The streets of the Edo period bustled with life, packed with people and overflowing with noise.
Stalls of every kind lined the roads—street performers, medicine vendors, snack sellers, and more. The crowd flowed through streets and alleys like a tide. People brushed past one another, strangers who somehow felt familiar.
Vendors shouted out their wares without pause. Lanterns swayed in the breeze, casting bright light across the passing faces. With stalls on both sides of the street and cries of sale rising one after another, the whole town was alive with energy.
Boom!
A thunderous crash shattered the peaceful scene. The crowd scattered in blind panic, believing an earthquake had struck.
Yet from a perspective ordinary people could not see, a colossal black shadow as tall as a building was rampaging down the street. The figures in black Soul Reaper robes, swords hanging at their waists, were no different from the civilians—they were running too.
Luke glanced up at the gigantic thing pursuing him and the other Soul Reapers as he sprinted for his life.
How the hell had it come to this?
Sosuke's jinxing mouth was terrifyingly accurate.
Chasing Luke and several other Soul Reapers was a Gillian—a giant Hollow born from the resentment of souls and formed when more than a hundred Hollows devoured one another. It was the lowest class of Menos Grande.
In the original anime, Gillians only felt threatening when they first appeared, thanks to their massive size and lore. Later, in front of the main cast, they were basically fodder—something Ichigo Kurosaki could cut down several at a time with a single swing.
But by the setting's standards, a Menos Grande was a monster best handled by vice-captain-level fighters. At minimum, it took a seated officer to stand against one. Its Spiritual Pressure was likely at least Rank Ten.
Today was Luke's first trip to the World of the Living. He had come on a mission with several Soul Reapers who had graduated alongside him and joined the Fifth Division. He had thought of it as a little sightseeing trip.
Instead, they had run into a Menos Grande.
Rumble!
The Gillian's enormous body smashed through rows of wooden houses. It might have been the weakest kind of Menos Grande, with barely any intelligence, but its Spiritual Pressure and sheer bulk were absolutely real. Against something that huge, Luke had no truly effective attack available.
"Mom!"
As the ground shook violently, a little girl fell to the street and reached toward her mother, whose face was equally pale with terror.
The street had become complete chaos. Cries, screams, and wails merged into one, turning the place into a living hell.
The two Soul Reapers on the mission with Luke were terrified as well. They had never seen anything like this at Shin'o Academy. The Hadō spells they had learned struck the Gillian like harmless scratches.
Luke looked toward the fleeing crowd. These people had no idea what was happening. All they knew was fear and despair.
When they woke that morning, they had thought it would be an ordinary day.
They had never imagined it would be the end.
As the earth trembled, husbands held their wives, and wives held their children, as though that alone could give them the courage to face death. But their twisted expressions spoke only of terror.
Luke checked his dwindling remaining time, then turned and slashed his blade as he shouted, "Evacuate east! I'll hold it off and draw it away!"
After releasing Prison Demon, Luke charged straight at the Menos Grande under the stunned eyes of his two fellow Soul Reapers. His speed carried him racing across the Gillian's body. Blade-light flashed, carving wound after wound into the giant Hollow.
Luke fought his way all the way to the Gillian's head, leading it out of the town.
"Damn it! Why did we have to encounter a Menos Grande?! Luke is probably..."
One Soul Reaper stopped to catch his breath and stared at the increasingly distant figures of Luke and the Gillian. Fear lingered in his heart, mixed with regret.
In his eyes, no matter how talented Luke was, his Spiritual Pressure was still too low. Fighting a Menos Grande at close range would get him killed in no time.
"No, Luke is still fighting! He made it to the Menos Grande's head!"
The other Soul Reaper clenched his fists, his face full of excitement. "I think he wounded it!"
But his excitement lasted less than two seconds before his expression turned ugly. His voice trembled. "A Garganta... This is bad. The Menos Grande is going back, but Luke is still on it!"
Under their horrified gazes, Luke looked like a war god driven mad atop the Gillian's head, hacking away without restraint. Yet in the end, he was helplessly dragged into the Garganta along with it.
If the Menos Grande returned to Hueco Mundo through the Garganta, Luke would have no chance of survival.
With tears in his eyes, the Soul Reaper watched the Garganta close. Luke vanished completely alongside the Gillian.
He slammed his fist into the ground, furious and unwilling to accept it. "Damn it! If we weren't so weak, Luke wouldn't have had to stay behind!"
Luke himself, however, had already reached the end of his stay just before the Garganta closed.
The instant the countdown hit zero, his body felt weightless. His vision turned white, as though he were traveling through a warm tunnel.
When his sight cleared again, he found himself standing in an empty, square room. Endspace's voice sounded beside his ear.
[No significant injuries or negative conditions detected. The Explorer has cleared the trial world. Begin settlement?]
Luke stretched his limbs, marveling at Endspace's precision. It had pulled him out exactly on time—not a second late.
When Gareth taught him martial arts, he had once said, "The strong have no duty to protect the weak. But the strong have the right to protect the weak."
Luke had found those words abstract as a child. He still did, to an extent. But now, he felt that he could understand a little of what his master had meant.
May his heart remain clear on the path of martial arts.
The Company had left him with a shattered home and a ruined life. More than anyone, he understood an orphan's suffering. If lending a hand could save a few families, then he was more than willing to do it.
More importantly, being chased around by that Menos Grande had been incredibly frustrating. If he did not slash it a few times to test his blade before leaving, it would have felt wrong.
And Endspace had not disappointed him. Just as described, it had forcibly and precisely pulled him out of the world of Bleach.
"So this is Endspace?"
Luke surveyed his surroundings. This space was tiny. Was this four-by-four-by-four-meter room really Endspace?
[This is the personal room of registered Explorer No. 404040404. Unauthorized individuals cannot enter. It is your absolutely secure private space. You may decorate it according to your preferences. Expanding its size or adding special items requires Endspace Coins. Standard furniture is free.]
Luke understood. This was merely his personal room. Following Endspace's guidance, he gave it a simple makeover, turning it into a replica of the martial arts school from his previous life.
"What changes now that I'm a registered Explorer?"
Luke sat down on the sofa he had selected and asked.
[Endspace has unlocked the Explorer Mark for registered Explorers. The Explorer Mark signifies an Explorer's affiliation and provides storage space of varying capacity according to the Explorer's rank.]
[Registered Explorers gain access to more detailed system assistance functions, allowing them to complete missions in different worlds more effectively. For details, consult the Registered Explorer Handbook and review your new permissions.]
Luke looked at his wrist and found a pale-green vine tattoo curling around it.
With a brief focus of his mind, he found that he could easily resonate with the mark. There was a small space inside it, one that allowed him to store and retrieve items whenever he wished.
"Endspace, begin the settlement."
Having figured out his situation and confirmed that he was somewhere safe, Luke turned his attention to the rewards from this trial world.
[Beginning reward settlement for the derivative world...]
Derivative World: Bleach
Difficulty: Lv. 3–??? (Difficult–Certain Death)
World Exploration Rate: 13.6%
[Beginning assessment of mission completion for Explorer No. 404040404...]
[All main missions completed. Awarded 3,500 Endspace Coins and Asauchi ×1 (converted into Prison Demon).]
Main missions completed with distinction. Overall evaluation for this world has increased.
Beginning comprehensive evaluation of the Explorer's performance in this mission world...
Explorer Mark level is far below the world's overall difficulty level. Evaluation increased. Explorer experience increased.
Overall Evaluation: S-
[Note: Evaluations range from E- to S+. The overall evaluation is primarily calculated from world exploration rate and mission completion, with adjustments based on the difference between Explorer level and world difficulty.]
Obtained one S- Honor Medal. This medal may be used to exchange for special privileges.
Explorer level increased. Current level: Lv. 3.
[Based on the Explorer's overall evaluation, select three of the following six rewards.]
A. 5 free attribute points
B. 10,000 Endspace Coins
C. Rare Random Equipment Chest
D. Rare Random Item Chest
E. Small Inheritance Crystal ×3
[Note: Inheritance Crystals can be used to improve skills, bloodlines, and specialized techniques.]
F. Title: Fearless
This novel is a multiverse anime crossover, so it differs somewhat from my previous work. If the story is going to visit more anime worlds, Luke obviously cannot conquer Bleach in a single run. That would spike his power level too quickly and make him miss out on plenty of lower-powered worlds, so he can only enter each world in stages.
The upside is that he can visit the most suitable worlds at every stage of his growth. There will be no awkward gaps where his strength limits the action, and the pacing can stay more satisfying.
Don't worry, everyone. It will not be long before Luke returns to Bleach.
If there are worlds you would like to see, feel free to leave a comment. I may add them where they fit the story's planned pacing.
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