Chapter 172
Page 172
The earliest connection between Yanagawa and the Tsunayoshiro family can be traced back to Tsunayoshiro Sakuwa.
Driven by mere resentment, Tsunayoshiro plotted an assassination attempt against Yanagawa.
Although the assassination attempt failed, it made Liu Chuan realize the true nature of this family: they would not hesitate to kill others for the slightest grudge.
This reckless madness seems to have been etched into the blood of the Tsunayoshiro family.
Therefore, when he heard Tsunayoshi Tokinada recount in an almost boastful tone how he killed his clansmen and ascended to the position of clan head, Yanagawa was not surprised at all.
For a family that dares to attack the Spirit King, what does killing a few of their own kind matter?
This madness has been etched into the very marrow of the Tsunayo family, passed down through generations, never to fade.
Liu Chuan said no more. He slowly walked towards Tsunayoshi Tokinada, who was kneeling on the ground and unable to move due to the pressure of the gravity field.
Tsunayoshi Tokina struggled to lift his head, watching the figure approach him step by step.
He wanted to struggle, to resist, but the mountain-like pressure of the gravity field made his body completely uncontrollable, and he couldn't even lift a finger.
He could only watch helplessly as Liu Chuan walked up to him and the Zanpakuto named "Tenjhin" was slowly drawn from its sheath.
“Wait…wait…” Tsunayoshi Tokina squeezed out a hoarse voice, and his bloodshot eyes revealed the fear he could not fake when facing death.
However, Liu Chuan did not pause or answer. His gaze was calm as still water, as if he were simply doing something very ordinary.
He raised the Heavenly Tremor in his hand, the tip of the blade aimed at the heart of Tsunayoshi Tokinada.
"You can't kill me... I am the head of the Tsunayo family... I am the head of one of the five great noble families..."
Tsuna's voice became sharp and urgent, carrying a kind of hysterical despair on the verge of death, "I still... I still have so much to do... I still have to..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
With steady and precise thrust, the Heavenly Tremor in Liu Chuan's hand pierced through Tsunayoshi Tokina's chest, precisely penetrating his heart.
Tsunayoshi Tokina's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes widened, and his pupils dilated to their maximum size in an instant.
He looked down at his chest; Tianzhen's blade had pierced through his body, the tip protruding from his back, stained with crimson blood.
Fresh blood flowed slowly down the blade, dripping onto the ground below with a soft, ticking sound.
Countless images flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, including the shock he felt when he discovered that historical stone tablet in the family's forbidden area during his childhood.
The ecstasy of first mastering the Mirror of Beauty in his youth, the twisted pleasure of killing Ge Kuang, the triumph of slaughtering his clansmen to ascend to the position of clan leader, and... now, facing death, the boundless nothingness and fear.
He wanted to laugh, to show his final madness and defiance before he died, but only blood came out of his throat.
His body began to convulse uncontrollably, and his hands weakly gripped the blade, trying to pull it out, but his palms were cut by the sharp blade and bled profusely.
"...Heh...heh..." A broken laugh escaped his throat, a laugh tinged with a final, desperate madness.
"Yanagi...do you think...killing me...will end everything...? The evil in this world...will never...cease..."
His voice grew weaker and weaker, his eyes began to glaze over, and finally, his hands fell limply to his sides, his head slowly drooped, and his breathing stopped completely.
This ambitious man, who attempted to use the power of the Soul King to overthrow the world, and the head of the Tsunayo family who bore the sins of the family for a thousand years, was thus pierced through the heart by the Heavenly Tremor, ending his sinful life.
Liu Chuan slowly drew Tianzhen, the blood on the blade sliding down without staining it at all.
He gave a slight shake to dislodge the remaining blood droplets, then sheathed his sword.
Just as Liuchuan sheathed his sword, a violent roar suddenly erupted across the entire sky above the valley.
The gray sky seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, and a dark red crack slowly opened in the center of the sky.
Chapter 257 The Changing Gates of Hell
Then, to everyone's astonishment, a huge door appeared out of thin air above their heads.
It was a vermilion gate, almost the same size as the Transcendental Gate of Soul Society.
The door has a black and red color that resembles congealed blood, as if it were cast with the blood of countless sinners.
At the very center of the door handle are two half-skull statues, one on the left and one on the right, with their corresponding hands crossed in front of their chests, exuding a chilling aura of death and judgment.
The most peculiar thing was the countless black chains on the door, resembling giant pythons.
Chains are not merely decorations; they are instruments of torture used by hell to bind sinful souls, and are the executors of judgment.
"Click—click—click—"
A piercing metallic scraping sound came from high above, and then the gate slowly opened.
"This is..." In the distance, Akane Shizuku's eyes widened. Fragments of her memories belonging to the Shinigami system were frantically warning her—"The Gates of Hell!"
Liu Chuan looked up at the slowly opening giant door, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.
As a Grim Reaper, Yanagawa naturally had some knowledge of Hell, having learned basics about it during his studies at the Shinigami Academy.
Hell is an independent space separate from Soul Society, the Human World, and Hueco Mundo. It is a place specifically used to imprison those who committed serious crimes in their previous lives.
Those souls who have committed heinous crimes cannot enter the Soul Society or be reincarnated after death. Instead, they are forcibly dragged into the gates of hell to suffer endless torment and punishment.
Tsunayoshi Tokinada was a man of many evil deeds, murdering his wife, slaughtering his clansmen, usurping the position of head of the family, and attempting to use the power of the Spirit King to overthrow the world order.
It is perfectly normal to fall into hell after death.
Just as Liuchuan was lost in thought, the Gates of Hell began to move.
A series of low sobs came from behind the door, the wails of countless tormented souls, forming a chilling background sound.
Immediately afterwards, several thick black chains shot out from the void behind the door!
Like venomous snakes that have caught the scent of blood, they swooped down with incredible speed and coiled around Tsunayoshi Tokina with unparalleled precision.
After the chains wrapped around Tsunayoshi Tokina's body, they tightened suddenly, binding him tightly.
Then, the chains began to slowly retract, dragging his body little by little into the open, scarlet door.
Just when Liu Chuan thought that the Gates of Hell had completed its mission and was about to close and disappear.
After taking away Tsunayoshi Tokinada, the Gates of Hell did not close slowly as expected. Instead, the crimson light behind the gates became even more intense and restless.
Immediately afterwards, several thick black chains shot out from the scarlet door behind the door!
This time, the chains are targeting the fallen Hikoya Sankin!
Liu Chuan suddenly sensed something was wrong; the chains seemed to have been manipulated by someone.
If taking away Tsunayoshi Tokina is the normal operating logic of Hell, then taking away Sankina Hikoya is obviously unreasonable.
The mastermind behind this incident was Tsunayoshi Tokinada, while Sankinohiko was merely a pawn created by Tsunayoshi Tokinada.
His mind is not much different from that of a newborn child; he cannot distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong, and he is not a person with deep sins.
Hell seemed to have no reason to take him away, so why did Hell target him?
These questions flashed through Yanagawa's mind, but he didn't have time to think about them deeply, because the chains were already close to touching Hikoya Sankin's body.
He raised his hand and said, "Binding Path Number Eighty-One - Severing the Void."
The moment the words fell, a semi-transparent defensive wall appeared out of thin air in front of Sankino Hikoya!
The black chains that had been rushing towards them crashed violently against the broken wall, sparks flying, but they couldn't leave any scratches on the wall!
Liu Chuan stood there, his mind racing, connecting everything that had just happened, gradually sketching out a clearer picture in his mind.
He realized that something might have changed in Hell, causing a vulnerability in its system.
This time, it is highly likely that someone in Hell exploited this loophole and manipulated the Gates of Hell to carry out this operation.
The real target of the mastermind behind this was probably not Tsunayoshi Tokinada from the very beginning.
There are countless evildoers in Soul Society, including Shinigami, nobles, and even villains from Rukongai who have committed heinous crimes throughout history.
But the gates of hell did not open frequently because of those people; it was more like an ultimate purgator lurking at the bottom of the rules, only appearing under extremely special circumstances.
So, the real target of the mastermind behind the scenes was Sankinohiko from the very beginning.
The only valuable thing about Shigenohiko is the immense power of the Spirit King within him, which is formed from countless fragments of the Spirit King.
Those fragments of the Soul King were collected by the Tsunayo family over hundreds of years, and their total quantity is unprecedented in the entire history of Soul Society.
Even the Soul King power within the Zero Division members cannot compare to it.
But one thing is certain: his action to stop the Gates of Hell from taking away Hikoya Sankina clearly took the person behind the scenes by surprise.
Although there are no explicit laws in the world that prohibit Shinigami from interfering in the affairs of Hell, there has always been a tacit agreement between Soul Society and Hell since ancient times.
Death should keep its distance from the actions of Hell and is strictly prohibited from interfering in its internal operations.
This is a tacit understanding between two parallel systems, and it is an important cornerstone for maintaining the balance between the Three Realms and Hell.
Liu Chuan's actions just now undoubtedly broke this tacit understanding.
He could sense the warning emanating from behind that door, as if to say: You've crossed the line.
But Yanagawa didn't care at all. For both public and private reasons, this boy named Sankino Hikoya had to be kept in the hands of Death.
From a public perspective, the body of Chanju Yanmi contains a vast number of fragments of the Spirit King, and this power, if left unchecked, could cause serious damage.
If exploited by other ambitious individuals, it will pose an immeasurable threat to the balance of the three realms.
As a member of Squad Zero, he has a responsibility to ensure that this power does not fall into the hands of those with ill intentions.
Personally, the boy himself was innocent; he was merely a tool created by Tsunayoshi Tokinada, a pawn to be used, so naturally, he could not be allowed to be taken away.
Moreover, the power of the Spirit King within him, whether it is sealed or guided in a suitable way, must be ensured that this power does not become the source of the next calamity.
Chapter 258 The True Meaning of Hell's Existence
At this time, the Lingwang Palace, the Eye Monk Hall, has a distinctly Shinto appearance.
In the center of the main hall, Hyosube Ichibei was sitting cross-legged on the ground.
His massive body appeared remarkably composed at this moment, as he held his enormous calligraphy brush in his hand and slowly wrote something on a piece of paper spread out on the ground.
His movements were calm and steady, each stroke seemingly containing a certain rhythm and power, the ink spreading on the paper to form powerful and vigorous characters.
The characters were not ordinary scripts, but ancient runes imbued with a certain spirituality, as if each character possessed a life of its own.
Suddenly, a faint beeping of a communicator broke the silence in the hall.
Hyosube Ichibei stopped writing and slowly put down the ichimonji.