One day, two days, three days...
Time flew by, and Gilgamesh's plan was proceeding smoothly.
When the people who had come from outside Kumu Street actually received free water and brought it back with them, it caused an immediate sensation.
Those who had originally refused to believe it had no choice but to accept the truth when faced with the facts.
They no longer cared about conspiracy theories. They rushed toward Kumu Street, afraid that if they arrived too late, there would be no free water left.
Of course, some people who had never witnessed Gilgamesh's power tried to seize all the water.
They had guessed that Gilgamesh came from an influential background, but greed and desire drove them to ignore the risk.
As for what happened next, Gilgamesh cut them all down.
The people present that day, as well as Renji Abarai and Rukia, would never forget the scene.
Gilgamesh...
No, the King sat upon the Golden Throne, and hundreds of golden ripples appeared in the empty space behind him. A weapon emerged from each ripple, radiating a terrifying aura.
Like the King's loyal guards, the weapons sensed the fury directed at their ruler. They shot out from the ripples and blasted those who had shown such disrespect into chunks and dust.
From that day on, the image of King Gilgamesh was forever etched in the people's hearts.
Kumu Street.
Gilgamesh sat upon the Golden Throne. Below him, a man knelt and gave his report.
"The registration and record-keeping are going very smoothly..."
"...The total population currently registered is 5,356."
For any nation, its population was always the most important thing.
That was why Gilgamesh had planned from the start to conduct a census of Inuzuri and compile its first household register. It would make things easier to manage in the future.
When the man finished reporting, Gilgamesh gave a slight nod. "Mm. I understand. You may go."
The man respectfully rose and left.
Over the past three days, more and more people had arrived. Gilgamesh had selected several dozen of them to join his ranks, and the number of buckets had grown to twenty.
That was how they had managed to register the information of more than five thousand people in just three days.
The sky was gradually darkening, but people were still arriving in an endless stream to collect water.
Today was the third day since Gilgamesh's plan began.
Starting tomorrow, the water would no longer be free, and Gilgamesh would begin the next stage of his plan.
But before that, there were a few matters he needed to take care of.
Gilgamesh slowly rose and headed in one direction.
People soon noticed his movements, but none of them dared say a word.
In their minds, the image of King Gilgamesh had taken shape.
Decisive and ruthless, rewarding and punishing in equal measure, unfathomable...
Renji Abarai and Rukia had been exhausted these past few days, so they were now fast asleep in a temporary resting place not far away.
Gilgamesh didn't wake them. He could handle this matter by himself.
Night in Inuzuri was pitch-dark. The district was so poor and backward that hardly anyone owned a lamp or candles for lighting.
Such things were considered luxuries in Inuzuri.
As a result, people rarely ventured out at night.
But things had changed recently. Thanks to Gilgamesh handing out free water, water was no longer in desperately short supply, and crime in Inuzuri had dropped considerably.
So even at night, many people dared to leave their homes, relying on the hazy moonlight and scattered starlight to find their way.
Most of them were on their way to collect water.
Those living at the very bottom of Kumu Street felt the changes in Inuzuri most keenly.
That was why they sincerely thanked Gilgamesh and came to recognize him.
They believed that if Gilgamesh really could rule and manage Inuzuri, he would surely make it a better place.
Through the King's Path System, Gilgamesh knew that more than five hundred people now recognized him and had provided him with King's Way Points.
However, they had each only provided one point, which was nothing compared to the points he received from Renji Abarai and Rukia, who were important figures in the story.
Omaeda Water Shop.
The owner, Ichiro Mizunaka, sat behind the counter with a troubled expression, staring at the water that filled the shop. He couldn't put his misery into words.
Water had always sold well in Inuzuri, so Ichiro Mizunaka had never worried that he wouldn't be able to sell it.
But ever since Gilgamesh began giving away free water, it had become impossible to sell.
After all, now that free water was available, why would people who were already poor spend money to buy it?
As a result, what had once been the busiest place in Inuzuri had become the quietest.
Ichiro Mizunaka was also deeply uneasy.
When Gilgamesh killed the people who had attacked him, Ichiro Mizunaka had been hiding in the crowd.
To him, Gilgamesh's actions were tantamount to cutting off his livelihood.
And cutting off someone's livelihood was like killing their parents.
It was impossible for Ichiro Mizunaka to have no resentment toward Gilgamesh.
But Ichiro Mizunaka had always been cautious.
Gilgamesh's origins were shrouded in mystery, and the fact that he had access to so much water made Ichiro Mizunaka wary of his background.
So Ichiro Mizunaka hadn't confronted Gilgamesh directly. Instead, he had secretly sent a group of people to cause trouble for him.
Of course, Ichiro Mizunaka hadn't expected the people he sent to actually defeat Gilgamesh. He had only wanted to test Gilgamesh's origins and strength.
But Ichiro Mizunaka hadn't expected to witness a scene that shook him to the core.
Even though two days had passed, whenever he recalled what had happened, he couldn't stop trembling.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Ichiro Mizunaka kept feeling that after killing the attackers, Gilgamesh's deep, imposing wine-red eyes had glanced his way.
That single glance had left Ichiro Mizunaka deeply unsettled. He was constantly afraid Gilgamesh would discover his despicable scheme and come to settle the score.
Ichiro Mizunaka knew full well that if Gilgamesh truly lost his temper and dealt with him just as ruthlessly, he would end up like those attackers, reduced to chunks and dust.
Ichiro Mizunaka wanted to run, but he hadn't.
He still had something to rely on: the Omaeda Clan behind him.
The message had already been sent. The Omaeda Clan had surely dispatched someone by now.
All Ichiro Mizunaka could hope for was that the Omaeda Clan would send a Soul Reaper.
Ichiro Mizunaka knew a little about the world, though not much.
In his view, Gilgamesh was probably a Soul Reaper too, and those mysterious, unpredictable abilities were likely powers of Gilgamesh's Zanpakuto.
So only a Soul Reaper could deal with Gilgamesh.
Ichiro Mizunaka had no idea that Gilgamesh, the man who had left him so uneasy, had already arrived outside the shop.
Just as Gilgamesh was about to enter, he seemed to notice something and suddenly stopped.
Then a flippant, arrogant voice came from behind him. "From the look of you, you're that so-called King?"
Gilgamesh turned around and saw a familiar figure dressed in a Shihakusho.
Marechiyo Omaeda!
Before you continue