"Whew... managed to pull it off." Setsuna inwardly sighed in relief.
Though this 'driving a tiger to devour a wolf' plan had been under his control from start to finish, the uncertainties were still too great. Especially the delicate balance of power reached between Omega Shenron and Hades.
The slightest deviation could have dragged him into eternal damnation.
Fortunately, he ultimately gambled and won. Though admittedly, it was a narrow victory.
The collision between Omega Shenron and Hades not only destroyed his physical body but also severely wounded his soul.
The Super Saiyan form he had achieved through immense hardship only lasted for that one glorious moment before he was forced to 'start over'.
His soul was also extremely unstable. He might need to reincarnate to stabilize it.
But in Setsuna's view, all these sacrifices were worth it.
He had finally temporarily escaped the threat of Omega Shenron.
As for the Holy War's outcome, Setsuna wasn't worried.
With Hades wounded to that extent, Athena could practically coast to victory.
However, when he prepared to use the All-World Pearl to begin his return, his expression suddenly darkened.
The coordinates to the Naruto World... had vanished.
'Because my physical body was destroyed, losing the 'anchor point' in the Naruto universe?' Setsuna didn't dwell on it. His current condition wasn't good. He needed to initiate the next crossing as soon as possible.
'I hope in the new world, I won't be targeted by the World's Will.'
…
Consciousness slowly awoke from chaos. Setsuna felt his soul state was unusually stable.
This sense of solidity surprised him a little, 'Had I directly crossed into the new world's underworld?'
The touch of a breeze brushing against his soul made him pause. The spiritual particle concentration here was so high it could give a soul 'tactile sensation'.
Just then, the sky suddenly emitted a sound like glass shattering.
Crack!
Setsuna sharply looked up. The blue sky was torn asunder by some force.
Hundreds of grotesquely shaped monsters swarmed in from the crack. Pale masks gleamed coldly under the sunlight.
They emitted ear-piercing howls, greedily pouncing towards the ground.
"Hollows! Hollows are invading the Soul Society again!"
"Quick, call the Shinigami-sama!"
"What is this place? Didn't I already die?"
Souls around fled in panic. Some were so scared they collapsed to the ground.
Those collapsing were clearly 'newly dead' souls who had just arrived in the Soul Society, their faces still carrying confusion and fear from their past lives.
"This is the world of Bleach?" Setsuna's eyes lit up. No wonder his spiritual body felt so comfortable.
This world's rules completely favored spiritual lifeforms. It was practically tailor-made as a recuperation sanctuary, perfect for repairing the wounds on his soul.
Although 90% of his power had been in his physical body, Setsuna wasn't panicked.
As a 'god' who had comprehended the Eighth Sense, even with only a soul left, he was far from weak.
Moreover…
"Don Slime, can you feel it?" Setsuna greedily surveyed these Hollows. "These are prime nourishment."
Excitement from Don Slime echoed in the consciousness space. "A feast in soul form? Even I haven't eaten purely spiritual food before!"
A huge Hollow was pouncing at a crying girl.
The moment it was about to succeed, a figure abruptly appeared between them.
Setsuna threw a simple, straightforward straight punch. The Hollow's mask shattered with the impact. Its massive body flew backward like a cannonball.
Dead silence fell over the scene.
All the souls stared open-mouthed, dumbfounded by this suddenly appearing black-haired youth.
'He… punched that monster away just now?'
"So you really get stronger after dying!" A soul dressed as a samurai suddenly shouted excitedly. "You just need to imagine how powerful you are, right?"
He grabbed a wooden stick from the roadside, yelling as he charged at the nearest Hollow. "Take my—"
Crack.
The Hollow's claws easily sliced him in half at the waist. The samurai's expression froze on his face, dissolving into Reishi.
Many eager souls were shocked. It seemed they weren't stronger after death, and that black-haired youth was just inherently powerful.
Setsuna flashed, already charging into the Hollow crowd.
No fancy moves, just the simplest punches and kicks. But each strike accurately hit a Hollow's mask.
These monsters, terrifying to ordinary souls, were like sandbags in his hands, casually knocked away.
"Too much soul impurity." Setsuna frowned.
These Hollows' soul quality was much worse than he imagined. Even consuming them all wouldn't replenish much of his loss.
Just as Setsuna was about to end this uninteresting cleanup, the sky suddenly darkened.
A pitch-black crack over a hundred meters in diameter appeared out of thin air.
Reiatsu hundreds of times stronger than before swept down like a tsunami. Even the ground began to crack.
"A Menos Grande! It's a Menos Grande!"
"It's over! We're all finished!"
Some residents of the Rukongai turned deathly pale. Even a seated officer Shinigami would struggle to defeat a Menos Grande.
A giant claw covered in white bony armor slowly emerged from the crack, followed by a massive body about thirty meters tall.
Beneath the pale mask, crimson eyes locked onto Setsuna.
The giant Hollow opened its black-hole-like mouth. Dark red energy began to gather.
"It's a Cero! Run!"
Souls fled in panic, chaos erupting everywhere.
Setsuna, however, rubbed his chin. 'What grade of Menos Grande is this? So weak… probably a Gillian-level, right?'
"Sekishiki Meikai Ha!" Setsuna raised his hand, pointing lightly. Instantly, the Menos Grande preparing to fire its Cero was knocked unconscious.
'Processing 'ingredients' in public probably isn't appropriate. Better not scare them.' Setsuna instantly annihilated the remaining Hollows, then grabbed the Menos Grande and left.
"It's… gone?"
"We all just died. Why is he so strong?"
The souls looked at each other, faces filled with disbelief.
Just as the commotion escalated, a sharp Reiatsu suddenly descended.
"Make way, make way! 11th Division on official business!"
A rough voice accompanied by geta clacking. The onlookers automatically parted a path.
At the forefront was a burly man wearing a white haori. Behind him were over ten division's members, each carrying an aura of recent bloodshed, clearly having just finished a battle.
"It's Captain Kenpachi!"
"Such a great figure personally coming!"
Souls bowed one after another. The newcomer was the current 11th Division's Captain, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.
"Hey, hey, I heard a Menos Grande appeared here?" Kuruyashiki scratched his head, looking around in confusion.
A brave soul stepped forward to explain. "The Menos Grande you mentioned… was taken away by a 'new soul' just like us…"
"Hah?" Kuruyashiki picked his ear. "Say that again?"
As everyone chattered to fill in the details, the laziness on Kuruyashiki's face was gradually replaced by surprise.
He crouched down, wiping his finger across the ground.
A trace of an unfamiliar Reiatsu remained there. Purity unlike anything he'd felt, yet carrying a pressure that made one tremble.
"How is this possible? A newborn soul defeating a Menos Grande?" A member following him couldn't accept it. After all, he, a twentieth-seat officer, couldn't defeat a Menos Grande.
"Haha, this world always has some natural monsters. Get used to it." Kuruyashiki laughed.
The officer behind him exclaimed in shock, "Captain, so what they said is true?"
"Probably can't be wrong." Kuruyashiki smiled, looking at the gathered souls. "By the way, any of you want to become Shinigami?"
The souls were stunned.
"The Shin'o Academy is enrolling new students in a month." Kuruyashiki waved a hand. "Anyone interested can give it a try. Maybe after graduating, you'll be assigned to our 11th Division."