In Bleach as Gilgamesh

Chapter 111 - The Dawn Horizon that Burns Away All Seas!

Hitsugaya lay collapsed on the ground, his body covered in blood, looking utterly devastated.

But he paid no attention to his injuries. His pupils were unfocused as he stared at the sky, his thoughts drifting.

"Captain, are you okay?"

Rangiku's voice, filled with anxiety, suddenly called out.

Moments later, Rangiku appeared by Hitsugaya's side, gently lifting his upper body and resting him on her lap, her expression full of concern.

Hitsugaya, snapped back to reality by Rangiku's worried look, shook his head lightly. "I'm fine, but I won't be able to fight for a while."

Hearing this, Rangiku breathed a sigh of relief.

The battle they had just witnessed had been terrifying. Knowing she wasn't strong enough to make a difference, Rangiku had retreated early and avoided getting caught in the chaos.

And so, from a safe distance, she had watched the entire battle between ice and fire.

Now, surveying the ruined landscape around them—buildings and ground shattered by the clash of elements—her face was filled with fear. "Captain, was that really Hyōrinmaru's Bankai?"

Hitsugaya's expression froze for a moment, and with a bitter sigh, he replied, "It was indeed Hyōrinmaru's Bankai."

Rangiku was stunned and instinctively asked, "But can Hyōrinmaru's Bankai really be that powerful?"

Hitsugaya didn't answer.

He had asked himself the same question, and in his heart, he was asking Hyōrinmaru as well.

But this time, Hyōrinmaru remained silent.

Hitsugaya had always known he hadn't yet unlocked the full potential of Hyōrinmaru.

But he hadn't realized that in Gilgamesh's hands, Hyōrinmaru could unleash such terrifying power—enough to rival Ryūjin Jakka, the strongest flame-based Zanpakutō.

The breathtaking sight of the sky split between fire and ice replayed in his mind, unshakable.

At the same time, feelings of shame, frustration, and powerlessness surged within him.

Resolved, Hitsugaya made a silent vow. Once he recovered, he would devote himself entirely to training. Hyōrinmaru was his Zanpakutō, and he couldn't allow an outsider to wield it better than he could.

With that, Hitsugaya turned his gaze back to the battlefield, to Gilgamesh.

Like Yamamoto, Hitsugaya could see that Gilgamesh's spiritual pressure had weakened significantly—so much so that he couldn't even maintain his Bankai.

In contrast, Yamamoto still stood tall in the form of Zanka no Tachi.

Anyone looking at this scene would think the outcome had been decided.

But no one expected Gilgamesh to respond to Yamamoto's declaration in such a way.

Hitsugaya was frozen in place.

Not just him—Unohana and the others watching the battle were also stunned.

Even Yamamoto himself was momentarily taken aback.

They couldn't understand why Gilgamesh was still able to speak so confidently.

Did he truly have something up his sleeve, or was he simply being stubborn?

It was a known fact that a Soul Reaper's power came from their spiritual pressure. Without it, no matter how great their strength, they couldn't perform any techniques.

Could it be that Gilgamesh wasn't actually weakened? That he had hidden reserves of spiritual pressure?

These questions swirled in everyone's minds, and they couldn't help but overthink it.

Normally, they wouldn't give this much thought to an opponent. But after witnessing Gilgamesh's terrifying power firsthand, they couldn't stop themselves from second-guessing.

Without further words, Yamamoto abruptly stabbed his Zanka no Tachi into the ground, his voice booming, "Zanka no Tachi, South: Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin!"

The immense heat seeped into the earth, awakening the ashes of all those Yamamoto had slain over the years.

An endless army of charred skeletons began crawling out from beneath the ground, swarming toward Gilgamesh like a tide.

All eyes were on Gilgamesh now.

They wanted to see how he would deal with this endless onslaught. Would he be overwhelmed, his bravado shattered, or did he truly have a trump card?

As they watched, a golden ripple appeared in front of Gilgamesh.

The appearance of this ripple made the captains watching hold their breath.

They didn't know what it was.

But they were certain of one thing—Gilgamesh hadn't used this technique in the previous battle.

This suggested that Gilgamesh might have been telling the truth after all.

Before they could think any further, a massive sword, grotesque and demonic like the wing of a devil, emerged from the golden ripple and swung down toward the approaching skeletons.

Whoosh!

Without any hesitation, every skeleton that came near was crushed to dust under the weight of the enormous blade.

Yamamoto's expression remained stoic as he observed the scene, his ancient eyes reflecting the image of the strange, massive sword.

In Yamamoto's eyes, the sword seemed to be composed of chunks of molten lava, with wings of flame burning along its length. From a distance, it resembled the wing of a fire demon from ancient mythology—gruesome and majestic.

The sword was so massive that Yamamoto couldn't comprehend how Gilgamesh's small frame could wield it.

No, it wasn't Gilgamesh himself wielding the sword; it was the golden ripple that controlled it.

"What is that golden ripple?"

"And what about this sword? Is it his Zanpakutō?"

"Could this be the true power he was talking about?"

Even Yamamoto couldn't help but question this in his mind.

Unbeknownst to everyone, the charred skeleton army was being reduced to heaps of broken bones under the relentless onslaught of the gigantic sword.

Throughout this, Yamamoto remained motionless, silently observing.

He wanted to see the full extent of the power Gilgamesh's summoned sword held—what could possibly surpass Hyōrinmaru's complete Bankai.

But so far, Yamamoto felt only disappointment, as though he were being mocked.

The sword Gilgamesh had summoned was undoubtedly powerful, but it seemed more a result of its sheer size than anything else—certainly not a match for Hyōrinmaru's full power.

The other captains watching could also see this.

Yamamoto finally spoke, "Is this your true power, boy? If so, I must admit, it's rather underwhelming."

As he spoke, the shattered skeletons began to reassemble themselves, once again marching toward Gilgamesh.

The undead army resurrected again, even after being torn apart.

These skeletons were created from the ashes of those Yamamoto had slain, and as long as their ashes remained, and as long as Yamamoto's spiritual pressure held out, they could resurrect indefinitely.

To stop them, one would need to defeat Yamamoto himself.

As for making the ashes disappear, that was something no one would even consider.

After all, these ashes were the remnants left by Ryūjin Jakka, the ultimate flame, and even Ryūjin Jakka itself couldn't completely destroy them.

Without paying any attention to the resurrected skeletons, Yamamoto slowly withdrew his Zanka no Tachi from the ground, taking steady steps toward Gilgamesh.

Or rather, toward the gigantic sword.

Yamamoto's intention was clear: to destroy Gilgamesh's weapon, to strip him of his last hope, and to let him be swallowed by the charred skeletons—trapped in despair, paying the price for invading Seireitei.

Of course, Gilgamesh's ultimate fate would be to join the army of the dead, one more skeleton in Yamamoto's legion.

"Zanka no Tachi, East: Kyokujitsujin!"

Yamamoto lightly swung his Zanka no Tachi toward the massive sword.

Kyokujitsujin focuses all the heat of Ryūjin Jakka into the tip of the blade, erasing whatever it touches from existence with a single strike.

Boom!

The moment Zanka no Tachi connected with the sword, a deafening explosion rocked the battlefield. An invisible shockwave rippled outward, crushing everything in its path and causing the ground to crack and collapse.

Yamamoto's pupils contracted.

For the first time, he couldn't maintain his composure, his face revealing an expression of disbelief.

Gilgamesh's summoned sword remained unscathed beneath the overwhelming power of Kyokujitsujin, which could level mountains.

At that moment, even without his omniscient star to guide him, Gilgamesh could guess Yamamoto's thoughts. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

"This sword is called Sulsagana, an EX-ranked Noble Phantasm," Gilgamesh said.

"Not even Ryūjin Jakka, let alone Zanka no Tachi, could destroy it."

Though the others understood Gilgamesh's words, they couldn't grasp the weight behind them.

"Does Soul Society even have a Zanpakutō called Sulsagana?"

"What does EX-ranked mean? Are Zanpakutōs ranked?"

"And what is a Noble Phantasm?"

Because he was in a good mood, Gilgamesh explained further.

"Sulsagana is one of the two weapons wielded by Zaba-Ba, the war goddess and eldest child of the main god of Lagash in Sumerian mythology."

"It is also known as the 'Blade that Burns the Seas,' a divine weapon capable of purging even the mightiest oceans."

Although Gilgamesh's explanation was clear, the captains remained baffled.

They were Soul Reapers, after all. They had little concern for human myths, so they didn't know anything about Sumerian gods or war goddesses.

However, they could tell from Gilgamesh's explanation that Sulsagana had an extraordinary origin.

Yamamoto's expression darkened. Though Sulsagana had a prestigious origin, judging by the flames on its blade, it was clearly a fire-type weapon.

And if it was fire-based, that meant his Ryūjin Jakka was invincible against it.

Understanding this, Yamamoto gave Gilgamesh no more time to speak, launching another strike with Kyokujitsujin.

If one strike couldn't shatter Sulsagana, then two would.

If two weren't enough, then three strikes.

And while he kept the sword occupied, the endless skeleton army would drag Gilgamesh into a pit of despair.

Thanks to his omniscient star, Gilgamesh could see through Yamamoto's plan.

Looking around at the countless charred skeletons surrounding him, Gilgamesh smiled faintly. "Yamamoto, your overconfidence will be your downfall."

With that, another golden ripple appeared.

From it, Gilgamesh drew the Key of the King's Law.

Before anyone could react, Gilgamesh inserted the key into the air and slowly turned it.

In the next moment, the Gate of Babylon opened.

One golden ripple after another spread across the sky, and from them, countless Noble Phantasms emerged, raining down on the skeletal army.

Everyone watching was left in shock.

They could sense the power behind the barrage of Noble Phantasms—each one carrying the destructive force of a mid-level Hadō spell.

Most Soul Reapers couldn't even match that power with their Shikai.

Yet now, there were countless of them filling the sky.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

One explosion after another rang out, and in the billowing dust, the skeleton army was once again shattered into pieces.

Yamamoto stepped back, dodging the barrage from the Gate of Babylon. He watched this display and said calmly, "It's useless. The dead are immortal. No matter how many times they're shattered, they will always revive."

As he finished speaking, the skeleton army began to reform once again.

This time, Gilgamesh didn't respond.

Amidst the dust and destruction, the Gate of Babylon remained open but silent.

And then, Gilgamesh's voice rose, reciting a chant.

"This is the end of sky and sea, the direction of dawn, the furnace that melts all things."

"Good and evil, heaven and earth, all dissolve in the flames of dawn."

"Burn away, with the purging fire that consumes all."

"The Dawn Horizon that Burns All Seas, Sulsagana!"

In the next moment, crimson flames erupted, consuming the dust in an instant, before surging toward the skeletal army.

Yamamoto's brow furrowed as he felt the strange fire approaching.

Though it wasn't as hot as Ryūjin Jakka, something about it triggered a deep sense of unease.

In the blink of an eye, the skeletal army was swallowed by the crimson sea of flames.

As Yamamoto watched, his eyes widened in disbelief.

Not only him—the captains witnessing the scene were equally stunned.

Before their eyes, the unkillable skeletal army was melting away in the crimson fire. Even the ashes left behind were vanishing without a trace.

Soul Society was made of reishi, spiritual particles, and so were the ashes.

But as the captains focused, they realized that the ashes weren't turning back into reishi. They weren't returning to Soul Society at all.

They were simply…gone.

But how could that be? How could spiritual particles disappear like that?

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