-----
-----
In the video, Ichigo Kurosaki and his group sprinted across the tangled bone roads of Hell, led by the white-haired man known as Black Blade.
The surroundings were nightmare fuel.
Twisted, humanoid creatures were everywhere, hollow-eyed and misshapen. Some wandered aimlessly, others huddled in corners, shaking as if even fear had worn them down.
"What are those things?" Ichigo asked, frowning.
"Condemned souls," Black Blade replied flatly as he ran. "Spirits who committed unforgivable sins in life and fell into Hell. They're bound by Hell's chains and condemned to eternal torment."
"But…" Uryū Ishida adjusted his glasses, eyes sharp. "I can feel power flowing inside them. It's chaotic, but it's not weak."
"Heh. Sharp eyes for a Quincy brat."
A mocking smile tugged at Black Blade's lips. "That power comes from Hell itself. It's born from resentment."
"But it's not meant to help them rebel. It exists for one reason only."
He gestured toward the condemned souls staggering like corpses.
"So they can struggle in vain, over and over, and feel despair more deeply each time. No matter how hard they fight, no matter how strong they become, before Hell's will they're nothing but ants. Devoured again and again. Revived again and again. Until their minds finally break and they end up like that."
"This is Hell's law. Give hope… then crush it."
…
Across countless worlds, everyone watching felt a chill crawl up their spine.
Naruto's world.
"That's disgusting!" Naruto Uzumaki clenched his fists, furious. "Giving them power just to make them suffer more? I'll never accept something like that!"
"Easy, Naruto," Kakashi said, though his expression was grim. Staring at the white-haired Black Blade, he couldn't shake the feeling that the man's back and hairstyle looked… oddly familiar.
"Um, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura hesitated. "That guide, Black Blade… if you ignore his face, doesn't he kind of look like you?"
Kakashi: "…"
Fate world, Fuyuki City.
"Zasshu."
Gilgamesh sat atop a streetlamp, swirling his red wine with disdain. "Such tasteless cruelty. Only a place this filthy could dream up torment like that. So-called Soul Reapers are nothing more than Hell's jailers."
Shirou Emiya watched the hollow-eyed souls on the screen, a heavy feeling settling in his chest."So this is the world after death? If that's true… then what exactly are Heroic Spirits?"
One Piece world, Impel Down.
Warden Magellan stared at the screen as poison dripped from his body. "Compared to that Hell, our Eternal Hell looks like a theme park."
Marineford.
Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed. "Giving criminals power, letting them resist, then crushing them again… it's cruel, but it completely destroys a person mentally. If a place like this truly exists, it's a massive threat to world balance."
One person, however, had a very different focus.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma!" Big Mom Charlotte Linlin licked her lips at the massive shadows flickering across the screen. "Those Hell guards look huge! So strong!"
"If I could grab monsters like that and bring them to Totto Land, they'd replace the giants! I want them! I'm gonna build a Hell paradise!"
…
Back in the video, something suddenly went wrong.
Rumble—!!!
The ground shook violently, like something enormous was approaching.
"It's here," Black Blade said, stopping in his tracks, eyes sharp.
Ahead of them, the bone-white ground exploded apart.
A massive skeletal arm burst from the earth, followed by a colossal monster dragging itself free. A giant skull for a head, a body so large it blotted out the sky.
A suffocating pressure rolled off it. Not spiritual pressure, but something older, purer, and deeply evil.
Hell Guard!
"What… what is that thing?!"
Renji Abarai craned his neck upward. The sweat soaking his back turned ice-cold. The monster was even bigger than the largest Hollow he'd ever seen.
"A warden of Hell. You could also call it a manifestation of Hell's will," Black Blade said coldly. "They feed on condemned souls. If you're eaten, you'll revive eventually, but the pain is enough to drive anyone insane."
He turned sharply to Ichigo and the others, eyes burning.
"And listen carefully. If living beings like you are killed here, Hell's chains will bind you instantly. You'll become permanent prisoners. You'll never leave."
ROAR—!!!
The Hell Guard let out a thunderous roar, its enormous palm slicing through the air as it slammed down toward them.
"Scatter!"
The four of them leapt away in different directions.
BOOM!
The giant hand smashed into the ground, shattering the bone-white surface. The shockwave hurled rocks everywhere. The raw power alone was on par with Uchiha Madara's Susanoo.
"Tch. If we can't dodge it, then we fight!"
Renji's eyes sharpened as his hand gripped his Zanpakutō.
"Roar, Zabimaru!!!"
Red spiritual energy exploded outward. His blade extended instantly, transforming into a massive segmented snake-bone whip lined with jagged blades, wrapping tightly around the Hell Guard's arm.
"I'm in too!"
Rukia Kuchiki leapt gracefully into the air, her snow-white blade tracing a beautiful arc.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!!!"
A surge of white frost burst forth, spreading along Zabimaru's bind and freezing half of the Hell Guard's arm solid.
"With a body that big, you're basically a walking target."
Uryū pushed up his glasses as his spirit bow drew taut, blue light gathering.
"Fire."
Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh!!!
Countless spirit arrows poured down like a storm, slamming precisely into the monster's joints.
A rain of light.
The three of them moved in perfect sync.
Fairy Tail world.
"So cool!" Lucy gasped. "That ice girl's magic is beautiful! And the whip guy looks wild, but it works!"
Natsu was practically breathing fire with excitement. "That giant skeleton looks tough! I wanna punch it!"
Back in the video, however, the result was sobering.
Despite the spectacle, the Hell Guard's defense was absurdly strong. The ice shattered. The spirit arrows exploded into sparks, but none of it seemed fatal.
The monster raised its other hand, preparing another attack.
And then—
An orange figure shot forward like a black bolt of lightning, slipping through the opening the others had created.
It was Ichigo Kurosaki.
He gripped the massive black Zangetsu with both hands, his gaze unshakable.
"If its defense is that thick…"
"Then I'll use even more power and cut it apart!!!"
"....."