Chương 32: Chapter 0032: Hōgyoku
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"What are you trying to say?" Rukia Kuchiki stared at the man before her, a sense of foreboding creeping into her heart.
Her intuition told her not to listen to what he was about to say, yet another part of her urged her to hear him out. This conflicting feeling made her heart race, her usually pale face from her imprisonment now flushed with a strange redness.
Su Jin's lips curled into a faint smirk, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm, "A noble commits a crime and, without question, is sentenced to death. Can the Central 46 Chambers really be called wise men who represent the law?"
Rukia opened her mouth to retort but found herself unable to do so. She had been forcing herself not to think this way.
Granting a human Shinigami powers was technically a severe crime, but the punishment wasn't necessarily so harsh. Moreover, being a member of the Kuchiki clan, one of the Four Great Noble Families, she should have had some recourse.
This was why, in the face of life and death, she decided to transfer her Shinigami powers to Ichigo Kurosaki in an instant. Yet, she was captured by Byakuya Kuchiki and brought back to the Soul Society to face execution.
Something about this didn't add up, did it?
Seeing Rukia's silence, Su Jin chuckled, "So you do think the same way."
Rukia fell silent again, then said dejectedly, "It must be the Kuchiki family. After all, I'm just an adopted daughter. Brother Byakuya probably thinks so too."
She had long sensed that the Kuchiki family didn't favor her. Given this, if she made a mistake, those old men who held multiple seats in the Central 46 would likely act without hesitation, right? Even her adoptive brother, Byakuya, might think the same way.
"You're mistaken," Su Jin countered firmly. "You might not know, but Byakuya Kuchiki's deceased wife, Hisana Kuchiki, was your biological sister, and he vowed at her grave to protect you."
"You think a man like that wouldn't keep his promise?"
Rukia was stunned. Her biological sister was Byakuya's wife? And her cold-faced adoptive brother had vowed at her sister's grave to protect her?
Was this some kind of joke?
Su Jin, showing no concern for the secrecy, continued, "Did you think an ordinary orphan from the Rukongai could attract the attention of the head of the Kuchiki family and be adopted without having something special about her?"
Rukia's mouth opened slightly in shock. Yes, though she had become a Shinigami by luck, she was just an orphan before that. Without outstanding talent or abilities, why would the Kuchiki family take her in during her academy days and make her an adopted daughter, only facing mild criticism from the elders?
If her sister was Byakuya's wife, it made sense. Even if she was just a relative of the Kuchiki family, the elders would grudgingly accept her as an adopted daughter. They might gossip, but they wouldn't take any severe action against her.
So why was she sentenced to death by the Central 46?
Byakuya had vowed to protect her, the elders might grumble but wouldn't go too far. The Central 46, who valued noble honor more than life, wouldn't be eager to execute a member of the Kuchiki family for a minor crime.
Why then had the Central 46 resolutely chosen to execute her?
"Have you figured it out?" Su Jin asked, noting the changing expressions on Rukia's face.
"Do you want to know why the Central 46 is acting this way?"
Rukia looked up at Su Jin, her eyes filled with questions.
Su Jin smiled, "That's because the Soul Society is rotten to the core!"
Rukia's pupils contracted slightly.
Su Jin continued, almost to himself, "From the start, the Soul Society has been built on deceit."
"The Soul Society is the smallest of all the worlds and can only add new souls through the Konso performed by Shinigami on departed souls."
"And once in the Soul Society, souls, which originally had no concept of death, will gradually weaken and eventually vanish completely."
"Only those who can control spiritual particles and generate spiritual pressure can escape this fate."
"Do you understand?"
Rukia looked at Su Jin, her face pale, her eyes filled with fear.
"Understand what?"
Su Jin smiled, "The Soul Society devours souls."
Rukia felt a chill run down her spine.
Recalling the residents of the Rukongai who turned into light and disappeared, and how as a child, drinking water and eating dirt kept her healthy, she suddenly realized the truth.
If this were the case, it made sense. The residents couldn't manipulate spiritual particles, so they couldn't improve and were gradually consumed by the Soul Society. Those who could manipulate spiritual particles survived by absorbing them from the soil and water.
Everything in the Soul Society was made of spiritual particles, so consuming dirt and water sustained their souls, preventing the Soul Society from devouring them.
So, the reason Shinigami performed Konso on departed souls wasn't for them to find peace but to feed the Soul Society.
With this thought, Rukia's gaze sharpened as she looked at Su Jin, "Who are you really, and what do you want? The secrets of the Soul Society shouldn't concern my situation!"
"Are you sure about that?"
Su Jin questioned back.
Rukia remained silent, her expression serious.
Su Jin chuckled softly, "Your existence, or rather something within you, is the key to destroying this decayed Soul Society."
"What?" Rukia was shocked.
At that moment, Su Jin placed his hand on Rukia's head, pressing against her protruding hair.
In a calm tone, he said, "That thing has fused with you. To some extent, your will can influence its will. When you become emotionally agitated, its will also stirs."
With those words, Su Jin's hand seemed to pass through Rukia's head as if penetrating air.
At that moment, with the power granted by his divine status, Su Jin touched that thing.
He contacted the Hōgyoku.
Ding!
[You have contacted a special item—Hōgyoku.]
[The Dimensional Forum has recorded the information of the Hōgyoku. To thank the forum holder for their diligent collection, a 'Perfected Hōgyoku' has been gifted as a token of appreciation.]
Su Jin, who initially intended to see if he could extract the Hōgyoku, paused.
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