Central 46 Chambers

Deep within the Seireitei lay an area of towering, severely solemn architecture, its harsh lines seeming to be built from massive stones and silence itself.

Even the light here seemed colder than elsewhere. The air was heavy, permeated by an invisible pressure that instinctively made one hold one's breath and focus.

This was the seat of Soul Society's highest legislative and judicial authority—the Central 46 Chambers.

After passing several heavily guarded checkpoints and corridors thick with Spiritual Pressure, Liu Chuan and Isshin Shiba were led to an antechamber after identifying themselves.

There were no chairs, no tea. Only the two of them stood alone in the center of the empty hall, while several figures sat in a row atop the raised platform ahead, like judges at a tribunal.

They were not the full Central 46, but several Sages representing the will of the Sage Council.

They looked down upon the two newcomers, their gazes like cold probes, repeatedly sweeping over the glaring Zero Division haori Liu Chuan wore.

There was little of the respect Zero Division should have commanded in their eyes. Instead, there was scrutiny, appraisal, and a trace of poorly concealed displeasure.

"Zero Division reserve member Liu Chuan, Tenth Division Captain Isshin Shiba."

The old Sage in the center, with silvery-white hair and a face as stiff as carved stone, slowly spoke. His voice was dry, carrying the distant air of one long accustomed to high status.

"What brings you here at this hour?"

His words sounded proper enough, but the coldness in his tone was unmistakable.

Clearly, these Sages were deeply impatient with this young man who had appeared out of nowhere under Zero Division's banner and interfered with an affair they already had under control.

Isshin Shiba raised a brow and was about to speak when Liu Chuan stepped half a pace forward, slightly lifted his head, and met those condescending gazes.

His voice was calm and clear, echoing through the empty, oppressive hall.

"Naturally, I have come to personally meet the two key parties involved, Toshiro Hitsugaya and Sojiro Kusaka. May I ask where they are being held and what condition they are in?"

His request was perfectly reasonable and went straight to the heart of the matter. Made under the dual authority of Zero Division and the Captain-Commander, it should not have been refused.

Yet on the platform, several Sages exchanged knowing looks.

A rosy-cheeked Sage on the left, sharp-eyed and sporting a goatee, snorted and spoke before the others. His tone carried unquestionable authoritarianism.

"Meet the parties involved? Liu Chuan... sir. You have only just arrived, so perhaps you do not understand the situation."

"This matter is unprecedented. It has gravely violated the fundamental laws of Soul Society and constitutes an enormous anomaly and hidden danger. To preserve the stability of the Seireitei and the purity of the Zanpakuto system, after days of deliberation, we have formulated a sound plan of action."

He paused, sweeping his gaze over Liu Chuan with the haughty air of someone who did not mind revealing the truth, as though he were announcing an established fact.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya and Sojiro Kusaka bear the same Hyōrinmaru. This is something the rules cannot permit."

"To eliminate this anomaly, the only feasible method is for the two to engage in a fair duel. The victor will prove himself qualified to possess Hyōrinmaru and may live."

"The loser... his very existence is an error and must naturally be erased."

Make the two duel—winner lives, loser dies! This cruel, blunt solution, twisted though its logic was, was delivered by the Sage as if he were proclaiming an eternal truth.

Clearly, before Liu Chuan had intervened, Central 46 had already reached a private consensus and regarded this as the only "correct" course of action.

To them, Liu Chuan's arrival and demands were undoubtedly a challenge to their authority, an unwelcome complication to an established plan.

Isshin Shiba's fists instantly clenched, and a flash of anger lit his eyes. Yet he forcibly suppressed it, his expression only turning exceedingly grim.

He looked worriedly at Liu Chuan, unsure how this newly appointed Zero Division member would react.

Liu Chuan listened quietly, without the slightest change in expression, as though he were hearing an utterly irrelevant report.

Only after the goateed Sage had finished did Liu Chuan slowly speak, his voice still steady.

"This resolution was decided unilaterally by Central 46?"

"Naturally!" the goateed Sage declared proudly. "Our deliberation is the final judgment!"

"Was it reported to the Captain-Commander and made known to, and approved by, the Soul King Palace?" Liu Chuan continued, his tone flat.

"This..." The goateed Sage faltered, then stiffly said,

"Handling anomalies is the responsibility of Central 46!"

The corner of Liu Chuan's mouth seemed to twitch almost imperceptibly, like a cold sneer.

"Which law of Soul Society states that two Soul Reapers possessing the same Zanpakuto, neither of whom has committed any wrongdoing, must decide their survival through a duel to the death?"

"You—!" The goateed Sage choked on his words, his face flushing even redder.

This so-called "resolution" was nothing more than an internal decision born from their narrow understanding of "rules" and their need to preserve their own authority. There was no written law behind it.

Humiliated and enraged, he suddenly took a step forward, pointed at Liu Chuan, and raised his voice sharply, full of offended fury.

"Young man! How dare you question Central 46's resolution here! So what if you are a Zero Division reserve member? Do not think that merely because you rely on Zero Division, you may point fingers in this place!"

"The stability of Soul Society and the purity of the Zanpakuto system outweigh everything! Leave at once and obey the order, otherwise—"

His words came to an abrupt halt.

For at the instant the final word of his threat was about to leave his lips—

Bzzzt!

An enormous, pure Spiritual Pressure erupted without warning, exploding outward from Liu Chuan as its center!

The Spiritual Pressure did not blast indiscriminately through the room. Instead, it gathered with absolute precision upon the single goateed Sage who had spoken so rudely!

"Urgh—!"

All the goateed Sage's bluster and fury froze in an instant, twisted, and became utter terror and pain.

He let out a muffled groan, then slid to the floor like a heap of mud. Curled up and trembling violently, he could not even lift his head, much less stand.

All he could do was gasp hoarsely. His face had gone paper-white, and beads of sweat the size of beans instantly covered his forehead.

The entire antechamber fell deathly silent.

The arrogance and impatience on the other Sages' faces had long vanished, replaced by unparalleled shock and horror.

They could feel that Spiritual Pressure. Though it was only the aftermath, its intensity was far beyond anything an ordinary Soul Reaper could possess!

This was clearly... captain-class! No, it was not even ordinary captain-class Spiritual Pressure!

This young-looking Soul Reaper actually possessed such terrifying Spiritual Pressure?!

Standing slightly behind Liu Chuan, Isshin Shiba's eyes widened round, his mouth hanging slightly open.

Of course, he knew Liu Chuan was no ordinary man. There had to be a reason Zero Division had taken notice of him.

But to so directly and domineeringly suppress a Central 46 Sage with Spiritual Pressure—this style was completely different from the laid-back fellow Isshin had imagined, the one who drank on a lounge chair at the Kido Corps!

Yet for some reason, an almost exhilarating sense of satisfaction surged up from the depths of his heart, nearly making him cheer aloud.

He had long disliked these old fossils who looked down on everyone, treated lives as worthless, and constantly used "the greater good" and "rules" to pressure others!

Unfortunately, constrained by his status as a captain and the dignity expected of a noble, he had to endure it no matter how displeased he was.

Now, seeing Liu Chuan use the most direct method to reason with them so cleanly and decisively, he felt as though a long-suppressed breath of frustration had finally been released in glorious satisfaction.

No wonder Zero Division took a liking to him...

Isshin Shiba secretly praised him. When he looked at Liu Chuan's back, his gaze held not only the appreciation and willingness to cooperate from before, but also a faint excitement. Working with someone like this clearly would not be boring.

Liu Chuan slowly withdrew that suffocating Spiritual Pressure, and only then did the stagnant air in the hall seem to begin flowing again.

It was as if he had merely done something trivial. Even his breathing had not been disturbed in the slightest.

He did not even look at the goateed Sage collapsed on the ground like a dead dog. His calm gaze swept over the other Sages on the platform, whose faces had gone pale and whose bodies trembled faintly.

His voice remained even, yet carried an unquestionable chill.

"Now, can you take me to see Toshiro Hitsugaya and Sojiro Kusaka?"

"Or perhaps," he said, tilting his head slightly as his gaze fell upon the collapsed Sage, his tone so flat it sent chills through their hearts,

"would any of you like to deliberate a little more?"

The platform fell into dead silence.

The remaining Sages looked at one another and saw deep fear and helplessness in each other's eyes.

Zero Division's status prevented them from using authority to suppress him.

And this absolute disparity in strength, coupled with the young man's utterly unsparing, even brutal manner, completely shattered their tricks of leveraging seniority and manipulating rules.

"Lead... lead the way!" The eldest Sage in the center dryly barked at the guard cowering in the corner. Then he turned to Liu Chuan, his posture finally lowered, even carrying a faint, barely perceptible tremor.

"Sir Liu Chuan, please... please follow me."

Liu Chuan said nothing more and strode forward.

Isshin Shiba hurried after him. As he passed the collapsed Sage, he deliberately "accidentally" gave him a light kick, earning a suppressed groan of pain. Isshin felt even more satisfied.