The World, With Wings Bound by Chains! (Seeking Follow-ups!)

In the Type-Moon World, Gilgamesh's close friend Enkidu is the very embodiment of the Chains of Heaven.

The function of the Chains of Heaven is the "Regulation of the Gods."

The higher the divinity of the one captured by the chains, the greater their hardness becomes, making them increasingly difficult to break free from.

Conversely, for those without divinity, the Chains of Heaven are nothing more than relatively sturdy shackles.

Of course, Isshin Shiba knows nothing of this.

He also finds Gilgamesh's words utterly baffling.

True, to humans and ordinary wandering souls, Shinigami are indeed equivalent to gods.

But in the Bleach world, there are plenty of things capable of binding a Shinigami.

If nothing else, the many Binding Kido alone are perfectly capable of restraining a Shinigami, to say nothing of various divine weapons and artifacts.

However, even though Isshin Shiba does not understand what Gilgamesh means, he knows one thing: he must not be captured by the Chains of Heaven.

It is the same logic as avoiding Binding Kido; once bound, one is restricted, and the outcome of the battle will be affected.

Thinking this, Isshin Shiba looks at the overwhelming Golden Ripples behind Gilgamesh and the chains emerging from them, his mouth twitching involuntarily.

Isshin Shiba knows he cannot be caught, but isn't this just too foul?

Without giving Isshin Shiba time to overthink, Gilgamesh, seated upon the Golden Throne, lifts his hand and moves it slightly.

The next moment, hundreds upon hundreds of Chains of Heaven fly out from the Golden Ripples, twisting and coiling in the air like a dance of wild silver snakes, rapidly lashing toward Isshin Shiba.

Watching the sky-filling chains that nearly obscure his vision, Isshin Shiba's heart tightens; not daring to be the least bit careless, he immediately uses Flash Step to flee.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The earth crumbles under the impact of the chains, sending rocks flying and dust rising.

Amidst it all, Isshin Shiba's figure is disheveled as he continuously uses Flash Step to dodge the capture of the chains.

Originally, Isshin Shiba intended to look for an opportunity to attack Gilgamesh while evading the chains.

But Isshin Shiba discovers his thinking was too naive.

On one hand, there are simply too many chains—an overwhelming, surging torrent of metal.

This forces him to exhaust himself just dodging, leaving him no chance to attack Gilgamesh.

On the other hand, he overlooked one of Gilgamesh's abilities.

That ability is foresight.

During the entrance exam at the Shin'o Academy, Gilgamesh was able to predict the strikes of Miho Kano.

Now, Gilgamesh is able to predict his movements as well.

This results in the chains appearing at his landing point ahead of time, waiting for him before his Flash Step even finishes.

Once or twice, Isshin Shiba could barely dodge them.

But as the frequency increases, the openings in Isshin Shiba's defense grow.

Swish!

Accompanied by the sound of sliding chains, Isshin Shiba, now completely bound by the Chains of Heaven to the point where even his Zanpakuto has fallen, cannot help but offer a bitter smile.

He never expected that he would be captured by the chains after all.

Sensing them slightly, Isshin Shiba discovers that the chains binding him are just ordinary shackles; aside from restricting his movement, his spiritual pressure and spiritual power remain completely unaffected.

This fact leaves Isshin Shiba puzzled, yet he breathes a slight sigh of relief.

As long as his spiritual pressure and spiritual power are unaffected, these ordinary chains cannot possibly hold him.

Isshin Shiba spreads his right palm, aims it at the chains, and chants without the full incantation: "Hado #33: Sokatsui!"

The next moment, a pale blue fire surges upward, followed by a violent explosion.

In the blast, the Chains of Heaven shatter.

Seeing this, Isshin Shiba gathers his strength and unleashes several more Sokatsui, directly breaking the shackles of the chains.

Gilgamesh watches this scene, a look of disappointment appearing on his face.

It seems that although Shinigami are called gods, they possess not a shred of divinity.

At this moment, Isshin Shiba has already retrieved his fallen Zanpakuto. This time, he does not flee; instead, he charges directly toward Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh's methods are truly endless, and Isshin Shiba knows that the longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous it becomes for him.

He had feared the Chains of Heaven possessed some special ability, such as sealing spiritual pressure or spiritual power.

That was why Isshin Shiba had not dared to confront them head-on.

But now that he knows the Chains of Heaven are merely ordinary chains, Isshin Shiba has no more concerns.

Facing the surging torrent of chains, Isshin Shiba immediately unleashed his signature technique: Getsuga Tensho.

The Enkidu, which were merely ordinary chains with relative durability, shattered and broke apart under the force of Isshin Shiba's Getsuga Tensho.

Very quickly, Isshin Shiba broke through the shackles of the Enkidu and arrived directly before Gilgamesh.

Watching Gilgamesh, who sat composed upon the Golden Throne with not a hint of change in his expression, Isshin Shiba raised his Zanpakuto high and shouted, "It is time for this battle to end."

"Little brat, the outcome is decided!"

As he spoke, Isshin Shiba's captain-level spiritual pressure surged into the sky without the slightest restraint, crashing down fiercely toward Gilgamesh.

At this moment, even the space itself seemed to tremble.

The very moment his words fell, Isshin Shiba swung down his Zanpakuto and roared, "Getsuga... Tensho!"

Crack!

Clang!

Boom!

Amidst a series of strange sounds, the magical barrier shattered.

Yet, Isshin Shiba's Getsuga Tensho failed to harm Gilgamesh.

This was because a golden ripple had emerged before Gilgamesh, and from that ripple appeared a golden shield resembling a butterfly spreading its wings.

It was this golden shield that blocked Isshin Shiba's Getsuga Tensho, remaining completely unscathed.

His pupils constricted sharply, and an expression of astonishment appeared on his face.

Isshin Shiba was well aware that he had held nothing back just now, yet he had been unable to leave even the slightest mark on the golden shield before him.

"This shield is known as the Aegis, also called the Shield of Zeus; it is the shield of Zeus, King of the Gods in human Greek mythology, and one of the mythological originals in This King's collection."

Gilgamesh's voice reached his ears.

Before Isshin Shiba could react, he felt a powerful repulsive force that forced him to take several steps back.

Looking up, he saw that the magical barrier he had just shattered was already restoring itself.

Gilgamesh had already withdrawn the Aegis and the Enkidu back into the Gate of Babylon, his deep, beautiful wine-red eyes fixed on Isshin Shiba as he said, "You are correct; this battle should indeed end."

Though Gilgamesh's voice was youthful and calm, it invisibly exuded the majesty of a king.

"There is not a shred of divinity within a Shinigami; to you, the binding of the Enkidu is merely that of a sturdier chain."

"However, the power of the Enkidu is not limited to mere binding."

"So as not to tarnish the reputation of the Enkidu, This King has decided to let you experience the true power of the Enkidu for yourself."

As he spoke, Gilgamesh slowly rose. Illuminated by the golden radiance of the Gate of the Gods, he appeared like a supreme monarch stepping out of myth, and he began to chant the Noble Phantasm release incantation for the Enkidu in a loud voice.

"It is the concept of flowing life, the spark woven to overcome the primal terror!"

"The past returns to the future, and the future returns to the eternal!"

"The earth shall connect with the sea to bind the firmament, the fruit of life, and the fear inscribed upon it."

"Thus, man creates paradise for himself, even consuming the primal origin in its entirety."

"Even if one descends to hell with man, finding joy in a friend, one shall still sing the praises of paradise!"

"O mankind, bind the gods with chains!!"