Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero

Passing through the deep staircase, we entered the underground courtroom.

The hall has a circular dome structure, and countless eerie blue spirit lamps on the dome and surrounding walls illuminate the interior in a stark white light.

Most striking are the forty seats that rise high around the perimeter, like a honeycomb.

At this moment, forty figures, dressed in elaborate and gorgeous sage robes, their faces hidden in the shadows of their hoods, sat in those seats.

They stood like forty cold statues, looking down upon those below. They were the forty sages and judges of the Central Chamber of Forty-Six, nominally the holders of the highest judicial and decision-making power in Soul Society.

In the center of the hall is a relatively low, circular platform, which is the "defendant's dock".

At this moment, Tsunayoshiro and the executioner Scarface were being escorted by guards and stood in the center of the platform.

Not far in front of the "defendant's dock" were several relatively simple stone seats, obviously prepared for relevant observers or witnesses.

Liu Chuan glanced around, and without hesitation, walked straight to one of the chairs and sat down casually.

He even adjusted his posture, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back slightly.

His hands were casually placed on the armrests, and his face carried a faint, almost imperceptible expression, as if he were watching a play.

His pure white haori, worn by the Zero Division, seemed particularly striking at this moment.

His completely disregard for the solemn atmosphere of the courtroom, and his relaxed demeanor as if he were in his own living room, were utterly out of place with the extremely somber atmosphere of the scene.

Normally, within the territory of the Central Chamber 46, facing forty sages, any death god, even a captain, must maintain the proper respect and deference.

Liu Chuan's "outrageous" behavior was enough to make any wise person slam their fist on the table, sternly rebuke him, or even directly punish him for disrespect.

At this moment, the forty sages high above seemed to glance at Liu Chuan almost imperceptibly, but none of them uttered a sound.

There was no scolding, no questioning, and not even a trace of dissatisfaction.

They seemed to be collectively blind, or perhaps they had reached some tacit understanding, completely "ignoring" Yanagawa's presence and his "unconventional" sitting posture.

Only beneath those hooded shadows might lie complex anxieties, or even a barely perceptible hint of...fear.

They certainly wanted to uphold the dignity of the 46th Chamber and rebuke Yanagawa for his rudeness.

But... I dare not. The other party is a member of the Zero Squad, a victim who exposed the ugly conspiracy of their colleagues (even if they have become criminals).

More importantly, Captain-Commander Yamamoto's attitude toward this matter has been made clear, and the Tsunayo family has also chosen to distance themselves and back down.

At this moment, it would be pointless to clash with Yanagawa over something as trivial as "disrespectful posture." It could even backfire and drag you into the storm.

Therefore, silence became the wisest choice.

This collective silence signifies the Central 46th Bureau's powerlessness and compromise in the face of overwhelming power and irrefutable evidence.

After a brief silence, the trial proceedings finally began.

A sage, seated at the highest point, seemingly in the chief judge's seat, slowly spoke, his voice amplified by a special spell, clearly echoing in every corner of the hall:

"The sinners, Tsunayoshi Daisaku and his accomplices, are codenamed 'Scarface'."

The guard pushed the two of them forward a step.

"Read out the charges."

Another sage began, in a completely flat tone, to read aloud the charges submitted and verified by the investigation team, one by one:

"The sinner, Tsunayoshiro, was originally a wise man of the Central 46th Chamber and a member of the Tsunayoshiro family."

His main crimes are as follows: First, due to personal grudges, he meticulously planned and ambushed Yanagawa, a member of the Zero Division of the Soul King Palace, in the old cemetery in the western district of the Seireitei.

He used the family's privately held forbidden drug "Binding Spirit Dust," colluded with the escaped convict "Scarface," and dispatched family assassins to attempt murder, which was extremely heinous.

Secondly, an investigation revealed that, by abusing his position as a respected official and his family's influence, he committed a total of thirty-seven crimes over the past few decades, including accepting bribes, interfering with trials, illegal detention, and embezzlement…”

One by one, the charges were read aloud. With each charge read, Tsunayoshiro's body trembled uncontrollably, and his face turned even more ashen.

"...Accomplice 'Scarface,' a former serious offender, whose main crimes include assisting the criminal Tsunayoshiro in carrying out attacks, and having previously committed serious crimes such as massacre, sabotage, and prison break..."

After the charges were read aloud, the chief judge's cold voice rang out again:

"Do the accused, Tsunayoshiro Suzukazu, and his accomplice, 'Scarface,' plead guilty to the charges against them?"

Scarface raised his head, glanced at the sages high above, then at Liu Chuan sitting leisurely beside him, and smirked, his voice hoarse but crisp:

"I admit it. There's nothing I wouldn't admit to." Knowing he couldn't deny it, he readily confessed.

All eyes were focused on Tsunayoshiro.

Tsunayoshiro had been keeping his head down, but after a long silence, he suddenly raised his head and stared intently at the sages above him with bloodshot eyes.

A sudden burst of hysterical madness erupted from that distorted face.

"Confess? Haha...hahaha!" He let out a burst of venomous laughter, abruptly raising his shackled hands and pointing at the blurry figures on the platform.

"You...you bunch of hypocrites! What are you pretending to be so righteous for! To condemn me? Haven't many of you ever thought the same thing?!"

This Liu Chuan, he disregarded our authority and trampled on the dignity of Room 46! He made us lose face!

Don't you hate him in your hearts? Don't you want to get rid of him?! It's just... it's just that I did it first!

You're all cowards! You're afraid! Now that I'm in trouble, you want to push me out! A bunch of cowards!

He roared like a mad dog, trying to drag the others down with him.

What he said may not be entirely wrong. Among the wise men present, there were certainly those who harbored resentment, fear, or even murderous intent towards Liuchuan.

Tsunayoshiro's insane accusations, like a poisoned dagger, tore away the facade of unity and authority that masked the 46th Chamber.

"presumptuous!"

"nonsense!"

"The sinner, Tsunayoshiro Suzukazu, even on the verge of death, still tries to slander others and disrupt the trial?!"

On the high platform, several angry and urgent shouts immediately rang out.

The sages, whose thoughts had been exposed, reacted fiercely, immediately refuting and distancing themselves from the situation. Their tone was filled with an "righteous indignation" of being offended, as if Tsunayoshiro's accusations were the greatest insult to their character.

For a moment, the courtroom was filled with the chaotic sounds of sages refuting each other, refuting each other's arguments, and arguing back. The trial scene resembled a bustling marketplace.

Liu Chuan sat in a chair, legs crossed, chin resting on one hand, watching this exciting "dog-eat-dog" drama with great interest.

Seeing those usually aloof and sanctimonious sages now in a state of exasperation, and watching Tsunayoshiro and the trapped beasts making their final, futile attempts to tear at each other.

He didn't speak or make any statement; he simply observed calmly, as if he were watching an absurd drama that had nothing to do with him.

This detached and indifferent attitude contrasted sharply with the chaos on the scene, making the sages in the midst of the argument feel a strange sense of unease and chill.