Chapter 7: 溶融氷 [Yoyu Kori]

All around Toshiro Hitsugaya, a blizzard was raging. The snow and hail so thick that he was struggling to see. Wind beat against his body fiercely.

He should have been used to the sensation of snow and ice. However, this was only true when it came to that created by himself. This snow storm, however, was caused by...

"The Yuki-Oni," Snow (Sternritter Y) stated, his womanly appearance slowly appearing as the blizzard parted around him. His white ponytail began to whip fiercely around his face. Protruding from his forehead were two sharp, pointed horns. "That is the meaning of my Shrift."


An Oni, in traditional Japanese folklore is a type of Youkai, or demon.

Typically Oni take on a humanoid form and possess a variety of appearances, but two things are always consistent. One is the presence of a pair of horns atop the forehead. The second is the possession of supernatural abilities.

The term Oni was originally derived from "on", a reading of a particular kanji character meaning to hide or conceal. This is because Oni were originally invisible spirits or Gods that cause disasters, disease or other unpleasant things.

Some Oni were even said to be able to control the weather.


Toshiro lunged forwards and swiped at the Quincy's head. No sooner had he done so, a pillar of ice shot up out of the ground and blocked the strike.

"It's useless," Snow stated, calmly.

Turning his palm upwards, the Sternritter flicked his index finger in towards his palm. A spike of ice protruded from the ground and pierced the Captain through the torso.

"This truly is a wonderful Bankai," he stated, his voice soft. In his left hand, he held the medallion in a firm but gentle grip. On his back, a pair of giant wings, formed from ice glittered with liquid fire. "And it compliments my own abilities so well. I should thank you for this opportunity, young Captain."

Toshiro screamed, blood slipping from his lips and down his chin, before chilling into deep red icicles. Pushing his blade harder, he sliced through the pilar of ice that had blocked his strike and landed a blow against his enemy's neck.

"Useless," Snow said, softly. He had covered his neck with a layer of ice, blocking the attack. "There is no way that you could ever defeat your Bankai, using only your Shikai."

The ice shard impaling the Captain shrank back into the ground, causing blood to spill from his body and splash against the floor. Stumbling for a brief moment, Toshiro grimaced and closed his eyes for a half second.

He felt a blow against his body again. Opening his eyes just in time to witness it, he saw Snow's foot, tipped with a spike of ice, kick him in the gut. Flung through the air, Toshiro slammed into the wall of a nearby building and landed face down in the snow. Heaving and gagging, he stained the snow beneath his face crimson.

"I would much rather just leave it at this and be done with it," said Snow. Moving slowly, he almost seemed to glide over the ground. All around him, the blizzard raged. "I have this bad habit of being lazy, you see. But if the others found out that I just walked away from a still breathing enemy, I doubt His Majesty would forgive me." He formed a blade out of ice and held it in his hand, pointed down at the Captain. "So if you could die nice and easily for me, that would be a great help."

"Growl, Haineko!"

A cloud of ash cut through the blizzard and raked Snow up his right arm, opening a deep cut and tearing the sleeve of his uniform.

Leaping backwards, Snow looked down at his arm. "Very nice surprise attack... I didn't even have time to adjust my Blut."

Rangiku Matsumoto, Liutenant of Squad 10 didn't even bother to respond. Flash-stepping to her Captain's side, she hurriedly picked him up and retreated to the roof of a nearby building.


Sui-Feng continued to dodge the ever increasing number of obstacles that surrounded her. Striking out at the illusionary enemies, she dispatched one after the other in quick succession.

She was still trapped inside the Sternritter's Zone. She wasn't even sure how long she had been in there. The ability completely shut out her perception of outside influence. As such, she was unaware of the report concerning the theft of Captains' Bankai or the snowstorm that had currently fell upon the Seireitei.

Sui-Feng dodged another falling rock and struck one of the enemies across the face. Erupting into ash, it soon vanished into the wind.

"Is this really the best you can do?" Mann Elle (Sternritter Z) taunted; his arms folded across his chest. "You disappoint me, Captain."

Hissing through her teeth, Sui-Feng leaped through the path of a bladed pendulum and kicked a tile from the roof of a building at the Quincy. Soaring through the air, it carried with it the entire force of her kick and moved at an almost untraceable speed.

Unfortunately, it never found it's mark.

After travelling several feet, the tile changed course and was dragged to the left of the Sternritter before coming to a stop several dozen meters away.

"It seems you've discovered my Defense Zones," Mann laughed. "They're scattered all throughout your playing field. Any projectile coming towards me will be dragged into them. Long-range attacks are useless."

So that's how it is... Sui-Feng thought to herself. He has different Zones for different purposes. So far I only know of two, but from the way he's been taunting me, there's probably a third around him.

She dodged another falling boulder.

I need to tread carefully if I attack him head on... However... I've tagged him twice with Suzumebachi. So all I need to do his hit him once more and I can finish him before he has a chance to counterattack.

Dashing through the array of obstacles, Sui-Feng closed the gap between where she initially stood and the Sternritter almost instantly. Thrusting her arm forwards, she managed to cut him across his right arm.

The same location as where her first crest had appeared.

And yet, the Sternritter did not die.

"Well well," he smirked. "It looks like you've just stepped inside my Kill Zone."


"Captain!" Matsumoto cried, turning Toshiro onto his back. "Toshiro, wake up!"

Opening his eyes, Toshiro's pupils lacked focus. A haze gripped his expression as he slipped in and out of unconsciousness. "Mat... sumoto...?"

Unsteadily sitting up, Toshiro's eyes wavered sluggishly. He gagged hard, vomiting blood onto the rooftop.

"Take it easy, Captain," she said, gripping his Haori gently, to support him. "Don't over-exert yourself."

"Wh-where's the Sternritter...?" he asked, gasping down lungfuls of air.

"He's still on the ground," Matsumoto explained. "I've erected a barrier, so he shouldn't be able to find us for at least a few minutes. Especially considering all of this snow."

"Th-thank you..."

Shaking and leaning on his sword for support, Toshiro rose to his feet. Teeth gritted, he glared through deep turquoise eyes at the snowstorm that raged outside of the barrier. Blood dripped from his chin.

"What are you doing?" Matsumoto shouted, leaping to her feet and placing herself in-between her Captain and the edge of the barrier. "If you go out there, you'll be killed! I've already called for reinforcements, you need to wait for them here!"

"I can't do that..." Toshiro said, forcefully, gasping for air. "There's no guarantee that the reinforcements will get here in time, especially considering the situations elsewhere..."

"And so you dying is going to fix that?!"

"N-no..." His eyes regained focus and he gritted his teeth. "I... Have a plan."

Outside of the Kido barrier, Snow was hovering in the air. Supported by wings of thick ice, his pale eyes watched the rooftop intently. Every attempt he had made to breach the structure had so far failed. Thus, he had taken to siphoning reishi from the Kido, gradually weakening it.

All of a sudden, the barrier vanished. Standing atop the roof, sword raised, was Captain Hitsugaya. Swinging his sword downwards, a torrent of water and ice roared through the blizzard that raged around them.

Reaching out with one hand, Snow froze the attack solid the second that it came in contact with his fingertips.

Firing a volley of ice shards at the Captain-

-he was gashed up the length of his back. Blood flew from his body and stained both the snow-covered ground and his white uniform.

Toshiro dodged the projectiles.

Matsumoto retracted her ash back into the form of her blade and disappeared into the flurry of snow.

"Using yourself as bait, so you're Liutenant can attack me," Snow mused. "Clever."

Flicking his wrist upwards, a wave of ice shot out into the air around the Quincy in a wide circle. Latching onto the Liutenant's legs, the ice began to slowly advance upwards until it had encased her entire lower body.

"Matsumoto!" Toshiro screamed, leaping through the snow and severing the ice below her feet, freeing her.

"That was a mistake, little Captain," said Snow, smirking. Swinging his arm upwards, he summoned a large spike of ice to, once again, impale the Captain.

Propelled through the air by the force, Toshiro broke through several buildings before being pinned to the side of one. Frozen in place by the ice, he began to shake and tremble as he bled out.

"How dare you..." Matsumoto gasped out, with chilling breath. "Use the Captain's Bankai against him like that!"

Cutting through the blizzard, Haineko's ash headed straight for the Sternritter. Matsumoto's eyes were hardened and intense as she aimed for the Quincy.

Flicking his eyes back towards the female Shinigami, Snow prepared to attack her.

Breaking out of the ice, Toshiro lifted his sword. "STOP IT!"

Almost as if he had expected this, Snow turned back on himself mid-attack. A tidal wave of ice and water ripped into the white haired Captain. Carried by the wave, he broke through several buildings and coughed up blood.

It wasn't long before he was hit by another raging torrent of cold. Pinned against another building and frozen in place, Toshiro stopped moving.


Momo Hinamori, Liutenant of Squad Five stopped dead in her tracks.

As far away as she was from Toshiro's fight, the outskirts of the blizzard still managed to reach her. She had taken this as a sign that her friend was winning the fight.

It was well known that Toshiro Hitsugaya's Zanpakuto was able to control the weather, however this was the first time the effects were so strong and wide-reaching.

Momo couldn't place her finger on why, but she felt uneasy. There was something different about the blizzard. It felt somehow sinister and dark.

Toshiro usually used his ability to manipulate weather to summon rain and ice. Never snow. It all felt very strange and alien to Momo.

Slowly, the snow began to stop.

An icicle hanging from the roof of a nearby building began to melt. The growing puddle lapped at Momo's feet.


Toshiro staggered forwards, blood and water mixing and dripping from his body. His Captain's Haori was stained bright red and almost completely shredded.

His eyes lost focus and his bottom lip began to tremble. Rivulets of blood ran down his face from an open wound on his scalp.

Still held in his hand, the blade of his Zanpakuto shattered.

Shards of steel clattered to the floor.


Lenora Poultery (Sternritter C) pushed her red and purple hair behind her right ear. A smile plucked the corner of her full lips.

Turning to face Yhwach, her long red cape billowed in the wind as the snowstorm finally ended. The pair of them were stood in the air, overlooking the battles below.

"It seems that Toshiro Hitsugaya has died," she said, placing her hands on her hips and chuckling under her breath.

"I see..." Yhwach stated, his voice low. Around him, his tatty black cloak and long hair fluttered in the wind.

"These battles are dragging on a lot longer that we thought," Lenora stated, lowering herself to the ground and taking several steps. Looking around herself, she pulled a stern face. "If this keeps up then I may have to join the fight myself..."

"The Sternritter are far too lenient," Yhwach said, slowly. His deep red eyes shone across his face, throwing crimson light down on his wild mutton chops. "That is their only fault."

Touching down on the ground, Yhwach began to walk through the corpses of Shinigami that littered the floor. Blood splashed against his boots.

"Lenora..." he said, firmly. "I think it's time you joined the battle. This can't go out for much longer; I've already been out of the Shadow Territory too long."

"Understood, Your Majesty," Lenora said, solemnly.

Walking several paces, the female Sternritter cracked her neck before kicking off from the ground and launching herself into the sky.

Yhwach stood in silence for several seconds, thinking to himself. As the battle raged around him, his expression betrayed nothing.

"So!" suddenly arose a voice from behind him. "I take it you're the boss of these scrubs!"