It wouldn't matter even if one part of the process went wrong.
Because Menos Grande would never disappear, and the souls devoured by Menos Grande were as reliable as a hidden backup energy source.
They were like relief food during a drought.
As long as they could get through that difficult period, things would return to normal afterward.
And the kokuto in front of him belonged to the latter.
kokuto was slightly stunned: "Regain freedom?"
He suspected he had misheard.
Of course, it was also possible that the red-haired man in front of him had misspoken…
How could a Sinners regain freedom?
Clearly…
"Is there a problem?" Yoriichi asked softly.
There was a huge problem!
kokuto hastily said, "May I ask, esteemed sir, why are you so certain that we can regain our freedom?"
"What is the situation in the Third Layer now? What about the next layer?"
"Am I not dreaming? Have the other Hells changed as well?"
In fact, even if Yoriichi didn't say it, kokuto knew that Hell had definitely changed.
But what it had changed into, he had no idea.
The Second Layer had become the Fourth Layer, and the Fourth Layer had become the Second Layer…
So what layer had the Fifth Level become now? And which layer was the Third Layer?
kokuto had a million questions waiting to be answered.
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, he thought of the huge disparity in status between them, and he ultimately swallowed those words back.
Yoriichi glanced at him and said, "You have many questions, but I can understand."
"How about this: you answer a few of my questions, and I'll answer a few of yours?"
In Yoriichi's vision, the sin on kokuto's head appeared green.
This meant that he hadn't harmed many people in his life.
It was very likely that he had acted to protect someone.
If Hell possessed subjective human thought, then an existence like kokuto should not have fallen into Hell.
But unfortunately, Hell was not human.
Therefore, Yoriichi decided to give him a chance.
kokuto was somewhat flattered.
This seemingly fair exchange was actually not fair at all.
For Yoriichi, the thousand questions kokuto answered might not even be worth one question he answered.
But Yoriichi still did it…
What did he see to treat him this way?
kokuto was full of doubts and slowly said, "I personally don't have any questions, but, esteemed sir…"
"My name is Yoriichi Tsugikuni," Yoriichi interrupted, "No need to use honorifics."
"Understood, Tsugikuni-sama." kokuto ignored him.
Are you kidding? The disparity in their status was obvious.
Not use honorifics? Those few guys next to you would surely chop me down.
Especially that eager, seemingly itching-to-fight girl…
He took a deep breath, paused, and continued:
"What do you wish to know? I will surely tell you everything I know."
…
He humbled himself greatly, just to seize that slim chance of gaining freedom.
Yoriichi had indeed said that as long as they reached the Third Layer, they could gain freedom.
Those accompanying him also did not object.
However, besides them, no one knew what the current situation of the Third Layer was.
kokuto had only met Yoriichi for the first time today and knew nothing of Yoriichi's character, so he naturally could not trust them unconditionally.
Yoriichi nodded slightly in response, and then the conversation officially began.
Before long, he had a general understanding of what had happened to kokuto.
For his sister, huh… This sense of déjà vu was quite strong.
Yoriichi suddenly realized that among the people he knew, it seemed that more than half of them had sisters.
Ōmaeda, Madarame, Kucihki, and while Yoruichi didn't have a sister, she had a younger brother who was like a sister to her…
If these people encountered danger, would they stand by and do nothing?
Clearly not.
kokuto's experience further strengthened Yoriichi's resolve to release those innocent Sinners.
—Of course, they would have to serve a certain period of sentence; after all, there's no one in the world who is truly without guilt.
Beside him, Kisuke Urahara saw Yoriichi's expression and gently furrowed his brow.
He had intended to remind him, but the words caught in his throat, and he ultimately swallowed them back.
Forget it, let Yoriichi do as he pleases.
After all, kokuto's experience was indeed quite tragic.
Putting himself in kokuto's shoes, he would probably have done the same.
Although he always prioritized the bigger picture, he was not someone who didn't know how to weigh things.
He also had emotions; the words he had spoken earlier were only based on hypothetical situations.
If he truly acted with absolute rationality, he would never have been able to become a Captain; Hiyori's rejection alone would have been enough to make him suffer.
Sighing softly, Kisuke Urahara quickly composed himself.
He no longer focused on the conversation between Yoriichi and kokuto, but instead walked towards the edge of Living Hell on his own.
Through the thin, miasma-formed clouds, he gazed at the Fifth Level of Hell.
Even without having arrived, Kisuke Urahara could imagine that below was a land of extreme cold.
No wonder Yoriichi had said that Hibasa was seeking death.
Once he went there, he probably wouldn't be able to return.
…
…
Regardless of Kisuke Urahara's thoughts, the conversation between Yoriichi Tsugikuni and kokuto had already reached its end.
Both parties had obtained everything they wanted to know.
Honestly, kokuto found it hard to believe.
Just now, he had imagined countless identities for Yoriichi Tsugikuni, but he never expected Yoriichi Tsugikuni to be the master of Hell.
He could freely control everything within Hell; no wonder the environment had undergone such a drastic change in an instant…
The Third Layer had become Burning Hell, which was the area kokuto had once stayed in.
In that case, it wasn't too difficult.
It was just that a hundred years was too long, and Yoriichi had made some adjustments for this situation.
He learned the current dwelling place of kokuto's sister and planned to visit the Human World after leaving Hell.
If it was truly as kokuto had said, then the years of his sentence could be appropriately reduced.
After all, after a hundred years, even the youngest human would turn into a mound of yellow earth.
kokuto was clearly not a Shinigami.
Of course, he could also temporarily take kokuto out of Hell after the matter was concluded…
Both were options; he would see then.
"I am truly grateful to you, Tsugikuni-sama."
Due to Yoriichi Tsugikuni's words, a strong sense of gratitude instantly welled up in kokuto's heart.
"Your great kindness is something I can never repay in this lifetime."
"If you ever need me in the future, I will not hesitate to face a myriad of deaths!"
"Please take me with you; I am not afraid of death!"
Although Yoriichi had given him two choices, he very rationally chose the second one.
He no longer wanted to disturb his sister; he only wished to see her one more time.
Therefore, freedom after serving his sentence had become irrelevant in his eyes.
As long as he could temporarily leave Hell, he was willing to do anything.
Even if it meant following Yoriichi and dying for them, he wouldn't hesitate.
Their strength was indeed immensely powerful, but there would always be times when they needed him.
As soon as these words were spoken, even Kisuke Urahara's attention was instantly drawn.
Kisuke slightly turned his head, looking at kokuto, a hint of surprise appearing in his expression.
He spoke before Yoriichi could: "Are you serious?"
"Yoriichi has already said that as long as you stay honestly in the Third Layer, we will take you out once everything is over."
"If you follow us, your safety cannot be guaranteed."
"Also, your strength…"
He had seen many Shinigami with compassion and righteousness, but this was truly the first time he had seen a Sinners with compassion and righteousness.
All those he encountered in the first three layers were lunatics, not a single normal person, including Hibasa, the strongest he had just seen.
This unique existence of kokuto had piqued Kisuke Urahara's interest, but his strength was a bit weak.
Their goal was the deepest layer, and even if kokuto had the ability to be immortal, he probably couldn't withstand the torment along the way.
kokuto said as a matter of course:
"What about my strength? You are my benefactors; is there a problem with repaying my benefactors?"
"If it weren't for you, I would probably have been implicated by that Hibasa just now."
"I know your goal, but I won't overexert myself. At most, if I can't go deeper, I'll just stay where I am."
"But before that, please let me help you."
"I, kokuto, have never been one to be ungrateful."
Of course, the main reason kokuto made this choice was the strength of these five people.
He really wanted to see how strong they truly were.
Kisuke Urahara was out of the question; his displayed combat power had crushed Hibasa, so his true depth couldn't be seen.
But Yoriichi Tsugikuni… he was undoubtedly the strongest among these five.
So, as we delve deeper into Hell, we should be able to witness him in action.
More friends mean more options; who knows, we might meet again in the future.
Kisuke Urahara was speechless; he couldn't refuse this offer, given it was an act of repayment.
The person had disregarded his own life and death; refusing again would seem to tarnish his resolve.
Fine, let him do as he pleases, as long as it doesn't affect us.
Kisuke Urahara looked at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who remained silent for a moment before nodding slightly.
Yoriichi turned around and walked forward, his calm voice slowly resonating:
"If you want to come, then come. Just a heads-up, don't blame us if you can't keep up."
Not being able to keep up would mean the environment is an area the kokuto cannot tread, and thus, he should stop there.
Yoriichi didn't need his gratitude, but if he insisted on repaying him... then Yoriichi couldn't do anything about it.
His loyal and righteous character was indeed good, but there was no need for him to go "to his death" with them.
...
Yoriichi led the group out of Living Hell.
Continuing forward, upon stepping into Eight Cold Hells, an indescribable cold surged forth like a tide.
The air here was filled with bone-chilling winds, so biting that they could instantly freeze a Shinigami with Second-Grade Reiatsu.
As for those with Third-Grade Reiatsu, living in such an environment, they would shatter into ice shards with the slightest carelessness.
Yoriichi's Reiatsu was at the First-Grade level, so he naturally felt nothing.
However, Kisuke Urahara, the three Captains, and kokuto were different.
The moment Kisuke Urahara touched the ground, he felt a bone-piercing chill penetrate to his core, causing him to involuntarily sneeze.
A vast expanse of white entered his vision.
After a brief thought, he realized that he could probably only function normally for about six hours in this environment.
After that, his limbs would gradually stiffen until he couldn't move, passively waiting for death to arrive.
Although Yoriichi was present, becoming a Sinners after death was not unacceptable, but the process of waiting for death was simply too agonizing.
The white mist he exhaled instantly turned into ice fog and dissipated in the air.
Kisuke Urahara suppressed the cold and turned to Yoriichi, sighing, "Eight Cold Hells truly lives up to its reputation. No wonder they don't want to come back."
Saito Furofushi saw Kisuke Urahara's expression, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he said, "Oh, you finally understand our situation."
"I've said it before, no one wants to stay in this damned place for long."
"As the original Sixth Layer, Eight Cold Hells is quite special."
"It's the dividing line between the strong and the weak; most of the Captains and Menos Grande reside here."
Kisuke Urahara asked, "Then have you never thought of going up to the original Fifth Level—Great Scorching Hell?"
"It should be more comfortable there, right?"
Batsu'unsai Katori, standing nearby, sighed and replied, "Actually, it's all the same."
"Whether it's Eight Cold Hells or Great Scorching Hell, it's a torment for us."
"However, compared to high temperatures, we still prefer extreme cold."
"You've lived in Soul Society for so many years; you should know that hot weather is more unbearable."
"This is also why Eight Cold Hells has gathered a large number of Captains and Menos Grande."
"These cold winds can freeze a Third-Grade Reiatsu, but they can't freeze a Second-Grade Reiatsu."
As she spoke, she gave Kisuke Urahara a meaningful look.
Suddenly, everyone noticed that kokuto, with his Sixth-Grade Reiatsu, had already frozen solid in the biting wind.
With a 'crack,' kokuto shattered into ice shards.
Then his figure slowly reappeared on the other side, his face filled with lingering fear.
This was the consequence of overestimating himself, but Batsu'unsai Katori said nothing.
After all, Sinners cannot die; dying a few more times might even awaken special abilities.
Batsu'unsai Katori slightly shifted her gaze to Kisuke Urahara, her subtly raised eyebrow conveying everything.
Kisuke Urahara awkwardly coughed twice and quickly stated that they needed to act quickly.
While he wasn't afraid of death, dying in such a humiliating way was simply too disgraceful.
He turned his body and used Kido, attempting to convert his Reiatsu into fire-attribute.
However, unfortunately, the high temperature was suppressed by the extreme cold; even with his full effort, he could only ignite a fist-sized flame.
This flame was enough for illumination, but to dispel the cold...
Just as Kisuke Urahara was troubled by how to explore Eight Cold Hells.
A surging and vast blaze, enough to completely engulf half the sky, instantly caught his attention.
Boom!
The explosive roar of the flames was deafening like thunder, and the scorching heat instantly dispelled all the cold from his body.
Kisuke Urahara turned his head in a daze.
What met his eyes was a surging vortex of fire, shooting straight into the sky, burning vigorously from Yoriichi Tsugikuni's palm.
The howling wind was like a roaring dragon; the originally snow-covered ground instantly turned into a black scorched earth.
Faintly, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's soft murmur could be heard:
"Is the power too strong...? Indeed, it won't work. It seems Shunko can only be used for combat..."
"Forget it..."
Kisuke Urahara had no idea what Yoriichi Tsugikuni was thinking.
He watched as Yoriichi slowly closed his palm, and the howling fire vortex seemed to have all the surrounding air instantly sucked out, abruptly extinguishing completely.
This scene left Kisuke so astonished that he seemed to have lost the ability to speak; for a moment, he didn't know how to open his mouth.
On the other side, Shihouin Sennich's reaction was completely different from Kisuke Urahara's.
He widened his eyes, his face full of shock and disbelief, and quickly shouted, "Is that Shunko?!"
Just now, he seemed to have felt wind-type Reiatsu and fire-type Reiatsu...
What is this guy trying to do? Create a natural disaster?
No wonder the fire vortex formed had such immense power.
Wind fuels fire; when the two combine, it's definitely not a simple one plus one equals two.
If, in his normal Wind God form, Yoriichi could level a city by maximizing his Reiatsu output,
Then with the combination of wind and fire, two nearby cities would be burned to a desolate wasteland.
The power was no less than a tsunami, and what was even more terrifying was that a tsunami could come in waves.
How despairing would it be to barely survive one wave only for another to come.
He couldn't even bear to think about it; his Shihouin Sennich had just barely developed the prototype of the Thunder God form under Yoruichi's guidance...
Yoriichi Tsugikuni had already taken another big step forward...
Do you not need time to mature?
Just at this moment.
"Rumble!"
A loud noise came from above, drawing everyone's attention.
They looked up and saw a huge arena falling straight down from the sky.
A shadow enveloped them, falling into their eyes.
Even Saito Furofushi and Batsu'unsai Katori, who were unaware of Shunko's true power, couldn't help but gape.
No way... Living Hell was knocked down?
Although it was just one of its arenas.
But... the two Hells are hundreds of kilometers apart!
Could that attack cover such a long distance?
This is too abnormal.
Yoriichi, however, didn't think much of it, because Reiatsu's output range is inherently difficult to judge.
Hundreds of kilometers... If you think about it, it's just one Seireitei.
There are plenty of abilities that can destroy Seireitei, and his is just one more.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of Eight Cold Hells.
Kenpachi Kuruyashiki was sitting opposite a First Generation Captain, leisurely playing chess.
The sudden sound instantly reached their ears, and both of them simultaneously looked up towards the direction of the sound.
With just one glance, their pupils involuntarily constricted.
I must be dreaming, seeing hallucinations, something's not right...
At that moment, a thought flashed through their minds.
They then closed their eyes, pondered for a moment, and then looked up again.
However, the scene before them remained unchanged; indeed, Hell had fallen from the sky...
"What's going on?!" Kenpachi Kuruyashiki suddenly stood up, his tall figure exuding a heavy aura.
Even though he was usually composed, he couldn't remain calm now.
Hell fell down?
This was as absurd as the Soul King Palace falling down. Who on earth did this?