The argument continued for a moment. The chief judge seemed to feel that this farce could not be allowed to continue any longer. He suddenly raised his voice with unquestionable authority:
"Silence!"
His command forcefully suppressed every voice.
The chief judge's cold gaze swept across the room below before finally settling on Tsukihito Tsunayashiro:
"Criminal Tsukihito Tsunayashiro, the evidence is conclusive and the facts are clear. Not only have you shown no remorse for your crimes, you even dared to slander your former colleagues and disrupt order in this sacred place of judgment. Your intentions are unforgivable!"
He paused, giving Tsukihito Tsunayashiro no further chance to quibble, then quickly declared:
"The sentence is as follows: Criminal Tsukihito Tsunayashiro, your crimes are beyond pardon. You have refused to confess and slandered others. With multiple crimes compounded, you are sentenced to—Sōkyoku Execution! Effective immediately!"
The moment the words "Sōkyoku Execution" were spoken, the air throughout the entire judgment hall seemed to freeze.
It was Soul Society's highest and cruelest form of execution, carried out by Kikōō. Body and soul would be annihilated, and one's very existence utterly erased!
Even among the most vicious criminals, few had ever been sentenced to such a punishment.
Tsukihito Tsunayashiro seemed to have been struck by lightning. His entire body shuddered violently, and the last trace of light in his eyes was extinguished, leaving behind only endless ashes and despair.
The chief judge turned his gaze toward Scarface.
"Accomplice Scarface, you aided in the murder and bear grave sins. However, in consideration of your forthright confession and the fact that you were not the mastermind."
"Sentence: imprisonment in Muken, with your term... extended by one thousand years!"
Muken was Soul Society's most hopeless prison, where its most vicious prisoners were held in eternal darkness.
For Scarface, who