Hello everyone!
Here is chapter 13. Now, there might be some awkwardness here. I really fell behind when it came to this chapter and I literally finished Sunday night. Was sick basically all day yesterday, and didn't really have a chance to do the edits I wanted.
Basically, you guys are getting V2 of the chapter (...with potentially a V3 needed.) This chapter kind of kicked my ass and I wrote everything completely out of order. Like, I did a few of the ending scenes before I even started some of the fights. By the time the chapter was finished, there were some things that ended up disjointed, some scenes happening twice in different ways, etc. Everything was SUPPOSED to have been happening somewhat concurrently, but that just led to the chapter itself reading weird.
What I ended up doing was making a V2 doc and just cutting and splitting the chapter up into a (hopefully) more palatable form with the events flowing into one another more concretely. However, since I had to do that in a rush, that might have led to me missing this or that. If you guys catch any inconsistencies, I'd appreciate a shout.
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“They’ve all been murdered!” Tōshirō cast his gaze around in complete shock and horror. These forty sages and six judges made up the highest court in the realm. Crimes committed by Shinigami either in the Soul Society or out of it were tried in the building. If they decreed something, not even a Captain had the right to dissent! “But for how long!” He grit his teeth and flashed to the side of the closest man. “Cold.” He said softly, before looking at the blood. It was brown. He pressed his fingers to it, and it all flaked away under his touch. “…This happened days ago.” He realized in horror, “Possibly weeks ago!”
Yamamoto-Sōtaichō had declared that the special wartime permissions were active from the very moment that the ryoka had entered the Seireitei. This chamber would have been completely sealed from that moment on, with no one being allowed near. The alarms had all been disabled and there was no sign of forced entry. Tōshirō clenched his fists as the answer hit him like a lightning bolt. “Every single order we’ve received since this invasion started has been counterfeit!”
But who could have done this?! How had they done this?! How had they kept it hidden?! ‘Even Matsumoto’s execution was probably fake!’ How many people were involved here? It was impossible for one man to do all of this alone! “I have to alert everyone!” He realized as he kneeled on the floor and prepared to use Bakudō #77: Tenteikūra.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”
A voice Tōshirō had never expected to hear again made his spine go ramrod straight. His head snapped up as he looked across the hall towards another stairwell. He wasn’t entirely sure why everything ran through the courtroom, but that’s how it was designed. That also didn’t matter, because the man standing there should be dead. “A-Aizen?!” He stuttered in shock.
“Hello Tōshirō.” Aizen said pleasantly, raising his hand to wave in greeting.
“B-But how?! You were dead! Is it really you?!”
“In the flesh, of course.” Aizen walked down a couple steps. “I must say, you’re here earlier than I expected. Then again, many of my plans seem to have fallen through in the past few days.” He sounded amused. “Quite entertaining, if I may say so.”
“Plans…” Tōshirō’s expression hardened, “Th-then it was really you that left that ridiculous death note for Momo?!”
“Ahhhh!” Aizen let out a small chuckle. “I see. You read it yourself rather than give it to her. Well, that certainly explains her not playing her role. How unexpected, Tōshirō.”
Fury started to fill the diminutive Captain’s entire being. “Why, Aizen?!” Tōshirō growled as he stood, “Why would you-”
“My, you’re usually quicker on the uptake, Tōshirō.” Aizen still looked amused and unconcerned, “It was simple tactics, of course. When you have an enemy, the easiest way to weaken them is to divide them and conquer.”
“ENEMY?!” Tōshirō snarled out. “SINCE WHEN HAVE WE BEEN YOUR ENEMY?! YOU WERE ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED CAPTAINS IN THE SEIREITEI! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!”
Aizen shook his head in pity, “Oh, it was nothing personal, Tōshirō.” He chided the young man, “But the Soul Society has been my enemy for, oh, what was it…” He mused as he rubbed his chin, “Oh, maybe a hundred-and-thirty, hundred-and-fifty years or so? Give or take?”
That was insanity. He’d been fooling all of them for over a century! “But why?!” Tōshirō bared his teeth in frustration. “You’ve been a respected member of the Gotei 13 for over a century! How could you have been deceiving us all?!”
Aizen shook his head, “Oh, I never thought of it that way. The truth is simple: none of you recognized who I truly was.”
“Oh, sure.” Hitsugaya spat, “Blame us for your treachery! What about Momo, Aizen?! She idolizes you! She only joined the Court Guards because of you! She worked herself to the bone just so she could serve by your side!”
“That’s true.” Aizen agreed, “Which only made her easier to manipulate. That’s why I requested her for my division. She followed my every order without question. It was much easier to act without a Lieutenant who would be constantly questioning my actions.” The building started to get colder as Tōshirō’s Reiatsu started to pour out. “It was simply too good to pass up. What you must understand, Tōshirō, is that adoration is the furthest state from understanding.”
“SHE LOVES YOU, DAMN IT!” Tōshirō’s fist was clenching in sheer rage. “DON’T YOU CARE ABOUT HER AT ALL?!”
“Of course I do!” Aizen sounded affronted, “Why else would I go through the trouble of arranging that note?”
Tōshirō stiffened again, “…What is that supposed to mean?”
Aizen shook his head, “My, you really do not work well under stress, Tōshirō. It should be obvious.” He let out a sad sigh, “I suppose it makes sense. You are still a child, after all.” Tōshirō’s eyebrow twitched as he reached for his Zanpakutō. “Very well then. I shall make it simple for you.” Aizen was back to smiling indulgently, “I knew Momo had become too dependent on me, and I also knew that even she would not approve of what I was planning, nor would she be willing to abandon everything. Not even for me. She would have been looked at with suspicion regardless of her innocence, and her happiness would also have been torn away from her.” His smile widened as Tōshirō started to feel red encroach on his vision. “And so, with my departure from the Court Guards pending, I arranged for her to die with her memories of me untainted. It was my final kindness to her, you see?”
“AGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” Tōshirō let out a howl of fury as the entire building began to ice over. He drew his sword and just that act was enough to crush parts of the ceiling and send huge chunks of stone raining down. “BANKAI! DAIGUREN HYŌRINMARU!” The cloud of dust cleared, revealing him standing amongst the rocks with huge dragon wings made of ice bursting from his back. An icy dragon’s head had devoured his right arm, its jaws clenching on the hilt of his Zanpakutō. A very long, icy tail writhed agitatedly behind him, along with three four-pointed ice flowers. “I’m going to kill you, Aizen.”
“You shouldn’t make rash threats.” Aizen chuckled, “It merely makes you look weak.”
Tōshirō lunged for him and a moment later, what seemed like gallons of blood erupted from both of his shoulders. His Bankai shattered in an instant, and he crashed to his knees and slumped to the floor.
Aizen continued to smile as he cleaned his Zanpakutō with a swipe of his blade. “A magnificent sight.” He eyed the frozen chamber placidly, “It’s the wrong season, but I rather like seeing ice this time of year.” He looked off to one of the hallways exiting the courtroom, “Has it begun?” He asked as he sheathed his Zanpakutō.
Slowly, four shadows came out from the darkness. The leader was an incredibly pale (almost white) man with piercing green eyes and what looked like tear marks tattooed on his face. The next was a short woman with purple hair, eyes, lipstick, and teardrop tattoos. On the man’s other side was a much taller man with a van-dyke beard and mustache. The final man was tall and lanky and had a huge, burnt-orange afro. All four of them looked human enough, though they also had strange mask remnants attached to their faces and heads in various ways. Additionally, all four of them were wearing the same Reiatsu-hiding cloak that Lisa had scarcely removed since she had entered Soul Society. “It has, Aizen-sama.” The leader declared.
“Excellent, Ulquiorra.” Aizen said, “It’s still a bit soon for us to act, but I believe you know your role.”
“Of course.” The pale Ulquiorra bowed his head in acknowledgement.
“You may go then.” Aizen commanded, and the man vanished with a burst of Sonido. “I presume young Kurosaki succeeded in rescuing Lieutenant Matsumoto?”
“Yes, Aizen-dono.” The man with the van dyke responded with a laugh. “Ahhh, what entertainment the niño has provided! He, what is that expression humans enjoy? Ah yes…” He grinned, “I believe he ‘beat a motherfucker with another motherfucker.’”
Aizen chuckled indulgently, “How amusing. He’s grown far stronger than I expected.” He cast his gaze at the man with a slightly different expression, “Do watch your language though, Dordoni.” Dordoni stiffened, “It is unbecoming of you.”
“Y-Yes, Aizen-dono.” Dordoni whimpered.
“Now, where is Gin, Cirucci?” Aizen turned his gaze to her, “I had expected his return already.”
“He was ambushed quite unexpectedly, Aizen-sama.” Cirucci replied, making Aizen’s eyebrow raise. “I’m actually not sure by who. Gantenbainne?” She turned to the final man.
“Sorry, Aizen-sama. Our insects couldn’t catch a clear picture of the one who attacked him. They left the area too quickly for them to follow too.” Afro-man told him.
“Oh, no matter.” Aizen shook it off, “I’ll let him have his fun. Unless there is anything else?”
Dordoni smirked, “Actually, there is, Aizen-sama.” He gained his leader’s attention once more, “I continued looking through Urahara’s files.” That was the primary reason Aizen had brought the three to the Seireitei, after all. He was a powerful man, but Urahara had kept hundreds of thousands of files throughout his years as the leader of Division Twelve. “While I cannot be certain, around the time that you believe he created his Hōgyoku, his research was roughly seventy-five percent focused on the Valley of Screams.”
That gave even Aizen pause. “The Valley of Screams…” He murmured back as his mind whirled. He had originally created his own Hōgyoku with the sacrifice of thousands of citizens of the Rukongai out in the highest districts. If Urahara had done the same with a Valley… it could certainly explain why their Hōgyoku were both so different. “Excellent work, Dordoni. You will be commended.” Aizen smiled in satisfaction. He now had an extra backup plan, though a much more irritating one, in the event of something going wrong. “Let us go back. It’s still too early for our reveal.” He started walking away.
Cirucci looked over at Hitsugaya. He was still breathing shallowly, and bleeding much more slowly than he should have been due to the ice covering him. If anything, his wounds were frozen shut. “Shall I finish him, Aizen-sama?” She asked, reaching for her Zanpakutō.
“No need.” Aizen chuckled once more. Pouting, the woman followed the three men. “I do love an occasional game of chance, so I’ll leave his life up to fate.” His smile had no warmth in it at all. “After all, it’s not like he’ll be an obstacle even if he does survive.” He said dispassionately as they disappeared into the darkness.
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“Isane.” Unohana said quietly as they sped down the bridge into the Central 46 Headquarters. “No one was supposed to be here.” She said as they entered the building and began running down the stairs. “We might have injured.” Isane nodded seriously, “They are your secondary priority. The first priority is getting the word out about Aizen’s treachery, if it turns out to be true. As soon as we have that verified, you are to escape and use Tenteikūra as soon as you can to inform the rest of the Seireitei and the ryoka.”
“Yes, Taichō.” Isane said seriously.
“And one more thing.” Unohana said softly, “I hope what you might see today doesn’t change your opinion of me too much.”
“T-Taichō?” Isane looked at her in confusion, but before she could say anything else, her eyes widened, “Hitsugaya-Taichō!” She rushed for the barely-living Captain to check his vitals.
Unohana had her attention elsewhere. “Hello Aizen-Taichō.” Unohana sighed as she walked down the steps.
“You don’t seem too surprised to see me.” Aizen smiled pleasantly, “Hello there, Unohana-Taichō. Did it take you this long to figure out where I was?”
“It’s the only area in the Seireitei that is so closed off that someone would have to fake their own death to enter in secrecy.”
Aizen chuckled, “And how did you know that I was alive?”
“Your fake corpse was shoddy.” Unohana said serenely as she took the last step. She reached for her braid and began to unwind it, drawing Aizen’s curious attention. “No half-digested food inside, little putrefaction despite several days having passed since the death… Honestly, I expected better for someone so meticulous.”
Aizen chuckled, “It passed muster easily enough to anyone without your knowledge. I am impressed that you saw through it, however.” He raised his eyebrow, “Though I confess myself curious.” He said with a small tilt of his head, “Why are you unbinding your braid?”
“Because…” She finished unwinding her hair, letting it flow behind her like an inky-black shadow. Aizen’s eyebrows rose as he caught sight of a nasty-looking scar on her throat. She drew her Zanpakutō, “Unohana Retsu isn’t needed at this moment.” Her expression changed, becoming cold and completely merciless.
“What?” Isane had completely forgotten her role and even Aizen looked surprised. She stared at her Captain in shock.
He let out a smile, “My, my, do you have a little secret even I know nothing of?”
Unohana licked her lips, “Bankai.” She grabbed her blade near the hilt and then dragged her hand down the length of the blade, spilling a grotesque amount of blood from her hand. It formed a U-shape in front of her. “Minazuki.” Geysers of blood that filled the whole room erupted beside her.
“Uno…hana…Taichō?” Isane looked around in dread. Wh…what was this? “I-Is this blood?” She touched it and raised it to her nose to sniff at it, finding that it was indeed blood. She then watched as Tōshirō’s wounds began to steam closed.
“Isane.” Unohana turned to her Lieutenant, who let out the first ever squeak of fear that her Captain had ever drawn from her. “I believe I gave you your orders.” She had none of her usual warmth in her voice. Isane’s eyes widened and she grabbed Hitsugaya before using Shunpo to exit the premises.
“My, my, it appears that I wasn’t the only one hiding things from beloved subordinates.” Aizen chuckled, legitimately surprised by the events of the day. “I am curious to know just what you have planned, Unohana-Taichō.”
“I believe I told you, Aizen. Unohana isn’t here right now.” Unohana replied as she began to walk towards him. The blood beneath their feet started to evaporate and then began to rain down upon them.
“Oh? Then what should I call you?” Aizen asked as he drew his Zanpakutō.
“The name I abandoned long ago.” She replied, before blurring into motion. She completely ignored the Aizen in front of her and dashed to the right, her bloody blade clashing with Kyōka Suigetsu. The Aizen she had been speaking to vanished while another held her in a blade lock. “Today, I am Yachiru.”
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Lisa barely managed to move her head out of the way in time as Gin revealed his Bankai. ‘Fast!’ Her eyes were wide and huge behind her mask as several kilometers of the Seireitei’s homes and barracks were split apart so fast, the tops erupted upward like they were spring loaded. “God-Killing Spear, huh?” She commented as she dodged out of the way of a swing of the massive blade. A piece of wood from one of the buildings crossed her vision, and she almost tripped when it cleared and she saw that his blade had returned to its original size. It looked no longer than a tanto, just like it normally was. “I see.” She chuckled, “Able to strike from great distances and at ultrasonic speeds. Truly a scary Bankai. It’s so fast most people would be completely incapable of dodging it. How long does it get?”
Gin let out a small chuckle, “You got me.” He said, though he still looked unamused for once. “Thirteen whole kilometers!”
“I’ll just assume you can do double that then.” Lisa smirked at him as his right eyebrow twitched slightly. “Not quite sure how fast it truly is… but it sure isn’t faster than Negación. Now that shit is annoying.”
“…” Gin deadpanned, “Agreed.” He said wryly. “But since you already figured me out, I might as well just tell you.” He tucked the blade under his arm and then clapped. “Hear that?” He smirked again despite the pain he was feeling in his leg. “It’s five-hundred times faster.”
Lisa had to hold back a laugh. ‘…Which means you’re hiding something vitally important. A snake like you wouldn’t just give up information. You’re misdirecting me to hide its true ability.’ She thought to herself and called Seikaiju no Kukai back beside her. ‘Luckily for me…’ She was so glad her mask hid her smirk as the spear transformed into its larger form once more. ‘Form One: Branches.’
“Oh, not going to try to cut me with the anti-healing one again?” Gin asked as he grabbed Kamishini no Yari’s handle again.
“You say that like I can’t easily control it.” Lisa shot back.
“Hmmm, we’ll have to see.” Gin said before dashing at her. “With that huge spear of yours, I have the advantage in close quarters, you know!” His slashes were fast and precise. Lisa’s spear whirled around in her hands, struggling to keep up with his swordsmanship with its far larger bulk, but doing a good enough job that she was able to keep the tip of Kamishini no Yari from ever pointing directly at her.
‘Only a matter of time before she makes a mistake.’ He thought to himself, before he stiffened when he realized the spear wasn’t actually in her hands anymore. He was a hair too late before a Bala hit him exactly where her earlier slash had. He buckled for a bare second, and the spear, once again in the Nettles form, slashed into his forehead. He managed to dodge the worst of it, but blood started to dribble into his right eye. ‘Okay Yadōmaru-chan, you’ve had your fun.’ He growled to himself as he used Shunpo to create distance again. He watched as the spear went back to Form One before he thrust forward once more and sent his absurdly-fast Bankai straight for her chest.
Seikaiju no Kukai began to glow an iridescent purple before a sphere of the same color opened in front of her. Kamishini no Yari entered that hole and then almost took Gin’s head off as another opened right by his head. If it hadn’t been for the glow, he would have skewered himself with his own Bankai! His eyes were fully opened now, revealing their brilliant silver color.
As he ducked, a ring of spheres appeared around him, with Lisa jabbing her spear into the one in front of her. Eight copies of her spearhead came screaming for Gin, looking to stab him through eight different directions at once. “Bakudō #73. Tozanshō!” He yelled and pointed at his feet. A blue beam erupted down, before splitting upwards four times. An inverted pyramid appeared around him just in time for Lisa’s spears to screech into them, deflecting away.
“Tch.” She growled, having hoped that would end it. Gin was just as quick on the draw as his stupid Bankai was fast. She wouldn’t be breaking a barrier like that with just her strength. She drew her spear from the portal. “Form Four: Sunflower!” She said as her spear grew massive, losing its blade and becoming a massive sunflower similar to Form Three. Only this time, it didn’t start to spew a gentle pollen on her. Its flowers pointed directly at Gin as that iridescent purple glow traveled up the stalk. Once it reached the petals, the energy collected in the middle. “Bifröst.” She grinned maniacally before an absolutely massive beam not unlike a Cero shot for Gin.
“Seventh son with second sight. Drums of liberation. Traveling from the east. A mirror divides the night sky. Bakudō #81: Dankū!” Gin said just in time for the extra barrier to form in front of him.
The beam hit the Dankū and continued on, spilling over the sides and annihilating parts of the Seireitei. The barrier cracked and shattered, but it had done enough of the job that the weaker Tozanshō was enough to deflect part of it downward. A massive explosion obscured him from sight, the shockwave knocking down dozens of walls around the area and flattening more buildings.
Lisa was one hundred percent ready for Kamishini no Yari to erupt from the smoke. “Form Three: Pollen Garden.” The pollen fell on her once more, and Kamishini no Yari crashed upon the barrier that had formed around her and deflected outwards.
“I have to say-” Gin’s smile was very strained as his eyes slid to the left where a bunch of stuff he hadn’t intended to destroy now lay in ruins. “Your Bankai is very annoying. How many abilities can one Zanpakutō have?”
“Who knows.” Lisa continued to smirk at him… not that he could see it. “Also, Form Six: Roots.” Gigantic tree roots started to appear around her, their tips pointed and sharpened.
Gin let out an exasperated, “Damn it.” Before he turned and started to run.
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Had this been anyone else, Chōjirō would have felt insulted. Competing with a Bankai of the same element with nothing more than your Shikai? That was the kind of thing only those who truly had claim to the ‘Most Powerful X-Type Zanpakutō’ could claim. There had never been a Fire-Type Zanpakutō that could compete with Ryūjin Jakka. It was that overwhelming in power. Something Chōjirō knew intimately well from all his days by his master’s side. Hyōrinmaru held the claim of the most powerful Ice-Type Zanpakutō, though there were rumors that Kuchiki Rukia’s Sode no Shirayuki was the true master of ice.
As for Chōjirō? He knew lightning intimately well. The smell of ozone in the air. The speed. The power. The only one in the past thousand years who might have been able to claim equal experience and a more powerful Lightning-Type Zanpakutō had been Shihōin Yoruichi. But right now?
He was feeling a lot more energy in the skies than he normally did. ‘How ludicrous.’ He thought to himself with a small smile. ‘This boy truly might have a Shikai more powerful than my Bankai.’ All around them, bolts of lightning were crashing on Sōkyoku Hill. Electricity surrounded Ichigo and his hammer, which he held in a loose grip in his right hand. The boy wanted to see what he could do. ‘I suppose I’ll have to oblige you, Kurosaki Ichigo.’
Chōjirō dragged the tip of his rapier across the cage of lightning, not looking as the bolts bent to his will and surrounded his sword. Lightning began to crackle on his arm, and he took a step. In an instant, the tip of his rapier was where Ichigo’s right eye had just been.
Ichigo had ducked with equal speed, grinning madly as Chōjirō practically teleported to where he had just been. He swung his hammer, the wind churning around his blow as Chōjirō somersaulted and met his attack head on. A shockwave hit the both of them from the impact, and the stately gentleman grunted as his arm was jarred incredibly hard, allowing himself to get flung away.
He had a grimace on his face as he rotated his arm slightly. ‘What sheer force.’ He thought to himself.
Ichigo’s hammer began to spark with electricity before he jabbed it forward. A bolt of lightning erupted straight for Chōjirō, who moved his Zanpakutō into the bolt’s path. Ichigo’s eyes widened as Chōjirō parried his bolt with the tip of his blade. He grinned and let out a whistle, “Well, isn’t that something?”
‘It appears this will be a match of finesse vs brute strength.’ Chōjirō thought idly, his eyes falling on the tip of his blade and seeing a very slight discoloration. ‘I can infuse my blade with his lightning, but not without some damage.’ His eyes flicked back up before he raised his blade, ‘Let’s see if I can’t do the same.’ He swung it at his foe and a bolt of golden lightning erupted from the sky, hitting Ichigo with a KRAKBOOM! ‘He didn’t block?!’
Ichigo chuckled as the lightning continued to strike him, “Yeah, sorry to say, but lightning doesn’t really work on me.” His grin widened as he clenched his fist around his hammer’s handle. Instantly, the lightning started to veer towards it instead.
‘Not even a Lichtenberg mark.’ Chōjirō’s eye twitched very slightly. ‘Granted, that was nowhere near the most powerful bolt I could conjure, but for it to not even tickle? Lightning isn’t a good weapon against me either, but that’s because I can bend it with my Zanpakutō. How is it possible for him to just take the hit and ask for more?!’ His blood was starting to boil. ‘Very well then. Let’s see what you can really do.’ Chōjirō’s Reiryoku started to crackle out of him and press on Ichigo’s shoulders.
“Hmm, yeah, that’s some nice Reiatsu you’ve got.” Ichigo called out. “Not as nice as Kenpachi’s, but…”
Despite himself, Chōjirō chuckled, “Few have Reiatsu as heavy as that brute. But I would worry more.” Lightning started crackling along his entire form and he blitzed for Ichigo faster than even his opening move. His foot crashed into Ichigo’s chin, throwing him into the air with a broken jaw. Golden bolts surrounded them in a cage as Ichigo healed his jaw with a groan and allowed a few teeth to fall out. Chōjirō shot past him, a thin stream of Ichigo’s blood following.
He hit one of the bolts and rebounded, hurtling back towards Ichigo as the lightning acted more like an elastic band than a powerful bolt of lightning. Ichigo’s neck opened up like a weeping waterfall as Chōjirō rebounded again, and again, and again. He himself looked like a bolt of lightning as he carved Ichigo up again and again, the bands of lightning stretching themselves out around them.
Finally, he appeared above Ichigo and allowed himself to fall. He hit Ichigo with full force, carving into him all the while before they slammed into the Sōkyoku Hill with a tremendous bang.
Chōjirō flew out from the dust cloud and slid to a stop on the dirt. “What a shame.” He murmured and was about to end his Bankai when laughter rang out from the cloud. Chōjirō’s eyes went wide as the dust started to clear and revealed a standing shadow with a massive grin on his face.
And then Reiatsu exploded outward as lightning began to crackle outwards. “Damn Chōjirō, you’re a strong fucker, aren’t you? You’d easily kill most of the Captains I’ve fought so far.” He continued to laugh as the dust cleared entirely and revealed his carved-up body. Even as he spoke, his wounds were shrinking in size, leaving behind nothing but blood and a torn-up uniform to tell the tale. “That was a hell of a move.” He praised his opponent.
‘Hell of a move?’ Chōjirō thought to himself a little numbly. ‘I’ve faced Hollows with extreme High-Speed Regeneration who were torn to shreds from that! I’ve killed one of the weaker recorded Vasto Lorde Hollows with that. And he calls it nothing more than a ‘hell of a move?’’
“Hope you’ve got more in the tank, Chōjirō! I’m starting to have fun!” Ichigo called out gleefully as he reared back and chucked his hammer straight for Chōjirō’s face. The hammer moved like lightning itself, one of the large edges just barely scratching the man’s cheek as he moved his head out of the way.
‘Letting go of his weapon?’ Chōjirō thought to himself incredulously as Ichigo appeared in front of him. He leapt back as Ichigo unleashed a devastating punch that visibly churned the air around his fist. “Grk!” Chōjirō gagged as the pressure wave from Ichigo’s punch hit him in the stomach. He ground his feet into the dirt to stop himself. “Why you-” He lunged forward but let out a gasp as Ichigo just splayed open his fingers. He tried to land so he could dodge but was too late. He grunted in pain again as the hammer slammed into his left shoulder blade and sent him spiraling through the air with a cracked shoulder. ‘It can return to his hand!’ He thought to himself furiously for his mistake as the hammer veered up.
Ichigo grabbed it out of the air and crashed down on Chōjirō. The older man rolled away as quickly as he could and got back to his feet as Ichigo’s hammer crashed upon the dirt. Forks of lightning ripped out from it and through the earth, tearing it apart and practically detonating it. The earth erupted around him as Chōjirō leapt into the air above him, lightning absorbing into his blade and forming what looked like a wolf’s maw. “Kintsūga no Kaminari!” He yelled as the gaping maw erupted downwards, biting down on Ichigo with crushing force and absolutely detonating the area around him. Rocks flew in every direction from the explosion.
Ichigo’s Shihakushō was entirely torn apart when he was revealed, and yet his body crawled with blue lightning. “LET’S SEE HOW MUCH YOU CAN TAKE, CHŌJIRŌ!” He yelled as he raised his Zanpakutō. Chōjirō’s eyes widened as almost all of the lightning in the clouds above them began to congregate into one spot. Small pebbles around them seemed to be levitating from the sheer amount of magnetism being generated in one spot. “Judgement!” Ichigo swung Gōzen Raiu down.
Chōjirō used what little lightning he felt was still in his control to form a band behind him as he fell down. He planted his feet and zipped away, not even aiming for Ichigo just trying to get out of the way. In a moment, he was almost at the other end of the mountain. In other words, the perfect spot to see the bolt strike the tip of the mountain near where the Sōkyoku was and rend it apart. The entire part of the mountain shaped like a broken, inverted anvil’s horn sheared away from the rest of the mountain. Ichigo’s bolt continued onward, smacking into the ground below and sending Lichtenberg figures racing through for over a hundred meters. Buildings instantly caught fire and started to burn for several seconds before the gigantic chunk of rock and the remnants of the Sōkyoku (and its stand) crashed into the ground. A shockwave put out all the fires that had just lit up. The earth quaked throughout the Seireitei as a cloud of dust and smaller rocks peppered the area.
Chōjirō was almost too paralyzed by the firm understanding that his Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū had lost its title for good to retaliate. ‘He can’t keep using attacks like that infinitely!’ He thought to himself in rising frustration. ‘I just have to wear out his regeneration!’ Lightning began to crackle around him once more as he shot at his opponent. An aura surrounded him as he pierced Ichigo once more, directly in his heart from behind.
Or at least he tried to.
Blue lines crossed Ichigo’s skin at the point of impact. ‘Blut Vene!’ He thought to himself in sheer frustration. ‘Eijisai-dono tasked me with bringing Kurosaki down! I can’t-’ He braced his Zanpakutō with his other arm as he blocked the monstrously powerful hammer. It sent shockwaves through both limbs, ‘I can’t lose here!’ He thought desperately as he flew away, feeling like his arms were more hairline fractures than bone at the moment. He hit the ground and rolled to his feet, “Bakudō #81: Dankū!”
Ichigo crashed into the barrier with a grimace. “Using Kidō now, huh?” He asked in disappointment as he charged a Cero into Gōzen Raiu. “What a drag…” He said as he slammed his hammer into the pane once more, annihilating it in one blow.
“Bakudō #99: Kin!” Chōjirō yelled.
Ichigo yelped as his arms were bound behind his back with some powerful cloth.
“Bakudō #99: Bankin!” Chōjirō continued. White Reiryoku unleashed from his hands, which were pressed into the ground. The energy moved swiftly towards Ichigo, binding him from head to toe in white fabric. “Refrain!” Chōjirō yelled and numerous metal bolts slammed into Ichigo. “And finally, Finale!” He yelled as a giant cube of dark metal appeared in the air above Ichigo’s bound form. Somehow, he doubted even this would be able to hold the obscenely powerful boy. And so, he began to chant his final spell. “Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy. Boil forth and deny. Grow numb and flicker. Disrupt sleep. Crawling queen of iron. Eternally self-destructing doll of mud. Unite. Repulse. Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!! Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi!” It was the most powerful spell he knew (that didn’t also happen to be a Forbidden Spell) which Bankin wouldn’t interfere with.
The black coffin started to rise and form around the cube, which he could already see was vibrating in a manner he found very unpleasant. The coffin formed entirely, the spears jutting out and ready to pierce and crush everything within.
And then it all went wrong.
Reiatsu shattered the coffin entirely before it could finish its job. Shards of metal erupted outwards like shrapnel, peppering Chōjirō even as he crossed his arms to protect his face. Lightning was erupting upwards from where Ichigo had been sealed.
About the only thing that had gone right in Chōjirō’s mind was that Ichigo’s Reiatsu had taken a huge hit breaking out of Bankin and Kurohitsugi. It was less than half as potent as it had been moments ago.
Ichigo glared at the older gentleman. “Time to end this.” He hissed furiously as he charged forward.
“Bakudō #81: Dankū!” Chōjirō called out. If he could just exhaust Ichigo a little more he was certain he could injure him past the point that his regeneration could keep up!
And then Ichigo shattered his barrier with one swing. “CLENCH THOSE TEETH!” He roared as Gōzen Raiu slammed into Chōjirō’s face with a sickening crack. The distinguished man parted with several teeth and his consciousness as he flew off of Sōkyoku Hill, his Zanpakutō reverting back into its sealed form. Despite that, he never let go of the blade even as he vanished from Ichigo’s sight and plummeted to the ground below.
Ichigo panted for a few moments as he collected himself. That Bankin had put a huge crick in everything. He stood straight and bared his teeth as he began to crack his joints, his neck, and his back. He let out a moan of pleasure and relief as he moved his body around a little more. Gōzen Raiu reverted to its sealed form as he settled. ‘You were one tough fucker, Chōjirō. I’m down under half…’
Hopefully it would be enough. He had a feeling the job still wasn’t done. He leapt from the mountain and started speeding for Nemu and Rangiku. He trusted Kenpachi to keep the others safe.
-]|[-
“Fascinating.” A look of focus had replaced Aizen’s normal, easy-going smile. “My, I had no idea that Yachiru of Kenpachi was still alive. By all accounts, she vanished a millennia ago.” Now Aizen was actually cautious. The original Kenpachi had been said to have been a demon with the blade. But more importantly… “You knew where I was.”
Yachiru licked her lips again. “It’s my coming out party, Aizen. Let’s not waste it by talking.” And then her blade flashed in so many directions that even Aizen was a little hard-pressed to block them all. She moved like lightning and proved exactly why they had first begun calling her Kenpachi. Despite not having fought in a single battle in a thousand years, it was as though she hadn’t ever retired at all.
The flashing of their blades and sharp screeches from every block and parry filled the area around them. Their blades were moving so fast and hitting each other so hard that even the blood raining down on them was held back, like a bubble of air was shielding them.
Aizen vanished from sight before reappearing behind her, slashing at her back. Yachiru didn’t bother blocking and the blade simply passed through her body. “Hadō #41. Kongōbaku.” She said before a red sphere burst through her coat and shot at seemingly nothing.
“Bakudō #12. Hiroi Byōbu.” Aizen declared, forming out of thin air as a bunch of blue shields unfolded in front of him. The older but much more powerful variant of Sōkatsui hit his shield and erupted into a cloud of smoke. “It wasn’t a fluke. You’re ignoring my Kyōka Suigetsu’s perfect hypnosis.” He said in legitimate surprise. Everything came to a halt, and all the blood that had been floating a moment ago splashed down. “Ahhh…” He chuckled, “The blood.”
Yachiru allowed a drop to land on her finger before bringing it to her lips, suckling the digit sensuously. “You can fool many things, Aizen.” She dragged the digit down her lip and then her chin, “But not the bond between Shinigami and Zanpakutō. If Minazuki tells me one thing and my eyes, ears, nose, lips, and fingers tell me another, I will trust her every time.”
Aizen let out a delighted laugh. “My, my, I do so wish I had known this side of you existed before. It would have been a delight to face someone I could not crush with a negligent swing of my blade. How long can you keep this up for, I wonder?”
“How many grains of salt have you consumed in your life, Aizen?” Yachiru replied before speeding forwards.
“Your swordsmanship is immaculate.” Aizen complimented her. And then he unleashed his Reiatsu, which was far greater than her’s. “Unfortunately, your power is a bit on the weaker side.” He said before he outsped and overpowered her, cutting through her torso in three different places so quickly it appeared to have happened all at once. “Such a shame.” More blood splashed on the floor.
“What is?” She asked, before Aizen grunted and sped away.
He removed his hand from his side and saw his own blood weeping from the wound on his side. “…I see.” He said evenly as the cut through her left lung, liver, and belly steamed shut before his eyes. His hand began to glow green as he healed himself. “A splendid Bankai, Yachiru of Kenpachi. One apt for one of the greatest killers in the history of the Soul Society.” He smiled thinly, “I suppose I’ll just have to see if that ability of yours will keep working if I crush you entirely.”
“Now you’re speaking my language, Aizen.” Yachiru’s bloodthirsty grin would have sent most people running for the hills. Her own Reiatsu began to flicker around her in a red haze.
Aizen began to pump out more Reiatsu, the pressure of it enough to push back the blood quite a distance. He knew she would just guess where he was and had little doubt that her top-notch instincts meant she would likely be pretty close. He still used Kyōka Suigetsu to fill the room with three other copies of him, knowing that if she hesitated for even half a moment, it would be enough to solidly give him an edge.
“Hadō #69. Shinkū Ha.” She said before whirling around. A dozen vacuum blades erupted from her in every direction. Three of the Aizens were cut through without harming them, proving which were the illusions.
The real Aizen blocked with an irritated grunt. “I must say, having this bout when I’m short on time is a bit of an irritation.”
“Oh, we have all day, Aizen.” Yachiru replied, “You aren’t going anywhere.”
“Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō.” Was his reply, and Yachiru grunted as the six rods of light smashed into her midsection and immobilized her. She unraveled it within a moment, but that one moment of distraction was enough for Aizen to get in front of her. “Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi.” He said, before a black coffin about three times larger than her erupted around her. There was a sort of pulse before the coffin shattered, revealing something that charitably could have been called a pile of meat in the shape of a human laying in front of him. “So ends Yachiru of Kenpachi.” He smiled and turned around to walk away.
And then grunted in surprise as his last resort Kidō Millón Escudo erupted into being behind his neck. “Where are you going, Aizen?” Yachiru asked with a throaty chuckle as her grotesque form healed over in seconds, clean, healthy flesh replacing crushed and exposed muscle. “Our date has just begun.”
Aizen let out a sigh, “Truthfully, I am a little upset that I must cut it short. Unfortunately, I am working on a tight schedule here.”
“And how do you plan to do that?” Yachiru asked.
Aizen smirked slightly. “Espada.” He declared, and in an instant, his three underlings were kneeling in front of him. All of them eyed his very slightly torn Shihakushō with surprise and desire. Every one of them wished to be strong enough to do that themselves. “Entertain her.” He ordered
Yachiru raised an eyebrow. “You think I can’t handle such weak patsies?” The three then turned around, “…Arrancar. To think you’ve fallen this far, Aizen.”
“Fallen?” Aizen asked as he turned away, “Do not be so small-minded, Yachiru. It doesn’t become you.” A cloth erupted from his sleeve and whirled around him, and then he was gone.
“So,” Dordoni smiled as he drew his Zanpakutō, “Shall we dance, Niña?”
Yachiru let out a sigh before she blurred. Two clangs rang out as she appeared behind them, followed by a thud.
“IMPOSSIBLE!” Cirucci shrieked in shock as she leapt away, her Zanpakutō chipped from having blocked her blow. Gantenbainne’s head rolled by her feet.
Yachiru’s expression was still frigid but now also had fury blazing in her eyes. “It appears my entertainment has abandoned me.” She turned and revealed that her face was slathered in the dead Arrancar’s blood. “A thousand-year dry spell, and he leaves just when things were getting good.” She said, her tone dark and furious. “Scream for me, replacements.”
…
“Excellent work, Ulquiorra.” Aizen praised one of his strongest Arrancar as he reappeared atop Sōkyoku Hill.
“I live to serve, Aizen-sama.” He threw Rangiku roughly on the ground at his feet, uncaring of any pain she experienced.
“Now, now, there’s no need to be so rough with our guest of honor.” Aizen chided him, “Hmm, and it appears that Gin is having a tougher time than expected.” He said as he leaned down and grabbed Rangiku’s red collar and hauled her to her feet. “Do go help him out, will you?” Ulquiorra nodded and vanished so quickly that few in the Seireitei’s history could possibly have kept up with him.
-]|[-
“Why does your brother always have to be a pain in my ass?” Kaien grunted several minutes before Yachiru’s fight with Aizen ended as another petal of Senbonzakura caught him in the arm.
“Remember who had to live with him for decades.” Rukia groused as she dodged another stream. One came for her from behind and she cast Hadō #79. Hyōga Seiran to freeze another wave solid. The entire mass of ice started to vibrate as the individual petals slowly started eating their way through the ice. “I would have been a Lieutenant decades ago if I had ever cared to move out of the Thirteenth. You’re lucky you’re cute.”
Kaien snorted, “Tsundere.” Oh, he was going to pay for that one later. He already saw the evil glint in her eye. He whipped Nejibana towards another stream of Senbonzakura, knocking it away with a heavy wave. “I hate to say it, but I don’t think we can keep him at bay like this.”
“Yeah, one of us is going to get hurt.” She grunted as the petals started to speed up with Byakuya directing them with his hands. “Especially if he does that.” She growled furiously.
“Fuck it.” Kaien grabbed the trident with both hands. “Bankai.” He declared. The clouds had already been dark above their heads, but the darkness was centered around Sōkyoku hill. Now they turned black and a deluge of rain started to fall. Instantly, all three of them were completely drenched down to their bones. Senbonzakura’s petals even started getting knocked out of the sky as the raindrops hit like bullets.
Kaien didn’t mind, though. The water started to collect around him, forming watery shapes as he rose into the air. It swirled up like a water tornado, collecting detritus from their fight and forming a shell around him. A massive version of Nejibana was held in the ‘hand’ of some sort of amalgamation of many aquatic creatures. “Suijin no Omoi.”
“I see.” Byakuya narrowed his eyes, “Do not presume to stop my blades with mere water, Shiba Kaien.”
Kaien chuckled, which sounded like the grinding of rocks coming from an inhuman throat. “You don’t know much about water, huh?” The watery face smirked as the giant trident began to spin like a drill bit. “Don’t underestimate it, Byakuya! I’d hate to kill you by accident!” The giant thrust the trident forward and a watery drill erupted towards Byakuya.
The noble’s eyes widened as a giant mass of Senbonzakura formed a shield in front of him. The drill hit his wall, but to his surprise, it didn’t erupt outwards as he had expected. Instead, the drill appeared to grind into his wall, scattering the tiny, light blades of his Bankai around. They widened more when a small leak started to appear in the center of his formation. He instantly used Shunpo to get out of the way, landing on a building far to the right. He watched as the drill pierced the wall of Senbonzakura as he stopped trying to hold it in place. It carved through the wall and then the floor, finally erupting into a giant spray of mist that took out half a dozen buildings and walls.
“Don’t forget me, Niisama!” Rukia called out as an intense wave of frost surged towards Byakuya from her beautiful white blade.
“Bakudō #81. Dankū.” Byakuya said as the frost crashed into the pane of glass he summoned, parting around him. Even still, a minor hiss erupted from his throat as the intense cold started to burn his fingers due to the ongoing rain. ‘Their synergy is incredible.’ He grudgingly admitted. The frigid air was turning the watery bullets into icy ones instead. His Reiryoku was dense enough that the icicles weren’t piercing but it was still like being pelted by tiny rocks, constantly.
“Really Byakuya, facing us both at once with no backup wasn’t your brightest idea.” Kaien taunted him as a crab formed in front of him. Byakuya’s eyes snapped to him as a thin beam of water erupted from the crab’s mouth. Byakuya dodged out of the way and was astonished as the beam cut through first the ground itself and then the house as it swung upwards. The cut was thin, but it split earth, rock, and wood in half with seemingly zero difficulty.
‘That kind of cutting power is equal to Senbonzakura.’ He thought to himself as he ducked a swipe from Sode no Shirayuki. Rukia hadn’t really been aiming to take his head off, but if he hadn’t… ‘…Why Rukia? Why have you betrayed the Seireitei? You cannot imagine how proud I am of your strength…’ She spun and kicked him in the chest, sending him down to the ground below.
A rumbling caught his attention. A wave seemingly made of stampeding horses was rushing for him. He gathered Senbonzakura and sent it at the wave, the grinding blades parting the wave straight down the center of one of the horses’ heads. The wave parted around him, crashing into the Seireitei’s retaining walls and knocking them off their foundations, before smashing them into yet more houses.
Clearly he needed to take them more seriously than he had been. “Barren summits. Verdant plains. Cerulean gem. Ring of clouds. Roar and advance! Break the shroud of the sky. The battlefield vanishes with the thunderclap! Hadō #88. Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!” He pointed his palm as a massive ball of blue lightning formed in it before erupting towards Kaien.
“Well shit…” Kaien grumbled as soon as Byakuya began to chant. He raised Nejibana sky-high and the clouds began to swirl more and more. The rain stopped falling and started looking more like a water spout. As soon as the beam erupted towards him, he swung the trident at Byakuya. A much larger watery drill descended, striking the beam about equidistant between the both of them.
A colossal explosion knocked all of them back, fiery and crackling with lightning on Byakuya’s end, and with icy cold rain on his end. Kaien was starting to get tired. He wasn’t too experienced with his Bankai, having rarely found cause to use it. He really should have trained his stamina more.
Byakuya appeared in a burst of speed in front of the massive monster surrounding Kaien. He swung his arms up, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi splitting into two masses around him and piercing into the watery titan. The blades dug through the water, but he instantly realized that they were sluggish beyond belief. They were reaching for Kaien, but the sheer density of the water (Reishi made several impossible things possible) and churning currents was doing far too much to impede them.
He leapt back just as Kaien jammed his massive trident into the ground where he had been standing. The tines shattered the ground and then an earthquake rocked the Seireitei where they were fighting. Byakuya landed and lost his footing for a bare moment.
Rukia capitalized on it, appearing beside him and wrapping the ribbon around Byakuya’s leg and freezing it solid to the ground. “Enough, Niisama!” She yelled as he could no longer move from his spot. “Please just listen to us!” She pleaded with him, knowing that he could really lose his leg if he continued to be stubborn.
“Senkei.” Byakuya responded. All of the billions of petals started collecting together and forming into thousands upon thousands of individual pink swords.
Rukia hissed as she swung Sode no Shirayuki for his chest. One of the thousand blades descended for his hand, and he stopped her swing cold, knocking her away. “Shit!” She and Kaien were now trapped within his slaughterhouse.
“Damn it, Byakuya!” Kaien yelled, “You may have trapped us in here, but you can’t move from that spot without losing your leg! Don’t be a fool!”
“I am a Captain of the Seireitei.” He said coldly, “This is nothing.” He waved a hand forward and ten of the blades flew towards them. With all of the cutting ability of his blades concentrated into individual, chainsaw-like swords, he pierced through Kaien’s watery shell easily.
Kaien was still able to block them with the original Nejibana, breaking the swords apart. “Damn it! Could they hurry it the fuck up before one of us actually gets hurt?!” He growled out.
His prayers were answered.
-]|[-
The writhing branches chased after him, piercing in and out of the ground in waves. ‘They’re only coming from one direction. They must have an origination point. Can I assume that to be true though, or is she just trying to lure me into a false sense of security?’ He entered a house and sped through it, speeding up and physically bursting through the wall before vanishing in a Shunpo as the roots started to stampede through a row of houses. They turned in his direction, Lisa clearly able to sense him, likely via Pesquisa if that was a technique the Vizard could learn.
Far behind, Lisa continued to track him and send her roots after him. ‘About time.’ She thought, her eyes normal and her mask missing. ‘Thank you, Berry-kun. I never would have been able to do this even a month ago.’ Gin stood out starkly in her Pesquisa. And then abruptly, she said, “Form One: Branches.” Instantly, the spear popped out of the roots and formed a portal in front of her, which she dove into. ‘Form Two: Nettles!’ She slashed with the spear, and Gin was just a hair too slow in dodging. A thin line of blood flew from him as just the tip of her spear grazed from his right ribs all the way down to his left hip.
It wasn’t a huge wound, but one that would continue to bleed that he would not be able to close. “Hadō #63. Raikōhō!” He pointed his empty hand at her and blasted her away with the electrical Kidō. He patted his stomach with a grimace. ‘I can’t continue like this. I’ll bleed to death without ever accomplishing my goal! I have to kill her.’ He thought as he raised his Reiatsu higher than he had in decades. He dashed forward at full speed, eyes wide as he burst through the cloud of smoke after her. He wasn’t smiling as he saw her looking disheveled with her clothes in tatters because that damned sunflower was behind her once again. Her burns were healing before his very eyes! “Can’t attack me while in there.”
“According to whom?” Lisa asked as her mask formed again, a Cero forming at the tip of her fingers.
“Bakudō #81: Dankū!” Gin said, placing the barrier directly in front of Lisa’s barrier, practically touching it. The Cero hadn’t even managed to escape the Pollen Garden before it detonated, the massive explosion knocking Lisa back against the trunk of her sunflower.
Her mask cracked and she let out a growl as she fell down. ‘Damn this asshole!’ She thought as she spit out some blood and allowed her pollen to heal her. ‘I’m going to start running low on Reiryoku like this.’ She bared her teeth, ‘Damn it, why can’t I have Berry-kun’s level of Reiatsu?’
Gin wasn’t idle as she recovered. “Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy. Boil forth and deny. Grow numb and flicker. Disrupt sleep. Crawling queen of iron. Eternally self-destructing doll of mud. Unite. Repulse. Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!” He chanted as he held his finger in the air, determined to shatter this barrier and her with it. Kamishini no Yari continued pointing directly at her just in case. “Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi!”
The black coffin was massive, encapsulating the entirety of Lisa and her sunflower in its darkness. What looked like spears of darkness extended outwards before piercing the coffin hundreds of times.
‘That has to have done it, right?’ Gin thought to himself. And then the coffin shattered and a hundred little balls fired at him faster than a Quincy’s arrows. ‘What the hell are these?!’ He thought to himself in shock as the balls looked like flower buds… except with gaping maws and sharp teeth. He dodged away from the stream and raised his Zanpakutō to cut one of them, only for his blade to fail to penetrate. And then he hissed in agony as two managed to hit him, biting him around his fucking nipple and his uninjured thigh.
He reached down and grabbed the one on his thigh and yanked, before almost whiting out from the pain. His howl put a massive smirk on Lisa’s face as her mask disappeared. “How does that feel, traitor?” She egged him on.
He grabbed his Zanpakutō with both hands and held the hilt squarely against his chest. “Butō: Renjin!” He snarled, now wholly determined to kill the woman. His Zanpakutō extended and Lisa didn’t move. “What?!” Gin gasped as his Bankai abruptly dissolved, leaving his Zanpakutō in its sealed form. “What?!”
“I wouldn’t use any Reiryoku if I were you.” She sing-songed, a sadistic grin on her face. “They love it.”
Gin looked down and saw that the fanged buds had grown roots into his body. And he felt his Reiatsu getting weaker and weaker as they ate any Reiryoku he used. ‘No. No, not like this!’ Gin thought to himself as he cut off all his Reiryoku usage in horror. ‘Not without killing him!’ Lisa readied her spear and pointed it at his chest.
Lisa blinked, “Oh, Tenteikūra.” She said as the technique connected. “Shall we listen to what they have to say?” Her grin was malicious as a voice started speaking into their ears.
-]|[-
Far away from the Sōkyoku, Nemu stopped cold as a man walked out of an alley in front of her. “Arrancar!” She hissed in surprise.
She didn’t have a moment to react before an impossibly strong blow crushed her stomach. If she had been a regular Shinigami, she would have died instantly. “Nemu!” Rangiku yelled in shock as they pitched forward.
Ulquiorra plucked Rangiku from Nemu’s limp fingers and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of rice. “Move aside, trash.” He said tonelessly as he kicked Nemu away, sending her rolling into a wall with another gasp of pain. A white cloth erupted from his sleeve and spun around them as he and Rangiku vanished.
‘I-I’m sorry, Ichigo-sama.’ Nemu spat out some blood as she reached between her breasts and pulled out medicine. It healed her in seconds and she stood up, baring bloody teeth. The first mission Ichigo-sama had given her, and that Arrancar had torn it from her grasp. She vanished in a Shunpo, racing for the Sōkyoku, determined to do anything she could to help.
-]|[-
Isane ran until she was ten Ri away from the headquarters. She set Tōshirō down and panted for a moment, before falling to her knees. “Wh-Who did Unohana-Taichō become?” She asked herself, still feeling a chill in her spine. She shook her head, “No, don’t worry about that now.” She began to draw symbols on herself and on the floor. “Bakudō #77: Tenteikūra!” She yelled as she connected herself to the entirety of the Seireitei. Including Ichimaru, seeing as he appeared to have been defeated anyway. “All Captains and Lieutenants of the Gotei 13, and all ryoka! This is Kotetsu Isane, Lieutenant of the Fourth Division! Listen carefully, for this is an urgent message from Unohana-Taichō and myself! Everything I am about to say is the truth.” She yelled once she was sure everyone was listening. She very carefully excluded Aizen himself and Unohana-Taichō. “Aizen Sōsuke is alive and a traitor to the Soul Society! He was discovered in the bowels of the Central 46 Headquarters, having murdered the members of the highest court in the land weeks ago! All orders regarding former Lieutenant Matsumoto’s execution were complete fabrications. Even the incident that led to her demotion was fabricated by him!”
…
Lieutenant Hinamori was the first to freak out over the contents of the message, first in utter elation and then in shocked horror. “N-No! That’s impossible! It’s a trick!” She gathered her Zanpakutō and ran out of her home for the first time in days.
…
Somewhere else entirely, Rukia and Kaien slumped in relief as Byakuya completely froze in place. “Oh thank fuck.” Kaien groaned as he allowed his Bankai to evaporate. The pieces of detritus that had been floating in his Bankai’s watery body clanked on the hard ground as they fell.
Byakuya’s Senkei slowly dissolved as Senbonzakura returned to his hand. He clenched his Zanpakutō in a trembling grip. “Why did you not tell me before this all started?!” He asked, castigating himself for every tiny cut currently marring his sister’s body.
“You wouldn’t have believed a word without proof.” Rukia glared as she kneeled next to him and started to remove the ice from his leg, slowly warming it up as best she could. Byakuya let out a very uncharacteristic growl.
…
“Kyōraku-Taichō was informed of most of this in advance by the ryoka, and he in turn informed the Sōtaichō, though we obviously needed to confirm their words. Hitsugaya-Taichō was performing his own separate investigation and is currently in critical condition after having confronted the traitor. The true ability of Aizen’s Zanpakutō is complete hypnosis! If you see his Zanpakutō’s release even once, you will be ensnared by it forever! This leads me to my next report: He is not the only traitor! His compatriots are Tōsen Kaname, who was immune to his Zanpakutō’s secret ability, and Ichimaru Gin. That is why the ryoka Kurosaki Ichigo killed him in the living world!”
…
In another part of the Seireitei, Komamura rolled out of his convalescence bed and crashed to the floor. “Impossible!” He roared as he tried to get to his feet, “This can’t be true! KANAME!” He roared to the sky as several of the fourth division members tried to wrestle him back into bed. “KANAME!!!!!!!!!!!!” His howl broke the windows around them.
Hisagi stared listlessly out the window.
…
“Unohana-Taichō is currently fighting Aizen inside the Central 46 Headquarters-” Isane still had a note of disbelief in her voice regarding that. She could still feel her Captain’s almost unfamiliar Reiatsu this far out, but it was agitated in a manner she had never before felt. She also had Bakudō #58. Kakushitsuijaku active to keep track of everyone. “-while a ryoka I am unfamiliar with is facing Ichimaru! They are- no, wait! Aizen has abruptly relocated! He is on the Sōkyoku Hill, along with an unfamiliar Reiatsu and Lieutenant Matsumoto! Kurosaki is rushing to engage and I now have to focus on healing Hitsugaya-Taichō! Good luck to us all. Kotetsu-Fukutaichō out.” She declared before ending Tenteikūra.
“Ai…zen…” Tōshirō said, his eyes cracking open. He had nothing but hate in his voice.
“Hitsugaya-Taichō!” Isane yelped as her hands began to glow green with Kaidō, “Don’t move. You’re grievously injured!” Even with that… that blood that Unohana-Taichō had unleashed with her Bankai, his wounds were still grave.
He did not, merely sending his hatred over to Ichigo and hoping that his feelings would reach.
-]|[-
Lisa started to cackle as Gin stiffened in shock. It wasn’t like he could do anything in his condition anyway, but he was flabbergasted to realize that the Seireitei had known all along! Or at least the major players! “Well, it’s like Christmas morning.” She said mockingly. “Guess that means they won’t miss you too much if I kill you, huh Ichimaru?” Her expression went as cold as ice. “My friends send their regards.” Lisa said as she thrust Seikaiju no Kukai for his heart.
And then a cloaked figure appeared in front of her, deflecting the blade of her spear upwards and kicking her square in the chest. Lisa’s face reddened as she gagged, completely unprepared for the attack. She flew backwards and through a line of still-standing buildings.
“Ul-Ulquiorra.” Gin let out an agonized chuckle. “Seems like you saved my ass. Thanks.”
“Do not thank me.” The emo-looking man said coldly. “I merely followed Aizen-sama’s commands.” He declared as he picked Gin up.
“Yeah, yeah.” Gin grumbled as he reached for the plants and started trying to pry their jaws open. “Damn it. They eat Reiryoku so I can’t-” He struggled with them.
“We shall heal you later.” Ulquiorra said as he vanished with Sonido.
A few moments later, a towering pillar of iridescent purple Reiryoku erupted into the dark skies above. “REIŌ DAMN IIIIIIITTTTT!!!!!” Lisa howled her rage to the sky before the pillar abruptly vanished and her mask shattered. She slumped to her knees as her Bankai dismissed itself. She punched the ground hard enough to leave a few small cracks in it. Her Reiryoku was almost completely exhausted, but she’d see this through to the end. She raced for the Sōkyoku Hill, which was where she could feel Ichigo and Aizen.
-]|[-
“Now, good afternoon, Lieutenant Matsumoto.”
“Aizen.” Rangiku replied blandly, her legs trembling. “You’re looking pretty spry for a dead man.”
“Indeed! What a few days of rest and relaxation will do for a man. It hasn’t seemed to have gone so well for you, however. It appears my Reiatsu is impacting you quite roughly after your stay in the Senzaikyū.” He chuckled, “I hope you enjoyed your vacation in the living world.”
“Was going well up until that Menos invasion. Could have done with a few more years of that.” She replied and tilted her head. “Any particular reason you want me dead?”
“Oh, it was nothing personal.” Aizen replied, “You merely had something inside of you that I required. It was just business.”
“Feels kind of personal on my end.” Rangiku deadpanned, glaring at him.
Aizen’s smile widened as he let go of her and spun around. Kyōka Suigetsu flashed from her sheath as Ichigo’s hammer crashed down on him. “Ah, Kurosaki Ichigo. You’ve been giving me quite a bit of entertainment these past few weeks.”
“Aizen.” Ichigo replied as he raised his head.
Aizen’s eyebrows rose as he beheld the two bleeding and gaping eye sockets. “Oh my, quite the crude method of blocking my abilities.”
“If it works, it works.” Ichigo shrugged, “I can always regrow them.” He reared back before vanishing and kicking Aizen from behind. Aizen again whirled around and blocked with his blade, but to his surprise, he failed to pierce Ichigo’s body. He got thrown back a few meters as Rangiku breathed a sigh of relief.
“Yes, quite the interesting powerset you have. No, interesting isn’t the correct word. Astonishing is more apt.” Aizen smiled, “I would be quite interested to see where your ceiling lies, Ichigo. Unfortunately, I’m on a tight schedule.” Monstrous Reiatsu erupted from him, pressing down on both Ichigo and Rangiku’s shoulders. She gasped in shock and sank to the floor, the Reiatsu so powerful she felt sick to her stomach.
‘Holy shit!’ Ichigo’s eyes were wide, ‘He’s almost as strong as Kenpachi!’
“And unfortunately for you,” Aizen chuckled one more time, “You’ll find that removing your eyes only dropped the level of difficulty for defeating me to nearly-impossible rather than impossible.”
Ichigo went for broke. His Reiatsu skyrocketed as well as he fully embraced his Hollow powers for the first time since he had subconsciously done so that day he had met Grand Fisher once more. Lightning began to crawl on his skin as Rangiku began to drool on the floor, her eyes unfocusing as the lights began to dim.
Ichigo swore as he realized she just couldn’t handle it and launched himself forward to get away from her.
“Such a shame.” Aizen sighed as he appeared behind Ichigo. Despite his Hierro and his Blut Vene, Aizen still managed to sever each and every vital tendon on his body. He also almost cut him in half. Ichigo’s Reiatsu noticeably dipped low. “Your distraction cost you.” He walked towards Rangiku as he sheathed his blade, “I’m well aware that you possess High-Speed Regeneration, but do yourself a favor and stay on the ground, would you? You might have transcended the limits of Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollows, but it is working against you in this case. The longer you try to fight me, the more her soul will unravel simply due to our proximity. Who knows? She may even survive with this new method of extracting the Hōgyoku I discovered inside the great archive of the Central 46.”
“D-Damn… you…” Ichigo hissed as he struggled on the floor.
“Now then, Lieutenant Matsumoto.” Aizen smiled as he once again hauled Rangiku up. He clicked a button on a small cylinder, “It took quite a bit of effort to find this, but it appears I was right to look for a backup plan.” Six extra-large bamboo-shoot-looking things with sharpened, spear-like tips popped out of the ground around them. “Thankfully, I correctly reasoned that Urahara would have developed a way to remove something hidden within a soul if he developed a method to hide something inside of it.” His hand looked green and vaguely cactus-like. “So without further ado,” He pierced Rangiku’s chest with his hand.
“RANGIKU!” Ichigo let out a howl of fury from his place on the ground.
But Aizen simply extracted the Hōgyoku from Rangiku and let her fall to her knees. “Do relax, Kurosaki. It appears the method didn’t even harm your woman.” He said as he watched the hole on Rangiku’s chest close up as though it wasn’t there at all. He turned around to face Ichigo once more, who looked like he was healed and getting to his knees, though his Reiatsu was very low. “Honestly, if I had known it was going to be so easy, I wouldn’t even have bothered with the execution.” He said as he looked down at the swirling purple orb sealed inside a very powerful barrier.
Rangiku grinned evilly as she made a very specific motion with her mouth, a false tooth opening up and releasing a pill which she crunched down on. Three things happened instantly.
First, her Shinigami powers roared to life as her white robe turned into her black Shihakushō.
Second, Ichigo’s Reiatsu roared to full power once more.
And finally, the ‘Hōgyoku’ in Aizen’s hand exploded, blowing the limb to smithereens.
He let out a howl of shock and pain as his moment of triumph turned to ash in his very hands. He had to reach for Kyōka Suigetsu with his off hand, only for the very hot ashen chains of Haineko to grab the limb and sear his skin as well.
“SORRY AIZEN!” Ichigo roared with laughter as a gigantic lightning hammer surrounded his Zanpakutō. “YOUR PRINCESS IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE!” He roared as he swung for the man’s head.
There was a nearly-inaudible thud as a silver-haired traitor was dropped and Ulquiorra appeared in front of Aizen. His Zanpakutō cut the ashen chains around his leader’s arm as he whirled to face Ichigo. The Arrancar grunted as he took the full brunt of Ichigo’s attack. His cloak and white uniform blew off of him as he crashed into Aizen and knocked the two of them away.
“SHIT!” Rangiku cursed as she hurried to Ichigo’s side, holding her weapons at the ready.
“A fucking tenth of a second more!” Ichigo was livid as he started to charge a Cero.
The Arrancar was crackling with electricity while his body was twitching. His hands were bleeding. He still raised them and a very unstable-looking, neon green Cero started to form in front of him. “Gran Rey Cero!” He declared coldly as the two attacks shot at one another.
An explosion that rocked the Seireitei’s very foundations erupted in front of them. Rangiku hid behind Ichigo as best she could, but the both of them were forced back, digging trenches in the earth. Gin was sent flying away, rolling repeatedly on the ground. When the smoke and dust cleared, their enemies were on the other side of a giant crater.
Aizen rose to his feet, a look of apoplectic rage on his face. He was disheveled and his haori was torn and tattered. His glasses fell off his face, cracked and broken. “I see.” He hissed, his eyes wide and unblinking. He reached into his Shihakushō and pulled out a syringe, which he jammed into his stump and injected the contents into. He didn’t even twitch as the limb quickly and painfully regrew. “Well played, Urahara Kisuke.” He grabbed Kyōka Suigetsu and started to draw it.
Yoruichi appeared in front of him, a cloth tightly wrapping up Aizen’s katana, forcing it back into its saya. Soifon, looking far more disheveled than earlier, practically climbed Aizen’s back as she held her Zanpakutō to his throat. “Don’t move a muscle.” Yoruichi glared at him.
“You even twitch and you lose your head.” Soifon hissed.
“It’s over, Aizen.” Byakuya, Rukia, and Kaien all appeared around Ulquiorra, their Zanpakutō flashing for various kill-points on the Arrancar.
“Foolishness.” Ulquiorra hisses as their blades skittered across his Hierro. He jammed his fist into Rukia’s stomach, forcing her to sink to her knees as an elbow sent Kaien flying.
“Enough.” Aizen said. Ulquiorra stopped instantly. “Congratulations.” He said as the rest of the Shinigami elite of the Seireitei surrounded them. He glared at Ichigo and Rangiku in particular. “You’ve set back my plans by several months. Credit where credit is due.”
Yamamoto glared at the man as he started to draw Ryūjin Jakka. “You speak as if you’re getting out of this alive, traitor.”
“Because I am.” Aizen replied blandly.
Yoruichi’s eyes bulged, “Soifon, get back!” She yelled as they leapt away a bare moment before a rectangle of light slammed down around him. Byakuya also Shunpo’d away as another surrounded Ulquiorra. Over two hundred meters away, yet another fell around a fallen Gin. Two more fell in other parts of the Seireitei, as Cirucci and Dordoni had very quickly realized discretion was the better part of valor and had bravely run the fuck away from Yachiru. Neither were unscathed, despite this.
“Menos!” Soifon yelled as they looked up at a gaping hole in the Seireitei’s sky. It almost looked like it was bleeding black. Hundreds of Gillians were pulling at the edges while an ominous-looking, absolutely titanic eye opened behind them.
Aizen shrugged off his torn haori and tossed it onto the ground near him as a small platform of stone around his feet began to rise.
“Damn it, don’t let him get away!” Ichigo roared out.
“Stop!” Yamamoto commanded and Ichigo twitched to a stop, looking at the old man in confusion. “That light is called Negación. The Menos use it to rescue one another.” He growled, “They are in another world while inside that beam. Anyone with extensive experience fighting Menos knows that. Nothing you throw at it will reach them.”
Ichigo growled, “Then kill the Menos!” He pointed up in the air with his hammer, a Cero forming on the face. The lightning attack rushed forward and caused a catastrophic explosion in the sky. The lights flickered for a moment, before new Gillians reestablished them.
“Hey, it worked!” Rukia called as she began to chant the incantation for Hadō #78. Zangerin. She abruptly stopped when the titanic beast behind the Gillians pushed to the front. “What the hell is that?!”
And then the thing opened its mouth and started to vomit Gillians out. “Oh, for fucks’ sake.” Ichigo groaned out. There was no way they were going to get through all of those in time.
Yamamoto chuffed as he drew his Zanpakutō. “Reduce All Creation to Ash. Ryūjin Jakka.” He declared.
And Ichigo instantly understood why everyone and their grandmothers had repeatedly told him not to try to fight the badass old man. The heat became unbearable for a moment as the fire burned away all of the Gillians falling on the Seireitei.
“AIZEN-TAICHŌ!” Hinamori screamed at him. “WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!” Aizen didn’t so much as spare her a glance. She sank to her knees and began to sob, “Why, Aizen-Taichō?”
Ukitake stepped forward. “Have you truly fallen so far?”
“Don’t act like a fool, Ukitake.” Aizen replied coldly as he slicked back his blood-soaked hair. “No one has ever stood atop the heavens before. Not you, or your teacher, or even the gods. It’s time that unbearable vacancy ended. Despite this setback, I will be the one to stand at the top.” He glared at Ichigo, “Farewell, Shinigami, ryoka.” He said as he stepped within the Garganta. “I shall have to repay this favor a thousand-fold.” He said ominously as the gaping hole slammed shut in front of him.
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And here we are! Hope you guys enjoyed the climax!
And again, this draft ended up being kinda slap-dash because of the time crunch I ended up with. If there's any weirdness, please point it out! Hell, if you have an idea for better ordering of events, I'm all ears.
Actually already have part of the next chapter written. Did it more than a year ago when the inspiration struck, lol. So at least I'm slightly ahead of the game again. Next chapter will finish the Soul Society arc and be the final TS for a while.
PV out!