Chapter 280: Satoru Explores the Great Prison
Upon hearing Yamamoto's words, Chōjirō Sasakibe's expression changed.
Yhwach...
For a Shinigami of his generation, that name was like a curse.
Over nine hundred years ago, Yhwach, the Quincy King, led the Sternritter in an invasion of the Soul Society, causing massive destruction and casualties.
At that time, the Soul Society was littered with mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.
To end the disaster brought by Yhwach, Yamamoto transformed into an Asura, setting half of the Soul Society ablaze with raging flames.
And Sasakibe had abandoned his pride as a swordsman.
At the critical moment of the decisive battle, he disguised himself as a corpse, hiding among the piles of dead bodies. When Yhwach passed by, he suddenly launched a surprise attack, stabbing him through from behind.
They had thought Yhwach was completely finished in that battle.
Unexpectedly, he was still alive, hiding in the shadows of the Seireitei.
Whenever he thought about this, Sasakibe felt a chill run down his spine.
If Satoru hadn't stumbled upon these people's existence by chance, the Gotei 13 would likely have remained in the dark.
When the Quincies grew stronger and descended again under the leadership of the resurrected Yhwach... he didn't even dare to imagine how many casualties there would be.
Probably more than half of the Gotei 13 would die!
Thinking of this, Sasakibe couldn't help but feel grateful toward Satoru.
Well then.
If Satoru could properly fulfill his duties as a captain without doing anything strange, it wouldn't be such a bad thing.
After all, with the Captain-Commander present, how much trouble could Satoru really cause even if he acted recklessly?
He should probably stop overthinking it...
...
...
"Ho... so this is the lowest level of the great prison."
Satoru's figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
He wore a black robe embroidered with gold thread, half his face hidden under a hood as he curiously looked around.
There was no light source here; everything was submerged in darkness.
The most miraculous thing was the space here.
In Satoru's perception, this place seemed to be less than a thousand square meters.
But upon closer inspection, it also felt boundless.
Narrow and vast, existence and nothingness, coexisting in contradiction.
Aizen had once been very curious about this miraculous place.
After reading the classified documents about Muken in the Great Spirit Book Corridor, he had desperately wanted to come study it.
Unfortunately, the security at Shin'ō Academy's great prison was extremely tight. Unless he spent years completely understanding its structure and hypnotizing each guard one by one, it would be impossible to reach the deepest level.
This process was filled with various dangers.
One careless mistake exposing his identity would make it not worth the loss.
Not only would he face relentless attacks from the entire Soul Society, but those close to him wouldn't escape calamity either.
Ultimately, Aizen reluctantly gave up on his plan to explore Muken.
Now, what Aizen couldn't accomplish, I, Satoru, have achieved!
What do you call this?
This is called capability!
Satoru proudly pulled a camera from his fourth-dimensional storage and began taking pictures of his surroundings.
To capture anything in the pitch blackness, he deliberately released a bit of Reiatsu from his body to illuminate the area.
After taking the photos, he put away his camera.
Thinking about the grateful and tearful expression Aizen would have upon receiving these photos, Satoru couldn't help but feel pleased.
"Now, it's time to get down to business."
Earlier, when Aizen was about to conduct Hollowfication experiments, Satoru had promised to help him solve the issue of experimental subjects.
Back then, he had already set his sights on Muken.
Muken was where the Soul Society dealt with criminals who had committed grave sins but couldn't conveniently be sentenced to death.
Ordinary people weren't even qualified to be imprisoned here.
Those who ended up in Muken were all... ahem, all renowned talents before their imprisonment.
Among them, the most common were various captains.
Although most of them had been worn down and lost their former power during their long imprisonment, their foundational levels remained intact, making them perfect for Hollowfication experiments.
Sure enough, Satoru soon found his first target.
A man, bound head to toe in restraints, leaned against an iron pillar, sitting on the ground with vacant eyes.
His long red hair and the faint Reiatsu emanating from his body confirmed his identity.
The former captain of the 2nd Division, Takahashi Masao.
Back then, this fierce man, driven by some unknown obsession, had secretly threatened or bribed many high-ranking nobles in his pursuit of a higher noble status.
Unfortunately, those who could be bribed were mostly unscrupulous individuals. When the Tsunayashiro Clan caught wind of this, they only needed to apply a little pressure to uncover the whole truth.
In the end, Takahashi Masao was thrown into Muken with an eight-thousand-year sentence.
Satoru could only describe this "intense" power struggle as a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Sensing someone approaching, Takahashi Masao opened his drowsy eyelids and looked up in confusion.
Upon recognizing Satoru, he showed surprise.
Normally, those who could enter Muken were either prominent figures like the Captain-Commander or uniformed staff members.
Someone like Satoru, dressed in a black cloak, clearly didn't seem like a good person.
He couldn't help but ask, "You..."
"Who I am isn't important."
Satoru gently shook his head.
"What matters is, Takahashi Masao, do you wish to leave this place?"
Hearing this, the man practically leaped up, shifting from a seated position on the ground to standing upright.
"Yes! Of course, I do!"
Having not spoken for so long, his sudden loud exclamation strained his throat, causing sharp pain and a pained expression.
Satoru nodded.
"Then, let me make things clear first."
"I can take you away, but in exchange, you must undergo an experiment."
"This experiment has a certain chance of granting you a new ability, making you stronger than before."
"However, there's a greater chance it will turn you into a madman driven only by killing and destruction, or even cause you to drop dead on the spot."
"Even so, do you still wish to leave?"
The man's gaze turned bewildered.
"...What are the exact probabilities you mentioned?"
Satoru shook his head. "The sample size is too small at the moment to provide scientific data."
"Among Captain-level subjects, there's only one so far. He has already failed, losing most of his sanity."
"But perhaps you'll be luckier than him and carve out a new path?"
"Well, I'll give you thirty seconds to think it over. After all, I can't stay here too long—it wouldn't be good to cause any trouble."
Masao's expression shifted rapidly.
An eight-thousand-year sentence was essentially a death penalty.
Even as a veteran Captain, he couldn't possibly live that long.
He wasn't a monster like Yamamoto Shigekuni!
Compared to certain death and enduring unknown torment in this darkness until the end, it was better to take a gamble!
He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and said, "I agree!"
"A wise choice!"
Satoru raised his hands and applauded.
Then, he reached out and grasped the chain behind Masao.
"Hey, don't joke around. These are manacles made of Sekkiseki stone, designed to suppress Reiatsu fluctuations. You can't just pull the pillar... Nani?!"
Under Masao's astonished gaze, Satoru suddenly exerted force and snapped the chain with a sharp crack.
Masao couldn't help but feel as if he'd seen Komamura—though he had never actually met Komamura.
Even if these were ordinary metal manacles, tearing them apart so effortlessly with bare hands was utterly absurd, let alone Sekkiseki stone ones!
Just who was this guy?
He felt both fear and excitement.
With this guy's strength, he might actually help him become stronger.
And judging by his behavior and attire, he definitely wasn't a good person.
It was highly likely he was an anti-Soul Society element, much like the Enryuuji Family from back in the day.
Perhaps he could follow him and exact brutal revenge on the Soul Society!
The thought made him unconsciously lick his lips.
Although the chain was broken, the manacles remained on his wrists.
Just as he was about to ask Satoru for help removing them, Takahashi Masao suddenly felt the ground vanish beneath his feet.
He let out a startled cry, his entire body sinking into the ground as if trapped in quicksand, plunging downward with a splash before falling silent.
After drawing Masao into the shadow space, Satoru turned his gaze to the side.
"To think there is someone who can move freely within the depths of Muken..."
"You've been watching the show for a while now. Isn't it time you showed yourself?"
As if in response to his words, a small point of light gradually emerged from the darkness.
It was a small paper lantern, the kind made from pasted paper.
Behind the lantern, a man with a scholarly appearance and a calm expression slowly approached.
He stopped a few meters away from Satoru.
"Captain of the Eleventh Division... Satoru Mikami."
"I never expected you to go this far."
"As Lord Genryūsai's disciple, beloved and favored—why have you come here to release the criminals of the Soul Society?"
"Does your actions not betray the trust of your mentor?"
Hearing the serious questions posed by the other, Satoru looked at him with curiosity.
This guy... is quite impressive.
Even though it's their first meeting, he already knows so much about Satoru's background.
After all, this is Muken, the most heavily guarded place in the Soul Society.
Normally, not a single piece of information should be able to pass in or out.
So how did this man learn all this?
Suddenly, fragments of conversations from the past surfaced in his mind—things Yoruichi had once told him, and warnings Kirio Hikifune had given him.
"I see... You must be Kenpachi Azashiro?"
"You know of me?"
The scholarly man seemed surprised.
Judging by his appearance, he resembled a cultivator from a xianxia novel.
From head to toe, he bore no resemblance to what one would expect of a "Kenpachi."
Yet, without a doubt, this was the Eighth Kenpachi, the former captain of the Eleventh Division—Kenpachi Azashiro!
Once, Azashiro was merely the last descendant of a noble family. His clan had been stripped of their noble status for certain reasons, and his family members were executed one by one.
He struggled to grow up, eventually becoming a powerful swordsman.
In a duel against Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, he emerged victorious and became the captain of the Eleventh Division.
After that, he began promoting a plan—
The Vanguard Project!
The goal of the Vanguard Project was to transform every soul in the Soul Society into combat-capable humanoid weapons, mass-producing them to be dispatched to Hueco Mundo to exterminate all Hollows.
At one point, this plan was approved by Central 46 and set into motion.
However, the Zero Division soon ordered it to be halted.
Not only was the Vanguard Project terminated, but Azashiro himself was branded a criminal, imprisoned in Muken with a sentence of over nineteen thousand years—longer than even Aizen's.
Though confined to hell, Azashiro still managed to gather intelligence from the outside world.
His Zanpakutō possessed a unique Bankai ability that allowed him to merge with all things.
Over the past century in Muken, he had gradually dispersed his Reishi, merging it with every street and building in the Seireitei.
Through these Reishi particles, he could learn almost everything happening within the Seireitei.
Ever since Satoru first learned of Azashiro's existence, he had developed a habit.
Whenever discussing confidential information with Aizen or others, he would always activate a soundproof barrier.
And when engaging in... unusual activities with Suì-Fēng or Yoruichi, he would go a step further and deploy a Kidō barrier to block all lines of sight.
"Not only do I know you—you've caused me quite a bit of trouble."
Satoru's expression turned grim.
"You bastard, you keep giving me this creepy feeling of being watched. Every time I turn around, there's nobody there—it's like living in a horror movie!"
"Does peeping make you happy? Does it bring you joy?"
"Today I'm going to teach you a proper lesson, so you'll understand what you can and cannot do!"
He grinned, revealing a demonic expression, cracking his knuckles with audible pops.
Azashiro grew even more surprised.
From Satoru's reaction, this man had long been aware of his presence and had been deliberately guarding against him.
Previously, when he observed Satoru's anti-surveillance behaviors, he thought it was just part of the man's cautious nature.
Who would have thought it was because of him?
Watching Satoru approach step by step, he said calmly:
"Stop right there, Satoru."
"I know you're strong, but your brute strength is useless against me."
"Since you've heard about my abilities, you should know that everything around me is under my control."
"If you choose to be my enemy, you won't just be fighting me alone, but the entire Seireitei..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was shocked to see Satoru flash forward, throwing a punch at him!
Can't take it head-on... Satoru's fists are like cannonballs. Even a powerhouse like Komamura Sajin wouldn't fare well taking a direct hit.
He instinctively retreated.
Simultaneously, he activated the Reishi fused with the air.
The surrounding air instantly became turbulent.
The once gentle, close air suddenly swirled and twisted into a tough rope, lashing toward Satoru's neck!
At the same time, the ground beneath their feet rolled up like waves, layer upon layer surging toward Satoru, attempting to bind his legs.
The deadliest move was that while performing these two actions, he also controlled the air around Satoru's face to completely escape, preventing Satoru from breathing.
After executing this combination, Azashiro thought he could simply wait for victory.
But then he saw that Satoru's movements were almost completely unaffected.
He was still charging!
He's coming!!