Omniverse: The Martial Artist

The streets of the Edo period bustled with noise and life.

Stalls lined both sides of the road—selling performances, medicines, street food—you name it. The crowd moved like a tide, people weaving through alleyways and walkways, brushing shoulders as if all familiar with each other.

Vendors shouted to promote their goods, their voices rising and falling in waves. Lanterns swayed gently in the breeze, illuminating faces with a soft glow. The whole scene was vibrant and full of energy.

BOOM—

A thunderous explosion shattered the peaceful scene. Panic erupted as people screamed and scattered, thinking an earthquake had struck.

From the perspective of the ordinary citizens, it was chaos—but what they couldn't see was a giant black figure rampaging through the streets like a skyscraper on the move. Even the individuals dressed in black Shihakushō with swords at their waists seemed no different from regular pedestrians—they were running too.

Hao, in full sprint, glanced up at the monstrous being chasing them and thought bitterly, How did it come to this?

Damn that Aizen and his crow mouth! He totally jinxed us!

What was chasing him and the other Soul Reapers was a Gillian—a Menos Grande. A monster born from over a hundred Hollows devouring each other, it was a giant-class Hollow at the bottom tier of the Menos.

In the original anime, aside from its intimidating first appearance due to its size and eerie design, it quickly became cannon fodder for the main cast—Ichigo could cut down several with one swing.

But canonically, even a Gillian was dangerous enough to warrant a lieutenant-level Soul Reaper to safely subdue it—at the very least, it took a seated officer to stand a chance. Its spiritual pressure alone was no joke—easily ranking in the double digits.

This was Hao's first mission in the Human World. He had been assigned alongside a few fellow new recruits in the Fifth Division. He thought it would be a relaxed, sightseeing-type mission—only to encounter a Menos Grande!

RUMBLE—

The Gillian barreled through a row of wooden buildings. Though it was the lowest-ranking of the Menos, its body was massive and tough, and its spiritual pressure was the real deal. Hao had no effective means to harm such a creature.

"Mommy—!"

As the ground quaked, a little girl fell down, reaching out to her terrified mother for help.

The street had devolved into complete bedlam. The cries of fear, screams of despair—all of it sounded like a descent into hell.

The two Soul Reapers with Hao were just as horrified. They had never seen anything like this while training in the Shin'ō Academy. Their kidō attacks hit the Gillian like tickles.

Hao scanned the panicked crowd ahead. These people had no idea what was happening—only fear and despair filled their eyes.

They had likely woken up that morning thinking it would be just another day. They had no idea it would be their last.

In the trembling earth, husbands clutched wives, wives embraced children—as if that could grant them the courage to face death. But their twisted, tear-streaked faces betrayed their sheer terror.

Hao glanced at the limited time he had left in this world. Then, he turned, slashed with his sword, and shouted:

"Head east! I'll draw it away!"

Activating his Zanpakutō's Shikai form, Shuma, Hao charged forward. His sudden move shocked his fellow Soul Reapers.

He sprinted directly at the Gillian, using high-speed movement to scale its massive body, slashing repeatedly and leaving bloody gashes along its towering form.

Hao continued attacking all the way up to the Gillian's head, guiding it to move away from the town.

"Damn it… Why did we have to run into a Menos?! Hao… he's probably…"

One of the Soul Reapers stopped to catch his breath, watching as Hao and the Gillian grew smaller in the distance. His fear was now mixed with sorrow.

In his eyes, no matter how much of a genius Hao was, his spiritual pressure was still too low. Fighting a Menos up close would only lead to death.

"No… Hao is still fighting! He made it to the Menos's head!"

The other Soul Reaper clenched his fists, his expression fired with emotion. "It looks like he even injured it!"

But before the excitement could last two seconds, his face twisted in horror. His voice trembled:

"A Garganta… No! The Menos is going back to Hueco Mundo—and Hao's still on it!"

In their helpless gaze, Hao seemed like a mad war god slashing away on the Gillian's head—until he was finally dragged into the Garganta, unable to escape.

Once the Menos returned to Hueco Mundo through the Garganta, there was no hope of survival for Hao.

As the black portal closed, Hao's silhouette vanished completely along with the giant Hollow.

One of the Soul Reapers fell to his knees, pounding the ground in grief and rage.

"Damn it… If only we weren't so weak… Hao wouldn't have had to stay behind!"

Just before the Garganta completely closed, Hao's stay time had already come to an end.

The moment the countdown hit zero, he felt his body go light and airy, and his vision turned into a blinding white—like he was traveling through a warm tunnel.

By the time his sight cleared again, he found himself standing in a square, empty room, and the familiar voice of the Endspace echoed in his ear.

[Explorer detected with no visible injuries or negative conditions. Trial world cleared. Begin settlement?]

Hao stretched his arms and legs, marveling once again at the wonders of Endspace. When it says it'll extract you at the exact time—it means it. Not even a second late.

His master had once told him:

"The strong have no obligation to protect the weak—but they have the right to."

When he was younger, Hao had found that saying a bit abstract. Honestly, even now it still felt that way. But… he thought he was beginning to understand the feeling behind those words.

So long as one's martial heart remains clear.

He had lost everything because of the "Company"—he knew better than anyone the hardships of being an orphan. So if he could save a few families just by lifting a finger, he was more than willing to try.

Besides, being chased by that Menos all the way here had really pissed him off. If he didn't land a few blows before leaving, it'd feel wrong.

Thankfully, Terminal Space didn't disappoint. Just as described, it had forcibly and precisely pulled him out of the Bleach world.

"So this is Terminal Space, huh?"

Hao looked around his surroundings. This place is tiny… Is this 4×4×4 meter cube really Endspace?

[This is the personal room of official explorer #404040404. Unauthorized personnel are barred from entry. It is your absolutely safe private space. You may decorate it to your liking. Expanding the space or adding special items will consume Terminal coins. Standard furniture is free.]

Hao understood now—this was just his own private room. He followed the space's instructions and rearranged the place to resemble the martial arts dojo from his previous life.

"What's different now that I'm an official explorer?"

Hao asked as he settled onto a sofa he'd selected.

[As an official explorer, you now unlock the "Explorer's Mark." This mark represents your explorer status and includes a storage function, the size of which depends on your rank.]

[You also gain access to more detailed system features to assist with tasks in different worlds. To view full details, please consult your Official Explorer Handbook.]

Hao looked down at his wrist and saw that a faint pale green vine-like tattoo had appeared, wrapping around his wrist.

He focused on it briefly and discovered that he could easily sync with the mark, which had a small internal storage space for storing and retrieving items at will.

"Terminal Space, begin settlement."

Now that he understood his situation and confirmed he was in a safe place, Hao turned his attention to the rewards from this trial world.

[Commencing reward settlement from the derived world...]

Derived World: Bleach

Difficulty: Lv. 3 ~ ??? (Hard ~ Near-Death)

World Exploration Rate: 13.6%

> [Calculating mission results for Explorer #404040404...]

[All main quests completed. Rewards: 3,500 Endcoins, Asauchi x1 (already transformed into Shuma).]

Outstanding main mission completion has increased the overall world evaluation.

[Calculating comprehensive rating for explorer's performance in this world...]

Detected that the Explorer's Mark level is significantly lower than this world's difficulty rating. Rating increased. Explorer experience increased.

Comprehensive Rating: S-

(Note: Ratings range from E- to S+. Final grade is calculated based on exploration rate and mission performance, and affected by the gap between the explorer's rank and world difficulty.)

[Reward: S- Honor Medal — can be exchanged for special permissions.]

[Explorer level increased: Now Lv. 3]

[Based on performance, you may select 3 of the following 6 rewards:]

A. +5 Free Attribute Points

B. 10,000 Endcoins

C. Rare Equipment Loot Box (Random)

D. Rare Item Loot Box (Random)

E. Inheritance Crystal (Small) x3 (Note: Used for enhancing skills, bloodlines, or specialties.)

F. Title: "The Fearless One"

°°°

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