— — — — — —
Taikon and the others immediately straightened up when Saito turned her eyes on them, forcing out awkward smiles.
They looked terrified—like she might give them the same treatment she'd just unleashed on Shuren.
She actually forced Lord Shuren to self-destruct!
Just thinking about it made them break into a cold sweat.
Saito glanced at them, then casually looked away—clearly not even interested.
---
Meanwhile…
Enma Ai, the new Ceo of Hell, had just received a soul's resurrection request.
Enma Ai: "..."
Yeah, this kind of resurrection system? Totally annoying.
With a stern look in her eyes, she rejected the request.
But that soul was unusually strong.
One of the few in Hell who could actually be considered a powerhouse.
"Hmm..."
After a moment of thought, Enma Ai decided to bring the soul up for evaluation.
---
Some time later…
Shuren opened his eyes, blinking like someone waking up from a deep sleep.
He muttered to himself, "I'm… alive again?"
Then—
He noticed a bunch of people gathered around him, watching him like he was part of some weird science show.
"...???"
He looked up, confused.
Was this a different resurrection site?
He didn't dwell on it—until he tried to move. And instantly froze.
Wait. He couldn't move.
What the hell?
Hone Onna gave him a quick once-over and asked, "So, what do we do with him?"
Enma Ai replied calmly, "Hell's short on strong hands right now. Send him to the human world to collect souls."
"???"
Shuren stared at them, his confusion growing by the second.
What were these people talking about?
Send him to the human world?
That word—human world—caught his attention. He shut his mouth and quietly observed.
Hone Onna hesitated. "This guy…"
"He's probably not gonna behave, huh?"
"It's fine," Ai said coolly. "New Hell doesn't have much, but we do have the Chains of Sin. As long as he's bound, he won't be able to break free from our control."
"Ohh, that makes sense."
Hone Onna nodded and looked at Shuren with a smirk. "You heard her, didn't you?"
Shuren stayed quiet for a moment, then asked, "So… you guys are like, Hell's administrators or something?"
He sounded genuinely confused.
After all the years he'd spent in Hell, he'd never seen any of them before.
"Technically speaking," Hone Onna said, "we were just hired—paid quite handsomely, in fact—to manage Hell."
Hired? Paid handsomely?
Shuren's expression turned strange.
But as he tested the constraints on his body, his eyes narrowed.
There was no doubt—this wasn't how resurrection usually worked.
Also, he glanced around.
Were those people building in Hell? Wait—were some of them dogs?
Whatever. Point was—they were really trying to rebuild Hell?
So… they were actually serious about being Hell's management?
Hold up—Hell has management now?!
Shuren looked genuinely shocked.
Why hadn't they come to him?
He'd been busting his ass in Hell for years for real.
His expression turned complicated.
Hone Onna didn't bother explaining. Instead, she handed him a packet labeled 'Hell Rules & Employment Manual.'
"Read this. If you agree, start working."
"…"
Shuren opened his mouth, but in the end, just bowed his head and started reading.
And soon, he was stunned.
Wait a second—this whole plan was clearly modeled after the Soul Society!
They're going to ferry souls from the human world?! There's no way this doesn't lead to a war with the Shinigami!
Gulp.
He swallowed hard.
He used to think he was bold for trying to escape Hell.
But these guys? These maniacs were on another level!
And then he remembered that man from the Soul Society…
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
Were these people not afraid of him at all?!
Shuren clutched the manual tighter, hands trembling. "What happens if I refuse?"
He could still act tough with Saito, but Yamamoto? He wouldn't last five seconds.
He used to think he was strong, but Saito crushed him like it was nothing. And Yamamoto? He stood at the very top of the Soul Society.
Thinking of that, his pride in his strength completely crumbled.
Yeah, he was scared now.
"If you refuse?" Hone Onna said flatly. "Then you'll be sealed away in Hell, permanently."
She tapped her chin. "Given your crimes... yeah, I'd say eternal suppression with no shot at reincarnation sounds fair."
"…"
Shuren stared.
Honestly, that didn't sound all that different from his current situation.
Still, Reincarnation?
What did that even mean?
He flipped through the rulebook and found the explanation.
"Reincarnation…?!"
He clutched the book, eyes wide. "Wait, that's real?!"
Hone Onna nodded casually. "Of course. Reincarnation is one of Hell's core systems. There's also a higher tier Reincarnation called the Devil's Reincarnation—if you do well enough, you can join our familia."
His breathing grew heavier.
If it really came down to it, maybe reincarnation wouldn't be so bad.
He was sick of this place anyway.
But, he'd lose all memories of his past life in normal reincarnation.
And if he lost his memories, was he still him?
Shuren sank into thought—then gave up thinking.
Either way, at least now he had a way out of Hell.
With that in mind, he dove into the handbook.
He quickly realized just how small his worldview had been.
These people actually had a full-on management system for Hell.
A complete job-ranking system, it was shockingly well put together.
Even better—Once you reached a certain rank, you'd get permission to enter and leave Hell freely.
Shuren looked up, eyes sharp. "I'm in."
No hesitation. He was gonna give this a shot.
After all, it's not like he could destroy the Gates of Hell anyway.
Might as well try the official route first.
If that didn't work, then he'd start planning to blow it all up again.
Hone Onna nodded, satisfied with his answer.
— — —
After some time…
Shuren and Saito locked eyes.
Just minutes ago, they were trying to kill each other. Now? Coworkers.
Shuren wasn't sure how to feel.
He never imagined that Saito was already part of this insane new Hell administration.
Even crazier?
The terrifying Reiatsu he'd felt earlier? That belonged to the new ruler of Hell.
Lynn Valifer.
Who, at that moment, wasn't even paying attention to Shuren.
— — —
Lynn sat comfortably at his makeshift office desk, deep in thought.
In the world of Bleach, both the Soul Society and Hell were made of Reishi (spirit particles).
If they wanted to reform Hell properly, they'd need a steady flow of souls.
Which meant they needed to start ferrying souls from the human world ASAP.
But that wasn't his problem anymore.
That was Enma Ai and the others' job.
Lynn had already decided—he was going full hands-off boss mode. He decided to just chill.
Then he casually pulled up the screen to check in on Miko, Kikyo, and the others.
"Hmm?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Something interesting seemed to be happening.
— — —
Meanwhile, on the First Level of Hell…
Soifon and her squad were still pushing forward with difficulty.
The Sinners (damned souls) were like rabid dogs, charging them non-stop.
"Ugh!" Soifon clicked her tongue. "At this rate, we'll never reach the bottom!"
.
.
.