In Bleach as Gilgamesh

Chapter 112 - The Rules, the Terrifying Reishi Monster!

All of Soul Society is made up of reishi (spiritual particles), including souls themselves.

When a soul dies in Soul Society, it gradually dissolves into reishi, returning to the reishi cycle, which is fundamental to maintaining the balance of Soul Society.

Of course, this doesn't apply to captains and high-level Soul Reapers.

Their spiritual pressure is too powerful, preventing them from returning to the reishi cycle upon death.

According to Soul Society tradition, when a captain-class Soul Reaper dies, a special ritual, Konso Reisai, is performed, sending their soul to Hell.

But now, the reishi that made up Yamamoto's army of charred skeletons was completely gone, with no trace of returning to the reishi cycle.

This realization sent shockwaves through the captains, leaving them in disbelief.

Yamamoto watched as the charred skeleton army gradually dissolved in the sea of crimson flames, his expression growing ever more grim.

Without hesitation, Yamamoto dispelled his Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin, hoping to return the skeletons to their original ashes.

But to his disappointment, even when the army was reduced to ashes, they continued to melt away in the crimson flames.

Some of the ashes even returned to the earth, but it was too late—the flames clung to them, unyielding, even as they settled into the soil.

In the end, the entire skeleton army was consumed by the sea of flames.

Curiously, the sea of crimson fire seemed to have a life of its own, burning only the skeleton army while leaving everything else untouched.

When the last of the skeletons burned away, the flames themselves slowly began to die out.

Still, Yamamoto couldn't believe that reishi had truly disappeared. He once again stabbed his Zanka no Tachi into the ground, calling out, "Zanka no Tachi, South: Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin!"

But this time, no ashes responded. The skeletal army, once summoned by his fiery blade, did not rise again.

Yamamoto's expression darkened considerably.

It wasn't the loss of the army itself that concerned him, but the undeniable truth that reishi had vanished without returning to the cycle.

At that moment, Yamamoto's desire to eliminate Gilgamesh reached its peak.

The reishi cycle was the foundation of Soul Society's stability, and Gilgamesh, along with his weapon, Sulsagana, had the terrifying ability to disrupt that cycle.

He had to be eradicated.

Boom!

In an instant, Yamamoto's body was once again engulfed in the flames of his Zanka no Tachi. He swung his sword with deadly precision toward Gilgamesh.

"Zanka no Tachi, North: Tenchi Kaijin!"

As the scalding wave of fire raced toward him, Gilgamesh simply smiled and swung Sulsagana in response.

A compressed wave of crimson flame shot forward to meet Yamamoto's fiery attack.

The temperature in Soul Society, which had already risen due to Yamamoto's Bankai, skyrocketed even further.

Back in Seireitei, weaker Soul Reapers were already suffering from dehydration and heatstroke under the oppressive heat.

Over in Rukongai, ordinary citizens began collapsing in waves from the extreme temperatures.

In West Rukongai:

Kūkaku and her brother Ganju were tirelessly helping those who had fainted from the heat.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, which evaporated almost instantly, Ganju licked his parched lips and croaked, "Sis, what the hell is going on? Why is it getting so hot in Soul Society? Is this the end of the world?"

Kūkaku, who was faring better than her brother, furrowed her brow as she looked in the direction of Seireitei. "As long as the Spirit King exists, the world won't end."

"This heat is likely caused by a battle between extremely powerful beings. It's probably related to that clash of ice and fire we saw earlier."

Ganju followed his sister's gaze toward Seireitei, just in time to see flames erupting into the sky, radiating scorching waves.

Even from the distance of Rukongai, Ganju could feel the terrifying heat within the flames.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind blew past, causing Ganju to jump and yell, "Ow! That wind is scorching hot!"

Feeling the searing wind, Kūkaku murmured, "Could it be... is Yamamoto involved in this battle?"

Ganju froze in shock upon hearing his sister's words.

Yamamoto—the strongest Soul Reaper in over a thousand years.

Ganju couldn't imagine what kind of enemy could force someone like Yamamoto to personally engage in battle.

What was even more troubling was that the battle had dragged on for far too long.

'Could it be that Yamamoto is struggling?' Ganju wondered, the thought sending a chill through him.

Kūkaku wasn't concerned about who Yamamoto was fighting. All she cared about was that if this battle continued, many more citizens in Rukongai would die.

At this point, she was simply hoping for the battle to end soon.

She wasn't the only one who realized this. Among the captains watching the fight, several others had come to the same conclusion.

Ukitake, despite his illness, used shunpo to reach Kyōraku's side.

Reflected in the towering flames, Ukitake's pale face appeared even more frail.

Coughing heavily, Ukitake spoke with concern, "Shunsui, this battle can't go on much longer."

"The temperature in Soul Society is getting dangerously high. If it continues, many will die from the heat. Do you have any way to stop it?"

Kyōraku gently pushed away his lieutenant Nanao Ise's supportive hand, his usual carefree demeanor replaced by a somber expression. "That boy's abilities are too strange."

"His Zanpakutō can seal our Shikai and Bankai, effectively sealing away the majority of our power."

"All we can do now is provide support from a distance with Kido."

Ukitake nodded in agreement, about to say more when he noticed Kyōraku's face suddenly shift to one of shock.

Before Ukitake could react, Kyōraku's voice trembled, "The flames... they're burning the fire itself!?"

Ukitake was momentarily confused.

Burning the fire? Isn't fire always burning?

Wait...

Finally realizing what Kyōraku meant, Ukitake spun around to look at the battlefield.

What he saw left him equally stunned.

Indeed, the flames were burning.

More specifically, Tenchi Kaijin, Yamamoto's attack, was dissolving in the crimson flames unleashed by Gilgamesh's sword, Sulsagana, much like the charred skeleton army before.

Isane's pupils dilated as she muttered, "What is happening?"

Unohana, who had been quietly observing with her eyes half-closed, now fully opened them, her face grave as though the original Kenpachi had returned.

The notion of fire being burned was utterly nonsensical.

If it defied logic, it meant that what they were witnessing had gone beyond the bounds of normality.

Rules.

The word silently surfaced in Unohana's mind.

There existed a rare type of Zanpakutō—one based on rules.

Such Zanpakutō couldn't be understood through conventional reasoning. Once a condition was met, the rule was triggered without exception.

Kyōraku's Katen Kyōkotsu was a prime example.

Unohana's own Zanpakutō could also be considered a rule-type.

That was why Unohana now suspected that Gilgamesh's Sulsagana was likely another rule-based Zanpakutō.

That would explain how it could burn reishi, and even incinerate fire itself.

But rule-type Zanpakutō always had specific conditions for triggering their abilities.

What was the condition for Sulsagana?

Images of the previous battle played through Unohana's mind as she tried to piece together the rule that governed Sulsagana.

But no matter how much she analyzed, she couldn't identify the exact condition.

Clang!

The sudden clash of metal echoed through the air.

Yamamoto had closed the distance, striking down at Gilgamesh with his Zanka no Tachi.

This was a full-powered strike imbued with Kyokujitsujin, capable of tearing through the earth and leaving a massive fissure hundreds of meters long.

But the strike was blocked—by Gilgamesh, wielding his flame-wreathed Sulsagana.

Crack!

The ground beneath them shattered. Gilgamesh, feeling the immense weight of Yamamoto's attack through his sword, couldn't help but marvel at Yamamoto's strength.

Had it not been for Sulsagana's flames dissolving much of the energy from Kyokujitsujin, this blow would have severely wounded—possibly even killed—him.

Yes, this was the true power of Sulsagana.

Once the Noble Phantasm had been fully unleashed, anything Gilgamesh deemed an enemy could be dissolved by its crimson flames.

Whether reishi, fire, the energy of Kyokujitsujin, or even abstract concepts like good and evil—none were immune.

As Unohana had suspected, Sulsagana's power was a rule-based ability. However, controlling such a power consumed an enormous amount of magical energy.

By now, Gilgamesh had exhausted almost all of his reserves, including the mana stored within his personal gems.

Under normal circumstances, Sulsagana would revert to its sealed state.

But Gilgamesh was far from ordinary.

A golden ripple appeared, revealing several jewels brimming with divine-era mana. These mana stones circled around Gilgamesh, continuously feeding him power.

Pure mana flowed into Sulsagana, restoring its strength.

This sudden display left the captains momentarily stunned.

To them, Gilgamesh was an enigma—an unfathomable mystery.

Unohana could only wonder if this sudden resurgence was tied to Sulsagana's rule-based power.

Without giving the others time to react, Gilgamesh launched a counteroffensive, pressing Yamamoto on the defensive.

Though Gilgamesh wasn't fond of close-quarters combat, he had, after all, studied swordsmanship for a month at the Shinō Academy.

What better way to test his skills than against Yamamoto Genryūsai?

Of course, this confidence came from wielding Sulsagana. If it had been any other weapon, even his Ea, Gilgamesh wouldn't have dared to engage Yamamoto in melee combat.

After all, while Noble Phantasms couldn't be destroyed in battle, the force of an attack could still transfer through them.

And though Gilgamesh had immense confidence, he wasn't foolish enough to believe his physical strength could match Yamamoto's, especially when the latter wielded Zanka no Tachi.

Clang!

Another clash of swords rang out as the flaming Sulsagana met Yamamoto's blade once more.

And this was only the beginning.

Meanwhile, watching from afar, Ichigo heard a familiar voice next to him. "Yo, if it isn't Kurosaki-san. What are you doing here?"

Ichigo turned to see Urahara and Yoruichi (from the future) standing by his side.

Before Ichigo could respond, both Kisuke and future Yoruichi focused on the battle ahead—between Gilgamesh and Yamamoto.

To their shock, it was Gilgamesh on the offensive, while Yamamoto defended.

The realization left them dumbfounded. They never expected to see Gilgamesh overpowering Yamamoto, especially while the latter was in Bankai.

And Gilgamesh's sword, Sulsagana—what was it? It certainly didn't seem like his Kennō Ōken Tenka.

Could it be a replica created through Kennō? But no Zanpakutō they knew of matched what they were seeing.

Feeling the scorching heat around them, Urahara's thoughts snapped back to the situation at hand.

As surreal as this all seemed, it made sense when considering Gilgamesh's identity.

Urahara quickly assessed the situation and said, "We'll leave this battle to the King of Heroes. Kurosaki-san, you need to help us stop the reishi disaster."

Ichigo nodded without hesitation. "Got it. What do you need me to do?"

He understood that the battle between Gilgamesh and Yamamoto was far beyond his ability to intervene.

Urahara explained, "We need to find Rukia Kuchiki and the one behind this."

"And only you, Kurosaki-san, can track her down."

Ichigo froze, momentarily confused. He had no idea where to even begin looking for Rukia.

What did Urahara mean?

Seeing Ichigo's confusion, Urahara asked, "You're familiar with reiraku, right?"

Ichigo nodded.

Reiraku were the visible trails of spiritual energy that flowed from every being. For Soul Reapers, they appeared as red threads, while for humans, they were white.

Ichigo didn't understand why Urahara was suddenly bringing this up.

Was he suggesting Ichigo find Rukia through reiraku?

But Seireitei was filled with Soul Reapers, all of whom had red threads of reiraku. How would he identify Rukia's among them?

Reading Ichigo's thoughts, Urahara explained, "Your Soul Reaper powers came from Rukia, which means you're the only one who can sense her reiraku."

"It'll be difficult, but I believe you can do it."

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo closed his eyes and began to focus.

Even with his eyes closed, he could sense the multitude of red spiritual threads crisscrossing around him.

'Not this one. Not this one either…'

'Where are you, Rukia?'

Ichigo mentally called out to her as he searched.

Time seemed to drag on, but then, Ichigo's eyes snapped open, and he looked in a specific direction. "I've found her. She's over there."

Without another word, Ichigo used shunpo to dash toward the location, with Urahara and future Yoruichi close behind.

Everyone else's attention was focused on the ongoing battle between Gilgamesh and Yamamoto, allowing the trio to move unnoticed.

Ichigo moved quickly, but as he sped along, he suddenly felt a surge of intense spiritual pressure.

A cold voice echoed in the air, "Yoruichi, I don't know how you also mastered Shunko, but your time has passed. Surrender quietly."

"Muguruma Shunko!"

Whoosh!

A violent gust of wind forced Ichigo to stop in his tracks, stunned as he looked ahead at the fierce battle unfolding.

Yoruichi from the past appeared battered, but she smiled with satisfaction. "You've compressed and wrapped a large amount of spiritual pressure around yourself like a whirlwind... Muguruma Shunko is truly impressive, Soi Fon. You've really grown in the future."

Boom!

Soi Fon's punch landed with explosive force, sending shockwaves across the battlefield.

Scowling, Soi Fon launched another attack, saying, "Stop pretending to know me, Yoruichi. I don't care about your cryptic words."

"Talk about the future... it's all nonsense."

"The only thing that matters is that you accept the gap in power between us now!"

Past Yoruichi smiled bitterly.

If it were purely a contest of shunpo, she could still defeat Soi Fon.

But with Soi Fon using Muguruma Shunko, Yoruichi was clearly outmatched.

As Soi Fon's whirlwind-wrapped fist closed in, Yoruichi sighed, resigning herself to her fate.

Bam!

Suddenly, a figure appeared between them, blocking Soi Fon's attack with a burst of lightning.

"Shunkō: Raijin Senkei!"

Soi Fon's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the person who had blocked her attack.

"Yoruichi...!?"

That's right—the person who appeared was none other than the future Yoruichi.

Soi Fon stood frozen, unable to comprehend the sight of two Yoruichis standing before her.

Future Yoruichi ignored Soi Fon, turning to her past self. "Leave this to me. You go with Kisuke and Ichigo to find Rukia."

Past Yoruichi nodded. "Alright, she's all yours."

With that, she used shunpo to catch up with Urahara and Ichigo, leaving Soi Fon speechless in shock.

Soi Fon stared at the two Yoruichis, her worldview and understanding shattered.

"What... what is going on? Why are there two of you?"

Future Yoruichi smirked. "If you want answers, come defeat me. Then, I'll tell you everything."

Without another word, Soi Fon charged at her once again, launching a fierce assault.

But this time, the battle was no longer one-sided.

Under the relentless attacks from future Yoruichi, Soi Fon quickly lost her upper hand.

Meanwhile, Ichigo finally found Rukia Kuchiki.

She was unconscious, slung over the shoulder of a tall, gaunt man wielding an S-shaped scythe.

Beside him stood a woman.

They weren't dressed in Soul Reaper uniforms, nor were they wearing anything fancy. Instead, they were clad in simple, impoverished white clothing.

Thanks to Gilgamesh's earlier insight, Ichigo knew that these two were a brother and sister who had once lived with Rukia in South Rukongai's 78th district.

Their names had been given by Rukia herself: the sister was named Homura, and the brother was named Shizuku.

"Rukia!"

Ichigo called out, but Rukia showed no signs of waking.

Frowning, Ichigo addressed Homura and Shizuku, "I understand that you want to live with Rukia, but you can't just erase her memories."

His words startled the siblings, their faces betraying shock.

Clearly, they hadn't expected Ichigo to know anything about their connection to Rukia.

Before they could respond, past Yoruichi appeared silently behind them, ready to retrieve Rukia.

But just as Yoruichi's hand was about to reach Rukia, both Homura and Shizuku suddenly vanished, leaving behind a cryptic message.

"Soul Reapers, consider this a reward for finding us. We've prepared a special gift for you. Hope you enjoy it!"

Stunned by their sudden disappearance, Yoruichi was left speechless, clearly unable to comprehend how they had escaped right under her nose.

Ichigo was equally dumbfounded.

Only Urahara seemed to have an ink

ling of what had happened. "Spatial abilities..." he murmured.

Rumble!

Before Urahara could think further, a tremendous noise filled the air.

Glancing up, he saw that the once-solid sea of reishi crystals had come alive again, transforming into a roaring torrent of spiritual energy that rushed toward a single point.

Within moments, the energy had coalesced into a massive creature, towering hundreds of meters tall—a terrifying monster, born entirely of reishi!

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