Kazuma and Rukia continued forward, stopping and moving as they went.
By now, neither of them knew how many Kushanāda they had cut down.
In the end, Rukia could not hold back any longer and asked, "Sensei, why did you come to Hell? You can at least tell me that much, right?"
She was far too curious about Kazuma's purpose here.
Kazuma did not hide it from her.
"It's nothing too complicated. I'm just here to look for a few old friends."
Rukia's heart stirred.
'Sensei's friends should all be captain-class figures, right?'
In her mind, she silently went over the list of captains who had died during the hundreds of years Kazuma had served as captain, but no matter how hard she thought, she could not come up with an answer.
She continued thinking, then suddenly remembered someone and muttered in surprise, "Could it be Kaname Tōsen? But wasn't he killed by you? And Tōsen was reduced to ash, wasn't he? How could he have fallen into Hell?"
After all, only after the Konso Reisai could one enter Hell
. If Kaname Tōsen had fallen into Hell without undergoing the Konso Reisai, that would be far too strange.
"Kaname Tōsen?" Kazuma said, the corner of his mouth rising slightly. "Rukia, you really do have an imagination. He isn't worthy of being my friend, just follow me properly. You'll know soon enough."
The two crossed the white floating blocks, and eventually, the blue corridor came to an end.
"Sensei, there's no path ahead!"
Rukia looked at the sea of miasma clouds before them in surprise, her face filled with confusion.
Kazuma smiled faintly.
"If we jump down, there'll be a path."
His voice carried a trace of teasing confidence.
"Huh?"
Rukia's eyes widened as she stared at Kazuma in disbelief.
Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out.
"What are you saying 'huh' for? Follow me and jump."
Without hesitation, Kazuma leapt into the sea of miasma clouds.
His figure was as light as a bird, vanishing into the mist in an instant.
Rukia gritted her teeth.
Her heart was filled with fear, but seeing how decisive Kazuma was, she could only force herself to follow and jump.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Her body traced an arc through the air before disappearing into the sea of miasma clouds as well.
Their figures swiftly vanished into the rolling miasma, as though they had been swallowed whole.
The clouds churned around them, making it impossible to see where they had gone.
After passing through the sea of miasma clouds, a vast ocean appeared below.
Floating upon the ocean were buildings shaped like starfish. They emitted a faint glow, giving off a mysterious yet beautiful impression.
Around them stood several obelisks that pierced straight into the sky, their towering forms creating a solemn, almost sacred atmosphere.
"Wow! This place is beautiful. It looks much better than the scenery above the clouds," Rukia exclaimed, surprise and delight shining in her eyes.
"Don't stop to admire it. Dive into the ocean, don't waste time."
Kazuma urged her on, remaining extremely calm, as though he was already familiar with this environment.
"Oh! Okay."
Rukia responded, then followed Kazuma as they plunged into the sea.
Beneath the ocean was a layer of brown land, scattered with sulfur-colored hot springs.
After passing through another layer of miasma clouds beneath the land, Kazuma and Rukia were finally close to the destination of this trip to Hell.
This layer was even more dangerous than the ones above, but the danger did not come from enemies.
Instead, it came from the miasma, which was so dense it had nearly turned liquid.
"Rukia, hurry up. Once we finish climbing these stairs, we'll almost be there!"
Kazuma's voice echoed through the passage.
Rukia quickened her pace and caught up with him.
"Sensei, what are those little shrines glowing beside the stairs?" she asked curiously.
Kazuma glanced at them and answered indifferently, "Those are all soul mounds. Don't pay them any attention."
With that, he continued forward.
Rukia followed behind him, her heart full of questions, but she did not ask further.
At last, they reached the end of the long corridor.
Before them appeared an endless wasteland, strikingly similar to Hueco Mundo's desert.
Rukia stepped onto the soft sand and felt the strange fluctuations of reiatsu beneath her feet. She could not help frowning.
"Sensei, why do I feel strange reiatsu fluctuations coming from the sand under my feet? Are there living creatures buried beneath it?"
Kazuma shook his head.
"This isn't ordinary sand. It's formed from the shattered bones of Togabito."
Rukia looked down at the sand beneath her feet in shock.
"Then doesn't that mean there are a lot of Togabito here?"
Kazuma nodded.
"Yes. But don't worry, they won't hurt us."
Rukia remembered what he had said earlier and asked, "Didn't you say the creatures in Hell revive endlessly? Then how can there be so many bones turned into sand?"
Kazuma patiently explained, "Endless revival is only true in theory. When a creature in Hell dies too many times and its mind collapses, it loses the ability to revive. Strictly speaking, they aren't dead. They've simply fallen into a deep sleep."
Rukia nodded in realization, gaining a deeper understanding of this mysterious and dangerous place.
Suddenly, Rukia stopped walking.
"Sensei, can I find Brother Kaien here too?"
Kazuma knew what Rukia was thinking and directly rejected the possibility.
"Shiba Kaien doesn't qualify to fall into Hell. His reiatsu isn't strong enough."
Hearing Kazuma's words, disappointment flashed through Rukia's eyes.
But she quickly adjusted her emotions and continued following Kazuma.
The two walked through the wasteland until a massive skeleton appeared in the distance.
"What is that?" Rukia asked, pointing at the structure.
"I don't know what kind of skeleton it is. In any case, that isn't what we came here to find," Kazuma answered.
Rukia studied the enormous skeleton in the distance, curiosity filling her heart.
She quickly walked closer, wanting to take a better look.
Kazuma hurriedly called after her.
"Don't go over there. It might be dangerous."
However, Rukia did not listen to his warning and continued walking toward the skeleton.
At that moment, several figures rushed out from behind it and attacked Rukia without saying a word.
Seeing this, Kazuma immediately charged forward and pushed Rukia aside.
He drew his Zanpakutō and knocked away a fireball that had shot toward them at high speed.
When the smoke dispersed, five strange figures stood before the skeleton, studying Kazuma and Rukia.
"Strange. One is a Shinigami, the other one uses a Zanpakutō too, but he isn't wearing a Shinigami's shihakushō. I wonder where he's from."
One of the five, a fat man, muttered to himself.
"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you five? You see us and immediately go for the kill?"
Kazuma looked at these five idiots.
They were none other than Shuren and his four subordinates from the movie: Shiun, Gunjo, Garogai, and Taikon.
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