Chapter 198 – 198 ⥤ Overthrowing Akira’s Tyranny

T/N: This arc will basically present the universe built in the movie Bleach: The Hell Verse. Just so you can situate yourselves better.

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“Do you even hear what you’re saying?” Akira grimaced with a pained expression and said, “Why not just say old man Yamamoto suddenly got dementia? I might actually believe that.”

He wasn’t entirely sure of Aizen’s exact strength, but judging from his previous confrontation with Baraggan, he was at least at the level of a high-ranking Captain.

Taking down Chōjirō’s Gonryōmaru with a single slash would be no problem.

Add to that Aizen’s terrifying battle awareness and his unbeatable first-sight kill, Kyōka Suigetsu. Even if Genryūsai faced him, he’d likely suffer a major setback. With slight carelessness, there would also be a possibility of failure.

Now, a group of individuals appearing out of nowhere had directly kidnapped such a formidable monster. Not only did he find it hard to believe, even Kisuke would struggle to accept it. This kind of feat would probably require Yhwach himself to accomplish.

Seeing Akira’s silence, Mayuri immediately launched into another detailed explanation.

The group wore black cloaks, their faces hidden, but their power was immense, with the weakest at Captain level and the strongest unknown.

Anyway, a casual slash had sent Mayuri, who had already mastered Bankai, flying. Although there was an element of surprise, it still indicated something significant.

Most absurd was that these people had absolutely no interest in him, clearly targeting Aizen.

Mayuri had no time to assist, only witnessing several figures surrounding Aizen, instantly unleashing an ability similar to a Kidō barrier. Then, with a surge of Reiatsu, a space passage similar to a Garganta opened, with black chains wildly dancing within, entangling everyone and dragging them in.

Just like that, the 3rd Seat of the 12th Division was taken.

After hearing this, Akira fell into deep thought. The described scene seemed somewhat familiar, yet he couldn’t quite recall it.

Normally, with his current memory, he shouldn’t forget important things — unless too much time had passed, or there was some discrepancy between memory and reality.

Mayuri continued with his analysis, “Those people had strong Reiatsu, but judging from what leaked out, they’re not any species on record.”

At this point, his eyes lit up, his intense curiosity almost becoming tangible.

“Perfect experimental subjects. Captain, if you capture these people, please let me research them before executing them!” His personality was, as always, cruel.

“Of course, of course.” Akira nodded.

Mayuri was dutiful and conscientious, much better than Kisuke. He rarely complained about having too much work. And every time tasks were assigned, he would complete them with the highest efficiency, leaving no room for criticism.

Most importantly, this model worker of the 11th Division rarely discussed salary issues. In Mayuri’s words, the 11th Division lacked neither food nor clothing, and experimental materials and equipment were plentiful, so he had nothing more to need. Money or no money, it didn’t matter.

So, whenever Mayuri made reasonable requests, Akira would try his best to fulfill them.

The key now was to figure out the identity of those people and where exactly Aizen had been taken.

After thinking hard with no results, he decided to call for help.

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In the Junrinan district, within a shrine that resembled a palace.

Believers came and went continuously, their faces wearing devout and happy smiles. For a believer, there was nothing better than having faith in a deity who could solve their problems.

What made it even more delightful was that this deity didn’t discriminate when it came to offerings. Whether food, books, or other items, all could be offered in worship.

Occasionally bringing something novel and never seen before would even earn a reward from the silent shrine maiden — like a prayer directed to the deity.

Looking at the bustling shrine before him, Akira’s face was filled with contentment. No matter which deity saw this scene, they would surely be very pleased.

Without time for further reflection, he greeted the passing crowd and then dove into a room inside the shrine. As the sole Shrine Head, he naturally had exclusive privileges.

Incense was lit, candles emitting a faint glow. The shadows in the room seemed to come alive, like an old man awakening from slumber, slowly moving, transforming into branch-like ink patterns, condensing into a right hand, appearing across the table.

Looking at the scene before him, Mimihagi remained silent.

Initially, when this young man made offerings to him, he was quite respectful, at least putting on a show of it, but as their time together increased, he became increasingly presumptuous.

Now he even placed a teapot on the table, no different from his interactions with Genryūsai.

“Speak…” The shadow right hand sat opposite, its cold, solitary eye staring at the person before it.

Akira grinned and unceremoniously repeated everything Mayuri had just told him.

“I want to know the identity of those people, and also… Is Aizen alright?”

Mimihagi responded with silence, his vast Reiatsu merging with the air, spreading from the shrine as a center to all corners of Soul Society.

Shortly after, the Reiatsu returned. Under Akira’s expectant gaze, a cold and disordered tone sounded, echoing in the spacious room.

“Sinners, Hell. Temporarily safe…”

Hearing this, Akira immediately showed a look of realization.

No wonder Mayuri’s description felt familiar — not Shinigami, not Hollow, not even Quincy hiding in shadows. Looking at Soul Society’s history, only Hell remained as a possible threat to the current Aizen.

“I understand. Thank you, Great One.” Akira cupped his hands in thanks, preparing to leave to gather people.

But before he could rise, the floating shadows in the air around pressed him back down.

Mimihagi had more to say. Due to his typically taciturn nature, even after a full explanation, it took Akira, the person most familiar with him, quite some time to understand.

Simply put, their previous Konsō Reisai had snatched a Captain-class Reishi that should have fallen into Hell, causing the balance between the two worlds to break. The Sinners within Hell had also escaped because of this and begun creating disturbances in Soul Society.

{T/N: There is no official nomenclature for those who inhabit Hell, but you must be a Sinner in life or death to be taken there, so I will use this name.}

Or perhaps this was guided by Hell’s intent. Balance should not be broken; the strong falling into Hell is the iron rule of the world.

“I see.” Akira suddenly understood.

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“Teacher!”

“Yama-jii!”

“Captain Commander, sir!”

Shouts rang out in the barracks, causing several prominent veins to bulge on Genryūsai’s forehead.

No matter how many times he emphasized it, this foolish disciple still hadn’t shown even a hint of remorse. Every time he came, he acted as if he wanted the whole world to know.

“Fool, how many times has this old man taught you that as a Captain, you must maintain dignity!”

When Akira slid open the door and appeared before Genryūsai, he was immediately met with a scolding.

However, scolding aside, when his own disciple causes trouble, he still had to take responsibility. Moreover, this kid had rendered meritorious service to the Seireitei multiple times and could be considered one of the great contributors among the Captains.

The old man put down his writing brush, picked up the tea beside him, and took a small sip, savoring the fragrance flowing between his teeth.

“Speak, what is it this time?”

Akira grinned, responding cheerfully, “Teacher, let’s attack Hell!”

Pfft—

Genryūsai’s eyes widened, immediately spitting out a mouthful of scalding tea.

However, Akira had anticipated this, flashing to the side to avoid the attack.

“This old man didn’t hear clearly.” Genryūsai’s face turned ashen, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the unruly disciple before him, as if flames were burning within them, “Please repeat that for this old man, Captain Kisaragi.”

From the rapidly rising temperature in the air, it was evident that the situation had escalated to a severity Akira could hardly bear. But relying on his hard-headedness, he straightened his neck and declared firmly.

“Teacher, look, the Soul Society is currently in a precarious situation. In front, we have the Wandenreich hiding in the shadows, recuperating and waiting for the chance to counterattack. Behind us, there’s Hell, depriving Captain-class Reishi of their reincarnation rights, turning all your former comrades into star-fury power. If this continues, where will the dignity of our Soul Society lie? Why not strike first while the Wandenreich’s wings are not yet fully grown? We can take care of one, then concentrate our forces to defeat Yhwach and take his bird position!”

Genryūsai: “…”

Although what this unruly disciple said made sense, and even tempted him somewhat, had these words really passed through his brain before being spoken?

Setting aside whether they could find the Wandenreich and Hell, with the current overall strength of Soul Society, they couldn’t directly confront either of them.

Unless…

Genryūsai took several deep breaths to calm his inner fury, then looked very seriously at the unruly disciple before him.

“What exactly happened? This old man needs to know the ins and outs of the matter.”

Akira chuckled, no longer concealing anything, and combined what Mayuri and Mimihagi had said, explaining it in detail.

After listening, Genryūsai fell into contemplation.

In this kid’s words, due to the previous Konsō Reisai, the balance between Hell and the Three Worlds had been disrupted. The Sinners who escaped from Hell had become a new threat to Soul Society. They could freely traverse different worlds through special means, causing irreversible damage to Soul Society and even the Human World.

However, since the balance had not completely collapsed, these Sinners who had escaped Hell’s control couldn’t yet cause too much of a disturbance.

After a moment’s thought, he looked up at Akira and said gravely, “This old man’s suggestion is to abandon Sōsuke Aizen. Although I can’t explain why, my intuition tells me they’re targeting you. Aizen is just bait…”

Before he could finish, Akira raised his hand to interrupt, his keen eyes fixed intently on the elder, “Teacher, if I were captured into Hell, what would you do? It doesn’t necessarily have to be me — it could be Senior Kyōraku, Senior Ukitake, or others.”

Genryūsai fell silent.

The room quieted for a moment. The elder seemed to have made some major decision and slowly said, “Then for the sake of the greater good, this old man would choose to abandon…”

Before he could finish, he was interrupted again. Akira indicated, “Our Genryū school has no tenet of lying. From the first day of school, you taught us to be honest.”

Veins visibly pulsed on Genryūsai’s forehead, and he nearly wanted to punch this rebellious disciple, but after careful consideration, he abandoned this tempting idea.

“This old man understands. But against Hell, Soul Society truly has little chance of victory. This matter requires careful deliberation.”

Seeing the stubborn old man yield, Akira grinned.

“If we delay any longer, Sōsuke will become part of Hell. My intention in finding you is for you to provide assistance at critical moments — leave the rest to me.”

Genryūsai frowned slightly, “You’re not thinking of going to Hell alone, are you?”

“Exactly right!”

“Impossible. Don’t even think about it. This old man will never agree to such reckless behavior!”

“Hmph

, mere Yama-jii, you think you can obstruct my will?”

“Reduce All Creation to Ash…”

Towering flames once again set the 1st Division’s sky ablaze, painting it with a thick layer of red, like countless fire clouds piling up.

{T/N: Just to be clear, none of the Captains who have achieved Bankai need to speak the release command of their Shikai. I just included it now for comedic effect.}

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After Akira’s difficult “persuasion” and personal guarantee, Genryūsai reluctantly agreed to his reckless behavior. But with the condition that he must not cause trouble in Hell.

If he couldn’t return, the old man would throw all members of the 11th Division into Hell, making those the kid cared about perish alongside him.

Needless to say, Genryūsai had precisely grasped Akira’s weakness.

“This old man hasn’t asked you yet.” Genryūsai frowned, looking at the bruised and swollen Akira, “How do you plan to open the gates of Hell? Are you going to perform another soul burial ceremony?”

Akira grinned: “The Boss has his ways.”

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11th Division.

Kisuke joyfully welcomed the Captains through the door.

This day had finally come — not in vain had he endured years of hardship within the 11th Division. Now that Akira’s wolfish ambitions had been exposed by the Captain Commander, the day of this traitor’s execution had arrived!

If the Captains weren’t watching nearby, he would have even shouted, “Overthrow Akira Kisaragi’s tyranny, the Eleventh Division belongs to Seireitei!”

Just as he was fantasizing about this bright future, Genryūsai at the front inquired.

“Where is that rebellious disciple?”

Kisuke hastily and respectfully replied, “The Captain is still taking a nap. I’ll go wake him.”

“No need, I’m already here!” With a hearty laugh, Akira flash-stepped and appeared before everyone, his gaze sweeping across the faces in the crowd.

Genryūsai Yamamoto, Shunsui Kyōraku, Jūshirō Ukitake, Retsu Unohana, Yoruichi Shihōin, Ginrei Kuchiki and Shinji Hirako. All the veteran Captains were present. Those who hadn’t come were either busy with urgent work or their presence wouldn’t make a difference anyway.

Complex gazes rested on Akira, as if mourning and bidding farewell. Beside them, Kisuke noticed the strange atmosphere, his wildly upturned mouth gradually settling down as he frowned at the group before him.

Master and disciple exchanged glances, nodding in tacit agreement.

Then the ritual began.

Under Akira’s skilled operations, a heavy pressure covered the vast barracks. Tiny shadows began to spread, countless branch-like extensions appearing around his body, like stars surrounding the moon, embracing him at the center.

This ritual had no sacrificial offering.

The shadows split into two masses, searching for something in the empty sky above, finally determining the specific location and violently plunging into it, then pulling out an ancient door from the void.

The intertwined black and red colors resembled congealed blood. With Mimihagi’s exertion, the gates of Hell were forcibly opened. A massive black vortex appeared, with lightning and magma frantically twisting within, accompanied by tremendous suction.

Akira gave a confident smile to those behind him, activated Shunpo, and plunged straight in!

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep