Blinding, intense light burst from his fingertips, illuminating the intruder's face in a wash of crimson.
He widened his eyes, hardly daring to believe what was happening before him.
Clearly, this guy's Reiatsu was only at the level of a high-seated officer.
But that unreasonable aggression was like a beast slipping its leash, savagely crushing the defenses he had constructed.
In the split second their blades met, his outer layer of Reiatsu was pulverized with the force of rotting wood being crushed.
He was completely unable to fight back.
How could a powerhouse of this level not even be a Prison Seat Officer? Had the Central Great Underground Prison truly become this extravagant?
Facing the roaring, scorching fireball, the intruder clenched his teeth, struggling desperately to free himself from the debris, and frantically held his Zanpakutō horizontally in front of him.
He attempted to block this tyrannical strike.
Soon, a scalp-numbing sound rang out continuously as blade and flame intersected, erupting into countless dazzling flashes of light.
The smell of scorching flesh permeated the detention room. The intruder's hands had been roasted into a paste by the high temperature, the flesh withering away.
Yet he dared not relax in the slightest.
Naraku Sora's Red Flame Cannon was completely different from anything he had known before.
It exerted twelve points or even more destructive power from ten points of Reiatsu. It didn't look like a Red Flame Cannon released by a seated officer at all.
Boom—
A deafening explosion resounded. Blood sprayed out amidst the intense light, carrying fragments of bone and internal organs, painting a tragic, hellish scene.
By the time Nishikawa arrived, what greeted his eyes was a shocking mess.
There were broken walls and ruins everywhere. The cage had shattered, and the intruder lay scorched black on the ground, which was riddled with fissures.
His face was pained, his features twisted; he had clearly lost consciousness.
On the other side, several Soul Reapers were piled together, seemingly in a coma.
Naraku Sora's first battle had come to an end.
"Senior Nishikawa, you came just in time."
A certain someone revealed stark white teeth, his smile carrying a trace of something chilling.
"Don't worry, I've already taken care of this guy."
"Which level of Hell should we throw him into?"
Truth be told, the thrill brought by pure stats was indeed more satisfying than relying on complex mechanics.
The benefits gained from suppressing all the Adjuchas and the rebels were displayed vividly in this battle.
Both sides had similar Reiatsu, yet Naraku Sora was able to completely suppress his opponent, leaving him with no way to fight back.
This was the beauty of raw stats.
Nishikawa grimaced, his teeth feeling inexplicably sore. Why did it feel like this kid's fighting style was more suited for Squad 11?
"Don't call me Senior, you are the Senior here."
He took two steps forward, reached the intruder's side, and crouched down to check him carefully.
The man was breathing out more than he was breathing in. Although he wasn't dead yet, if he didn't receive medical treatment, he wouldn't live much longer.
Let alone going down to Hell to accept punishment.
Nishikawa stood up and shook his head.
"Before you made your move, didn't you ask about this guy's objective?"
He was beyond saving; just waiting to die.
Unless a Captain or Lieutenant from Squad 4 arrived within half an hour, there was no way to save him.
The medical level of the Central Great Underground Prison was not sufficient to treat such severe injuries.
Naraku Sora frowned.
"Why ask that? This guy came to my turf to cause trouble. Was I supposed to speak nicely and send him on his way?"
Nishikawa was momentarily speechless.
What did he mean by 'his turf'? Why did this kid sound so strange?
Speaking like that, wasn't he afraid Lord Shutara would use him to fill Hell?
After struggling with his thoughts for a moment, Nishikawa sighed and said helplessly, "Do you remember what I told you before about Central 46?"
Naraku Sora nodded.
"To say something treasonous, many troubles are actually brought about by those high and mighty big shots."
Nishikawa's eyes were full of complexity, and his voice dropped a few octaves.
"The so-called rebel army is most likely backed by nobles."
"And their purpose in doing so is often to bring more benefits to their own families."
"But some things cannot be done out in the open. If they were to tear off the mask directly, it wouldn't look good for anyone."
"Therefore, the nobles have cultivated batch after batch of Soul Reaper rebels independent of the Gotei 13 to seize benefits in the dark."
"For example, population, minerals, business, and so on."
Naraku Sora looked thoughtful, but then his face turned calm as he said, "But what does that have to do with me, a vanguard of justice?"
"Someone invaded the detention room attempting to rescue a sinner, and I appeared just in time to stop a crime."
"If you have anything to say, go tell my Lord Warden."
Although Nishikawa didn't say it explicitly, the meaning between the lines was obvious.
The half-dead man lying on the ground was a member of a noble family. His visit to the detention room this time was most likely to silence the previous rebels.
However, he was a step too late.
Before those people could be interrogated, Naraku Sora had escorted them all into Hell.
Such is fate.
Naraku Sora temporarily lacked the ability to manage the sordid business between nobles.
However, fortunes rise and fall; in the future, he would definitely settle the score!
After all, the rewards for suppression also referenced the Sin Value.
The higher a sinner's Sin Value, the higher the probability of extracting good items from them.
Judging from the history of the Soul Society, those high and mighty nobles were almost entirely the shame of the Soul Society; calling them the source of chaos wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Acts of sin, I will never tolerate.
Hearing Naraku Sora's dismissive words, Nishikawa didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Although it sounds a bit awkward, there's nothing wrong with it."
"With the Lord Warden here, those nobles wouldn't dare to run wild in the Central Great Underground Prison."
"As for this guy..."
Nishikawa thought for a moment.
"Trespassing in the Central Great Underground Prison, according to Article 167 of the Soul Society laws, requires stripping one-third of his spiritual power and imprisoning him in the First Underground Prison, [Tokatsu]."
"However, this guy won't live much longer, so there's no need to..."
Before he could finish speaking, Naraku Sora had already used a binding spell to bundle the intruder up like a dumpling, grabbing him with five fingers.
"We still have to follow the procedure."
Saying that, he carried the half-dead intruder and walked toward the underground prison.
Watching his retreating figure, Nishikawa wanted to say something but stopped. A chest full of words eventually turned into a helpless sigh.
Once upon a time, his heart had been full of justice just like Naraku Sora.
But as he saw more and more darkness, those heavy cases, one after another, felt like mountains pressing down on his heart.
They pressed down until Nishikawa could hardly breathe.
He murmured softly, "It's nice, isn't it? There's always someone coming up next..."
Tokatsu Hell.
Naraku Sora opened the cell door with one hand and threw the intruder in with the other.
[Successfully suppressed sinner Araki Shin, Sin Value 99, Participation 100%!]
[Your Reiatsu has increased. Current Spiritual Power Level: Ten!]
[Your understanding of Hado has improved. You have perfectly mastered Hado #33, Sōkatsui!]
[Your growth potential has increased by 100%!]
Naraku Sora: "?"
What does 'growth potential increased by 100%' mean?