The members of the Gokuzai Family arrived on time, dressed in light-black noble attire with luxurious white garments beneath. Kenseikan ornaments at their temples held their hair in place.
At their head was still Gokuzai Kishi. Unlike their previous meeting, he held a scroll wreathed in black currents in both hands.
A brutal, savage aura rushed toward them, as if the scroll contained a sealed Vasto Lorde.
"On behalf of the Family Head, I thank all of you colleagues for your willingness to lend your aid."
Gokuzai Kishi bowed deeply, his attitude utterly sincere and his etiquette flawless.
Under Gokuzai Kishi's guidance, several members released powerful spiritual pressure, sealing off the area around the scroll.
As the scroll unfurled, black currents surged from within, hanging overhead like a cascade of light.
A massive gate, as vast as a mountain range, gradually emerged amid the currents. A terrifying sense of oppression slowly settled over everyone's hearts.
Unlike the pressure of spiritual power, this oppression felt as though the entire world was directing its malice at them.
More precisely, it was malice toward the living!
On either side of the gate stood a gigantic skeleton, like guards watching over the entrance.
A dark curtain of light flowed across it, like congealed blood.
The Gates of Hell.
The noble clan members were stunned by the sight before them and could not recover for a long while.
Only after Gokuzai Kishi reminded them did they follow the agreed-upon steps, approaching one by one to pour their spiritual pressure into it.
Those Shinigami who had mastered Shikai even thrust their Zanpakuto into the Gates of Hell.
As the ritual continued, the Gates of Hell, which had been trembling faintly, gradually steadied. The world beyond the gates seemed to calm as well, no longer showing any