Chapter XCV: Collector, Divine Decision
Waichei's hair was blown almost straight back due to the wind Soriyamo was causing through his Super Saiyan 6 powerup. A red aura lit the entire southern forest, and Soriyamo looked back at his comrade. "Stand back, Waichei. This may get messy." He said.
"I can help you, Soriyamo." Waichei responded. "I want to help."
"Unfortunately, this is a fight for me to resolve on my own. I can't bring myself to willingly put a comrade in danger because of my own problems." Soriyamo told him. "Don't worry. I can handle this."
Waichei silently understood Soriyamo's sentiment. He knew that if he were in Soriyamo's situation, he would do the same. It didn't make it any easier to swallow. Being sidelined was a struggle for the man.
"Will we be able to settle this without using bankai?" Kaishu Seigyo asked.
"I doubt it." Soriyamo answered. "But there's no point in going straight to bankai, is there?"
"But we already warmed up." The zanpakuto smirked. "And I'm itching to kill you."
"I'm itching to get to the bottom of this." Soriyamo retorted. Suddenly, he lunged at his opponent. He swung one of his scythes down from the top. Kaishu Seigyo stepped forward and knelt down. He moved a scythe behind his head, which caught Soriyamo's before it could hit him. He shoved it back, which in turn pulled Soriyamo forward. He turned his other blade around and jabbed it toward his opponent's stomach. Soriyamo flipped over his zanpakuto's head, then immediately swung his other scythe horizontally at Kaishu Seigyo. The Collector grabbed Soriyamo's hand just before the tip of the blade pierced his hip, twisting it until the scythe fell to the ground.
Soriyamo did a backflip to create distance between him and his opponent, although now he only had one weapon. He swung his remaining scythe diagonally downward, and then a black mass protruded from the edge of his blade and shot toward the zanpakuto in the shape of a concave kite. Kaishu Seigyo returned the favor. The attacks collided and shattered into oblivion.
Kaishu Seigyo stood up and sighed. "I'm tired of this." He muttered. "I told you already, I'm itching to kill you." The zanpakuto scowled. There was hate. But it wasn't his. It belonged to someone else. "Bankai!"
A black, dense energy, almost like a liquid, started falling off of the zanpakuto as his reiatsu skyrocketed. Soriyamo gritted his teeth as he watched what was unfolding. It wasn't often that he saw his own zanpakuto manifested in its bankai form.
Even Waichei got chills down his spine, and that hadn't happened since he was alive. The man that was now behind the black energy was Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo; there was a completely different aura. His hair was now completely slicked back, falling down to the middle of his back. He'd lost his overcoat on his gi, as well as his sleeves, which were ripped at his shoulders. His face was the most disturbing. He had a new, smaller set of eyes just below his main set, and lines extended like cracks in his face from the corners of his mouth to each ear. His mouth was like a fault in the planet that was his face. Or a Venus Flytrap. Waichei backed into a tree, then slid down into the fetal position, sweating bullets.
Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo caught this action out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, I forgot there was another here." He said with a smile. "My power is so dark, it is hard to stand for anyone who isn't used to it."
"Well, I'm used to it." Soriyamo responded. "Don't expect me to falter."
"Bring out your bankai, then."
"You don't have to tell me." Soriyamo's scythes turned black. The one that was still on the floor melted into the same black energy that was flooding off of Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo, then was transported onto the other scythe. "Bankai." He twirled the black mass in his hands and it became a larger, double bladed scythe.
Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo grinned, and the cracks in his cheeks opened up a little bit. He spun his weapon above his head a couple of times, then drove one of the blades into the ground. "Saishu Kuroido."
Soriyamo knew exactly what was going on. He rushed over to Waichei and covered his body with his own. The trees started to lean in toward the zanpakuto. Suddenly, Soriyamo felt a deathly force pulling him back, away from the man he was trying to protect. The force persisted for only ten seconds, but it felt like ten minutes. Once it was over, he glanced around him. The trees were dead, mere shells that once held life. Their souls, their very essence, had been ripped out. He looked down at Waichei, who appeared to be fine. He sighed with relief. "Waichei…" He started. "You should get out of here. Your soul is in danger here."
Waichei nodded slowly. Most of his spirit shown earlier was gone. He simply was not accustomed to the darkness emanating from Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo. Soriyamo watched as he stumbled into the forest, and eventually out of sight.
Then, he turned around to face his opponent, who seemed to be waiting patiently for his attention. "I know you were aiming that attack at him." He scowled.
"What do you mean?" The zanpakuto asked. "Saishu Kuroido is an omnistrike attack. It's not aimed at anything in particular."
"You know exactly what I mean." Soriyamo answered. "And I may not have mastered the attack myself, yet, but I can defend against it proficiently. Now that any other lifeforms are gone, that attack is obsolete."
"So, what do you plan to do now?"
Soriyamo twirled his weapon in front of him. "Jitaikesu Hayate." The same black mass of energy formed in front of his blades, but this time, it was rotating violently. With a push, he shot the attack at his opponent at full force.
Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo simply sent one of the small quadrilateral attacks back, shattering the Jitaikesu Hayate. Then both of them were still. "It is clear...that we can both counter each other's energy attacks. This will get us nowhere." The zanpakuto said. He then removed his ripped gi from his torso, letting it hang by his legs. "We must decide this through a warrior's duel. By blades only."
Soriyamo nodded in agreement. "Using a weapon like this requires intense athleticism." He removed his jade green shirt, revealing a completely toned and chiseled torso. With a thin waist and broad shoulders, his body was perfect for swinging around a large, double bladed weapon. "I couldn't think of a better way to come to a conclusion."
Soriyamo twirled his scythe in a figure eight form. Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo ran at his opponent, raising his blade above his head. He swung down at Soriyamo, and the attack was parried to the left by Soriyamo's figure eights. Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo used the momentum to swing his other blade in at Soriyamo's neck. Soriyamo knocked that attack upward, then swung as fast as he could at his zanpakuto's waist. Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo blocked it then attacked again.
The fight continued in this fashion, too fast for the eye to see. Their blades simply looked as if they were blurry silver rings as they twirled about. Each clang of blades striking each other was drowned out by the next.
Soriyamo could feel himself starting to tire. Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo was showing no sign of it. Soriyamo felt a blade rip across his stomach. He winced and looked down. The pain was more than what the wound really was. Another ability of Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo. As if his essence was trying to escape out of his wound, it felt like it was on fire.
The zanpakuto swung down on the top of Soriyamo's head. It was blocked by the middle of the weapon's handle. Suddenly, Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo released his attack and swung upward, slicing up Soriyamo's stomach and chest. A sheet of blood spurted out of his wound. He threw his arms back and fell backward to the floor.
"You lose, Soriyamo." Doku no Hana Kaishu Seigyo sneered. As his smile widened, the cracks in the side of his face separated even further. He raised the blade over his head, and all four of his eyes widened as he began to swing down, absolutely entranced by his own desire to kill his opponent. Then, he froze.
A burn-scarred hand stuck into his back, and protruded out through his stomach. His face filled with rage as he looked behind him to see Waichei. "I couldn't bring myself to leave you behind, Soriyamo."
"You think this will kill me?" The zanpakuto scowled. "It will take a lot more than this to-" Suddenly, his head fell to the floor after a silver blur zipped through his neck. Soriyamo was holding his weapon up, panting harder than he had in a long time. Within a couple of seconds, the zanpakuto turned back into reishi, and dissolved into the air. His body never fell to the floor.
Soriyamo leaned back against a tree. "Waichei...why did you come back? You risked your life. This was my issue to solve, there was no reason for you to get involved."
Waichei gave a weak smile that twitch every once in a while. "You said yourself, we're comrades." He said. "It's my duty to risk my life for my comrades."
"But…"
"I was terrified of that thing, Soriyamo. But if I'm ever going to redeem myself, I can't let fear control me. I have to be in control of myself. That's what I've been training for these four months."
"Waichei…" Soriyamo stammered. "You're...really pushing yourself, aren't you?"
"Come on, I'll take you back to the house. Get on my back."
"Your creator obviously didn't know of your powers when he created you." Kasae said. "I alone wield the zanpakuto blessed by the Holy Mother. She knows all, and she knows you are a fake."
"That I am a clone means nothing. The fact is, I fight on the side of justice. You have wronged my creator, and it is my purpose to get revenge." Kihakuya Seigyo responded.
"A simple answer to this issue," Kasae said, "is to let the Holy Mother decide for us."
"I agree."
The two of them raised their reiatsus together. A golden, molten aura formed around them, and then they yelled, "BANKAI!" in unison. A giant divine ring formed behind each of their heads. A black shell hardened around their right arms and wrapped around their upper backs. "Tenyo Migoto Kihakuya Seigyo."
The black shell was more invasive on the zanpakuto than on Kasae. It covered half his face. Also, his irises became purple, and his pupils white. "I am the real Tenyo Migoto Kihakuya Seigyo."
Sairyo was watching the whole exchange from just inside the house. She saw it all go down. There was only one attack, and it was over in just a second. It was up to fate, and she had no idea who it would shine upon.
Kasae's arm jolted, and two thin blades shot out of the black shell covering his right hand. The same happened with Tenyo Migoto Kihakuya Seigyo. They ran toward each other, then swung. There was a flash of light, then they had switched positions, facing opposite of each other.
Kihakuya Seigyo winced. "Kasae...was I really...in the wrong?" Kasae turned around.
"Your suffering is finally over." He said. "I'll make you whoever did this pay."
The zanpakuto's eyes rolled back into his head, and from right shoulder to left waist, he split in two. His two halves then turned into reishi and disappeared. The reishi floated through Kasae's hand, and then he closed it into a fist.
He then saw Sairyo at the door watching him with concerned eyes. He turned toward her. As he started walking, his chest split open, and blood fell to the ground in puddles in front of him. He was still trying to walk when he fell to the floor.
Sairyo ran to him. "Kasae!" She yelled. She knelt beside him and turned him onto his back. "Stay with me!"
Kasae reached weakly up to her face and touched her cheek. "Sai...ryo…"
"Don't talk." She commanded. "You're losing a lot of blood. I need to try to stop the bleeding."
"The Holy Mother...she turned me away." Kasae managed. His chest started glowing as the energy from Sairyo began flowing in.
She did not reject us. Kihakuya Seigyo said within Kasae's mind. She was trying to tell you something.
"I...am morally flawed." Kasae muttered. "I am morally flawed."
She gave you a second chance, Kasae. You have to take advantage of it.
