While Gabriel was being the best dad he could, somewhere else, somewhere in the middle of the realms, at this moment in time something quite important was happening, something that should have happened years later, but the event was sped up due to Gabriel's growing powers.
Currently, all 4 branches of Soul Society were meeting somewhere, a place that bordered all 4 branches.
đź“ś Summary Table:
BranchRegionEnemy TypeMain ForceKey ConceptEastJapan / AsiaHollows (YĹŤkai)ShinigamiPurification through karmaWestEuropeDragonsWitches/WizardsMagical regulationSouthSouth America / AfricaBeast SpiritsSoulbinders / ShamansHarmony through symbiosisNorthScandinavia / SiberiaDraugr / War WraithsRune Knights / FrostboundGlory and battle transcendence
A brief—and he does mean a very brief—summary of what they do: Shinigami purify hollows and keep the cycle going.
The West does the same for dragons. As for the South and North, their stuff was a bit different.
The South
To the South, all living things—plant, beast, human, spirit—share a soul-thread known as the Umkhondo or Yax'Ek depending on the region. Death is not a severance, but a transference into the great Soul Current, a spiraling stream of life-force that circles the world like a second atmosphere.
So basically, their Reiryoku. Just like in Soul Society, when you die you don't truly die, you just turn into a ghost. The same stuff applies to them, but there's none of that ghost stuff. When you die—unless the soul was contaminated, which we'll get to later—you simply return to nature.
Their system was a bit different from Soul Society. They were not wizards nor soul reapers; they were different.
Verdant Binders (Yaxb'in / Vata'Ndu)
Beast-Walkers
Symbiont Shamans
They practiced Symbiotic Binding with Beast Spirits—not dominating or destroying but entering covenants with them. This relationship allowed transformation, memory-sharing, and power amplification.
Think Asta's devil form with his demon, or Eddie and Venom for comic book readers.
🔺 Core Power Structures
RoleTitleFunctionBinderBalam-Kin / Sangom'aBonded with a Spirit Beast, gain enhanced traits & unique fusion abilitiesSpeakerTeller of AshInterprets the flow of the Umkhondo, predicting spiritual events (seer, sensor)WardenJungle Flame / Dust SentinelGuards sacred zones, hunts corrupted spirits (Rogues or Luz'xipher-tainted)Revenant HunterSpirit StalkerSpecialized in purging fallen spirits that resist union and become feral
They don't wield Zanpakutō. They mostly make pacts with ancestral beasts or elemental spirits for powers. The fun part about it is that depending on their skill, they're not limited to one. They can make roughly as many as they want—or as many as their soul can take.
Techniques
Fusion State: Beast and Binder partially or fully merge, creating hybrid forms with enhanced senses, armor, and elemental auras. (Think Kaido's hybrid form.)
Echo Calls: Their equivalent of KidĹŤ, invoked through primal chants or rhythm (drums, flutes, bone whistles), which call environmental forces or ancestral aid.
Totemic Scars: Sacred markings burned into their flesh that store abilities or pass down past-life skills—similar to inherited memory tattoos.
Their Version of Hollows
Sometimes, a spirit refuses to return to nature. That's okay—most times there are warriors there to make sure they return to normal. But if they stay too long, or get infected with beast energy—yes, the beast, because several thousands, even millions of years ago, Luz'xipher fought with the Reio and he bled. Said areas are still infected to this day.
While they grant immense power, once you get even a taste of it, your soul transforms and you become Mal'Ombra, corrupted soul-beasts of decay, bloodlust, and insanity.
These creatures lose all tether to the Umkhondo and attempt to devour soul-threads, causing whole ecosystems to rot.
Yes, those were his first attempts at trying to revive before he decided "fuck it, let me make my own host for the future." Everything in his plan was perfect, and even if the plan depended on Caillou with a headset dent to erase the name of his host so he could take full control, he had no worry this bastard would do it.
All this guy thinks about is the balance and all of that bullshit, so of course he was going to do it. The only thing he didn't anticipate was the small change that Reio made, which made his host so fucking hard to take over. How much can a man fucking love his wife?
Sometimes he wished she hadn't agreed to be with him so that he could have continued growing and hunting. For fuck's sake, he wouldn't even have minded if his host got his bitch stolen—that crash out would have been legendary. But that wasn't a possibility. No one in all of the realms had the balls to do that shit. The bastard could sense intent across realms, so it didn't matter. If even the possibility existed, someone's whole bloodline was getting eviscerated off the face of the earth.
So many damned transmigrators dying, shit was crazy.
🔥 Unique Techniques & Power Types
AbilityDescriptionUmkhondo PulseCreates a spiritual wave that aligns or disrupts all beings in its radius. Can heal or sever bindings.SoulmergeBinder merges with spirit beast to create a powerful hybrid, capable of elemental manipulation and rapid regeneration.Echochant RitualsUses ancestral rhythms to summon natural events (storm, wildfire, vines) or calm corrupted zones.Totemic Memory RecallInvoke ancient warriors' skills from their soul tattoos; technique memory passed across generations.Mark of RejectionSymbol of anti-Luz'xipher resistance; blocks corruption attempts and weakens Mal'Ombra in range.The North
Now, let's focus on the North—those Vikings whose way of life would even make hollows blush. Yes, it was indeed that battle-intensive. Let's go over their basics.
First, their enemies:
Draugr: Basically bootleg hollows. They died but refused to move on, tethered to this world because of their own human greed.
War Wraiths: When a huge battle happens, some spirits can get dragged into this. They're stuck on loop, repeating the day of the war over and over again, unable to move on until a worthy warrior cleanses/kills them.
Both are drawn to war, blood, and suffering, feeding on conflict itself.
Draugr are physical, frost-covered corpses with twisted strength.
Wraiths are spectral, armored spirits wielding ethereal weapons.
Main Forces of the North
The Northern defenders are called Hrafnhelnir ("Hel's Ravens"), though outsiders simplify it to Rune Knights or Frostbound.
They don't work like Shinigami (purification) or Shamans (symbiosis). Their focus is on trial, sacrifice, and binding. (So, a lot of killing.)
⚔️ Their Roles
Rune Knights – Carve sacred runes into weapons, armor, and even their own flesh to invoke powers from Yggdrasil's cosmic laws.
A sword carved with Tiwaz rune will always strike true.
A shield etched with Eihwaz resists death, refusing to break.
Their bodies may be covered in glowing scars of runes, each one an oath they swore in life.
Frostbound Berserkers – Warriors who channel the frozen essence of Helheim. They enter "death-fury," half-dead and half-alive, drawing unnatural strength but slowly offering their soul to the ice.
Seidr-Binders – Mystics who weave runes and bones into talismans that trap Draugr or enslave War Wraiths. Unlike Witches in the West (who study codified sorcery), the Seidr is brutal, primal, and deals in blood-binding.
In the North, death is not an end, but a passage. The warriors believe that each soul is weighed by its honor and struggle.
To fight a Draugr or War Wraith is not just extermination—it is a duel of worth.
If the Rune Knight defeats the revenant honorably, the spirit can ascend to Valhalla, Folkvangr, or the "Great Hunt."
If not, the soul falls into Helheim, feeding the cycle of wraiths.
Their job is not just to fight, but to prove worthiness—of themselves and of those they face.
Unlike Shinigami ZanpakutĹŤ (external partners), or Shamans (spirit symbiosis), Rune Knights carve their own fate. Their powers are drawn from Runes, each a law of existence.
đź“ś Runic Authority
Warriors may only inscribe runes after a Trial of Frost—a near-death ordeal that proves their spirit is unbroken.
Each rune is permanent. To take on more is to risk burning your soul out.
The strongest warriors are covered head-to-toe in glowing runic scars, their very breath steaming with spiritual frost.
⚔️ Oathbinding
Every power is tied to an oath sworn under the northern stars.
If the warrior breaks that oath, the rune turns black and cursed, summoning the Draugr to claim their soul.
Example: A Rune Knight who swore never to retreat would gain immense battle power when standing his ground... but if he fled even once, the curse would devour him.
So, per se, if you swore to never goon again: bigger meat and larger load. But the second you do—micro penis and sterile.
🌌 Examples of Runic Powers
Tiwaz (ᛏ): Rune of Glory – Guarantees a strike that cannot be dodged or deflected, but only when fighting in a duel.
Berkano (ᛒ): Rune of Rebirth – Heals wounds by drawing warmth from enemies, leaving their bodies frostbitten.
Ansuz (ᚨ): Rune of Wisdom – Lets the warrior hear echoes of past warriors on the battlefield, learning their techniques.
Hagalaz (ᚺ): Rune of Destruction – Calls down a storm of ice and steel, but scars the user's flesh with frostburn.
For the North Branch, Luz'xipher is NĂĂ°höggr, the dragon that gnaws at Yggdrasil's roots.
They see him as the world-ender, the beast who will break the cycle of glory and drag all warriors into an endless Helheim.
To them, Luz'xipher's return is Ragnarök itself.
The Rune Knights live knowing every battle may be the last hunt before the twilight of the gods.
A/N current chief of the north.
⚡ Rune Knight Stat Sheet – Hrólf Stormbearer ⚡
Name: HrĂłlf Stormbearer
Affiliation: North Branch – Frostbound Rune Knights
Rank: Einherjar Captain (equivalent to Captain-commander level)
Concept Role: Storm-Bearer, Herald of Ragnarök
âš” Core Details
Region Origin: Jotunheim Outpost (Siberian tundra fortress)
Enemy Specialty: Draugr Generals & War-Wraith Broods
Weapon: Mjölnir's Echo – a colossal warhammer inscribed with storm runes
Theme: Channeling thunder, ice, and battle-glory through rune inscriptions
đź”® Power System: Runic Ascendancy
Rune Knights channel their souls through Runes carved on weapons, armor, and even their flesh. Each Rune activates a law-like effect, stacking power the longer the battle continues. Unlike Shinigami's zanpakutĹŤ, Rune Knights have mutable sets of runes that evolve with their saga (life-deeds).
Battle Runes: Carved into weapons, these create storm, frost, or flame effects.
Glory Runes: Activated by heroic deeds; grow stronger the more victory is claimed.
Blood Runes: Inscribed onto the skin; allow transcendence at cost of pain/life force.
⚡ StatsAttributeValue (1–100)DescriptionStrength95Capable of splitting icebergs with hammer swingsEndurance90Feeds on wounds—rage and adrenaline make him fight longerSpeed70Slower than a Shinigami flash-step, but thunder-charged leaps cover milesReiryoku85Storm-charged spiritual pressure manifests as thunder and aurorasRunic Mastery92Master of the Þórr Runes—specializing in storm and war inscriptionsWillpower100Unbreakable warrior spirit; fights even in death as an Einherjar
To put his stats in consideration, most captain highest stats are like 80 ish, 90, Yamamoto would be like 100 across the board, so with that stats sheet he is roughly as strong as the captain commander.
Someone like Ichibe would have like 180, soul king absorbed Ywach would be like 350.
Gabriel is 500.
Mind you those numbers include lowest ish stats, the scaling is not linear by the way, its exponaditional, so the gap between a 350 and 500 is very high, very dam high, like comparing a basic human to a captain commander tier fighter.
âš” Abilities
1. Rune Invocation – Þórrhjarta (Heart of Thor):
Carves lightning runes mid-battle into his hammer, summoning thunderbolts that strike enemies and charge his weapon. Each invocation makes his strikes louder, heavier, and more divine.
2. Einherjar's Fury – Stormrage Berserk:
By activating his Blood Runes, his body becomes a conduit of living thunder. His flesh cracks like storm clouds, eyes glowing with lightning. Strength and speed increase massively, but his life-force burns away like a wick.
3. Skjálfti Gjallarhorn (Tremor of the Horn):
A war cry technique that channels his Reiryoku through a horn rune etched into his chest. The sound shakes enemy morale, causes Draugr to disperse, and can even disrupt weaker kido-like spells.
4. Runic Ascension – Mjölnir's Stormveil:
By inscribing the full Thor's Cycle (Storm, Strength, Sacrifice), he envelops himself in a storm domain:
Lightning shields his body.
Every strike calls thunder.
His hammer cannot be lifted by anyone lacking his willpower.
⚡ Saga Destiny
Rune Knights believe each warrior is writing a Saga. The more deeds they accomplish, the more potent their runes become. Hrólf Stormbearer's saga is prophesied to be tied to Luz'xipher's return, as his storm-runes are said to be the only ones that can shatter the chains of Ragnarök.