"Igalima..."
"Mountain-Slaying Sword..."
Yoruichi Shihouin murmured to herself as her mind began racing.
The famous Zanpakuto of Soul Society flashed through her mind one by one.
But Yoruichi Shihouin couldn't find any Zanpakuto named "Igalima" or "Mountain-Slaying Sword."
Could the Mountain-Slaying Sword be a divine weapon similar to the Sokyoku?
The Sokyoku was an execution tool used in Soul Society to sentence criminals. It consisted of a spear and a wooden frame.
When released, the spear took the form of a giant bird called Kikouo, said to possess the destructive power of a million Zanpakuto.
Meanwhile, the golden light drew the attention of the criminals.
Some of them instinctively looked up at the sky.
Their pupils trembled violently at the sight, and they couldn't help murmuring, "W-what is that?"
Looking at the enormous, double-edged, boneless sword that blotted out the sky, even they—who spent their days drowning in slaughter and reveling in the thrill of bloodshed and death—couldn't help but feel afraid.
After a brief silence, someone shouted.
"R-Run!"
That shout was like a bomb going off, sending the criminals scrambling to flee.
Even those with broken arms and legs forgot their pain in that moment and ran for their lives, terror written across their faces.
At last, the Mountain-Slaying Sword struck the ground.
Boom!
With a tremendous crash, the earth split apart and rocks shot into the sky. Dust billowed everywhere, shrouding the scene from view, while the criminals' piercing screams rang out.
The tremendous commotion drew the attention of the people in Tobiume's central district. They all turned to look, their eyes filled with shock, astonishment, and fear.
They didn't know what had happened, but they could see Vimana hovering in the sky and the enormous Mountain-Slaying Sword.
The Mountain-Slaying Sword was simply too huge. Its hilt stood right in front of Vimana.
Renji Abarai and Rukia stared at the hilt, which was about as tall as they were, their pupils trembling violently.
They couldn't imagine what kind of person could wield such an enormous sword.
Although Gilgamesh had summoned the Mountain-Slaying Sword, he was about the same height as Renji Abarai. Neither of them thought Gilgamesh could possibly wield it.
Just then, Gilgamesh slowly walked toward the hilt.
Under the astonished gazes of Yoruichi Shihouin, Renji Abarai, and Rukia, he gripped the Mountain-Slaying Sword's hilt with his right hand, palm facing down.
The hilt was simply too large, though, making it look as if Gilgamesh had merely laid his right hand on it.
Judging by his posture, he seemed to be trying to pick up the Mountain-Slaying Sword.
But how could that be possible? Even if Gilgamesh wrapped both arms around the hilt, he couldn't have embraced it. How could he possibly lift the sword?
Another golden ripple appeared.
This time, it formed in front of Gilgamesh's left hand.
Gilgamesh reached into the ripple and pulled out a golden chalice.
It was called the Great Cup of Uruk, the original form of the Holy Grail in the Type-Moon World.
But unlike the Holy Grail known as the "omnipotent wish-granting machine," the Great Cup of Uruk was a pure crystallization of magical energy, containing an unimaginable amount of it.
In Sumerian mythology, Igalima was the second son of the chief god of the Lagash City-State.
According to legend, this Mountain-Slaying Sword was a Divine Construct transformed from Igalima, and one of the two weapons wielded by Zababa, the war goddess and guardian deity of the Kish City-State.
Therefore, to wield Igalima's true power, one needed an enormous supply of magical energy.
That was why Gilgamesh had taken out the Great Cup of Uruk.
At a thought from Gilgamesh, the vast magical energy contained in the Great Cup of Uruk surged into his body like a tide, then flowed from him into the Mountain-Slaying Sword.
Since there was no magical energy in the Bleach world, even Yoruichi Shihouin couldn't sense it.
She could only wonder why Gilgamesh had taken out a golden chalice.
But soon, her question was answered.
To everyone's shock and disbelief, the Mountain-Slaying Sword began to shrink, until at last it had become a double-edged, boneless greatsword over three meters long, which Gilgamesh held in his hand.
Gilgamesh had actually managed to pick up the Mountain-Slaying Sword.
But what did he intend to do with it?
A new question arose in everyone's minds.
As if he'd seen through their thoughts and confusion, Gilgamesh offered no explanation. Instead, he raised the Mountain-Slaying Sword horizontally and assumed the stance of a draw-cut, chanting its Noble Phantasm release incantation.
"Great, boundless, boneless sword that cuts through and opens up a thousand mountains!"
"Not merely a blade that severs, not merely a weight that carves!"
"The horizon contained within this sword is the principle that separates heaven and earth absolutely!"
A terrifying power emerged from the Mountain-Slaying Sword, making even space tremble.
The air surged violently, forcing Renji Abarai and Rukia to stumble backward.
Yoruichi Shihouin's pupils had shrunk to pinpricks. A powerful sense of danger welled up inside her.
The criminals in Tobiume's central district were all on high alert now, too.
I'll die...
If I take that attack, I'll die...
The warning echoed endlessly in their minds.
Instinctively, they wanted to run, to get as far away from danger as possible.
But under that invisible, terrifying pressure, they couldn't move.
Just then, Gilgamesh swung the Mountain-Slaying Sword down at the forest separating Districts 78 and 79. He shouted, "Green Horizon of Mountain-Severing... Igalima!"
In the next instant, a green horizon stretching across the sky swept toward the forest along the path of the Mountain-Slaying Sword's slash.
At that moment, heaven and earth seemed to fall silent. Everyone stared as if spellbound at the green horizon.
Aboard Vimana,
Yoruichi Shihouin, Renji Abarai, and Rukia had a clear view thanks to their vantage point.
As the green horizon passed through the forest separating Districts 78 and 79, everything in its path—trees, flowers, grass, beasts, criminals, cliffs, and boulders—was severed from its base.
From a distance, the forest looked like a patch of chives cut cleanly at the roots. The stroke was impossibly smooth, without the slightest resistance.
Just as Gilgamesh had chanted in the Noble Phantasm release incantation, when the Mountain-Slaying Sword's slash was over, the horizon that had been hidden behind the forest and mountains appeared before everyone's eyes.
Renji Abarai and Rukia stood dumbstruck, their minds completely blank and their hearts trembling with shock.
Yoruichi Shihouin wasn't as stunned as Renji Abarai and Rukia, but she was still shaken.
In Yoruichi Shihouin's view, that attack was fully comparable to the Bankai of a captain among the upper ranks.
But she hadn't sensed any spiritual pressure from Gilgamesh that could rival a captain's Bankai.
Though she didn't know how it was possible, Yoruichi Shihouin had already decided that the Mountain-Slaying Sword was Gilgamesh's Zanpakuto.
Apart from Zanpakuto, no artificially created divine weapon could possibly possess such power.
At the same time, after seeing Gilgamesh display such power, Yoruichi Shihouin's belief that Gilgamesh could never succeed in founding a country began to waver.
Perhaps he really can build a nation in Rukongai...
Before you continue