"...Zero Division?!"
Hearing this, Shigure's expression changed slightly. His breath caught.
Though beforehand, he'd considered many things Yamamoto might mention.
Even if Yamamoto proposed he succeed as Captain-Commander, he wouldn't feel surprised. All of that fell within his considerations.
So before entering the tea room, he felt fully mentally prepared to remain calm.
But...
He hadn't expected Yamamoto's words to completely shatter everything he'd considered!
Royal Guard... Zero Division!
Shigure's heart even felt shocked. His gaze flickered as memories flooded his mind.
Zero Division, the Royal Guard.
This was a unique squad completely outside Central 46's authority, directly under royal command, one level above the Gotei 13.
Unlike the Gotei 13's team structure, Zero Division had only five members total.
And without exception... all were captains.
More terrifying still, just those five possessed combat power completely surpassing the entire Gotei 13.
They normally resided in various palaces within the Soul King Palace, bearing the heavy responsibility of guarding the 'Soul King.'
Only when Seireitei faced absolutely unsolvable danger would they descend via the "Tenchūren" from the Soul King Palace to Seireitei.
They were... the oldest, most mysterious, and... most powerful organization in all of Soul Society. Bar none.
Even captains with seniority like Kyōraku and Unohana only knew bits about them.
Aside from Hikifune who'd ascended from the 12th Division 110 years ago, the other four Zero Division members had almost no records.
The Segawa family archives only recorded the name "Royal Guard Zero Division" with no additional description.
As for Shigure's knowledge of them, it all came from pre-transmigration memories—
Hikifune, creator of "artificial souls."
Kirinji, creator of "spiritual pressure cores" and "healing techniques."
Shutara, creator of "Soul Reaper uniforms."
Nimaiya, the Sword God who created the original prototype "Asauchi" for all Zanpakutō.
And Ichibē, the Monk who named everything in Soul Society!
These people existed in Shigure's memories. Impossible to forget.
Just now, when he heard Zero Division mentioned, his surprise naturally wasn't about their existence.
He was surprised that... Yamamoto brought them up at this moment.
This was something Shigure had never considered.
Yamamoto wasn't one for idle chat. If he mentioned it, this matter absolutely related closely to Zero Division.
Only now did Shigure understand why Kyōraku had been so cautious about this...
Anything involving Zero Division was no small matter.
Seeing Shigure's reaction, Yamamoto's expression remained unchanged. He said quietly:
"So... you have some understanding?"
Hearing this, Shigure nodded seriously: "Yes, generally."
"Good... then I'll speak plainly."
Yamamoto lowered his eyes again, saying flatly:
"Yesterday at sunset, Zero Division suddenly sent me a Heavenly Wedge Message from the Soul King Palace."
"Its contents concerned you."
"However, after reading the message, before I could summon you, we encountered Muramasa and his rebels."
"Knowing his power, I had no choice but to adopt the desperate measure of sealing my heart."
"Now that the chaos is settled, I'm conveying Zero Division's Heavenly Wedge Message to you here..."
Saying this, Yamamoto suddenly paused.
Then he raised his hand. A jade-green diamond-shaped crystal suddenly appeared.
Shigure's expression grew even more serious.
A message from Zero Division directed at him, whatever it was... deserved attention.
No wonder Kyōraku had spoken that way. He must have noticed this so-called Heavenly Wedge Message by chance.
After a moment, the jade crystal shattered, transforming into several lines of text floating between them.
Shigure's heart jumped. He quickly looked up.
At that moment, Yamamoto's heavy voice rang out—
"We of Zero Division bear the duty of guarding the Soul King."
"From Soul Society, from Seireitei, we select, observe, and recruit warriors of exceptional caliber."
"Following the Karakura Town battle with Aizen, we, in the Soul King's name... issue this Heavenly Wedge Message."
"We request current 5th Division Captain Segawa Shigure... ascend to Zero Division!"
"!!"
As the words fell, the jade spiritual particle text vanished from the tea room.
But Shigure sat opposite, his gaze frozen.
...?
They're asking me... to ascend to Zero Division?!
In this moment, countless thoughts exploded simultaneously in Shigure's mind.
This development... was completely unexpected!
Logically, didn't one need to create something for Soul Society, be recognized by the Soul King as a "person of Soul Society's history"... to qualify for Zero Division?
Because these conditions were so harsh, Zero Division had only those five members for thousands of years.
The last to ascend, Hikifune, though also very strong, had created "temporary souls" and the technology to "place them in bodies"—"artificial souls"—which earned Zero Division's recruitment.
The Captain-Commander before him naturally fully qualified for Zero Division ascension. Shigure never doubted that.
However, he hadn't expected to receive recruitment so soon himself...
Colors flashed rapidly through Shigure's gaze.
This came too suddenly. Even he, who always maintained calm and composure, felt his mental state slightly disturbed.
Only after a dozen breaths did his heart slowly settle.
"Hah..."
He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.
After his thoughts quieted momentarily, he raised his eyes again, looking at Yamamoto before him.
At this moment, Yamamoto's expression remained calm.
Apparently, he had no emotional reaction to this matter whatsoever. He found it natural.
After gazing at each other briefly, Yamamoto spoke again, saying calmly:
"So then, Segawa."
"Facing this Heavenly Wedge Message, Zero Division's recruitment offer, your choice is...?"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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