Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Tite Kubo. The original characters belong to me.
Chapter 40: Never Chase a Shadow
In the icy streets of Wahrwelt, the Royal Realm, Soul Society
Having narrowly managed to survive getting overflooded by water thanks to the so-called Wasserman, the combined forces of the 13 Court Guard Squads and the Vizards were continuing towards their destination: the towering palace of Silbern. Knowing that Yhwach and his loyalist had set up base there, the Shinigamis headed straight towards the palace.
But right now, the group had now stopped, with Head-Captain Shunsui Kyoraku deciding to see if everyone was back on track again. Since the incident with the Wasserman, he now realized that there were some Shinigamis missing. Kisuke Urahara had already left the group to go and search for Ichigo and the others, the same was said for Yushiro Shihoin. As they gathered in a group, Shunsui began surveying the position they were currently in. Meanwhile, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Captain Kenpachi Zaraki had arrived in another district, while being accompanied by Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa and Hanataro Yamada. At this rate, the forces of the Sereitei were now spread across Wahrwelt, while the enemy was scouring down at them like cockroaches.
So far, what remained of Shunsui's group was 2 captains (Shinji Hirako and Byakuya Kuchiki), 6 lieutenants (Renji Abarai, Rukia Kuchiki, Marechiyo Omaeda, Momo Hinamori, Isane Kotetsu and Nanao Ise), 4 squad members (Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentaro Kotsubaki of Squad 13 and Matsuri and Fujimaru Kudo of Squad 5) and 4 Vizards (Hiyori Sarugaki, Lisa Yadomaru, Hachigen Ushoda and Rabu "Love" Aikawa).
"I can feel the Spiritual Pressures of Captain Kurotsuchi and Captain Zaraki. But even so, I can sense some Spiritual Pressures increase and some decrease" the pink-clad Shinigami noted as he looked at his lieutenant. "Lil' Nanao, are you here?" he called out her.
The four-eyed woman approached her superior with a nod to her head. "I'm here, captain" she said. Nanao adjusted her glasses while looking at the crowd. "But we're still missing someone" she then added.
Shunsui nodded his head in return. "Yes. For some strange reason, Captain Sui-Feng and Lieutenant Hisagi vanished without a trace. But for some reason, we can still feel their Spiritual Pressures still being intact" he then told her while making sure everyone else listened to what was going on.
Lieutenant Marechiyo Omaeda of Squad 2 felt like asking what he meant by that. "So you're saying that Captain Sui-Feng is still alive? But Abarai and Kuchiki couldn't find her" he then asked while glancing briefly at both Renji and Rukia, who did not know how to respond to this in return. "Oh come on! You gotta tell me where she…." The chubby man was interrupted by a voice.
"It can't be helped" the low and calm voice came from Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of Squad 6. He glanced at Marechiyo while making sure his fellow Shinigamis heard what he said. "We followed the trail of blood, only to see nothing in the alley it ended. They completely vanished from trace" he then spoke up while trying not to show them everything he, Renji and Rukia had seen.
Shinji gritted his teeth in irritation as he heard this. "Tch, talk about a pain in the ass. Those Quincies sure were smart pulling a stunt by flooding us with water. Now we're out of one captain and one lieutenant" the blonde-haired man noted before coming up with something. "Wait a sec, if both Sui-Feng and Hisagi got injured during the flooding, then that means…" he looked at Shunsui who simply nodded his head at him.
"Yes. Someone must have used the opportunity to strike at us. And I know for sure it was a Quincy, let alone a Sternritter" the head-captain said while thinking about this matter. "But obviously, he must have used the urban environment to conceal himself from us. Do not forget that we're in Quincy territory now" he then added to his suspicions.
Renji rested his Zanpakutou on his back, his face filled with determination. "Well, I ain't gonna let myself get scared by a cowardly assassin. I'm still standing on my ground!" the red-haired man spoke up.
Rukia brandished her Zanpakuto as well. "Same here" she said with a smug smile. "Nothing will stop us from reaching our goals" she then added to her statement.
Momo Hinamori and her fellow members of Squad 5: the Kudo-twins felt encouraged by Rukia and Renji's resolve, and they even pulled out their weapons as well. "We will also be heading forward! That we will do as members of Squad 5!" she said while expressing her desire to continue on fighting.
Shinji mused to himself by seeing how confident Momo had grown as a lieutenant. "Keep saying things like that, Momo. It really suits you" he noted to himself while seeing how determined she and the Kudo-twins were for this battle.
"Then what the hell are we waiting for!?" the impatient voice came from Hiyori, who was merely crossing her arms while standing with her fellow Vizards. "Standing here having a tea party won't help us with reaching the palace!" the young woman pointed out, once again unleashing her bad temper.
Shunsui mused by seeing the whole group of Shinigamis still carrying the will to continue fighting, even after being almost drowned to death by the Wasserman. "I'm glad to hear that all of you are still determined to press on. And I must give you all points for it" the head-captain said before forming a slight frown. "However, it is obvious that someone will be standing between us and Yhwach. And my guess will be one of those nasty Sternritters. But we have no idea where he is" he then added while explaining to the group what they were up against. Surprisingly, he began forming a smug smile. "But I know exactly how to rat him out" he then told them
Unbeknownst to the group of Shinigamis, someone had been able to hide himself on the top of a tower. It was Sternritter X – The X-Axis: Lille Barro. Having just managed to thin out the ranks thanks to the Wasserman, the black-skinned man returned to hunt down the interlopers. By concealing his Spiritual Pressure, Lille was able to not get detected by the Shinigami captains. From his spot, he had a clear view of the icy cityscape, including the opened area where the Shinigamis were currently standing in.
Lille mused to himself by seeing what was going down there while aiming with his Spirit Weapon: Diagramm. "It's terrifying, isn't it? Of course, it is. Having no idea where I'm aiming from as your opponent snipes you off from afar and watching your comrades fall one by one" he remarked while trying to imagine the situation his targets were in at the moment. "It's only natural to become overwhelmed with terror in a situation like that" he then added while preparing to fire his weapon.
The Quincy's attention was caught on Shunsui as he began moving around in an effort to block Nanao and some of the other Shinigamis. While confused at first, Lille knew Shunsui's overconfident behavior only indicated he was an easy target.
"If there were a person devoid of those fears in the group, then he would either be a fool or a lunatic" Lille noted before pulling the trigger on his Reishi Rifle. The bullet of Reishi pierced straight into the chest of the head-captain, much to the shock of those around him. However, Shunsui still had the strength to stand, yet Lille knew that his death would only be slow. "No matter the level of discipline or how perfectly regimented, all it takes is the actions of one idiot to bring about their downfall. I've seen countless groups like this before, but this? To think I actually held you Shinigamis in high regard" he then noted while seeing Shunsui standing there with blood running from his mouth.
The Sternritter assumed that his target had been neutralized, yet he could hear something close to him, it was almost as if someone was playing a game. Lille didn't pay much attention to it, but could hear to voice coming to him at a closer distance. It made him more cautious.
"When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. And down will come baby and cradle will all!" that sound came from Shunsui himself, as he appeared right behind the Sternritter. Lille was caught off-guard by this and quikly made his move to dodge the Shinigami swinging his swords. Even though Lille managed to avoid getting slashed, the same couldn't be said for his Spirit Weapon. Even now, the tip of Diagramm was now cut off, much to Lille's own chagrin.
Shunsui smiled smugly while seeing this. "Now that was an impressive dodge. You're pretty quick" the head-captain surprisingly commended the Sternritter before forming a frown and a serious glance towards Lille. "But now I've taken out your weapon. The next will be your life" he then added seriously.
The Sternritter glanced warily at his opponent, who was prepared to face him in combat. However, Lille had to admit he was surprised to see Shunsui standing there, perfectly fine. The injury he had received from the bullet was all but gone. Something did not make sense to Lille.
"What just happened? From such a great distance, there's no way that I missed. And how was he able to get around to my back in an instant!? Damn!" Lille cursed while pondering over the fact that his supposed target was still alive.
Shunsui could see that his opponent was behaving in a quite odd way, is if he was confused. And it made the head-captain wanna talk with him. "What's going on? Have you never played Daruma-san fell over?" he then questioned the Sternritter, who glanced at him with nothing but dispassion in return.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lille spoke to him in return. "Fell over, you say? Are you talking about an Eastern version of Humpty Dumpty or something?" the Sternritter then questioned the Shinigami, who seemed to have figured out that Lille had no clue about the type of game he was asking the Sternritter about.
"I'll take that as a no. Well, being a Quincy, I guess it only makes sense that you were raised in a different culture than us Shinigamis. And for the record, Daruma-san has nothing to do with Humpty Dumpty. It's a game, not a fairytale" the pink-clad Shinigami explained while trying to correct a statement from Lille. But the head-captain soon took notice of someone approaching behind him and mused to himself. He knew who that Spiritual Pressure belonged to. "Well, for you to be able to follow me all the way out here. Your skills have improved quite a bit, wouldn't you agree, Lil' Nanao?" he then began talking to the young woman standing around a pipe.
Yes, Nanao Ise had managed to follow her superior all the way to this spot far from the main group of Shinigamis. It was apparent to Shunsui that her Shunpo had managed to improve over the years. The four-eyed woman adjusted her glanced while staring at her superior.
"From what I hear right now, it doesn't sound like you're complementing me" Nanao said sternly, once again showing the contrast between her focused personality and Shunsui's laidback persona.
The Captain of Squad 1 simply chuckled in amusement as he heard those words coming from Nanao. "I'm not being sarcastic here. I'm actually complimenting you for real" he said before glancing over to the young woman, surprisingly fixing a serious glance towards his lieutenant. "However, this fight is sure to be one hell of a storm, so you might as well return to the group and go on ahead" he then told her.
"Not happening" Nanao's response was quick and firm. She was determined not to let her captain stand in this fight alone, despite knowing how she lacked in terms of combat abilities.
Shunsui shrugged his shoulders while hearing this. "I guess we're on the same page here. In that case, inform the others that you'll be staying here with me. Tell them to go on ahead without us" he then told her.
Nanao did not hesitate when following that order. She began turning around to walk away. "Fine. I'll relay that message and be right back. And Captain?" she suddenly asked her superior a question, which made Shunsui paying attention to what she was about to say. The four-eyed woman glanced over to her captain seriously. "If you die before I get back here, I'll shave all the chest hair on your lifeless corpse" that was Nanao's warning to him before she took off by jumping off to another building.
While stunned at the threats at first, Shunsui easily dismissed it with ease, musing to himself over how strict and determined Nanao sounded just now. "Not that was juts cruel. We were talking about defining characteristics" Shunsui said while watching his lieutenant vanish from his sight. He adjusted his hat while smiling smugly. "The things that come out from her mouth. She's really starting to remind me of Lisa" he then remarked while thinking about the Vizard who had once been serving under him as his lieutenant in the past.
Lille had not been amused by seeing this "talk" between Shunsui and Nanao. It made him grow weary. "Are you done with the chit-chat?" he asked the Shinigami, his voice filled with nothing but displeasure.
This made the head-captain switch his focus back to the Sternritter once again. "Geez, no need to be so rude. I'm listening to you" he told his opponent.
"Then listen to this. We of His Majesty's Schutzstaffel have gathered intel on all of you Shinigamis from all of your previous battles" Lille revealed to his opponent, who seemed to listen for now. "Your Zanpakutou's ability is the ability to turn "children's games into reality". I take it that's what you just showed me, am I right?" he then questioned the Shinigami while acting quite observant.
Shunsui had to admit that this Quincy was very smart. "So, you managed to find intel about the 13 Court Guard Squads including the captains? Quite well-informed, I must admit" he then noted to his opponent. "Although it only makes that an Arrancar wouldn't have ever played Daruma-san fell over. In that game, whoever's "it", closes their eyes and calls out a phrase repeatedly. The ultimate goal of the game is for him to try and catch the people that are still moving" Shunsui then began explaining the game and showed his opponents three fingers. "There are three rules. First, whoever's "it" must be in a place where they can be seen by other players. Second, if the players are seen moving by whoever's "it", they lose. And the final rule, if the players can touch whoever's "it" before they're seen, they win" he then concluded his explanation of this game that was known to be played by Japanese children.
Lille felt like he had gotten enough information about this game. "I see. So that game, as well as the power you just showed me, is chocolate ingles?" the Sternritter noted from what he had heard.
"Oh, I take it you have a game like this then? How does it work?" Shunsui then asked, feeling kind of surprised to know that Durama-san was played even in other cultures.
"I am beginning to see how it works. In order for you to play the game, you must be able to see the Spiritual Pressure being released" Lille began explaining the things he had learned so far from Shunsui's attack. "Then, in order to touch the person who's "it" before being seen, you become able to move on the trajectory towards the "it's" Spiritual Pressure, travelling across the shortest possible distance. During that time…...whoever's "it" sees only an illusion of you standing still. Isn't that what just happened with me?" the Sternritter said before asking his opponent.
Shunsui found himself chuckling, not believing the intelligence his opponent possessed. Yet despite this, Lille remained unfazed and felt like the need to continue his analysis of the Shinigami's ability.
"Most of these rules make everything very convenient for you, but if you're seen moving, you lose. That can only mean if I at any time realize the illusion and see through it…" Lille was interrupted by the voice of Shunsui.
"You'll die" Shunsui finished Lille's analysis before clapping his hands slowly for his opponent. Lille's expression remained unfazed, yet Shunsui continued his clapping. "Well done. I'm glad you're quick to understand your opponent. It saves me the trouble" the pink-clad Shinigami told his opponent.
Lille was not sure what to make of those words. "Saves you the trouble? Telling me the rules of this is a mistake, is it not? Now you won't be able to use this game anymore" the Sternritter pointed out to him.
"Not at all" Shunsui said while adjusting his hat. "It's only when we both know the rules that one can call it a game, wouldn't you agree?" he then questioned the Sternritter. Lille was still not impressed by hearing the smug words coming out from the head-captain's mouth. Even so, Shunsui felt the need to clarify some of the errors in Lille's analysis. "And by the way, I hate to nitpick but there's one thing you misunderstood. That version of my you saw not moving earlier. That wasn't an illusion. You were in fact seeing the real me, in all my glory" he then clarified.
This made Lille feel confused once again, and it started to irritate over the fact that a Shinigami was clarifying some of his mistakes. "What are you saying, fool?" he asked rudely to Shunsui.
But the Head-Captain of the Court Guard didn't seem to mind Lille's rude tone. "The senses by which you feel and pick up on Spiritual Pressure, they're known as Spiritual Sense or Spiritual Pressure Perception. Every person that has a Spiritual Pressure subconsciously uses both their sense of vision and their Spiritual Senses at the same time in order to see" the pink-clad Shinigami began explaining about the use of senses. "And when concentrating in the midst of battle, the Spiritual Senses takes over an overwhelming amount of perception. In other words, your subconscious begin to stop seeing with your eyes. So back there, you mistook my Spiritual Pressure for me. I consolidated it together, hardened it, and left it there, just for you" Shunsui concluded his correction of what Lille missed.
Lille grew tired of this talk. "Spare me your bullshit, Shinigami. There's no way, just by doing that, I'd mistake it for you" he then told his opponent.
Shunsui formed a deep frown while hearing Lille getting so defensive about this info. So he decided to release some of his enormous Spiritual Pressure, which in turn astounded the Sternritter. "You would be wise to remember who it is you're talking to. I am the Head-Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads, as well as Captain of Squad 1: Shunsui Kyoraku" he introduced himself, his face now filled with seriousness. "And judging from you being here, I take it you were the one who almost flooded us with water a while ago" he then began recalling the episode the Shinigamis had experienced.
Despite seeing how powerful Shunsui was, Lille still behaved defiant in front of his opponent. "So what if I was? You and your pack are interlopers in His Majesty's domain. Therefore, we will resort to any measures that will weaken the pack, let alone separate the weak ones from the strong ones" the Sternritter spoke up.
"It's too soon to get cocky here. You know who you're up against" Shunsui reminded his opponent before brandishing his Zanpakutous. "You almost decimated us back then, now I'll return you the favor, on behalf of us all" he said before making his move by running beside Lille.
Meanwhile, Nanao had just returned back to the group of Shinigamis that were waiting for their head-captain to arrive back. But they had been surprised to see Nanao arrive in his stead. As soon as she landed, Nanao got up and adjusted her glasses, while she was sweating a little from all the running she had to do.
The Vizard Lisa Yadomaru smirked by seeing her fellow member of Squad 8 standing there. "About time you showed up, Nanao" she noted smugly. But she quickly frowned when she noticed that something was missing. "But I don't see the head-captain with you" she then added to her assessment.
"Did you find Kyoraku?" Byakuya asked her lowly.
Nanao nodded her head in reply. "Yes. He's even engaging the Sternritter as we speak" she told him while making sure the other Shinigamis got hold of what she was saying. "But he sent me here to personally relay you his message. All of you are to proceed towards the tower without delay. There's no point for you to be waiting for him" the four-eyed woman then explained what the message was.
Many of her fellow Shinigamis were stunned to hear this announcement, yet some like Shinji and Byakuya did not seem necessarily that surprised to hear the message. But most of the lieutenants seemed to feel that way.
"What? Is he telling us to go on ahead without him?" Renji questioned Nanao, who slowly nodded at him in return. "But that doesn't make any sense! We need everyone at the entrance of the palace if we are to lay siege upon it!" the red-haired man then insisted to her.
"He's right. If the head-captain is fighting on his own, then we should at least go and help him together" Momo exclaimed before even taking a glance at her captain. "Don't you think we should do that, Captain Hirako?" she asked him.
"No, Momo. As much as I hate to leave Kyoraku behind, I can understand his reasoning for him wanting us to move on" Shinji told this to Momo and the Kudo-twins as they listened closely.
"He's not….." Lisa began speaking up while glancing at Nanao. "Is he planning on using his Bankai? Is that why he wants us to move on ahead?" the four-eyed woman questioned her.
Nanao had to admit that she was uncertain about what to say in return. However, she did come up with an answer. "I don't know yet. However, I'll go back to the captain alone. You and the others must press on to the palace. We can't delay the siege any further" she told her fellow Shinigamis.
"She does have a point" Byakuya spoke up and many eyes were on the calm-mannered Captain of Squad 6. "We cannot waste time standing here. Even now, the Wandenreich's army continues to grow bolder by the minute. The longer we wait, then the stronger their defences become" he then pointed out to his fellow Shinigamis while agreeing with Nanao's statement.
Shinji smiled smugly while waving his hand in a whimsical manner. "Well, that figures what he wants us to do" he noted before glancing over the group of lieutenants, especially facing Rukia, Sentaro and Kiyone. "And if Ukitake was here with us, I bet he would've wanted us to do the same thing. Come on, he knows Kyoraku better than even I do" he told them while reassuring why they should go.
Rukia and her fellow members of Squad 13 were stunned as they were reminded about their captain. But yet, they also remembered the words he would usually say about Shunsui. From being his subordinates, they knew that Ukitake always had faith in Shunsui, given that those two were the best of friends as Shinigami captains. Even the Shinigamis from the other Squads knew that as well, including the Vizards.
Love was poking one of his ears while listening to this. "So, what are we standing here for? Isn't it about time we get a move on?" the dull-headed man with sunglasses asked his comrades.
"Well, there are no objections here, so I say we got our asses in gear and move one" Shinji said and turned around to begin running, but not before stopping when wanting to tell his fellow Shinigamis some more. "And I know it's a tough choice to leave our head-captain behind. But just imagine if it were Old Man Yamamoto being left behind here. He would've also told us to get our asses moving, wouldn't you agree?" he then questioned them.
Many of the Shinigamis were once again stunned as they were reminded about the late Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, who fell before Yhwach during the Wandenreich's previous invasion of the Sereitei. In fact, many of them even closed their eyes to remind about the words and ideals that Yamamoto often stood for.
"I see what you mean" Hachi spoke up while agreeing with Shinji's words. "To take responsibility for the lives of his soldiers. Right now, Kyoraku is doing that for us. Because that is what it means to be the Head-Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads" the tall man remarked while glancing around to his comrades.
Nanao was also doing the same thing, yet she clenched her fists together and faced the group with a determined glance. "Alright! You heard the head-captain. Head over to the enemy's HQ. I will head back to Kyoraku. And believe me, he will join up with us, that I promise you all!" she told them before vanishing by using her Shunpo.
Knowing better than to stand around doing nothing, the group of Shinigamis headed straight towards their destination, not even looking back to see where their head-captain was currently fighting. They had to press on, and reach the palace before things would get out of hand.
Inside the icy palace of Silbern, Wahrwelt
As battles raged throughout the surrounding districts, the Quincies stationed at Silbern had to deal with their own battles. This was an insurrection among the Sternritters' ranks. The surviving members of Yhwach's Auswählen had managed to reach the palace through a temporary truce with the Shinigamis. They had laid siege to Silbern's courtyard, thus coming into conflict with the soldiers stationed there. However, one of the rebel Sternritters managed to use the chaos to his advantage and sneak past them, thus entering the palace in search of Yhwach.
The hotheaded Sternritter named Bazz-B had stumbled upon the Sternritter Grandmaster: Jugram Haschwalth. Now that Yhwach was asleep, he was now the substitute-emperor. In an attempt to gain revenge on Yhwach, as well as proving who was the strongest Quincy, Bazz-B fought his childhood friend which had chaotic results. Even with his Quincy: Vollständig, Bazz-B was no match for Haschwalth and his powers. The blonde-haired man was about to personally execute him, until he was interrupted by the Schutzstaffel of Prince Uryu Ishida. Pleading him not to execute him, they convinced Haschwalth to let Bazz-B die from his serious wounds. Reluctantly, he agreed to their request.
As Haschwalth walked up to the entrance of the palace, he felt that the internal threat of Silbern had been put down. The few living rebel Sternitters had retreated, yet the blonde-haired man paid no attention to them. He knew that the rebellion was crushed and that those responsible would be dealt with quickly. But in his mind, it was not over yet. Haschwalth had decided to personally visit the one who was supposed to help him oversee the security of Silbern: Uryu Ishida.
"I best find him before something else happens" the blonde-haired man noted as he was on his way to Uryu's personal quarters.
Since Wahrwelt was created, Haschwalth had been stunned to know that Uryu had assembled his own Schutzstaffel to protect him. He had justified that by claiming they would be useful in defending Silbern against the rebels, but in Haschwalth's mind, there was more to this story. With Yhwach's Schutzstaffel out on the frontlines, Haschwalth was left with no loyal Sternritter who would obey his commands. Furthermore, Uryu had already managed to build a reputation for himself inside the Wandenreich's system. This only made the blonde-haired man more frustrated by the minute.
"He was supposed to assist me with overseeing the defenses, yet he let his Schutzstaffel do his bidding" Haschwalth thought while moving in a faster pace. "Whatever games you are planning, I will see to them being stopped" he added to his head.
The Sternritter Grandmaster was nearing the door of Uryu's personal quarters. He could see two Wandenreich officers standing there as guards. Once they saw Haschwalth, they both saluted to him without hesitation.
"Lord Haschwalth…what brings you here?" one of the officers asked with formality in his voice.
"Is Crown Prince Uryu inside?" the blonde-haired man asked them both, his voice filled with no emotion as usual.
The other officer nodded his head as a yes. "Of course. He just returned from running some errands in the laboratory. He told me that he did not wish to be disturbed but….." the officer was interrupted by the stern voice of Haschwalth.
"Let me inside. I need to have a discussion with the crown prince about certain issues" he commanded them and both officers responded without hesitation.
"YESSIR!" they both said and opened the door as he requested. None of them dared to question the authority of Haschwalth. Who knows what he would do to those who did in fact question him. Nevertheless, they avoided it, and Haschwalth entered without hesitation. Both officers ran away, knowing better than to be at the same spot as Haschwalth when he was angry.
Uryu's personal quarters was filled with elegance, including the way the furniture and walls functioned. Even his bed was fancy, and he had even been given his own living room. But that was to be expected for the one who would once become the next emperor.
Haschwalth's blue eyes caught glimpse of Uryu, who could be found sitting by his own desk reading a book. However, there was a mirror on that desk. Uryu spotted Haschwalth and quickly turned around to glance at the blonde-haired man surprised.
"Haschwalth…you're here…." Uryu spoke up lowly and got up from his seat.
"Surprised to see me? That is quite ironic, considering that it is I who should be surprised" Haschwalth stated before taking slow steps towards the raven-haired man, who was still standing there surprised. "I was surprised over not seeing you showing up to assist me with supervising Silbern" he then added, without any emotion in his voice.
Uryu's eyes was still filled with surprise. But it was not due to Haschwalth just being here. He could see the blonde-haired man's eyes. Three irises could be seen. This only confirmed that Haschwalth was now in possession of Yhwach's powers, as their powers were swapped during the night.
Even so, Uryu decided to not mind it, as he needed to fess up to Haschwalth. He nodded his head towards him before bowing his head in shame. "I humbly apologize for not showing up. I accept full responsibility for my absence and negligence" he said before reaching for the book he was reading and showed it to the Sternritter Grandmaster. "I was caught up in this book about science. After reading a few pages, I was getting intrigued how science could actually revolutionize the Wandenreich. That is why I visited the laboratory to seek out the advice of our scientists. I was not conspiring against His Majesty if that is what you wonder" he then added with an explanation.
Despite hearing all this, Haschwalth remained unfazed at Uryu's excuse for not showing up. In fact, it made him more disappointed in the crown prince. "I am not interested in such foolish distractions, Uryu Ishida. As the Prinz von Lichts, you were supposed to answer my call in defending Silbern from the invaders. And you didn't show up" he pointed out to Uryu Sternly.
"But I did dispatch my Schutzstaffel to assist you in the defense of Silbern. I advised them to follow not just my orders, but yours as well" Uryu pointed out to him. "With them and you on the guard, the security of Silbern was guaranteed. The rebellion was repelled" he added while adjusting his glasses.
"But some of them survived and escaped from the courtyard" Haschwalth pointed out to him sternly. "And as a matter of fact, your Schutzstaffel didn't seem to follow my orders, as none of them pursued those survivors when I had told them to" he then added with displeasure in his voice.
Uryu nodded his head in return. "I see. But rest assured, those survivors will be dealt with. We are many, they are few. They won't be able to escape us so easily" the raven-haired man insisted to him. "And I also know that His Majesty's Schutzstaffel are on the frontlines as we speak. They will deal with the intruders. We don't have to worry about them reaching us" he then spoke up, trying to make an impression on Haschwalth.
But that didn't work as Haschwalth was still displeased by what he was hearing from the crown prince. "You do not impress, Uryu Ishida. For you to try and change the subject really speaks volumes. But it won't work on me. Right now, we are discussing your behavior as crown prince" the blonde-haired man stated sternly.
Uryu sighed deeply as he heard him. "Look, I get it that you don't trust me completely. But that doesn't mean I will betray you. I was simply expressing my interest in science" the raven-haired man told him.
"It's funny. I don't recall saying anything about you betraying us" Haschwalth spoke up with a smug smile on his face. "I was simply trying to find out why you were behaving so disrespectful towards your superiors" he then said.
This made Uryu fix a scowl with his mouth, indicating that he was furious with what Haschwalth just told him. However, his eyes were drawn to Haschwalth reaching for his Spirit Weapon and it made him cautious. He stared at Haschwalth, who was still smiling smugly at him.
"What are you…" Uryu questioned, only for Haschwalth to quickly draw out his blade, with the intent of slashing Uryu. Fortunately, he managed to avoid it by using Hirenkiyaku. But the mirror at the desk was shattered in half. Uryu was enraged by what he was witness to. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" he then asked out angrily.
The blonde-haired man held out his sword before glancing over to Uryu at his right side. "Simple. I am evaluating whether you can still be trustworthy in the service of His Majesty. Something tells me of your deception" he said, his mouth still carrying a smug smile. "And may I remind you that during the night, while His Majesty is asleep, our powers are switched" he said while swinging his sword in preparation to fight Uryu.
The raven-haired man gritted his teeth in frustration by the situation he was in. Without thinking, he reached for his Heilig Bogen and aimed a Heilig Pfiel at the Sternritter Grandmaster.
"Do you even know what you're doing?" Uryu asked lowly while sweating. "I am the Prinz von Lichts, for god's sake! What the hell makes you think that I will betray you!?" he then asked out in frustration.
Haschwalth remained unfazed by hearing this and prepared his fighting stance. "Have you forgotten what I told you the other night? The moment you joined us, was named His Majesty's successor, as well as letting him engrave your soul…." Haschwalth said before charging. "YOU HAD NO WAY OUT!" he exclaimed.
Uryu fired his arrow, yet Haschwalth avoided it and moved on to attack Uryu. The four-eyed Quincy knew that it was fruitless of him to be standing still, so he used his Hirenkiyaku to vanish from the spot he was standing on. But Haschwalth had good reflexes, and he fixed his eyes upon his target, who was standing near the door, aiming his bow at him.
"Stop this, Haschwalth! You know very well this will not benefit His Majesty in any way!" the raven-haired man pleaded to him, hoping to make Haschwalth see reason.
The blonde-haired man simply scoffed at him in return by hearing Uryu's pleas. "Don't lecture me about what benefits His Majesty! What I do know that benefits him" he said before charging straight towards the crown prince. "IS ME DEALING WITH TRAITORS LIKE YOU!" he added loudly.
"YOU INSANE BASTARD!" Uryu shouted before firing another round of a Reishi Arrow. But Haschwalth managed to grab it with his quick reflexes and threw it away. This only made Uryu more distressed and he knew that using Hirenkiyaku was his only option. But it was too late for the raven-haired man. Before he knew it, he could feel Haschwalth's blade pierce through him. He was then pushed against the wall, with the bleeding tip being stuck on it. Uryu was enraged and began coughing blood, while holding onto the sword. He was furious. "Damn….you…" he cursed.
Haschwalth simply glanced at the four-eyed man with emotionless eyes. "Don't take this as a personal matter, Uryu Ishida. What I am doing here, I do it for the sake of His Majesty. You will no longer be a nuisance to him" he told the crown prince before fixing a smug smile. "And do not worry, I will report to your Schutzstaffel and His Majesty that you died in an accident on the frontlines. I will tell them that you fought well as a martyr" he then added with what he was planning to do.
Uryu was still holding onto the blade and he glanced up to Haschwalth. "Damn…you…..damn….you" he said while his mouth was bleeding. The blonde-haired man didn't take it personally, as he knew those would be Haschwalth's last breath. "Damn…..you….damn…..you….damn…you…Uryu Ishida!" the new voice suddenly came out from his mouth.
Haschwalth's blue eyes widened in shock by the change of voice. He could not believe it. "Wait…...what is this…" he said lowly before pulling out his sword from his opponent's body. The Sternritter Grandmaster pointed it at him. "Who is this!?" he then demanded angrily, starting to realize something.
What he thought was Uryu Ishida suddenly began transforming into someone. Haschwalth was stunned as he could see who that person really was. It was a young, baldheaded man with three eyes, as the third eye was stuck on his forehead. He had headphone-like things covering his ears. But as his new form was now completed, he fell on his knees, panting. Haschwalth's head was filled with so many thoughts, as he knew who this person actually was.
"It can't be….." Haschwalth uttered out lowly, his eyes still filled with shock. "You are…Royd Lloyd…..but he…..he died…..HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE!?" he then asked out angrily.
As soon as he was finished panting, the man looked up to the blonde-haired man with narrowed eyes. "I'm not…...Royd" the young man spoke up before coughing another round of blood. "I'm Sternritter Y- The Yourself…...Loyd Lloyd. Royd was….my twin brother" the man then introduced himself.
The Sternritter Grandmaster was filled with disbelief. "What!? But you were also dead! You died at the hands of Kenpachi Zaraki!" he then spat out. Haschwalth was then beginning to remember something. He hadn't forgotten about Uryu's Schutzstaffel. Among them were two Sternritters, who had also met their end by Kenpachi's hands: Berenice Gabrielli and Jerome Guizbatt. Somehow, they had been brought back to life, but how? Many questions swirled inside his head, yet he remained focus on the bleeding man before him.
Loyd was reaching for something, which was obviously his Heilig Bogen. But before he could activate it, Haschwalth pointed his blade at him, the tip reaching his hand. It made the baldheaded man filled with distress.
"Stay where you are. And don't move. I have two questions for you" Haschwalth commanded him while feeling very angered over this situation. "Where is Uryu Ishida? And more importantly, how are you able to even replicate his appearance, personality and memories? From what I know, you can only replicate appearances and powers" the blonde-haired man then asked him.
Loyd gritted his teeth in anger while being asked about this. "You fucking faggot…I don't answer to you!" he spat back at him.
Haschwalth felt his patience nearing its limit. "I see. You must also be another loyalist of Uryu. That means you have joined his ranks" the Sternritter Grandmaster remarked with disdain.
Loyd was angry as he heard what was being said. "I'm not on anyone's side! Not even Yhwach's!" he snapped before coughing. "You and that bastard used my brother…then disposed of him as if he was trash! Therefore…THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I WOULD ANSWER TO YOU!" he then spoke up, this time demonstrating his anger and defiance in front of Haschwalth.
This only encouraged Haschwalth to punish Loyd for such insolence. But before he could even do something, a chuckle could be heard from the entrance. Despite this, the blonde-haired man didn't seem to pay attention, as he knew who that voice belonged to.
"Now I hear some screaming and decide to see what it is, only to find this?" the smug voice came from Sternritter Σ – Sigma: Shaz Domino. The man with glasses mused to himself by the scene he was witness to. "It's a bummer that I forgot my camera. I could get many views form filming this" he then added with sarcasm in his voice.
Haschwalth turned his eyes on him, feeling irritated by seeing him standing there. "Spare me your jokes, Domino. Why are you here?" he demanded sternly while taking a glance at Loyd. "And how did this fool manage to replicate Uryu's appearance and personality?" he asked, is voice filled with distaste.
Shaz only glanced at the bleeding Quincy before taking his glance on Haschwalth. "Seriously? Don't you know? I mean, even I knew what Loyd was capable of" he said in a laidback manner.
"Capable of what, exactly?" the blonde-haired man asked Shaz.
"Duh. Loyd's Schrift gives him the ability to replicate people's appearance and abilities. And who do you think was the first person he used that on?" Shaz asked him cunningly, much to Haschwalth's own dismay. "That's right! He and Royd always used to practice their abilities on one another. And Loyd can use his Schrift to not only replicate his twin brother's appearance, but his powers as well. And when he did that on Royd…that means he could also use Royd's abilities, which includes personality and memory replication" Shaz went on explaining.
Haschwalth was only stunned as he was hearing what was being said. He could not believe that all this time, he had been fooled by Loyd into believing that he was Uryu. Somehow, the blonde-haired man felt a tint of shame on the inside, especially given the fact he was a high-ranking follower of Yhwach himself.
Shaz had to muse as he saw Haschwalth's reaction. "Come on. Don't tell me you didn't realize it. Even the dullest Sternritters like Giselle, NaNaNa and Nianzol knew that as well" he said before bursting out into laughing. But that laugh was short-lived as Haschwalth swung his sword, thus forcing Shaz to back away to avoid getting slashed. However, his left hand had been cut off and it made him outraged. "Ouch! Damn it, Haschwalth! Was that even necessary!?" he snapped while holding onto his handless arm.
"I did it to keep your mouth shut. It was starting to annoy me" Haschwalth responded before seeing Shaz using his ability to gather Reishi. With this, his left hand eventually began growing itself, all thanks to the Reishi. "And besides, with your Schrift, you should be able to use the Reishi around to you put yourself again" he added.
Shaz only scoffed as his hand healed. "Tch, showoff" he said, only to form a smug smile while facing Haschwalth. "But anyway, now that you know that Uryu isn't here, shouldn't you be out looking for him?" he then pointed out to him smugly.
This caused Haschwalth's eyes to snap in anger and he immediately walked towards Shaz, who was then forced out of the room. "You imbecile! You were patrolling the halls! Why didn't you stop Uryu!?" he demanded an answer while preparing to slash Shaz with his sword once again.
"Slow down, Haschwalth! I'm not your enemy here!" Shaz insisted to him before forming a smug grin with his mouth. "In fact, considering that you wear His Majesty's ability, you should be able to see into the future and tell where he is. But unless I am mistaking, you can only use it when you are calm instead of frustrated or angry. Isn't that the reason why you weren't able to use The Almighty to predict that Loyd was only fooling you?" he then began explaining
The blonde-haired man paused as he heard what just came out of Shaz's mouth. Was he right? Had he failed to use The Almighty properly thanks to losing his composure? As much as Haschwalth wanted to angrily retaliate for what the Sternritter just told him, he restrained himself. Taking his time to think, Haschwalth realized what was now needed. In fact, he even found calm within him.
He turned around and walked away, but also said some words to Shaz. "Thank you, Domino. I must commend you for giving me this advice. You will be rewarded handsomely later" he said while walking. However, his voice could still be heard in the hall. "Now if you excuse me, I have some errands to run here in Silbern. I will let His Majesty decide the fate of you and that chameleon. Until then, you and all of Uryu's allies are spared….for now" he added before continuing on his way.
Shaz had no clue to what he meant by what. The Quincy with glasses simply shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms in disgust at the blonde-haired man's attitude.
"Hmph. I sometimes feel sorry for him. He's living a life without convictions" he admitted to himself, only to hear someone stand in the doorway. He only smirked as he turned around to see Loyd standing there, his injury still serious. "Well, you look pretty…...messed up. I guess the Leben Kapsel is your next stop once again, eh?" he then asked him teasingly.
Loyd gritted his bleeding teeth in anger by hearing this. "Fuck off…...you cocksucker…" the Sternritter mustered enough strength to say those words to Shaz. "The only reason I agreed on this…...was to repay my debt to that four-eyed twerp for restoring me!" he said angrily, only to cough out another chunk of blood on the floor.
"Woah, you need to chill out, mister" Shaz remarked, although it was uncertain whether he felt worried for Loyd or not. "But honestly, you wouldn't have lasted against Haschwalth in combat" he then pointed out to him.
"I don't give a damn!" Loyd said, before he began moving himself towards Shaz. Despite his attitude, the man with glasses helped Loyd on standing on his feet. This was very unusual of him, given that Shaz was noticed to be an arrogant Quincy. However, he would always be there for his comrades when necessary. "Take me to Kana and the others. I need their help" he then told Shaz, who merely shook his head as a no.
"How about you let me do this instead?" Shaz suggested and he began putting his hand on Loyd's injury. The baldheaded man was surprised, as particles of Reishi began healing his injury. Loyd could not believe his eyes. This was Shaz's doing. He could use his ability on others, but only one direct contact with his hands. Nevertheless, Loyd's injury was gone, and he could feel himself feeling better. Shaz had to smirk. "There. Better?" he asked the Sternritter.
Loyd simply nodded his head as a yes in return. "Thank you, Shaz Domino. I promise I will repay you someday" he told him in return.
"We can talk about that some other time" Shaz insisted to him while forming a frown with his mouth. "But you heard Haschwalth. Now that he knows that Prince Uryu is not here, he'll put the entire palace on martial law. That means we'll need to stick together" the man with glasses pointed out to him.
Loyd nodded his head in return. "I know that. We best head back to Kana and the others. At this rate, it's probably the best place for me to be in right now" he said.
"But they still don't know about me, remember?" Shaz pointed out to him. He nodded smugly. "That's right. I'm Yhwach's best informer of things happening in Silbern. There's no way they'll dispose of me yet" he said before patting Loyd on the back before moving on. "But you better head to the laboratory. I'll stay in the halls and see how things will turn out. Until we meet again, a fond farewell" he said before using Hirenkiyaku to vanish from the scene.
This left Loyd alone in the hall, yet the young Sternritter headed straight towards the laboratory. Why he had partaken this mission, was yet to be answered. But all things were for sure. He was somewhat embittered by the way Yhwach had been using his twin brother. In fact, he remembered Yhwach promising not to kill Royd when he was finished with this suicide job. And yet, he broke that promise. Where his current loyalties lied now, he had yet to find out.
In the icy rooftops of Wahrwelt
Shunsui Kyoraku had managed to use his tricks and mind games to fool the Sternritter: Lille Barro. To begin with, he was certain about victory. But once Lille had been stabbed at least three times, something happened to him. His other eye, which was usually closed, opened. It opened because it was the third time Lille had sustained serious injuries from the head-captain. The injuries he had received from Shunsui began vanishing. It was then the hard part began for the head-captain. Lille was willing to fill him in on many details, including the one who struck him down most. The Sternritter was glancing at him seriously, even demonstrating pride as he spoke up.
"Once I've opened my eye after the third time in battle, I am able to complete that fight in combat. There is a reason why I am capable of such" Lille explained while Shunsui stood his guard, not knowing what he was talking about. But he could see Lille having a delightful expression, indicating that he was feeling very confident about himself. "I am the first Sternritter to be granted a Schrift by His Majesty, and thus His Majesty's greatest creation. But I am more than that. I am the man closest to God" he revealed to his opponent. "And for this godlike creation to have his eye opened after being put in a vulnerable state three times…..IS THE ONE THING THAT SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN!" he loudly exclaimed.
Before Shunsui even knew it, the x-formed marking across Lille's left eye began glowing brightly. It was beginning to form into a Quincy Cross. Even now, his left eye was glowing into pale white. A bright light exploded into the view of Shunsui, who used his hat to cover himself. It was quite powerful, as Shunsui could barely see a Quincy Cross being formed amidst this unleashing of power. He also felt an incredible amount of Spiritual Pressure.
As soon as the light stopped, Shunsui was able to see his opponent clearly. When he got a glimpse of Lille, he was stunned. The Sternritter was completely changed. Lille had eight Reishi Wings that had three holes in them each. He also wore a white furred coat, almost as if he was a priest, although his arms and feet could be seen. An oversized Heilligenschein floated above his head and Lille's face was covered by white lines, although his eyes could be seen. Lille was currently floating and he had even exposed his hand palms, in which x markings could be seen on each of them. This was the Quincy: Vollständig of Lille Barro.
"What is this form?" Shunsui wondered while gazing into his opponent.
"Beware, Shinigami. You are facing an envoy of God. No one can withstand the power of my Jilliel!" Lille exclaimed, his manner of speech changing due to him being in this form.
Shunsui was about to move as he could see something happening in the holes of Lille's wings. But he felt himself unable to move and he looked down to see what it was. "What the hell…he's rendered me immobile….." he wondered, yet was interrupted as he could feel three shots coming to him. He felt pierced. Lille had fired those Reishi Bullets from the holes of his wings.
But Lille was not fooled easily, as he could see that something was amiss. What he thought was Shunsui was merely an illusion. The Quincy could spot the trails of blood and eventually Shunsui himself making a run towards the nearby building. His eyes narrowed further in displeasure.
"Running away, I see?" Lille asked while slowly walking towards the direction his target had run off to. "Then let us play cat and mouse, only this time…...the cat kills the mouse" he then noted while continuing moving.
Shunsui had jumped to a nearby building, yet he could still feel Lille not falling far behind. In desperation, he continued running towards the next building. It was a bit further away from the one he was currently on. But he needed to make a run for it.
"You will not escape me so easily!" the voice from Lille as he even began loading his wings, as well as aiming his handpalms at his target. Similar beams began loading on the handpalms. "Try dodging this, sinner!" he bellowed before firing the Reishi Beams.
Shunsui did his best to avoid those beams. But as he was diving to avoid them, he lost his hat. It was blown away and didn't manage to get hit by the beams. "Damn, my hat!" Shunsui cursed yet he could notice Lille being onto him. "Screw that, I better move!" he said to himself while heading for the nearby building, in which he would need to make a jump for it. With all is might, the head-captain jumped towards the next building. He managed to land perfectly, and quickly hid himself behind a wall on the rooftop.
The pink-clad Shinigami sait while trying to catch his breath while taking a glance at his injury. So far, Lille had managed to hit him on his right shoulder. This made Shunsui sigh deeply in irritation.
"Give me a break. Making me run like a Swiss cheese. What better humiliation is there to be in?" he noted while glancing at his injury. The bleeding on his right shoulder was serious, yet he seemed to possess enough endurance to shrug it off. "It would've been a whole lot simpler if I had just died from his initial wave of attacks. Instead, here I am, still conscious. Forced to make some stupid and reckless decisions" he then noted while lamenting how stressful this was.
Shunsui began glancing around the icy cityscape and so far, he could not see Lille nor hear him. However, he was beginning to think about something that was missing. After enough thinking, the head-captain mused to himself while thinking about his lieutenant.
"And without Nanao around to bounce this stuff off, there's not anyone to throw a sarcastic grip back in my direction" he noted before glancing into the icy cityscape once again. "Speaking of Nanao, I wonder how she's doing so far" he wondered about her.
But the head-captain's attention was interrupted as he could hear powerful beams reaching behind him. He quickly got op on his feet and jumped off the building. It was apparent that Lille had fired them on the wall and now it was collapsing.
"Phew, that was close" Shunsui remarked before noticing the open window of the building he was nearing from falling. He saw this as a perfect place to land on and enter. It was probably the best for him, as he could feel the entire wall crumble above him. He needed to avoid it. "I best go inside and avoid getting squashed by that wreckage" he added before landing and entering the building through the window. He found himself inside an apartment, in what looked like a living room. Even so, Shunsui kept moving.
In the sky above the urban landscape, Lille was glancing at his target fleeing from him. "You are quite adept at fleeing, despite the wound you carry. However….." the Sternritter said before his entire form began vanishing, almost as if he was teleporting away. And that turned to be true. Lille suddenly found himself right before Shunsui, inside the building. He had used some kind of teleportation and was now blocking Shunsui's way. "Do you actually think running away is an option?" Lille asked as his whole body began to take shape.
Shunsui had stopped as he could see Lille appear with this spiraling teleportation. It seemed to be another form of Hirenkiyaku.
"Shit…..he really is persistent, isn't he?" the Shinigami cursed by what he was seeing. He then drew his Zanpakutous, thus preparing to fight Lille.
The Sternritter only stood there while crossing his arms with dispassion. "Get it through your thick skull, Shinigami. I already told you that weapons are meaningless when I am in this form" Lille reminded his opponent.
"Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time" Shunsui said as he was beginning to form something with his Zanpakutous. Despite this, Lille remained unfazed and only stared at him with othing but boredom. The pink-clad Shinigami was preparing an attack, but not just any kind of attack. "Let's see how you fair against a blade of Kido! Hado 78: Zangerin!" he exclaimed while releasing a slashing ring that erupted fast.
This ring was powerful enough to slash the top of the tower in half and an explosion erupted as a result. Shunsui was known to be a Kido-expert, in addition to being a master in swordsmanship. Smoke erupted from the top of the building as the top collapse and fell onto the ground.
Shunsui panted deeply as all that he saw around him were walls of smoke. He looked both sides, wary if Lille would use this opportunity to strike. But the question is whether the Kido-spell managed to inflict damage upon the Sternritter. The Shinigami stood his ground, while making sure not to lose focus of his surroundings.
"Come on…..I know you're out there….show yourself" he spoke up lowly. Somehow, Shunsui was expecting his opponent to have survived.
His suspicions were confirmed as he could a beam of Reishi head towards him, Shunsui could see it from his left side. Without delay, he fell backwards, so that he was able to watch the beam pass by him. As soon as the beam stopped, Shunsui focused his gaze to his left side and was prepared to face his opponent. Even now, he could see Lille's silhouette in the smoke as it started to clear.
"I must admit that you have indeed good reflexes. I can see now why you were appointed the Head-Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads" the transformed Quincy remarked as he appeared out of the smoke, having just fired the beam with his right hand. "However, you expected to best me by only using Kido? Fool. I'm already standing here, not carrying a single injury" he then remarked.
The Shinigami only shrugged his shoulders as he heard that. "Figures. As a matter of fact, I tend to be a little rusty when it comes to Kido-spells" he remarked in his usual easygoing glance before facing the Quincy deadly. "But I'm not gonna let you get away with this. I'm also standing my ground. I still owe you a favor from that flooding you pulled on us back there" he said, his voice bearing a hint of determination.
"Hmph, only the weakest of your pack managed to disappear from it. But you are not among them" Lille noted before pointing a finger at Shunsui's left hip. "And by the way, I would think twice before getting cocky if I were you. Because you have just been marked by me" he then told him.
Shunsui snapped and looked at his left hip. He was stunned as he could see a white x-mark being located on his kimono. It was the same x-mark that could be seen on Lille's handpalms. The man with the ponytail glanced at his opponent when noticing the same symbols.
"You sure are one, tough bastard. Care to explain what you've done to me?" Shunsui asked, his voice filled with dispassion.
Lille continued to glance at him with narrow eyes. "This is an ability I can use to mark my targets. It is part of my Schrift: the letter X – The X-Axis. I tend to call it Ziel" he told his opponent while showing him the symbol on his handpalm. "When I cast my Ziel on a specific target the beams I fire will always be headed towards my Ziel, nothing else. The Ziel will only vanish once my beam hits it. I placed the Ziels on you while you were busy fooling yourself with that Kido-spell" he then went on explaining how it worked.
"Hold on, you say that you planted more than one on me? Where's the…" Shunsui was interrupted as he could see the other Ziel located on his right knee. It made him snap in anger. However, he displayed a calm behavior in front of Lille. "You are one sick son of a bitch. Planning on making me into a giant cheese or something? That's just really messed up" he then noted to his opponent.
Lille was growing weary of Shunsui's attitude. "I grow tired of you and your pathetic humor, Shinigami. It is time that we ended this fight. His Majesty commanded me to get rid of all Shinigami-rodents in Wahrwelt, and I intend on carrying it out. Such is my duty as an envoy of God!" he said before the holes in his wings began loading.
"I better come up with a quick defense for this. And I think I know just the right spells to use for this" Shunsui noted while seeing the beams getting ready to be fired. But he didn't say the word yet, as he waited for Lille to fire his beams. The moment the Sternritter unleashed his beams, Shunsui felt like the time was right. "BAKUDO 81: DANKU!" he exclaimed as a defensive wall was created to appear right before him.
"I TOLD YOU IT'S NO USE!" Lille said while firing his beams.
Shunsui thought the wall would protect him from the incoming Reishi Beams, but the head-captain was sadly wrong. Before he even knew it, he could feel the powerful beams managing to pierce through his left hip and right knee and it made him howl in pain and agony.
"ARRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHH!" the loud yell came from him as he felt himself incredibly paralyzed by this attack. Lille had managed to create holes in the Danku, as well as where the two Ziels had been placed. "ARRRRGHHHHH! GODDAMNIT!" he yelled while feeling how much it bleed from the two spots.
Lille felt pleased to see that his attack had managed to convince his opponent how his tactics failed him. He took slow steps towards his opponent, who was now forced to stand on his left knee. The bleedings on his right knee and left hip continued and he was panting deeply.
"Do you see it now, Shinigami? This is the power that I carry. It surpasses you and your petty Kido-spells. Now unless you don't wish for me to humiliate you any further, stay down and watch as I personally execute you for your….." Lille stopped as he could see that something was amiss once again. Apparently, Shunsui was no longer there, yet he could see his blood trails. This only made him more infuriated. "Damn that vermin! How does he still have the strength to run away from me!? I will scour him from the face of the earth!" he angrily said while taking up to the air once again.
Shunsui had managed to use whatever strength he had left to run away from his opponent as fast as he could. In fact, the pink-clad Shinigami had managed to find himself a hiding place, in what looked like a narrow space on the rooftop between the buildings. He sat while leaning against the wall, trying to catch his breath. Even now, he felt himself getting weaker, as well as a pool of blood being built underneath him.
"Damn. I didn't think my Kido would have that much of an effect on him to begin with, but for it to have no effect whatsoever. I'm really getting rusty with my Kido-spells" Shunsui admitted to himself while briefly looking to both of his sides. So far, there were no signs of Lille yet. "I've exhausted all my options against this guy. But at least I ended up running all the way back to where we entered this place from" he added.
That is true, since being hit by Lille's beams, Shunsui had used all his might to escape from that place and head right back to the spot where they first entered Wahrwelt. With his Shunpo, he had even managed to pass by the Wasserman. But there was a reason for why Shunsui had decided to run so far away from the group of Shinigamis, let alone drag Lille with him.
"By now, everyone should be pretty far away from here, hopefully. And Nanao, if you get caught up in this, I apologize" he said before holding up his Zanpakutous. He then put both tips on the ground. "So it has come to this, eh? I think it's time to see what's waiting for me on the other side" he added.
It was now time. Shunsui was finally going to do it. Now that he was far away from his fellow Shinigamis and alone with his opponent, the head-captain felt like using this as his trump card. It was the only way of beating this Sternritter.
"Bankai" Shunsui said while his blades were digging onto the ground. He was now doing it! Shunsui Kyoraku was finally releasing his Bankai to deal with his opponent. "Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū" he added while calling out the name of his Bankai. Now, it was time for him to get real in this fight.
To be continued…
Author's note: That was chapter 40. Wow! Can't believe how far I have come. But I hope you're enjoying this story so far. This chapter was about Shunsui and his battle with Lille. As a matter of fact, the next chapter will be focused on that fight. It will also be a flashback chapter, which will dig a little deeper into Shunsui's past. Some of the scenes like that with Shunsui using Bakudo are just my idea. I thought it would be great to see what happened to Shunsui while he was dealing with Lille. But we also got to see how Haschwalth was doing in Silbern. He was searching for Uryu, only to find Loyd being there using a disguise. Where is Uryu? And what kind of man is Shaz Domino? I may plan on writing what Uryu himself is doing. But for now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And here is the new terms you learned in this chapter.
Ziel – German for "Target": This is an ability that Lille Barro can use while in his Quincy: Vollständig. It enables him to place targets on his opponents. With them, his Reishi Beams should be able to reach straight towards where the Ziels has been put.
