Chapter 325: He Was Willing

H'el glanced at the letter and casually disintegrated it with spirit particles. He turned to Shunsui Kyoraku and said, "Don't worry, my entering the Great Spirit Book Gallery shouldn't cause you any trouble."

Hearing this, Kyoraku shook his head, his eyes narrowing slightly, giving a lazy yet threatening look as he said, "That's exactly what will cause us trouble."

If H'el entered the Great Spirit Book Gallery without their knowledge, it could be considered a severe dereliction of duty by the Gotei 13, including the oversight of the protective barriers set by the Gotei. In such a case, the responsibility on the Gotei 13 wouldn't be as significant.

However, now that H'el had informed him face-to-face about entering the Great Spirit Book Gallery, the consequences were far more severe.

Merely knowing and not reporting or preventing an unauthorized person from entering such a critical area could be something even Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto wouldn't be able to protect Kyoraku from.

Under the judgment of Central 46, it would almost certainly result in Kyoraku being imprisoned in the Muken for thousands of years, or perhaps even indefinitely.

The Tsunayashiro family, an ancient noble family, was not one to be trifled with.

H'el's claim of not causing trouble was, in fact, causing serious trouble.

Whether it was H'el saying he would enter the Great Spirit Book Gallery now, or doing so after Kyoraku left, the outcome would likely remain the same.

The Great Spirit Book Gallery forcibly collects and records all events and information in the Soul Society, making it impossible to hide anything from the Tsunayashiro family, who manages it. The only difference would be whether they chose to look or not.

Kyoraku did not want to let such leverage fall into the hands of that family.

He had previously exposed a plot by a low-ranking member of the Tsunayashiro family, leading Central 46 to convict that member, embarrassing the Tsunayashiro family and earning their enmity.

Handing them more leverage now would be asking for death.

So, the best solution now was...

"Oh, it seems the Seireitei is even more rigid and feudal than I thought."

H'el lazily allowed the sunlight to scatter across his face, enjoying the warmth of the winter sun.

Even from watching the Soul Reapers, one could sense the feudal nature of the Seireitei, but being inside the Seireitei made the oppressive and autocratic atmosphere even more palpable.

In reality, the Gotei 13 didn't have much power within the Seireitei.

The nobles were still above them, something even Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto couldn't change.

This wasn't a chaotic time but an era of strict order and rules. Many procedures and actions couldn't be decided by Yamamoto's strength alone.

The Gotei 13 were more like guardians of the Soul Society for the nobles.

Kyoraku didn't want to take on the blame of allowing H'el to enter the Great Spirit Book Gallery.

"Yes, sometimes being in the Seireitei is quite frustrating."

Kyoraku smiled, resting his right hand lightly on the hilt of his Zanpakuto at his waist, his eyes flickering with subtle danger.

So, the best way is to defeat me so that I can't stop you from entering the Great Spirit Book Gallery.

As long as he was defeated, no one could overly blame him for failing to prevent H'el from entering the Great Spirit Book Gallery.

Although this would greatly damage Kyoraku's reputation, H'el was an unyielding troublemaker.

Moreover, if he couldn't even defeat Kyoraku, there was no need to aspire to enter the Great Spirit Book Gallery.

"So, young man, for your sake of entering the Great Spirit Book Gallery, and for my sake of avoiding punishment for letting you in, please defeat me."

Kyoraku's smile carried a hint of danger as his fingers lightly stroked the hilt of his Zanpakuto. His eyes, half-closed, seemed to hold a gentle murderous intent as he said, "H'el, you're the first man besides women that I've taken so seriously."

As Kyoraku spoke gently, he slightly pushed the guard of his Zanpakuto with his thumb, revealing a gleam of cold steel in the sunlight.

"Are you mistaken about something, Kyoraku?"

H'el's expression remained unchanged, sunlight bathing his face, yet there was an invisible tremor, as if even the light would change with his mood.

"Do you know why the Soul King was dismembered?" H'el opened his eyes, looking at the ready-to-strike Kyoraku, his gaze indifferent, like watching ants pass by his feet without any emotion.

Hearing H'el mention the Soul King's dismemberment, Kyoraku was slightly surprised. It seemed H'el wasn't just a threat to the three worlds but also knew many secrets.

"Oh, why?" Kyoraku's smile remained, his stance unchanged.

He certainly couldn't say that the ancestors of the Tsunayashiro family, along with the other four noble families, jointly sealed the Soul King, splitting the chaotic world into three realms.

The world of spirit particles—the Soul Society.

The world of matter—the World of the Living.

The desert land of the Hollows, born from the two worlds—Hueco Mundo.

These formed the current three realms.

Moreover, the ancestors of the five noble families feared the Soul King's power and his potential to break the seal and destroy them.

So, they didn't let the Soul King live, nor did they kill him.

Instead, they cast him into a paradoxical spiral of being alive and dead simultaneously.

They cut off the Soul King's arms that controlled "progress" and "stasis," yet still found it insufficient. Led by the Tsunayashiro family's ancestor, they spent millennia removing the Soul King's heart, severing his legs, carving out his internal organs, and removing them from his body, stripping him of power and casting him down, continuously weakening him to create a king they could control.

"Because he was willing."

H'el said calmly, standing up from his stone seat and extending his hand towards Kyoraku.

A dark sphere appeared behind Kyoraku with incredible speed, enveloping him instantly and then moving forward to engulf H'el as well.

"My will is not changed by your laws, rules, intentions, or power."

°°°

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