(General P.O.V)
When humans die, they go to the afterlife as souls.
Those souls are then sorted into the afterlife that they deserve.
Generally the bad or evil were sentenced to an eternity in a place of torment and the good or righteous were welcomed into the gates of paradise.
Pretty standard stuff.
However, where do those souls go to once they die?
In this case, death being the essence of their spirit going non-existent in all forms of mortality.
What is death? Is death the absence of life or the incapability of sensing life. Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it's not there.
So where do souls go to when they die?
HE had his answer. Nowhere.
They existed in the nothingness, unperceived by no one except for themselves.
Sustained only by their own echoes of memories.
Forever in...the Darkness. Waiting for the time that even the Darkness lost meaning.
Then something happened.
"Oh, you are just what I was looking for. Even both your backstories match!"
A voice said excitedly, breaking the monotony of the in-between.
"One was the true king of the ocean, ousted from his throne, and you...hohoho, you had it even worse didn't you?"
The voice spoke up once again.
The Dead soul didn't really understand what the Voice meant.
However, whatever intent was left in him reached out in a desperate bid to feel something different. Something other than the emptiness.
The Soul's will culminated in a simple word...
'Las Noches.'
The voice did something strange.
"It's called laughing. Jeez, you must have been here a long time if you forgot that."
'Time.'
Something stirred within him. He knew that word. He knew it intimately. He knew it instinctively.
This time when he reached out it was in the form of a question.
'Time?'
The voice laughed harder.
"Oh what a rare find! You remember your...what do you guys call it? Resu...ah I can't pronounce it. It doesn't roll of the tongue. Not like Batman. See? Bat-man...there's just no comparison. You guys should have gone for something just as cool while being simple to pronounce!"
The voice came out in a burst. It was... ranting.
Yes! Ranting.
Because of frustration. Why?
Because the Voice didn't get what he wanted.
He didn't get what he wanted too. He had wanted to rule forever!
"Oh,"
The voice sighed in satisfaction and pride.
"I knew this was a good idea. Is this what it feels to be a parent?"
Batmite wondered out loud into the boundless infinitude. The dregs of the soul he had found in the void was perfect for what he wanted.
Was it cheating?
Probably.
But on the bright side...that 'guy' would grow even stronger.
Probably.
Strong enough to have an ultra mega cool showdown with Batman!
Dun dun duuun!!
He just had to make sure no one could know he was the one behind aaaalll of it, or else that other 'Guy' would make it an issue.
(Deep in the Bermuda) (500 years from now)
Ships and aircrafts disappeared within this zone.
From above, the clouds would obscure all visibility.
Even while approaching on the water, that had its own problems.
That only worked if the gps coordinates were not thrown off course by the magnetic fields surrounding the area.
The Bermuda triangle was truly mysterious.
Little did man know, that at the center of the Bermuda, lay a city.
One that materialized above the ruins of it's former self.
Through some unknown means, Xebel had been pulled from the present time to 500 years into the future, when all that was left was ruins where the exiled nation once stood strong.
The city was covered by a shimmering purple dome, not unlike the blue one over Poseidonis.
The two differences being that the purple shield on Xebel was connected to the Palace by a large beam of light.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
And the shield also kept the crushing pressure of the water at bay.
Light from the shield shone down onto the empty streets.
There was no movement or sound coming from the city. The once great Xebel looked abandoned and dead.
The dome around the city rippled as someone pierced through. She fell gracefully, landing on the cobblestones before the stairs leading to the Palace.
The figure was dressed in a red tight bodysuit with golden armor that ended in fin like protrusions at the shoulder pauldrons.
She was beautiful, with purple flowing hair and blue eyes, a bountiful chest and full lips.
In her hands was a silver trident, one with numerous symbols of an hourglass.
She climbed the steps slowly, the weapon in her hands producing a sharp ringing everytime the end of the shaft landed on the steps.
The first cracked skull lay on the 10th step. Then from there, heaps of bones and skulls, belonging to men, women and children started appearing.
The bones were bleached as if a lot of time had passed.
They were Xebelians, all of them sacrificed for the glory of her master.
For Oceanus.
The True God-Titan of the Seas.
Before long she found herself at the foot of the Xebelian Throne. A throne her father had once sat down on.
She immediately knelt down on one knee infront of the new King, deference wafting off her.
"It's like we planned my Lord. The outside world has completely been ravaged by the Trench. Poseidonis and the City states fell long ago."
Hila, the sister to Queen Mera addressed 'him.'
"Atlantis is no more and the Surface Dwellers left from the 500 year war are too weak to stand up to your might. Their souls are ripe for taking."
She informed him, daring to gaze upon his glorious form.
An aura of death and rot covered his form. The throne he sat on was rusted and the stone surrounding it was cracked with dust hanging on the ground.
The cracks extended out into the throne room. The marble pillars holding up the chamber had numerous of them that seemed to only grow with each passing second.
"Good."
Oceanus finally spoke up.
He was a large figure. He had white faded hair, wore a crown of bone with spurs at the ends, and 2 prominent scars that littered his face.
"The sooner I get to my full power, the sooner we can prepare."
He informed his Fraccion.
She wasn't like Ggio, Findorr or the others but she was... sufficient. Eager to please.
He wouldn't have been able to devour all the souls in Xebel without her help.
His large barrel like chest was covered in a white top that extended into a long flowing gaudy robe that fell to his ankles even while seating.
He had a skull in his left hand, and within it was wine.
On his left side was his weapon, a large, double-headed battleaxe.
"Hila. I am...satisfied with your efforts. What about your sister?"
His voice was guttural, only adding to the fear effect he seemed to induce with his eyes. One of them being blind.
At the mention of her sister, Hila couldn't hide the scowl.
Before she could give an answer, something grey smashed through the dome around Xebel. It failed to breach and was immediately destroyed.
However, a green bubble shield managed to break through and fell towards Xebel like a meteor.
"Mmh."
Oceanus narrowed his eyes. Then they widened as he crushed the skull goblet in his hands, splashing the wine all over him.
His spirit pressure burst out, filling the entire throne room. Hila immediately face planted to the floor as the imposing form of the God-Kimg of Hollows got to his feet
"Impossible! What is a Soul Reaper doing here?!"
He roared out in both anger and fear.
"No matter..."
The voice that had pulled him out of the darkness called out.
"You're not the same as you used to be. You are not merely Barragan Luisenban, the king dethroned, nor are you Oceanus, the forgotten Titan who ruled all the Oceans. You are BOTH."
Yes. The Voice was right. He wasn't the old man that Aizen had called a 'Relic of the past.'
With the power of Time and the ability to command the oceans, no one would stand up to him. No one would stop him from ruling as he rightfully deserved.
"Show me that I was right to give you this chance. Kill Davian Mabuz for me."
(Davian's P.O.V)
The jet hadn't survived the whirlpool.
It was fortunate that I had managed to construct a shield around Cheshire and I. However, I was still mad.
Mad that someone was using me like a pawn. And Deadman was not even around to vent my frustrations on! He seemed to have disappeared once the whole planet went down.
The purple dome around the city blocked the debris from the plane but my Fullbring shield was able to penetrate through.
"Fuck."
Cheshire sighed, looking out into the murky waters outside the purple barrier.
"Crusher is gonna be pissed that I destroyed his favorite toy. How are we going to get to Hong Kong now?"
She mumbled.
I hummed in agreement before feeling a pair of eyes stare at me in question.
"So are you going to tell me what just happened?"
Cheshire asked, crossing her hands together.
'The goddess governing Karma and the scales of balance appeared before me and gave me a mission to deal with a power hungry god.'
I was tempted to tell her that.
However...that explanation would only bring more questions. The way I saw it, I would deal with this Oceanus and then we would leave without wasting time.
"Focus."
I told her while directing the bubble shield down onto the city hiding behind the dome.
I could still feel her eyes bore into me before she snorted and looked away.
The layout would have been considered beautiful.
The buildings were constructed in an architectural design that linked every building while still providing sufficient space in-between for movement.
"Wait. This place...looks familiar."
Cheshire said as our attention was pulled to the massive beam of purple energy connecting the largest building at the center of the city.
"It's a Palace. The Xebelian palace!"
The Assassin told me.
A palace huh? That certainly makes things easier.
All I had to do was directly go towards it and...
My breath hitched, as something appeared on the edges of my Reikaku. What was that cloying power?
My vision blacked out and I lost control of the bubble shield, which burst apart and immediately we started falling.
There was a yelp from Cheshire before I felt strong hands grab me.
Cheshire then used one of her Sais to pierce onto the wall of a building, slowing our descent.
We landed in an alleyway and I immediately tore off my jacket.
Why was it so hard to breath?! And was someone shaking me?
Push and pull...
Push and pull...
The mantra worked it's magic and I was able to center myself.
"..vian! Davian! Follow the sound of my voice. Can you hear me?"
Chase was calling out.
I shrugged off Cheshire's hold, using the wall to support myself.
"I'm fine..."
I told her.
Thankfully she stepped back.
That Power. That Reiatsu...it had been cloying.
"Chase what the fuck was that?"
I asked my Zanpakuto as I struggled to get up. Even now I could feel the incredible power level pulsing from the general direction of the palace.
"That...is your first true challenge. The one who sent us here either believes that you actually have a chance of beating this guy, or they wanted to kill you and got creative."
I rolled my shoulders. How pessimistic of him.
"There's always someone trying to kill me, this is no different. It sounds as if you don't believe I can take this guy."
"You can't."
Chase replied with finality.
Huh?
I stopped. That didn't sound right.
"What do you mean I can't take him?"
I growled out, uncaring that Cheshire was staring at me as if I was crazy.
"Whatever you sensed there? It was Spiritual Energy with something else in the mix. The Reiryoku felt like it belonged to a Hollow. A powerful one. I estimate An Espada level Hollow."
I blinked.
Okay. That wasn't good.
Cheshire reached into her back and unsheathed her other Sai with a sharp ring.
"I can tell by your expression that our situation is not very favorable."
She said, placing a foot on the wall and then spring-boarding off it to reach a ledge.
Then she pulled herself up onto the relatively high roof, looking down at me.
"You do what you need to do while I scout the area. Maybe I can find something that will get us out of here."
Then she disappeared, leaving me with my Zanpakuto to argue.
Chase thought I should cut my losses, take Cheshire and leave as my opponent was simply too powerful for me.
"I agree Chase."
I told him, walking forward towards the Palace.
"The smart thing would be to leave. The water pressure is something my Fullbring shield should handle, but what would be the point?"
Unseen to anyone, a large bloodthirsty smile appeared on my face.
"Think about it, it's a Hollow! Someone who can use Reiryoku. That means fighting against someone like me. Someone with skills I can steal and get stronger. I am not running away."
I twirled Chesha Neko, releasing my own Spirit energy, all of it.
Cheshire was far away from my range and Deadman was still missing after Rama Kushna had taken possession of him, so I wouldn't accidentally harm my two colleagues by revealing my full power.
The air above the city begun to roil and churn as another Spirit Pressure, much greater than mine rose up to meet my own.
They crashed in the air and I immediately knew it wasn't going to be an easy fight.
"Come forth from the weave of eternity, Chesha Neko: Release."