If the Seireitei were compared to a great tree rooted in Soul Society, then beneath the First Division barracks lay the deepest ends of that tree's roots.
Passing through layer upon layer of strict barriers and security, crossing the icy prison levels, one would eventually reach the absolute forbidden zone known as the "Eighth Underground Prison."
"Muken."
A massive gate forged from Spirit-Sealing Stone and special alloy, so heavy it seemed capable of crushing a soul, slowly opened inward amid the shriek of turning gears and the scrape of chains.
Beyond the gate was not the narrow cell one might have imagined, but a... boundless, suffocating darkness.
There was no light, no sound, no sense of time passing—only an absolute void and silence that seemed capable of freezing even one's consciousness.
The concentration of Spirit Particles here was incredibly high, yet chaotic and viscous, carrying the stench of decay and despair. They could not be absorbed or used normally at all.
This was the ultimate prison built specifically to hold Soul Society's most vicious criminals.
Two elite First Division guards in special protective suits and isolation masks pushed the executioner Scarface to the edge of the darkness as though escorting a dangerous object.
Scarface still wore Spirit-Sealing Stone shackles on his hands and feet, his Spiritual Power suppressed to its limit.
The instant he was shoved inside, his entire body sank, as if an invisible weight had pressed down upon his soul. Even breathing became extraordinarily difficult.
The darkness around him was as thick as ink. Even with his senses, he could barely make out the space three feet before him; beyond that lay a void that devoured everything.
"Get in there, executioner Scarface," one guard said coldly, his voice muffled and distorted behind the mask.
"Given your crimes, you