World of the Soul Reapers.
Hell.
Lynn was the first to step through the boundary gate.
Ai Enma and the others followed closely behind, taking in the new hell's environment.
Once most of the group had entered—even the panther clan had crossed through—Saito Furofushi finally peeked through cautiously. After a moment's hesitation, she grit her teeth and stepped through.
She took several deep breaths, blinking as she scanned the surroundings. As expected, there was no sense of being targeted by Hell.
So…
Was what Lynn said actually true?
This Hell…
Was now under Lynn's control?
Then…
What was the point of her selling herself to him earlier?
Saito Furofushi narrowed her eyes and glared resentfully at Lynn.
But…
No one cared.
Hone onna took a few breaths, then immediately pinched her nose in disgust. "Isn't the air in this hell absolutely awful?"
Yoruichi explained, "This place is filled with hell miasma. The air quality is naturally terrible."
Once they became somewhat familiar with the environment, Ai Enma and the others quickly put together a development plan.
Using the main world's hell as a blueprint, it wasn't difficult at all.
Before long, Ai Enma handed the plan to Lynn for approval.
Lynn reviewed it as Ai Enma narrated. With her calm, flat tone, it sounded like a student reading aloud in class.
Still, as he listened to her methodical explanation, Lynn nodded in satisfaction.
But...
Ai Enma eventually paused, then added, "Hell needs souls to develop."
In other words, the former mechanism, where souls either committed extreme crimes or were passively assigned here from the Soul Society—was completely inadequate.
If they wanted real progress, they had to be proactive.
Only a continuous stream of souls could sustain a functioning hell.
In short…
They needed to reap.
But…
This would inevitably conflict with local powers.
The Soul Society. The Soul Reapers.
Guiding souls to the Soul Society was their job.
If Hell started doing the same, conflict was guaranteed.
Still...
"Just follow your plan," Lynn said calmly.
Soul Society?
With Lynn's current strength, he had no reason to care.
Even Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, the so-called strongest Soul Reaper in a thousand years, wasn't worth his concern.
With Lynn's approval, Ai Enma grew more confident and assertive.
Lynn also sent a simplified version of the plan to Hell's consciousness.
Not long after...
Hell's consciousness responded instantly.
Like an inexperienced girl being shown candy for the first time, she was completely entranced by Lynn's plan and quickly handed over full authority to him. Her tone practically shouted, "Go ahead! I fully support you!"
Seeing this, Lynn couldn't help but chuckle.
This was probably the first time he'd encountered a consciousness this... gullible.
Well…
Actually, wasn't this his first time communicating directly with a consciousness at all?
Lynn rubbed his chin.
He figured this kind of encounter would become more frequent in the future.
After all…
If Hell had consciousness, there was no reason entire worlds couldn't as well.
Hopefully...
They'd all be as easy to deal with as this one.
Of course.
Lynn wasn't lying either.
He did plan to develop Hell properly.
Just as the plan was being finalized and the panther clan was preparing to begin full-scale transformation work…
A group of uninvited guests arrived.
"Ohhh~"
"How rare."
A tall figure hovered in the sky, arms crossed as he surveyed the scene in amazement. "When did Hell become so lively?"
Saito Furofushi narrowed her eyes and muttered, "Shuren. What are you doing here?"
His sudden appearance didn't stir much reaction.
After all…
Everyone had already sensed his spiritual energy approaching before he got close.
Shuren was slightly surprised to see Saito Furofushi present.
So…
The one who released that overwhelming pressure earlier was her?
Hmm...
That checked out.
Hell had been stable for years. If a strong individual was hiding here, he would've sensed it already.
"Relax. I'm not here for you this time."
Shuren declared he had lost interest in her.
"Tch."
Saito snorted in disdain.
Everyone in Hell knew what kind of person Shuren was.
Although she hadn't understood at first, Saito figured it out quickly.
It was likely because of the spiritual pressure Lynn released earlier.
This poor fool probably mistook it for a sign of hope.
But...
What would his face look like if he found out the person he was seeking was actually the CEO of Hell now?
The corners of Saito's mouth curled into a smirk.
Still...
There was no need to let him bother Lynn.
Hmm…
Perfect time to test her new powers.
With that in mind, Saito drew her Zanpakutō and grinned wickedly. "I don't care what you're here for."
"You had your people harass me for so long. That debt…"
"It's time to settle it!"
As soon as the words left her lips.
Saito vanished like a shadow.
Combining Flash Step with her Knight-class super speed, her velocity reached another level entirely!
Shuren's pupils contracted sharply as he felt a violent gust at his side.
He instinctively raised his arms in defense, but—
Boom!
His entire body was slammed down from the sky into the ground!
"...Lord Shuren!!"
Taikon and the others who had come with him shouted in shock.
This woman…
Was she always this strong and just holding back?
Actually…
That was true.
Someone like Shuren wasn't even worth Saito's time to release her Zanpakutō.
Still...
The fact that Shuren couldn't react at all was also due to her power boost.
Without Knight-level speed, that Flash Step wouldn't have achieved the same result.
On the ground.
Shuren quickly got up, ignoring the dust and simply stared upward, frowning at Saito in disbelief.
This woman...
Was she really this strong?
That speed...
"Whew..."
Shuren exhaled and forced himself to stay calm.
He wasn't here to fight.
He came to form an alliance.
He had a clear purpose. He was about to speak when Saito vanished again.
"!"
Shuren tensed. His eyes twitched.
This crazy woman again!
Without hesitation, he released his spiritual pressure.
Whoosh.
Flames coiled around him like serpents.
Sensing movement in the air, the fire snakes lashed out viciously in that direction!
Shuren smirked coldly. "Don't forget, Saito. I've been in this Hell much longer than you!"
Boom!
The flames struck Saito head-on.
But…
To Shuren's shock.
She didn't dodge.
Instead, she charged straight into the flames.
Whoosh—
The fire wrapped around her, scorching and carbonizing her skin, but...
She was laughing.
Shuren's heart shuddered.
Even in Hell, where death wasn't permanent...
The pain was still real.
She really was insane!
Bang!
Suddenly.
A charred hand reached out from within the flames and clamped down hard on Shuren's shoulder.
"Numerological Grafting."
(To be continued.)