(T/N: This is chapter 3 out of 3!
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"The sealing spell is absorbing those disintegrated Reishi," Saitō Seiko speculated. "Maybe that's how the spell maintains itself?"
Just like the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, everything in Hell was also made of Reishi.
However, the Reishi in Hell was tainted with a hellish aura.
Anything drawn into the vortex would be broken down into Reishi by the sealing spell.
Any Reishi-based spell required a steady stream of Reishi to persist over time, and this particular seal sustained itself by absorbing the Reishi of anything it disintegrated.
Saitō Seiko shared her theory with Katori Nanatsuki, who also found it plausible.
"That vortex must exist solely to keep the sealing spell going," Nanatsuki concluded.
Once the seal absorbed enough Reishi, movement began anew in the depths of Muken where Nanatsuki was located.
He noticed that Hell Reishi had begun to drift out from the depths of Muken.
The runes on the Sound of Hell he held glowed brighter—clearly reacting to the presence of Hell Reishi.
"I've detected it too... Hell Reishi is drifting out from the depths of Muken," Nanatsuki reported through the conch communicator.
So Muken really was connected to Hell after all!
Judging by this, Muken must be tied to the seal within the vortex of the Eye of Hell.
Nanatsuki wanted to explore deeper, but as an innocent person, an invisible force barred his path.
He attempted to extend Shadow Space forward, hoping its properties would let him bypass the restriction.
To his surprise, Shadow Space advanced without hindrance.
Relieved, Nanatsuki stepped into the Shadow Space and crossed the barrier.
The deeper he went, the brighter the runes on the Sound of Hell became, indicating an even denser presence of Hell Reishi.
"You got locked in here too?!"
A somewhat familiar voice called out from behind him.
Turning around, Nanatsuki saw Saitō Furaofushi.
She wore spiritual suppression restraints, which explained why Nanatsuki hadn't sensed her nearby.
Furaofushi's face was full of frustration. She had been imprisoned in Muken for so long, and finally, someone had come who might bring her supplies—only for him to end up imprisoned too.
Only those deemed guilty could enter the depths of Muken. And guilt wasn't arbitrary.
Those sentenced to Muken were marked by a Kidō spell branding them as criminals.
With the mark, a convict could enter the depths—but never leave.
Seeing Nanatsuki there, Furaofushi naturally assumed he had been sentenced too.
"So it's Miss Saitō." Nanatsuki scratched his head. "I'm not imprisoned. It's just... Muken's restrictions don't seem to affect me."
"You're not locked up?" Furaofushi perked up immediately, her gloom lifting. "Oh, right... if you managed to enter the underground prison, it means you can bypass Reishi barriers. But still—crossing even Muken's seals... I underestimated you."
"So... did you come to visit me?" she asked hopefully.
Their agreement had been that he'd bring her supplies once a year. Although it hadn't been long since the last time, she had already finished the snacks and sake he brought.
"I'm here to verify a few things..." Nanatsuki gave her a quick rundown of his and Saitō Seiko's tests.
"So it wasn't to see me..." Furaofushi sounded slightly disappointed.
"I didn't come specifically for Miss Saitō, but I did prepare something for you." Nanatsuki tossed her a Reishi Pocket.
She only ever asked for food and drink. It didn't cost much, and since he knew he'd be coming to Muken anyway, he didn't mind bringing some along.
"This is great!" Furaofushi lit up with joy. "Thanks a bunch, Katori-kun!"
"It's no trouble at all," Nanatsuki chuckled. "But I need to continue investigating the secrets of Muken."
"Then let me come with you," Furaofushi said, a little curious herself.
They continued walking. After a while, Nanatsuki could even sense the thick Hell Reishi with his spiritual perception.
"I've come here before, but never sensed Hell Reishi like this..." Furaofushi murmured.
"It's probably cyclical," Nanatsuki guessed. "We can only detect it when the seal inside the Eye of Hell vortex is actively absorbing Hell Reishi."
"That makes sense. I've explored this area several times, but stopped when I found nothing. Maybe the seal wasn't active back then," she mused.
Soon, they were blocked by an invisible barrier.
"This is the end of Muken," Furaofushi said. "But now it seems... it's just as far as I could go."
They could see Hell Reishi surging from what she called the "end of Muken."
Nanatsuki repeated his trick, using Shadow Space to bring Furaofushi through the barrier.
"So this is how you got past before? That's such a handy ability!" she exclaimed, amazed at how effortlessly he bypassed the seal.
"Wait—does that mean you could use it to get me out of Muken?!" But then she quickly dismissed the thought. "No... with the Tsunayashiro Clan still in power, taking me out would only drag you down with me."
Furaofushi and the Tsunayashiro Clan were mortal enemies, and there was no hope of reconciliation.
As long as the Tsunayashiro remained one of the Soul Society's Four Great Noble Houses, there was no way she would ever be allowed to leave Muken alive.
Beyond the barrier, the two of them came before a glowing sphere made entirely of densely packed Reishi spell patterns.
They hadn't been able to see this orb before passing through the seal.
It resembled the sealing technique Saitō Seiko described, though the surroundings weren't the pitch-black interior of the Eye of Hell, nor was there an actual eye inside the orb.
The heavy Hell Reishi in the area was clearly emanating from within the sphere.
The spiritual techniques woven into the orb were so complex that Nanatsuki gave up trying to understand them after only a glance. Instead, he turned his attention to the rest of the space.
Beneath the orb was a pedestal, from which extended countless glowing blue Reishi threads.
The sheer volume of Reishi coursing through those threads made even Nanatsuki widen his eyes in astonishment.