Since control of Hell had fallen into Yoriichi Tsugikuni's hands, in accordance with the agreement with Hell,
Yamamoto Genryusai, after striving to calm his surging emotions, immediately summoned several individuals to discuss how to reform Hell.
Previously, Hell was a chaotic and disorderly space.
Only the First Level maintained some semblance of order, but this order was built upon the power of Hell's Intent.
If a Sinners moved faster than Hell's Intent, he could reach the next layer.
There were countless arenas, free from the boundless encirclement of Hell's Intent, but only the Sinners's mutual slaughter remained.
Because those who could break through the First Level were undoubtedly extraordinary powerhouses.
When powerhouses attacked, every move was lethal, yet Sinners were difficult to kill, which was undoubtedly another kind of excruciating torture…
Perhaps Sinners could choose not to attack each other, but Hell was by no means merciful.
Each Sinners was tightly bound by chains.
If they did not act according to Hell's Intent, what awaited them would be piercing by incredibly sharp blades, or being mercilessly cast into a deeper, lower layer.
The deeper one went into Hell, the more painful it became.
Therefore, they had no choice at all.
The Third Layer was the Miasma Hell (Miashma Hell), the Fourth Layer was the Burning Hell; Yoriichi had only delved this deep so far, and there should be more layers below.
After all, Yoriichi had gone through four layers of Hell and still hadn't seen the people who should have been there.
In other words, to completely transform Hell, one must delve into the deepest layer.
The Captains who arrived at the Gotei 13 shortly after heard this and couldn't help but frown.
Although they were quite shocked that Yoriichi Tsugikuni had become the Lord of Hell,
But for them, people who had never been in contact with Hell, to discuss how to reform Hell…
Was something wrong?
If they had that ability…
"Cough, cough."
Kisuke Urahara let out two low coughs, instantly interrupting everyone's chaotic thoughts.
He stepped forward steadily and asked Yamamoto Genryusai loudly:
"Captain-Commander, may I ask, what does 'reforming Hell' mean? Is it to restore order, or to make those Sinners behave themselves?"
Yamamoto Genryusai glanced at him, his voice slightly trầm: "Is there any difference between the two?"
"Of course there is. 'Reform' has two meanings: one is to rectify and govern, and the other is to punish and strike."
Kisuke Urahara cleared his throat and spoke unhurriedly, "The former is usually used for environmental aspects, while the latter is mostly used for people."
"If it's the former, we can adjust the order of Hell, for example, by setting the Miashma Hell on the First Level."
"This way, every Sinners who arrives here will be affected by the miasma's poison, becoming weak and powerless, and some may even die directly, only to be revived in the Miashma Hell."
"This not only saves Hell's Intent's supervisory power but also allows that power to be allocated to the next layer."
"And even if a Sinners manages to reach the next layer, the miasma's poison will still affect him."
"Although the weakened state will gradually disappear with the passage of time, as long as the order of Hell is adjusted again…"
"For example, moving the Burning Hell to the Third Layer and the arenas, which is the Living Hell, to the Fourth Layer, the negative effects of each layer can be stacked."
"In this way, even if those Sinners want to cause trouble, they won't be able to make much of a stir."
"This is my view on the first meaning of reform."
"As for the latter meaning, that's simple: change the punitive effects of Hell again, making them as cruel as possible."
"I believe that even the most malicious person will genuinely repent after staying in there for a long time."
"And the mental torment will not kill them; even if they die, they will revive, which can fundamentally cut off the Sinners's rebellious consciousness."
At this point, Kisuke Urahara's gaze was fixed on Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"I'm not sure to what extent your control over Hell has reached."
"Whether you can change the effects of Hell, whether you can move the order of Hell…"
"But if you are to reform Hell, you must not have any sympathy for those Sinners."
"Most of them are heinous criminals."
"As the saying goes, 'Mercy does not command troops, sentiment does not establish affairs, righteousness does not manage wealth, and kindness does not serve as an official.'"
Kisuke Urahara considered himself not a good person; his actions had always prioritized the bigger picture.
In his opinion, for the sake of the bigger picture, sometimes sacrificing the smaller picture was unavoidable.
And he knew Yoriichi's character well; if a Sinners were to cry to Yoriichi about his tragic experience, Yoriichi might soften and pull him out of Hell.
One precedent leads to another, and another… this precedent must never be set.
Too many souls suddenly flooding into the Human World or the Soul Society would also cause an imbalance in the Three Realms.
At this, Yoriichi Tsugikuni fell silent.
A moment later,
He carefully pondered Kisuke Urahara's words and found that apart from being somewhat cold-blooded and cruel, there were no other issues.
These words perfectly met the conditions proposed by Hell.
As for how to curb Hell's expansion, perhaps these methods could also achieve it.
Gently exhaling, Yoriichi nodded slightly to show understanding.
Immediately after, Kisuke Urahara turned his gaze to the three First Generation Captains directly opposite him.
At this moment, the expressions on their faces were extremely solemn.
Because they had completely unexpected that simply because of themselves, the master of Hell had changed.
And it wasn't just the change; even Hell itself was about to undergo a massive transformation.
Although they had already escaped Hell, what about their comrades still in Hell?
This was bad.
Shihouin Sennich's mouth twitched.
Suddenly, Kisuke Urahara's words startled him awake.
"Everyone, what are your attitudes?"
Kisuke Urahara slightly raised an eyebrow, his tone calm and unhurried.
"You all heard what I just said; Yoriichi is about to delve into Hell to transform it."
"So, as Sinners, you naturally cannot be exempt."
"Tell me your thoughts."
"I forgot to ask earlier, which layer of Hell are you from, and what was Hell's punishment?"
"You probably don't want to go back, do you?"
"So, do you want to be revived?"
"Literally revived, becoming a Shinigami again, able to use reishi, no longer having to worry about Hell's threat…"
"Looking at your appearances, you must have died by accident, right?"
"Since your lifespans haven't ended, resuming your previous lives wouldn't be turning back yin and yang."
…
"Revival?"
As soon as these words left his mouth, they immediately captured the attention of the three individuals.
Shihouin Sennich asked in a deep voice, "Is it really possible? Kid, you're not trying to fool us, are you?"
He continued, "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that this has never happened in the history of the Three Realms, has it?"
"Indeed, as you said, all three of us died by accident, and not just us three."
"The other seven First Generation Captains also hadn't reached the end of their natural lifespans."
"I'm only a little over a thousand years old now, in terms of actual age, I'm even younger than Unohana…"
"Cough!"
Before he could finish speaking, Retsu Unohana coughed heavily, interrupting him.
She slightly raised her eyes, her seemingly calm gaze directed at Shihouin Sennich, the faint killing intent emanating from her gentle smile made the latter shiver involuntarily.
Shihouin Sennich forced a smile, coughed twice, and changed the subject:
"In short, we are all still young, and if we can be revived, we are naturally willing."
He wasn't an old-fashioned person; he wouldn't say things like he'd lived enough. His appearance alone was enough to explain everything.
If he reached Yamamoto Genryusai's age, perhaps he would refuse to be revived and just want to depart peacefully.
But a thousand years old… let's not go there.
This was no different from a human being thirty years old.
The other Captains had similar thoughts, after all, in terms of death time, Saito Furofushi and Batsu'unsai Katori were even younger than him.
The former was also a thousand years old, the latter only five hundred, because her death occurred seven hundred years ago, and the time after death naturally wasn't counted.
Seeing that the three had no intention of refusing, Kisuke Urahara nodded slightly:
"Very good, it seems the seniors' thinking is quite advanced, which saves me a lot of trouble."
"If all of you claimed you didn't want to live, I would indeed find handling this matter quite troublesome."
Just like when someone is committing suicide, persuading someone who is determined to die is certainly different in difficulty from persuading someone who yearns to live.
Kisuke Urahara paused for a moment, then continued:
"Since you all want to be revived, how about we set a time? Yoriichi?"
He looked sideways at Yoriichi, waiting for his response.
Yoriichi, after judging based on their reishi levels, slowly said, "Let's do it today."
"Let me state in advance, converting Hell's reishi into reishi is an extremely time-consuming process."
"Because it requires the use of my Bankai, and Bankai cannot be maintained for a long time."
"At the same time, since I'm not clear on your current physical conditions, there might be some unforeseen changes during the process…"
"All three of you have reishi at the Second Level. The exact time required is unknown, but it won't exceed a week…"
"Who wants to go first?"
The first person to be revived would inevitably bear some risks, as this was Yoriichi's first time using this ability.
Furthermore, Yoriichi was not yet clear on what changes their bodies would undergo after revival.
Their bodies were composed of reishi, with their souls encased within. After so many years, Yoriichi couldn't determine if they had been contaminated or affected.
However, everything required brave attempts. Even if problems arose, there was nothing that could be done, because reversing yin and yang was an act of defying fate.
If one chose to ignore it out of fear of accidents, then there would be no need for Shinigami to fight Hollows, as accidents could also occur when slaying Hollows.
After understanding these risks, the three Captains exchanged glances.
A moment later, as Shihouin Sennich was about to speak, Saito Furofushi immediately said loudly:
"Nonsense! At worst, it's just death. We've already died once, are we still afraid of this?"
"I'll go first. I've long had enough of Hell's torment. It's better to die than to continue being oppressed by Hell."
"Kid, from what you're saying, if it fails, the soul will immediately dissipate and re-enter the Three Realms' cycle, right? Not bad, it's better than falling back into Hell."
No matter how strong a master was, after experiencing Hell's torment, they would fear Hell. Therefore, dying directly was the best outcome.
In Saito Furofushi's view, with Yoriichi Tsugikuni's existence, even if the revival failed, subsequent Shinigami could use this ability to prevent their souls from falling into Hell.
This could effectively suppress Hell's expansion and also eliminate Shinigami's fear of Hell.
If they could further explore Zanpakuto's abilities later and use technology to make it a common occurrence instead of an isolated case…
Then, Hell would no longer be a threat.
Thinking of this, she took a slight breath, gathered her spirits, and spoke again:
"Where do we begin?"
…
…
The group arrived at a secluded location within the Gotei 13.
This was a place where some Seat Officers often went into seclusion. Due to the lengthy time required, the current Captains did not accompany them.
Saito Furofushi walked in front, with Shihouin Sennich and Batsu'unsai Katori following behind.
Besides Saito Furofushi,
Shihouin Sennich and Batsu'unsai Katori harbored deep doubts about whether they could be revived and whether Furofushi could be revived.
Having been imprisoned in Hell for many years, now suddenly learning of the hope for freedom, their feelings were a mix of emotions.
If they could truly be revived, what should they do after revival?
After these days of interacting with the students, they had already understood that this was no longer the time of a thousand years ago when they could kill people at will.
The Gotei 13 had transformed from a group of assassins into a formal protective organization.
While they were certainly powerful a thousand years ago, they were quite lacking in the present.
Furofushi was defeated by a Vice-Captain.
Batsu'unsai Katori was completely incomparable to Retsu Unohana of a thousand years later.
Not to mention Sennich's own Hakuda techniques, which were several hundred years outdated.
He could only defeat Yoruichi by relying on experience.
Sometimes, the three of them felt that this wasn't the future of a few hundred years later, but rather a few thousand years later.
Otherwise, why would these Shinigami be so outrageous?
Shihouin Sennich sighed deeply.
Gazing at Yoriichi in front of him, he suddenly asked:
"I have a question. If your plan succeeds and we become Shinigami, do we still need to continue teaching at the Spiritual Arts Academy?"
"The current Gotei 13 probably doesn't need us anymore, since all of you are so strong."
"The Second Division has Yoruichi, the Eighth Division has Kyōraku Shunsui, the Sixth Division has Kuchiki Ginrei…"
"Every one of them surpasses us."
Yoriichi slightly averted his gaze, and upon reaching a building, he said softly:
"This is the price, isn't it? Revival is not free. You all heard what the Captain-Commander said just now."
"Any action must be considered based on the Soul Society. Reviving you all benefits all Shinigami, which is why this action is being taken."
"You can leave if you wish, we won't stop you, as every Shinigami is free."
"But Yhwach is not yet dead, and is suspected to return to the Soul Society a hundred years from now… You all know the casualties from back then."
"Will you, who once fought Yhwach, ignore this matter? I don't think so."
After a moment of silence,
Shihouin Sennich reluctantly murmured, "You're right, it seems we have no choice."
How could he not understand Yoriichi Tsugikuni's words?
If Yhwach appeared again, no matter how prepared they were, the weaker Shinigami would undoubtedly be the first to be struck.
As their predecessors, they naturally couldn't stand by and watch those Shinigami die.
…
…
Shihouin Sennich sighed faintly, almost imperceptibly.
When Saito Furofushi vanished from sight, the revival work proceeded in an orderly fashion.
The two waited patiently outside. After an unknown amount of time, the sky turned from black to white, then from white to black again, with the sun and moon reversing several times.
With a thunderous roar, the door slowly opened.
Saito Furofushi walked out leisurely with light steps.
The chains were no longer seen floating at her chest, and her entire being exuded a vibrant aura of vitality.
Compared to her previous Sinners body, there was a visible and significant difference.
Shihouin Sennich frowned slightly and murmured softly, "Incredible."
He vaguely felt that Saito Furofushi had become several hundred years younger.
It was probably because the reishi that made up her physical body had changed.
A thousand years old? Three hundred years old was probably closer.
It was hard to imagine that such a power to reverse life and death could be mastered by a Shinigami.
The Soul King's ability was probably nothing more than this!
Taking a small gasp, Shihouin Sennich's heart was more exhilarated than ever before.
Furofushi's change was secondary; the most important thing was that no accidents had occurred!
Who, if they could live, would want to die?
He cast his gaze towards Batsu'unsai Katori.
Although he really wanted to say that he would be the second to be revived, to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor, he ultimately yielded this opportunity to her.
Batsu'unsai Katori hesitated for a moment and did not refuse.
A few days passed in a flash. After she was also revived, Shihouin Sennich proudly walked towards Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
A few more days passed, and the three were officially revived. Standing outside, Shihouin Sennich clenched his fists tightly, and a surge of soaring excitement instantly welled up in his heart.
Perhaps because he could now use his reishi, he felt that he could now fight three of his past selves.
So, he immediately challenged Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
After all, his strength seemed to have improved, and through sparring with Yoruichi, he had grasped the most basic rudimentary form of Shunko.
Naturally, he wanted to see how much of a gap still existed between him and this "strongest of a thousand years" before him.
As expected, he suffered a crushing defeat.
Yoriichi's Shunko was not without improvement. Moreover, even rudimentary forms had differences.
Shihouin Sennich, like Yoruichi Shihouin, preferred to use lightning-attribute Shunko.
Because lightning could both stimulate muscle cells to increase speed and possessed ample destructive power.
While wind was certainly not as good as lightning in this regard, its attack range completely surpassed it.
Shihouin Sennich was instantly blown away before he even touched Yoriichi's clothes, and all the descending lightning bolts missed their targets.
Some lightning bolts almost struck the observing Furofushi, and he was even scolded mercilessly in the end.
After all, the power of lightning-attribute Shunko was comparable to high-level Kido; if hit, one would be severely injured even if they didn't die.
Unable to catch up, unable to win, and being scolded, Shihouin Sennich's heart, which had been invigorated by his revival, quietly dimmed.
He couldn't help but suspect that the Shunko he learned was fake.
Even though Yoriichi adjusted his reishi output to the same level as his, why was it so difficult for him to even get close?
Was wind really more powerful than lightning?
Actually, not entirely.
If Shihouin Sennich could fill a thousand-meter radius with lightning, covering the entire battleground, then it would be quite difficult for Yoriichi to evade.
A thunderstorm was like that.
But unfortunately, Shihouin Sennich's reishi output was insufficient.
Releasing a thousand high-level Kido at once would even drain Yamamoto Genryusai instantly.
In contrast, Yoriichi could fill the entire space with a single high-level wind-type Kido, resembling a passing typhoon.
One could only say that this was a fundamental difference in nature.
In Hell, wind was much more useful than lightning.