Bonk!
"OWW!!"
Omaeda clutched his head, face twisted in pain.
"I said," Soifon said blankly, "you saw nothing."
Looking pitiful, he mumbled, "But you really were smili"
"Hm?"
She didn't even need words this timejust a single hum through her nose made him flinch.
"Y-Yes, ma'am! I didn't see anything at all!"
"Idiot," Soifon muttered, sighing and rubbing her temples.
Then she swept her gaze over the other Second Division members who had been silently watching the show.
The sharp look immediately straightened their backs.
Satisfied, Soifon gave a curt nod and turned away. "Let's go. We're heading back to Soul Society."
"Huh?"
Several team members blinked in confusion. "We're not investigating the lower levels anymore?"
Soifon paused. Yoruichi's warning echoed in her mind.
"No need," she replied. "I already have a rough idea of what's going on."
It was clearly something Yoruichi had stirred up.
If that was the case, no need to dig any deeper.
StillThat damn guy who left with Lady Yoruichi.
Could he be down there in Hell too?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, her eyes grew cold, and her hand clenched tightly around her Zanpakut.
She really wanted to kill Urahara Kisuke.
But after a few deep breaths, she managed to rein it inat least for now.
...
Meanwhile, the Division exchanged glances, then responded together:
"Yes, Captain!"
Well if the captain said so, there wasn't much else to say.
A short while later Soifon and her team were gone, and Hell was quiet once more.
Except, for the Fifth Layer, still in chaos, still under renovation.
Then time passed slowly
A few days later Hueco Mundo
Kikyo and her group had found a vantage point overlooking a distant structure.
After several days of exploring, they'd come to a clear conclusion: Hueco Mundo was a barren wasteland.
And yet, there it wasa massive fortress standing out in the desolation.
It looked off. Unnatural.
"Sister Midoriko! That's where the bad guys are!"
Nel puffed out her cheeks and glared in the direction of Las Noches.
"Ooh~" Midoriko chuckled and gave Nel's cheek a gentle pinch.
Then her eyes turned to the towering complex, gaze narrowing slightly.
So that was Las Noches, as the intel suggested?
They'd been heading in this direction for long days.
Partly because they were leveling up as they traveledcouldn't be helped. And partly because Hueco Mundo was just that vast.
Of course, if they'd rushed, they could've arrived sooner.
"How's it look?" Kikyo asked.
Midoriko paused in thought. "I can sense a lot of strong Reiatsu over there. Hmm probably Ultimate-Class."
Kikyo sighed. "Then we're definitely not ready to pick a fight yet."
"Agreed."
Their team only had one Ultimate-Class combatantMidoriko herself.
"Let's focus on leveling up first," she said.
On his end, Lynn watched their decision play out on the screen, stroking his chin.
"Hmm..."
Yeah, the sub-squad guarding Las Noches would be tough for them right now.
After some thought, he reached out in the group chat to call on Katerea Leviathan.
She was Satan-level, after all. Having her sit idle was just a waste!
While he was at it, he asked her to bring Ingvild along too.
That woman had been asleep for a hundred yearszero battle experience.
Sure, she was technically top-tier in power, but she had no clue how to actually use it.
High-class devils like her were supposed to be part of the invasion vanguard!
Time to get her into shape.
At the same time, Enma Ai sent over a message: [The gateway between Hell and the human world had stabilized.]
[And the first cityKarakura Town.]
.
.
.
Hell Salary
Soul Society — Hell
Shuren had been on the job for a while now, and honestly? The last few days had been eventful.
He glanced around at his coworkers, his expression a bit complicated.
These dog-headed weirdos Where the hell did they all come from?
He'd lived a long life, but this was the first time he'd seen creatures like thisand there were a lot of them in Hell.
What's more, Shuren could tellthey were strong. Not unbeatable or anything, but definitely not pushovers, especially compared to people like Gunjo.
He sighed and pulled up his task sheet.
Let's see, his assigned area was a small block in Karakura Town.
"Karakura Town, huh" His voice was low and a bit shaky. Even his hand holding the manual trembled slightly.
Finally
Finally, he could leave this godforsaken, lightless pit of despair!
Even if it was only temporary. But as long as he was out in the human world doing his job, he was free to live.
GrantedThere were monthly quotas.
The higher-ups would do spot checks to make sure each region was meeting its soul-reaping targets.
That said, given the possibility of clashing with the Soul Reapers, Hell wasn't making the initial quotas too tough.
Also, he was getting paid.
That part really surprised him.
He thought working for Hell would be all chains and slavery. But nothere was an actual salary?
Who would've guessed Hell was this progressive?
Turns out, that was Yukinoshita Haruno's idea.
For the familia, there's no need to pay themthey serve out of loyalty or devotion.
But clearly, Lynn couldn't rely solely on his own people to run everything across all worlds.
Even with a three-million-strong army of lolis, most of them weren't exactly powerhouses.
So, they had to recruit local talentsfolks like Shuren.
And as the saying goes: "You can't expect the horse to run without feeding it."
Thus, the salary system was born.
Actually, this whole system was an experimentHaruno's way of testing out an idea.
As Lynn's power grew and his influence spread across more worlds, Haruno could see what was coming: The familia network was going to get massive. and even more the people under their rule.
She needed a solution. A way to manage this future before it became a problem.
Clearly, something had to change.
A proper organization needs structure and rules.
Still, actually implementing them wouldn't be smooth sailing. So she decided to use this new branch of Hell as her test lab.
—
"In short, that's my proposal."
Inside Lynn's office in Hell, Haruno stood there dressed like a probusiness suit, glasses, looking every bit the perfect secretary.
She reported seriously, her tone calm and composed.
Lynn thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Do it your way."
Honestly, she made a good point.
There were too many familia members now. He couldn't possibly keep up with them all.
Like those three million lolis.
If he had to personally oversee every single one of their growth and development, even with his Super Devil power, just imagining it gave him a headache.
SoHe approved her idea on the spot.
Ahem.
Haruno suddenly cleared her throat and plopped herself onto Lynn's lap, shifting seductively.
She leaned into his chest, her breath hot against his collarbone. "Lord Lynn now that we're done with all that boring stuff, let's get to the real business~"
Her breathing quickened. A teasing look flickered in her eyes behind those glasses. The contrast was... intense.
Lynn chuckled, tilting her chin up with one hand.
"Weren't you just the one preaching about the structure and discipline of the familia?"
Haruno froze.
Her whole plan had been about giving the less-powerful girls a fair shota chance to catch Lynn's attention through merit and contribution.
And yet, here she was, the first one breaking the very system she proposed.
She pouted in frustration.
Seeing this, Lynn's hand slid lower, gently squeezing her.
He whispered in her ear, "But of course rules are for you, not me."
Haruno blinked.
Right! Rules only apply to the servants.
At the end of the day, it's Lynn's favor that really matters.
The system? Just a stepping stone to get closer to him.
But for those already favored, they weren't bound by any of that.
Suddenly full of hope, Haruno looked up like a kitten, eyes sparkling, waiting eagerly.
Lynn grinned. "For someone working this hard to build up the familiars, of course you deserve a reward."
He stood up, lifting her by the waist.
"This outfit very nice."
Riiip.
The sound of fabric tearing rang out.
Her arms wrapped around him, breath hitching. "Lord Lynn it's kinda chilly down there"
"Don't worry. It won't be cold for long."
"Mmm"
...
Before longThe office door shut tight.
The temperature inside the room soared.
Outside
Enma Ai, who'd come by to give an update on Hell's development plans, tried the doorknob.
It didn't budge. She tilted her head in confusion.
"Huh? Is Lord Lynn not in?"
Hone Onna, standing behind her, sighed.
If he really wasn't there, then why put up a barrier?
Her eyes narrowed slightly. She remembered Haruno heading in earlier.
All dressed up like that?
Definitely up to something.
She glanced at the clueless Enma Ai beside her and muttered, "Miss, if this keeps up, our Hell faction is going to get completely sidelined"
"Eh?" Enma Ai blinked. "Why?"
From what she could tell, everything was going great. Was she missing something?
She fell into deep thought.
Hone Onna, meanwhile, was just speechless.
So the lady's a full-on workaholic, huh?
Welp.
Guess we can't count on her for the power plays.
Still, this Hell branch project? It's a rare opportunity.
Meanwhile
Shuren, blissfully unaware of the office fun stuff, was still reading through his job description.
The "salary system" was actually a contribution-based model.
And those contributions?
They could be exchanged for resources from Hell.
His eyes lit up.
He flipped through the exchange list and saw all kinds of stuffway more than he expected.
Promotions, unique skills he'd never even heard of. And the list had tiers.
With his current rank, he could only see his level's options.
Even so, it was impressive.
That lingering resistance he'd buried deep in his heart started to fade.
After all He'd been a boss for a long time. Suddenly becoming someone else's lackey?
Anyone would feel a little off about that.
But if there's pay involved?
Well, it's easier to justify.
He nodded and kept reading
Wait a sec.
He could recruit his own team?
His eyes widened.
No way he'd pass up on that!
He hadn't seen Taikon and the rest of Togabito for a while They were probably worried sick.
—
A little later, on the fifth level of Hell
Shuren returned to his old base.
Only to be hit by a wave of emptiness.
"Huh?"
Everyone was gone?
He stood there, stunned.
A few moments later, he tracked them all down and dragged them back.
Taikon, face full of guilt, gave a nervous smile. "Heh Boss Shuren! You're alive!"
After days of no contact, they'd assumed the worst.
Shuren didn't reply. He just gave them a cold glance.
They all shrank back like scolded schoolkids.
He gave a satisfied nod.
Sure, he'd been bullied by that damn undying Saito and pushed around by Hell's staff
But to Taikon and the rest? He was still a goddamn legend.
Arms crossed, Shuren said, "I'm here to take you all to the human worldKarakura Town."
"What?!"
They snapped their heads up.
The human world? Karakura Town?
Gunjo asked hesitantly, "Boss you found a way out?"
Shuren nodded and pulled out a black contract.
"Sign this first."
The guys exchanged glances.
Gunjo took the paper and read the bold title: ["Hell Employment Contract."]
"Boss did you just sell out to Hell?!"
WHAM.
Taikon went flying.
Shuren's face didn't change. "You signing or not?"
They all shut up real quick.
And just like that, Hell had a few new employees.
Shuren looked at his newly expanded team and nodded in satisfaction.
Their performance would count toward his contribution score, after all.
Recruitment bonuses? Oh yeah, those were a thing.
He glanced at his wooden nameplate. The contribution number was no longer zero.
Beautiful.
He gave the crew a quick rundown of how things had changed in Helland who they were actually working for now.
Then without wasting time, he made his way to the gate connecting Hell to the living world.
Next stop: Karakura Town.
Taikon and the others followed, still kind of stunned.
But honestly? They were excited.
They could finally leave Helland not as fugitives, but officially!
Way better than that dumb old plan to break the gates and risk annihilation.
As the dog-head Inu-yokais stepped through the portal ahead of them
Shuren and his crew took a deep breath and followed, stepping into a brand new future.
.
.
.
Souls = Contribution Points (Bonus)
Bleach — The Human World.
Deep beneath the Urahara Shopon the fourth underground levela massive black gate wrapped in purple miasma stood silently.
Every so often, strange figures would walk through itsome with dog heads, others with exposed tails, and some covered in thick fur.
Urahara's eye twitched uncontrollably.
He let out a sigh.
What the hell!
Are they using his shop as what, a Hell outpost now?
Seriously?
Of course, Urahara still let it happen.
After all, Yoruichi had already dropped by and explained everything that had happened in Hellin detail.
He tugged his hat down a little, eyes flickering with thought.
This Lynn's power it was beyond anything he'd imagined.
Before, Urahara had been wondering why Lynn had gone to that placeHell. It's not exactly a vacation destination. Every Soul Reaper avoids it like the plague.
Hell was where the worst of the worst were imprisoned.
But Urahara knew the truth.
He'd studied the history of Soul Society. He understood exactly what kind of place Hell was.
A realm even Soul Society had no authority over. Not even the legendary Captain Yamamoto, the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years, could influence it.
And now? Lynn had taken control of that place.
And not just thathe was transforming it. Turning Hell into what? A parallel Soul Society?
Honestly, ever since Yoruichi told him, Urahara hadn't recovered from the shock. A part of him was still uneasy.
"Sigh"
He let out another breath and glanced at the man next to himTessai Tsukabishi.
