Restricted Death

Chapter 244 City of Moles
The Eleventh Division is undoubtedly the strongest of the Gotei 13 in terms of overall combat power. It has an extremely strong martial spirit, and its members prefer real sword fights and despise those who use Kido or Kido-type Zanpakuto in battle. This atmosphere is due to the personality of the Tenth Kenpachi, Onizuki Kenpachi, who was arrogant and complacent, turning the Eleventh Division into a bandit-like group. Even after Zaraki Kenpachi took over, this atmosphere did not change much.

But the Eleventh Division wasn't like this more than two hundred years ago.

The seventh Kenpachi, Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, was an extremely powerful Shinigami. He was humble, polite, and easy-going, and was highly respected by his team members. At that time, the Eleventh Division was truly the strongest division among the Gotei 13.

Kenpachi Kuruyashiki has upheld the name Kenpachi for hundreds of years and was once invited by the Zero Division, but he declined the invitation.

This extremely powerful captain was defeated by Souya Azashiro in front of nearly a hundred members.

After becoming Kenpachi, Souya Azajo proposed a plan to Seireitei: to transform the residents of Rukongai into weapons of war to defeat Hueco Mundo. Initially, Seireitei didn't take it seriously, thinking that the residents of Rukongai didn't possess spiritual power and that it was absurd to do such a thing. So he said, "If you can do it, then do it."

But Soujiro Azashiro really did it. The soul he modified was extremely powerful, capable of instantly killing ordinary Hollows, and like a puppet, it was completely loyal to Soujiro Azashiro alone.

This situation instilled fear and terror in the Central 46, who denied their initial decision and distorted the facts and altered the original intent, making Sō Azaki a major criminal in the Soul Society on charges of illegally modifying souls.

Even after the verdict from the Central 46 Chambers, Souya Azashiro remained fixated on his plan. This was thwarted by Captain Shunsui of the 8th Division and Captain Jushiro Ukitake of the 13th Division. When their attempts to dissuade him failed, the three drew their swords. However, Souya discovered that his Kido incantation during the battle was silent, immediately realizing that Ichibei Hyosube of the 0th Division was secretly interfering. This made Souya understand that the Soul King had rejected his plan.

In the end, Shiro gave up struggling and voluntarily accepted the judgment of the Central 46th Chamber, being imprisoned in this infernal hell.

The sentence is 19,500 years.

It's important to know that in the original history, after Aizen's defeat, the initial verdict he received from the Central 46 was only 18,800 years.

Souya Mochi's strength is so great that he is definitely among the top-ranked captains of all thirteen teams.

All the information about this person flashed through Xin's mind, the most crucial of which was this person's Zanpakuto.

Rain and dew pomegranates.

The Bankai ability allows one to "fuse" with any substance or living being, thereby gaining control over the "fused" entity.

This ability is somewhat similar to the Quincy's ability "Saint Servant," but unlike "Saint Servant," which completely decomposes and absorbs all spiritual creations, Rain Dew's ability is obviously much stronger, with a range large enough to cover the entire Seireitei. In other words, if he so desires, he can merge with the entire Seireitei.

Even though he was imprisoned in the Avici Hell, he knew everything that happened in the Seireitei, because before he entered, he had already released his Zanpakuto and made his sword and the Seireitei one.

Kyoraku Shunsui's statement that this person might be the only one capable of entering the Invisible Empire refers to this very ability.

The Wandenreich is hidden within Seireitei. Although this is known, without the key, the Grim Reapers cannot enter and must continue to live in fear for it.

Yamamoto decided to rely on Sōya Azajo's Zanpakutō to open the gate to the Wandenreich.

However, doing so is obviously risky.

Soya Mochishiro was a notorious criminal, and it's fortunate that the Central 46 is no longer around; otherwise, Captain-Commander Yamamoto might not have been allowed to carry out such a decision.

Furthermore, Shin secretly speculated that Kyoraku and Yamamoto's idea was probably based on information Kyoraku Shunsui had seen within the Great Spiritual Book Corridor.

In the original work, Sōya Azashiro never revealed the abilities of his Zanpakutō. Only Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi knew about his Zanpakutō, because Sōya Azashiro had used the Tenshintai developed by Kisuke Urahara.

Thinking about this, Shin felt even more that the Great Spiritual Library Corridor was too tempting. Once inside, no one could remain rational in the face of an endless database of information. What Kyoraku saw was definitely far more than what he had originally said.

If Aizen hadn't destroyed it, I reckon I would have tried every means to get inside.

Inside the Avici Hell.

As soon as the three stepped inside, they immediately sensed the presence of a spiritual pressure. This spiritual pressure did not feel particularly strong; it seemed to be merely conveying a message that someone was present.

Xin saw a blurry figure slowly emerge from the shadows not far from them, like ink seeping from the prison wall itself. Before the three could focus their attention, the figure vanished again, and in the next instant, it stood silently and silently very close to them without warning.

Sōya's appearance was completely unexpected, as if he himself were part of this impenetrable space. His white captain's haori contrasted sharply with the perpetually dim environment. His posture was as straight as a pine tree, but his face was almost transparently pale, devoid of color, like an aged wax figure. His eyes were the only deep points of light in this space, calmly watching the newcomer in the gloom, their gaze so sharp it seemed to pierce through all appearances, reaching the very depths of the soul.

Shin keenly sensed that the "Souya Mochishiro" before him was not made of flesh and blood. The spiritual particles that constituted his body were in an unusual, loose and elusive state, not a tightly condensed entity, but more like a highly compressed mass of spiritual particles with a fixed shape, barely maintaining a human form.

This is clearly not his true form, but a spiritual image projected here through unknown means, under the strict restrictions of the Avici Hell.

After all, the serious criminals imprisoned here have their movements completely restricted, bound by layers of seals and chains, with absolutely no possibility of freedom.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was the first to stop and spoke in a deep voice: "Souya Mochishiro."

Kyoraku Shunsui lowered his straw hat, his tone carrying a hint of complexity: "It's been a long time, Captain Mochijo."

Sōya Azashiro's icy gaze first swept over the unshakeable Captain-Commander, then over the solemn-faced Kyōraku Shunsui beneath his straw hat, and finally, like a cold probe, locked onto Shin standing at the back. That scrutiny, carrying an invisible penetrating force, lingered on Shin for several seconds, as if trying to peel back and analyze every secret of this young Shinigami.

Then, he slowly shifted his gaze back to Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, his calm voice like the wind of the Abyss itself: "A rare guest. More than two hundred years have passed, and the Captain-Commander has actually come to this Abyss in person. What brings you here?" His tone was not a question, but rather a confirmation.

"You don't know?" Captain-Commander Yamamoto retorted. "Ah, of course I know." Azashiro Sōya's answer was equally unwavering, as he coldly glanced at Kyōraku Shunsui. That glance made Kyōraku feel extremely uncomfortable. Ever since glimpsing the truth behind Azashiro Sōya's strange ability in the Great Spirit Book Corridor, Kyōraku had been constantly haunted by a feeling of being watched.

At this moment, Mole City's gaze seemed to confirm Kyoraku's unease. The thought that he too had once peered into the past of others through those vast records stirred up a complex and indescribable emotion within him.

"What are the conditions?" Shi Cheng Shuang asked bluntly, his voice echoing in the empty lower level of the prison.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni closed his eyes slightly and asked definitively, "Can you do it?"

"Now that you've come, are you unwilling to trust me?"

Captain-Commander Yamamoto's voice was cold and hard as iron, "Complete this matter, and your sentence can be reduced."

A suffocating, long silence filled the air. In this absolute stillness, the oppressive atmosphere of the deepest hell enveloped the four of them like a tidal wave.

After an unknown amount of time, Shiro Souya's icy voice rang out again: "Is that all?"

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's expression darkened slightly: "What do you want?"

Shiro Sōya coldly replied, "Without me, you can't get in there; you can only wait for Yhwach to awaken."

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni let out an undisguised snort: "What you say may be true. But have you considered the consequences of refusing to cooperate?"

"It's only 20,000 years."

In an instant, the air between the three of them froze, like the calm before a storm, so oppressive it almost seemed to tear the space apart. The invisible pressure made Kyoraku Shunsui feel heavy-hearted.

Upon seeing this, Jing Le immediately chuckled and said, "There's no need to be so tense, Captain Mole City. You can state your needs first, and we can try our best to meet them. We are facing a matter concerning the safety of the entire Three Realms. I think reaching a consensus won't be difficult."

He took on the role of mediator. Captain-Commander Yamamoto had a tough personality and would never bow down to a criminal, so he was needed to play that role.

Mole City Shuang also fell into a brief silence again. His icy eyes swept across Xin's face once more in the dim light, lingering for a moment, as if they contained some indescribable depth.

Finally, he spoke, making a request that was both unexpected and reasonable: "I want to go out."

Surprisingly, Captain-Commander Yamamoto did not directly refuse the request, nor was he angry about it. It seemed that he had already guessed that Soujiro would make such a request before he came here.

He asked in a deep voice, "Are you still not willing to give up on your plan?"

Sōya Mochi's reply carried a cold philosophical tone: "If you don't trust me, how can you be so sure that even if I survive for 20,000 years, I will definitely abandon my original intention?"

He paused, his tone laced with raw sharpness, "Whether it's the historical dust recorded in the Great Spirit Book Corridor or the traces of reality that my Zanpakuto 'Rain and Dew' can glimpse, they can only show what a person has done, but they can never see through the human heart. Captain-Commander, if your magnanimity is so narrow, why bother to condescend to come here and waste your breath on me?"

These almost biting sarcasm, each word like a needle, made Kyoraku Shunsui's heart pound wildly. He feared that, given the Captain-General's fiery temper, he would immediately storm off in anger because of this humiliation, causing this crucial negotiation to fall apart.

But Zhicheng seemed to have not finished speaking, his gaze fixed on Xin.

“Captain-Commander, why hesitate on matters of principle? Since you are worried that he may become a scourge to Soul Society in the future, why not just kill him? He has far more secrets than you know.”

A glint of light flashed in Xin's eyes.

He had always suspected that Kyoraku and Aizen must have glimpsed his entire past within the Great Spirit Book Corridor, but he had never actually used his Bankai. Therefore, it was impossible for the Great Spirit Book Corridor to have recorded anything about his Bankai.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's expression seemed to disregard his last words. After a long silence, he said, "Open the door to that place. Once the Quincy matter is settled, I will let you out."

Shiro Shuang did not hesitate at all regarding the result, and uttered a single word cleanly and decisively: "Good."

This person hardly appears in the original work, and Xin's impression of him is not very clear. He only vaguely remembers that although this Shiro Souya has an obsession and is committed to doing something that may affect the balance of the three realms, he is not a pure evil person in essence.

Kyoraku Shunsui, who had been anxiously watching from the side, finally felt a sense of relief. This move did indeed carry a huge hidden danger: after releasing Azajo, he could very well revive his terrifying plan to modify souls. However, the Quincy were the most pressing and pressing issue! Right now, only by first completely defeating the threat of the Guhyasamaja Empire could they have the resources to deal with the potential problems that Azajo Soya might cause. Between two evils, they chose the lesser; no matter how dangerous Azajo Soya was, his threat was ultimately a controllable, localized threat for the future.

Once the Quincy matter is successfully resolved, then one can then set aside time to keep an eye on Sōya Azajiro.

The threat that Souya Mochijo poses to this world is far less terrifying than that of the Quincy.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni then asked, "Aren't you worried that I might go back on my word?"

Sōya's figure began to blur, like a candle flame flickering in the wind, slowly and silently dissipating from the space. His voice, seemingly emanating from every direction, from every stone and every inch of darkness in the deepest abyss, gave its final, strangely resolute reply:

"You wouldn't do that."

(End of this chapter)