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Tsujido chewed on the root of the Prison Stone Flower, a peculiar mix of bitterness and sweetness spreading in his mouth, stimulating his throat and oral cavity until they felt numb.
A surge of energy made his forehead throb slightly, causing a mild dizziness, somewhat like being drunk.
He didn't like drinking, but he loved this feeling of dizziness!
Because the slight dizziness produced by the Prison Stone Flower root not only didn't make him fall asleep, but instead made him excited, his reactions quicker than usual.
Most of the villains in the lower-numbered sections were born and raised in Soul Society; only a very small portion died in the Human World and, for various reasons, eventually became residents of the lower-numbered sections!
And among these people, Tsujido was the only great villain who had experienced two worlds!
But unlike those villains, he didn't become a villain because his personality changed drastically over long years, nor because of hatred for the Soul Society system, at least Tsujido himself didn't think so.
When he first arrived in Soul Society, he, like ordinary people, followed the rules and lived a stable life; however, unlike others, he possessed strong Reishi talent.
Even without deliberate cultivation, his spiritual pressure gradually grew stronger.
This talent once made him lose himself, immersed in the admiring gazes of those around him; in his view at that time, his life was very good.
It wasn't until several centuries later that he was shocked to realize!
Those admiring gazes were utterly useless, merely shackles that bound him in place, making him, like the surrounding useless people, follow so-called rules.
Fortunately, he awakened and broke free from his shackles.
At that moment, he realized that as long as he was strong enough, he didn't need to follow any damn rules.
Whether it was food, wealth, status, women... anything he desired could be obtained by the simplest methods; why should he bother trying to please a bunch of useless people?
And in fact, it was so!
People he disliked were not to be taught a lesson, but killed!
Things he wanted were not to be worked for, but plundered!
Beautiful women were not to be pursued, but forcefully taken!
...
Even admiring gazes, the shackles that had always bound him, Tsujido could obtain through simple means.
Unspeakable joy!!
When he became strong enough, he didn't even need to act personally; with just a gesture, his followers would bring him whatever he desired.
This was the life he wanted, this was his true nature, or rather...
This was everyone's true nature.
The reason they hadn't awakened was simply because they were a bunch of useless people, and he was a born king!!
Tsujido's reason for going to the lower-numbered sections was simple: because it was the only place where he didn't need to follow any rules; even those busybody Shinigami tacitly acknowledged the existence of the lower-numbered sections.
No matter what happened there, it wouldn't attract their attention.
All along, he had believed that as long as he didn't provoke those Shinigami, he could live the life he wanted!
Until...
That monster named Kenpachi appeared!
After witnessing those whose strength was comparable to his own die one by one, when Kenpachi appeared before him, Tsujido unhesitatingly chose to kneel and submit.
He was different from other villains; he respected the strong!
So he survived.
Kenpachi didn't even attack him, there was just a momentary flicker of disdain in his eyes, but this disdain also vanished, as if facing him, he couldn't even be bothered to express disdain.
Regardless, he survived, and after Kenpachi left, he moved from South 79 District to South 80 District, becoming a so-called great villain.
Unfortunately...
There was another guy who was also a great villain; they had many conflicts until a few decades ago...
Tsujido couldn't remember the exact time, just as he couldn't remember how many years he had lived.
In short, one day, that person suddenly disappeared!
Not disappeared, but rather retreated to his own territory and never reappeared.
At the time, Tsujido was very happy about this.
But when the other party reappeared, Tsujido regretted it; the other party had become a monster.
Not 'strong like a monster' as an adjective, but a monster in the true sense of the word.
A monster that grew stronger by devouring.
Watching his followers die one by one, swallowed one by one, he once again chose to kneel and submit!
This time, he also made the right choice!
Although unlike Kenpachi, the other party treated him like a dog, staying alive was more important than anything else.
Especially when he personally witnessed the other two villains in West 80th District being devoured by the monster, he became even more convinced of this idea: as long as this continued, when the other party one day made the same choice as Kenpachi, he would still be the strongest great villain, and the only great villain!
Mindset determines the path, vision determines the outcome.
In Tsujido's view, it was precisely because he had a different mindset and vision from other great villains that he lived, while they died.
What a pity, Nishijin Ori escaped!!
Thinking of Nishijin Ori, Tsujido's expression turned somewhat grim; in his nearly thousand years of life, this was the first time he had come so close to death.
That was simply an inexplicable brute.
The monster wasn't even ready to go to West 80th District yet, but he had already charged into South 80 District, and as soon as he arrived, he targeted him.
No matter how he tried to communicate with him, it was useless; he was single-mindedly determined to kill him.
Indeed, great villains are all lunatics!
Tsujido slowly got up and spat out the root from his mouth: "Did you find him?"
Almost as soon as his words fell, several figures ran out of the woods, shouting, "We found him! Nishijin Ori is hiding in a shop called the 'Everything Store' in District 38."
"We asked around and heard that the Everything Store is a shop that takes on any kind of work, and the Boss is a guy named Ishikawa Katori; he's very famous in the safe zone, you can find out about him with just a little inquiry.
They say he's only been in Soul Society for five years."
Only five years?
Tsujido was stunned for a moment; upon hearing the words 'Everything Store', his first thought was of someone his subordinate Toguro had once mentioned—a black-haired youth whose strength was slightly greater than his, and who was extremely skilled in Kaido.
It was he who had protected Nishijin Ori when they were both injured.
But upon hearing that the kid named Ishikawa Katori had only been in Rukongai for five years, he became unsure if the person he was thinking of was the same one.
Five years, just staying in Rukongai, it was impossible to grow to the same level as Toguro, unless he was also a monster!
"Heh heh, that's quite interesting."
Tsujido let out a strange laugh and didn't dwell on it; whether the person was the one he was thinking of or not, he was doomed.
The monster's goal was to devour all the great villains, and then challenge Zaraki Kenpachi in his strongest state; if he wasn't still useful, he could be devoured at any time.
Fortunately, there seemed to be some problem with the monster's method of getting stronger; his entire state was extremely unstable, and his spiritual pressure was abnormally violent, giving the impression that his body could disintegrate into Reishi at any moment.
It was for this reason that Nishijin Ori and the other person were able to escape.
He had to make him devour Nishijin Ori as soon as possible, otherwise he would be the next to be devoured.
After devouring the other two great villains, his state clearly became even more unstable, yet only continuous devouring could stabilize his state.
These days, Tsujido had been sending all the villains from West 80th District to him, but the strength of these people was simply too weak.
After a few days, the monster clearly became more and more violent, and his gaze towards him increasingly resembled that of looking at food.
Upon realizing this, he had also thought about escaping, but he ultimately gave up.
Because he couldn't escape at all; in fact, if he showed even a hint of disobedience, he would be instantly devoured.
To escape, he had to wait for someone who could temporarily restrain him to appear, allowing him to escape and hide when the monster was too preoccupied to pay him attention.
As for whether the monster would later die at Kenpachi's hands or disintegrate due to his unstable state, that would be irrelevant to Tsujido.
As long as he found an opportunity!!
The west was no longer possible, but the east and north certainly could, especially the north, with a total of 4 great villains; if they united, they could definitely temporarily hold him back, and Tsujido had also immediately sent his subordinates to spread the word throughout the north!
As long as they weren't fools, they would definitely prepare in advance.
However, the immediate priority was to find a way to make him devour Nishijin Ori first to stabilize his condition.
Thinking of this, Tsujido rose from the stone, spat out the root from his mouth, and with a respectful expression, walked towards the depths of the forest, finally stopping at the edge of a clearing.
"Lord Genji, Nishijin Ori's location has been found."
...
Seireitei.
To the east of the Sixth District, lay Nobility Street, lined with the mansions of nobles, high-class restaurants, and facilities exclusively for nobles.
At its center was the Great Central District, which commoners, even Shinigami, could not enter without an invitation from a noble.
This 'commoner' did not refer to Rukongai residents, but to Shinigami!
Because this was the noble district, and also where the 'Inner Court' in the name 'Inner Court Guards' of the Seventh Squad of the Gotei 13 was located!
In that Great Central District, not only were the Five Great Noble Families present, but also many other great nobles of Seireitei.
And in the central area, there was a castle-like building.
That was the Tsunayashiro Family, responsible for managing the Great Spirit Book Corridor, knowing all the history and intelligence of Soul Society, and once hailed as the head of the Five Great Noble Families.
In a side room of the Tsunayashiro Family, two figures stood and sat.
The standing man had a delicate appearance, looking to be about 20 years old, giving a very gentle impression, but if one observed closely, one would notice a subtle hint of grimness deep in his eyes.
"Lord Genji, the experimental subject has left West 80th District and is heading towards District 38. Should we stop him?" the standing youth asked softly.
"No matter," the man he called Lord Genji chuckled lightly.
"Let him continue to cause trouble; I'm very curious to see how much value he can truly provide."
Genji paused slightly: "After all, he's just an unstable experimental subject."
The youth frowned slightly upon hearing this: "But…"
"Take my order and go to the Twelfth Division; tell the 'Reishi Measurement Research Department' within the Technology Development Bureau to temporarily stop monitoring Reishi in the west.
At such a far distance, as long as he's not monitored, no matter how much trouble he causes, it will be fine.
As for other matters, I will have people handle the aftermath."
"Yes!"
"However, I hope your next work can be more complete." Genji smiled slightly, his tone gentle: "I made you the director of Shin'ō Academy not for this kind of failure."
The youth's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this; he merely nodded.
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