Chapter 43: Beyond the Threshold
“Give me a moment,” I called back without even turning around as Ichigo shouted my name. My focus remained on the golden bone golem standing before me, crafted from Orichalcum, a material born from combining gold and Magisteel.
The golem was slowly changing, flesh forming over bone as it took on a familiar human appearance with long black hair.
Drawing inspiration from the bodies I had created for the others, I had prepared this Orichalcum golem well in advance for this exact purpose. It was strong enough to properly house the soul I intended to place inside.
As for whose soul that was… it was Yhwach’s, of course. Or at least the core of his being. With Astra’s help, we had constructed a pseudo-soul and embedded his heart core within it, along with several modifications.
To ensure Yhwach would never become a threat again, Astra had placed heavy restrictions on his soul after reconstructing it. That was after thoroughly analyzing and copying all of his abilities, naturally.
This new Yhwach had no ego, making him little more than a puppet. His only purpose would be to serve as the new anchor for this universe, just as the previous Soul King had done by giving him the ability to regulate souls. Even if he somehow developed an ego hundreds or thousands of years from now, he would never regain his original strength.
Not that I particularly cared if the Shinigami messed up in the distant future, it wouldn’t be my problem anymore, but for the time being, this would allow me to keep the promise I had made about not endangering the Three Worlds.
‘How’s it looking, Astra?’ I asked my beautiful and ever-reliable partner, keeping one eye on the Shinigami behind me. I wouldn’t put it past them to accidentally destroy the golem after all my hard work.
“Everything is proceeding smoothly, Caius-sama. The process should be complete in approximately three more minutes,” Astra chirped happily.
It seemed, however, that the Shinigami behind me weren’t in the mood to wait any longer. I felt their spiritual pressure spike as footsteps drew closer.
“Where is the Soul King?” Shunsui demanded, his expression serious, with his lieutenant Nanao at his side.
“What happened to all the bad guys? Don’t tell me we came all the way up here for nothing!?” Kenpachi growled impatiently.
Others voiced their concerns as well, and more than a few unsheathed their Zanpakutō, preparing for a fight.
“…Caius, what’s going on?” Ichigo’s voice joined them, sounding confused as he gave me a complicated look. Still, he was willing to listen, something that already spoke volumes about his character, given how the current scene probably looked in their eyes.
“If you’re talking about Adnyeus, the butchered figurehead you Shinigami sealed away eons ago, I’m afraid to say that being no longer exists,” I replied calmly, turning my head just enough to eye them with one golden eye.
“I just devoured him, after all~” I teased, my smile widening.
My answer caused most of them to widen their eyes, while others stiffened their shoulders, their Reiatsu flaring as they looked ready to attack at any moment.
Thankfully, Kisuke stepped forward. He was the first to notice the bone golem on the ground, which at this point looked mostly like a slightly younger version of Yhwach, with only a few sections of the original golem still visible.
“Before anyone gets too excited,” Kisuke said calmly, his gaze fixed intently on the golem, “may I ask what you’re doing with the Quincy King’s ‘body’, Caius-san?”
At his question, the others finally looked down and blinked at what appeared to be Yhwach’s unresponsive form lying on the ground.
“Tsk, way to ruin my fun~” I clicked my tongue playfully, letting out a small sigh before fully turning around and stepping aside so they could get a better look at the naked figure.
Ichigo, of course, blurted out what several of them were thinking.
“Why the hell is he naked!? Cover him up or something, damn it!” he exclaimed with a grimace, quickly turning his face away along with several others.
“Strong as hell but still a child, huh, Ichigo? He doesn’t even have any genitals in the first place,” I teased with a roll of my eyes, earning a scowl in return. A moment later, a black mantle appeared in my hand, and I threw it over the unresponsive body, covering his lower half.
“As for why he’s naked… well, I just finished making him. Of course he would be,” I said with a small shrug, as if I hadn’t said something completely ridiculous.
The others, thrown even further off by my words, now looked thoroughly confused. Most of the tension drained from their bodies at such an absurd statement.
Seeing their confusion, I grinned before bowing slightly and gesturing grandly toward the body. “Allow me to present to you… your new Soul King! No thanks needed!”
A heavy silence fell over the chamber. Some blinked, others tilted their heads, and a few made various gestures to express their utter bewilderment.
Urahara, ever the sharp one, hummed thoughtfully for a moment as he stared at the golem before looking back at me.
“…Are you saying that you created a new body for the Quincy King and somehow transferred his soul into it so he could take the position of the Soul King?” Urahara asked, a touch skeptical.
“Bingo! We have a winner!” I said happily, pointing at him with a grin and giving a thumbs-up. “Glad someone understands.”
“Why thank you~ I’m happy to help,” Urahara replied, playing along with a bashful grin as he fanned himself.
Once Urahara’s explanation was confirmed by me, I finally saw Shunsui and a few others relax more. It probably helped that nothing horrific was happening.
The earlier shaking of the Three Worlds had stopped, and everything now seemed calm and normal, as if nothing had occurred at all.
“Could someone explain what the hell is going on!?” Ichigo suddenly yelled in frustration, tugging at his hair as he glared at me. The uncertainty from earlier had vanished, replaced by the usual irritated expression I was used to.
“Don’t yell, damn it. I’m literally standing right in front of you,” I replied with a roll of my eyes, sticking a finger in my ear just to irritate him further. Then I blinked and nodded to myself.
“Right! Before that, here, let me let out Glasses,” I said, extending my hand. A moment later, a disoriented Uryū appeared before us, startling several people.
Uryū didn’t make the best of landings, face-planting with a groan before slowly pushing himself up.
“Ishida! I had a feeling I’d find you here!” Ichigo shouted in realization as he and his friends crowded around the Quincy with relieved looks.
Hearing his voice, Uryū glanced at the gathered Shinigami and slowly tensed, adjusting his glasses.
“Kurosaki, Inoue-san, Sado-san,” he greeted with a small nod. Orihime cheerfully greeted him back, clearly glad to have her friend safe, while Sado gave him a quiet nod.
“Let me guess, got your ass kicked by Caius, huh?” Ichigo teased with a smirk, earning a scoff in return. Since Uryū didn’t deny it, his smirk only grew.
“The idiot was playing the whole ‘join the enemy to take down the bigger bad’ routine, so I took him out of the fight after killing the other Quincy,” I said with a smirk, throwing him under the bus and earning a small glare in return.
The atmosphere in the room lightened a bit at the sight of Ichigo and his friends’ antics, so I decided it was time for me to leave. I wasn’t much for sappy goodbyes, and there was no longer any reason for me to stay.
“Anyway, you guys can use this guy here as your new figurehead so the stability of the Three Worlds continues,” I called out, raising my voice so it carried through the chamber. “Heck, you can even chop him up into small pieces if you want. My part here is done.”
They all turned back to me, most of them wearing complicated expressions. Ichigo gave me a curious look, clearly sensing there was more to it.
“Where are you going?” he asked suddenly.
Turning to him, I regarded him and his friends with a much friendlier expression than I’d given anyone else and shrugged.
“I’m leaving this world,” I said simply, much to their confusion. They probably didn’t fully understand, but I wasn’t about to explain with everyone present.
“What do you mean? Back to the World of the Living?” Ichigo pressed, now definitely sensing something was off.
“No,” I shook my head before a real smile appeared on my face. “I mean that after today, none of you will probably see me again. So… this is goodbye.”
“W-What?” Ichigo’s expression shifted to confusion and a hint of melancholy.
“I doubt everyone here will leave me alone, so I’m dipping before things get annoying and I’m forced to kill some of your friends,” I said calmly, not caring that everyone was listening and ignoring their narrowed eyes.
Disappearing from my spot, I instantly appeared beside Ichigo, shoulder to shoulder, before whispering my last words so only he could hear.
“Thanks for believing in me and giving me a name. I no longer have to worry about your sorry ass now that you’ve become this strong and can look after the others,” I muttered quietly, causing him to stiffen as he finally noticed I had moved.
Turning my head slightly so I could look at him properly, I grinned and spoke louder so everyone could hear.
“Oh, and isn’t it about time you manned up and asked out Orihime already? What the hell are you waiting for, Strawberry?” I said, receiving exactly the reaction I expected, both Ichigo and Orihime, who was standing beside him, turning cherry red.
As he turned toward me with an embarrassed and angry expression, he blinked when he found my index finger pressed against his forehead.
“Keep moving forward, Ichigo.”
He didn’t notice the tip of my finger glowing white for a brief moment. In the next instant, I vanished completely from everyone’s senses.
The last thing I heard was Ichigo’s loud shout.
“Caius!”
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Once I was back in the World of the Living, it was effortless to find Aura Michibane. My senses had increased massively after devouring the Soul King. The ability to see everything happening across the Three Worlds had turned out to be true, and now that I possessed his power, the same could be said for me.
Such ability had merged with my Extra Skill: Universal Perception, which I had gained a while back, making my range truly ridiculous and far more worthy of the name.
After devouring her, I made my way back to our home in New Zealand to find everyone already waiting for me.
“Caius!”
“Caius-sama!”
I was immediately surrounded and pulled into a hug by the girls who had stayed behind. They bombarded me with endless questions before I raised a hand with a calm smile, quieting everyone.
“It’s alright, everyone. I and the others are safe,” I reassured them. “Now, are you ready for our departure?” I asked, glancing around to make sure nothing was missing.
The house, or more like the mansion, we had been using here was already safely stored in my Imaginary Space. The girls here had only been waiting under a barrier, so there was nothing left to pack.
“You bet we are!” Riruka exclaimed, puffing out her chest with shining eyes. “I can’t wait to leave this dump and see what other worlds have in store. Hihihi, I bet there are going to be so many cute things to see~”
“I wonder if the food and games are as good as here?” Lilynette muttered, glassy-eyed with a bit of drool on her lips.
“I hope there are strong enemies to fight!” Apacci declared confidently, with Mila Rose immediately agreeing.
“So uncouth,” Sung-Sun said with a shake of her head, earning glares from the others.
“Thank you for taking us with you, Caius-sama,” Yin said with a small bow, followed by Yang with a respectful and worshipful expression.
“We can never repay your kindness,” Yang added.
“Adventure!” Pesche shouted excitedly, pumping his fists into the air, with Dondochakka following suit.
Smiling at their antics, I raised my hand. In the next moment, they were safely inside my Imaginary Space, leaving me alone in the empty clearing.
“Well, what did you guys think?” I asked out loud, directing my question to the Bambies and Bazz-B inside me.
Silence greeted me for a moment before I got a response.
“Heh, those bastards got what they deserved. I just wish I could’ve been there to take some shots myself,” Bazz-B scoffed, though he sounded content.
“You’ve convinced us. We’re in,” Candice said next, sounding calmer than her usual loud and slightly arrogant self.
“Agreed. Not like we have anything holding us here in this world,” Liltotto muttered, her voice sounding as if she was chewing on something, but content nonetheless.
“I wonder what other worlds look like,” came Meninas’s slightly air-headed but happy response.
“I-I’ll follow you,” Bambietta admitted with a small nervous stutter that hid her inner fear and respect for me.
“Then let’s leave this dump,” I declared with a huge, excited grin on my face as I cut off the connection before concentrating on someone else.
“Astra, are we ready?” I asked, sticking my hands into my pockets to keep them from fidgeting due to my excitement.
‘Finally, after more than two years in this world, we’re leaving.’ I thought with nervous anticipation.
“Yes~ Before that, though, would Caius-sama like to see some of the surprises I’ve been working on?” Astra responded immediately, her tone smug and happy.
“Hoh, you’re finally going to tell me, huh? Well, don’t keep me in suspense! Lay it on me, partner,” I declared confidently.
A moment later, I felt my soul expand, a tingly sensation spreading through me as notifications flooded in.
“Unique Skill: Infinity Prison acquired. Requirements met. Using Infinity Prison as a base, Ultimate Skill: Uriel, Lord of Vows acquired.”
“Requirements met. Combining Beelzebuth, Lord of Gluttony with Raphael, Lord of Wisdom to create Azathoth, God of the Void. Success. Reacquiring all Sub-Skills and combining those compatible. Success.”
“Attempting to combine Asmodeus, Lord of Lust with Mammon, Lord of Greed. Success. Slanesh, Lord of Excess acquired. Reacquiring all Sub-Skills and combining those compatible. Success.”
“Strengthening soul of user to be compatible with Chosen Hero evolution tree. Success. Upgrading all possible other skills. Success.”
I could only blink at the literal dozens of notifications bombarding me, gaping silently as they continued for several moments before finally stopping.
Once it was done, I brought a hand to my chest, feeling a strange fullness I hadn’t experienced before. I got my answer a moment later from a giddy Astra, who was clearly demanding to be praised and spoiled.
“Not to worry, Caius-sama. That just means that’s the current limit of Ultimate Skills your soul can handle at the moment. I held back on further upgrading Uriel due to not all the pieces being there yet,” Astra explained happily.
“Don’t worry. Take your time,” I said with a fond smile, shaking my head.
“As it stands, though, Caius-sama is definitely one of the strongest beings even while still being a True Demon Lord. Definitely much stronger than the original Rimuru was at this stage~” Astra finished, and I suddenly got a mental image of her with a tail wagging happily as she looked at me eagerly.
“Wahahaha, thank you, Astra. You’re the best. I truly couldn’t have asked for a better partner during my second life~” I declared happily, mentally patting her head.
“It was our duty, both as Caius-sama’s one and only partner and his first wife!” Astra declared with clear joy.
A moment later, a swirling vortex made of every color of the rainbow appeared before me. I slowly calmed down and looked at it eagerly.
“Is that…”
“Yes~ Coordinates are set. Onto our next adventure, Caius-sama,” Astra said with a small cheer.
Looking around at my surroundings one last time, giving the place and this planet a final glance, I stepped forward confidently into the vortex and disappeared from the world forever.
‘Let’s see what’s in store for us next,’ I thought giddily.