XX-level Hokage

Although Tosen Kaname remained motionless, Mashiro's words before she left echoed in his mind.

[I'm just curious, what happens if I'm here, and what happens if I'm not?] Regardless of the process, the goal of getting Mashiro to leave the First Division barracks has been achieved.

From this perspective, perhaps Gin Ichimaru also achieved victory on a level that only he knows. However, Makoto's words themselves made her actions seem unpredictable.

She simply had confidence in the power she possessed, and was confident that nothing would happen even if she left for a moment.

Or perhaps they've already seen through something and are plotting something, which is why they took this opportunity to leave the team's quarters and want to see what happens?

While still deep in thought, Tosen Kaname suddenly looked up, gazing at a certain spot below. Nothing unusual happened where he looked; it was the most ordinary scene for the place at that moment. However, Tosen Kaname frowned.

One theory suggests that when a person's ability is deficient, other abilities will be strengthened to compensate, at least to the point that the person can maintain a normal life.

Born blind, Tosen Kaname was able to live a normal life even before he picked up a Zanpakuto and became a captain, because this survival instinct enhanced his other functions, including hearing.

This includes the sense of touch, which is often referred to as the sixth sense.

What was an ordinary scene to others was, in Tosen Kaname's perception, a vision of something extraordinary and dark emanating from that location.

If you don't notice it, that's fine, but once you do, from the moment you realize it, an irresistible darkness will creep in from all directions. Then, darkness descends!

The darkness and silence of Wulang dominated the entire space.

In this darkness, there was no light, sound, or smell, not even the slightest spiritual pressure or electric current; even the spiritual senses themselves had vanished.

Even as the sudden darkness startled him, causing him to involuntarily swallow, no sound escaped his lips except for the sensation of his throat moving. Trembling slightly with fear, he looked around in terror, unable to see anything, not even the tactile sensation of his ears colliding.

I can't detect anything.

For someone who suddenly falls into this darkness, the only things they can feel are the solidity of their feet and the sensation of what they can still grasp with their hands.

When all sensations vanish in an instant, and only the tactile sensation itself remains, it doesn't become some kind of life-saving blessing.

It was a fear akin to being in the pitch-black night, where only the ground beneath one's feet offered a tangible sense of security. But if one didn't leave this place, from where would the attack suddenly appear? From where would the attack take one's life?

But if we leave this place, who can guarantee that the place under our feet is the only safe place, and that any step outside is an abyss of eternal damnation?

The legendary Avici Hell, located at the deepest level beneath the First Division, must be a place like this. You can't feel anything, and even the boundaries of your own self are blurred. Before long, even your personality will dissolve into this endless darkness.

The reason for thinking about these things and speculating about them is simply because if one doesn't even think about these things, it's impossible to maintain rationality and critical thinking.

This darkness, this hell of ignorance, brings with it this level of terror and depth.

The sudden darkness was—"Release, Qingchong final style Yama-no-Kiri." A voice rang out from the darkness. It was Tosen Kaname's voice.

But apart from Tosen Kaname himself, none of those shrouded in darkness could hear his voice.

Because this is the kind of place it is. Because this is the solution that Tosen wanted.

All the guards who had been busy and working non-stop stopped, and everyone stared wide-eyed in fear, trying to make out their surroundings.

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't make any difference.

They cried out in bewilderment, confusion, or fear, but it was the same; apart from Tosen Kaname, even they themselves could not hear their own voices.

Like a well-functioning machine suddenly disrupted, all Tosen could do was whisper a hug. He had his reasons for doing so.

Because he finally understood why Mashiro said those words. What happens when Mashiro isn't in the First Division barracks?

The answer is that someone infiltrated the area shortly after Zhen Zi left.

While everyone else was gripped by fear and shrouded in the darkness of ignorance, only one person, though also stopped, remained calm. Yes, all the Gotei 14 members were filled with terror.

The only one who showed no fear was not a member of the Gotei 14.

Tōsen walked past all the Gotei 15 soldiers along the way and arrived in front of the motionless man. He didn't say a word.

Without hesitation, he raised his Soul Blade and slashed straight down at him!

Someone once said this in front of Tosen Kaname.

The world is like the night sky; everything is shrouded in darkness, but within that darkness, there are many tiny lights. At the same time, there are clouds that try to obscure those lights.

So, in order to prevent any light from disappearing, that person wanted to become the one who could dispel the clouds.

There was once a woman who gazed at the starry sky but ultimately met a tragic end, and she said this. The night sky she saw and wanted to protect was something that Kaname Tōsen could never see, no matter what he did.

However, he chose to inherit that person's wish, to keep that night sky in his heart, and to dispel all the clouds that tried to block its light. He was born in darkness, existed in darkness, and lived in darkness.

Therefore, only someone like him could deliver the sword from the darkness.

Only then can the darkness itself dispel the dark clouds, allowing the light to shine brightly at all times.

This hell of ignorance exists precisely for the Yama Cricket. To slay those who deserve to be slain in the darkness!

There wasn't even a sound of the blade cutting through the air; the deadly strike had already arrived silently.

"It's been a long time, Tosen Kaname. Compared to a hundred years ago, your abilities have grown considerably. You were even able to find me when I was deliberately hiding myself. I'm very pleased."

"!!!"

But then, something beyond imagination happened. A sword strike that should have surely killed the enemy...

It didn't work out.

No, it didn't miss, it was blocked!

Chapter 132: The Attack

It was unbelievable. Even though Kaname Tosen hadn't poured all his life's energy into this one sword strike, a strike from a captain-level Shinigami was not something that could be easily blocked.

Not to mention just... with just one finger!

Tosen couldn't see the man's face, and didn't even know what he looked like.

But one could hear the unparalleled confidence and arrogance in his slightly theatrical voice.

"Compared to that time, you're already a captain now, the Ninth Division? That's great. If I were in charge of assigning you responsibilities, you should be in the same position."

Tōsen ignored him, his attack missed, and even his Zanpakutō was blocked by the opponent.

In other words, having made physical contact with his opponent, Tosen must realize that his biggest weakness and vulnerability has likely been discovered by him. In such a situation, it is all the more necessary for him to immediately distance himself from him and reassess the battle.

The next time they act, they will certainly not make the same mistake again. But until then,

Kaname Tosen felt a sudden pain strike him as his shihaka robe was ripped open, his flesh torn apart, and blood gushed from the wound on his chest.

He was sent flying, crashing into a table piled high with documents behind him, breaking the table in the process.

But his Zanpakuto, Kiyomushi, was not taken away; it remained firmly in his hand. "...Why?!"

More than being slashed, more than being knocked away, the biggest confusion that first surfaced in Tosen Kaname's mind was this: "Why?"

This darkness of ignorance is not devoid of any voice. It is not incapable of doing anything.

All the laws of physics continue to operate as they were originally.

The only ones affected are those shrouded in darkness. In other words, the senses of those in this place—hearing, sight, throat sensation, and even spiritual pressure—all disappear. Only the enemy is affected.

In other words, these people are capable of saying certain things.

Dongxian could hear it. He could sense what these people were capable of doing.

They could even launch an attack on Tosen.

They themselves didn't even know whether they had hit empty ground or people.

In other words, even if they say something, you can't hear it, and it's even difficult to tell whether you said it or not.

That's why, when those exact words came out of that man's mouth almost simultaneously with Tosen Kaname's, Tosen Kaname, who controlled the darkness itself, felt a sense of horror.

Even if one never loses their fear of battle, and always holds battle in awe.

Kaname Tosen had to admit that the horror and fear he felt from this man had not diminished in the slightest from a hundred years ago to the present. "That's what you're saying now, isn't it?"

Only Tosen Kaname could see (or sense) that the man moved with even more ease in the darkness than Tosen Kaname himself. He casually pushed aside the people blocking his way from Tosen Kaname and walked straight toward him.

"Why did I release you even though I've already come into contact with your Qingchong? Why am I still able to move freely in this darkness even without the Qingchong? You must be very confused and puzzled by the situation before you."

Tosen Kaname's solution is to transform the spiritual pressure released by his Zanpakuto into a massive ellipsoidal barrier that envelops Tosen Kaname and the enemy, preventing them from being harmed.

All other senses except touch disappeared. The only reason for retaining touch was to feel the pain of being at Tosen's mercy.

However, this solution also has a weakness, or rather, a safeguard: the person wielding the Soul-Slaying Insect can retain full perception and remain unaffected by the environment of the Dimensional Realm.

In that attack, the man blocked Qingchong's attack with his fingers. He could have taken the opportunity to subdue Qingchong. If he could take Qingchong away, he could not only regain all his senses in this darkness, but also seize control of this coin and slaughter Dongxian Yao, who was trapped in his own terrifying state.

But he didn't do that. He casually gave up the opportunity and with one stroke, he sent Dong Xianyao flying.

Instead of worrying about how much damage this strike caused to Tosen, the biggest strategic mistake was letting the Zanpakuto, Kiyomushi, fly out of his hand.

Was it because that man didn't know the true uses and value of the Qingchong? Tosen Kaname didn't think so.

"Have you forgotten that a hundred years ago you used every means to attack me under the same circumstances? In other words, you don't think that the same solution will still work on me a hundred years later, do you?"

The man pinpointed Tosen Kaname's location and stopped right in front of him, looking down at him. His demeanor made one wonder who truly possessed the solution.

Ultimately, it's a very simple principle. Because we were on completely different levels from the start, what works for others doesn't work for me.

Invalid, that's an easy situation to understand.

Don't be fooled by him.

This man's greatest strength lies in concealing his true nature and in deceiving others with words. Believing his words, even if they come from an enemy, will only put you in a completely passive position.

His ability to solve problems is absolute. No matter what his reasons were for giving up the chance to take the Qingchong, or what methods he used to feign composure within the area covered by the Yama Cricket.

It is absolute that he has lost all senses except touch, and it is enough to be clearly aware of this.

There was no response from the man; even if there had been, he wouldn't have heard it.

It's not a question of whether the other person can hear me or not; it's that I shouldn't have bothered with him in the first place.

There must be more important things to do than talking, right? With that thought in mind, Tosen Kaname ignored his bleeding wound and forced himself to stand up again.

Now that this man had come so close, there was no reason not to do it. Tosen Kaname swung his Zanpakuto at the man before him once more.

This time, it wasn't an ordinary attack; the power was transferred into the Zanpakuto, making it an attack that couldn't be easily blocked. However, it failed to hit the enemy!

Just before Tosen Kaname was about to be struck, the man took a step back, and with just that one step, he completely avoided Tosen Kaname's attack.

Moreover, as Tosen gritted his teeth and pressed on, repeatedly slashing at him with his blade, he either retreated, turned to the side, or bent over, easily dodging Tosen's attacks each time.

In the end, it was almost as if they were showing off their power.

He even raised his new soul sword and blocked Tosen Kaname's slash while it was still sheathed.

"So you don't believe what I say. But that's understandable. I can understand you. After all, who would want to believe reality if it weren't for undeniable facts? No matter who it is, everyone tends to believe what they want to believe."