Dark mist lingered throughout the streets. Asano Kiyoshi and several First Generation Captains sat cross-legged inside a cave. Katori was still asleep beside them, but her spiritual pressure had become much more stable.
Shihoin Sennichi sat at the very front of the cave with his sword in his arms, his eyes constantly sweeping the surroundings as though observing something.
Oto Kawausukiyo leaned against the stone wall with his eyes closed, resting quietly without saying a word.
Saito looked at Asano Kiyoshi. The combativeness in her eyes from before was gone, replaced by a faint calm.
Seeing the somewhat silent atmosphere, Sakago Saizo spoke up.
"If there's anything you want to ask, ask it all now. Once you have the answers you want, leave this place quickly. Even you can't completely ward off Hell's miasma. Absorb too much of it, and it won't do you any good."
Hearing the old man's words, Asano Kiyoshi nodded. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "I wanted to ask, among the First Generation Captains, are there only..."
Before Asano Kiyoshi could finish, Saito interrupted him. She rolled her eyes at him and said somewhat unhappily, "Tch! Of course not. We're not that weak. It's just that some of them were corrupted too deeply, and the damage caused after they went berserk was too severe for them to move with us."
Sakago Saizo nodded at that and said nothing further.
The atmosphere fell silent once more. Perhaps because these Captains from a thousand years ago had not spoken much with others for so long, they seemed somewhat awkward and resistant when it came to conversation.
However, Asano Kiyoshi did not feel uncomfortable because of it. He actively chatted with the First Generation Captains while telling them about many of the changes and developments in the