Chapter 120 - The Second Sun?!
An ancient nuclear warhead?
Kirinji, Senjumaru, Nimaiya, and Hikifune were left bewildered when they heard Gilgamesh's words.
Back when they were promoted to the Zero Division, nuclear weapons hadn't yet been developed in the World of the Living.
Since they had been stationed in the Royal Palace for centuries, they were unaware of the advancements in the human world, including the creation of nuclear warheads.
Now, they watched in astonishment as an ancient nuclear warhead launched from Gilgamesh's Vimana.
The sight of the iron-like device hurtling towards them caused the members of the Zero Division to brace themselves for combat.
Though they didn't know what an ancient nuclear warhead was, they had already witnessed Gilgamesh's immense power. With Ichibē's body lying not far from them as a reminder, they couldn't afford to take this lightly.
In fact, they were ready to retreat at a moment's notice.
However, since the warhead emitted no spiritual pressure or detectable energy, and they sensed no immediate threat, they chose to observe and wait for the right moment to act.
Meanwhile, aboard the Vimana, Yoruichi from the past watched the ancient warhead and couldn't help but recall the aftermath of Aizen's downfall. She mused silently, Can this ancient warhead work against the Zero Division, who are much stronger than Aizen?
At that time, Yoruichi had been under the influence of Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis, so she hadn't experienced the full power of the warhead. She only saw the devastated state Aizen was left in afterward.
In her mind, if the warhead couldn't kill Aizen, then surely the Zero Division, as the Soul King's elite, would be able to handle it.
Meanwhile, Renji from the past and Rukia, unfamiliar with the concept of a nuclear warhead, watched with curiosity as the device sped toward the Zero Division.
The warhead landed right in front of Kirinji, Senjumaru, Nimaiya, and Hikifune.
The moment it touched the ground, a brilliant flash of light engulfed their entire field of vision.
Before their minds could even process the event, their bodies instinctively reacted, trembling violently as their survival instincts kicked in. They wanted to flee, but it was too late.
For the first time, they truly felt how close they were to death.
No, it wasn't just close. They had already fallen into the abyss of death, desperately struggling to escape, but it felt as though an invisible hand was dragging them deeper into the abyss.
At that moment, they realized how gravely they had miscalculated.
They should never have just stood by and watched. They should have fled from the beginning. Maybe then, they would have had a chance to survive.
As the explosion erupted, Yoruichi from the past, Renji from the past, and Rukia also had their vision completely overtaken by the searing light.
Hikifune's Jail of Life, which she had crafted to be a living barrier, was utterly obliterated in the blast.
It felt like an eternity had passed before the deafening roar of the explosion reached their ears.
When their vision finally began to return to normal, they turned toward the source of the explosion, only to see a sight they would never forget.
A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky, and waves of invisible energy rippled outward, causing the very fabric of space to warp and tear, creating gaping black voids.
They realized with chilling clarity that if Gilgamesh hadn't immediately moved the Vimana away from the blast zone, their fate would have been far more tragic.
Meanwhile, in the Soul Society...
Whether it was Byakuya, Hitsugaya, and the others who were in the 78th District of South Rukongai, trying to capture the siblings Homura and Shizuku, or Yamamoto, Unohana, and others managing the aftermath in Seireitei, everyone heard the explosive sound echoing through the air.
Even ordinary Shinigami and the citizens of Rukongai paused and looked toward the sky.
There, in the heavens, they saw the rise of a second sun.
The second sun didn't last long, but it was enough to fill everyone with awe and confusion.
The ordinary Shinigami and the residents of Rukongai had no idea what had happened.
However, the captain-level Shinigami and individuals like Kūkaku knew that the second sun's location aligned with that of the Royal Palace.
But why would a sun appear in the Royal Palace?
Was it caused by the chaos of the spiritual energy disturbance?
Or could it be something else?
In the minds of Yamamoto and the captain-level Shinigami, Gilgamesh's image surfaced involuntarily.
Though there was no evidence, instinct told them that the strange occurrence in the Royal Palace might be connected to Gilgamesh.
Yamamoto even muttered to himself, "Could it be... he's attacking the seventy-two layers of barriers between the Royal Palace and Seireitei?"
What Yamamoto couldn't possibly imagine was that Gilgamesh had not only passed through the seventy-two barriers but had also wiped out the entire Zero Division.
That's right—thanks to the insight of his Omniscient Star, Gilgamesh knew that Kirinji, Senjumaru, Nimaiya, and Hikifune had all perished in the blast of the ancient nuclear warhead.
His gaze shifted toward the true Royal Palace, where five floating chambers still hovered besides the Soul King's Inner Sanctum.
There, on the central floating palace, Gilgamesh spotted someone who should have been dead: Ichibē.
Gilgamesh realized that Kirinji had called out Ichibē's true name before his death, reviving him.
The members of the Zero Division were unique. After being selected, the power of the Soul King reconstructed their flesh, bones, and blood, transforming their bodies into keys—royal Keys—granting them access to the Royal Palace.
Because their bodies were remade into Royal Keys, their actual hearts resided in their respective floating palaces. As long as these palaces remained intact, the members of the Zero Division could be revived by calling out their true names, effectively granting them immortality.
Ichibē, unaware of Gilgamesh's gaze, was still regaining his bearings after his revival. His attention was drawn to the massive mushroom cloud rising below, his expression darkening.
Though he didn't know the exact details, Ichibē realized that the rest of the Zero Division had been killed.
"Senjumaru Shutara."
Ichibē called her true name, reviving her as well.
Afterwards, Ichibē didn't rush to revive the others.
That's because the Zero Division's blood pact seal could only be broken if three members had died. Only then could they unleash their Bankai—Ichibē being the exception.
Ichibē had specifically chosen to revive Senjumaru because of her Bankai.
Senjumaru's Bankai was a spatial manipulation ability. Even if it couldn't kill Gilgamesh, it could trap him.
Once Gilgamesh was contained, Ichibē would personally deal with him.
Even after his death, Ichibē still held confidence.
This confidence came from his Zanpakutō, Ichimonji, and its Shikai and Bankai abilities.
In truth, Ichibē believed he could have neutralized Gungnir's attack.
Ichimonji's Shikai ability, Cutting the Name, Not the Flesh, allowed him to remove the name of anything his ink touched, rendering that object powerless. When he struck Gungnir earlier, Ichimonji's ink had already stained the spear black.
Had Ichibē activated his Shikai ability in time, Gungnir would have lost its name and its power.
Moreover, Ichimonji's Bankai was even more terrifying. It allowed Ichibē to rewrite the names of anything stripped of their original names. For example, if he carved the name Ant onto an opponent, they would become as weak and fragile as an ant.
Without a doubt, Ichimonji's power was a rule-based ability—one that was nearly unbeatable.
Gilgamesh was well aware of Ichibē's plan, but at that moment, he wasn't interested in fighting Ichibē.
Without acknowledging Ichibē, Gilgamesh directed the Vimana to fly straight toward the Soul King's Inner Sanctum.
The Vimana moved swiftly, but as it neared the Inner Sanctum, Ichibē became aware of it.
The true Royal Palace had been hidden by a concealment spell cast by Ichibē using Ichimonji's Kido-like powers, and the area was surrounded by a protective enchantment that would alert him to any intrusions.
As soon as he sensed the disturbance, Ichibē looked up to see a streak of golden light cutting through the sky.
His eyes followed the light, and he realized with shock that it was headed straight for the Soul King's Inner Sanctum.
In a fit of rage, Ichibē immediately used Shunpo, trying to catch up with the golden streak.
But no matter how fast he moved, it was clear that he couldn't catch the light. He could only watch in helpless fury as the golden streak entered the Soul King's Inner Sanctum.
This realization made Ichibē's face contort with fury as he dashed toward the sanctum, his anger unbridled.
Inside the Soul King's Inner Sanctum...
The Vimana had already arrived before the crystal-encased Soul King.
Past Yoruichi seemed to grasp something from seeing the Soul King. Her expression shifted dramatically as she gasped in shock, "That's... the Soul King?!"
She looked stunned, as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "No, it can't be! There's no way the Soul King would be in such a miserable state!"
Renji and Rukia from the past, too, were left speechless by the sight. They had heard about the Soul King from Gilgamesh but had never expected the god-like figure of the Soul King to be in such a pitiful condition.
Ignoring their shock, Gilgamesh addressed the Soul King directly, explaining his purpose.
His tone was respectful and humble as he apologized for barging into the Soul King's Palace uninvited.
In Gilgamesh's original world, the Royal Palace was like a second home to him, and he could come and go as he pleased.
But in this parallel future world, Gilgamesh knew that if he hadn't forced his way in, he would never have been able to reach the Royal Palace or meet the Soul King.
To return to his world, he had no choice but to break in.
Gilgamesh was confident the Soul King wouldn't mind and would even be willing to help him return. In fact, the Soul King likely wanted him to leave as soon as possible.
That's because this world's future had already been sealed with the birth of its destined savior, and the Soul King wouldn't want a wild card like Gilgamesh disrupting the fate that had already been set in motion.
Hearing Gilgamesh's explanation, the Soul King was visibly shaken—a rare display of emotion after eons of detachment.
For the first time in a long while, the Soul King felt something stir within him.
As the true god of the three realms, the Soul King could perceive the many branching paths of fate and parallel worlds.
But he had never once observed a worldline that contained someone like Gilgamesh.
This meant that Gilgamesh was not from any of the alternate timelines or parallel worlds that the Soul King could see. Instead, he came from a completely different main worldline—one that the Soul King couldn't observe.
If the countless parallel worlds were like tributaries branching off from a single river, then Gilgamesh's world was another main river altogether.
This was the first time the Soul King became aware of another main timeline.
Once his initial shock subsided, the Soul King decided to help Gilgamesh return to his world.
Just as Gilgamesh had predicted, the Soul King would not allow a disruptor like Gilgamesh to remain with this world's future already set.
If the destined savior hadn't been born yet, or if the future hadn't been written in stone, the Soul King might have wanted to keep Gilgamesh as a variable—to see if a new fate or future could emerge.
After receiving the information he sought, Gilgamesh prepared to leave, offering his farewell to the Soul King.
Just as he was about to depart, the Soul King spoke again,
"Senjumaru's Bankai is ready. The moment you leave the Inner Sanctum, you'll be caught in her web."
"Even if you break free of her Bankai, Ichibē's will be waiting for you."
"Since I am sealed within this sacred crystal, my only communication with the Zero Division is through the artifacts in the floating palaces. I cannot directly speak with them in real-time."
"Be careful."
Gilgamesh caught the underlying meaning in the Soul King's words.
While it sounded like a warning, it was also the Soul King's subtle way of advising Gilgamesh not to kill the members of the Zero Division.
With a smile, Gilgamesh boarded the Vimana and left the Inner Sanctum.
The moment the Vimana exited the sanctum, the scenery around them shifted.
Suddenly, they found themselves in a vast space draped with elegant, patterned silk ribbons, each several meters wide and stretching tens of meters long. At the end of the space stood a massive loom.
Even though there was no wind, the ribbons swayed like flowing water, and Senjumaru's reflection could be seen on each of them.
At that moment, a cold female voice echoed through the air.
"Bankai: Shatakarāra Kaison Rasenroku!"
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