In Bleach as Gilgamesh

Chapter 114 - The King's Arrival to Save!

The Soul Society was now shrouded in dark clouds and torrential rain as if the apocalypse itself had descended.

What made the scene even more terrifying was the massive, unspeakable creature standing ominously in the downpour.

At that moment, even the captains couldn't help but feel the grip of despair.

They all knew this heavy rain was a result of Yamamoto deactivating his Bankai.

Whether it was because Yamamoto had reached his limit or for another reason, they couldn't tell.

But what they knew for certain was that even Yamamoto's Bankai had failed to kill this reishi monster.

This was the same Yamamoto who was hailed as the strongest Soul Reaper in the past thousand years, a being whose power surpassed all others in Seireitei.

And yet, if even Yamamoto couldn't defeat this creature, how could they possibly succeed?

Even more troubling was the creature's terrifying regenerative ability.

Despite being turned to ash by Zanka no Tachi: North—Tenchi Kaijin, the monster had managed to reform itself. Such an ability was akin to immortality.

How were they supposed to kill a creature like that?

The captains despaired, and so did the ordinary Soul Reapers.

Hopelessness spread throughout Seireitei like a dark cloud, silently suffocating the hearts of all.

In Rukongai, just beyond Seireitei, the civilians who had barely survived the earlier scorching heat now trembled uncontrollably at the sight of the monster. Fear consumed them, freezing their hearts.

Even the strong-hearted Kūkaku felt her heart skip a beat, her body overtaken by a cold that spread from head to toe, as if she had been plunged into an icy abyss.

Yamamoto, hearing Gilgamesh's words, turned his gaze to Kennō, his mouth parting as if he were about to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.

Whoosh!

Gilgamesh's figure appeared high in the sky.

The captains, drowning in despair, immediately noticed his presence.

As if realizing something, their eyes instinctively shifted to Kennō, the Zanpakutō still brimming with purifying flames. Hope flickered in their eyes once more.

If Kennō could dissolve and erase reishi, then it should be able to obliterate this reishi monster, which was composed entirely of reishi.

If they could dissolve the monster's reishi, then perhaps they could finally destroy it.

As for the potential collapse of the reishi cycle, that was a problem for another time—they could only deal with the consequences later.

Urahara, Ichigo, and the past Yoruichi also spotted Gilgamesh.

The past Yoruichi, having expected this, couldn't help but smirk with pride. "See? The King has come to save us!"

Ichigo remained silent, but his tense expression noticeably softened.

Urahara observed the change in the captains and Ichigo's demeanor, marveling at the effect. "So this is the charm of humanity's most ancient Hero King? It's quite reassuring, isn't it?"

Even the endless wave of flying minions sensed Gilgamesh's overwhelming threat and began converging on him, launching an all-out assault.

In an instant, a flurry of pink cherry blossoms soared through the air, intercepting the oncoming horde.

But the mindless minions, incapable of feeling pain, charged headlong into the swirling sea of petals. Even as the blossoms tore through them, they continued to pursue Gilgamesh relentlessly, like puppets blindly following orders.

"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"

Ukitake's voice rang out, followed by a flash of lightning that obliterated a few minions who had broken through the cherry blossom storm.

But it was far from enough. More and more minions kept escaping the petals' grasp, surging toward Gilgamesh.

Shunsui, Unohana, and Hitsugaya appeared at Gilgamesh's side, forming a protective triangle around him, ensuring he remained guarded.

As Unohana cut down the oncoming minions, she spoke gently, "My deepest apologies for our earlier misjudgment. I hope you can forgive us."

"Though I don't deserve to say this, I must ask—the fate of Soul Society now lies in your hands."

Shunsui followed her lead, "Captain Unohana has already said what I wanted to, but I'll say it anyway."

"Young man, we're truly sorry."

"Though we've no right to ask, we must rely on you to deal with that giant over there."

"As for these small fry, rest assured, we won't let them get close to you."

With those words, Shunsui swung Katen Kyōkotsu, slaying several of the flying minions.

Hitsugaya, saying nothing, simply swung Hyōrinmaru to demonstrate his resolve. "Vacuum Ice Blade!"

A flurry of ice blades shot through the air, slicing through a dozen or so minions.

This scene was witnessed by the remaining Soul Reapers across Seireitei.

They stared in confusion at Gilgamesh, who was being protected by the captains.

They didn't know who Gilgamesh was, but they recognized the uniform of the Shin'ō Academy student he wore.

Whispers of confusion spread throughout Seireitei.

"Who is he?"

"Why are so many captains protecting him?"

"Could he be the heir of one of the Four Noble Clans?"

"Didn't you see Captain Kuchiki is protecting him too? Would a noble heir warrant the personal protection of the head of the Kuchiki Clan?"

"Am I seeing things? It seems like the captains are putting their hopes in that boy!"

"That's impossible! If even Captain Yamamoto couldn't handle it, what could a kid like him do?"

"Why not? Look at his Zanpakutō. It's strange—maybe it has some special ability."

Amid the curious stares, a small smile tugged at Gilgamesh's lips. He suddenly released his grip on Kennō, letting it drop. As it fell, the sword dissolved into specks of golden light, disappearing into the void.

Seeing this, some onlookers were confused, others shocked, while a few felt despair, believing that Gilgamesh hadn't forgiven them and wasn't planning to save Soul Society after all.

Only the past Yoruichi remained unwavering in her faith in Gilgamesh.

Buzz!

Suddenly, a golden ripple appeared behind Gilgamesh.

And this was only the beginning—more and more golden ripples materialized behind him.

Under the stunned gazes of those watching, golden chains emerged from the ripples.

These were the Chains of Heaven.

Kennō was indeed the nemesis of the reishi monster, and Gilgamesh was certain his Zanpakutō could destroy the creature.

However, using it would likely cause the collapse of Soul Society's reishi cycle.

Gilgamesh didn't care about the safety of Seireitei or the lives of its noble families.

But the tragedy of the Soul Society was that the commoners of Rukongai would ultimately bear any collapse of the reishi cycle.

Gilgamesh could already foresee that after the battle, the Soul Reapers and nobles of Seireitei would justify the slaughter of many innocents under the guise of maintaining balance in the reishi cycle.

As a king, Gilgamesh wouldn't allow his victory to be tarnished by the blood of the innocent, especially when some of those innocents shared the same existence as his own subjects.

Thus, he chose not to use Kennō.

Aside from Kennō, only the Ea sword in his Gate of Babylon could guarantee the destruction of the reishi monster.

While the reishi monster had an immortal property, the Gate of Babylon housed many treasures that could override immortality, such as the Sword of Hegni or Harpal.

However, Gilgamesh had no intention of using Ea.

In his eyes, using Ea to deal with the reishi monster would be an insult to the sword.

The reishi monster wasn't particularly strong—it was far weaker than Yamamoto Genryūsai. What made it terrifying was its broken, game-like abilities.

Thus, all Gilgamesh had to do was nullify those abilities, and the monster would be easy to defeat.

As he pondered how to break the monster's powers, a terrifying burst of yellow spiritual pressure shot into the sky.

The sudden surge of power was so intense that it tore a hole through the thick clouds overhead.

Before anyone could react, a crazed voice laughed out, "Hahaha! What a surprise right after I wake up!"

"A monster this big will be so satisfying to slice!"

Hearing the voice, everyone knew immediately—it was Kenpachi Zaraki, freed from his crystal prison.

As they turned to the source of the voice, they saw a small black speck, like an ant before the giant reishi monster, hurtling through the air. The speck exploded with immense spiritual pressure as it unleashed a powerful slash at the creature.

Slash!

The captains clearly saw the reishi monster's massive body get cleaved with a giant wound, several dozen meters long.

But the creature's regeneration ability quickly healed the wound.

Rather than backing down, Zaraki was even more thrilled. His laughter grew louder and more maniacal.

"This is awesome!"

"So much fun!"

"Let

's keep going!"

With each of Zaraki's crazed slashes, massive wounds opened on the monster's body, only to be rapidly healed.

Watching from the sidelines, Gilgamesh held back, waiting for the right moment to act.

The other captains, too, had finally come to their senses after Zaraki's sudden arrival.

At first, they had thought Gilgamesh had abandoned his Zanpakutō out of anger, but now, seeing the dozens of golden ripples and the Chains of Heaven, they realized they had been wrong.

Gilgamesh wasn't refusing to help. He simply wasn't going to use Kennō to deal with the reishi monster.

They didn't know why he had chosen to abandon his Zanpakutō in favor of these mysterious chains, but they trusted that Gilgamesh had his reasons.

Their job wasn't to question—it was to believe.

As Gilgamesh halted his actions for the moment, they assumed it was because of Zaraki's interference.

Ukitake raised his hand toward the sky and began to chant.

"Black and white net, twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowns, footprints—far thunder, sharp peaks, earth return, night lying down, cloud sea, azure order—fill the great circle, race toward the heavens!"

"Bakudō #77: Tenteikūra!"

With his chant complete, blue-white lines of spiritual energy extended from his hand.

Tenteikūra was a communication spell that allowed Ukitake to send messages to multiple targets through spiritual pressure.

Now, he intended to send a message to Kenpachi Zaraki, a message that would reach him with absolute precision.

As Zaraki reveled in the battle's thrill, Ukitake's voice echoed in his ear.

"Captain Zaraki, this monster possesses an immortal ability. Even after being reduced to ash by Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Zanka no Tachi, it was able to regenerate."

Zaraki froze, an incredulous expression on his face.

He hadn't imagined that even Yamamoto had failed to kill the creature.

The information was so shocking that it snapped Zaraki out of his battle frenzy.

It was only then that he realized none of his attacks had caused any lasting damage to the monster.

Ukitake's voice rang out once more.

"Captain Zaraki, you need to retreat. Someone else will handle the monster, but they can't act if you're too close."

Zaraki frowned.

If Yamamoto had failed, he couldn't imagine anyone in Soul Society capable of defeating this immortal reishi monster.

Clenching his teeth in frustration, Zaraki didn't let his desires cloud his judgment. Although it angered him, he reluctantly withdrew from the battle.

The Soul Reapers who had placed their hopes in Zaraki's arrival were left bewildered as they watched him retreat.

Gilgamesh knew that the time had come.

The reason Gilgamesh had summoned the Chains of Heaven was because they were anti-evil treasures.

In the Type-Moon world, anti-evil treasures were supported by the Counter Force, designed to counter disasters that could threaten the world.

Gilgamesh wanted to see if the Chains of Heaven would retain their efficacy in the world of Bleach.

As golden ripples released one mana crystal after another, Gilgamesh began his chant for the release of the Chains of Heaven.

"Behold the concept of circulating life, the spark woven to overcome primal fears!"

"From the past, it returns to the future, and from the future, it is tied to eternity!"

"The earth and sea shall be linked to the heavens, as the consequence of life engraves its terror!"

"And so, mankind creates paradise, devouring even the origin of the abyss!"

"Even as we march to hell with our comrades, paradise shall still be sung!"

"Humankind, bind the gods with wings of chains!"

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