An Awakened One (覺者).
Written out, it refers to one who has attained enlightenment. Synonyms include the Buddha, the Enlightened, and Butsu (बुद्ध).
They are also described as beings who have escaped all suffering and anguish.
The names vary, but in truth, they are all much the same.
They share the commonality of being those who have broken free from the Cycle of Reincarnation and realized their own individual Truths.
And when one becomes an Awakened One, as they transcend the cycle, they gain a new... ability? Or rather, a singular trait. It is to become a unique, solitary existence throughout the countless parallel worlds.
To put it in terms easy to understand, think of Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, the Marshal of the Mages' Association and user of the Second Magic from a certain 'Moon' universe.
Of course, since the laws of the universe differ, they aren't exactly the same, but the principle is similar.
Anyway, having reached that state... parallel worlds are quite... how should I put it? Watching them felt rather 'something.'
You might ask if Buddhism even has the concept of parallel worlds. It does.
A group of a thousand Sumeru worlds is called a Small One Thousand World. A thousand of those make a Medium Two Thousand World. A thousand of those make a Three Thousand Great Thousand World.
Is that the end? No, there is more.
To quote directly from the Lotus Sutra:
"Suppose a person were to take five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds and grind them into dust. Then, passing through five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya lands to the east, he drops a single particle of dust."
At first glance, it sounds like an elementary schooler saying, 'Anyway, it's just super a lot and super big.' But considering that a new parallel world is born from every single human action and choice, it isn't exactly wrong to say that such a staggering number of worlds exists.
Why am I suddenly rattling off all this useless knowledge?
"Where the fuck am I?"
Because I've fucking fallen into one of those five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds, that's why.
It started because it was Buddha's Birthday. To celebrate, I was going to visit the Pure Land to chat with my disciple... you know, that fellow Kagaya, who shed his mortal coil first and became a Buddha.
Naturally, reaching the Pure Land—known as the Heaven above Heavens—is impossible without guidance. I didn't know that and tried to head back late, but...
I didn't even know the way there when I went up; how would I know the way back?
You might ask why I couldn't just return the way I came.
I thought the same, but it didn't work out as I expected.
The multiverse is a vast ocean without a North Star.
Without a map and a compass, all you can do is blindly move forward until you hit something.
Even if you try to double back, the paths between worlds shift and scramble every single moment.
I should have figured that out before I set off, fuck.
Thanks to that, I ended up completely lost and drifting until I arrived here.
I let out a deep sigh, wiped my face with my dry hands, and swept back my bangs.
"Phew..."
The only saving grace is that this world itself is one I'm familiar with.
At least I don't have to worry about ninjas suddenly jumping out or robots with drills appearing.
"Should I just sit tight and wait for a rescue?"
Poking my head into random places would only create more trouble, so it's probably better to stay put and wait for Kagaya to find me.
Having reached a decision, I scratched my head and looked around.
There was no need to check where I was. A moon floating without a single star and a desolate desert in every direction meant there was only one place it could be.
"Why did it have to be Hueco Mundo..."
I considered tearing through the dimensions to reach the World of the Living or the Soul Society, but I stopped once I thought about the aftermath.
I don't know what year it is, but if the current Captain of Squad 12 is that uninhibited Kurotsuchi Mayuri, I'll surely get tangled in something annoying the moment I leave Hueco Mundo.
Besides, I can't exactly go around crushing a world full of kids who have nothing to do with me just because I find things 'annoying,' can I?
"Tsk, can't be helped."
Come to think of it, in my original world, I never had a reason or the time to visit Hueco Mundo.
And even when I did go, it was just an uncomfortable trip with that gaunt-faced Azashiro Kenpachi. Maybe I should take this chance to wander around Hueco Mundo a bit.
I tucked my hands into my sleeves and strolled leisurely across the desert. Soon, a familiar structure came into view in the distance.
Las Noches. In the original story, it was the palace used by Baraggan Louisenbairn, and later seized by Aizen Sosuke after his betrayal.
'I should be able to tell the era once I see who's living there. Should I take a look?'
If Baraggan is acting like a king, it's roughly ten thousand to a few hundred years before the original plot.
If Aizen is there instead of Baraggan, then it's exactly the timeframe of the original story.
My spiritual senses have dulled since I became an Awakened One, but they're not unusable. Let's peek.
I closed my eyes and focused my senses toward Las Noches. One by one, the presences inside began to register.
The moment I detected three familiar signatures at the center of Las Noches, I opened my eyes and clicked my tongue.
"Oh, for fuck's sake. I'm spotted."
Aizen and Gin are fine.
Even the Aizen in my world, who was much stronger than the one in the original, couldn't notice my spiritual presence.
Ichimaru Gin is fine for the same reason. Those two aren't the problem. It's that one guy.
Yeah, that one guy. In my world, he was the only one who could detect my presence.
The former Captain of Squad 9, wielder of Suzumushi—Tosen Kaname.
Perhaps it's because he was born blind, but his intuition was unnaturally sharp. He was the only one who could sense my 'breath.'
It was like that in my world; it shouldn't be any different in the original world.
"Now that I think about it, he was on Aizen's side in the original..."
I'd been living without a care for the original plot or anything else since I finished everything, so it had slipped my mind.
How will Tosen react to sensing me? Will he bring every available force to eliminate a potential threat?
Or maybe not. He might just brush it off as a mistake...
"Probably not."
I sighed as I felt the internal structure of Las Noches shifting at incredible speed, followed by a massive number of Arrancars pouring out.
Given how weak their presences were, they were probably sending the fodder first to test the waters.
'Should I just play along and run away?'
If I disappeared like the wind, it would only raise more suspicion. I should engage them moderately and then flee as if I'd been defeated.
As I was stretching my muscles, a slightly stronger presence emerged from among the swarming Arrancars.
"An Espada?"
No way. That madman sent an Espada just to catch me? Without even knowing who I am?
The weaklings or the middling ones can be fooled with a bit of acting, but with those who actually know how to fight, it backfires.
They're the type of guys who can instinctively tell if someone is fighting for real or just playing around.
True power recognizes power. Those who couldn't are already dead.
"Sigh... nothing for it."
What's the most peaceful way to get through this without warping the flow of this world?
How can I make this event a minor incident rather than a turning point?
"I'll just surrender."
Pride? I cast that aside long ago when I became an Awakened One.
In the first place, if I had such petty pride, I wouldn't have been able to visit Hirako for years just to apologize.
Mm-hmm. Exactly.
"Don't you think so?"
While I was lost in thought, a beast-like, ferocious presence approached. I chuckled and looked in its direction.
"Aahn? And who the hell are you?"
A man with sharp features and light blue hair swept back.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.
"Is it you? The bastard who made me run all the way here when I was enjoying my rest?"
"Yeah, looks like things turned out that way. My bad."
"Ha! You were throwing your presence around like a challenge, and now you're backing down? You think I'll just let you go?"
If this were my world, I would've laughed and told him his manners were absolute shit before cracking his skull. It's quite a shame.
Grimmjow feigned annoyance, but his hands were twitching with excitement, and he grinned savagely.
"If you've got a mouth, use it to answer!"
"You'll have to let me go. Your boss most likely ordered you to capture me alive if possible."
If Tosen reported exactly what he felt to Aizen, Aizen wouldn't just eliminate the risk. He'd want to see if he could use me as a pawn first.
'Engage him, but don't kill him. Capture him if you can. If he resists to the end, killing him is fine, but priority is capture.'
That's what the Aizen I know would have said.
He's suspicious and brilliant, but surprisingly, he has the temperament of a gambler and the greed of a collector.
Upon hearing my words, Grimmjow stopped abruptly, the smile vanishing from his face.
"Aahn? What are you? Do you know that guy?"
Grimmjow scowled with deep displeasure.
I shrugged and raised both hands to shoulder height.
"Who knows? I might, and I might not."
"What are you doing?"
He growled, baring his fangs as if wary of my sudden posture. I beamed at him.
"What does it look like? I'm surrendering. Why did you think I'd actually fight you?"
"...Tch. What a buzzkill. Hey, take this guy away."
"Yes, Lord Grimmjow."
Kicking a sand dune in frustration, Grimmjow trudged away with his hands shoved in his pockets. I didn't resist and obediently let the skeleton-headed soldiers put me in shackles.
To think I'd end up in handcuffs at this point in my life.
It was truly a unique experience.