Chapter 1: The Creation of Soul Society |
Yeruashi landed calmly on the surface of the River of Time.
During the three years he had spent in the One Punch Man world serving as a second sun, the seventh ability of the Illusory Clock had been unlocked. This power granted him a degree of freedom within the River of Time by allowing him to partially evade the influence of temporal forces.
Separation from the Flow of Time!
This ability detached Yeruashi from the current timeline, rendering him immune to any attack that was incapable of transcending the boundaries of time.
To put it simply, it was a time-based version of Kamui.
While Kamui transported the user's body to another space, Separation from the Flow of Time shifted it to another point in time altogether!
Separation from the Flow of Time was naturally far more effective and potent than Kamui; while many powers could traverse space, those capable of overcoming time were exceedingly rare.
Yeruashi could partially resist the River of Time thanks to this ability, which allowed him to maintain his footing on its surface, though resisting the current itself was still out of the question. Given the volume of temporal energy contained within the Illusory Clock at the moment, Yeruashi was only capable of taking a single small step backward. For now, he had no choice but to follow the flow.
'Here.'
After taking a few steps along the current, he deactivated his Separation from the Flow of Time and immediately plunged into the golden waters.
Although it had only taken him a few seconds to take those steps, an immeasurable span of time had actually passed. During that brief walk, the universe had likely cycled through birth and destruction dozens, if not hundreds, of times.
Now, Yeruashi's strength had reached the stellar level, and more than half of the Illusory Clock's abilities were unlocked. Yet, even this power felt insignificantly small when compared to the infinite and vast flow of time.
...
A golden radiance flared in the middle of the dark void, and Yeruashi's figure emerged from it. The flow of time within that golden light flickered, synchronizing with the temporal flow of the surrounding space.
Once time had synced and the golden glow faded, Yeruashi lowered his head and beheld a blue planet below.
'Earth again?'
Yeruashi whispered thoughtfully as he began to scan the planet, a golden shimmer reflecting in his eyes.
Following his final evolution, Yeruashi's chakra and Dojutsu had also ascended to the next stage. His current ocular power had undergone a qualitative transformation and was no longer the Rinne Tenseigan.
He called this new Dojutsu the Eyes of God.
Why that name?
It was simple.
Not only did this Dojutsu retain all the abilities of the Rinne Tenseigan, but it had also gained the power to create worlds.
Furthermore, the worlds formed with this Dojutsu were unlike Kaguya's dimensions, which each possessed only a single element. These new worlds could combine multiple elements, making them as close to the real world as possible.
Life could even flourish within such dimensions!
Yeruashi didn't think it was arrogant to name a Dojutsu capable of forming life-sustaining dimensions the Eyes of God.
When utilizing the Eyes of God, there was no sky-blue radiance or complex patterns. Instead, a light-golden halo simply spread from his pupils, resembling a golden version of the Tenseigan.
'Hmm?'
Yeruashi was genuinely surprised as soon as he activated his Eyes of God to investigate the planet below.
As he expected, this world—so similar to Earth—was inhabited by humans, but as for their level of development... they were at the dawn of the Stone Age!
'Well... this is a bit too early...'
Yeruashi muttered, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
He had missed the mark slightly this time. It seemed he would have to make another jump...
Yeruashi naturally had no interest in staying in such an ancient period of human history. The creatures inhabiting the planet at this moment could be called humans, but in terms of appearance, intelligence, and everything else, they were so vastly different from modern people that Yeruashi saw no point in interacting with them.
'Looks like it's time for another jump.'
Yeruashi shook his head.
This error didn't matter much since he could simply make several small leaps into the future until he reached a more familiar era.
But at the very moment Yeruashi prepared to jump forward, a completely naked man with unusual, pupil-less eyes suddenly appeared before him.
Yeruashi could clearly sense a massive amount of energy within this man's body. It was at least equal to his own, if not significantly greater!
The naked man addressed Yeruashi in a slow, halting voice, "Who... are you?"
The sounds he uttered didn't belong to any language Yeruashi knew, but that didn't stop him from grasping the meaning. A language barrier was no obstacle for communication between beings of such a level.
Yeruashi studied the man before him with curiosity, as something about him seemed vaguely familiar.
'...And who are you?'
He fell into a brief moment of contemplation before asking directly, unable to place the identity of this strange individual.
The naked man pondered for a moment before replying, "I do not know. I have simply... existed here since the moment I attained consciousness. Have you come from the depths of the starry sky?"
"Something like that."
Yeruashi nodded, his curiosity about this vaguely familiar figure growing.
The most surprising fact was that Yeruashi had failed to detect any other supernatural forces on this planet, yet this strange figure standing before him possessed unimaginable energy, at least on par with his own!
'Who is he?!'
If this was one of the worlds Yeruashi recognized, then what role would this individual play in its history?
"I sense that you have no ill intentions," the strange man said with a hint of hesitation, "but this is the first time I have encountered such a being."
Since gaining consciousness, he had remained on this planet the entire time.
Although the planet teemed with life, he had never met a creature possessing power even remotely comparable to his own.
He could pulverize this world or even destroy the sun without breaking a sweat, whereas most of the living things on this planet could be easily snuffed out by a minor temperature change.
"As have I," Yeruashi replied with a smile. "Since you first awoke here, you're likely something of a protector or guardian for this planet. In that case, I shouldn't interfere with your business."
Seeing that Yeruashi was about to leave, the man hesitated and called out, "Wait..."
"Do you have business with me?"
Yeruashi paused and turned his head.
The man nodded. "I would like to ask for your help, if it is possible."
"With what exactly?"
Yeruashi inquired.
The man looked down at the planet below and spoke slowly in an exceptionally deep voice, "The lives of these creatures are far too fragile—so much so that they can die simply through a stroke of misfortune. I wish to change that..."
"Then you can share a portion of your power with them," Yeruashi suggested thoughtfully.
Such a philosophy from such a powerful being would undoubtedly exert a massive influence on the development of this world. It was already obvious that this was not a peaceful, mundane slice-of-life world.
"No." The man shook his head. "Simply sharing it is not enough. That would only grant power to a limited number of beings, as my strength is not infinite."
Yeruashi smiled. "So, you already have a solution?"
The man nodded. "I plan to use my power to create two more worlds. After dying in this world, the souls of humans will travel to one of these created realms, and after their death there, they will return here..."
After saying this, the man held his head and continued, "However, I have no experience in the creation of worlds. You come from the distant starry sky and must know more than I do. I thought that perhaps you could help..."
Yeruashi was initially stunned by the man's words, but then he nodded with a grin. "I don't mind!"
He thought it would be quite interesting to observe exactly how this man would change the world, as he was destined to spend some time here anyway.
Additionally, it was a perfect opportunity to experiment with the abilities of his Eyes of God.
"Thank you," the man said warmly. "Call me... Zero."
Yeruashi nodded. "Nice to meet you. I am Yeruashi."
...
Six months later.
Earth continued to orbit the sun just as it always had, but if your vision possessed the ability to peer through space, you would have noticed two dimensions overlaid directly upon the blue planet.
These dimensions were enormous, far larger than the planet itself. Furthermore, they contained various elements practically identical to the real world, yet there was a fundamental difference between them.
These two dimensions were founded not on matter, but on a substance released by Zero. This substance consisted of the tiny particles that formed the souls of living beings.
Reishi. That was what Zero called these particles.
"Only one final step remains."
Standing above one of the worlds, Yeruashi spoke to Zero, "Once these dimensions are linked to the real world, human souls will pass into them after death."
"Yes..." Zero smiled as he surveyed the planet and the newly formed dimensions before thanking Yeruashi. "Thank you. Without your advice and assistance, it would have taken me hundreds or perhaps thousands of times longer to succeed."
"Don't mention it. I wanted to put my own abilities to the test as well."
Yeruashi shook his head. Only five percent of the created dimensions were made from his energy; the remaining ninety-five percent consisted entirely of Zero's.
Yeruashi's energy had only been used for stabilization or making minor adjustments, such as forming a barrier at the edge of the dimension to prevent spatial chaos in the future.
One could say the created world was composed entirely of Zero's energy, which had reduced his personal strength by two-thirds.
But.
Even one-third of Zero's original energy was still slightly greater than Yeruashi's total energy reserve...
After calculating the costs of creating the two dimensions, Yeruashi realized with shock and surprise that Zero's original energy had slightly exceeded even that of the sun, making it nearly five times greater than his own!
Despite such a superiority in raw power, Zero couldn't pose a real threat to Yeruashi when considering his abilities of temporal reversal and Separation from the Flow of Time. Nevertheless, Zero's strength deeply impressed Yeruashi; if his abilities began to evolve along the paths of space or time, he could become a truly formidable opponent!
"You should give the new world a name," Yeruashi suggested, watching Zero through the spatial gap.
Zero propped his chin on his hand and spoke slowly after several seconds of reflection, "Hmm... I think Soul Society fits?"
"Ahem..." Yeruashi's expression shifted abruptly.
He no longer had to wonder what this world would become in the future. After those words, it became crystal clear that this was... the world of Bleach!
Zero's identity was now perfectly clear as well.
He was the God who created Soul Society and Hueco Mundo... the Soul King!!
Had he really just accidentally... created the world of Bleach alongside the Soul King?!
A very strange feeling washed over Yeruashi at the thought, and then he couldn't help but chuckle.
It meant that...
In the future, after thousands or hundreds of thousands of years, his name would likely be legendary throughout the entire Soul Society.
"Did you not like the name?" Zero asked, holding his head.
Over the past six months they had spent creating the dimensions, Zero had learned many things from Yeruashi, including his language and a vast amount of other knowledge.
What was more.
He had even begun to acquire human emotions to some extent.
"No, it's a wonderful name."
Yeruashi shook his head. "...And what about the second dimension?"
"Think of it yourself," Zero suggested with a bit of hesitation.
These dimensions were ninety-five percent composed of Zero's power, but aside from the remaining five percent coming from Yeruashi, his Eyes of God had been used extensively for their creation. It was only fair to let Yeruashi name one of them.
"Then I'll call it Hueco Mundo."
Yeruashi replied without a second thought.
Zero smiled. "That name suits the second dimension perfectly."
Scanning the created dimensions, Yeruashi turned to Zero. "You should be able to handle the rest on your own without much trouble, since the main work is already done. It's time for me to be on my way."
Zero naturally wanted Yeruashi to stay, but he felt it would be inappropriate to ask for further help in management after receiving so much assistance in the creation of the dimensions.
"Where do you plan to go next?"
Zero addressed Yeruashi.
Yeruashi smiled. "Into the future."
Zero showed his surprise. "You are capable of traveling through time? It seems my abilities and knowledge in that area are far inferior to yours..."
Zero was surprised, but that was all, for he himself could not only peer into the past or future but also alter it. Temporal power was quite tangible to him.
"Time is merciless," Yeruashi remarked, a hint of emotion in his voice. "During our brief time together, you've managed to acquire these 'emotions,' but as time passes, they will all be washed away by the current. Even I cannot do anything about that now..."
Being a creature on the same level as Yeruashi, Zero had no trouble understanding the meaning behind those words. According to his own estimations, his emotions would be lost within the next hundred thousand years, and in several hundred thousand more, his very consciousness would completely vanish.
Perhaps by the time Yeruashi appeared again, only an empty, unconscious shell would remain, serving as the lynchpin for this world.
"But that will take an immense amount of time, will it not?"
Zero smiled. "For me, this is only the beginning of the path. And you, from what I can feel, are still quite young."
Yeruashi nodded. "Perhaps we will meet again in the future."
Silence fell. A pale golden clock appeared deep within Yeruashi's pupils, and his figure was enveloped in a golden radiance before vanishing without a trace.
This golden glow, which represented the power of time, was impossible for a normal human eye to catch, but Zero could clearly see Yeruashi making his leap into the future.
"Until we meet again," Zero whispered softly, looking away from the spot where Yeruashi's figure had been a moment before.
He first surveyed Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, then sighed and instantly vanished, reappearing in the real world.
Then Zero spread his arms, beginning to bind Soul Society and Hueco Mundo to the real world, accompanied by a faint tremor felt throughout the entire planet. From that moment on, the souls of those who died in the real world began to be transported, finding a second life in Hueco Mundo or Soul Society.
Zero spent some time observing the souls of the recently deceased being transported to the created dimensions before heading to Soul Society.
Zero's figure appeared at the highest point of the Soul Society dimension.
He was thinking that it would be nice to create a proper place to live now that the dimensions had been successfully established and linked to the real world.
Zero pondered for a moment before making a smooth upward thrust with his hand, folding space into an immense number of layers, and then creating another small dimension above it.
"This dimension shall be called... the Soul King Palace!"
Zero felt that 'Soul King' would be a fitting name for the creator of Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, and his residence should have an appropriate title as well.
Yeruashi used time-skips to divide his life into segments, but the Soul King himself rejected such a thing, deciding instead to enjoy the time allotted to him from that moment on.
Perhaps they would meet again, provided Yeruashi hadn't jumped too far into the future.
...
Within the ephemeral golden void, where only the concept of passing time existed without space or anything else, Yeruashi's figure flew, cloaked in golden light.
After unlocking the seventh ability, the power of the Illusory Clock had significantly increased, allowing Yeruashi to leap a thousand years into the future—though that was still a relatively small span of time.
After each jump, Yeruashi would cease his movement in that ephemeral space and wait for his temporal energy to recover before making the next leap.
'This journey turned out to be far longer than I originally expected.'
Yeruashi shook his head. In the River of Time, a single small step was enough to travel millions of years into the future.
Now, however, he was not only moving at a snail's pace but was also forced to stop at every station like a train. Instead of stepping out during each stop, he preferred to stay inside the "train" and talk with Lilith.
Speaking of Lilith.
Her name should also be etched into the ancient history of this world. She had made a small contribution to its creation, or more precisely, she had fashioned a special personal dimension within Hueco Mundo.
Two thousand years...
Three thousand years...
Four thousand years...
Soon, Yeruashi had made so many consecutive jumps through time that he eventually lost count.
In the end.
Nearly a million years had passed since the creation of Soul Society and Hueco Mundo!