Listen and Read
How many years had it been since he grabbed hold of that random Togabito's chain and crossed the gates of eternal suffering and damnation? One? No, it had been two years since his superior sent him on this excursion to Hell. The mission was simple when summed into words by the entity known by enemies and allies alike as
Kouka.
"You will go to Hell and obtain information about the whereabouts of the individuals that went missing during the Shattered Dimensions event. Once you have it, you will report directly back to me."
There was no emotion or any fluctuation of tone in the Commander's voice as it massively echoed through the confines of the Commander's Throne Room. There was only the task assigned for him to complete, and it would be done without fail. Nothing less than satisfactory results would be tolerated from members of the First Division, especially from one of the Gotei 13's finest elite officers. For three hundred years under the leadership of the infamous
Shobatsu Murasaki, the First Division had not known the meaning of the word "failure." And the man known as the
White Streaked Oni,
Yami Mochizuki, would ensure that the concept of failure would remain unknown and unfamiliar as long as he was a member.
That one phrase began resurfacing to the forefront of his mind as he slowly walked towards the colossal Gates of Hell. Even from nine hundred yards away, the massive exit was easily visible. The Gates of Hell were red in color, covered with patterned streaks of fire along the surface. The gates were bound together by a black column adorned with gold cygnets and gold chains wrapped around them, effectively sealing the gate closed and preventing it from opening more than merely two feet wide. The long and arduous months of reconnaissance in the underworld were worth it in the end. He had learned many things about the realm of Hell and its inhabitants. There was a palpable shift in the wind.
The realm of Hell was going through an unique type of metamorphosis. Over the course of two years, the random assortment of white blocks floating in mid-air were forming into elaborate structures and buildings while the blue pathways that led to the gigantic black abyss were becoming more intricate and outlined. However, the Reiatsu in the air was also becoming more potent and foul. Anyone that did not possess a large pool of Reiryoku would inevitably be driven insane by the strangling and torturous effect of Hell's Reiatsu within three days time. The Togabitos were also becoming more aggressive as well. By the day, they were growing stronger and faster. Their abilities and battle tactics were becoming more destructive and dangerous yet simultaneously more clever and shrewd as well. Additionally, the Togabito population was rapidly growing in size, causing many different factions of Togabitos to form. Despite the fact that the Reiryoku levels of both the subjects and the wardens of Hell were increasing exponentially, the Kushanadas were beginning to have trouble keeping the Togabitos under control because of the constant flow of souls inflating their ever-increasing numbers. With all of these startling discoveries and observations based on experience combined with what happened hours prior, the Shinigami figured that it was time for him to return to his home.
The entire environment of Hell had been shaken to its core five hours ago by a sudden ear piercing banshee-like wail accompanied by a massive surge of potent malicious Reiatsu. The jarring surge of Reiatsu did not affect the Shinigami in particular, but it caused the small formation of Togabitos that surrounded him at the time to suddenly evaporate into thin air. The rumors of a mythical being being held in a secret level of Hell must have been true to a certain extent, as the demeanor of the majority of the Togabitos changed after the surge in Reiatsu. It drove the majority of them completely insane, causing them to behave like rabid animals, slaughtering each other and ferociously attacking the patrolling Kushanadas with reckless abandon. It was growing increasingly difficult for the veteran Shinigami to travel through the realm without being ambushed by a drove of frenzied enemies and chased by the wardens. However, the exit to this realm of eternal suffering and damnation was in sight. Now the only remaining task to be completed was simple; break out of
Hell and return home to the Soul Society.
With his sheathed Zanpakutou gripped firmly in his left hand along with his left thumb resting on the guard of the blade, Yami placed his free right hand on his forehead and proceeded to swipe upwards with it, swiftly running his hand through his shoulder length unkempt two-toned black and white hair to revert it back to its usual laid back and smooth style. Without any warning, a total of ten Togabitos appeared from the skies and landed directly in front of Yami, obstructing the Shinigami's path to the colossal gate. After releasing a disgruntled sigh, Yami flicked his left thumb upwards, marking the unsealing of the black and red blade from its scabbard. An audible
'click' sound could be heard as the blade was popped open.
Hakaimono, the Zanpakutou, began pulsating with black and red Reiryoku energy, steadily increasing in strength and cutting power as time went on. A strong sudden burst of wind could be felt from where Yami once stood, but the Shinigami himself was nowhere to be seen.
The overly aggressive Togabitos were left in a panic, frantically looking around in an attempt to pinpoint the location of the invader. However, it was already too late for them. Nothing could save them from their inevitable deaths now. Without any warning, a massive gash appeared on the first Togabito's chest before the unfortunate prisoner found himself dying and overtaken by metal chains. Before the remainder of the Togabitos could properly respond to the death of the first one, they found themselves being overwhelmed by what appeared to be a black and white blur of pure destruction. Once the first strike connected, the Shinigami launched his scabbard charged with Reiryoku energy through the air with such speed and force that it functioned momentarily as a bullet, piercing directly through four more enemies with ease. Utilizing the speed of his Shunpo maneuver combined with his mastery of the blade to his advantage, Yami struck the remaining four enemies that his scabbard did not connect with in the midst of his Shunpo by swinging his sword in a circular arc and releasing the blade from his grip at the highest point of momentum; allowing the glowing Zanpakutou to fly through the air with the functionality of a boomerang and cleave through the enemies within the radius of his new position without any issue. At the end of its circular path, Yami caught the blade with his left hand and slid the Zanpakutou back into its scabbard while it was streamlining through the air just as it pierced through the last remaining Togabito. With one Hoho maneuver, the Togabitos were slain and the remaining distance between him and the colossal set of gates was crossed. Now, there was only one more obstacle standing between him and his home.
The
White Streaked Oni stood face to face with one of the many wardens of Hell. This particular Kushanada was slightly larger than the others, armed with a massive cleaver in one of its four elongated limbs. With no hesitation, the warden of Hell brought its cleaver down in a vertical motion, aiming to completely bisect the Shinigami from his skull all the way down the middle of his body. The swift attack was in vain, as Yami dashed six feet to the side of the gargantuan blade. Just as he evaded the blow from the warden, the gates of Hell creaked open and the Kushanada's attention was instantly diverted to the opening gates. It was time for the warden to do its job and bring another unfortunate soul to Hell. As if the warden simply forgot about the Shinigami's existence, it immediately turned towards the gates and lunged its cleaver through the gates; piercing the dissipating Hollow within the
Living World through its abdomen. Without wasting any time, Yami began to take advantage of the Kushanada's sudden lack of attentiveness and withdrew his own blade from its scabbard in a precise diagonal slicing motion. Charged with an immense amount of Reiryoku energy, the
Zanpakutou began its sudden transformation just as quickly as it was being unsheathed from its scabbard, transforming into a five feet long zanbato with six black and red tooth-shaped saw-like blades protruding from the pole-arm. From the first deep laceration made into the Kushanada's unsuspecting flesh, Yami had already sealed the warden's fate. The first strike connected with the Kushanada's limb, leaving a deep gash along with an unsuspecting tag created out of black and red Reiryoku energy on the wound. Once the first strike connected, the Shinigami vanished in the blink of an eye and began a flurry of swift sword slashes, leaving a total of twelve massive gashes with small Reiryoku tags all over the flesh and exposed bones of the Kushanada. The Kushanada yelled out in rage and fell down as a result of the sudden onslaught of attacks while yanking its arm backwards from the gates to pull the mysterious Hollow inside the realm. Just as the Hollow soul had crossed the threshold and passed through the gates of Hell, Yami crossed the threshold along with him and left behind a Kushanada that suddenly began to spontaneously explode as the result of different areas marked by
Hakaimono from a burst of volatile energy. The chain reaction created from the big explosions completely shattered the metal chains that held the gates together, allowing the gates of Hell to blast open for only a moment before shutting themselves shut once again. As the gates of Hell began closing behind him, Yami deactivated his Zanpakutou and placed it on his left side in between the thick white obi sash around his waist. Lifting his head, his eyes were greeted with a familiar and welcoming sight;
Naruki City. The air was light and fresh, especially compared to Hell's environment. However, he did not have any time to lounge around and relish in the sights for he still had a mission to complete and nothing would stop him from doing so. First, he had to get back to the Soul Society and in order to do that, he needed to find a Shinigami and use the Senkaimon.
Traveling from Hell to Naruki City
(Edit Made: Traveling between two threads from Hell to Naruki City
