DxD: Chapter 237: The Bell Rings Again

The World of the Soul Reapers.
The Human World.
Urahara Shoten, Fourth Basement Level.

A black gate surrounded by purple miasma stood quietly in the corner.

From time to time, strange beings with dog heads, exposed tails, or thick body hair stepped out from the gate.

Urahara Kisuke’s eyelids twitched. He sighed helplessly.

This…

What was this place supposed to be now?

A Hell outpost in the human world?

Still…

He could only complain inwardly.

What was going on in Hell had already been explained to him in detail by Shihouin Yoruichi.

Thinking of that, Urahara pressed down the brim of his hat, his eyes flickering slightly.

Lynn’s strength was far beyond his expectations!

At first, he was merely curious about what Lynn was doing in that godforsaken place.

Hell was a place even Soul Reapers avoided.
A prison for the most heinous of sinners.

Yet…

He had studied Soul Society’s history and understood that place well.

Hell—

A realm even Soul Society had no jurisdiction over!

Even Captain Yamamoto, the strongest Soul Reaper in a thousand years, held no sway there.

And yet…

Lynn had somehow taken control of it?

He even wanted to develop it into...

A place resembling Soul Society?!

To be honest…

Ever since Yoruichi told him about this, he’d been in a constant state of shock. A sense of unease lingered deep in his heart.

“…Sigh…”

Urahara sighed again, then looked at Tessai beside him and muttered, “Tessai, tell me…”

“Why do the strongest always want to stir things up?”

Whether it was Lynn or Aizen Sosuke…

They were both headaches.

At least with Aizen, he still had some confidence in stopping him.

But Lynn…

He honestly wasn’t sure.

After all…

Lynn hadn’t shown any abilities during that encounter, and yet.

He had subdued Yoruichi so effortlessly that even Urahara’s Bankai couldn’t break through her barrier.

And now…

Yoruichi was Lynn’s.

Urahara rubbed his brow, visibly distressed.

Still, he’d try to find a balance between Lynn and the world.

Even if Yoruichi had said that herself, it didn’t stop him from worrying.

Beside him, Tessai paused, his stern face briefly hesitating before he spoke.

“…Maybe…”

“…They just want to see the scenery above?”

Urahara was stunned.

He recalled what he had learned from Yoruichi.

A man who now controlled multiple worlds…

Even the Soul King, who was said to have created the three realms, didn’t reach this level?

After all…

The Soul King only had influence over this world.

Let alone controlling other realms.

Even traversing between them might be beyond his capabilities?

Thinking that far, Urahara shook his head and gave up.

Whatever becomes of this world…

It wasn’t his problem anymore.

At the end of the day.

He was just a small shop owner.

Saving the world… That was never his role.

Once he accepted that, Urahara felt a strange sense of ease.

“…Hmm…”

His eyes flickered as he whispered to himself, “I wonder…”

“…Will I get a chance to visit another world?”

Urahara fell into deep thought.

To be precise.

He was probably working for Lynn now, wasn’t he?

Meanwhile.

Shuren stepped into the human world and took a deep breath.

Ahh…

The scent of freedom!

Excitement bloomed on Shuren’s face as he eagerly looked forward to exploring the human world.

Taikon and the others were equally thrilled.

However…

Shuren quickly settled down.

He lifted the chains wrapped around his body, and a crisp metallic jingle followed.

From these chains, Shuren could sense an extremely deep connection with Hell.

A connection even stronger than when he had been inside it.

Shuren understood clearly.

The moment he harbored any disloyal thoughts, he would suffer a terrible fate.

He raised his head to look at the dog demons that weren’t wearing chains.

His gaze sharpened.
He clenched his fists tightly.

One day, he would break free of these shackles.

So…

“Get to work!”

Shuren raised his hand and pointed toward the souls wandering through the human world!

Urahara adjusted the brim of his hat, casting a sidelong glance at Shuren.

That guy… seemed quite capable.

Not to mention.

He had visible fluctuations of spiritual pressure on him.

Clearly…

A local of Hell?

Urahara pondered for a moment.

Hmm…

Hell’s origins were ancient. Since the rise of Soul Reapers, powerful ones who committed grave sins were often sealed there upon death.

Naturally…

There were plenty of powerful beings in Hell.

But…

When Urahara saw how devotedly Shuren worked for Lynn, he couldn’t help but make a strange expression.

Completely tamed…

Well, not his concern.

But—

Urahara was still a bit curious.

How exactly did Hell handle soul extraditions?

A little while later.

Shuren led his team and began collecting souls.

After Taikon and the others escorted several souls over, he shook the wooden nameplate on his body.

Buzz—

A shadowy river filled with desolation emerged.

The Sanzu River!!

That’s right—

Ai Enma had fully replicated the mechanisms of the human world’s Hell within her domain.

This was Shuren’s first time using the nameplate to summon the Sanzu River, and the novelty was undeniable.

Once the souls were placed on the boat by Taikon and the others, it moved without wind, silently drifting toward the depths of Hell.

Not long after, the wooden nameplate on Shuren’s chest flashed.

A new contribution value appeared.

Seeing that.

Shuren clenched his fists, his fighting spirit rising.

“Keep going!”

“Yes!”

Taikon and the others also received their contribution point updates, and their excitement showed.

A bright future was ahead!

Later.

Murakumo asked, “Master Shuren, what should we do about the Hollows?”

“Hollows?”

“Hollows are souls too.”

“Send them to Hell, of course!”

Shuren didn’t even hesitate.

What do you mean ‘Hollows’?
They were basically walking contribution points!

“Yes!”

Murakumo immediately shoved a Hollow’s head into the Sanzu River that led back to Hell.

Of course, he was still sensible enough not to place it on the same boat as the other souls.

Otherwise, it might turn into an all-you-can-eat buffet for the Hollow.

While Shuren and his crew were busy extraditing souls.

A few days later.

A Soul Reaper dispatched to the human world to perform a soul burial arrived, only to stare blankly at the empty streets.

Wait a minute…

Where were all the souls in Karakura Town?

Were they all devoured?!

And…

Why were there no Hollows around anymore?!

…

Soul Society

Ding ding ding.

A few days later, the bell summoning the captains rang once more.

Eighth Division Barracks.

Kyoraku Shunsui scratched his head lazily and muttered, “Aren’t these captain meetings coming a bit too frequently these days?”

(To be continued.)