The Human World, 1956.
Technology in the Human World was only just beginning to develop. The internet had yet to be invented.
So as soon as Yoruichi Shihouin returned to the Human World, she went straight to the Urahara Shop to find Kisuke Urahara.
If Yoruichi Shihouin had to look up information about "Gilgamesh" and "Uruk" on her own, she would have to spend ages poring over books in a library.
She hadn't even considered doing that.
Looking through books would take a great deal of time and effort, and it would be unbearably dull. Yoruichi Shihouin knew she couldn't stand it.
The Urahara Shop.
The moment Yoruichi Shihouin, in her black cat form, arrived, she heard Kisuke Urahara's lazy voice. "Well, what brings you here today, Yoruichi? What wind blew you into my shop?"
Yoruichi Shihouin ignored Kisuke Urahara and got straight to the point. "Kisuke, have you ever heard of 'Gilgamesh' and 'Uruk'?"
Kisuke Urahara froze for a moment.
When Yoruichi Shihouin usually came to the shop, she was there to tell him about what was happening in Soul Society, especially anything concerning Sosuke Aizen. He hadn't expected her to ask about this.
Seeing Kisuke Urahara freeze, Yoruichi Shihouin thought he hadn't understood and continued, "Gilgamesh was the king of a human kingdom..."
"King!"
The sudden word made Yoruichi Shihouin stop. She turned her bright cat eyes toward Kisuke Urahara and asked, "Oh? You know about him?"
With a snap, Kisuke Urahara opened the fan in his hand and hid the lower half of his face behind it, leaving only his eyes visible beneath the brim of his hat. His expression unreadable, he asked, "Of course I know. I'm just curious—why would you want to learn about him, Yoruichi?"
Kisuke Urahara knew Yoruichi Shihouin well. Given her personality, she shouldn't have had any interest in the king of a human kingdom.
Yoruichi Shihouin didn't think much of it. She told Kisuke Urahara what she had seen in Soul Society and everything concerning Gilgamesh.
Kisuke Urahara's expression shifted repeatedly as Yoruichi Shihouin spoke.
He hadn't imagined that someone so interesting would appear in Soul Society—someone who wanted to build an ideal kingdom in Rukongai.
And then there was the change in Inuzuri.
Kisuke Urahara himself had come from Rukongai, so he knew all too well what District 78 meant.
And yet Gilgamesh had managed to make South Rukongai District 78 flourish in a short time.
The methods and abilities it took left even Kisuke Urahara amazed.
Then Kisuke Urahara heard Yoruichi Shihouin say, "That kid's name is Gilgamesh. He said he once ruled the human kingdom of Uruk..."
Before Yoruichi Shihouin could finish, Kisuke Urahara cut her off. "Impossible. That kid absolutely can't be Gilgamesh."
Yoruichi Shihouin hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Kisuke Urahara. She stared at him for a moment, then asked, "Why not? Are you saying Gilgamesh, the human king, never existed?"
Kisuke Urahara had already put away his fan. Looking at Yoruichi Shihouin seriously, he said, "I don't know whether Gilgamesh really existed."
"But if he did, do you know how long ago he ruled?"
Yoruichi Shihouin wore a blank look on her cat face. She didn't understand why Kisuke Urahara was asking, but she answered anyway. "A few decades?"
Kisuke Urahara gently shook his head.
Yoruichi Shihouin tried again. "A few hundred years?"
Kisuke Urahara shook his head once more.
At that, Yoruichi Shihouin realized something was wrong. Her expression grew grave, and she couldn't help asking, "How long ago was it, then? Could it have been over a thousand years?"
This time, Kisuke Urahara replied gravely, "Yes. Over a thousand years..."
Yoruichi Shihouin was visibly shaken.
But before she could dwell on it, Kisuke Urahara continued, "More precisely, about six thousand years ago!"
Six thousand years. The figure exploded in Yoruichi Shihouin's mind like a thunderclap. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks, and disbelief filled her face.
At last, Yoruichi Shihouin understood why Kisuke Urahara had said it was impossible.
At that moment, she thought so too.
After all, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the Captain-Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, was said to represent almost the entire history of Soul Society—and he was only a little over three thousand years old.
If Gilgamesh really had once ruled the human kingdom of Uruk, wouldn't that make him twice Yamamoto's age?
How could that be possible?
If Gilgamesh's origins really went back that far, then with his abilities, legends about him should have survived in Soul Society.
Most importantly, Gilgamesh looked like a child of about ten. He didn't look six thousand years old at all.
Don't assume that Soul Reapers never age.
Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto was now over three thousand years old, and his appearance had long since aged until he looked like an eighty-year-old human man.
All these thoughts crashed through Yoruichi Shihouin's mind, leaving her unable to think clearly.
Kisuke Urahara continued, "According to the records of Human History, it's uncertain whether Gilgamesh was a real person."
"He's the main character of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest known heroic epic in the human world."
"It's a hymn to Uruk's fifth king, Gilgamesh—the oldest King of Heroes in human history."
"The oldest King of Heroes in human history."
The title shook Yoruichi Shihouin to her core once more.
She couldn't help thinking that if Gilgamesh really was the oldest King of Heroes in human history, then it made sense that he would have such abilities.
After steadying herself, Yoruichi Shihouin couldn't help asking, "Kisuke, how do you know so much about Gilgamesh?"
Kisuke Urahara didn't answer right away. Instead, he walked over to a pile of odds and ends and began rummaging through it.
A little while later, Kisuke Urahara found a book that had clearly been read many times and handed it to Yoruichi Shihouin. "Don't you remember? You came to see me a while ago. I was so engrossed in a book that I didn't notice you arrive, and you asked what I was reading."
A memory surfaced in Yoruichi Shihouin's mind, and understanding dawned on her. No wonder she'd felt she'd heard the name "Uruk" somewhere before.
Yoruichi Shihouin took the book in her cat paw. The words Epic of Gilgamesh were written across the cover.
Without hesitation, Yoruichi Shihouin set the book on the table and began flipping through it.
On the title page, she saw the following:
[Gilgamesh was a hero born between gods and humans, possessing an exalted divine nature: "two-thirds god and one-third human."] [He was called the King of Heroes not in the sense of "a king who was a hero," but as "the king of heroes." He could be called the source of all mythology and the model for all heroes.]
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