Sōkyoku Hill.
This was an exceptionally special place within the Seireitei, one that was rarely ever used.
A solitary, steep stone mountain, as though cleaved open by a colossal axe, rose from the earth. Its summit was flat and broad, barren of even a blade of grass, with only the ancient execution device—the Sōkyoku—standing at its center.
It consisted of two parts: one was a base bound and secured by countless black chains, from whose center rose a straight spear dozens of meters long, its tip pointing directly at the heavens.
The other was a towering execution frame.
This was the embodiment of the Soul Society's most brutal form of capital punishment.
When fully released, the spear would transform into the legendary giant bird, Kikōō, carrying destructive power said to equal the combined force of one million Zanpakuto. It would pierce the condemned and utterly erase their existence at the level of the soul.
Today, however, this hill, usually sealed by barriers and deserted, had gathered nearly all of the Seireitei's high-ranking combat forces.
Members of the Stealth Force had formed several tight security lines, forbidding any uninvolved personnel from approaching.
The captains stood scattered across the mountainside and around the summit platform.
The energy unleashed when the Sōkyoku was released was far too terrifying. Even with special barriers containing it, the aftershocks could still damage the Seireitei.
Thus, all the captains needed to be present, using their immense Spiritual Pressure to form a joint defense and ensure that the execution proceeded without mishap.
Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto stood alone upon a protruding rock closest to the Sōkyoku, his eyes slightly closed and both hands resting on an ancient cane.
He seemed to have merged with his surroundings, yet his Spiritual Pressure, like the core of a molten volcano, faintly