Chapter 403: The Underworld's Desolation
"What is this?" Unohana Retsu asked, eyeing the ominous gate before her. She recalled it from a newspaper photo of Orochimaru's battle with Garp at Sabaody Archipelago.
"Rashomon, the gateway to the underworld," Kai explained, noting her curiosity.
"The underworld?" Unohana Retsu murmured. She knew of this world's underworld, the fabled destination of souls. Kai had recently mentioned it, teaching her a special Kidō. As a Shinigami, the concept intrigued her. Were they about to enter it?
"Retsu, let's begin. Use the Kidō I taught you," Kai instructed.
Unohana Retsu nodded. "Transformation."
Her body shifted into a spiritual form, becoming nearly imperceptible in the physical world. Ordinary eyes could not detect her. This Kidō, crafted by Kai, could convert flesh and matter into spirit, though it came with strict limitations. Fortunately, Unohana Retsu met the criteria.
Kai watched her complete the transformation, then commanded the Rashomon gate to open.
Squeak, squeak.
The heavy, eerie portal creaked open, revealing a gray vortex within. Cold air seeped out, a warning that this was no place for the living. Without Kai's control, the surroundings might have frozen into a wasteland.
"Let's go, Retsu," Kai said, extending his hand.
Unohana Retsu took it, feeling his firm yet gentle grip. Together, they stepped into the vortex.
The scene shifted. They emerged in a gray, desolate world.
Boom.
The portal behind them sealed and vanished, but neither paid it mind.
Unohana Retsu, in the underworld for the first time, studied her surroundings. Endless brown earth, like rusted iron, stretched before her. A cold wind wailed, swirling like a crow's cry. Nearby, a river flowed, its inky waters vast and unknowable, hundreds of meters wide.
"Is this the underworld?" Unohana Retsu asked, extending a hand to sense the air. She was startled to feel faint spiritual energy permeating the space. In this world, she had never encountered spiritual power outside herself and Kai. Its presence here was unexpected.
"Let's go. I'll show you this peculiar world," Kai said, smiling at her thoughtful expression. He took her hand, guiding her through the barren landscape.
Unohana Retsu nestled close, observing the underworld alongside him. Though far from a scenic destination, being with Kai made the setting irrelevant. She only wished he'd be less exasperating.
They moved swiftly, flashing across miles in an instant, witnessing the underworld's desolation. Brown earth, yellow rivers, and gray mist dominated the landscape.
Occasionally, they glimpsed gray mist coalescing into vague forms, the souls of the departed. After death, souls drifted aimlessly here, carried by the underworld's winds, their essence fading. Ordinary souls dissolved within years, nourishing the world. Falling into the river meant instant dissipation. But the souls of the mighty, those who were titans in life, endured, some for centuries, unless they met the river's embrace.
Kai had learned this during his first visit via Rashomon. This underworld lacked a true cycle of reincarnation, serving merely as a repository for souls, which it consumed to sustain itself. For Kai, it was a perfect testing ground. He had long harbored plans, and now the time had come to fulfill them.
After an indeterminate time, Kai led Unohana Retsu to a singular anomaly in the desolate expanse, a palace of white jade, radiant against the gray. At its center stood a seamless, towering column, exuding a faint glow.
"What is this place?" Unohana Retsu asked, sensing the dense spiritual energy emanating from it. This was the source of the underworld's spiritual power.
"You'll see soon," Kai replied cryptically.
In an instant, they appeared within the column, a vast structure thousands of meters wide, divided into multiple levels. They stood at the topmost floor.
Before Unohana Retsu could explore, a sultry, gentle voice reached her ears. "Mo Mo, you're finally here. It's been so long. I've been so lonely!"
Mo Mo? Unohana Retsu's mind reeled, three question marks forming above her head. She turned to see a woman emerge from behind Kai, her glossy black hair cascading nearly to the ground. Her delicate, jade-like arms wrapped around Kai's neck, her body pressed against his, her face nuzzling his like a cat's.
Who was this woman, more beautiful than any mortal? Unohana Retsu's sense of crisis surged.
( End of this Chapter )