Was Torn Apart!
23: Chapter 23: The Sky…
Was Torn Apart!
The Gates of Hell vanished quickly.
Ichigo couldn’t help asking, “Ren Kurogami, what’s going on here?” Ren replied, “I saw some of that Hollow’s future.
I knew he had committed many evils during his lifetime.” “Killing him directly would have been too merciful.
So I forcibly took your Zanpakutō for a moment and used it to kill him and send him where he belongs.” Then he pointed at the parrot named Yuichi Shibata in Sado’s birdcage.
“That’s one of the pieces of evidence of his evil deeds.” “Ichigo, since you’re free now, send this poor soul to Soul Society.” Ren Kurogami’s words drew the attention of Ichigo, Rukia, and Sado to Yuichi.
They didn’t know what had happened to him, but the fact that Ren Kurogami used the word “poor” was enough.
Of course, they didn’t know that Ren Kurogami’s real reason for sending that bat-type Hollow to Hell wasn’t about Yuichi.
It was because Ren Kurogami remembered that the Myriad Worlds Paradise was not merely a system, but a higher cosmic will governing Multiverse Law Missions, and it had issued a Multiverse Law Mission that no one had completed yet.
[Side Mission: Escort a Hollow to Hell.] [Quest Reward: 1 D-Rank Plot Token, 2000 Myriad Points.] This was one of the rare Multiverse Law Missions that rewarded a D-Rank Plot Token.
Seeing that the Side Mission was now marked as complete, Ren didn’t linger.
He turned his gaze back to the sky and continued hunting the Hollow swarm, his presence pressing down with an overwhelming, inhuman pressure that made even thought feel slightly slowed in his surroundings.
The Hollow bait Urahara had made had a duration of 12 hours.
Ren had already reached Level 16.
He should be able to reach Level 20 before the effect ended.
He said “should” not as uncertainty, but as control, because after Level 10, each level required an additional 100 EXP.
For example, going from Level 16 to Level 17 required 700 EXP.
That meant he needed to kill about 18 Hollows just to gain one level.
Ren Kurogami wasn’t worried about the Hollow bait’s effectiveness; he was only evaluating whether Karakura Town still contained enough prey for him to continue his hunt.
For that matter, he could already sense the Hollow swarm thinning out significantly.
Ichigo noticed Ren Kurogami leaving and felt a subtle sense of unease, as if reality itself had gone slightly “quiet” in his perception, making everything feel harder to interpret or trust.
What he had really wanted to ask wasn’t about the Gates of Hell, but about why the Hollow swarm had appeared in the first place.
It looked like he’d have to wait until Ren Kurogami was done.
He shook his head and turned his attention to Yuichi Shibata, planning to do as Ren Kurogami said and send his soul to Soul Society.
Meanwhile, the Regional Chat Channel erupted into unstable chaos.
“HE- WAIT- DID THAT SKY JUST MOVE??” “NO NO NO I SAW IT TOO WHAT IS THAT THING???” “I SWEAR SOMETHING JUST DISAPPEARED IN FRONT OF ME??” “WHY CAN’T I THINK STRAIGHT RIGHT NOW??” “GUYS STOP TYPING I CAN’T READ ANYTHING ANYMORE” “IT’S LOOKING AT ME… NO IT’S NOT… WAIT IT IS??” “WHO IS THE GUY IN THE SKY I CAN’T TELL IF HE’S REAL??” “THIS IS NOT A GAME THIS IS NOT A GAME THIS IS NOT A GAME” “MY SCREEN IS GLITCHING OR IS REALITY GLITCHING???” “I HEARD SOMETHING BUT THERE’S NO SOUND??” …
Lu Zhengtian was watching that video too.
Though the video was blurry, he had a feeling the figure standing in the sky was “Gilgamesh.” He was the only Reincarnator who had seen “Gilgamesh’s” true face in private.
He had always thought “Gilgamesh” was incredibly lucky.
Why else would he have become friends with a Shinigami right at the start of the Multiverse Dungeons and learned so much from him?
If “Gilgamesh” really was the person in the video, then he might have already acquired Shinigami power himself.
That would be great news for the Reincarnators and for Yan Nation.
It meant “Gilgamesh” could help Reincarnators enter Soul Society himself, without needing anyone else.
After some thought, Lu Zhengtian decided to go there in person.
Representing Yan Nation, his personal visit would show his sincerity.
He would also offer his promise, once they returned to the living world, he would do everything in his power to secure benefits for “Gilgamesh.” In the past, Lu Zhengtian had been a pure materialist.
But after the Myriad Worlds Paradise, which was not merely a system but a higher cosmic will governing Multiverse Law Missions, descended, he had become an idealist.
He now fully agreed with the concept of “luck” that had been discussed in the Regional Chat Channel.
In his view, “Gilgamesh” was a person favored by fortune, a manifestation of destiny rather than mere chance, a child of luck straight out of a novel.
The hope for Yan Nation, and for all of humanity in the coming disaster, likely rested on a child of luck like “Gilgamesh.” Time passed.
Ren Kurogami’s brow furrowed slightly.
After killing another Hollow, he stopped.
Because there were no more Hollows in his sight.
He had Sha Naqba Imuru active.
Within his field of vision, no Hollow could hide under any circumstances.
Not just Hollows, the wandering souls, Kisuke Urahara who thought he was hiding well, Uryu Ishida, and Ryuken Ishida all failed to escape Ren Kurogami’s perception, as the world itself offered no concealment against his gaze.
Ren Kurogami had even spotted the ones hidden even deeper in secrecy among the Vizard, and the members of the Fullbringer organization XCUTION.
With a thought, his status panel appeared in his mind.
[Character Template: Gilgamesh (S)] [Level: 18 (80/900)] [Passives: Magic Resistance (E), Golden Rule (E), Charisma (E), Charming Youth (E), Independent Action (E)] [Abilities: King’s Treasury (E), Sha Naqba Imuru (E), King’s Great Cannon (E)] The Character Template had reached Level 18.
A new ability had appeared, King’s Great Cannon (E).
He was still over 1800 EXP away from Level 20, roughly another 45 Hollows.
He would not be disappointed if it ended now; instead, it would simply feel as if the world itself had failed to keep pace with him.
After a moment’s thought, Ren Kurogami went to Urahara.
Urahara’s expression didn’t change, but inside he registered a faint sense of unease, as if dealing with something that could not be properly measured or predicted.
Just like last time, he couldn’t figure out how Ren Kurogami kept finding him.
Ren Kurogami asked, “Mr.
Urahara, do you have any more Hollow bait?” Urahara shook his head.
“No.
If you need more, I can go back and make some for you.” Ren Kurogami didn’t refuse.
“Then please go make more.
I’ll go find someone else to temporarily obtain some.” Urahara was stunned.
Obtain some?
From whom?
And, for now?
What for now?
Before he could ask, Ren had already left on air.
He went straight to Uryu Ishida, who was already on his way back.
Uryu was shocked that Ren had come to find him.
Then his expression turned wary.
“Kurogami, is something wrong?” Ren Kurogami smiled.
“Ishida, you have Hollow bait on you, don’t you?
Lend me some.
I’ll pay you back tomorrow.” Uryu’s pupils sharply constricted.
His face showed disbelief.
How did Ren know he had Hollow bait?
But before he could react, Ren suddenly looked up at the sky.
And Uryu, as if sensing something, also looked up sharply, his face twisting into an expression of shock.
In his eyes…
The sky…
was tearing apart right before their eyes!