"Hey Tessai" Urahara murmured, "Why is it that powerful people always wanna mess around with dangerous stuff?"
Whether it was Lynn or Aizen, they were all the same. Always keeping people on edge.
Though with Aizen, Urahara had at least felt like he could stop him.
But Lynn? He honestly didn't even know what his powers were.
And now? Even Yoruichi had joined Lynn's side.
Urahara rubbed his temples, visibly troubled.
"Don't worry. I'll find a way to balance Lynn's presence with this world,"
That's what Yoruichi had told him.
But still Urahara couldn't help but worry.
Beside him, Tessai paused, his usually stern face pensive. After a moment, he muttered, "Maybe it's because they want to see a higher place. A broader view."
Urahara went quiet.
He thought back to what Yoruichi had revealedA man who controls multiple worlds.
Someone who could pull that off Might even surpass the legendary Soul King, the one said to have created the Three Realms.
Because truth be told the Soul King only changed this world.
He never controlled other worlds. He probably couldn't even cross between them.
Urahara shook his head and finally gave up trying to wrap his head around it.
Whatever the world turns intohe's done caring.
After all, he's just a small-time shopkeeper.
Saving the world? That's way above his pay grade.
Once he accepted that, he felt oddly relaxed.
"Huh I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to travel to another world for a vacation," he mused, eyes twinkling.
A part of him figuredwell, technically, wasn't he already doing work for Lynn? Then he could ask for a crossover chance.
Elsewhere
Shuren stepped into the human world and took a deep breath.
"Ahh~ Freedom."
His face lit up with excitementhe couldn't wait to wander around this new world!
The otherslike Taikonwere just as hyped.
But Shuren quickly snapped back to reality.
He gave the chain on his body a little shake. It rattled crisply.
From the way this chain felt, he could tellit had an incredibly tight connection to Hell. Even tighter than when he was in Hell.
He was sure of one thing: If he dared step out of line, something very bad would happen to him.
His gaze shifted toward the Inu-yokai who didn't have chains.
His eyes gleamed as he clenched his fists.
Someday, he'd break free of his chains too.
"Let's move! Back to work!"
Shuren pointed decisively toward the souls lingering in the living world.
Urahara adjusted his hat again, giving Shuren a once-over.
This guy definitely had some power.
And there was no mistaking the Reiatsu on him.
Hell had been around longer than anyone could remember. Since the advent of Soul Reapers, those with immense spiritual powerand the worst criminalshad often been sent there after death.
So naturally, there were plenty of strong individuals in Hell.
Still, seeing the way Shuren practically radiated loyalty and passion made Urahara's face twitch.
Completely tamed.
Not that it was his problem.
But he was still curiousHow exactly did Hell plan to transport souls?
...
Not long after, Shuren led his team and began the soul transfer process.
Once Taikon and the others rounded up a few souls, Shuren held up his wooden insignia.
Hum
A projection of a barren, ancient river shimmered into view.
[The Sanzu River]
Yep.
Enma Ai had fully replicated the core mechanisms of Hell from the main world.
To remember her skills: (from ch 157)
[Enma Ai]
Unique Skills: [Hell Link], [Sanzu River] & [Hell Devil]
[Hell Link]
Can use spirit power to build a website and establish a link between Hell and the mortal world.
[Sanzu River]
Summons a ghostly boat and ferryman to guide souls.
[Hell Devil]
Hell Projection:
Ai can turn a 100-meter radius into a "Hell Projection," overriding reality.
Within this domain, the terrain becomes blood rivers from the Sanzu River, fields of red spider lilies, and mountains of bones.
All beings inside are suppressed by the laws of Hell.
Yomi Army: Tears open space to summon creatures from Hell.
Devilization: Enma Palace, Throne of Endless Suffering.
This was Shuren's first time using the insignia to open the Sanzu River, and he found it kind of thrilling.
Once the souls were loaded onto the wooden boats, they began drifting forward on their owntoward the depths of Hell.
Moments later, Shuren's insignia glowed.
A fresh contribution score appeared before his eyes.
He tightened his grip slightlyhis motivation just went through the roof.
"Keep it up!"
"Yes, sir!"
The others were also buzzing. Their contribution points had just updated.
Life was finally starting to look hopeful.
A while later
Gunjo asked, "Shuren-sama, what about Hollows?"
"Hollows?"
"They're souls too, right?"
"Send them to Hell too!"
Shuren didn't hesitate.
Hollows were basically walking contribution points!
"Yes, sir!"
Gunjo promptly shoved a Hollow into the Sanzu River as well.
To be fair, he was smart enough not to put it on the same boat as regular souls.
Otherwise, he'd basically be serving them up as dinner.
As Shuren's crew worked tirelessly to ferry soulsA few days passed.
Then a group of Soul Reapers arrived in the Human World to perform Soul Burials only to find barely any souls left.
"Huh?"
Where'd all the souls in Karakura Town go?
Were they eaten by Hollows?
Wait, noEven the Hollows were gone!
Back in Soul Society.
DONGDONGDONG
For the first time in several days, the summons bell for the Captains rang once again.
...
Division 8 Barracks.
Kyoraku Shunsui scratched his head lazily.
"Aren't these Captain meetings getting a little too frequent lately?"
.
.
.
Ssuke Aizen's Interest
Soul Society Seireitei
The captains of the Thirteen Divisions had once again gathered in the main hall.
At the head sat the Captain-Commander, Yamamoto. Eyes closed, expression unreadable, he remained still and silent.
Only after all the captains had taken their seats did he slowly open his eyes, the aged and clouded gaze sweeping the room.
Then, in a calm tone, he spoke: "Ukitake."
"Cough, cough"Jushiro Ukitake let out a couple of weak coughs before speaking, his voice slightly strained: "I've asked everyone here today because something strange has been happening in the World of the Living."
"The World of the Living?"
That got the room's attention. Several captains raised their eyebrows.
Kyraku Shunsui leaned lazily on one arm, speaking with his usual drawl, "Let me guess the Quincy acting up again?"
No one else said it, but clearly, many were thinking the same.
Yeah whenever something weird happens in the World of the Living, it's probably the Quincies. That's just how Seireitei had come to view them.
Ukitake shook his head. "We're not certain yet."
His expression turned serious.
"Normally, the Quincies just eliminate Hollows. It does mess with the balance between worlds, sure, but"
"It's usually within controllable limits."
"This time"
He paused for a beat before continuing, "The Division members stationed in the World of the Living reported something odd. Hollows have nearly vanishedand not just Hollows. Even Plus souls are barely showing up."
"Of course"
"So far, this issue has only been observed in Karakura Town. But we can't rule out the possibility of it spreading to other areas."
He'd said quite a bit, and now slightly out of breath, Ukitake fell silent and waited for reactions.
Everyone in Seireitei understood how important it was to maintain balance between the three realms. That was why Ukitake had immediately reported this to the Captain-Commander.
As he expected, Yamamoto had taken it seriouslyand immediately summoned all the captains for this emergency meeting.
Once Ukitake finished, the captains, who had seemed a bit relaxed at first, all straightened up with serious expressions.
Seeing this, Yamamoto rapped the table lightly and said in a deep voice, "We don't yet know the exact cause but any threat that could upset the balance between worlds must be crushed before it spreads!"
Ssuke Aizen didn't say a word, but behind those dark-framed glasses, his eyes glimmered with interest.
Karakura Town, huh
Something unexpected happening there?
He glanced subtly across the table at Gin Ichimaru.
'This kind of shift happened in Karakuraand they didn't notice?'
Gin caught that look immediately, his fox-like eyes narrowing slightly with amusement.
'Well maybe they had gotten a little careless lately.'
Aizen didn't push the issue, though. He wasn't particularly concerned with whether Gin had been paying close attention or not.
But Karakura Town was special. A high-density spirit zoneperfect for his plans. Practically a natural test site.
If possible it'd be better if nothing disrupted that.
Then again, if something had gone wrongwell, that could be interesting too.
A faint smile crept onto his face as he finally spoke: "In that case why not let the Fifth Division handle the investigation?"
Yamamoto shot him a look and replied flatly, "We don't yet have enough information to justify sending a combat division."
Just like that, he dismissed Aizen's request and turned to Shunsui Kyraku instead.
Shunsui sighed internally.
Seriously, the old man was gunning for him again? First it was Hell, now this?
Was he ever going to get a break?
Still he'd already turned the Captain-Commander down last time.
If he refused again today he might not walk out of HQ in one piece.
Yamamoto would definitely find some excuse to "test" his training or something.
That thought sent a shiver down Shunsui's spine. So, with a sudden burst of energy, he sat up straight and declared: "Alright then! Leave this one to Division 8!"
"We'll get to the bottom of what's going on in Karakura Town!"
Yamamoto nodded in approval. "Very well. Division 13 is more familiar with the World of the LivingUkitake will assist you."
With that, the meeting's assignments were finalized.
Aizen remained smiling, seemingly unfazed by Yamamoto's refusal.
After all, they might not be allowed to investigate Karakura openly.
But in secret? Who would know?
Later, once the meeting was adjourned, Division 8 began preparations immediately.
Nanao Ise adjusted her glasses, eyes sharp and focusedcompletely opposite the usual laid-back Shunsui beside her.
"Well then"
"I'll be leaving this mission in your capable hands, Nanao-chan."
She gave him a sharp side-eye.
Only he could be so shameless about dumping the entire job on his lieutenant.
Knock, knock!
Suddenly, the Division room doors burst open.
"This is Rukia Kuchiki, reporting in with members of Division 13!"
Shunsui paused, then said with a smile, "Looks like your support team is here."
—
Meanwhile
Aizen had returned to the Fifth Division barracks.
He waited calmly for a while before Gin Ichimaru appeared in the shadows.
Aizen didn't even glance his way, but his lips moved quietly: "Go find out what's really happening in Karakura Town."
Gin gave a casual shrug and slipped away without a word.
Silence returned to Aizen's quarters.
His face remained composed as he murmured, "Let's hope there's something fun to be found"
If things go too smoothly, it just gets boring, doesn't it?
Karakura Town
Rukia Kuchiki, Nanao Ise, and their team stepped through the Senkaimon gate.
Nanao, visiting Karakura Town for the first time, frowned immediately. "There's so much reishi here the density is insane."
She looked genuinely surprised. "Didn't think a place like this existed in the Human World."
Rukia, who had been here before, didn't react. Instead, she scanned their surroundings carefully.
Then her brow furrowed. "Exactly. That's what makes this so weird."
With spirit particles this dense, there should be Hollows everywhere
But there wasn't even a single trace of Hollow reiatsu.
In fact
Rukia's expression turned serious. "Can you sense any souls?"
Nanao took a breath, focused, and released her spiritual pressure.
A minute later, she shook her head, face tight. "Nothing."
The two exchanged glances.
There was no doubt about itSomething was definitely wrong in Karakura Town.
Suddenly
A soul flickered into their spiritual awareness.
Both their eyes lit up. "A newly formed soul!"
Which meant, someone in Karakura had just died.
But before they could act, the soul's spiritual signature vanished.
"?"
They blinked, stunnedthen snapped to attention and bolted in the direction where it had disappeared.
.
.
.
Same Job as Shinigami
Shuren opened the River and personally sent a fresh new soul straight to Hell.
Watching the contribution points rise, he smiled in satisfaction.
If this keeps up, maybe a promotion and a raise aren't that far off.
Suddenly
Shuren's brow twitched. He turned his head, eyes narrowing.
A Reiatsu was heading his way. Fast.
He muttered under his breath, "Finally after all this time."
Was it a Shinigami? Or a Quincy?
Either way, he stood his ground calmly, waiting.
Didn't take long.
A group in standard black robes appeared.
The moment he saw their uniforms, Shuren understood.
"Shinigami, huh"
But, just a bunch of nobodies. He didn't see any captain-class attire.
With a bored sigh, he waved dismissively. "Gunjo, you guys handle this."
—
Rukia Kuchiki and Nanao Ise approached cautiously, eyes narrowed as they spotted Shuren's group in the distance.
Nanao said grimly, "This is the area where we lost all contact with that soul."
Rukia nodded. "Then it's safe to assume they're involved somehow."
She hesitated briefly, then suggested, "Maybe we should try talking first."
Nanao nodded. "We'll start there."
Still, her gaze passed over the others and settled on Shuren.
That man He gave off a dangerous vibe.
A captain-level threat?
Nanao frowned slightly. This wasn't going to be easy.
To be safe, she discreetly released a Jigokucho (Hell Butterfly) back to Soul Society.
Then, they closed the distance and stood before Gunjo and others.
Nanao scanned the area, then cut to the chase. "The recent disappearance of souls and Hollows in Karakura Townyou're responsible, aren't you?"
She adjusted her glasses. Though phrased as a question, her tone made it clear she already knew the answer.
