"If the Hell Devouring Theory is correct, then the appearance of the Gates of Hell is inevitable," Kisuke Urahara said.
"The Hell Devouring Theory?"
Ichigo and the others from the World of the Living were completely unfamiliar with the term.
"Allow me to explain."
Kyōraku willingly took over. All the Captains in Soul Society already knew about it, and after explaining it once before, he was well practiced at doing so.
Kyōraku briefly explained the theory: Hell did not belong to the Three Realms and was outside the Soul King's jurisdiction. It was possible that Hell had coveted the Three Realms ever since the Soul King created the worlds.
If Hell were allowed to continue developing unchecked, it might eventually cause the collapse of the Three Realms.
"The destruction of the worlds? Then what can I do?" Ichigo hurriedly asked.
"Don't rush, Ichigo. The Soul King is still alive and well. At the very least, while he continues to exist, Hell shouldn't be able to cause any serious problems."
Tsunayoshi's disrespectful tone toward the Soul King left everyone else speechless.
Remembering that he came from another world, however, they decided not to make an issue of it.
After all, even the Soul King himself didn't seem to mind, did he?
"In other words, this incident is both a period of probing and preparation for us. Our first priority should be figuring out how Hell operates."
Isshin patted Ichigo on the shoulder as he stepped forward.
"Exactly. If you want to prepare, Ichigo, use this period to desperately increase your strength. No matter how we ultimately deal with Hell, having more strength can never hurt."
Tsunayoshi added,
Urahara brought the discussion back on track.
"So, what we need to determine this time is whether the reason the Gates of Hell have been appearing so frequently in the World of the Living is because those Sinners are behind it, or because some will of Hell itself is directing them."
"If it's the latter, then we're in for some trouble. The moment the Soul King's power begins to decline, Hell starts probing us. We may have to withstand an assault from Hell before the Soul King reaches that point."
Kyōraku could only smile bitterly at Urahara's words.
"Why is it that after becoming Captain-Commander, I suddenly have to deal with so many troublesome matters? And every single one of them is on a world-ending scale."
"How should we proceed?"
Kyōraku asked Urahara for his opinion. When it came to gathering information and analyzing data, Urahara was the expert.
Before Urahara could answer, Ukitake's Denreishinki suddenly rang.
It was an emergency signal.
"Rukia, what happened?"
After her rapid increase in strength, Rukia Kuchiki had taken the position of Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division. If she hadn't already had a few more matters to settle before he could completely hand things over, Ukitake might have simply given her his Captain's position as well.
"Captain Ukitake, the Gates of Hell have appeared again! Five Sinners have come out. We're currently engaged with them and need reinforcements!"
The faint sounds of clashing metal could be heard from Rukia's side.
The Captains who had come to the World of the Living had left their respective Lieutenants near the locations where the Gates of Hell had previously appeared. Now, that decision was proving useful.
Since Kyōraku had not yet appointed a Lieutenant, Rukia, Renji, and Rangiku were currently fighting five Sinners against the three of them. That was why Rukia had called for reinforcements.
"Hold on. We'll be there shortly."
After closing the Denreishinki, Ukitake looked toward the others.
"This operation involves investigating the interior of Hell. The team will consist of myself, Sawada Tsunayoshi, Kurosaki Ichigo, and Urahara Kisuke. Everyone else, work with the Kidō Corps to maintain the Gates of Hell and ensure that we can return safely."
Urahara wasted no time laying out his plan.
No one objected.
Aside from Masaki and Kanae staying behind to look after the children, everyone else headed toward the Gates of Hell.
On the way, Urahara explained why he had selected these four.
"This is our first time entering Hell. To ensure our safety, anyone entering must possess some characteristic that allows them to resist the effects of the Hell Chains. Ichigo and Tsunayoshi don't need much explanation. As for you, Ukitake, if necessary, you can rely on Mimihagi-sama's power."
"And my Beyond Bankai can temporarily simulate the Soul King's reiatsu when necessary. That's why the four of us are the only ones entering."
No one questioned the decision.
When it came to saving the world, Kisuke Urahara was a professional.
Kyōraku increased his speed slightly and caught up with Urahara. He then took out a token and handed it to him.
"If things become dangerous, crush this with your reiatsu. It will emit a special signal that can contact the Kutsuzawa Clan."
Kyōraku spoke quietly.
It was a precaution he had prepared for them.
"The Kutsuzawa Clan?"
Urahara was somewhat surprised.
He had never even seen this family mentioned in the Great Archives of the Soul Society.
"The old man said this is a secret passed down orally from one Captain-Commander to the next."
Kyōraku couldn't help feeling exasperated whenever he mentioned it.
Passed down from one Captain-Commander to another? There had only been two Captain-Commanders.
"They were one of the original Five Great Noble Clans. Even now, they're still considered one of the Four Great Noble Clans—the Kutsuzawa Clan."
"Are you talking about the great noble family on equal footing with the Shihōin and Kuchiki Clans?"
Urahara hadn't expected to hear information about such a powerful noble family here.
"That's right. The Kuchiki Clan establishes the rules, the Shihōin Clan oversees the sacred weapons, the Tsunayashiro Clan manages the Great Archives of the Soul Society, and the Kutsuzawa Clan's duty is to manage Hell!"
"The old man said that, at some unknown point, the Kutsuzawa Clan erased every record of themselves from Soul Society and entered Hell as an entire clan."
"Their only remaining connection with the Seireitei is during high-level Konsō. That so-called memorial ceremony is actually a notification to the Kutsuzawa Clan, informing them to open the Gates of Hell from within."
"After hearing your previous analysis, the old man suspects that the Kutsuzawa Clan's decision to enter Hell was made under the Soul King's orders. For a thousand years, they've been suppressing Hell's development."
"That token is one of the few things the Kutsuzawa Clan left behind in the Seireitei. We don't know what you'll encounter in Hell this time, so contact them for assistance if necessary."
"But remember—whether they're friend or foe is something you'll have to judge for yourselves."
Kyōraku couldn't do anything about that last part.
The Seireitei had so little communication with the Kutsuzawa Clan that it could practically be called nonexistent. No one knew what attitude the Kutsuzawa Clan currently held toward the Gotei 13.
"Understood. Don't worry. We'll return safely."
Urahara solemnly placed the token inside his robes.
Kyōraku had deliberately told Urahara about this matter privately because Kisuke Urahara was simply too shrewd.
If he had told Ukitake instead, there was a risk that Ukitake would trust the Kutsuzawa Clan blindly.
Ukitake's blind trust had caused trouble before.
His former Lieutenant, Kaien Shiba, had been lost because of it. If Ukitake had gone along to provide support back then, Kaien might not have died at the hands of a Hollow.
Soon, they saw it.
The Gates of Hell floated in the air, their enormous double doors shaped like a massive skull.
In front of them, Rukia and the others were battling the Sinners.
At present, Rukia's group was at a slight disadvantage.
Renji had activated Bankai and was suppressing two opponents by himself. Rukia and Rangiku were each holding off another, while the fifth Sinner continuously attacked the Division members, disrupting the rhythm of their assault.
Ordinary Division members were no match for the Sinners, forcing Rukia and the others to divide part of their attention between fighting and protecting them.
Rangiku secretly regretted her decision.
If she'd known this mission would be such a hassle, she should have brought that fox along.
In order to free herself from her workload, Rangiku had simply taken Gin Ichimaru's Zanpakutō and left him sitting in the office as her personal workhorse.
Rangiku was currently enjoying the bliss of having Gin do all the work for her.
Once she returned to the Tenth Division, all she had to do was stamp a stack of documents and call it a day's work.
If she'd known this mission would be so troublesome, she would have brought Gin with her.
After all, she was Gin's guardian. Wherever Rangiku went, it was perfectly reasonable for Gin to show up too.
Unfortunately, all Rangiku could do now was grit her teeth and withstand the Sinners' attacks.
That's right.
They could only defend.
Their attacks were being blocked by something invisible to the naked eye.
Please, Captain, hurry up and get here.
It seemed the heavens had heard Rangiku's prayer.
From far away, she suddenly heard Ichigo's furious roar.
"Black Blade! Give me your life!"
Ichigo activated Bankai and donned his Hollow Mask, transforming into a streak of black light as he charged directly toward the gray-haired man.
Black cloth covered half of the man's face, leaving only one eye exposed.
This was Black Blade.
Getsuga Tenshō swept freely through the air like a black serpent, lunging toward Black Blade.
Black Blade wasn't frightened in the slightest.
Instead, he threw his head back and laughed.
"Ichigo! I knew you'd come back!"
As he spoke, he swung the chains around his body and positioned them in front of himself.
Getsuga Tenshō slammed into the chains, its energy making them creak and groan under the impact.
Black Blade grew even more excited.
"Yes! Yes! Just like that!"
Black Blade completely ignored the force of Getsuga Tenshō spilling through the chains and striking his body.
His entire attention was fixed on the chains.
All he wanted was for them to be severed, just as they had been deep within Hell when Ichigo cut through one of them.
But no matter how violently the chains shook, they remained intact.
They were always just a little short of breaking.
To Black Blade, that tiny distance felt infinite.
Intense disappointment appeared on his face, and he angrily shouted,
"Harder! Cut harder, Ichigo! Aren't you angry? Your sister died! She died by my hand!"
Hearing Black Blade's provocation, Ichigo's hand began to tremble.
He really hadn't been using his full strength.
He didn't want to be the one responsible for allowing a Sinner like this to escape from Hell.
But Black Blade's words still struck a nerve.
With Yuzu's safety at stake, how could Ichigo not be furious?
"Stay calm. Just kill them and send them back to their respawn point."
Tsunayoshi's calm voice sounded behind Black Blade.
Black Blade turned around.
His sole visible eye widened as he saw the dazzling, blazing light behind him.
"X Burner!"
Black Blade didn't even have time to use the Hell Chains as a shield.
The X Burner completely swallowed him.
Under the intense heat and pressure, his body was reduced to a pool of molten remains.
The ownerless chains scattered across the ground before being pulled back through the Gates of Hell.
If the Sinners could use the chains they couldn't cut as weapons, then the others could simply exploit their inability to react quickly enough.
According to Ichigo, Black Blade was immortal. He would resurrect in the magma deep beneath Hell.
Tsunayoshi didn't care whether Black Blade was truly immortal.
As long as he didn't interfere with their entry into Hell, that was all that mattered.
Author's Note:
Because the movie was released relatively early, the movie attributed Ichigo's ability to sever the Hell Chains to his Hollow's monstrous power. At that time, Ichigo was still afraid of his Hollow and didn't dare use that power recklessly, so Black Blade used Yuzu as leverage to force him to unleash it and sever the chains.
In reality, we all know that Hollow power is merely one aspect of Ichigo's overall power. There's nothing inherently frightening about it, nor is it some kind of monster.
Therefore, I've attributed Ichigo's ability to sever the Hell Chains to his status as a Soul King candidate. This also explains why the Sinners specifically needed to target Ichigo.
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