Crack!
The usually quiet and sealed Gate of Hell suddenly creaked, a thin crack forming.
Moments later
Thick, choking miasma began pouring out!
The Shinigami guarding the gate had been dozing off, bolted upright in panic.
"H-HOLY!"
He scrambled back, then turned and sprinted.
"CAPTAIN! SOMETHING'S HAPPENING TO HELL'S GATE!"
—
Soon after
Seireitei Central 46 Compound
All the Captains had gathered.
Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto sat at the head of the room.
Once everyone had arrived, he said in a deep voice: "Something seems to be happening in Hell."
"...Hell?"
The moment those words were spoken, the Captains exchanged looks, their faces turning serious.
They understood better than anyone just how dangerous Hell could be to all three worlds.
So they knew better than to take this lightly.
Seeing their reactions, Yamamoto's expression remained just the same, but he was quietly pleased. He continued:
"I'm preparing to send someone into Hell to investigate. Any volunteers?"
"Uh"
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PS: As always, 2 chapters daily and every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter!
Two Hells, One Gate
The moment Yamamoto finished speaking, the entire conference room fell into a brief silence.
Changes in Hell? That was definitely a big deal.
But also, such a pain.
Not a single Captain in the room was eager to get involved in this mess.
WellExcept one.
"Hell, huh?"
Kenpachi Zaraki leaned back with his arms spread wide, a wild grin on his face.
"There's gotta be some fun guys to cut down in there, right?"
"Old man Yamamoto, let me handle it!"
Yamamoto just glanced at him then ignored him completely.
"Anyone else interested?" he asked.
Zaraki: ""
He slapped the ground, annoyed. "Oi, didn't you hear me?! I said let ME go!"
Of course, everyone just ignored him.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri let out a creepy laugh. "You're not seriously thinking of sending someone like mea scientistfor this kind of thing, are you?"
Yamamoto clearly wasn't expecting anything from him either. Instead, he turned to look at Kyraku Shunsui.
Caught slacking off, Shunsui immediately tensed up. He scratched his head lazily and muttered, "Wouldn't this be more suited to the Second Division?"
Honestly, no one knew what exactly had gone wrong in Hell. It made way more sense to send in the stealth experts first to investigate.
Of course, all these "reasons" were just excuses to avoid the job.
Soifon: ""
Being the new captain really came with zero privileges.
Actually, scratch thatIt's worse being stuck in this awkward middle ground.
Not a veteran like the old captains. More experienced than the rookies. Basically, a born workhorse.
She sighed quietly, then said seriously, "Then I'll take the mission."
Yamamoto gave Shunsui a look, then after a short pause, finally nodded. "Very well. It's yours."
With that, things moved quickly.
The Second Division went into action with their usual efficiency.
At the Gates of Hell
Soifon and her team arrived near the entrance.
As she saw the miasma seeping out, she frowned instinctively. "Open the gate."
Clank
A few seconds later, the massive gate to Hell creaked open.
Whoosh
Without hesitation, Soifon stepped into Hell.
Meanwhile, on the Fifth Layer of Hell
Lynn finished suppressing his overwhelming Reiatsu.
Now, he focused on using it to connect with Hell itself.
Before longHe sensed a faint, hazy consciousness.
Lynn tried communicating with it.
But No response.
Lynn: ""
So this was Hell's consciousness?
Didn't seem very developed.
Which meant Everything that's been happening, was it all just instinct?
Did it acknowledge him as "Enma" purely on instinct, sensing that he might help Hell grow?
Lynn chuckled quietly to himself.
Isn't this basically letting the enemy in?
Without hesitation, he forcefully invaded Hell's consciousness.
Buzz~
The entire realm started shaking violently as if Hell had just realized it was being taken over.
Saito: "?"
"What's going on?!"
Her expression turned serious.
Lynn had already pulled back his Reiatsu Why was Hell reacting more violently now?
...
Hell's consciousness began to resist instinctively.
But Lynn fed it a single, powerful thought: "You don't want Hell to stay crammed in a corner of the world, feeding on scraps, do you?"
Hell: ". . ."
Everything went quiet. It stopped struggling.
Lynn: "Ha?"
Was it really that easy?
He almost felt bad for how gullible it was.
Almost.
But nahhe wasn't about to pass up this opportunity.
Even if Hell's consciousness was a little too "pure" for its own good, Lynn didn't go easy on it.
He grabbed control of Hell, just like that.
"...It actually locked itself?"
Lynn was a little surprised.
He now had control over Hell, but not full ownership.
Turns out, Hell's consciousness wasn't that stupid; it had made a deal with him.
It was willing to hand everything overbut only if Lynn could prove he could develop it.
Hell genuinely cared about its own growth more than anything else. It was so earnest that even Lynn felt a little ashamed.
Still just a little, though.
After that friendly little "chat," Lynn opened his eyes again, only to find Saito leaning in close, eyes wide with curiosity.
As soon as Lynn looked up, she blurted out, "You just did something, didn't you?"
Lynn nodded. "Yeah. Just made a deal with Hell."
Saito: "???"
Deal with Hell?
"You're kidding, right?"
She was extremely suspicious.
She'd been stuck in Hell for who knows how long. If you could make deals with it, why hadn't she ever heard of that?
Lynn gave her a weird look and said, "Maybe you just didn't qualify?"
Saito: ""
Her eye twitched. "So what you're saying is I'm not worthy?"
Lynn nodded without hesitation.
"Haaah."
She took a deep breath.
Not worthy, huh?
Well maybe he had a point.
Considering that terrifying Reiatsu he gave off earlierstronger than even old man Yamamotoshe had to admit he wasn't bluffing.
"You're stronger than I thought," she muttered, a little stunned.
Now she was super curious about the "deal" Lynn made with Hell.
Hell wasn't some place you could just mess with. Even the Captains or the Royal Guard couldn't interfere with it.
And yet this guy had a deal with it?
Her adrenaline started to spike.
Something big was coming.
She didn't even bother hiding her curiosity anymore. "So? What kind of deal did you make?"
"Nothing special," Lynn replied calmly. "I help develop Hell, and in exchange it becomes mine."
Saito: "???"
Wait, what?!
Develop Hell, and then it belongs to him?
How is that a DEAL?
That sounds like a one-sided win!
Once Hell belongs to him, any development is just benefitting HIS hell anyway, right?
"And Hell actually agreed to this?"
Lynn shrugged.
Saito's expression grew more complicated.
Why did it feel like Hell wasn't very smart?
StillEven if it was dumb, it had still managed to keep her trapped for this long.
That thought made her sigh.
She pulled herself together and asked curiously, "So what's your next move?"
Developing HellThat sounded way too fun to miss out on.
"First step?" Lynn said with a smirk. "Call in some backup."
Saito: "???"
Before she could ask what he meant, Lynn waved his handAnd a dimensional gate opened out of nowhere.
He set the coordinates and locked onto the version of Hell located in the Japan region of the main world.
In moments
A stunning field of red spider lilies appeared inside the portal.
In the middle of that sea of flowers stood a small, humble thatched hutquiet and distinct.
"What is this? A gate to the Soul Society?" Saito narrowed her eyes, her heartbeat quickening.
No matter how she looked at it, her understanding was still too shallow.
This wasn't just a portal connecting two locations.
It wasA connection to Hell from another world.
Of course, Lynn didn't bother explaining that to her.
In the Main World Japan Region's Hell
Enma Ai sensed something strange.
She stared at the portal blooming in the middle of the red spider lily area, a huge question mark popped into her mind.
Before she could even react, she saw a familiar figure stepping through.
"Ha? Lord Lynn?"
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Why Not a Dog?
Main World Hell, Japan Region
Saito followed behind Lynn, her gaze drifting across the sea of red spider lilies.
She was scanning everything with a childlike curiosity. At the same time, she was quietly using her Reiatsu to feel out the surroundings.
Yeah, she could say for sureThis definitely wasn't the Hell she was used to.
Saito's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
This might not even be her world.
That thought alone made her feel a bit rattled.
Even though the air here was saturated with some kind of rich energy, Saito could tell one thing for certainit didn't contain any reishi.
A place with no spiritual particles in the air?
This was a first for her.
Elsewhere, curled up in Lynn's arms, Yoruichicurrently in cat formwas also peeking around. Her golden pupils sparkled with interest.
So this was one of those "other worlds" mentioned in the handbook?
Unlike Saito, who was still in the dark, Yoruichialready part of Lynn's familiaunderstood exactly where they were.
...
After some time...
"Lord Lynn."
Enma Ai and the others respectfully greeted Lynn.
Lynn nodded in acknowledgment. Instead of giving out tasks right away, he first asked about how things were progressing in this version of Hell.
"How's the situation here?"
Enma Ai, expressionless as always, her pitch-black eyes void of life, responded in a monotone voice:
"Thanks to the Inu-Yokai tribe, Hell is finally running smoothly again."
As she spoke, she waved her hand, projecting an image into the air.
It was the Sanzu River.
Compared to the bleak, barren state it was in when Lynn first arrived, it looked way more alive now. Boats lined the river, each one carrying souls.
Despite being in Hell, the whole scene somehow radiated a strange kind of vitality.
Good Hell?
Enma Ai pointed at the souls in the projection. "We've begun reclaiming soul-guiding duties for the Japan Region. Progress is slow, but it's there. The only issue is"
She paused, her voice trailing off, a bit hesitant.
Lynn raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Hone Onna chimed in. "Well since we've started retaking control of Japan souls, a lot of other fake Hells are unhappy about it. Lady Ai has been getting complaints left and right from the other pantheons."
Lynn's face twitched.
Complaints?
"Ignore them."
He waved it off casually. "We're just taking back what originally belonged to us. They've got no right to complain."
And really if those other factions were so capable, they wouldn't be sending complaint lettersthey'd be sending armies.
Bunch of loud nobodies, that's all.
"Understood."
Enma Ai nodded, her expression still unreadable.
Hone Onna, on the other hand, finally relaxed a little.
It's great having someone powerful on your side, she couldn't help but think of that spider from beforealways cowering and relying on dirty tricks to barely keep Hell functioning.
Compared to that, working under Lord Lynn was a dream.
Meanwhile, Yoruichi and Saito were both completely lost listening to this exchange.
"Wait you're telling me this place is also Hell?"
Saito's voice was full of disbelief.
Hone Onna glanced at her like she was saying, "What else would it be?"
Saito rubbed her temples.
Yup, confirmedthis was definitely another world.
So there are other Hells out there in other worlds, too?
But still, why does this Hell feel so different from hers?
Saito looked around againthe vibrant red spider lilies, the peaceful spring, the calm landscape...
This was Hell?
Compared to this, her own Hell looked like garbage.
Nothing but white blocks and lavaboring enough to drive someone insane.
And here? The scenery was beautiful, everything was well-organized. It looked like a paradise in comparison.
She found herself getting more and more annoyed at the old Hell she used to know.
Clink
Suddenly, a crisp, metallic sound rang out beneath her.
She looked downchains, glowing cold and silver, wrapped tightly around her ankles.
"!!!"
Her eyes widened.
Crap!
She'd forgottenas a Sinner, she wasn't allowed to just leave Hell!
Her whole body tensed.
Did she really just waltz out like it was nothing?!
Oh no. She was so screwed.
Her mind went completely blank for a second.
If Hell found out then... Hold on!
A sudden realization struck her.
Even if Hell was all-powerful could it really reach into another world?
With that thought, Saito relaxed a little.
—
After getting the status update on Japan Hell, Lynn shifted topics and brought up the situation in the Soul Society's Hell.
Hone Onna's expression twisted a little. "Wait a new Hell?"
She stared at him, eyes full of awe.
As expected of Lord Lynn. Already claiming a whole new Hell?
But, they just got this one stable. Jumping into another could seriously backfire."
Not to mentionstaffing would be a problem.
"Just have Senhime bring her entire tribe into Hell."
Ryougetsu Senhime: "???"
(A/N: Senhime is the Inu-Yokai leader and Sesshomaru's Aunt.)
The moment she got the message, Senhime blinked in confusion and made her way to Hell.
And then she saw something that nearly made her lose it.
In Lynn's arms... Another damn cat?!
Senhime's golden eyes locked onto Yoruichi, her gaze sharp and unfriendly.
Yoruichi tensed up slightly.
What's with this dog... Why so possessive?
But before she could react, Senhime leaned in and sniffed the air, frowning.
"No cat smell...?"
She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Some kind of transformation?"
Then suddenly, Senhime leaned in real close, frowning.
"Dammit! Why didn't you turn into a female dog instead?"
"...Huh?!"
Yoruichi's eyes went wide.
Lynn burst out laughing, then casually grabbed Senhime's neck and lifted her like a misbehaving pup.
Senhime let out a low whine, legs tucked in, and went quiet.
Yoruichi: ""
What the hell is with this dog?
She was so confused.
