Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni slowly opened his eyes, which seemed to contain molten lava.

He didn't look at Tsunayoshiro, who was strapped to the rack, but instead focused his gaze on the silent bipolar structure.

He stepped forward and stood a few feet in front of the base, gently tapping the ground with his ancient-looking cane.

Boom!

Centered on Captain-Commander Yamamoto, a powerful spiritual pressure spread outwards; it was not an attack, but rather a declaration and suppression.

"Execution begins—!"

Captain-Commander Yamamoto's voice fell like the hammer of final judgment.

As he spoke, a surge of spiritual energy was precisely injected into a special groove on the base.

Om-! ! !

In an instant, the bipolar system, which had been silent for countless years, suddenly trembled!

The dark, rough base of the chain seemed to come alive, emitting a sickening metallic scraping and taut sound.

Countless dark red, destructive spiritual patterns lit up from the depths of the base, spreading upwards like blood vessels, instantly covering the huge metal spear!

The spear began to emit a deep, rumbling sound, as if from an ancient behemoth awakening. The spear shaft trembled, and the metallic luster on its surface turned into a flowing crimson gold.

It emitted increasingly terrifying high temperatures and spiritual pressure fluctuations.

Countless metal components rapidly reorganized, stretched, and expanded as if they possessed a life of their own!

In just a few breaths, a giant bird made of destructive energy suddenly appeared in the sky above Twin Peaks Hill!

The giant bird resembles a phoenix, yet it is even more ferocious and majestic, filled with a pure will to destroy.

Its wings spread wide, and the crimson-gold light illuminated half of the Seireitei sky. Each feather seemed to be forged from the hottest flames and the sharpest blades.

His eyes were two blazing, crimson-gold vortexes, mercilessly gazing down at the tiny figure strapped to the rack.

A powerful pressure, like a tangible tsunami, poured down from its body.

Even with the combined protective network built by the captains, the Grim Reapers on the outer perimeter still felt a pang of fear and their legs went weak.

This is the legendary "Destroyer King"! A dual-wielding form, an extreme executioner with destructive power said to be "the sum of a million Zanpakuto"!

"Here it comes! The Destroyer King!"

"This spiritual pressure...it's terrifying!"

The onlookers gasped in disbelief, their eyes fixed on the giant bird in the sky.

The moment the Destroyer King appeared, Tsunayoshi's body convulsed violently!

His ashen face was finally filled with extreme fear again, his pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints, and the gag in his mouth prevented him from even letting out a final scream.

It could only emit a wheezing, gasping sound like a dying wild beast, and tears and snot flowed uncontrollably from its nose.

The extreme fear completely destroyed his last shred of reason and dignity.

However, just as everyone was shocked by the overwhelming power of the Destroyer King, Liu Chuan frowned slightly.

His eyes shimmered with a dark magical light, and his perception was heightened to the extreme as he carefully "observed" the giant crimson-gold bird.

A powerful spiritual pressure? Indeed, a terrifying, destructive energy fluctuation? That's true too. But…

"It seems... not as exaggerated as the rumors suggest," Liu Chuan thought to himself.

From his perspective—having broken through the limits of death, undergone the tempering of "not entering the path of enlightenment," and witnessed the power of the Spirit King Palace—this Destroyer King is indeed powerful.

Its energy level may indeed exceed that of a typical captain-level Bankai, but to say it's equivalent to "the sum of a million Zanpakuto"...

This number itself lacks rigorous quantitative standards and is more like a symbolic, intimidating, and exaggerated description.

More importantly, Liu Chuan keenly sensed that the energy composition of the Destroyer King did not seem to be naturally formed; at its core, there was a certain "unnatural" quality.

Similar to "pieced together" or "mandatory constraints" rule traces.

Although it is powerful, it seems a bit rigid in its operation, lacking the agility of a top-tier Zanpakuto that resonates perfectly with the wielder's soul.

Rather than a "weapon" or "creature," it is more like a "super torture device puppet" that has been pre-programmed and injected with enormous energy.

Of course, even so, it would be more than enough to annihilate Tsunayoshiro, whose spiritual pressure was completely suppressed and who had no power to resist. It could even be said that it was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

While Liuchuan was pondering, the execution entered its final stage.

The burning eyes of the Destroyer King locked onto the target on the rack below.

It let out a sharp cry! Then, its massive body suddenly swooped down!

The target was precisely the torture rack center, Gang Midai and Suzuki.

The giant, crimson-gold bird, carrying a destructive will to burn everything, was aimed precisely at the Tsunayoshiro below and that firmly fixed, unmasked chest!

"No—!!!" Tsunayoshiro Saku and the last vestiges of his consciousness let out a silent, desperate cry.

next moment.

The Destroyer King pierced through Tsunayoshiro's chest and through his spirit without any hindrance!

Immediately afterwards, the phantom of the Destroyer King in the sky let out a soft, lingering cry, as if it had completed its mission, and its massive body began to rapidly disintegrate.

They transformed back into countless metal components, flying back into the sky as if time had reversed, and reassembled into that unremarkable shape.

And on the rack...

Empty.

There were no corpses, no bloodstains, no ashes, and not even a trace of the spirit particles that had ever existed could be detected.

Tsunayoshiro, a man who was once a wise man of the Central Forty-Six Chambers, born into one of the five great noble families, and who had been involved in the power struggles of the Seireitei for countless years, was completely "erased" from this world.

The execution was now complete.

Liu Chuan withdrew his gaze, the silver-gray magical luster in his eyes fading.

He took one last look at the empty rack, then glanced at the now-silent Sougoku, gaining a more intuitive understanding of the power and nature of this supreme instrument of torture in Soul Society.

"It has some power, but it doesn't live up to its name. More than anything, it's a ritualistic deterrent and 'purification'."

He thought to himself, then stopped paying attention. The fate of Tsunayoshiro was already sealed from the moment his conspiracy was exposed. Now, it was simply a matter of time.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto glanced at the empty rack, then scanned the standing captains around him, and finally, his gaze lingered briefly on Yanagawa.

He turned around, leaned on his cane, and walked silently down the mountain.

The team captains also left one after another.

Once the cordon was lifted, the execution team began quietly cleaning up the scene and dismantling some temporary structures.

Liu Chuan also turned around, preparing to leave.

Chapter 57 What is "Justice"?

Liuchuan walked slowly down the path.

He felt no pity for Tsunayoshiro's fate, only a sense of indifference as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The guilt and the price were, after all, so clear.

Just as he was about to step down the mountain path and turn onto the fork leading to the Ghost Path's encampment, a figure, as if already waiting there, silently appeared to his side and blocked his way.

The newcomer was tall and imposing, wearing a white captain's haori.

What's most striking is the black eye patch covering his eyes; he is none other than Kaname Tosen, the captain of the Ninth Division.

Tosen Kaname didn't seem to be "looking" at Yanagawa, but his intuition, or rather, some kind of perception beyond sight, had clearly already locked onto Yanagawa, and he just stood there quietly.

Liu Chuan stopped and looked curiously at the captain who had suddenly blocked his way.

He had no personal relationship with Tosen Kaname, and they rarely spoke in public. Why was the other party here now?

"Captain Tosen," Liu Chuan greeted.

“Lord Yanagawa,” Tosen Kaname’s voice was low.

Without exchanging pleasantries, he went straight to the point and said something that surprised Liu Chuan: "Thanks to your help in the execution of Tsuna Miya, Dongxian... I thank you."

Thank you? Liu Chuan was even more puzzled at this point.

Gang Mi was executed because he had plotted his own death and ambushed himself; the evidence was conclusive, which is why the 46th Chamber resorted to severe punishment.

He was merely caught up in the moment, forced to retaliate, and incidentally exposed the conspiracy.

Why would Tosen thank him for this? And why was his tone so formal, even carrying a hint of...complex and difficult to understand?

"Captain Tosen, you flatter me," Yanagawa said slowly, his tone carrying just the right amount of doubt.

"Tsunayoshi and Suguru deserved their punishment, so why did Captain Tosen personally thank them?"

Dongxian was silent for a moment, and the mountain breeze blew by, ruffling the stray strands of hair at his temples.

He did not directly answer Liu Chuan's question, as if the word of thanks itself was all he wanted to express, or perhaps he was unwilling to reveal the hidden reasons behind it.

However, his next words deepened Liu Chuan's doubts and piqued his genuine interest.

“Lord Yanagawa,” Tosen began slowly, his voice lower than before, as if suppressing some profound emotion, or as if engaging in a serious philosophical discussion.

"As a member of Squad Zero, I may ask you a question—"

He paused, and his "gaze," covered by the blindfold, seemed to lock onto Liu Chuan even more sharply.

"What do you consider to be 'justice'?"

The question, posed here and now by the captain of the Ninth Division, who is known for his "strict adherence to rules," seemed particularly abrupt, and perhaps... had a deeper meaning.

Yanagawa did not answer immediately. He stared at Tosen Kaname quietly, trying to glean more information from the other's face, which was covered by an eye patch.

Why is Tosen so concerned about Tsunayoshiro's fate, even coming to thank him in person? Could it be that Tsunayoshiro has some unknown connection with him?

Yanagawa snapped out of his thoughts and focused his attention on Tosen Kaname's problem itself.

What is justice? This is a grand, ancient, yet incredibly real question.

Within the Soul Society, within the Seireitei, under the order comprised of the Gotei 13 and the Central 46 Chambers.

"Justice" is often closely linked to concepts such as "rules," "laws," and "aristocratic interests."

But Yanagawa's soul comes from a world with different value perceptions, his own experiences and rationality.

This also gave him a more complex, even "cold," view of "justice."