangerous for my existence... I'm sorry..."
Self-preservation, huh? The most basic instinct of every living being. I made plans for every occasion... but to think that it would be the nature of living beings that would kill me...
"Hahaha," Tokinada let out a bitter laugh despite the pain. "T-to think I would be killed by something so simple... this is... ironic! Hahahaha, how wonderful! Hikone Ubuginu... my greatest creation... fulfill a wish for your master—"
In an instant, Hikone's blade flashed for a moment before he passed through the air.
Tokinada was cut cleanly in a single breath, slicing a large portion of his body from his neck to his femur. In a moment of silence, as Hikone passed, Tokinada's body was already split in two.
"Bring... Chaos... to the World... my... son!"
Then, Tokinada's body, now cut in two, collapsed. Pouring more blood than ever, Tokinada crumpled, sliding across the floor as if it had collapsed.
"Well... Kakyo... I am... a star..."
When Tokinada said this, his eyes became calm for a moment, with a hint of emotion in them, as if those words represented his salvation. He twisted his lips into a final smile and then lay still on the divided ground.
____
The floor and the walls were covered in blood, and Tokinada's body lay on the ground, discarded.
Aura and Seinosuke stood frozen in front of the scene that had just unfolded. Everything happened in mere seconds, leaving them both a little stunned.
"Well... my job just became more troublesome." Despite the practical and emotionless words, Seinosuke was genuinely surprised by how the situation had turned out.
"..." Meanwhile, Aura stared impassively at Tokinada's body before turning to her childlike assassin.
"Do you plan to avenge him and kill me?" The child seemed resigned, holding the blade on the ground, blood dripping from his face, but still maintaining the same innocent expression.
'I couldn't do that.' Aura was conflicted, not out of love or revenge for Tokinada—she didn't hate him, but she didn't like him enough to avenge him. Besides, something inside her felt uncomfortable with the idea of killing someone she had "given birth to." Hikone, in a certain sense, was her son. So her response was as apathetic as ever.
"I see no need." She knew she could kill him. The boy had the element of surprise on his side, but in a fight, she felt Tokinada was still superior to her.
The child nodded before turning to the doctor. Who sighed while looking at him.
"You've really put me in a bad spot, kid. I'll definitely be executed, not only for helping with your creation, but also for allowing the death of a noble. Turning you in wouldn't serve any purpose."
The newly born hybrid only nodded before turning to the corpse of Tsunayashiro and stretching out his palm, concentrating Reiryoku into his palm, until—
BOOOOM
A cero was released, destroying Tokinada's body and part of the lab.
After a few moments of observation, Seinosuke was the one to break the silence.
"So, Little King... what do we do next?"
Although not explicitly stated, it was obvious that both former agents of Tokinada were now subservient to the Hybrid.
The little hybrid smiled as he turned.
"I... want to visit the royal guard... I want to talk to my 'brother.'"
These words were spoken darkly, but with an innocent smile. Both Seinosuke and Aura knew that their fates were already sealed, but they also knew there was no way out of this hole now, and all that remained was to descend into hell with their little king.