Chapter 314: Shocking Three Captains

"What do you mean 'came across'? I killed him and took it." H'el corrected Kyōraku Shunsui.

Came across?

It sounded as if I couldn't beat him.

I killed him and took it from his hands.

Even if he didn't want to give it to me, he had no choice before he died. If he gave it willingly, at least he could die with some dignity.

Kyōraku Shunsui, Kensei Muguruma, and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi were all stunned. Kensei's face immediately turned serious, and he looked at H'el with furrowed brows.

Kensei had always been very caring towards children and had assumed that H'el, Gin, and Rangiku were merely caught in the destruction of the forest.

Now, hearing H'el unabashedly admit to killing a Soul Reaper, he instantly started to take H'el more seriously, beginning to think of him as more than just a child.

Perhaps his initial assumption was wrong.

In this battle involving the Gates of Hell, these three kids might not have been merely collateral damage but active participants.

Kyōraku Shunsui and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi came to the same realization.

Kyōraku's eyebrows raised, and even his lazy expression couldn't hide his curiosity. He softly asked, "What did he do to make you take such a risk to kill him?"

"Remember, killing a Soul Reaper is no joke," Kyōraku said, shaking his head.

Being branded as a Soul Reaper killer is not something easily resolved.

If such a report reached the Central 46 Chambers and they passed judgment, it was almost certain that H'el would be sent to the Nest of Maggots.

"He kidnapped and turned children into monsters," H'el replied calmly. "There's an experimental underground lab behind the village where you can find plenty of evidence. But the monster has already been slain by me. You should find enough proof there to show he deserved to die."

Kensei and Rōjūrō's expressions turned serious. After exchanging glances, Rōjūrō stood up, gave H'el a grateful nod, and elegantly exited the room, heading towards the back of the village.

Kyōraku let out a breath of surprise, feeling a premonition of trouble.

It seemed this wasn't a situation caused by Hueco Mundo or Hell but rather an internal problem within the Soul Society, the Seireitei.

But with so little information, he couldn't piece together a clear picture.

"If that's the case, then Ichirō Urahana deserved to die. If the facts are as you say, I don't think the Head Captain would ignore the truth and hand you over to the Central 46 for killing a Soul Reaper," Kyōraku said thoughtfully.

"It doesn't matter, you don't have the authority to judge me," H'el responded nonchalantly, lying back and resting as if a human looking down on ants, completely unafraid.

If it weren't for the Seireitei's method of controlling spirit particles and Yhwach's Quincy techniques, both of which H'el wanted to master, he might not have even bothered staying in the Soul Society.

There's no need to talk about judging H'el. Just finding him without him putting a hole through the three worlds is already merciful.

"Such dominance," Kyōraku Shunsui simply smiled, complimented him, and then asked, "After you got the Asauchi, were you able to achieve Shikai right away?"

"Yeah, it wasn't difficult," H'el answered.

Talking with Kyōraku Shunsui was quite comfortable, and H'el felt no resistance. He disdained lying and answered as he pleased.

"If the Soul Reapers in Seireitei knew, they might commit seppuku out of shame," Kyōraku Shunsui shook his head with a bitter smile.

He had never seen such an easy Shikai. Even for someone considered a genius like himself, it wasn't this ridiculous.

"What did you do after obtaining the Asauchi? How did you end up in the center of the battlefield?" Kyōraku Shunsui continued to inquire.

"A Soul Reaper took Rangiku while I was chasing Ichirō Urahana. Gin tracked him and left clues. When I got back, I followed the clues," H'el answered simply without thinking.

Kyōraku Shunsui and Kensei Muguruma could now piece together the entire incident in their minds.

At this moment, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi returned from the back of the village with a serious expression. He nodded to confirm the truth of H'el's words.

Ichirō Urahana really did conduct experiments on children, turning them into twisted Hollows.

They now had a rough understanding of the three kids' experiences.

First, Ichirō Urahana came to the village to avenge his brother but was beaten back by H'el. He fled, was chased, couldn't escape, and was eventually killed by H'el.

Then, Masaki Seino appeared and took Rangiku, with Gin in pursuit.

Clearly, Ichirō Urahana and Masaki Seino were working together.

Masaki Seino brought Rangiku to the center of the battlefield, and H'el, returning to the village, followed Gin's clues to the battlefield's center.

Next came the crucial part.

"The forest was heavily devastated. Did you see who was fighting?" Kyōraku Shunsui asked.

"I was fighting the mastermind who took Rangiku. It was his Kidō that caused it," H'el replied.

"Who is he?" Kyōraku Shunsui straightened up, looking seriously at H'el and asking without giving him time to react.

To wield Kidō that could devastate a forest indicated a formidable enemy. Kyōraku Shunsui couldn't help but want to know who it was.

Kensei Muguruma and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi also listened intently, their brows furrowed.

"Him… I know who it is, but I'm not going to tell you," H'el smiled mysteriously and said, "I came to this world not to interfere with its story. After this encounter, I'm curious to see what will happen to him in the future."

H'el had no intention of stopping Aizen.

If he told them now what Aizen plans to do, it would be too much of a waste.

Aizen hasn't yet reached his peak.

If he could, he might lead his own army of Soul Reapers.

Aizen truly is exceptional, a talent.

The three in front of H'el felt a bit of a pity, and the impatient Kensei Muguruma almost got up to hit this uncooperative child, but he was stopped by Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, who shook his head and pressed Kensei back down.

Kyōraku Shunsui didn't mind H'el's refusal to share more and continued smiling as he asked, "Little brother, did you see how the Gates of Hell appeared? I've been troubled by this matter recently."

"Oh, have you been looking into this the past few days?" H'el said. "No need to search. When I used my Shikai, the Gates of Hell appeared."

H'el said this quite casually; there was nothing to hide about it, as that was just how his Shikai worked.

Kyōraku Shunsui, Kensei Muguruma, and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi were stunned.

H'el's relaxed expression made them think he was lying just to get attention.

Because a Shikai causing the Gates of Hell to appear?

That was beyond unbelievable.

It wasn't just far-fetched; it was impossible.

For a child to claim he could fight the mastermind behind the forest's destruction was already outrageous.

Now he was saying that his Shikai alone caused the Gates of Hell to appear.

That was beyond what they could believe.

"It's really hard to believe, little brother... Could you..." Kyōraku Shunsui, smiling but with a hint of threat, began to say.

"Want to see my Shikai? It's actually already in its Shikai state," H'el said with a dangerous smile. "Do you want to witness the power that summons the Gates of Hell? But I only want to talk and not waste energy.

Unless, of course, you're willing to attack me and risk death to see the Gates of Hell appear."

The atmosphere in the room instantly grew tense, on the verge of conflict.

Kensei Muguruma's face turned serious, and his arm muscles tightened.

Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi discreetly gripped his Zanpakutō.

Kyōraku Shunsui was silent for a moment before laughing, "Just kidding, little brother. I am quite afraid of death myself. Let's head to the Seireitei soon; all the methods of using spirit particles that you want to learn are at the Shin'ō Academy."

"Sure." H'el agreed.

°°°

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