Tsunayashiro formed a seal with his hands, and immediately, his body began to regain its youth as if time were flowing backward.
His fallen teeth regrew, his hunched back straightened, and thick hair sprouted from his once-bald scalp.
The color of the newly grown hair was not the white of his old age, but a deep black-green, appearing as though it were laced with potent venom.
It was the exact same color as Tsunayashiro Tokinada's hair, which I had seen in the novelization.
"Ah… Aah… Yes… Yes, yes…! Hahahaha! I'm back…! I have returned!!"
Jomon burst into a mad laughter as he ran his hands over his rejuvenated body.
He even writhed his torso, looking as though he were in an unbearable state of ecstasy.
Watching him, I understood.
I saw exactly how that ritual was operating.
"You've linked your life to the Soul King Palace, haven't you?"
"Yes, as expected of my Master! You recognized it instantly! Hahahaha!"
"Tsk. You little brat, you're doing something truly disgusting."
This son of a bitch. I knew he was up to some shady shit, but I never imagined he would be this pathetic.
I scowled deeply and glared at the shaveling monk.
"And you, you bastard. If you saw this, you should have stopped him. Do you think those eyes of yours are just for sitting back and watching?"
"Hmm. If it is for the sake of protecting the Soul King, one must overlook a certain degree of evil, must one not?"
And this is the guy who wants to be called 'Dharma.' If the real Bodhidharma were alive, he would have used Kalaripayattu to split this bastard into three pieces: head, chest, and stomach.
If he weren't destined to become the Captain of the Zero Division in the distant future—the one meant to stop Yhwach—I would have killed him right here.
Actually, even if I killed him now, he probably wouldn't stay dead.
"Bullshit. You little…. Phew…. Never mind. Forget it. What's the use in talking? It'll be the same even in the future."
How did a piece of shit like this become the Captain of the Zero Division?
I feel truly sorry for saying this, but it would probably be better for the world if Kagaya, who has already ascended, came back down and took the Captaincy instead.
'I'm rolling around in this field of shit while you're relaxing after shedding your shell, huh? Must be nice.'
I thought this while looking up at the sky, but of course, no answer came.
But that simply meant he had truly moved on, so I didn't feel particularly bitter.
'Fine, kid…. Live comfortably up there.'
I scratched my head, let out a long sigh, and looked back up.
As I did, my eyes met Tsunayashiro's, who was looking down at me with an expression overflowing with superiority.
Over his current face, I saw the overlap of the past Tsunayashiro—the one who trembled in fear before me.
Seeing that pissed me off. Getting a vague sense of what he was thinking pissed me off even more.
"You knew I was coming, and you stayed here waiting for me until I arrived. That means you have something you want to say, right?"
"It is almost frightening. Just how much do you know?"
"Even if I told you, you have no intention of listening."
This brat has never listened to a word I said in the past, so why bother asking now?
I shook my head and crossed my arms.
"I'll ask this first. Why did you do it?"
"It was to protect the Soul King Palace."
This goddamn….
Curses threatened to surge up my throat and leak through my teeth, but I suppressed them with superhuman patience.
'I'm not usually a man of foul language, but I really can't stand this.'
Still, I should endure. There's no point in swearing at a man who won't listen. Even if I told him to be honest about his ulterior motives, he wouldn't admit them.
"Just be honest and say it's because you didn't want to die."
"I have spoken the truth, yet Master denies it. To judge me solely by my past self is a confirmation bias. I truly created this ritual—the Ouken—solely to protect the Soul King Palace."
"The King's Key?"
"Yes. By binding our lives to the palace, we have ensured that as long as we do not all perish, the Soul King Palace cannot be destroyed. We have become the living keys—the locks themselves."
"Then the reverse must apply as well."
Tsunayashiro offered no reply, only a smile.
Right. Now that I think about it, there was a mention in the original story that the Zero Division does not die as long as the Soul King Palace remains intact.
"So? What's next?"
"I shall hide this palace. Somewhere far beyond anyone's reach. The Heaven above Heavens. The Realm of Neither Thought nor Non-Thought. I will suspend the Soul King Palace at the very edge of the Soul Society's sky. In a place where no hand can reach it, I will manifest seventy-two protective barriers so that no one may enter or leave as they please."
"And you're doing that to protect the Soul King Palace as well?"
"Yes. Of course. However, since those tied to the palace cannot leave it, it pains me to leave the children of my house behind in the Soul Society. But if that is the price to protect the world, I shall gladly accept it."
The way he spoke with an expression of genuine regret… if someone didn't know better, they'd think he was truly grieving.
"Ha."
Hilarious. It's so funny I can't even laugh. I'm so angry I can't even get mad.
"Fine…. Let's summarize."
A thousand years ago, backstabbing and sealing the Soul King was for the sake of preventing the end of the world.
Dividing the world into three and creating the cycle of Reishi was also for the world.
Casting souls with karma into Hell was to keep the world 'clean' at all times.
Dropping souls with high spiritual pressure into Hell was also for the 'maintenance' of the world.
Building the Soul King Palace was to protect the Soul King.
Creating the Ouken was to protect the palace that protects the Soul King.
Suspending the palace in the sky was, likewise, to protect the Soul King Palace.
Why? Because protecting the palace results in protecting the world….
"Are you trying to say you haven't done a single thing for yourself?"
Everything was done under the 'Greater Good' of saving the world?
This level of bullshit deserves a standing ovation.
"You've wrapped it up beautifully. Truly impressive. Magnificent, really."
Even though the content inside is a nauseating pile of slaughter and karma.
I glared at him, my brow furrowed in a deep scowl.
"So, to make that 'Ouken,' how many did you kill? A hundred? A thousand? Or was it ten thousand?"
"It is a lamentable thing…. Because of my lack of ability, many unfortunate souls saw their lives end. How could I ever forget? Exactly ten thousand, three hundred, and seven."
"Don't you feel anything?"
"They are those who laid down their lives for the greater good. They are all prideful children; how could I possibly insult them with grief?"
"To do so would be to mock their sacrifice."
Tsunayashiro tilted his head, his expression one of genuine confusion.
Is he pretending to be ignorant until the end, or does he truly believe he is carrying all the world's misfortunes for the sake of others?
Whichever it is, it's equally nauseating—justifying atrocities and calling it justice.
"You, and you too. You're both pieces of shit."
"A necessary evil, perhaps. Peace is always built upon such things."
The monk is at least slightly better. At least he knows he's a bastard. Compared to him, the guy standing there….
"Why do you look upon me with such disdain, Master? Does my service to the Soul King displease you so? Or are you angry because I no longer have a reason to go to Hell?"
"Since you seem to truly not understand, I'll explain it to you piece by piece."
First.
The Soul King sacrificed his own body to become the wedge for the world.
"You didn't seal the Soul King because you were capable. You claim you made a ritual to seal him? Bullshit. You just took the barriers the Soul King was already using and inverted them. How the hell can you say you made that?"
Next.
I can understand cutting off his arms. But why did you go further than that?
"Instead of serving the Soul King, who gave his life for you, you cut off his legs, tore out his organs, and made him a cripple. And then you say you're 'serving' him? Because he stays quiet and takes it, you just do whatever the hell you want, don't you?"
Next.
I deliberately avoided making a name for myself so I could quietly disappear into the background of history, fearing I might scare you lot. But you just had to drag me back out and give me a name.
"Why? Were you that afraid of me? Did you need to define me, to bring me down to a level you could comprehend? Did you need the assurance that comes with making me an equal existence to yourselves, just so you could feel 'it's okay if we do this'?"
Next.
The very bastard who divided life and death for the 'world' created an immortality ritual for himself because he didn't want to die?
"You call it the 'King's Key' to make it sound nice, but you just made it because you're terrified of death. Couldn't the Soul King Palace simply be guarded generation after generation? If you had been honest and said, 'I'm scared of dying, but I'll protect the palace while I'm at it, so give me a break,' I would have just called you a son of a bitch and left it at that."
Next.
After all that, you act like you're the only one who sacrificed anything, playing the hypocrite.
"If you had bowed your head like Shiryu and said it was for the world, that you were sorry, and that you would accept the punishment later, I wouldn't have said a word. But what? For the Soul King? Does a man who 'serves' the Soul King tear him to pieces? Doesn't that feel strange to even you?"
Everything he did and said was a mass of contradictions.
And to say all that was for the world….
"You have no intention of changing, do you?"
"Change is something one does when there is a problem."
Right. I knew you'd say that.
"Then, as your Master, I have nothing more to say."
Instead, from this moment on, I will speak as the 'Nether King'—the name you lot gave me.
It doesn't matter if that's not what 'Nether King' means. You gave me the name on your own whims, so I'll use it on mine.
"Tsunayashiro Jomon. For the crime of stealing from your Master and trying to make it your own; for neglecting your duties; for deceiving others with hypocrisy; for slandering others; and for accumulating a massacre's worth of karma so thick it is carved into your very soul."
"It is a great evil that can never be overlooked."
"Furthermore, as you show no remorse despite knowing these facts, your character is utterly irredeemable."
"Therefore, I hand down your sentence. You are headed for the Hell of Black Darkness."
Tsunayashiro, who had been breaking out in a cold sweat with a tense expression, suddenly snorted and shouted.
"I cannot die as long as the Soul King Palace remains!! How could you possibly judge me!?"
"You won't die as long as the palace exists?"
Then I'll just throw you into Hell alive.
I immediately raised my fist and struck the ground with all my might.
———!!!
The floor of the entire Soul King Palace gave way, and a massive hole opened up, leading all the way down to Hell.
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