Urahara Kisuke was quite enthusiastic as he applied special binding techniques to Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
In his eyes, he had done nothing wrong, yet he was being targeted by this mad scientist fellow who was even preparing to lay hands on his Benihime.
This was more than he could bear.
He opened with a combo of Bakudo #61, Six Rods Prison of Light, followed by Bakudo #63, Binding Silken Cord, sealing the man's body from every angle.
The process of throwing Mayuri into a cell went without a hitch.
The squad members had grown accustomed to the occasional battles erupting within the barracks.
In the underground prison, they had seen their leader beat criminals much more savagely than he did this prison warden, Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
After being immersed in this environment for so long, the atmosphere of the Shino Prison barracks had become significantly more down-to-earth compared to before Naraku Sora's arrival.
Everyone was diligent in their duties and fiercely competitive in their training.
They all worked incredibly hard.
Even the naturally gentle and kind Kakyo had subconsciously joined the ranks of the overachievers after joining the prison squad.
In her words, seeing her colleagues training so hard made her feel a strange sense of guilt if she didn't keep up.
As for Koga Kuchiki, he was a different story.
A pure brawler.
Naraku Sora felt a deep sense of grief over the changes in his good friend.
He couldn't understand how such a refined and elegant person had turned into a brainless thug who preferred fistfights and frequently brawled with his own Zanpakuto.
thug.
Koga even had the nerve to call it 'bonding with his Zanpakuto'.
Fortunately, Koga Kuchiki possessed considerable talent in Kido, so he didn't descend into being a complete meathead like those in Squad 11.
Recently, he had even begun researching self-created Kido with members of the Nest of Maggots who had just joined the squad.
The others didn't harbor any ill will toward him because of Muramasa's presence, and they actually got along quite harmoniously.
[SYSTEM: SUCCESSFULLY SUPPRESSED CRIMINAL MAYURI KUROTSUCHI. SIN VALUE: 2,333. PARTICIPATION: 100%!]
[SYSTEM: YOUR REIATSU HAS INCREASED!]
[SYSTEM: UNDERSTANDING OF HADO HAS INCREASED. SUCCESSFULLY LEARNED HADO #90: KUROHITSUGI!]
[SYSTEM: COMPREHENSION OF BAKUDO HAS INCREASED. PERFECTLY MASTERED BAKUDO #63: BINDING SILKEN CORD!]
[SYSTEM: UNDERSTANDING OF SHUNPO HAS INCREASED. PREPARATION EFFICIENCY INCREASED BY 100%!]
Perhaps because no one else interfered in the fight, the suppression of Mayuri had reached 100% participation.
However, what surprised Naraku Sora was that Mayuri's Sin Value didn't seem particularly high.
It seemed only slightly higher than Gosuke's and was far lower than those of the truly wicked nobles.
But it made sense, given Shutara Senjumaru's presence.
As her subordinate, he was suppressed at every turn. Even if Mayuri had evil research in mind, he had no way to carry it out.
He couldn't even find a way to start a collaboration.
Yet, thinking about it further, the fact that Mayuri could reach a Sin Value of over two thousand while under Senjumaru's thumb spoke volumes about his personal capability.
No wonder Central 46 would imprison him in the Nest of Maggots after Senjumaru's promotion to the Zero Division.
Leaving such a dangerous individual to his own devices would undoubtedly lead to massive trouble.
It was only logical.
Standing before the cell, Naraku Sora tested his newly acquired Bakudo.
Thick, python-like golden chains shot from his fingertips, instantly locking onto a stone pillar ahead.
As the power within the chains surged, the pillar shattered into a rain of debris and was crushed on the spot.
Next was Shunpo.
Shunpo techniques were divided into three stages: preparation, step-off, and the flash step itself.
As the first stage, increasing the efficiency of the preparation not only eliminated the noise of the technique's activation but also boosted movement speed.
With a light tap of his toe, as if stepping into a realm of shadows, Naraku Sora's figure vanished instantly without a single ripple of Reiatsu.
When he reappeared, he had already crossed the corridor and reached the very end of his sightline.
Seeing this, Urahara Kisuke felt completely numb.
It was one thing for the man to be a powerhouse—Urahara could just resolve never to do anything as stupid as a mutiny again—but how was his Shunpo this terrifying too?
He hadn't even sensed a trace of the technique's activation before the man vanished.
At this rate, he wouldn't even be able to run away.
Naraku Sora returned to Urahara's side in an instant, quite satisfied with his gains.
Although he still couldn't compare to the likes of Arturo, this was already quite impressive.
As his strength grew, some seemingly powerful criminals could no longer provide significant returns.
After all, the concepts of Third-Class Spiritual Power and Tenth-Class Spiritual Power were entirely different.
If he unleashed his full Reiatsu, he could easily crush a Soul Reaper of that level.
No wonder his adopted son said that battles between Soul Reapers were battles of Reiatsu.
"Kisuke, tell me, is there a way to make someone like him behave?"
"?"
Urahara's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly spoke up. "Lord Naraku, my loyalty to you is as clear as day. I have no ulterior motives!"
"No, I'm referring to him."
Following Naraku Sora's pointing finger, Urahara looked into the cell.
There lay Mayuri Kurotsuchi, bundled up tightly like a cocoon by multiple Bakudo.
"Mr. Mayuri?"
Urahara fell into deep thought.
Although he had only recently met Mayuri and didn't know him well.
But in this brief encounter, Urahara had already grasped his essence.
Cold and cruel, with no interest in anything outside of scientific research. His only pursuit was exploring the unknown and seeking truth.
No wonder Naraku Sora said this guy was similar to him.
In a sense, he and Mayuri were indeed the same kind of person.
Except he followed the existing order, while Mayuri leaned toward the chaotic unknown of good and evil.
To deal with such a person, the method was actually quite simple.
Seeing Naraku Sora's slightly impatient gaze, Urahara spoke softly.
"For a scientist like Mr. Mayuri, physical control is almost useless. Based on the research in his lab, he has modified his own body to a horrifying degree."
"He can not only replace organs at will, but most absurdly, he has even backed up his brain's memories."
"The only way to restrict him is to surpass him in scientific research."
"Make him explore and pursue endlessly, yet never allow him to reach the true answer."
Naraku Sora looked thoughtful.
Just like Urahara the Pal, Mayuri's value was extremely high, perhaps even exceeding Urahara's in certain aspects.
It would be a real waste to just leave a man like this alone.
Besides, physical torture meant nothing to Mayuri.
Even if he were stripped of all spiritual power, he could probably find a way to block pain even in an empty cell.
Most importantly, mental control wasn't necessarily effective either.
Mayuri had stayed alone in a specialized cell in the Nest of Maggots for countless years; his mental fortitude was beyond that of ordinary people.
Thus, he could only try Urahara's method.
But where was he supposed to find scientific research that surpassed Mayuri's?
Naraku Sora's brow furrowed.
The downfall of the Tsunayashiro family had made Aizen suddenly realize something.
The Great Spirit Book Library, the Soul Society's largest database controlled by the Tsunayashiro family, which recorded a series of major events and secrets from ancient times to the present, was now in an unmanaged state.
The doubts he had previously held due to a lack of relevant information could now be resolved all at once.
There was no better time than now.
He didn't even need to use Kyoka Suigetsu to slip inside easily.
Aizen was a man of action.
Once his target was set, he arrived near the Underground Assembly Hall immediately. Using Kido to avoid patrolling Soul Reapers, he successfully entered the interior of the Great Spirit Book Library.
ices and similar things.
What met his eyes was a massive and complex database. As the eras changed from top to bottom, the equipment used to store information shifted from books to Reishi-based dev-
Researching records might be tedious for an ordinary person.
But in Aizen's eyes, this was the best way to solve the unknown. He could easily immerse himself in it, forgetting the passage of time.
However, as he continued to browse, an indescribable horror filled his heart.
His previous conjectures were being confirmed by various clues in the records.
The Spirit King truly existed, and the creation of the Three Worlds was His handiwork.
One could say that without the Spirit King, there would be no Three Worlds, let alone the million-year history of the Soul Society.
Yet, this long and ancient history was written with the Spirit King's blood.
Before the Three Worlds were created, the entire world was known as the Primordial State, existing in a condition where there was neither life nor death, neither progress nor retreat.
Reishi cycled continuously, maintaining the stability of the world.
However, when the Hollows began to devour humans, that cycle stopped.
If it had continued, all souls would have been devoured by Hollows, and the world would have ground to a halt, devoid of life.
At that moment, the Spirit King appeared.
There were no records of his origins. It was only known that after he appeared, he used powerful Quincy powers to erase the Hollows, allowing the world to return to its cycle.
But the ancestors of the Five Great Noble Families did not accept such a world. Although their motives differed, their goal was remarkably consistent—
The separation of the Three Worlds.
And to achieve this goal, they had to rely on the Spirit King's power.
Perhaps seeing some kind of future, the Spirit King chose self-sacrifice, allowing the five ancestors to use His power as a wedge to split the primordial world and create the current Three Worlds.
But even then, the Tsunayashiro ancestor still doubted the Spirit King, fearing He would use His own strength to break the seal and destroy them all.
So, they sealed Him away. In the countless years that followed, they continuously carved up the Spirit King's body, stripping His power and discarding the pieces into various corners of the Three Worlds.
All just to create a 'King' that was easy for them to control!
Reading through the entire account, Aizen felt chilled to the bone, as if the blood had been drained from his body. The Soul Society was rotting just as he had imagined, completely devoid of hope.
A world like this... it seemed that destruction was the only correct conclusion.
Aizen put away the documents, thinking silently.
To prevent himself from being too influenced by this information, he temporarily gave up reading related materials.
If he kept reading, he couldn't guarantee that his sanity wouldn't be completely depleted.
Aizen chose to look at something else to soothe his mood.
"The entire process of the Zanpakuto Rebellion was actually recorded as well. That guy actually contributed so much during that incident; no wonder Captain-Commander Yamamoto holds him in such high regard."
When he read a certain line of text, the smile on Aizen's face suddenly stiffened. Details he hadn't noticed before flashed through his mind.
After a brief moment of thought, he put down the documents and left the Great Spirit Book Library.
Soon, Aizen returned to Squad 5, intending to look for more detailed information to confirm his previous suspicion.
Once he was sure his theory was correct, he headed straight for the Shino Prison.
However, before he even reached the small courtyard, he saw a certain someone swinging a blade in the dojo, with turbulent Reiatsu filling the spacious room.
Jolts of lightning and Kido energy were intertwined, making the entire dojo feel like an unstable explosive.
Sensing someone approaching from outside, Naraku Sora turned to look out the window. His eyes lit up, and he immediately deactivated his Lightning Release mode and half-finished Shunko.
"Sosuke, you've come at the perfect time. I happen to have something to discuss with you."
"Do you have any..."
But before he could finish, Aizen cut him off with a raised hand, saying with a calm face:
"Sora, the situation is urgent. Let's go and kill the Captain of Squad 10, Umino Unpei."
Naraku Sora: "?"