Chapter 1 – Shinigami
Long ago, through a series of overlapping causes and consequences, a chaotic world was formed—one inhabited by humans, spirits, and Hollow alike.
No one knows exactly how many years passed, but eventually…
Hollow began to rampage uncontrollably, devouring both humans and spirits in a frenzy. The balance of the world was thrown into turmoil. It was then that a being emerged, one said to embody the will of the world itself.
He was known as the Soul King.
With overwhelming power, the Soul King wiped out the majority of Hollow and brought order to the chaos. During that era, many humans awakened to special abilities. Inspired by the Soul King's might, they too began fighting against the Hollow.
These people would one day become the ancestors of the Quincy.
Among them were legendary figures like Ōetsu Nimaiya and Ichibē Hyōsube, as well as the founders of the Five Noble Families. But even among these greats, only the Soul King truly held the power to maintain balance across the worlds.
However, driven by ambition and self-interest, a betrayal unfolded—instigated by the scheming Kanimadai Clan.
In secret, they launched an assault on the Soul King, sealing him away and using his divine power to divide the world into three separate realms:
Soul Society — the land of spirits
The Human World — where mortals dwell
Hueco Mundo — domain of the Hollow
The Five Noble Families took control of Soul Society and established the Royal Guard—Division Zero—to protect the Soul King's palace.
During this turbulent time, two ancient Hollow of power rivaling Vasto Lorde were born in Hueco Mundo: Baraggan and Ikomikidomoe.
But unlike Baraggan, Ikomikidomoe craved more than dominion over Hueco Mundo. He desired evolution—he longed for the Soul King's power.
He launched a direct invasion of Soul Society, and even managed to defeat a young Yamamoto Genryūsai.
However, in the end, he was sealed away—his monstrous essence trapped inside a Zanpakutō by Ōetsu and Ichibē, then locked away in the underwater blade vault.
Time passed. Over two thousand years ago, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, future Captain of Squad 1, founded a private school—Genji-juku—which would later evolve into the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy.
Twelve hundred years before the main events of BLEACH, a child was born in a remote Scandinavian village—crippled and malformed.
They named him Yhwach, after the god they worshipped.
Even as a baby, he possessed a mysterious power. Yhwach grew rapidly, and in no time, he had united all Quincy across the Human World.
With unmatched charisma and power, he led the Quincy in an all-out war against Soul Society.
To protect the Soul King's palace from annihilation, Yamamoto formed the 13 Court Guard Squads (Gotei 13) and led them into battle.
After a long and brutal conflict, Yamamoto emerged victorious, unleashing his fully evolved Bankai—Zanka no Tachi—to defeat Yhwach.
And yet… for reasons still unclear, the Shinigami chose not to destroy Yhwach completely.
The remnants of his army fled, vanishing into the spiritual realm.
Since then, Soul Society, the Human World, and Hueco Mundo have lived in a fragile peace.
Centuries passed. New captains rose to prominence: Aizen Sōsuke, Shihōin Yoruichi, and Urahara Kisuke.
— — —
Rukongai, Eastern District 11 — Two Hundred Years Before BLEACH Begins
The Shinigami had just completed a mass extermination campaign against the Quincy scattered across the Human World.
That day, a golden light shimmered softly—completely undetectable to anyone.
Within it was the barely-holding-together soul of a certain man: Tachibana Kyūjō.
The light descended silently into Soul Society, carrying Kyūjō's spirit with it. Without pause, it dropped him along a quiet street deep within Rukongai, then faded away—merging into his soul before vanishing completely.
— — —
Rukongai and Seireitei
Soul Society was split into two major regions: Seireitei, the inner sanctum where the Shinigami reside, and Rukongai, where the ordinary spirits dwell.
While Seireitei was orderly and structured, Rukongai was vast, free… and lawless in many parts.
Each direction—north, south, east, west—contained 80 districts. District 1 was the safest. District 80 was notorious for its chaos and crime.
Some of the strongest figures in Soul Society had emerged from these wild zones: Abarai Renji from South 78, Kusajishi Yachiru from North 79, and the infamous Zaraki Kenpachi from North 80.
New souls arriving in Rukongai were randomly placed. Even spirits who had died together in the Human World rarely ended up in the same district.
In Rukongai, spirits without Reiatsu didn't experience hunger. They could survive indefinitely on water alone, without any noticeable physical changes.
There was only one legitimate path from Rukongai to Seireitei: awaken spiritual power and graduate from the Shin'ō Academy to become a Shinigami.
Seireitei itself was surrounded by massive walls and guarded gates—Hakutō, Seiryū, Kokuryō, and Suzaku—each protected by a giant gatekeeper like Jidanbō Ikkanzaka and his brethren.
Inside Seireitei lay the headquarters of the Gotei 13, the Central 46, and other governing bodies of Soul Society.
— — —
"…Where am I? Another new world?"
"But… why hasn't my form changed this time?"
"…Wait. Am I… a spirit?"
Kyūjō muttered softly to himself, confusion written all over his face as he examined his translucent form.
Just then, an old woman—hunched over a wooden cane—slowly made her way down the street.
She noticed the dazed young man standing silently and smiled kindly. She'd seen this exact scene countless times in over a hundred years of living in Rukongai.
Another new soul. Freshly arrived.
The elderly woman gently approached and spoke with warmth in her voice.
"You must be new here, child."
"No need to be afraid… You're dead now."
She patiently explained to Kyūjō the basics of Soul Society—its customs, structure, and survival tips—as if she were a tutorial NPC in an RPG.
Eventually, she asked with a motherly smile, "What's your name, dear?"
"…Kyūjō… Tachibana Kyūjō," he replied after a long pause.
— — —
After the kind old woman had left, Kyūjō took a deep breath and began inspecting the state of his spirit body.
It wasn't good.
Roughly 99% of his spiritual power had been devastated.
Infinity… still existed within him.
But compared to its former strength, both its perceptive range and battle simulation capabilities had dropped by 99%.
Feeling more frustrated than hopeless, Kyūjō exhaled heavily.
Still… he was now in the world of Shinigami—where training the soul was the key to power.
And if that was the case…
Then one day, without a doubt, he would find a way to restore his soul to its former glory.
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