Kisuke Urahara's lips curled into a slight smile, his gaze leisurely falling upon the two figures below.
Though he had long anticipated that Sinners would attempt to escape from Hell, he had not expected these fellows to be so arrogant, so presumptuous as to want to destroy Hell itself.
Even as the so-called strongest in this Fourth Layer, such words were indeed excessively arrogant.
Moreover, whether this 'strongest' title was true remained to be seen, as it was merely Hibasa's one-sided claim.
Defeating kokuto was nothing, and controlling flames was the same.
His performance was too weak.
If Yamamoto Genryusai's Ryujin Jakka could incinerate an entire forest, then the flames in his hand would probably struggle to even light a piece of paper.
His reishi was only slightly stronger, roughly at a Fourth Level.
It was merely strength slightly superior to an ordinary Vice-Captain.
Kisuke Urahara silently assessed in his mind.
Under the gaze of the two, Kisuke Urahara quickly descended, raising a cloud of dust the moment he landed.
He lightly adjusted the brim of his hat, and then directed his sharp gaze straight at Hibasa.
Yoriichi and the three Captains followed closely, their expressions completely different from Kisuke Urahara's, entirely unconcerned by Hibasa's arrogant words.
A Second Level spiritual power would need luck to leave Hell, let alone a Fourth Level spiritual power…
Hell would not allow them such insolence; treating this as a daydream was quite fitting.
Hibasa was startled by the sudden arrival of the five people from the sky, his body involuntarily shifting back a small step.
He had also fought his way through from Living Hell and knew clearly that, under normal circumstances, only two people could exist on a single arena at a time.
Even if an outsider broke into Living Hell, they would be moved elsewhere by Hell's will the moment they landed.
But what was going on here? Were these five people here to team up and fight a BOSS?
Unsure of the five people's true strength.
Upon noticing Kisuke Urahara's gaze, Hibasa took a deep breath, lowered his voice, and asked:
"Who are you?"
Hibasa observed them carefully, finding no chains characteristic of Sinners on them, no matter how he looked.
Although it was possible they were hidden somewhere unseen, this probability was simply too low; surely not all five of them would be like that!
A certain possibility seemed to cross Hibasa's mind, and his pupils contracted slightly.
At this moment, Kisuke Urahara revealed a meaningful smile:
"That's a good question! Hibasa, if I heard correctly just now, that should be your name, right?"
"I must admit, your luck, in a peculiar sense, has reached its peak."
"We just came down and heard your bold declarations."
"What a pity..." Kisuke Urahara shook his head, feigning regret, "Your grand ambitions, in our eyes, are simply a declaration of war."
"Along the way, we've never seen a Sinners as arrogant as you."
"Truly worthy of being the strongest in the Fourth Layer of Hell!"
Hibasa's expression instantly became extremely ugly, as he clearly heard the sarcasm in Kisuke Urahara's words.
It felt as if he was saying—no matter how hard you try, it will all be in vain.
Hibasa clenched his teeth tightly and demanded in a low voice: "Are you from the outside?"
"Impossible! How did you get in?!"
"How could Hell accommodate so many people at once!"
He had been in Hell for nearly a hundred years and had never seen such a situation.
The Fourth Layer, to some extent, was already considered a deep area of Hell; out of a thousand Sinners, perhaps only ten could delve this deep.
The rest would stop at the first three layers.
And the number of living people who could enter Hell was inherently very small.
Those people lacked strength, finding it incredibly difficult even to pass the First Level, let alone continue deeper...
In these hundred years, he had never seen anyone reach the Fourth Layer.
But now, five people suddenly appeared...
And from their words, it seemed their journey was very easy...
Combining that with terms like "declaration of war" they mentioned... they definitely didn't stumble in by mistake!
At this thought, Hibasa's expression suddenly changed.
The situation was now incredibly clear: these people were definitely enemies.
If it were peacetime, with his subordinates by his side, he would certainly not fear, because they could revive.
Even if they couldn't win, they could slowly wear down the enemy to death with their revival ability.
But now his subordinates weren't around, and the other side had many people... Damn it, he couldn't possibly rely on kokuto.
In this situation, whether kokuto would even be willing to join his side was hard to say.
No wonder the leader of that group claimed his luck had reached its peak... but it was a peak in a negative sense.
Listening to Hibasa's sharp questioning, Kisuke Urahara's expression remained as usual.
His eyes slightly shifted to Yoriichi.
He hadn't forgotten that this time entering Hell, the handling of those Sinners all needed to prioritize Yoriichi's will.
Although he didn't get any information from Yoriichi's expression, it also conveyed a message: they could be dealt with as he pleased.
Kisuke Urahara held a cane, nodded slightly, turned his head, and said with a smile:
"Bingo! You got it right, but unfortunately, there's no prize."
"Just surrender obediently. Whether or not you are the strongest in the Fourth Layer, encountering us, surrender is your only option."
"You've seen the people beside me, haven't you? Each of them possesses combat power ten times greater than yours."
"No matter if your ability is controlling flames or something else, even if you are immortal, you have no power to resist them."
Kisuke Urahara's words made Hibasa grit his teeth in anger; he hadn't been this angry in a long time.
Not because of the surrender itself, but because Kisuke Urahara subjectively believed that he didn't even have a tenth of their combat power.
He was the strongest in the Fourth Layer!
Even if he wasn't as good as the Fifth Level, Sixth Layer, or even deeper areas, he felt it should be pretty close.
Too arrogant, too infuriating; wasn't this clearly saying that he could never leave Hell, no matter how hard he tried in his entire life?
Hibasa's expression instantly turned cold.
"Bang!"
The flames he controlled burned even more fiercely, a wave of heat assailing them, even slightly distorting the space, and the red light illuminated the entire area.
Hibasa stared intently at Kisuke Urahara: "Then what about you?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth, before Kisuke Urahara had time to ponder their meaning, he saw Hibasa instantly vanish from his original spot.
The next second, scorching and surging flames instantly filled his vision.
This sudden scene was like a surprise attack without a word, swift and fierce.
If an ordinary person were here, they would likely be directly struck, but Kisuke Urahara was no ordinary person.
His reaction speed, while not as fast as Yoriichi's, was still quite excellent.
He wore a relaxed smile and slightly raised his cane.
Clang!
The crisp sound of metal clashing erupted between the two.
The heavy force transferred to Kisuke Urahara's wrist, and Benihime, encased in the cane, smoothly unsheathed, emitting a faint hum that cut through the air.
Whoosh.
Hibasa's cloak was easily sliced, and he himself was forced back.
Hibasa stood at the edge of the arena, his expression grim, utterly unprepared for Kisuke Urahara to be so strong.
If he hadn't retreated just now, he would probably have been cut in half.
Where did these monsters come from? Damn it!
...
...
Miscalculation!
Kisuke Urahara had said that the people beside him were strong, but Hibasa had never expected him to be so powerful himself.
Hibasa had thought he could succeed with one blow, then use Kisuke Urahara's life to deter the others and make them retreat in the face of difficulty.
He firmly believed that as long as he could leave Living Hell and reach the next layer, no one would be able to find him again.
However, he hadn't expected this plan to have failed from the very beginning.
He actually couldn't defeat Kisuke Urahara.
These people were simply monsters!
Hibasa cursed silently in his heart; he felt that his so-called "strongest" title had become a huge joke at this moment, like a king among ants.
No matter how high his status among ants, in front of humans, he was merely an existence that could be easily crushed with a single finger.
Directly opposite, Kisuke Urahara calmly raised Benihime, pointed it at Hibasa, and said: "So, this is your choice?"
"It seems you still haven't recognized the situation. I told you, our combat power is more than ten times yours."
"There's nothing wrong with surrendering obediently, or do you want to be killed by us a thousand times, a hundred times, before surrendering?"
As he spoke, Kisuke Urahara suddenly turned his gaze to kokuto, "Kid, are you with him?"
kokuto froze, then quickly waved his hand, indicating: "No, sirs, I don't know him at all."
No joke, whether that tenfold increase in power was real or not, he already understood that Hibasa was absolutely no match for this group.
If he were to side with Hibasa now, he would definitely be treated as an accomplice and killed along with him.
Although he couldn't truly die, the experience before death was quite painful.
Fortunately, he hadn't rashly agreed to Hibasa earlier, otherwise, it would be impossible to explain himself now.
Kisuke Urahara nodded slightly; since kokuto didn't want to get involved, there was naturally no need to bother with him.
This kind of spineless Sinners was common among all Sinners.
If all the Sinners in Hell were like kokuto, Hell's order would naturally be restored, but unfortunately, there were always those ambitious individuals who couldn't see the current situation clearly.
Kisuke Urahara redirected his gaze to Hibasa.
Hibasa felt his scalp tingle under Kisuke Urahara's stare, unsure whether to retreat or advance.
Just then, the corner of his eye caught sight of the Fifth Level, beyond the Living Hell.
A faint miasma, like clouds, completely obscured the scene below, preventing Hibasa from seeing what the next layer of Hell looked like.
But he knew deep down that staying here meant certain death, while going to the next layer might offer a slim chance of survival.
He gritted his teeth, hardened his resolve, and made to jump down.
Seeing this, Kisuke Urahara thought he was trying to escape.
Bang!
Kisuke Urahara took a step forward, intending to stop him.
Just then, Yoriichi's voice calmly sounded:
"Don't worry about him; if he wants to go down, let him."
Yoriichi had witnessed the confrontation between Kisuke Urahara and Hibasa, and could only say that the latter was a standard villain archetype.
He possessed grand ideals and was willing to put in effort, but he always failed to grasp reality, always believing he could turn the tide.
Cornered, he still wanted to fight to the death, but once he found a path to survival, he would rush towards it without hesitation, regardless of where that path led.
The strongest in the Fourth Layer running to the Sixth Layer…
Yoriichi imperceptibly shook his head; even if he didn't intervene, Hibasa would eventually regret it.
His flame-controlling ability was clearly obtained from the Burning Hell, but once he entered the Eight Cold Hells…
"What a pity. Surrender was clearly the best option, but he insisted on seeking death…"
Yoriichi sighed softly.
Hearing this, Kisuke turned his head, about to speak, when the corner of his eye caught sight of Hibasa leaping down from the Living Hell.
Hibasa couldn't comprehend Yoriichi's words at all.
In his opinion, reaching the next layer of Hell was his only way out.
He even thought that even if he knew the next layer of Hell wasn't suitable for him, he could still control his flames to fly back up.
Unfortunately, all these thoughts vanished instantly the moment he broke through that layer of miasma.
The sudden extreme cold that rushed towards him extinguished his flames in an instant.
Under the overwhelming chill, his thoughts suddenly froze.
His pupils dilated instantly, his body completely out of control, and he plunged downwards.
No matter how hard he tried, he could no longer conjure flames.
And without flames as wings, he could only watch helplessly as he got closer and closer to the ground of the Fifth Level.
The boundless, desolate white landscape entered his vision.
A sudden, inexplicable regret surged into his heart.
"Why?!"
Why was the Fifth Level a world of ice and snow?!
He clearly knew that after the Burning Hell, it should have been the Great Scorching Hell!
But why had it completely changed now?!
A wave of panic rose in his heart.
He had to admit, he regretted it.
This was completely inconsistent with what he had expected, even diametrically opposite.
He had originally thought that if it were the Great Scorching Hell, he could unleash combat power beyond his limits there.
Even if those people pursued him, he wouldn't fear them.
However…
"No!"
Hibasa screamed wildly in his heart.
He wanted to shout out, but his mouth was inexplicably frozen by the extreme low temperature.
He couldn't feel his mouth anymore, and even his own body.
It wasn't until the second before impact that he understood that the low temperature didn't just seal his flames, but also his bodily functions.
"Thud!"
The next second, his body hit the ground, and he vaguely heard a muffled sound.
Hibasa seemed to see his body turn into dust and instantly dissipate.
Immediately after, he lost all consciousness.
When his consciousness returned, he stood shakily in a world of ice and snow, trembling all over from the cold.
He understood that he could no longer escape from here.
Unless he reached the next layer, but the problem was…
He was already struggling greatly in this layer.
The Sixth Layer…
At this moment, he suddenly remembered Yoriichi's words…
That seemingly ordinary tone lingered in his heart, yet it felt like a heavy hammer striking his chest, filling him with a pang of sorrow.
A tear was squeezed out, only to turn into an ice crystal and fall to the ground the next moment…
If only he had known, he would have surrendered earlier!
…
Within the Living Hell.
Yoriichi was completely unaware of the extent of Hibasa's current regret.
After Hibasa leaped down, as the threat had vanished, Yoriichi slowly turned his gaze to kokuto.
Noticing the situation, everyone else also simultaneously focused their attention on kokuto.
kokuto felt several gazes like thorns on his back, bringing an unbearable pressure.
The deathly silence around him amplified this pressure manifold.
For a moment, it was so quiet that even the sound of him swallowing was clearly audible.
"Um…" kokuto's slightly hesitant and flustered voice broke the silence.
At this time, he was far from the composed individual he would be in the future, who could even cleverly utilize Kurosaki ichigo.
He opened his mouth, trying his best to suppress the unease in his heart, and asked, "Do you esteemed sirs have any other instructions?"
"If not…"
He really wanted to say that if there was nothing, they might as well let him go like a fart; he felt incredibly unlucky.
He couldn't even beat Hibasa, and facing these five people whom even Hibasa couldn't defeat…
It was truly miserable; if it were a different opponent, none of this would have happened.
What did that red-haired man's last words mean?
Was Hibasa dead?
Was he the strongest one after all?
Thinking of this, kokuto's wavering gaze suddenly fixed on Yoriichi.
But then he realized this action was inappropriate and quickly averted his gaze.
Yoriichi noticed kokuto's actions but didn't pay them any mind, merely speaking softly:
"If you have the ability, go to the upper layer."
"The lower layers of Hell are not places you can tread."
"I see that the sins on your body are not heavy, so there should still be room for salvation."
"As long as you stay in the Third Layer for about a hundred years, you can regain your freedom."
The Third Layer was the Burning Hell, which was originally the Fourth Layer.
Normally, no matter how long a Sinners stayed there, their sins could not be cleansed, nor could they gain freedom.
But after Yoriichi intervened, the situation became completely different.
The Second Layer, Solitary Hell, and the First Layer, Miasma Hell, had given Yoriichi a reminder.
This world never lacked sinners, but it also didn't lack innocent people who were mistakenly swallowed into Hell due to the existence of Hollows.
It was clearly unreasonable for these innocent people to endure the same experiences as those sinners.
So the question arose: when could these innocent people leave Hell?
Yoriichi's initial thought was to wait for the right moment.
After all, rescuing hundreds of thousands of Sinners at once, even if Hell was lenient, would cause a riot due to this action.
Without the painful sustenance generated by these Sinners, Hell would continue to expand.
The so-called timing was about finding a balance between the two…
But now he understood that there was no need to wait for balance; he could actively create it.
Intensify the torment of those who were truly evil, making them generate more painful sustenance.
At the same time, set a rule for those who were not extremely evil…
As long as they completed a certain "production" within a certain period, they could cleanse their sins and leave Hell…
Several situations combined.
The painful sustenance would not decrease, and the disappearance of reishi caused by the departure of Sinners would not affect Hell in any way.
Because, in the Three Realms, wicked people were born every moment.
As long as the Three Realms existed, evil would not perish.
Finally, slightly modify the exit of Hell, allowing them to leave gradually, instead of surging out all at once.
This way, a long-term balance could be maintained.