2-4 Squad Zero Riden

You can get out now, Ichigo!

Ow...

We're here! The Royal Palace!

So this is it.

That's right! You're lucky. You might not be aware of this, my boy, but Soul Reapers aren't ordinarily allowed up here.

But then, there's nothing really "ordinary" about you, is there?

(So this is the place Aizen so desperately wanted to come to...)

Hey, wait a minute! Am I missing something? I thought you couldn't get into the Royal Palace without the Ouken!

Heh. It's here!

Our bones are the Ouken. That's right. They were transformed by the power of the Soul King when we were selected by him to join Squad Zero.

You see, there are only two ways to gain entrance to the Royal Palace. Either we choose to allow you in or you come in with us.

Sosuke Aizen was trying to make an imitation Ouken of his own. In other words, he was trying to use his own spiritual powers to create clones of us.

He wanted to make himself into a new god by killing the king, as well as millions of others. Sosuke Aizen... He truly is evil personified.

But know this, Ichigo Kurosaki: The Quincies you're now facing are an even greater and more terrible evil.

............

All right! Ready? I'm going to blast you off now! Stand right there! Don't move, or you'll die!

Okay, here it goes!

Wait! Hold on a second!

What? What is it?

I don't even know where the hell I'm headed! Am I going to meet the Soul King?

Huh? C'mon, you're not serious, are ya? There's no way a punk like you is ever gonna get to meet the Soul King.

Try explaining it to him properly!

What did I say about the hair?!

Now listen closely. Right now, we're at the main entrance...

Over there is the main shrine, the Reio Greater Palace. That's where the Soul King resides.

And those five disc-like structures floating around it are the Squad Zero Riden. Those are our castles.

You got that? You see, there's five of 'em. But forget the other four, it's my Kirinden you're coming to.

Meaning you and your friends.

............

What the hell is this?!

What's it look like? It's a hot spring, of course.

Why are they underwater? You're gonna drown them! Look! He's bleeding!

Calm down. I'm soaking them in the hot spring in order to drain out their damaged Spiritual Pressure along with their blood.

Damaged Spiritual Pressure?

You see that boiling, red-hot spring over there?

"Blood Pond Hell?"

Right, Blood Pond Hell. So we're gonna take Byakuya here, who's all drained out...

...and toss him in there!

Hey, what are you doing?! You're gonna kill the guy!

I draw out their blood in White Bone Hell...and replenish it in Blood Pond Hell.

Repeat the process a few times and eventually, every drop of bad blood and Spiritual Pressure in their bodies will be swapped out for pure, hot, healthy water.

That's the way I heal 'em.

I find it a little hard to believe this thing is gonna...

Just shut up and start soaking. For the kind of injuries you have, one night should do it. That's all it'll take to make you twice as good as new.

............

Ah, so you're awake...Soul King.