I’m Death, Straight Up

It was a stormy night.

Countless raindrops fell on the city below. From above, the city of Brockton Bay had a certain... beauty, with the brewing storm, soft darkness, and bursts of light.

It was a different kind of beauty in comparison to, say, Tokyo; being far less vibrant and having a gloom gave it a sort of grim beauty.

"And here, above it all..."Is a skeleton crowned in gold.

I sighed; the humour having completely rotted away.

Peering up at the stormy clouds and experiencing the phantom sensations of the raindrops passing through me, I couldn't help but think back. "How long has it been?"

I didn't know.

The memory felt distant and yet ever so recent - the moment I had opened my eyes after having died. The shock as I figured out that I had become Barragan, the thrill at the taste of power I had yearned for, and… discovering that the unpleasant gacha from my previous life had followed me.

It was definitely a surprise at first, but there was a semblance of sense to having become Barragan. He was, after all, the character I had won before I died to some drunk driver. Honestly, still wish I had become Yhwach or Aizen instead.

Though... perhaps I'd eventually attain that wish. I had, after all, the bleach gacha game that I had played excessively before my death seemed to have followed me here.

Unfortunately, it wasn't in the form of a convenient-to-use system. Instead, it was a whirling cyclone of energy affixed to the centre of my soul.

Thankfully, it still functioned like before, taking in souls til I had enough to draw something from Bleach. Plus, the inventory that allowed me to store said draws.

Though there was one glaring difference that annoyed me—in the game, the amount you needed was twenty to draw the cheapest pack.

However, here in "Earth Bet," it took around a hundred, or two, before I could even begin to draw.

It was a scam.

And that wasn't even factoring in how difficult it is just to obtain souls. Because while there were a hell of a lot more souls I could get since, like, millions of people die every week, the issue is that the souls were just too damn weak.

Most souls completely disintegrate into nothingness within a minute or less, which made it a damn hassle to obtain even a hundred souls!

Of course, there's still the option of committing mass genocide and getting souls that way, but there isn't really much of a reason I should.

I'm immortal; there was nothing in this world that could even touch me, let alone kill me. 

And that, was the one thing I detested about my new existence.

Once, I wanted to never age and become untouchable. But after having experienced it personally, it didn't take long before I realised that it was a mistake.

There weren't any words to describe how frustrating it felt—not being able to feel my lungs expand as I took a deep breath, unable to savour the flavour of a good hamburger, or even feel the rush and heat of exhilaration; to feel... alive.

I sighed, the rain around me had stilled.

An unintentional slip.

It moved again with a single thought, and I then faintly felt the raindrops passing through me once again.

And then, with a slight flex of power, the raindrops broke apart as they made contact with me.

. . .

Looking back on it... it wasn't all bad. I did become a being of immense power after all, unable to starve nor suffer from thirst. It would've definitely been worse if I had to experience hunger.

And despite the… circumstances of my existence, I had somehow managed to make a friend online.

So, I guess it wasn't as bad as it could've been.

"I owe it all to you," I stroked the simple and elegant blade on my hip.

I felt a touch of gratitude as I thought back on my Zanpakutō; Gestalt.

It's been perhaps a couple months, or a few years since she revealed her name.

Gestalt was perfect for me as her name indicated her capabilities: the fusion or combination of different things into something greater.

Though she did have a few limitations, there were still infinite combinations and possibilities with her.

Not to mention that her current Shikai was a Scythe.

"I wonder if people would think I'm Death if they saw me while you're in Shikai?" I mused.

Feeling the dull sensation of the ground, I looked around where I was.

The streets were dark; far from where I was, there were a few working street lights. There were no cars on the road, just a few parked on the side.

It… wasn't the worst area, and although there were definitely places that would've been better for my plans, it didn't really matter as long as the three hard requirements—knowledge, placement, and timing—were satisfied.

Those three were the only things that were truly important; location was merely a preference.

"I hope it all goes right."

Will I regret this?

I didn't dwell on the question. Even as of now, the phantom sensation of the cold breeze, the breath I took to fill my nonexistent lungs, and the drumming of illusionary blood filled me with only emptiness.

I had– could ignore it in the past, but the past was then, and this was now. I wanted to remember what had long since died. I wanted to change.

Time.

"It's almost time, I should begin setting things up." I stopped seeing the world with my "eyes" and instead felt the world with my soul.

The hold I held over my soul loosened gently, its presence encompassing and spreading outward. The minute presence of the souls within my grasp grew from mere dozens to staggering tens of thousands, but none were of what I sought after.

There were only two I needed to confirm the location of.

There.

I noted their location before I opened my eyes and glanced toward the dark alleyways; there, I could feel a couple souls, ones that I already knew all too much about. "I hope it goes according to plan."

I'd rather not take direct action.