The Epic of Gilgamesh

The World of the Living, 1956.

Technology in the current era had only just begun to develop; the internet had not even been born yet.

Therefore, the moment Yoruichi Shihouin returned to the World of the Living, she went straight to the Urahara Shop to find Kisuke Urahara.

If Yoruichi Shihouin had to search for information regarding "Gilgamesh" and "Uruk" on her own, she would likely have to go to a library and slowly sift through books.

This was something Yoruichi Shihouin did not even want to consider.

Because the process of researching books not only required a massive amount of time and energy, but it was also particularly dull and tedious—something Yoruichi Shihouin definitely could not tolerate.

Urahara Shop.

The moment Yoruichi Shihouin, in her black cat form, arrived, she heard Kisuke Urahara's lazy voice drift over: "Oh my, what wind blew you in today? I'm surprised you'd actually come to my shop, Yoruichi."

Ignoring Kisuke Urahara's remark, Yoruichi Shihouin spoke directly: "Kisuke, have you ever heard of 'Gilgamesh' and 'Uruk'?"

Kisuke Urahara paused for a moment.

Usually, when Yoruichi Shihouin came to the shop, it was to report on events in the Soul Society, especially intelligence regarding Sosuke Aizen; he had not expected her to ask such a question.

Seeing Kisuke Urahara stunned, Yoruichi Shihouin assumed he hadn't processed it yet and continued: "Gilgamesh is the king of a human kingdom..."

"King!"

The sudden interjection made Yoruichi Shihouin pause. She turned her sharp, intelligent cat eyes toward Kisuke Urahara and said, "Oh, so you do know?"

Kisuke Urahara snapped his fan open with a swish, using it to cover half his face, leaving only his eyes visible beneath the brim of his hat. With an unreadable expression, he asked, "Of course I know, but I am curious—why would you want to learn about him, Yoruichi?"

Kisuke Urahara knew Yoruichi Shihouin very well; he knew that, given her personality, she should have absolutely no interest in a king of a human kingdom.

Yoruichi Shihouin didn't overthink it and relayed her observations from the Soul Society, along with everything related to Gilgamesh, directly to Kisuke Urahara.

Kisuke Urahara's expression shifted constantly as Yoruichi Shihouin spoke.

He truly had not expected that such an interesting person had appeared in the Soul Society, someone who actually wanted to build an ideal kingdom in the Rukongai.

And then there was the transformation of Inuzuri.

Kisuke Urahara himself hailed from the Rukongai, so he understood perfectly well what "District 78" signified.

Yet, Gilgamesh had managed to make South Rukongai District 78 flourish in such a short time.

Such methods and capabilities left even Kisuke Urahara feeling astonished.

Following this, Kisuke Urahara heard Yoruichi Shihouin say: "The name of that brat is Gilgamesh, and he claims he once served as the King of Uruk in a human kingdom..."

Before Yoruichi Shihouin could finish, she was interrupted by Kisuke Urahara: "Impossible. That brat absolutely cannot be Gilgamesh."

Yoruichi Shihouin hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Kisuke Urahara and couldn't help but be stunned, then asked: "Why couldn't he be? Does this human king, Gilgamesh, not exist?"

Kisuke Urahara had already closed his fan, looking at Yoruichi Shihouin with a serious expression: "I don't even know if Gilgamesh truly existed."

"But if he did exist, do you know how many years ago he reigned?"

Yoruichi Shihouin wore a bewildered cat face, not understanding why Kisuke Urahara would ask this, but she answered anyway: "A few decades?"

Kisuke Urahara shook his head gently.

Yoruichi Shihouin guessed again: "A few hundred years?"

Kisuke Urahara still shook his head.

Seeing this, Yoruichi Shihouin realized something; her expression turned solemn, and she couldn't help but ask: "Just how many years? Could it be over a thousand?"

This time, Kisuke Urahara spoke with a heavy tone: "Ah, that's right. It is over a thousand..."

Upon hearing this, Yoruichi Shihouin's expression could not help but tremble.

But before Yoruichi Shihouin could dwell on it, she heard Kisuke Urahara continue: "To be more precise, it should be around 6,000 years!"

6,000 years—this figure exploded in Yoruichi Shihouin's mind like a thunderclap. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks, and her face was filled with disbelief.

At this moment, Yoruichi Shihouin finally understood why Kisuke Urahara had said it was impossible.

Because at this moment, Yoruichi Shihouin also believed it was impossible.

One had to know that Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the Captain-Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads who was said to "almost represent the history of the Soul Society," was only a little over 3,000 years old.

If Gilgamesh had truly served as the King of Uruk in a human kingdom, wouldn't his age be double that of Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto?

But how could that be?

If Gilgamesh's origins were truly that ancient, with his methods and abilities, legends of him should have long since remained in the Soul Society.

Most importantly, Gilgamesh's current appearance was clearly that of a child around ten years old; he looked nothing like a 6,000-year-old being.

Do not think that Shinigami do not age.

Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto was over 3,000 years old now, and his appearance had long since aged to that of an 80-year-old human.

A flurry of thoughts bombarded Yoruichi Shihouin's brain, making it impossible for her to think rationally.

Kisuke Urahara continued at this point: "In the records of human history, it is not even certain if Gilgamesh was a real person."

"He is the protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest known heroic epic in the human world."

"It records the hymns to the fifth king of Uruk, who was also the oldest Heroic King of humanity—Gilgamesh."

"The oldest King of Heroes in human history."

This title shook Yoruichi Shihouin's mind once again.

She couldn't help but think that if Gilgamesh truly was the oldest King of Heroes, then it was only natural for him to possess such means and abilities.

Steadying her nerves, Yoruichi Shihouin couldn't help but ask, "Kisuke, how do you know so much about the deeds of Gilgamesh?"

Kisuke Urahara did not answer immediately; instead, he walked over to a pile of clutter to the side and began to rummage through it.

Before long, Kisuke Urahara found a book that had clearly been leafed through many times and handed it to Yoruichi Shihouin, saying, "Have you forgotten? A while back, when you came to see me, I was so engrossed in reading that I didn't notice your arrival, and you even asked me what book I was so captivated by."

A memory immediately surfaced in Yoruichi Shihouin's mind, and a look of realization flashed across her face; no wonder she had always felt like she had heard the name "Uruk" somewhere before.

Yoruichi Shihouin took the book with her cat paw, seeing the large characters "Epic of Gilgamesh" written on the cover.

Without hesitation, Yoruichi Shihouin placed the book on the table and began to flip through it.

On the title page of the book, it was written:

[Gilgamesh is a hero born between god and man, possessing a supreme divinity of "two-thirds god, one-third human."]

[He is called the King of Heroes not in the sense of being a "king who is a hero," but as the "king of all heroes." He can be called the archetype of all myths and the template for all heroes.]