As Sugisa waved his hand, the wooden seal floated toward him.
Shigure grasped it firmly in his hand, feeling the cold sensation seep into his palm.
Upon closer inspection, the aura of this "卍" seal was indeed slightly different from the one held by Shoya Genjirou.
Even with just a brief touch, the spiritual particles within his body had already begun to slowly dissipate into the seal.
However, this small amount was far from enough to affect Shigure.
With a smile, Shigure bowed slightly to Sugisa in gratitude.
"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Sugisa."
Sugisa grinned widely. "You sure are confident. Do you still think you can leave after sensing the unique power of this seal?"
Shigure's smile deepened, his eyes flashing with determination. "It's just a matter of time."
He could already faintly sense that this strange power was beginning to merge with his soul.
In other words, this power... his Final Soul could still adapt to it!
It just needed a little time.
Hearing this, Sugisa raised an eyebrow.
"Even if you manage to break the seal and leave this layer, what makes you think you can reach the fifth layer unscathed?"
"Didn't you notice the patrol guards stationed outside each layer when you arrived?"
"Although they're far from the entrance to the sealed gate and won't notice you leaving, the moment you head for the fifth layer, your spiritual pressure will undoubtedly be detected."
Upon hearing this, Shigure's smile widened.
"I have my ways. Mr. Sugisa, just wait and see."
With that, Shigure turned and walked toward the sealed gate.
It was time to comprehend the power of the "卍" seal, use it to unlock the shackles, and unleash Kido to break through the seal.
Given his exceptional proficiency in Kido, learning the unique Kido used by Shoya Genjirou back then wouldn't be too difficult.
A day passed, and Shigure remained seated in a corner.
While he had already familiarized himself with the Kido, the integration of the "卍" seal's power was progressing rather slowly.
However, Shigure understood.
Even though the Final Soul had the ability to adapt to any power, there was still an adjustment process.
He began multitasking—merging the power while training his Resonating Eye.
Perhaps due to the fusion of his soul with the distorted spiritual pressure here the day before, the effectiveness of his Resonating Eye had significantly improved today.
This newfound progress boosted Shigure's confidence.
By the third day, Shigure opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips.
After two full days, he had successfully adapted to the spiritual particle backlash from the "卍" seal!
Now, the seal would no longer absorb his spiritual particles.
In other words, the seal would have no adverse effects on him anymore.
Standing up, he placed the "卍" seal between his palms without hesitation and began chanting a Kido incantation.
"Steel skies, misty earth, icy deserts, fiery oceans!"
"Fall into nothingness, tremble, entwine, lock away!"
"Crimson moon! White sun! Black star!"
"The raging prison of Black Erosion Sealing..."
"Open!!"
From a distance, Sugisa felt the fluctuations of spiritual pressure and immediately opened his eyes.
"Is it starting?"
Whoosh!
A black vortex suddenly appeared in front of the sealed gate.
Shigure smirked. His two days of research had paid off—it worked!
Aware of Sugisa's attention from behind, Shigure said, "Mr. Sugisa, see you later."
With that, he stepped into the black vortex.
Emerging on the other side, he found himself surrounded by seventeen stone pillars, all retracting into the ground.
Shigure smiled and raised his hand to his shoulder, mimicking the action of adjusting a hat.
In that instant, his entire figure vanished, along with his spiritual pressure.
Urahara Kisuke's Spiritual Concealment Garment.
With Shigure's cautious nature, he had already donned this garment when heading to the First Division.
However, he had infused it with Bakudō #26: Kyokko (Curved Light), rendering the garment completely invisible.
Unless touched directly, no one would notice that Shigure was wearing this over his standard Soul Reaper uniform.
Pulling up the hood, Shigure activated the garment's concealment feature, completely masking his spiritual pressure.
He began making his way outward.
It seemed that the Seireitei had never anticipated someone emerging from the sealed gate of the Black Erosion Hell, as there were no guards stationed here.
Instead, most of the patrol guards were positioned near the staircases between the layers—the only way to access the various prison levels and return to the Seireitei.
Logically, stationing guards there made more sense.
Calmly passing by the patrolling guards at the staircase, Shigure descended further.
Upon reaching the fifth layer, even before stepping into the prison's interior, Shigure immediately felt a heavy pressure enveloping him.
"So this is the binding barrier of the Tearing Spirit Hell... I can feel its oppressive force even before entering," he murmured, continuing forward.
Suddenly, a system notification echoed in his mind.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have successfully reached the designated check-in location. Beginning check-in now!"
"Check-in duration: 10 seconds. Leaving midway will result in failure."
"Ten seconds."
"Nine seconds."
Shigure was stunned. What's going on?
I've only just arrived at the fifth layer—I haven't even seen the entrance to the prison yet, and the check-in has already started?
As this question arose, the system promptly provided an explanation.
"Friendly reminder: For time-limited check-in tasks, the designated range for check-ins is broader to facilitate task completion."
Hearing this, Shigure was overjoyed.
Indeed, the system was well-balanced.
When it increased the difficulty in some areas, it compensated with advantages in others.
"Zero."
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. Check-in successful!"
"Task Reward: Barrier Collapse!"
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