Fragments of the Soul King's power.
The unconscious young woman before them was clearly a carrier of a fragment of the Spirit King. That alone explained why she had been able to see Ginjō Kūgo in his soul state.
In the Human World, there were only two circumstances under which ordinary humans could perceive soul bodies and Hollows.
The first was possessing innate spiritual pressure exceeding the ninth level—talent sufficient to qualify one for Shinigami training in Soul Society.
The second was carrying within one's soul a fragment of the Spirit King, thereby gaining the potential to awaken Fullbring.
When both conditions were present, and Hollow power was further introduced into the body through an attack, the result was a rare and unstable existence.
That was Ginjō Kūgo.
A Soul King Candidate.
Similar beings had appeared only a handful of times in history—Kurosaki Ichigo, and later the artificial hybrid Hikone Ubuginu, created by Tokinada Tsunayashiro and Yamada Seinosuke after the Thousand-Year Blood War.
Across the original timeline, such singular existences had emerged no more than three times.
And this young woman was undoubtedly a carrier of a Spirit King fragment. In other words, she possessed the potential to awaken Fullbring in the future—provided the fragment within her remained intact.
What Ito Makoto had never anticipated was that Ginjō Kūgo could strip away a Spirit King fragment so effortlessly from someone who carried Fullbring potential.
"No wonder he could seize Kurosaki Ichigo's Fullbring so easily in the original story…"
When Aizen Sōsuke extracted the fragment from Matsumoto Rangiku in Soul Society, he had required specialized instruments. Even then, the process damaged Rangiku's soul foundation, forever limiting her growth and preventing her from reaching Bankai.
Yet this child—without killing, without harming—had simply plucked the fragment free with his bare hands, as though picking a dew-covered fruit from a branch.
"As expected… Soul King Candidates cannot be judged by common sense."
Ito Makoto examined the tiny fragment closely. Gradually, ecstasy surfaced in his expression.
Its nature was strikingly similar to the unstable Hōgyoku fragment he had once obtained by chance. However, the white radiance emitted by this Spirit King fragment was incomparably stable and gentle—pure, harmonious, and complete.
"Perhaps Aizen Sōsuke and Kisuke Urahara used the Soul King's power as the reference model when creating the Hōgyoku…"
"Makoto-Nii, do you need this little white light?"
Ginjō Kūgo asked directly, noticing the excitement in Ito Makoto's eyes.
"Yes. Absolutely."
Ito Makoto's grip tightened slightly around the fragment.
"Hahaha… I searched high and low without success, only to find it delivered effortlessly."
Yet as the two conversed, a grotesque tear suddenly split open within the void above Yuhua Town. A Garganta formed—dark, jagged, and unnatural—leading straight to Hueco Mundo.
From within stepped a figure with black eyes and black hair, clad in pale armor shaped like a centipede, its surface traced with dark-gold patterns. A mask adorned with cryptic designs covered his face.
Yekawa had arrived.
He had already activated the concealment ability granted by Camo while still in Hueco Mundo. As a result, his descent into the Human World was utterly silent.
His body dissolved into formless lightning—Flash Lightning Sonido—crossing half of Yuhua Town in an instant. Appearing beside the clone, he seamlessly retrieved the Spirit King fragment from its hand.
The entire process was flawless.
Ginjō Kūgo sensed nothing.
At the same time, a small portion of the centipede armor covering Yekawa's chest separated and dropped into Ito Makoto's palm, transforming into a tiny white centipede streaked faintly with dark-gold markings.
The moment it detached, the chest armor—Creep—reformed perfectly, restoring Yekawa's exterior as though nothing had occurred.
An instant later, the Garganta reopened. Yekawa stepped back into Hueco Mundo with the Spirit King fragment, while Ito Makoto lowered his gaze to the small centipede resting in his hand.
He then handed it to Ginjō Kūgo.
"From now on, keep this centipede with you. It will alert you when someone nearby carries these small white light fragments. You can help them—remove the fragments so Hollows will no longer target them."
"Remember: find those who carry these white light points. Extract them safely, then feed the fragments to this little centipede. Once removed, those people will return to being ordinary humans, free from Hollow harassment and without suffering harm."
"Also, do not let other Shinigami discover you. In their eyes, you are an anomaly. If exposed, you will most likely be eliminated."
"And most importantly—even if you are discovered, you must never reveal my existence."
"Do you understand?"
Seeing Ito Makoto's rare seriousness, Ginjō Kūgo straightened and answered earnestly.
"I understand, Makoto-Nii. Don't worry. I'll handle everything you've entrusted to me."
He examined the small centipede in his palm. Though it resembled a Hollow, he felt no fear. Calmly, he placed it upon his shoulder.
From the depths of his heart, he trusted that Makoto-Nii would never deceive him.
Even if he realized it was connected to Hueco Mundo, he did not care.
At the same time, he sensed something else—Makoto-Nii might be leaving. Perhaps for years. Perhaps forever.
Perceiving the child's unspoken anxiety, Ito Makoto softened his tone.
"Don't worry. This is only a temporary separation. In the near future, you will fight alongside me. Until then, you must become much stronger."
"If anything happens, speak to it. I will know."
He gestured toward the centipede on Ginjō Kūgo's shoulder.
That was no lie. The small centipede was another split body created by Yekawa, sharing consciousness with both Yekawa and Ito Makoto. Whatever occurred around Ginjō Kūgo would be known instantly.
Moreover, to facilitate the collection of Spirit King fragments while avoiding Soul Society's scrutiny, Yekawa had infused a trace of Camo into this split body. It concealed the clone's spiritual pressure and subtly masked the fluctuations emitted by Ginjō Kūgo himself.
"Makoto-Nii… I'll miss you."
Ginjō Kūgo wiped at his eyes as tears spilled freely down his cheeks. Since being sent to the orphanage, no one aside from the occasional kindness of the director had treated him with such warmth.
Through Ito Makoto, he had felt something resembling home.
Now that departure loomed, he could not stop crying.
Ito Makoto stepped forward, gently rubbing the boy's head.
"Kūgo is a man. And a man does not shed tears so easily."
Though this child might one day become Soul Society's wanted criminal and the leader of XCUTION, he was still only seven years old now.
All Ito Makoto could do was comfort him.
"Then… will we meet again?"
Ginjō Kūgo asked between sobs.
"Of course."
After reassuring him, Ito Makoto waved lightly, signaling for him to return to the orphanage and rest.
Based on his performance against the snail Hollow earlier, Ito Makoto judged that Ginjō Kūgo had passed his final assessment.
Unexpectedly, he had also gained a diligent collector of Spirit King fragments. From this point forward, Yekawa needed only remain in the shadows and harvest the fragments periodically through the small centipede.
A peculiar thought suddenly crossed Ito Makoto's mind.
"…Am I employing child labor?"