Not long ago, a gang of criminals from Tobiume crossed the forest and reached Inuzuri.
The first thing they did after arriving in Inuzuri was burn, kill, and loot, causing a vicious incident that left more than a dozen people dead.
It was only after this incident that Gilgamesh decided to head to Tobiume and deal with the threat once and for all.
The King's Way Points available in Inuzuri had nearly reached their limit anyway, so it was time to expand into new territory.
And Tobiume was a place where the strong preyed on the weak and strength was all that mattered.
Once Gilgamesh had demonstrated his power, the conquest proceeded smoothly.
Since Tobiume needed to be conquered, Gilgamesh had personally overseen it throughout this period.
Under Gilgamesh's leadership, the transformation of Tobiume was well underway.
Meanwhile, Inuzuri's development had settled into a steady rhythm. Construction of the royal city was progressing rapidly, and Gilgamesh no longer needed to oversee it constantly. They only had to ensure a sufficient water supply.
Besides, Gilgamesh had Vimana. He could cross between the two districts in just a few dozen seconds, so there was no need to worry.
Renji Abarai and Rukia had also joined the work of transforming Tobiume.
Yoruichi Shihouin, meanwhile, had temporarily left.
Gilgamesh knew she was going back to the Human World to find Kisuke Urahara, and he didn't interfere.
Under the light of the Star of Omniscience, Gilgamesh could sense Yoruichi Shihouin's inner journey.
He knew the day she would pledge her loyalty to him was not far off.
Human World.
Yoruichi Shihouin arrived at the Urahara Shop.
As soon as she stepped inside, Kisuke Urahara greeted her in a frivolous voice. "Well, well! Long time no see, Yoruichi-chan."
Yoruichi Shihouin rolled her eyes, looking thoroughly disgusted. "Don't add '-chan.' It's revolting!"
Kisuke Urahara put on a wounded expression. "Girls in the Human World have been adding '-chan' to everyone's names lately. I thought you might like it too, Yoruichi."
Yoruichi Shihouin simply ignored him and got straight to the point. "From my investigation, Gil seems to have nothing to do with Aizen."
Kisuke Urahara merely nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. It was unclear what he was thinking.
Yoruichi Shihouin continued, recounting everything she'd seen while staying by Gilgamesh's side.
Tessai Tsukabishi had joined them at some point and listened in silence.
During the time Yoruichi Shihouin had spent with Gilgamesh, Kisuke Urahara had told him about Gilgamesh.
He was also very interested in a man who wanted to establish a kingdom in Rukongai and transform Inuzuri in South Rukongai District 78.
When Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi heard that Gilgamesh owned Vimana, they were visibly shaken.
Yoruichi Shihouin had only described it to them, but they both knew her discerning eye and refined taste.
They could imagine how perfect Vimana must be if even Yoruichi Shihouin couldn't find the words to describe it.
At the same time, they racked their brains, searching through the history of Soul Society for any mention of a legendary weapon or Zanpakuto named Vimana.
In the end, however, they found nothing.
That was only to be expected.
Yoruichi Shihouin had no idea what they were thinking and continued her story.
Before long, she reached the part about the Mountain-Slaying Sword.
When the name "Igalima" came up, Kisuke Urahara visibly froze.
It seemed he had thought of something. Kisuke Urahara hurried to one side, then returned with a heavy book in hand, flipping through it as Yoruichi Shihouin and Tessai Tsukabishi watched in confusion.
"Found it!"
Kisuke Urahara's expression sharpened as he exclaimed.
Yoruichi Shihouin and Tessai Tsukabishi froze, unsure what Kisuke Urahara had found.
Kisuke Urahara didn't beat around the bush. His expression serious, he studied the information in the book and said, "I've spent this time researching Gilgamesh and the Sumerian Mythology from which he came."
"The name Igalima appears in Sumerian Mythology. He was the younger son of the chief god of Lagash City-State, and his older brother was named Shul-Shagana."
"What's more, Igalima and Shul-Shagana were also the two weapons of Zababa, the guardian deity and war goddess of Kish City-State in Sumerian Mythology."
"These two weapons had other names as well: Green Horizon of Mountain-Severing and Dawn Horizon of Sea-Burning."
Yoruichi Shihouin and Tessai Tsukabishi were stunned. The sheer weight of this revelation left them speechless for a moment.
Kisuke Urahara continued, "Based on Yoruichi's description, the Mountain-Slaying Sword wielded by Gilgamesh matches the legendary weapon from Sumerian Mythology: Green Horizon of Mountain-Severing, Igalima."
"It's said that Igalima embodies the concept of the horizon, able to cleave through and open a path across a thousand mountains."
"If the legends are true, then throughout Soul Society's history, only a handful of Zanpakuto could match it in power."
"Nowadays, the only one that could likely surpass it is Ryujin Jakka, hailed as the strongest and oldest fire-type Zanpakuto."
Like Yoruichi Shihouin, Kisuke Urahara had already assumed Igalima was Gilgamesh's Zanpakuto.
As a Shinigami, he knew that the myths of the living world were fabricated and exaggerated accounts of history. Those gods had never existed.
If there really was a god, the Soul King was the only one in this world.
So the legendary weapons from mythology couldn't exist, either.
And neither humans, Hollows, nor Shinigami could forge weapons like those described in myth.
The only possibility was a Zanpakuto.
A Zanpakuto's shape, state, and abilities were all formed in the image of its Shinigami's soul.
If he really was Gilgamesh, and had been connected to Zababa and Igalima in his previous life, then it wasn't impossible that the Zanpakuto he awakened would be Igalima.
In Kisuke Urahara's view, if Zababa had truly existed, she would have been an ordinary human. It was only because of her great deeds that later generations had mythologized her as a guardian deity and war goddess.
In the end, Yoruichi Shihouin returned to Soul Society, her mind reeling from everything she'd learned.
Kisuke Urahara, meanwhile, began searching for information on Vimana.
With Igalima as an example, perhaps Vimana came from a myth as well.
Diligent effort paid off. A few days later, Kisuke Urahara finally found information about Vimana.
But as he read it, his face filled with shock and disbelief. "That's impossible!"
At that moment, Kisuke Urahara's understanding of the world began to waver.
In his mind, a figure with indistinct features and an aura of kingly majesty appeared. He sat silently on a throne at the end of history, watching Kisuke Urahara.
This figure was Kisuke Urahara's imagining of Gilgamesh.
Now, staring at the figure in his mind, Kisuke Urahara couldn't help asking, "Who are you, really? Why do you possess Vimana?"
"That clearly isn't a relic from the Sumerian Mythology to which Gilgamesh belongs. It's a divine weapon from Indian mythology."
"Spanning two mythologies..."
"Could it be that you once took another name and appeared in Indian mythology as well?!"
At the same time, an outrageous thought took hold in Kisuke Urahara's mind.
If he really is Gilgamesh, if he really has spanned two mythologies, if he really has lived for more than six thousand years, perhaps...
He might know how to deal with the Hogyoku!
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