Under the guidance of Saito Furofushi, Lynn reached the fifth level in a short time.
Upon entering the fifth floor, the scenery clearly differed from the upper levels.
The colors were more vivid. Lava flowed in many places.
Saito Furofushi crossed one arm in front of her chest while covering her nose with the other, muttering with disgust, "I really don't understand what you're doing here."
The concentration of miasma on the fifth level of hell was so high that even she struggled to endure it.
That's why she had always disliked this kind of environment.
More than that...
She shot a reluctant glance at Lynn.
She had never been able to surpass him in speed, and that fact continued to gnaw at her.
However...
That also confirmed one thing for Saito Furofushi.
Lynn was truly powerful.
On the other side.
Lynn ignored her and focused on observing the fifth floor.
The miasma surrounding him had no effect at all.
Still...
He frowned slightly.
This environment was far from suitable for the development of Hell.
Moreover...
Although the hell within the World of the Soul Reapers possessed a faint consciousness and a few basic rules...
It was still too crude.
There was no developmental potential.
Hell needed a complete overhaul.
For Lynn, this wasn't difficult.
After all, he had already gained full control over the version of Hell located in the Japan zone of the main world.
All he had to do was replicate that Hell template here.
However...
Before that, he needed to find a method to obtain sovereign control over this world's Hell.
Otherwise...
The benefits might just be absorbed by Hell's consciousness.
But...
As Lynn scanned the area, he found no specific anchor or artifact directly tied to Hell's authority.
So...
How should one go about claiming Hell's sovereignty?
Lynn stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Hmm...
Suddenly, his crimson eyes lit up.
While nothing tied directly to Hell's authority could be found...
The deeper he ventured, the more he felt a vague consciousness gradually becoming clearer.
Yes...
Hell's consciousness.
With that in mind, Lynn closed his eyes and tried to establish contact with it.
After a while...
Lynn frowned slightly.
He could sense the existence of Hell's consciousness, but connecting to it was proving difficult.
Then...
A flash of insight struck him.
Since this was the world of the Soul Reapers, it made sense to use their power to communicate.
Reiatsu.
Realization dawned on Lynn.
After recruiting Yoruichi into his Peerage, he had gained access to spiritual pressure, the energy unique to the Soul Reaper world.
However, due to his unique constitution...
Reiatsu didn't manifest as his primary energy.
That was why Saito Furofushi hadn't sensed it from him earlier.
As a devil, his main energy was magic.
Spiritual pressure was simply an attribute layered onto his existing power.
Lynn calmed himself and converted his internal energy into spiritual pressure.
The next moment...
A terrifying burst of Reiatsu exploded from the depths of Hell.
BOOM!!
A dazzling beam of light shot skyward.
It instantly tore through the thick miasma clouding Hell.
The entire realm began to quake violently.
Lying in Lynn's arms, Yoruichi's expression shifted.
This spiritual pressure was even more terrifying than the old man's!
Saito Furofushi stood frozen.
The force of the spiritual pressure whipped her long purple hair wildly.
Her oversized shihakushō flapped violently in the wind.
She stared in stunned silence at the spiraling column of energy erupting from Lynn and swallowed hard.
At that moment, Saito Furofushi no longer cared about why she hadn't sensed spiritual pressure on Lynn before.
This level of spiritual pressure...
Gulp.
The sound of swallowing echoed from her throat.
After their previous speed contest, she had already elevated Lynn's strength to a nearly mythical level in her mind.
But now...
No one had told her that this guy was more terrifying than even Yamamoto.
Had she been in Hell too long?
Had she completely lost track of the current power scale?
In this world...
When did such a monstrous figure appear?
The eruption of Lynn's spiritual pressure didn't just shake Yoruichi and Saito Furofushi.
In a distant corner of Hell...
"This... this spiritual pressure!"
His eyes were filled with fear as he clenched his fists tightly.
At the same time...
Shuren abruptly stood up from his seat, staring at the origin of the spiritual pressure with disbelief.
"What terrifying spiritual pressure..."
So...
Hell could shake.
Feeling the tremor beneath his feet, Shuren was deeply shocked.
He'd been in Hell for who knew how many years, but this was the first time he'd seen something like this.
Haa...
His breathing grew ragged.
Such a terrifying existence might actually be able to break the Gates of Hell.
Shuren's shock only lasted a few seconds before he snapped back to reality.
Escape from Hell.
That had always been his goal.
And in his estimation, the only way out was to shatter the Gates of Hell.
But...
With his power alone, that was impossible.
That was why he had always tried to rope in Saito Furofushi.
Yet...
Even with immortality, Shuren had no confidence he could break the gate.
Now, however...
Finally, someone gave him hope.
Shuren raised his hand. "Let's go. It's time we paid our respects to this mighty being who descended into Hell."
As soon as he spoke, Shuren stepped forward.
Murakumo and the others exchanged uncertain glances.
This overwhelming spiritual pressure was terrifying, but...
Would someone like that really help them break the Gates of Hell?
Doubt clouded their expressions.
In the end, it was Taikon who broke the silence. "Lord Shuren..."
He hesitated, then asked, "Would someone like that even be willing to help us?"
"Oh..."
Shuren chuckled, then replied with confidence, "Don't worry. Once I make my move, there's no goal I can't achieve!"
Murakumo's expression twitched slightly.
No unachievable goals?
Then why did Saito Furofushi reject them?
Ah...
Right. Shuren hadn't personally stepped in before.
Despite the unease, Shuren had spoken.
So, after another round of glances, the group sighed in resignation and followed him.
And that wasn't all.
The impact of Lynn's spiritual pressure eruption continued to spread.
---
Soul Society.
Connected to Hell.
Click—
The Gates of Hell, which had been silent for many years, suddenly trembled.
A thin line of data appeared across the seal.
Soon—
Thick miasma surged out.
A Soul Reaper standing guard had been half-asleep, but when he saw this, he jolted upright.
He stared at the miasma and shouted, "Quick, notify the Captain-Commander!"
Soon—
An urgent report reached Seireitei.
Inside the central building of the Gotei 13.
The captains had all gathered.
Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni sat at the head.
Once everyone was present, he said in a low voice, "It seems something has occurred in Hell."
"Hell?"
Hearing the word, the captains were visibly surprised.
Then their expressions turned grim.
As captains, they knew well how dangerous Hell was to the balance of the three realms.
Yamamoto Genryusai remained calm, though he was quietly pleased by their reactions.
He continued, "I intend to send a team into Hell to investigate. Who among you volunteers?"
"Hmm..."
(To be continued.)