Bleach Seireitei's Discipline Captain - Chapter 149
Pffft—
Tokikaze couldn’t hold back a mouthful of tea, spraying it all over the two people in front of him.
“Uh, to be precise, it should be ‘suspected’ to be out of control.”
The person opposite him pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, elegantly wiping the tea off his face, trying his best to maintain his original demeanor.
“I thought your head got stuck in the Gates of Hell. Hell going out of control is a major issue. Why come to me instead of informing Old Man Yamamoto first?”
Hearing that it was only ‘suspected’ to be out of control, Tokikaze let out a sigh of relief, his tense state relaxing.
This Hell was not the same as the Central Underground Great Prison.
The Hell they spoke of was the real Hell. Normally, shinigami’s bodies are composed of Reishi. When they die, their bodies return to Soul Society in the form of Reishi. However, due to the high concentration of spiritual pressure in those with Rank 3 or higher, they cannot return. To address this, Soul Society established the “Konso Ritual.”
Publicly, it is taught that the Konso Ritual allows these high-level Reishi to return to Soul Society. But in reality, Reishi of Rank 3 and above can never return to the land of Soul Society. The true purpose of the Konso Ritual is to send deceased captains and other powerful souls into Hell.
Moreover, those who committed heinous crimes in life, whose souls cannot be cleansed by a Zanpakuto, are also targeted by Hell’s Gates, dragged into the deepest part of Hell.
Technically speaking, millions of years ago, the Soul King created three realms:
The World of Reishi — Soul Society.
The World of Matter — The Living World.
Hueco Mundo is the desert paradise where Hollows reside, born from the other two worlds.
Hell, however, is not part of these three realms. One might exaggerate and say that Hell is not under the Soul King’s authority at all. It is an independent world, strictly defining the boundary between life and death.
Among the Five Great Noble Families, each has its role, intertwining interests, and mutual enmities. The last of the Five Great Noble Families, the Zokotsu family, is particularly unique. They are detached from the power struggles among the nobles and the upheavals in Soul Society. Even a thousand years ago, during the battle between the Gotei 13 and the Wandenreich, the Zokotsu family did not appear.
Very few within the Gotei 13 know of their existence. Only the Five Great Noble Families know each other’s secrets. Yet, despite their low profile, the Zokotsu family is deeply connected to the fate of the three realms.
The more powerful the spiritual pressure of the deceased, the more Hell’s balance is disrupted. Currently, individuals like Yhwach, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, and Sosuke Aizen are still in Soul Society, and their spiritual pressure maintains the balance. However, once they die, Hell’s Gates will burst open, and the powerful dead will return to the three realms. The boundary between life and death will be shattered, bringing about the world Yhwach always desired. Tokikaze suspected that such an event could revert the three realms to their primordial state—neither life nor death, neither forward nor backward.
Hell’s significance was self-evident.
“Explain in detail,” Tokikaze said, warming his tea again. “What do you mean by ‘suspected to be out of control’?”
“And shouldn’t you convene a Golden Seal Meeting for such matters first?”
Zokotsu Takashi, the one who had sought Tokikaze’s help, gathered his thoughts before explaining:
“By ‘suspected to be out of control,’ we mean that the frequency of disturbances at the Gates of Hell this year far exceeds the total of the past century.”
“This suggests that some unknown change must be occurring deep within Hell.”
At this, Tokikaze interrupted, “Hold on. Isn’t the Zokotsu family always responsible for monitoring Hell? Don’t you know what’s happening inside?”
Takashi’s face showed a bitter smile, and the elegance he maintained disappeared.
“We can only monitor Hell’s surface and observe changes at the Gates. As for what happens deep inside, we are in the dark.”
Although he spoke lightly, Tokikaze knew that the Zokotsu family also dealt with eliminating any escapees from Hell. The Gates of Hell were not perfectly sealed. On the contrary, they were like giant fishing nets, always with a chance for escapees. However, the stronger the entity, the harder it is to escape through the gaps of the Gates of Hell. They can only wait for the Gates to open fully to return to the living world.
“The disturbances at the Gates of Hell have caught the elders’ attention. They immediately sent us to seek aid from the Five Great Noble Families.”
Takashi’s expression turned serious again. “Lord Tokikaze, as the head of the Kyouraku family, surely you cannot ignore this matter.”
Tokikaze sneered, “That old man Akizuki is still in charge. You should be asking him.”
Before coming, Takashi had done his homework: “Kyouraku Akizuki’s authority as head has been significantly reduced. You, Lord Tokikaze, are the one with real power.”
“The Golden Seal Meeting has also approved our actions.”
Tokikaze nodded, understanding why the Zokotsu family hadn’t convened a full meeting. If they had to gather the Five Great Noble Families and discuss this in detail, it would take at least ten days to reach an agreement. Seeking assistance individually was indeed the fastest solution.
“What did Old Man Ginrei say?” Tokikaze asked.
Takashi responded, “We are visiting in order of the noble seats.”
This means that the Kyouraku family, as the first among the Five Great Noble Families, was their first visit.
“That’s quite a headache,” Tokikaze said, rubbing his temples.
Though the Kyouraku family, with its vast archives, was one of the Five Great Noble Families, it knew little about the last of the Five Great Noble Families, the Zokotsu family. Hell was not within the information scope of its grand archives.
“I understand,” Takashi said sympathetically. “But please, Lord Tokikaze, make a decision soon. Hell’s disturbances are intensifying.”
“I understand,” Tokikaze nodded. “I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.”
As it concerned the family, he couldn’t decide alone. He had to consider the opinions of the various factions within the Kyouraku family.
Takashi and his companion respectfully took their leave, their manners impeccable. They seemed more like nobles than Tokikaze himself.
As he watched them leave, Tokikaze’s expression turned cold. He didn’t know the exact intentions of the Zokotsu family, but there was definitely something off about their claims. With all the strong spiritual pressures of the current generation still alive, the balance should remain stable. From his perspective…
There was definitely something fishy going on.
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