Chapter 175: Will You Marry Into the Family?
Hum!
The moment the Hell Gate manifested, Satoru felt the Zanpakutō at his waist vibrate.
It communicated to Satoru that it could dispel the illusion before him.
Satoru placed his hand on the hilt, calming his Zanpakutō.
He chose not to shatter the vision.
Because he sensed that this scene before him seemed connected to him in some way.
As Aizen had previously stated, the true purpose of the Soul Funeral Ceremony was to send captain-level powerhouses into Hell.
The appearance of the Hell Gate at this moment was definitely no coincidence.
As expected, while the vice-captains were capturing Hollows, the Soul Society had already begun "sending people" away.
Fortunately, he had prepared in advance and hidden Kōga Kuchiki in Hueco Mundo before the ceremony began.
He hoped Kōga would be lucky enough not to be discovered, dug up, and eaten by some Hollow before he could establish his laboratory...
Just as he was thinking about Kōga, the Hell Gate suddenly trembled violently.
It was as if something was trying to push the door open from inside.
Satoru was momentarily stunned.
It's you, the Short Alchemist!
While mentally complaining, Satoru prepared to return to the Soul Society.
Hell was relatively unfamiliar territory for Shinigami.
Although they often saw the Hell Gate during missions, no one knew what lay behind it.
To date, not a single Shinigami had ever returned after entering Hell.
The current anomaly was unpredictable.
Although Yamamoto was powerful, first encounters with unknown threats often defied logic.
If some strange creature were to emerge from Hell and give Yamamoto a taste of otherworldly shock, given the old man's poor positioning skills in battle, he might indeed fall victim.
However, before he could act, he saw numerous luminous veins rushing from all directions.
From these lights, Satoru sensed the Reiatsu of many people.
He recognized most of these Reiatsu signatures.
But there were several forces among them that he had never encountered before.
Satoru extended his consciousness, attempting to perceive them more closely.
But in the blink of an eye, these forces entangled and merged together, making them impossible to distinguish.
The entangled Reiatsu lights condensed into chains that flew around the Hell Gate before snapping tight, firmly binding the gate!
The violently trembling door, which had even been pushed open slightly, gradually fell silent under the suppression of the Reiatsu chains.
The illusion before them then disappeared.
"Satoru, what's wrong?" Sōjun asked, noticing Satoru seemed somewhat distracted.
Satoru shook his head:
"Nothing, it's my first time in the living world, just curious."
Hearing this, Sōjun smiled: "If you're interested in the living world, you can visit my home."
"The Kuchiki Clan has a dedicated Senkaimon that can be opened anytime without Gotei 13 approval."
Seinosuke approached.
"Ha, Young Master Kuchiki, aren't you being meddlesome?"
"The entire Seireitei knows that this guy Satoru has gotten together with the young lady of the Shihōin Clan."
"If he wants to use a Senkaimon, wouldn't using the Shihōin's be more convenient than yours?"
Hearing this, Sōjun showed a somewhat surprised expression.
For over a year, he had been receiving training within his clan.
Apart from occasional visits from Satoru for brief conversations, he had almost no contact with outside information.
He never expected this guy had accomplished such a significant matter.
"Satoru, are you... going to marry into the Shihōin Clan?" Sōjun asked in surprise.
Satoru showed a contemplative expression.
"Not sure, probably not."
What he was considering was how his Three Realms Paradise Project might be affected if he married into another family.
Meanwhile, Sōjun began to realize something.
Indeed, although the Shihōin Clan is one of the Five Great Noble Families, with Satoru's talent and abilities, it would be somewhat demeaning for him to marry into their family.
Lord Genryūsai is Satoru's teacher and certainly wouldn't mind backing him.
At such a critical moment, he couldn't afford to drop the ball... If Satoru were to marry Yoruichi Shihōin, he would have the Kuchiki Clan back him as well!
Thinking this, Sōjun nodded slightly, making up his mind.
Just then, Aizen casually approached Satoru.
"What's going on?"
Unlike Sōjun, he wouldn't be so easily fooled.
Satoru's demeanor earlier clearly showed he was worried about something.
Satoru glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention, then lowered his voice. "Just now, I saw the Gates of Hell."
Aizen gave him a surprised look.
Satoru recounted what he had seen.
After listening, Aizen pondered for a few seconds.
Then he said:
"The earlier parts match what I've seen in the Great Spirit Library."
"However, the records don't mention that the Soul Funeral Ceremony would cause disturbances in the Gates of Hell."
"But more than that, I'm curious... why can you see things happening far away in the Soul Society?"
Satoru blinked. "Because I signed a contract?"
"That's possible, but my intuition tells me there's a deeper reason."
After a moment's thought, Aizen advised:
"When you have the chance, ask your two seniors if they saw any of this."
"Okay."
Satoru nodded.
Seeing Satoru's nonchalant expression, Aizen felt somewhat helpless.
This guy had numerous unique traits.
Any one of them could change a Shinigami's destiny.
Yet he himself didn't take any of it seriously.
Fate… truly is an unfair thing.
As the machine operated, a unique Reiatsu spread in all directions, and one Hollow after another began appearing in the city.
The vice-captains were already prepared and swiftly took action.
Various Kidō spells bloomed like fireworks throughout the city.
Any Hollows that couldn't be captured in time and risked breaking into the city to cause destruction were swiftly cut down by Chōjirō.
Although the old man usually acted like a butler and seemed completely incapable of fighting, when it was time to act, he was quite skilled.
Satoru took down a muscular Hollow barehanded, grabbed its arms, and pulled them back while stepping on its back with his foot.
The Hollow beneath his feet let out a humiliated shriek.
Aizen promptly distanced himself, acting as if he wasn't familiar with this person.
Before long, the vice-captains had captured over twenty Hollows.
Chōjirō nodded, ready to announce the end of the operation.
But just then, a loud tearing sound, like cloth ripping, echoed from the sky not far away.
Everyone turned to look.
They saw a massive face slowly emerging from the sky!