Chapter 188: Chapter 188: The Ritual Connecting to Hell
(T/N: Hello!! This is the first Chapter of the day! If you like the novel, don’t forget dropping Power Stones!! That will be greatly appreciated!!)
After Saitō Furaofushi finished explaining the information about the Sound of Hell, she went on to share some of her experiences in Hell.
"Miss Saitō, how did you leave Hell back then? Entering Hell is possible when the Gate of Hell opens, but leaving... that must be much more difficult, right?" Nanatsuki asked.
"I was lucky. Not long after I entered, a Gate of Hell opened in the World of the Living, so I simply left through it," Saitō Furaofushi explained. "There’s a big difference between people like me who enter Hell voluntarily and those who fall into it after death. The latter are bound by Hell’s restrictions and can’t pass through the Gate of Hell on their own, while I can come and go as I please."
If Nanatsuki wanted to enter Hell, he could also do so when the Gate of Hell opens. However, Hell was vast, and the gate’s location within it was unpredictable. If unlucky, one might not encounter the gate for a very long time—and be stuck in Hell indefinitely.
"Hmm? What’s this snack? It’s delicious!" Saitō Furaofushi’s previously dazed eyes suddenly lit up.
"This is steamed shumai—I made it myself," Nanatsuki replied with a smile.
"You made this? I didn’t expect you to have such cooking skills!" Saitō Furaofushi looked genuinely surprised. She picked up another shumai and popped it into her mouth, a satisfied grin spreading across her face. "So it’s called steamed shumai... so fragrant!"
"I’m glad you like it. I made a big batch of them. They can last several meals, and if I store them in a Reishi Pocket, they’ll keep for a long time. You can enjoy them slowly," Nanatsuki said, then added, "By the way, the Sound of Hell
is a communication tool between you and your grandmother, right? That must be really important to you. Why would you use it as a wager in your match against Batsu’unsai?""The Sound of Hell works as a bridge to communicate with the dead in Hell because of the Kidō ritual inscribed on it by my grandmother. Later on, I learned how to make it myself through using the Sound of Hell to talk with her. Even if I lose the original, I can make another one," Saitō Furaofushi’s face flushed slightly. What she didn’t say was that she’d only wagered it in a moment of desperation.
"A Kidō ritual that lets you speak to the dead in Hell?" Nanatsuki’s interest was piqued. "Miss Saitō, could you teach me how to make the Sound of Hell?"
"You want to learn that?" Saitō Furaofushi gave a sly smile. "That’s not part of our original agreement!"
"Naturally. Miss Saitō, you’re free to name other terms." Nanatsuki nodded lightly.
"Let me think..." Saitō Furaofushi rubbed her chin, swaying her head. "Kidō ritual knowledge is valuable! For the next hundred years, if you deliver snacks and good sake like today’s once a year, I’ll teach you!"
"Once a year for a hundred years... so a hundred deliveries, huh? I accept your terms," Nanatsuki agreed. The frequency was manageable. Although the Muken was heavily guarded, it wasn’t that hard for him to get in. The real challenge would be remembering to do it each year.
"Great! Then first, go find a Reishi creature’s remains with a spiral structure—something like a giant conch shell. The ritual must be engraved on such an object to be effective," Saitō Furaofushi said with glee, barely able to suppress her smile. She had just been worried she’d shared too much and that no one would come seeking her again.
"A giant conch..." Nanatsuki frowned. The Soul Society was completely landlocked, with no oceans—giant conch shells didn’t exist.
They did exist in the World of the Living, but items from that world were made of physical matter, not Reishi, and couldn’t be brought to the Soul Society.
And the Soul Society still lacked the technology to convert physical matter into Reishi-based items.
"Would the remains of a Hollow work?" Nanatsuki asked.
Things with spiral structures didn’t necessarily have to be conch shells. Hollows weren’t limited to humanoid shapes. Many of the smaller animal-type Hollows in Hueco Mundo had shells—it wouldn’t be hard to find one with a spiral structure.
"It should work... I think?" Saitō Furaofushi wasn’t completely sure. "I’ve never tried it. The Sound of Hell
my grandmother gave me was made from the shell of a creature from Hell. But I don’t think using a Hollow shell would be a problem.""Alright, I’ll head to Hueco Mundo to find one like that." Nanatsuki nodded. "Then I’ll take my leave."
"You’re already leaving...?" Saitō Furaofushi looked a little reluctant. It had been far too long since she’d spoken with anyone from outside the Muken.
"I’ll bring more snacks and sake next time. Farewell, Miss Saitō." After saying goodbye, Nanatsuki left the Muken.
This visit had yielded a great deal of valuable information about Hell.
Nanatsuki wanted to learn the Kidō ritual from Saitō Furaofushi mainly to be able to speak with her grandmother, who was still in Hell.
Although the ritual she knew allowed communication with the dead, it also carried the risk of unintentionally receiving other messages from within Hell—messages influenced by its twisted power.
Using it came with dangers. The person who stole the Sound of Hell was very likely affected by that same force—possibly even controlled by Hell’s will.
After leaving the Muken, Nanatsuki returned straight to his laboratory.
Inside, only Aizen Sōsuke was present, operating a set of instruments.
"Sensei, I’ve finished optimizing the Reishi detection apparatus you gave me."
Aizen Sōsuke stood up and presented the upgraded instrument to Katori Nanatsuki.
"I focused mainly on improving the collection module. It can now directly analyze lingering Reishi particles in the atmosphere and compare them with the database."
"I think the data comparison module could still use some upgrades. The current analysis speed could be greatly improved. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to finish optimizing that part."
"It’s already excellent. With this, we’ll be able to pinpoint the movement range of spiritual remains, and Captain Kyōraku’s team will be able to search far more efficiently," Nanatsuki said with praise.
Aizen Sōsuke was also aware of the encounter with the Gate of Hell in Rukongai and understood the urgency behind optimizing the detector.
"You extracted all the Reishi data stored in the instrument, right?" Nanatsuki asked.
"Yes, it’s all been extracted," Aizen Sōsuke hesitated for a moment.
He’d also noticed something—his teacher’s Reishi bore an uncanny resemblance to that of their Shishō. Even closer than a mother and child with a direct bloodline.
In fact, it was close enough to meet the criteria for identifying a spiritual remnant!