In Bleach as Gilgamesh

Chapter 113 - Immortal? Or a Nemesis?

Clang!

Clang!

The metallic clangs echoed through the air, and everyone present wore tense expressions.

Kyōraku and Ukitake had already abandoned their thoughts of assisting Yamamoto with kido spells. The battle between Gilgamesh and Yamamoto was far too intense for them to find any opening to intervene.

A drop of sweat slid down Ukitake's temple as he murmured, "Master's spiritual pressure is weakening. This can't continue like this."

Kyōraku, frowning deeply, responded, "It's strange. That traveler boy's swordsmanship is clearly far inferior to the old man's, so how is he managing to fight at this level?"

"And how did he block Zanka no Tachi? That kind of power is terrifying. I know I wouldn't be able to take a hit from it."

Ukitake shared Kyōraku's confusion. He too had seen the same issues, but he couldn't make sense of them either.

Among all the onlookers, only Retsu seemed to have picked up on something peculiar, though she wasn't entirely certain of her conclusion.

They say those watching from the sidelines see more clearly than those in the thick of battle, but in this case, only Yamamoto himself truly understood the situation.

As he withdrew momentarily after another clash, he glanced at his Zanka no Tachi and noticed a small crack forming along its blade, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Yamamoto realized that the crack wasn't caused by the impact with Gilgamesh's sword, Sulsagana, but rather because the burning red flames on Sulsagana were dissolving his blade.

Not only that, but during the fight, Yamamoto had felt something unsettling: Gilgamesh's personal strength wasn't enough to withstand an attack from Zanka no Tachi. He was sure of it.

The reason Gilgamesh could parry his attacks was likely due to the mysterious power of Sulsagana's flames.

More disturbingly, Yamamoto had now confirmed that Gilgamesh could predict his movements and sword strikes.

This realization was why Gilgamesh, despite his rudimentary swordsmanship, could hold his own in this fierce battle.

Yamamoto understood that if Gilgamesh could continue wielding Sulsagana at this level, he himself would eventually be defeated.

His gaze instinctively drifted to the magical stones floating around Gilgamesh, and Yamamoto knew he still had a chance to turn the tide.

All he had to do was outlast Gilgamesh until the latter's power ran dry.

In the back of his mind, Yamamoto also pondered a question that stemmed from deep within his soul:

'If he doesn't wield the power of a Soul Reaper, Quincy, or Hollow, then what exactly is it?'

When one's power reaches a certain level, one can defy or even break the rules of the world. Yamamoto was a prime example of this.

Zanka no Tachi's strength was supposed to melt through anything, yet Sulsagana's flames had only left a small crack.

Even Gilgamesh was impressed by Yamamoto's resilience.

Rumble!

Just then, the sea of reishi crystals, which had been stagnant, suddenly roared to life, interrupting the battle between Gilgamesh and Yamamoto.

The observers were startled by the unexpected turn of events, and they quickly scanned their surroundings.

They soon witnessed the birth of a terrifying reishi monster.

The creature, towering hundreds of meters tall, had no mouth. Its body was covered in eyes and tendrils, and it had countless holes that spewed out monstrous spawn.

Staring at the massive beast and its airborne minions, Shunsui and Ukitake could only sweat in disbelief.

The largest creature they'd ever seen was Komamura's Bankai, Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō, but compared to this reishi monster, Kokujō Tengen looked like a kitten before a giant.

This reishi monster was too immense, and faced with such a gigantic opponent, their Zanpakutō and kido would likely have little effect.

They had no time to dwell on it, though, as the flying creatures spawned from the reishi beast began their assault on Seireitei.

These minions, resembling snakes, were the size of full-grown humans and spewed blasts of reishi from their mouths.

Any Soul Reaper unfortunate enough to be hit by their breath quickly crystallized, trapped inside a prison of reishi.

The captains wasted no time and joined the fray.

Hitsugaya instinctively activated his Bankai, chanting, "Bankai! Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"

As he successfully unleashed his Bankai, Hitsugaya froze for a moment, his gaze drifting toward Gilgamesh.

Originally, Hitsugaya believed the reishi disaster in Seireitei was connected to Gilgamesh, but if that were true, how was he able to use his Bankai?

Moreover, how could he activate it while under the influence of Zanka no Tachi?

Though confused, Hitsugaya pushed aside his thoughts and threw himself into battle with the flying creatures.

The other captains noticed Hitsugaya's successful Bankai but didn't pause to question it. They quickly followed suit, activating their own Shikai and Bankai.

"Bankai! Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"

"Katen Kyōkotsu!"

"Shuangyu-li!"

Elsewhere, the future Yoruichi and Soi Fon were forced to halt their fight, their frowns deepening as they watched the flying creatures swarm toward them.

With a smirk, the future Yoruichi said, "How about we settle our score by counting who kills more of these creatures?"

Soi Fon's brows furrowed, but she agreed without hesitation. "Fine!"

With that, Soi Fon used her Shunko technique, rapidly dispatching one creature after another.

The future Yoruichi, not one to be outdone, transformed into a bolt of lightning under the guise of her Shunko: Raijin Senkei, her attacks leaving scorched monsters in her wake.

Meanwhile, Urahara, the past Yoruichi, and Ichigo fought their way through the horde, moving closer to the massive reishi monster.

As they advanced, the sheer size of the creature made them feel increasingly insignificant.

After cutting down another flying minion, Ichigo remarked, "Didn't Gilgamesh say that the reishi monster was only supposed to be a few dozen meters tall? This thing's hundreds of meters!"

Urahara and the past Yoruichi exchanged glances but didn't have an answer.

Boom!

Suddenly, the reishi monster was engulfed in a consuming blaze, and its anguished screams filled the air as its body began to turn to ash.

Everyone knew instantly that Yamamoto had made his move.

The morale of the Soul Reapers soared as they saw the monster being consumed by the flames.

Fighting side by side, Shunsui and Ukitake exchanged relieved glances.

After cutting down a flying minion, Shunsui adjusted his straw hat and said, "Looks like we might have misjudged that traveler boy. If he were behind this reishi disaster, he wouldn't have given the old man a chance to attack."

Ukitake nodded in agreement. "As expected of our teacher. To destroy such a creature with just one blow."

Yamamoto, having unleashed Zanka no Tachi: North—Tenchi Kaijin, sheathed his sword without sparing the monster a second glance.

Although the creature was enormous, Yamamoto trusted the power of his Bankai.

He then turned his attention back to Gilgamesh, his expression solemn, preparing to speak.

But before he could say anything, Gilgamesh's voice cut through the air first: "Yamamoto, I told you—overconfidence is not a good thing."

Yamamoto was momentarily taken aback but quickly realized what Gilgamesh was looking at.

He followed Gilgamesh's gaze and saw it—the reishi monster that should have been reduced to ashes was regenerating, just like a Hollow's high-speed regeneration.

The monster's rapid healing was outpacing the flames of Zanka no Tachi.

Yamamoto's pupils contracted as he finally grasped the meaning behind Gilgamesh's words.

Without hesitation, Yamamoto unleashed Zanka no Tachi: North again—this time, repeatedly, striking blow after blow in an attempt to overwhelm the creature's regeneration.

Gilgamesh said nothing, watching silently.

Through his omniscient ability and Sulsagana's insight, Gilgamesh analyzes the true nature of the reishi monster.

Its size was far greater than in the original timeline, and Gilgamesh wasn't sure if this was a result of his interference or some other factor.

Regardless, the monster's power had scaled accordingly.

Moreover, Gilgamesh realized the creature possessed a form of immortality.

Being a conglomeration of reishi, even if it were completely destroyed, it would simply reform again from the surrounding reishi particles.

And in a place like Soul Society, where everything was made of reishi, the monster could endlessly regenerate and grow stronger.

This creature was virtually unkillable in the environment of Soul Society.

If left unchecked, it would devour the entire realm.

These abilities, nearly broken in nature, hadn't existed in the original story.

Gilgamesh didn't know what had changed, but he understood that with these abilities, the reishi monster was beyond Yamamoto's power to defeat.

In fact, aside from a fully-powered Spirit King, perhaps no one in Soul Society could slay this creature.

Or... maybe Yhwach could.

As the progenitor of the Quincies, Yhwach might be able to absorb and drain the reishi from the creature.

If he could exhaust the reishi that made up the monster, then it could be destroyed.

But Yhwach hadn't yet regained his full strength, and so he was powerless to intervene.

With that in mind, Gilgamesh glanced at his Sulsagana.

Undoubtedly, his Sulsagana was the perfect counter to this monster.

However, if he used it to dissolve the reishi creature, Soul Society would lose a massive amount of reishi, potentially disrupting the entire reishi cycle.

Furrowing his brow, Gilgamesh pondered his next move.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Yamamoto continued to strike with Zanka no Tachi: North, his attacks lighting up the sky above Seireitei with a fiery blaze.

The oppressive heat forced Urahara, the past Yoruichi, and Ichigo to retreat from their approach toward the creature.

Wiping away sweat that evaporated as soon as it formed, Ichigo muttered, "With those kinds of attacks, that thing's gotta be dead, right?"

Urahara, his voice lacking certainty, replied, "It should be…"

Urahara had already noticed the creature's rapid regeneration and understood its true nature, and a sense of dread filled his heart.

The past Yoruichi sensed Urahara's unease and offered words of comfort: "Don't worry. Even if Captain Yamamoto can't kill that monster, the King certainly will."

When Urahara considered Gilgamesh's power and identity and remembered the strength he had already witnessed, he let out a small sigh of relief.

If even Yamamoto couldn't defeat the creature, then their last hope would lie with Gilgamesh.

After unleashing his final strike of Zanka no Tachi: North—Tenchi Kaijin and confirming that the creature had turned to ash, Yamamoto finally deactivated his Bankai.

It wasn't that Yamamoto's spiritual pressure had run out, nor that he had forgotten about Gilgamesh. He simply knew that Soul Society couldn't handle any more of his Bankai's heat.

If he kept his Bankai active, Soul Society might very well collapse under its weight.

As soon as Yamamoto deactivated his Bankai, the oppressive heat that had been stifling Soul Society vanished, and dark clouds began to roll across the sky.

Moments later, the heavens opened up, unleashing a torrential downpour.

Just as everyone thought the crisis was over and began to breathe a sigh of relief, panicked voices rang out from all corners of Seireitei.

"What is that?"

"Damn it, the monster's not dead?!"

"Oh no... is that thing immortal?!"

"Does this mean even Captain Yamamoto can't kill it?"

"Are we about to see the fall of Seireitei?"

As these fearful voices echoed, the reishi monster, which had been reduced to ashes by Zanka no Tachi, began to reform in the pouring rain.

Just as despair settled over the Soul Reapers, a youthful but commanding voice rang out.

"Looks like it's finally time for my intervention."

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