Rangiku was getting beaten pretty
badly now. I made to go help her, but she held up her hand, making me
stop. Why wasn't she letting me help? I looked up at Toushirou. He
had a deep scratch across his forehead and it was bleeding badly. I
knew he would refuse my help and I would just be in the way. Shauron
didn't have a scratch on him. He didn't even look tired.
Toushirou was breathing hard. I wish I could help.
I heard a yelp,
and Rangiku fell to the ground in front of the arrancar. I knew she
wouldn't let me help her either. Damn! What the hell was I doing
here if I wasn't gonna help?! I got angrier and angrier as I
thought about it. I was going to help whether they liked it or
not.
"Hm…even after a captain level Bankai, you're still
like this…extremely deplorable. Indeed it seems like you were truly
destined to lose." Shauron said.
Toushirou looked angrier, and
Shauron looked smug. I felt another strong pulse of reiatsu and
shuddered. They were releasing the zanpaku-to one by one. Damn
them!
"So, Ilforte has released, has he? He must've become
impatient and jumped the gun."
I wish he'd shut the hell
up.
"Or,…is there the possibility that from some unforeseen
counterattack, he was damaged severely and forced to release…? No,
that's not even remotely possible."
Toushirou lunged and
Shauron was prepared to block. The clashed, then went past each
other. What the hell was Toushirou doing?!
"Pathetic."
Shut
up…
"It's not over yet."
Toushirou whipped his tail
around and hit Shauron in the face. There was a cloud of smoke, but
not even a falter in reiatsu. How strong was the 11th arrancar?
The
cloud dispersed and only part Shauron's arm was frozen. He flexed
his knuckles and the ice shattered. He was completely unaffected. He
was very strong, apparently.
"…hmm. Striking out at me using
your own tail? Using such a risky move at this level can mean only
one thing…What a shame. But, it looks like you've truly reached
your limit."
Shut UP…
"They're disappearing, aren't
they? The flowers of ice." Shauron asked.
"…so what if they
are?" Toushirou retorted.
"Perhaps…that flower behind your
back is serving a very important purpose. A 'countdown.' The
countdown until your Bankai is finished. Am I mistaken?" he
continued, "You are but a child. It's only natural that your
primitive Bankai is incomplete. In order to achieve Bankai, it is
necessary to have a vast amount of spiritual power. It must be quite
for a captain to remain in the state of Bankai for such a long time…a
feat that is particularly remarkable, considering its incomplete
state.
"As time passes, the petals of the ice flower will fall
one by one…and so, when they have all scattered to the air, your
Bankai will disappear."
"SHUT UP!!" I shouted.
Toushirou
looked at me like I was stupid, and Shauron looked at me in a bored
manner. I knew that would have no effect, but still. He was pissing
me off.
"Pardon?" he asked.
"You heard me! I said Shut
the fuck up!" I repeated.
He looked back to Toushirou. He was
freakin' ignoring me! The nerve!!
"There was a total of 12
petals…but now, only three remain. After your Bankai disappears,
killing you will become a menial task. And then, to tell you how weak
you are, would just be too rude to such a captain.
"That is why,
before you fall from that form, I will exterminate you by rising to
my strongest fighting abilities.
"Snip him, Tijereta!"
"Shit!" I muttered.
He released his zanpaku-to! This
wasn't good! Toushirou hadn't put a single scratch on him yet. He
was all beaten up, and his Bankai was about to expire! How was he
going to win? I would help him! I don't care what he'll say, I'm
going to join the fight.
The cloud of smoke dispersed and Shauron
was revealed. The back of his mask extended into a forked tail; the
front became a breast plate that also covered his arms, extending
into long, pointed claws.
Suddenly, Toushirou's chest burst and
blood was pouring quickly from the wound. I screamed in
anger. That's it! I jumped up and attempted to attack Shauron. He
briefly looked my way, and then flung me away like I was a fly. I
crashed into the ground hard, slightly cracking the pavement.
I
groaned and rolled over onto my back. Damn, that hurt. I should be
stronger than this! I should have been able to at least whack him.
Just a little?
"Despicable. Such a waste of air." Shauron
muttered, "Well then. Allow me to teach you my true name. Yo soy
arrancar Undecimo…Shauron Qu Fong. It's been a pleasure knowing
you, little captain."
Shauron disappeared and stabbed
Toushirou's right wing, tearing right through it. The separated ice
melted instantly. Despite that, Toushirou's wing reformed quickly.
Thank god for that. I stood up, still a little shaky, but able to
move.
"As expected of a captain. To see you still standing and
facing me, without running, even after displaying such a level of
power…Amazing!! Truly!!"
"I thought I told you to shut up!
God, you're annoying!" I shouted.
"You, girl, should learn
to keep your mouth shut." Shauron said.
He disappeared and I
lost track of him. I couldn't feel his reiatsu, until it was too
late. One of his claws went through my left shoulder. I gasped and my
knees buckled. He removed his claw from my shoulder and I collapsed.
Damn it. Damn it! I should've listened to Toushirou…I should
always listen to him…I shouldn't have gotten involved. Damn it!
"Aleshi! Damn it! I told you not to get involved!" Toushirou
shouted.
I knew it.
Shauron returned to continue his fight with
Toushirou. My shoulder was bleeding badly, and it hurt
like hell. I know I just told myself not to get involved, but so far
Toushirou was losing! I couldn't stand by and just let him get
killed. Shakily, I stood up, clutching my shoulder.
"Tch. It's
Shauron Qu Fong, right? I want to ask you something. You said
yourself that you were Arrancar Undecimo…in other words, the 11th
one, which would mean that, in the hierarchy of the arrancar, you're
the 11th best in terms of strength?" Toushirou said.
"No. Our
numbers do not reflect our order of our strength, but rather the
order of which we were 'born.' However, this only applies to
those numbered 11th and below."
"What?!"
