Chapter 51: Bare-Knuckle Beatdown

Basilisk Jones (The Dimension) and Snow (The Yuki-Oni) charged their opponents, in a single co-ordinated attack.

Shards of ice blitzed through the air, glittering and throwing down rainbow light like glass crystals. Simultaneously, dozens of white arrows mingled with them, in a sheet of hundreds of projectiles.

Kenpachi Zaraki gripped his sealed zanpakuto in his remaining left hand and swatted aside as many of the shots as he could. In spite of this, however, numerous arrows and diamonds of ice perforated his body.

Beside him, Yachiru had adopted a similar strategy, her smaller size and more agile nature allowing her to dodge and deflect a lot more of the attacks.

As instructed by her two comrades, Aya Herz (The Stained-Glass) dipped and dashed between the white buildings in front of her, in an attempt to escape the battle.

She needed to find Zeit.

Zeit was the only Sternritter remaining on the ground, other than Gabriele, that was strong enough to fight Kenpachi Zaraki. At best, all her comrades would be able to do was hold him off until help arrived. Even after Aya had shattered his right arm, he was still a monster.

Behind her, the roar of arrows and explosions slowly receded into the distance. If there was one thing Aya was confident of, it was her Hirenkyaku.

Once she was sure she was far enough away, Aya began to slow down. A thin film of sweat clung to her forehead and ragged breaths slipped from between her lips. Her black boots dragged against the ground, carving trenches in the snow.

Taking a second to grasp her bearings, Aya's head whipped from side to side, her glossy black hair flying around her face, and her deep purple eyes flitting across the area.

Drawing breath slowly into her lungs, she attempted to calm herself. Inside the black of her mind, hundreds of red and white Reiraku ribbons leapt up from the ground and swam around her like snakes formed of rippling fabric.

Her left hand suddenly shot to her side, clasping hold of a pure white ribbon and turning it into crystalline glass. "There he is..." Aya turned to her left and peered into the distance. "That way."

Setting off towards the monstrous Reiatsu that clung to the white-haired boy, Aya broke into a run. Her white skirt rose up her pale thighs and her matching jacket caught the wind around her body.

Slipping down into a crack in the icy road, the steel heel of Aya's shoe was jammed in place. Lurching forwards, the young girl tumbled head first into a nearby drift of snow.

Dragging her digits through the snow, she clasped a handful of the white powder, compressing it into a lump of ice. Inside her cheeks, Aya's molars ground together as she gritted her teeth.

A ragged breath shook her body as the Quincy girl sucked air through her teeth. Tears stung her eyes and began to drip down her cold cheeks, before freezing against them into minute crystalline shards.

It was the first time Aya had time alone to her thoughts, since Arthur had died. Since she had lost her head and attacked Kenpachi, she had been engaged in combat almost constantly, leaving her little time to fully absorb the situation.

Now, laying in the snow and shocked to her senses by the cold, she had the chance to reflect upon the death of her closest friend.

Her bottom lip began to quiver.

Silently, she began to cry.

"Knight..."


Black leather combat boots dug into the ground, caving the concrete underfoot. Sylvanus Athala (The Nature) had blocked the Arrancar's drop kick by crossing his arms over his head.

Opening his fists, he pulled his arms sideways and grabbed Grimmjow, either side of his calf. Digging his rock-encased fingers into the black material, and the flesh underneath, it was clear that his intention was to break the Hollow's leg.

Gritting his teeth, Grimmjow rapidly drew the sword strapped to his hip and swung it towards Sylvanus' face.

Releasing his opponent's leg, Sylvanus leapt back. As he did so, his feet dragged through the snow, whipping up the white powder around his legs.

He may have been fast enough the match the Arrancar in terms of speed, but he was quickly growing frustrated with the situation. He wasn't landing anywhere near as many hits on his opponent as he would have liked.

The rage that Sylvanus felt towards his enemy was beginning to subside, and he was coming to realise that if he was going to win, he would have to think tactically.

If he was going to avenge Jamina, he needed to keep himself calm.

Snapping off a different point of his necklace, the rock fell from his hands and shattered against the ground.

Grimmjow landed several feet away from the Sternritter and narrowed his eyes. Flipping his sword around, he clasped it in an inverse position in his right hand.

Something was different about the grey-haired Quincy.

Whenever the Sternritter had removed a piece of his necklace before, something physical about him had changed noticeably. Whirlwinds had circled his body, electricity had sparked from his eyes, earth had encased his forearms.

This time, however, he simply looked like a normal man.

Caution wasn't something that Grimmjow was used to expressing, however this occurrence had made him reconsider his stance towards the feeling.

He began to sweat.

Sylvanus dashed forwards and grabbed hold of the Arrancar's blade, just as he struck out towards him reflexively. Blue lines appeared on his hands, as he activated Blut Vene.

The Quincy's free right hand reared up and stuck the blue-haired man across the face.

Reeling backwards, Grimmjow pulled his blade from his opponent's grip.

Something strange was happening. The spot where Sylvanus' blow had connected with his face was burning, almost as if it were on fire, while the blade of his sword was glowing red hot.

What the hell...? he thought.

He didn't have much time to analyse the situation. The Sternritter had already followed up on his attack and had rapidly closed the distance.

Three more punches rapped into the Arrancar; two to his torso, and one to his face. While the hits were light, carrying less force than that of Sylvanus' Thunderstorm from, their effects were indisputably more notable. Scorch marks seared across Grimmjow's skin and the smell of singed hair sizzled into the air.

Slashing back, the blade of his sword grated over the Quincy's skin without so much as leaving a scratch. Another blow struck the blue-haired Arrancar across the face.

As he fought, steam was steadily rising from Sylvanus' body, before dispersing and fading into the surrounding air. Snow was cleared around his feet, melting into wide puddles as his feet danced across the ground.

The fight raged on, up and down the street, caving and cracking the road and surrounding buildings.

Grimmjow's breath burned in his throat; sweat continuing to flood across his skin. The air around them just kept getting hotter and hotter.

He knew that he wouldn't last long, at this rate.

Squaring his jaw, the Arrancar flipped the hilt of his sword around in his hand and jumped away from his opponent. Bending the fingers of his left hand, he raked them up across the blade, in an explosion of spiritual energy.

"Grind! Pantera!"


Blood spattered against the ground in a thin line.

Zeit Mehre (The Omni-Direction) flicked the blood off of the curved blade in his left hand and blocked a slash behind his back with the sword in his right.

Renji Abarai staggered back as blood leaked from a wound on his left shoulder. Rukia Kuchiki attempted a sideways cut across the Quincy's back, however the attack was turned off course as Zeit tilted his own blade.

Spinning on the spot, the young white-haired boy slashed out with his dual blades at the two combatants that engaged him.

Rukia was knicked across the bridge of her nose; a half second too slow to fully avoid the attack. Blood dripped down over her top lip and stained her Shihakusho.

The blade of Renji's Bankai, jutting from the front of the enormous snake skull mounted on his arm, descended upon Zeit from above.

Turning to the side, the young Quincy boy allowed the strike to pass by inches from his face, before retaliating with a sharp stab with his left hand. The tip of the slightly curved sword plunged into Renji's right shoulder.

Releasing the handle of his sword, Zeit jumped backwards and left the implement embedded in the Lieutenant's collar.

Zeit was thankful for his opponents.

When the explosion of His Majesty's departure had flung the combatants into separate areas, he was concerned that he would be matched against Kenpachi Zaraki, or another similar monster. He had been lucky. Instead, Zeit found himself confronted with two half-dead Lieutenants.

Zeit had heard that Renji was the man who had killed Asuma; the Sternritter's resident master swordsman. Had the red-haired man been at his best, Zeit wouldn't have doubted that. However, mostly dead as he was, he was proving no match for how fast Zeit was moving.

The boy may not have been as skilled as the Werewolf but, unlike Asuma, he was one of the top seven. Indisputably still skilled, Zeit's main advantages came from his inhumanly massive Reiatsu and his speed.

He was confident that he could defeat the two Lieutenants without having to use his Schrift, or even his Vollständig. He was glad. Both techniques would push his body far past the limit that he had reached, during his bout with The Knight and Kenpachi.

The ground underneath Zeit's feet suddenly began to shake. Ice spread across the surface of the road.

His coal black eyes momentarily shot downwards. Ice quakes...?

Leaping into the air, the Sternritter vacated the area and landed on the domed roof of a building overlooking the street. His keen pupils picked out Rukia, sword raised, ready to strike where he once stood.

She uses ice powers... he thought. No, not ice. If it was ice, there would be a manifestation around her, like with Snow. Freezing powers. She's controlling temperature.

The gigantic red-furred baboon arm of Renji's Bankai shot up towards Zeit, interrupting his train of thought. Leaping over the extended bone-like skeletal digits, the Quincy boy landed on the forearm of the Bankai and began to run towards Renji.

Jumping forwards, he leant backwards midair and swung the sword in his right hand in a vicious attack directed at Renji's face.

Jerking his head back, Renji narrowly managed to avoid the strike.

Hissing between his teeth, the Lieutenant turned back on himself as the Quincy passed him by and touched on the ground behind him. Lifting his right arm, he swung his enormous blade towards Zeit's back.

Without even turning around, the white-haired boy blocked the attack.

Damn it! Renji's mind shouted, in rage and frustration, as he engaged his enemy in a furious flurry of sword strikes. He's too fast! Not to mention this Reiatsu. It's completely inhuman! It's like I'm swimming in gelatine!

Rukia dashed forwards, leaping into the fray on the other side of the Sternritter.

Zeit didn't so much as flinch. Responding to the girl's attack, he began to parry the blows from her pure white sword with his own curved Reishi blade.

The white-haired boy's eyes narrowed. The reishi construct clasped in his hand felt strangely cold.

All of a sudden, while defending against the female Lieutenant's assault, his weapon shattered into several ice-like shards.

Sode no Shirayuki continued forwards at a rapid pace, before sinking into the Quincy's shoulder and lodging in place.

Sufficiently distracted by the sudden occurrence, Zeit dropped his guard for a brief instant. Such was enough time for Renji to plunge the enormous blade of his Bankai into the boy's side and run him through.

Zeit's typically calm and melancholic face broke into an expression of severe distaste and frustration.

"Damn you, you filthy little brats!" he spat out, warping the shape of the sword in his right hand into that of a bow, and summoning an identical construct into his left hand. Blasting two enormous arrows at his enemies, he tore his body from the weapon and jumped out of the fray.

Flinging himself forward in time, he closed up his wounds and stared down at his two opponents, with a steely expression.

"How dare you!" he shouted, his aged and ragged voice reverberating through the street. "Forcing me to use my Schrift! How dare you!"

"Renji, did you see that?" Rukia whispered, stepping up beside her comrade.

"Yeah, he can heal," he replied. "As if this situation couldn't get any worse..."

"But the way he's acting..."

"Means that it's costly for him to do," Renji said, completing her sentence.

What little remained of their conversation was put across in their expressions. Zeit launched a barrage of glowing spiritual arrows down at the Shinigami pair in a blazing blue rain. Explosions ripped through the surrounding buildings and levelled the landscape.

Dipping and diving behind cover, the duo began to continuously dodge the numerous arrows that Zeit was firing down upon them.

Carefully, they analysed his movements.

All they needed was an opening.


Grimmjow lunged forwards, from within the enormous burst of spiritual energy generated from his Ressurrecion. Behind him, his long curtain of sky blue hair whipped up furiously. Light licked across the blades mounted on his forearms.

Sylvanus slammed his forearm into Grimmjow's outstretched bladed appendage. Sparks shot from his Blut-enhanced skin and sizzled into the puddles lapping around his feet.

Gritting his teeth, the Quincy soldier absorbed the shock of the attack and directed the force through his body and into his free arm. Launching a counterattack from the recoiled force, he slammed his fist into the former Espada's face.

Grimmjow didn't so much as flinch. His Hierro, now enhanced by his transformation, stopped any and all force from reaching him. The burning effect of the punch was still present, however all concussive force behind it was completely negated.

Tensing the black clawed digits of his left hand, the Arrancar struck out at his opponent and slashed him across the torso.

Blown backwards by the attack, Sylvanus crashed through several buildings. Rising to his feet, he hurriedly kicked off of the ground and shot back towards his enemy.

Having already anticipated this, Grimmjow pointed his elbow towards the opponent charging him. Five shards, resembling green crystalline claws, blasted from the joint and screamed through the air.

Plunging into Sylvanus' body, the tiny projectiles flung him through the air like a rag doll and catapulted him a considerable distance away. Blitzing through one of the only remaining towers left in the Silbern, he tumbled down in the midst of a rain of rubble.

Spitting blood, he fished himself from the wreckage and ground his teeth together.

"God damn it..." he retched, digging his fingers into his open wounds and ripping out the tiny projectiles. "I didn't think he would get this much stronger after releasing his Zanpakuto..." The small green shards sizzled against the skin of his fingers. "Crap, that burns..." A flash of realisation passed across his face, before he threw down the claws. "Shit. Hollow poisoning... Forgot about that."

In the distance, he could hear the Arrancar tearing through the streets as he gave chase.

Rising to his feet and turning towards the source of the noise, Sylvanus broke into a harsh glare. "Don't worry Jamina..." he whispered, reaching up and clasping his necklace in his palm. "I'll make sure I get him for you. I'm not about to die here."

Light erupted from his body and rocketed skyward, before splitting into the shape of an enormous Quincy Zeichen. All of the ambient reishi from the area was sucked towards the pillar.

"Puer vero Terrae; Child of the Land."

Shards of white reishi rained down upon his revealed form as the pillar burst. White wings, like the branches of a tree adorned his back and above his head a halo in the shape of a laurel wreath began to rotate.

Snapping off a different point of his necklace, the temperature around Sylvanus suddenly dropped. His breath billowed from his lips in a dense white cloud and spikes of ice formed around his knees and forearms.

It was then that Grimmjow arrived. Ignoring his enemy's new appearance, the Arrancar threw himself forwards and slashed at the Quincy with his clawed hands.

Catching his opponent's hands, Sylvanus stared into Grimmjow's eyes as ice began to spread up his wrists.

"Mahapadma!"

An overwhelming wave of cold blasted out of the Sternritter and completed drowned the surrounding area. Everything was covered in a thin film of ice.

"HAHAHAHA!" Grimmjow laughed, through his new acquired row of sharp and pointed teeth. "You're trying to freeze me?! You have to do better than that!"

Without a word, Sylvanus wrenched Grimmjow's arms wide and lifted his right foot, before kicking him in the chest.

Knocked back, Grimmjow's panther-like feet dragged through the ground until he came to a stop. Looking up, he broke into a maniacle grin before launching himself forwards again.

Slapping down the Arrancar's outstretched hand, Sylvanus struck his enemy across the face. Reeling from the attack, Grimmjow responded in kind, punching the Quincy square in the jaw.

Falling back from the force, the grey-haired Quincy lifted his left leg and kneed Grimmjow in the side, puncturing his abdomen with the adorning spike of ice.

Grabbing hold of the Sternritter's leg, the former Espada arched his head forwards and slammed his forehead into Sylvanus' own.

The two suddenly began to exchange blows. Their fight lost any semblance of skill and quickly devolved into a slugging match. Blood spattered the floor, before eventually freezing into tiny red beads.

The duelling pair could feel each other's bones crack under their fists.

Spreading from where the Quincy had struck him, several point's on Grimmjow's body began to feel cold and numb. It was as if he was slowly beginning to feel the effects of frostbite.

So that's his trick!

Cupping his hand, Grimmjow began to amass red spiritual energy in his palm. Launching his hand forwards, the crimson Cero exploded against the Sternritter at close range.

Staggering back, Sylvanus leapt into the air and took to the sky before utilising his wings to hover in place. Breaking off another point of his necklace, the ice that covered his joints melted. Light and crackles of electricity burst from his eyes.

"This again!?" Grimmjow laughed. "You should know by now, that doesn't work on me!"

Ignoring the chide, Sylvanus raised his hand skyward. Black clouds began to converge overhead. "Jupiter's Might!"

Weaving his hands through the air, like a musical conductor, he began to launch bolts of lighting down towards his blue-haired adversary.

Bright blue eyes snapping open wide, Grimmjow dipped out of the way of the attacks. Where he had once stood, the ground had been scorched black. Sparks of electricity coursed through the air.

As the cracks of thunder echoed through the air, Grimmjow began to grow more and more frustrated with the whole ordeal.

This is going nowhere fast! He's got too many crazy techniques. It was alright when he was in his normal form; we could just slug it out. But now it seems most of them are long-distance. Come on. I just need to get one good hit on him.

A crack of lightning lanced down beside Grimmjow, burning a cut open on his cheek.

Fuck it. I'm done dealing with this. You're dead.

Anchoring himself on the ground, Reiatsu burst out of the former Espada's body. Ten massive claw-like constructs of reishi appeared over the backs of his hands, floating in midair.

Taking note of the Arrancar, Sylvanus momentarily ceased his assault and narrowed his brows. So... You want to end this with the next attack. Fine.

The clouds overhead began to churn and rumble.

Hissing between his teeth, Grimmjow glared up at the Sternritter. "Desgarrón."

Sylvanus raised his right hand. "Jupiter's Might!"

An enormous explosion seared across the landscape as the two attacks collided, with a deafening crack.