179: The Scales of Balance Shift.

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(General P.O.V)

(Earth 16)

(Nanda Parbat)

The sun's rays pierced through the heavy clouds, Illuminating the golden walls of the secluded City.

One particular building crested above the rest, a Pagoda, the shrine of the Goddess of Karma and Balance.

Leading up to the Shrine was a long staircase.

And at the very top of the staircase, 3 individuals stepped off the final step, finally arriving at the entrance of the shrine.

"The Goddess's Avatar is a warrior of unmatched spirit."

The Jade Master informed the other two in an impressed tone.

"She's been meditating non stop for the last 2 weeks."

"Nonstop?"

Deadman, floating on The Jade Master's left, cocked his head in question.

"Meaning no food or rest? Wild."

"It's Shiva. She's as hardboiled as they come."

Jade, who was on the other side of the monk, replied.

Speaking of, she looked different.

Gone was the long and shaggy mane of black hair that had become synonymous with her alter ego, Cheshire the assassin.

Now her hair was cut short. The strands barely reaching her neck.

Her frame had also filled out. Something that was apparent in her toned arms.

She had developed. Her burst threatening to spill out of her outfit.

Spirit Energy roiled within her.

No longer was she dependent on the Cheshire mask for power. Her soul had adjusted and she could now produce spirit energy from it's stronger core.

Davian had ensured that the energy placed in the mask would not become a clutch. Rather...it would coax out her latent potential.

And now...her Reiatsu was nothing to scoff at.

The Jade Master felt slightly pressured by her lieutenant level reserves.

"I guess you're right."

Deadman finally responded as they passed through the entrance of the Shrine.

They found themselves in a garden with a serene pond in the middle.

The pond was surrounded by Japanese maples, cherry trees and flowers like the Oriental poppies.

"We've all changed so drastically. And to think, one man is responsible."

Deadman added, reminiscing his life before he met Davian.

Had you told Deadman that Constantine would die, and that he would willingly and unapologetically work for the man responsible, he would have scoffed at your insanity.

Maybe even been insulted at the question on his loyalty.

But now...

His floating form descended closer to the ground. Then, his body lost the blue glow shrouding it.

He shifted states from a spirit being into a physical one. A real living breathing person.

One that was dressed in a generic black tuxedo,

Boston Brand, a man in his early to mid 40's had appeared in place of Deadman.

Boston took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling of his lungs expanding within his chest.

The small breeze blowing past them, swept through his hair, tickling the light stubble on his face.

"I can never get enough of this place. The air is so fresh. Nothing like Gotham."

He commented.

"Anywhere is better than Gotham."

Jade told him just as they passed through the garden and into the back of the Shrine.

"That's true."

Deadman chuckled.

The Jade Master stopped, not moving an inch further.

Boston and Jade looked back at him in question.

"I cannot follow you past this point."

The Monk bowed, hands in the sleeves of his robes.

"The Goddess' Avatar awaits for you through this exit."

Jade returned the nod and kept on walking.

"I'll see you later for a rematch of our Pai Sho match."

Boston promised with an incline of his head before following after Jade.

Then they were outside.

Or rather on a balcony that was built along the edge of the cliff.

Here, a lone sakura tree stood and under it, sitting in a cross-legged pose, was Shiva.

Dressed in white robes, that contrasted well with her midnight black hair, she managed to cut an intimidating figure.

The hair was tied back in a tight Ponytail and her beautiful face was twisted into a troubled expression.

Upon sensing their presence, Shiva opened her eyes, gazing at them with eyes the color of gold.

"You two made it. Good, we have a problem, I cannot sense the Goddess anymore. I have lost my link to her."

Boston and Jade shared a look of surprise.

"That means she failed to convince them. They must be responsible for why you can't feel her."

Boston intuited.

"Those stubborn bastards refused to listen to her huh?"

Jade said with a growl.

"They would rather plunge us all into chaos than let Davian live?"

"I mean with everything the Boss has been doing out there... I'm surprised it took someone this long to want to deal with him."

Boston pitched in.

"Yes. Despite his better judgement, the boy is as reckless as ever."

Shiva said while standing up.

"He destroyed the Entire Fourth World."

Boston whistled.

"He must be crazy strong by now."

"We must prepare."

Shiva told them, turning to face the mountains past the cliff.

"The scales of balance have shifted. They lean more onto the side of conflict now. We have to bring him back."

Both Boston and Jade were caught by surprise.

"With everything the Goddess has told us about who Davian actually is, there is no way to avoid a confrontation. And because this is his home universe...they will come searching here first."

Shiva sighed.

"The world wouldn't survive that. Not without it's strongest fighter. It's time for the Reaper's return."

(The BleachVerse)

(General P.O.V)

"Cool Secret Training Room."

Davian said, surveying the environment.

It was a small pocket space isolated from the real world. Immense Reishi hang in the air.

"It really matches with the theme of this world."

They were gathered in an underground chamber below Urahara's shop.

Something was immediately apparent...this was an Ambush.

An unprecedented but not completely unexpected situation.

It was clear in the way Urahara hadn't disguised their knowledge of Davian and the other two being from other worlds.

Yoruichi's proposal for a sparring match was a cover up. A reason to bring them down here. Where they could be dealt with permanently.

But before that, let us backtrack...

After Davian had accepted the challenge, they had all followed the three soul reapers down into the basement.

Nothing had been said along the way.

And even the earlier easy banter among them had seemed to fade with every step taken.

Grail had made eye contact with Davian on multiple times, warning him of what she could sense.

"It's a trap. There are Multiple life signs on the outside that just appeared the second we made our way down here."

She had spoken into his mind, using the Omega effect to transmit her thoughts.

Her control was crude and Davian had had to use his abilities to mask the energy fluctuations from the senses of the three Soul Reapers infront of them.

"I know. Just follow my lead. I wanna see where this goes."

Davian had informed her.

With his Reikaku, of course he had immediately sensed the hundreds of Reiatsu's that were closing in.

Grail had frowned, turning to regard the other member of their party, the ever silent Manhattan.

"You okay with this, big guy? Walking right into a trap? Not a very strategic move if you ask me."

Grail questioned.

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is the choice 'He' makes when the time comes."

Doctor Manhattan had answered, eyes briefly landing on Davian, before he clammed up once more.

The choice 'He' makes? Could he be talking about Davian? Grail wasn't a fool.

Not just anyone could undo the damage her father's forces had wreaked across their Universe's Earth.

Yet to Davian it had been a simple matter. He had killed her father and saved her.

Grail suspected that in her bid to distance herself from her New God heritage, she had embroiled herself into something else when she joined the Reaper in his Multiversal journey.

Something just as big.

And the silver haired man beside her, walking without a single worry, was in the middle of it all.

"You worry too much."

Davian had smirked at her, patting the top of her head. Confidence rolled out of him.

"It will all work out. Nothing can harm us here. And that's with me being modest."

'He's right,' Grail had realized. Loathe as she was to admit it.

The three of them were all powerful in their own right.

And defeating them wasn't something anyone could just do. Not even with numerous enemies boxing them in.

At a certain level, numbers stopped mattering, and only beings on the same level could face off against each other. And the three of them were more than powerful to face anything.

Even entities at their level. Beyond Omega.

Not surprising when you considered, (A) Grail was Darkseid's daughter.

(B) Davian was basically Invincible and (C) Doctor Manhattan literally had more power than he knew what to do with.

So despite knowing they were walking into a trap, the other two had followed Davian's example and played the clueless card.

Up until they had arrived.

Urahara had spread his hands out as their path opened up into a wide cavern with dirt walls and a high ceiling.

"Welcome to my man cave."

'Even at a time like this you can still joke Kisuke?'

Yoruichi had wondered, perched on his shoulder like she was.

She jumped off him and immediately disappeared into a black flash. No one commented on it.

The one who would have called it out, Davian, was busy looking around, his gaze hungry to capture anything and everything.

The entire Cavern was research material. A canvas that showed a different approach to manipulating Reiryoku.

He was learning so much.

This way of applying Spirit Energy was something he hadn't seen before. He would be damned if he lost the chance to study it.

Trap or not.

Seals lined the walls of the structure. Some were meant to cloak immense levels of spirit pressure. Some were durability enhancing arrays to ensure the place didn't cave in during a fight.

There were more complicated seals which Davian had to use his Reikaku to even understand.

The compliment he gave Urahara had been his unbridled honesty. He really was impressed by the 'Man-cave.'

An instant later, a dark skinned woman dressed in a tight yellow and black outfit, appeared next to Urahara in a burst of speed.

Dust rose up as the Flash Goddess was revealed to Davian and his team.

Yoruichi had returned in human form, her body vibrating with her Reiatsu.

"You're the cat from before."

Grail immediately observed, eyes lighting up with scarlet light.

"So, you were this powerful all along? I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy this trap."

"Oh?"

Yoruichi smiled, lightly tapping the ground with her foot.

"So you know about the Ambush."

"Right from the second we walked into the store."

Davian spoke up, tearing his gaze from studying the training room and refocusing his attention on Urahara and his team.

"In hindsight, things were too normal and quiet. Even in the Seireitei."

The Reaper walked forward, arm resting on the pommel of Chesha Neko. He stopped a few paces infront of his team.

He and Urahara stared at each other.

"Man, and I thought we had a budding friendship happening between us Kisuke. We even shared Sake, that is supposed to mean something right?"

Davian asked, shaking his head.

Urahara dipped his hat.

"Listen, I acknowledge you as my guests. And it pains me to do this but...could you please leave?"

He looked up.

"I'm not talking about the store either. Leave this earth. This Universe. The alternative is...we fight. And we lose either way."

"Huh?"

Davian frowned.

"Explain."

"You know this was a trap and yet...you followed us down here."

Tessai cut in before Kisuke could talk.

"Why?"

"Because I do what I want."

Davian answered, glancing at him from the side.

"It's as simple as that."

The Reaper shrugged.

"I go where I want to go. Besides, I love a challenge. And to me, facing off against all the forces of this world is the highest level of mutual respect you can show. You wanna fight me? Fine, more than fine. I'll take you on anytime. In other words Kisuke, I am not going anywhere."

Chesha Neko rang as it left the sheath. The sound especially loud in the chamber.

"You really are a battle junkie."

Yoruichi said with a shake of her head.

"Guilty as charged."

Davian shrugged his shoulders.

"That wasn't a compliment."

Yoruichi growled.

"And, I don't agree with Kisuke about letting you go. I say we deal with you. Right here Right now."

Saying that, Yoruichi sprang forward.

Urahara's cane blocked her way. Grail's eyes, which had lit up in preparation dimmed slightly.

"Get out of my way Kisuke."

The Flash Goddess demanded while gritting her teeth.

"Yoru stand down, we talked about this."

Urahara said.

"We cannot trust any of them. This is uncharted territory. The smart move is to not make any allies or enemies."

"Too little too late!" The Flash goddess threw her hands up.

"We already made our decision. It's our world at stake Kisuke. Everyone we know. Tessai back me up here!"

Tessai said nothing, a complicated expression on his face.

"I have to admit, I am curious about something."

Davian interrupted.

"You knew we were not from this dimension. How? I made sure to hide our arrival."

The three soul reapers stared at each other. A silent conversation seemed to happen among the three.

"No reason to not tell them. It's the least we can do before they die."

Yoruichi shrugged, backing away.

"I'll answer that."

Urahara stated, scratching his head.

"Before you arrived, someone else did. A pale woman with a butterfly tattoo calling herself, Death. She destroyed the Seireitei, Hueco Mundo and Hell just to prove a point."

Upon mentioning her description, Grail's back stiffened.

Pale Woman? With a butterfly tattoo and calling herself Death? It couldn't be one of the Endless, right?

Davian's eyes narrowed.

"Why? What reason would she have to do that. Besides, I can sense everything in this universe. Those dimensions still exist."

"She brought everything back...but we were left with the memories of the attack."

Yoruichi said, her voice gaining a touch of fear and respect.

"And she promised she would do it again if we didn't capture and kill the Other-worlders set to arrive soon. She meant You."

"It has put us in quite a spot you see."

Urahara interjected.

"Pale Woman? Who could that be?"

Grail questioned, staring at Davian. She wanted to see if he knew who they were talking about. Maybe she was wrong.

"A scorned lover perhaps?"

Davian stared at her in disbelief.

"That's the first thing that comes to your mind, really?"

A light blush appeared on the New God's face.

"It was a question. And a veiled compliment. Strong males attract strong females. That's what happened with my mother and father."

Davian shook his head. She wasn't wrong but still...

"In any case, I am allowing you to go. Leave this dimension and don't come back. Its a way out."

Urahara cut in.

"What if she returns?"

Grail questioned.

"Then you will be in deep trouble. She is more than powerful enough to destroy this whole dimension after all."

"That's enough."

A loud voice rumbled out as hundreds of figures suddenly appeared around the two groups.

The Enemies that had been closing in, finally arrived, pouring through the entrance in multiple instances of Shunpo.

An old man led the charge.

The Full squad of the Gotei 13, Genryusai Yamamoto at the helm.

Behind him were the Captains of each division. The whole underground chamber trembled with their presence.

(Davian's P.O.V)

Let me take over.

I'm connected to everything. I can feel the threads permeating from me into the ether, which in this context is the Reishi in the air.

And before long, I have it all under my control.

This bubble of world. The Bleach verse.

I loved the story.

I loved the power system and cool fight scenes.

And I loved the characters.

They were my idols. No matter how bad things got, the Main Character and his team found a way to make it out.

It was the opposite of my reality. It was something I craved for. The power to make your own choices.

The thing I connected with and related with. But this was a harsh existence.

Now they stood in opposition to me. The Bleach Verse considered us Enemies.

And...I couldn't blame them. Someone had forced them to this. To stand in opposition to me.

I looked around, my small team was surrounded on all sides by Soul Reapers. Characters like Shunsui Kyoraku, Ukitake, Mayuri and yes, even Aizen faced me, ready to fight.

All the captains were present. And so were their Lieutenants. It seemed as if the full might of the Soul Society had been marshalled to deal with me.

The Head Captain, Old man Yama stepped forward, eyes locking onto me.

"I do not know who or what you are."

Yamamoto begun, lifting his cane to the sky.

"But my very being denies you. It seeks your absolute destruction. Bankai: Zanka No Tachi."

I do not seek to cause war. I do not seek to cause strife.

But, this world has risen in defiance against me. Forced or not, there's only one thing left to do.

I will have to fight. To be honest, this is much better than seeking out the strongest individuals Bleach had to offer, and fighting them one by one.

This way I could end all this in one gigantic One vs Many.

I haven't had one of those in a while.