Author's note: Inspired by a song from the English power metal band DragonForce, this chapter will tell us about how Gerard had his fight with the Shinigamis. And of course, it's only how the fight happened in my story. And trust me, it will be different from the canon story, in which Gerard will not die. I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Tite Kubo. The original characters belong to me.


Chapter 44: Operation Pound and Ground

In the icy cityscape of the Wahrwelt, Royal Realm, Soul Society

The main group of Shinigamis were dealing with the only thig blocking their entry into Silbern: Sternritter M – The Miracle: Gerard Valkyrie. The gigantic Quincy, who was also known to be the Soul King's Heart, had overwhelmed his opponents, easily managing to defeat the majority of the Shinigamis. He had even managed to stand against the group of Vizards. But as he was about to break the place, he was stopped by Rukia Kuchiki, who along with Renji Abarai had activated their Bankais and were now challenging him to fight both of them. Gerard had to admit he was satisfied, given that he was now seeing that not all the Shinigamis were as weak as he had first assumed.

Right now, both Renji and Rukia were trying to avoid getting crushed by Gerard, who had begun chasing them. But in the meantime, the two Shinigami-lieutenants had also begun attacking back. They jumped from boulder to boulder as their opponent constantly tried to catch them.

"HAH! IS THAT ALL YOU CAN DO!?" Gerard taunted them as tried to grab them by his hands. "I AM BEGINNING TO FEEL DISAPPOINTED IN YOU!" he then added more to this taunting.

Rukia narrowed her eyes as she listened to what the Quincy said to them. "His size is enormous. Is there any way to defeat him?" she thought while trying to figure out the weak points in Gerard. "I may have to lower the temperature to below absolute zero. But I feel that I haven't been able to fully master my Bankai yet. How can I…." Rukia was interrupted in her pondering as she could watch something happen with Renji. The black-haired woman was stunned to see what Renji had in mind.

The red-haired man grinned cockily as he faced Gerard. He was now preparing an attack with the help of his Bankai: Soo Zabimaru. Clutching the blade on his right hand, Renji jumped up and towards the gigantic Sternritter. He grinned cockily at Gerard. "SO YOU WANT TO GIVE EVERYTHING I GOT, EH!? WELL GUESS WHAT, ASSHOLE! I'M GONNA GIVE YOU WHAT YOU DESIRE!" Renji yelled as sped right towards Gerard's face. The Quincy tried to grab him with his right hand, only for Renji to send Hihio in order to fend it off. This gave Renji a clear passage to reach Gerard's face and he stabbed his chin. His Zanpakutou was loading and it became clear to the Sternritter that Renji was keen on attacking him. "SUCK ON THIS! SOO ZABIMARU, ZAGA TEPPO!" Renji yelled as his Zanpakutou fired a powerful blast right towards Gerard's face.

The attack was quite explosive and it left a big cloud of smoke in its aftermath. Rukia could only stand and watch in shock from the top of the boulder.

"RENJI!" Rukia yelled out loud as she hoped that her fellow lieutenant had not committed a suicidal move just now. As much as she tried to sweat it didn't help with her Bankai activated. All that was liquid became easily frozen. "That fool….what is he thinking!? But at least he made an effort to attack the Quincy" the young woman noted beneath her breath.

The smoke began clearing itself and Ruika was hoping to be able to see Renji once again. Once it was gone, she did see him, albeit in a very dangerous position right now. Apparently, not even Renji's ability was able to inflect much damage upon Gerard, instead leaving him bruises all across his face. But that was not the most shocking view for Rukia. What was more shocking was the fact that Gerard was suddenly holding Renji in his giant right hand. Rukia's expression was filled with distress as she saw how Renji was getting squeezed by Gerard.

"REEEENJIIII!" Rukia yelled before angrily charging towards Gerard holding her comrade. "LET GO OF HIM, YOU COWARLY BASTARD!" she yelled and jumped towards Gerard, hoping to freeze him by getting closer to Gerard. That was the nature of her Bankai, the power to freeze anything near her to absolute zero.

Despite seeing how angry and determined Rukia was, Gerard did not necessarily seem intimidated or worried. He merely grinned cockily at the Lieutenant of Squad 13. Before Rukia could reach him, Gerard held up his shield, thus blocking her from saving Renji. The gigantic Sternritter proceeded to charge Rukia with his shield, thus sending Rukia flying towards the nearest rooftop of a building.

Gerard laughed cockily as he saw Rukia struggling. "HOW FOOLISH OF YOU! DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT YOU AND YOUR ICE TRICKS WOULD BE ENOUGH TO STOP THE LIKES OF ME!?" Gerard asked her tauntingly while holding up Renji for her to see. The Lieutenant of Squad 6 howled in agony as Gerard began squeezing him slightly. "NOW STAND AND WATCH, AS I SQUASH THIS LITTLE NOISY GNAT LIKE AN THAT'S ABOUT TO EXPLODE!" Gerard then told Rukia, who felt powerless to stop him now.

Renji was howling in pain and blood was even beginning to sprout out from his mouth. But he was in for a surprise when he could feel himself falling in the air. It didn't take long for Renji to realize that he was indeed falling from the air. Gerard had released him somehow. He could see what it was before crash landing onto the pile of rubbles beneath him.

Gerard's face was covered by thousands of cherry blossom blades and they functioned as a cloud blinding Gerard. This surprise attack enabled Gerard to lose focus on squeezing Renji. Both Shinigami-lieutenants knew who it was that was attacking Gerard just now. It was Captain of Squad 6: Byakuya Kuchiki.

Rukia watched in surprise as her adoptive brother arrived on the rooftop she found herself sitting on. Having just gained consciousness after being stuck by Gerard earlier, Byakuya had immedaitley stepped in to help save Renji, instead of focusing on killing Gerard. That was the reason he had first activated his Shikai.

"Brother…." Rukia uttered out the word lowly as she watched Byakuya control his Shikai.

Byakuya fixed his gaze upon her. "It is a good thing I arrived here as soon as I could. It seems to me that we have all foolishly underestimate this Quincy" he told her. But both the Kuchikis' attentions were fixed upon their enemy, as he many cherry blossom blades soon vanished. Gerard removed them while roaring up in the sky. As expected from Byakuya, it wasn't powerful enough to remove the skin on Gerard's face. But then again, he had only used his Shikai to save Renji from Gerard's grip. "We cannot hope to defeat him with only Lieutenant-level Shinigamis. As powerful as you and Renji have become, it will not be enough to defeat him. We will have to work together the three of us. But I am confident that the rest of the Shinigamis will join in the fight when they can" Byakuya then suggested to Rukia.

Rukia had to smile when she heard him say that. "My thoughts exactly" she told him. Rukia then took notice of Renji standing down on the pile of rubbles. "Oh, and your lieutenant is standing there. Shall I go and help him?" she asked Byakuya, who sighed lowly in return.

"No. Renji is a strong lieutenant. Don't underestimate his strength" Byakuya told her before glancing at him strictly. "You should rather concentrate on yourself in the fight. What Renji got himself into was his own undoing" he then added to his advice.

"Right…..forgive me" Rukia responded in return, before concentrating on Gerard, who had finally paid attention to the Kuchikis standing on the rooftop.

"I WILL CRUSH YOU LIKE ANTS!" Gerard roared before moving his giant right hand to grab the two of them.

Both Kuchiki's readied their Zanpakutous, preparing themselves for the battle to come. But before Gerard's hand could even reach them, it was cut off and fell onto the street. The Sternritter was outraged when he saw what had happened to his hand.

Both Rukia and Byakuya could hear a familiar laugh coming nearby their location. It was none other than Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of Squad 11. But he was not alone, as he was accompanied by Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Captain of Squad 12. Both captains were having rather not so enthusiastic expressions on their faces.

"What the hell's this!?" Kenpachi asked as he managed to get a glimpse of Renji, Rukia and Byakua. "Are you guys holding hands and singing kumbaya? I think I'm gonna barf!" the aggressive man said sarcastically.

Mayuri only sighed when hearing Kenpachi's words. "Do your sentences always have to be sarcastic, Zaraki? I am beginning to grow tired of them" the scientist asked Kenpachi.

Kenpachi only grinned cockily when hearing this. "So you don't like them? Good, cause that's the point" he told Mayuri, who only fumed in irritation by that answer.

Rukia was filled with surprise and relief by seeing the two captains arrive on the scene. "Captain Zaraki. Captain Kurotsuchi. They're both here…..." Rukia uttered out beneath her breath, her eyes fixated upon the two.

Byakuya only sighed deeply when noticing them arrive. "Terrific….just when I thought things couldn't get any worse" the black-haired man remarked with no enthusiasm when seeing Kenpachi and Mayuri.

While Gerard was busy feeling the agony over losing his hand, Kenpachi and Mayuri joined their fellow Shinigamis, with Renji also meeting up. Kenpachi was keen on telling the three what he and Mayuri had been doing before arriving at their location.

"So that's pretty much it" Kenpachi said to them while feeling it was not that big of a deal. Ikkaku and Yumichika is also with us, but I dispatched them to carry Yamada to where they could feel Kotestu's Spiritual Pressure. They should be joining us soon" he added to his conclusion.

"Hmm….nice story" Renji said with sarcasm in his voice.

Byakuya glanced at both Kenpachi and Mayuri with dispassionate eyes. "Neither of you shouldn't have waited till arriving in the Royal Realm. We were supposed to lay siege to Silbern together" the Captain of Squad 6 told them.

"Hey. I told you, me and the boys just had a toilet visit while you were passing through the gates. It was only a coincidence that we stumbled upon Kurotsuchi standing there" Kenpachi insisted.

"Still, both of you disobeyed a direct order from the head-captain himself" Byakuya pointed out to them.

Mayuri only narrowed his eyes when hearing this coming from Byakuya. "Shut your mouth, Kuchiki. If you must know, then I will tell you that me and Nemu conducted a research after arriving in the Royal Realm. As such, I was doing you all a favor" the Captain of Squad 12 told Byakuya before pointing his finger at Gerard. "And besides, how could you even plan a siege on the palace when that thing prevents you from accomplishing such?" he then pointed out to them.

The Shinigamis were stunned to see that Gerard's right hand was suddenly regenerating itself. Gerard mused to himself on seeing this. "MY RIGHT HAND…...HAS GROWN STRONGER THAN EVER!" he boasted with pride, no longer feeling the agony several minutes ago.

Both Kenpachi and Mayuri were surprised to see this, unlike Byakuya, Rukia and Renji. "Now this is indeed intriguing. What just happened? Is this a new type of regeneration technique that Quincies use? I never recall them being capable of something like that" Mayuri questioned as he looked up.

"It is his ability. Any part of his that is wounded or decapitated regenerates and comes back stronger and more massive" Byakuya replied to Mayuri's question, while making sure Kenpachi listened to this as well.

"I see. Then I take it this Quincy was a lot smaller when you first met him" Mayuri spoke up, even going as far as to form a cunning grin underneath his lips. "But now, he is enormous. Perhaps this Quincy could be a perfect specimen. His power astounds even me" the scientist admitted, once again expressing his desire to research someone. But as he said those words, he could not help bot to notice Byakuya chuckle to himself in amusement. Although Mayuri first thought about ignoring it as a mere childishness, he decided to ask what was it that amused someone as stern as Byakuya. "What do you find so amusing? Care to explain it to me, perhaps?" the Captain of Squad 12 told the black-haired man, wanting to know the answers out of him.

Byakuya simply glanced at Mayuri with a smirk. "Nothing at all. I just find it astounding how someone with little power as you, even have the guts to capture something as big as that Quincy for a research. Haven't you ever considered abandoning some of those already?" he questioned Mayuri.

Mayuri only scowled when hearing what the Captain of Squad 6 just asked of him, and he was growing weary of his attitude. "Oh shut up, already. I won't entertain your childish humor. It escapes me" he told Byakuya in return.

"Well isn't this a kick in the balls!?" the Shinigamis could see Kenpachi jump down from the rooftop and preparing to face off against Gerard, drawing out his Zanpakutou. "Now that we know how that guy's ability works, let's what happens when I dice him up into tiny little pieces!" the aggressive captain exclaimed, being hellbent on fighting the Sternritter.

"Hold on…is he serious, right now?" Renji quizzed those around him, not getting what Kenpachi was so enthusiastic about.

Byakuya gritted his teeth in irritation and jumped down to block Kenpachi's path. "Damn that reckless idiot! I can't let him do as he pleases!" the captain noted to himself and as Kenpachi was about to swing his blade, Byakuya did the same thing, so that their blades were clashing. Kenpachi was not pleased when seeing him do that.

"What's your deal, Kuchiki? You better explain yourself. If I hadn't pulled back on my attack just now, I would have split that pretty face of yours in two" Kenpachi said, demanding an answer out of Byakuya for doing this to him.

"You caught on a lot quicker than I expected" Byakuya surprisingly complimented Kenpachi, even though he was not necessarily happy on doing that. "So how about you actually follow that thought through all the way to the end?" he then suggested to his fellow captain.

But Kenpachi only glanced at Byakuya confused, raising an eyebrow in the process. "Huh? The hell are you babbling about?" he asked him, not getting what Byakuya was trying to tell him.

The Captain of Squad 6 sighed before speaking up. "If you make him even bigger than what he is now, what do you think would happen if he were to fall down here?" Byakuya asked, trying to make it simpler for Kenpachi to understand.

"Fuck if I know! I'd be busy falling right alongside that asshole, cleaving him as we went…." Kenpachi replied, although Byakuya was not satisfied with this kind of answer.

"Fool. If someone that massive fell from that height, that would be more than force to obliterate the entire Soul Society!" Byakuya reprimanded him. "Haven't you learned anything from…" before Byakuya could finish, something interrupted their discussion.

It was Gerard, who stomped his enormous foot on the two captains. Apparently, he had taken advantage of their discussion to eliminate them by crushing them beneath his foot. The gigantic Sternritter mused to himself on what he had accomplished, yet could feel that his foot was not even standing directly on the ground. The reason it wasn't, he soon found out. Underneath his right foot, Kenpachi was holding it up with his immense strength. Eventually, Kenpachi managed to push up against Gerard so that he lost his balance and fell on his behind. Gerard's fall crushed many of the nearby buildings.

Now that Gerard was sitting on his back, Kenpachi jumped into the air, preparing to attack the giant opponent with all his might. From the looks of it, he didn't even seem afraid of fighting against the gigantic Quincy.

"I DIDN'T COME HERE FOR A LECTURE!" Kenpachi roared as he held up Nozarashi. "SIZE MATTERS. AND UNLESS YOU'RE READY TO GO BIG, THEN GO HOME! SO FOR STARTERS, I'M GONNA SEE WHAT THE INSIDE OF HIS HEAD LOOKS LIKE!" the aggressive man exclaimed, his hunger for battle starting to take hold on him.

Kenpachi slammed his blade on the shield, hoping to cut it into two. But it didn't work. Gerard quickly slammed him away with the help of his shield, thus sending Kenpachi flying through the buildings.

"CAPTAIN ZARAKI!" Renji yelled as he was stunned to see how Kenpachi was sent flying.

"What an idiot! He never uses his head right!" Mayuri remarked from what he was seeing so far.

Gerard got up on his feet, and began pulling out his Spirit Weapon, for the first time since he had ascended into this giant form. A gleeful expression could be soon on the blonde-haired man's face, and it only indicated that he was feeling happy.

"SOMEONE MANAGED TO TOPPLE ME OVER! THAT IS SOME OBSCENE STRENGHT YOU HAVE, SHINIGAMI!" Gerard spoke up, commending Kenpachi for what he just did. The gigantic Quincy held up his Spirit Weapon, accepting the challenge Kenpachi was giving him. "BUT SINCE YOU ARE THE TYPE THAT ONLY TAKES PLEASURE IN SADISTIC ACTS OF CRUELTY….FOR A POWERFUL INCARNATION OF DARKNESS SUCH AS YOURSELF, I SUPPOSE IT IS FITTING THAT I ALLOW MY HOFFNUNG TO RUST JUST A BIT!" he then added while brandishing Hoffnung for his opponents to see, or perhaps more specifically Kenpachi.

Standing among the smokes covering one of the icy buildings, Kenpachi, who was still alive, only felt satisfaction build in him. Meeting someone as powerful as Gerard only stoked his love for battle.

"I can't believe I couldn't cur it through…..a solid shield…for a solid body…..that just makes me want to cut it all the more!" Kenpachi exclaimed while brandishing his Zanpakutou. He was happy to accept this challenge Gerard was giving him. "Drink. Nozarashi!" Kenpachi activated his Shikai, carrying the blade on his shoulders. He was grinning viciously, feeling the urge to spill blood on the battlefield.

But both Renji and Rukia were stunned to see what changes happened to Kenpachi's blade. They had never seen him activate it before. But that wasn't surprising, given that he had gotten it recently.

"What is that!? Is that Captain Zaraki's….Shikai!?" Rukia asked, her eyes filled with disbelief over what she was seeing.

Renji also had the same reaction. "When the hell did he achieve it!? It's so…..big!" the red-haired man exclaimed.

Mayuri was not surprised, as he had seen, let alone gained knowledge of Kenpachi gaining his Shikai. "You must be pulling my legs. Are you both telling me that neither of you were informed about Zaraki and his preparations for the second invasion? Kyoraku had to convince Central 46 to go along with this plan" Mayuri informed them about this, yet neither of them seemed to understand. The scientist sighed deeply. "My, my, I didn't expect you lieutenants to be that lazy and clueless. I guess being a captain has its benefits" he noted to himself.

"So if this is Zaraki's Shikai, then our assumption that his katana was constantly in its released form erroneous" Byakuya remarked from what he was seeing. "Rather, it means that the constantly released form as we call it…never even existed to begin with" the captain then added to his analysis, although those around him were still not sure of what he was speaking off, even a genius like Mayuri.

They were rather concentrating on Kenpachi, who was charging towards Gerard with Nozarashi in tow. Both of them were eager to give everything they had in this duel and they even clashed with their swords. Surprisingly to the Shinigamis, Kenpachi managed to hold against Gerard, despite the Quincy's enormous seize. The Captain of Squad 11 even succeeded in winning this clash against Gerard and it astounded the Quincy. Kenpachi had managed to leave a dent on his Spirit Weapon. But Gerard was still feeling overconfident against the Shinigami, who had just jumped in the air and was about to strike at him. Gerard grinned smugly.

"FOOLISH OAF! YOU HAVE MANAGED TO LEAVE A DENT ON MY HOFFNUNG!" Gerard said, yet he was not finished. "BUT STILL, THAT LEAVES YOU AS THE LOSER OF THIS CLASH!" the Sternritter then exclaimed with pride.

Kenpachi was in for a surprise when he could feel a cut on his stomach. It caught him completely off guard and forced the Shinigami-captain to land on a nearby building. While the injury was not that serious, it still didn't make sense to Kenpachi why he had received this injury when it was him who had won this clash against Gerard. The long-haired man held onto his bleeding stomach while glaring at his opponent warily.

"What the hell just happened? How did I receive this cut? He didn't even slash me" Kenpachi wondered underneath his breath.

Gerard took notice of Kenpachi feeling confused over what had happened and mused to himself. "Something on your mind, Shinigami? I can tell it by looking at your face. As a matter of fact, why don't I let you in on a little secret?" Gerard asked him tauntingly. "MIRACLES IS MY POWER! AN ABILITY WHICH GIVES FORM TO THE VERY THOUGHTS, FEELINGS AND DESIRES OF THE MASSES!" the Sternitter boasted proudly while telling Kenpachi this. "BEING UNABLE TO DESTROY MY BODY, IT GREW GIGANTIC THROUGH THE FEAR OF THE MASSES. AND MY SWORD HOFFNUNG WAS SHEATHED IN THE HOPE OF THE MASSES. IF IT WERE TO BREAK, THEN IT WOULD ALL FALL INTO DESPAIR!" Gerard added, once again letting his pride get the best of him.

Gerard's explanation was loud enough for the other nearby Shinigamis to hear. But most of them were not sure if they understood Gerard's manner of heroism. But they did get what his ability was.

"I have no idea what that fool is talking about. The only thing I do understand though, is that whatever power he possesses, reason does not apply to it" Rukia commented from what she could understand from Gerard's speech.

Mayuri had to smirk when hearing the young woman's statement. "You are quite observant for being a lieutenant, Kuchiki. I give you points for that. It's good to see that someone at least have the courtesy to understand logic" he commended Rukia, although she didn't so much as respond or even look at Mayuri when hearing this.

After Kenpachi had gotten more information about Gerard and his ability, he couldn't help but to form a cocky smirk underneath his lips. "I see. Well, if I can't shatter your sword, then I'll just have to kill you, plain and simple. Seriously, could you be any more melodramatic? You're like a bad villain cliché! Talking us through all of your plans. What's next on the list? You wanna demonstrate your powers for us? I could give a rat's ass about it, really. Because like it or not, you'll live to regret it!" Kenpachi began opening his mouth badmouthing and taunting Gerard. He simply wanted to try the same thing about being all high and mighty towards others.

Despite seeing how Kenpachi was acting so smug towards him, Gerard didn't seem to pay much heed. Rather, it only encouraged him to say something back at Kenpachi, this time being more sentimental than usual. "I am simply telling you all this because the difference in our power is so overwhelming that you could never hope of overcoming that gap. What's really melodramatic is the fact that you still cannot or have not comprehended this. Therefore, this so-called regret…...will NOT be on my end!" Gerard spoke up in response to what Kenpachi just told him.

The Shinigamis were astounded to see how both Gerard and Kenpachi were having this kind of talk between one another. They didn't even know what to think of it. But as the two opponents were about to charge each other in combat once again, Renji couldn't help but to notice something.

"Is it just me or are these two a match made in heaven…...maybe hell is more appropriate" Renji quizzed his fellow Shinigamis. "I don't know what you guys think, but it seems as if Captain Zaraki has finally found a friend who's similar to him. What difference is there between those two?" the eccentric Lieutenant of Squad 6 added to his question.

"Your humor alludes me, Abarai" Mayuri told him in return, not even bother looking at Renji.

"There is a difference between them, although I can agree with both of them sharing a love for battle" Rukia told her fellow lieutenant. "Kenpachi may come across as a sanctimonious captain, but he knows the interests of both his squad and the Soul Society as a whole" she then told Renji.

Renji only shrugged his shoulders when hearing this and motioned for Rukia to follow him. "I guess we can find this out right now or later. But how about we go and take down this giant bastard alongside Zaraki? Captain Kuchiki is right. We can't defeat him alone" he then told Rukia, who responded by accompanying him. Renji glanced over to Mayuri. "You too, Kurotsuchi. How about you get off your ass and help us take him down?" Renji then tauntingly asked Mayuri before leaving for the fight. The Captain of Squad 12 did not like Renji's tone.

"Mind your tongue, or I will tear it off while you are unconscious!" Mayuri blurted out while unsheathing his Zanpakutou. "Kids these days…...have no respect for their elders…." Mayuri muttered to himself before making his move.

So far, Kenpachi and Gerard were having fun in their duel, with both warriors clashing and exchanging blows. But even though Gerard was now in a huge size, it didn't mean that he was slow. The Sternritter was fast, but so was Kenpachi. The Captain of Squad 11 was also quite resilient, emerging out of the rubbles to continue facing Gerard. Gerard had just managed to dodge his attack, and it only encouraged him to compliment the Quincy.

"WELL LOOK AT THAT! YOU DODGED ME! YOU'RE A HELLUVA LOT FASTER THAN YOU LOOK!" Kenpachi exclaimed loudly towards his opponent.

Gerard had to smirk when hearing this. "AND YOU AS WELL! I HAD PLANNED TO CRUSH YOU WITH ONE GRIP. BUT YOU ARE A SLIPPERY LITTLE BASTARD!" the Quincy rewarded Kenpachi with a compliment of his own.

As they were having fun, both Renji and Rukia snuck up on Gerard from behind, planning on using this distraction to attack the Sternritter. But unfortunately for them, Gerard took notice of their location and reached his left hand towards them, in an effort to swap them away.

"GET LOST, WEAKLINGS! YOU ARE NOT MY OPPONENTS!" Gerard said while moving his hand, yet both lieutenants proceeded towards him, not willing to let him underestimate them so easily.

But before Gerard could even reach both Rukia and Renji, Kenpachi suddenly appeared before the two, swinging them with Nozarashi so that they were sent flying to the ground. Gerard was surprised from seeing Kenpachi doing this, so he returned his left hand to himself.

Rukia and Renji emerged from the pile of boulders, both lieutenants outraged over what Kenpachi just did to them.

"WHAT THE FUCK'S YOUR PROBLEM, ZARAKI!?" Renji angrily asked, furious over being swapped away by Kenpachi instead of Gerard.

"YEAH, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!?" Rukia added her dissatisfaction to Renji's.

Kenpachi simply glared down at the two with dispassion in his eyes. "DON'T GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT! DID I ASK EITHER OF YOU TO INTERFERE IN THIS FIGHT!? FUCK NO! SO FALL BACK OR SOMETHING! DON'T INTEREFERE AGAIN!" Kenpachi said before resuming his fight with Gerard.

Renji and Rukia became only more infuriated to hear Kenpachi's stubborn statement. "That sanctimonious son of a bitch! Who does he think he is!?" Renji muttered beneath his breath before Byakuya suddenly appeared for them, with Mayuri following him suit.

"Don't bother raging against him, Renji" Byakuya urged his lieutenant before looking to see how Gerard and Kenpachi were fighting. "It's pointless to reason with him. When an opponent does not apply to reason, it only makes it more tempting for Zaraki to fight him by himself" the calm-mannered captain explained to both Renji and Rukia.

"We both know that, brother. But we can't just abandon Captain Zaraki and go on without him. We've seen how powerful that Quincy is. This isn't an opponent that Zaraki will be able to defeat by himself" Rukia spoke up with the reason she and Renji were trying to interfere with Kenpachi's fight.

"Your hypothesis may well be true, Kuchiki. And that is not only because your own instincts tell you so" Mayuri told Rukia before pointing a finger at Kenpachi. "If you need real evidence, just take a closer look at Zaraki. He has already taken off his eyepatch, which means, he is currently fighting that Quincy with everything he has so far" Mayuri then revealed something about Kenpachi and it astounded his fellow Shinigamis.

"You're not kidding…he really is…" Renji noted, having not noticed Kenpachi fighting in his full power until now.

"I never noticed it until you said it, Captain Kurotsuchi" Rukia admitted as she got a better look at Kenpachi. "Even by now, he's probably figured out that this Sternritter isn't someone he can bring down without removing that eyepatch of his.

"All the more reason why he should've not prevented you from assisting him" Mayuri noted although he glanced over to look at Kenpachi with his usual disapproving eyes. "But as stubborn as Zaraki is, it may prove a bit of a challenge making him see it that way" he then admitted, not hiding his low opinion of Kenpachi.

Byakuya listened to what his adoptive sister and the scientist just stated. He absolutely agreed with her on how foolish Kenpachi was to take down this gigantic monster all by himself. And more importantly, Kenpachi was also a valuable asset to the 13 Court Guard Squads in their ongoing battle against the Wandenreich. Having cust managed to cut a meteor in half, thus sparing the Sereitei from certain doom, there was no question how important it was to not let Kenpachi die so soon. In fact, he could be one of the Shinigamis playing a role to defeat Yhwach.

"So how's the battle going on so far?" the four Shinigamis were stunned to see Captain Shinji Hirako standing there along with his subordinates: Lieutenant Momo Hinamori, 3rd seat Matsuri Kudo and 4th seat Fujimaru Kudo. But they were not the only ones. Ikkaku Madurame and Yumichika Ayasegawa from Squad 11 were also present, as well as Lieutenant Marechiyo Omaeda from Squad 2. Even the Vizards had also shown up, having survived getting swung at by Gerard. "Sorry for the wait, but we had to catch some snoozes before comin' here. I can already see that Zaraki's holding up pretty good against that tall bastard" Shinji then said while taking a brief glance at the ongoing fight between Kenpachi and Gerard.

"Captain Hirako" both Renji and Rukia uttered out his name together.

"I still see some of you that are missing" Byakuya noted, knowing some of the Shinigamis who was with the main group was not present.

"Don't worry. They're all safe and sound. Me and Yumichika just had to leave Hanataro with Lieutenant Kotetsu and those two Squad 13 members. He's still unconscious and needs to have someone watch over him, which is why we've left him their care" Ikkaku told him while he was referring to both Sentaro Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotestu. The baldheaded man then glanced over to see Kenpachi fighting with the giant Sternritter. "Woah, this Quincy's one hell of a giant. Why haven't you stepped in to help the captain?" Ikkaku suddenly asked those four.

Renji angrily slumped when hearing this. "Oh, we would've gladly stepped in to help Zaraki…...if he wasn't such a selfish asshole, that is!" he told Ikkaku, who only got up to his face in return.

"What was that, pineapple-head!? I dare to call Captain Zaraki that in front of my face! Assuming you have the balls to do so!" Ikkaku snapped as he and Renji got into an argument.

"Oh really!? Then why don't you go help him and see it for yourself!?" Renji hit back at him, thus enraging Ikkaku even further.

Mayuri waved his hands at Ikkaku dismissively. "I will have to take Abarai's side here. Honestly, Madarame. I expected you to at least admit some mistakes, given that you are Zaraki's buttslave" the scientist spoke up.

"Shut it, pedo clown!" Ikkaku spat at him.

"Alright! Break it up! We ain't got time for this bitching!" Shinji called on those three to stop with whatever stupidity they did. "We gotta find a way to assist Zaraki without pissing him off. Any of you got any ideas so far?" the blonde-haired man asked.

"I do, as a matter of fact" Rukia spoke up, thus gaining everyone's attention. She then looked at Byakuya. "Brother. I'm going to find an opening in their fight and freeze that goliath. When that happens, I want you and some others to smash him to pieces with whatever your Zanpakutous can produce. I may have not mastered by Bankai fully yet, but I must give it a try. Please help me with this" Rukia told Byakuya as he and the others around them listened.

Byakuya weakly nodded his head at her. "You can count my support. But do it fast Rukia. And remember, try not to let your Bankai freeze us. As powerful as it is, it comes with great responsibility" he told her, to which Rukia nodded her head as a yes.

"It doesn't sound like a dumb move. But remember, we better do it quick. Who knows what more that Quincy is capable of" Hiyori said, agreeing with Rukia's suggestion.

As the Shinigamis had plans on how to defeat Gerard, the Sternritter was still battling Kenpachi toe to toe. But as they clashed blades repeatedly, Kenpachi was struggling to hold his ground. He suffered more bleeding on his body as he managed to cut some of Hoffnung. Gerard could see this and grinned in amusement.

"WHAT'S WRONG!? IS THE POWER OF YOUR BLADE, WANING!?" Gerard tauntingly asked Kenpachi before taking a glance at his Spirit Weapon. "I GUESS IT CAN'T BE HELPED! ENGAGING IN AN ALL-OUT BATTLE WIHTOUT LETTING ANY NICKS BEFALL ONE'S SWORD WAS FUTILE FROM THE START! IF WE ARE GOING TO CROSS WORDS, BLADES WILL GET CHPPED! I'LL JUST BE SURE TO CARVE THAT "DESPAIR" INTO YOUR BODY!" the Sternritter explained to his opponent.

Gerard pushed Kenpachi away, yet the Shinigami had enough power to jump from the nearby building with his feet, thus dashing towards Gerard in fast speed. The Sternritter was amazed from seeing how determined Kenpachi was as a warrior.

"WHAT TENACITY! SUCH AMAZING SPIRIT! BUT SPIRIT ALONE CANNOT BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN OUR STRENGHTS!" Gerard exclaimed before tossing Kenpachi to the ground once again, the Captain of Squad 11 landing on it with his stomach.

Just as Gerard thought he was the victor, he noticed something tricky happening above his head. It was the many cherry blossom blades belonging to Senbonzakura, who were commanded by Byakuya. As they tried to hold his right hand, Gerard caught wind of it and proceeded to wipe it off easily.

"I SEE THROUGH YOUR PLOY, BYAKUYA KUCHIKI!" Gerard said before looking to his left side to see Rukia standing there ready to freeze him. But given his fast reflexes, Gerard moved on to attack her. "AND YOU AS WELL, RUKIA KUCHIKI!" he exclaimed before swinging his blade on the building where Rukia was standing on. The Sternritter had discovered about their ploy and he had successfully managed to deal with them.

"I HAVE SEEN THROUGH IT ALL! ABOUT HOW YOU PLANNED ON WAITING FOR AN OPENING TO EXPLOIT! BUT YOUR SCHEME WAS FLAWED!" Gerard said as he exclaimed loudly into the air. "I AM THE GREATEST, FASTEST AND MIGHTIEST OF THE QUINCIES! I AM THE WARRIOR WHO HAS BEEN BESTOWED WITH EVERYTHING! NONE OF YOU SHALL DEFEAT ME!" he added to his exclamation.

The many Shinigamis were stunned, wondering if there was any hope of them defeating Gerard Valkyrie. He was a powerful adversary, one that was capable of defeating all his opponents. Was there any hope for survival? Or was this the end of the line for them all?

While most of the Shinigamis were desperate to come up with something to attack Gerard, Kenpachi, though lying on the ground, was still alive. He saw that his sword was still functioning well, but he felt his life slipping away. The Captain of Squad 11 had suffered serious bleedings and they kept streaming out of his wounds. He continued struggling until he noticed a voice coming from his mind, and it sounded familiar to him.

"So this is it? This is the end of the almighty Kenpachi Zaraki?" the voice came from Kenpachi's own Zanpakutou. Right now, Nozarashi was speaking to him. "What an embarrassment. I had hoped that your story would continue" the voice added, earning him a growl from Kenpachi.

"Shut up…you piece of crap…you don't know anything!" Kenpachi muttered lowly beneath his breath. "And for the record.….what makes you think you know of my story? As far as I can remember, you never tried to talk to me once the moment I held onto you!" the long-haired man told his blade.

A chuckle could be heard coming from the blade and it irritated Kenpachi. "Is that so? Well that is quite ignorant for you to say. I expected a better response from my own host" the voice coming from Nozarashi started to gradually change into a deeper, brutish and devilish voice.

This time, Kenpachi's eyes widened in astonishment. He focused his attention on his Zanpakutou. "Something's not right…who the fuck are you?!…" Kenpachi spoke up lowly, feeling a hint of fear in himself. "You're not the same voice as I've heard from the blade before…and what the hell do you mean by calling me a host!?…I'm no one's host!" the long-haired man added to his statement, still having the strength to speak despite being injured.

The voice coming from Nozarashi chuckled deeply and it sounded very evil and demonic to the Shinigami's ears. "You are indeed, Kenpachi Zaraki. From the day you picked up this blade when you were just a mere child, you allowed yourself to become my host. As did many other Shinigamis whose minds were easy to infiltrate" the voice spoke up. "I always had the ability to infiltrate and manipulate the minds of Humans, Souls and Hollows alike and feed upon their rage and lust for blood. And you, were no exception" the voice continued explaining

Kenpachi gritted his teeth in anger and he was about to throw his blade away, only to notice something happening with his arms. Smoke began emerging from his fingers and it made Kenpachi wonder what was happening with him.

"The fuck…what's happening to my arms!?" Kenpachi demanded while trying to let go of his Zanpakutou. He couldn't let go of it, and it only made Kenpachi slightly stunned to see why he couldn't do it. "Are you serious right now!? What is it you really plan on doing to me!?" the long-haired man wanted answers from his Zanpakutou.

"One day, you will return back where you belong…in the fiery pits of Hell itself! It is there where you will rejoin with us, and more specifically me, Kenpachi Zaraki" the voice from his Zanpakutou called to him and fear was gradually starting to take hold on Kenpachi's eyes. "Now! Rest easy and let me help you. I shall destroy the chains that keeps you restrained from unleashing your potential. Now release your powers! Release your Bankai…..Akushitsuna Nozaraishi!" the demonic voice called to Kenpachi and he was suddenly drawn into a powerful release of Spiritual Pressure.

A shockwave erupted around Kenpachi. All the Shinigamis and even Gerard turned their attention to what was happening with the Captain of Squad 11. At the same time, they could feel the enormous amount of Spiritual Pressure coming from the lying captain. Some of the Shinigamis quickly headed for Kenpachi's location, although the release of Spiritual Pressure did prevent them somehow. But once this powerful release of Spiritual Pressure had ended, they all got to see Kenpachi, yet something had happened to him.

"This enormous release of Spiritual Pressure…was that really Zaraki?" Shinji asked, he himself being stunned to feel this power. He along with Renji, Rukia, Ikkaku, Yumichika and Byakuya had managed to approach the location of Kenpachi. From the look of it, he was still alive and breathing, yet he had dramatically changed.

"Holy shit…what the fuck happened just now!?" Ikkaku asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable with what had happened to his captain.

"Look at the captain's skin…...it's red" Yumichika stated, taking notice of how Kenpachi's arms had turned red.

Gerard had also taken notice of Kenpachi's sudden change, yet he remained far from impressed. But then again, he had taken notice of how high his Spiritual Pressure had been raising up. "I noticed there was a sudden uptick in your Spiritual Pressure. But as far as Bankais go, this transformation of yours is minimal at best. If this is what you had up your sleeve.…then I am severely disappointed" the Sternriiter remarked as he took notice of the changes that had happened to Kenpachi. Putting his Spirit Weapon on one of the buildings, Gerard approached the captain. "Surely that mangled sword is a sorry excuse for a Bankai! In the end, you were simply, Kenpachi Zaraki" the Quincy stated before moving to crush Kenpachi with this right fist. "WITH YOUR PATHETIC SWORD IN SHAMBLES AS IT IS, IT WOULD BE A WASTE TO BRING THE GRACE OF HOFFNUNG DOWN UPON YOU! I SHALL DO THE HONORS OF SMASHING YOU INTO OBLIVION MYSELF!" Gerard then exclaimed, feeling determined to end Kenpachi once and for all.

The moment Gerard began making his move, Kenpachi finally began moving up on his feet, showing his face for everyone to see. It horrified his fellow Shinigamis. While Kenpachi still had his wild long hair, his eyes were golden and he had gained multiple black markings across his face and horns on his forehead, causing him to resemble an oni. Even his teeth had changed and they know resembled that of a monster.

"C-Captain!?" Ikkaku uttered out that word in fear.

"W-What's happened to you!?" Yumichika asked, feeling very insecure over seeing his captain in this form.

Kenpachi suddenly roared loudly up in the air like a demonic monster and it was reserved for Gerard, who was about to attack him. The roar was horrifying to hear, and Gerard was in for a stunner when his right arm suddenly loosened itself. He howled in agony as he bled. His giant right arm fell onto the icy buildings. It became apparent that Kenpachi had cut his arm while he was roaring. Gerard held onto his bleeding injury, yet he still was confident.

"FOOL! MUST I SAY IT AGAIN!? CHOPPING MY ARMS OFF WILL GAIN YOU NOTHING!" Gerard pointed out as his right arm began regenerating itself. But to his own surprise, Kenpachi jumped up into the air above him, preparing to land and attack on him once again. Not being able to risk losing another arm, Gerard used his shield as cover. But Kenpachi proceeded to swing his blade near Gerard's shield. To the Quincy's utter shock, the shield was broken in half. Kenpachi's swinging had even managed to leave a huge cut on Gerard, reaching from his throat to his forehead. The Sternritter was filled with disbelief as his forehead and throat were bleeding. "THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE! MY SHIELD HAS BEEN…." Gerard too disturbed at his injuries and the destruction of his shield, that he failed to notice Kenpachi.

The transformed Captain of Squad 11 suddenly held onto Gerard's throat, and proceeded to push the giant Quincy. Gerard was astounded by the immense strength of the Shinigami. Even as he tried to hold onto the ground with this Hoffnung, it didn't help. Gerard was still pushed away by Kenpachi and his monstrous strength. The Shinigamis were not sure of what to make of this.

"My God…he manages to push that giant Quincy with such ease…..." Renji uttered lowly as he watched what he was seeing.

"Yes…...I have never seen such monstrous strength of a Shinigami before…." Mayuri remarked, even he being utterly stunned to see what was happening with his fellow captain. "And truth be told, I have never seen a Bankai such as this" he then added.

"You think you can even call that a Bankai!? Cause I sure as hell don't think it is!" Ikkaku snapped at Mayuri, yet the scientist didn't seem to pay attention to him at all.

"Oh no! Captain Zaraki is pushing the Quincy over the edge!" Yumichika then blurted out with what he saw. The other Shinigamis soon took notice of what he was referring to when saying this.

"Damn! What is that imbecile thinking!?" Byakuya angrily asked. "If that Quincy falls down, everything in the Soul Society will be crumbled, not just the Sereitei!" the Captain of Squad 6 added to his frustration.

Yes, Kenpachi had successfully pushed Gerard off the edge, and the gigantic Quincy was falling down. The group of Shinigamis quickly rushed to the edge and see what would happen. To their utter surprises, Gerard suddenly began growing out feathered Reishi Wings on his back. This enabled him to fly in the atmosphere. However, he was still bleeding seriously from the cuts he had received from Kenpachi. Gerard was feeling embittered over being reduced to this condition, yet he could see Kenpachi standing on the edge.

"Ridiculous…impossible.…...ludicrous…...inconceivable! For a mere Shinigami to be able to best me like this!" Gerard lamented to himself, feeling slightly embarrassed. But it also ignited a burning passion within him. He flew up towards the edge were Kenpachi was standing on, preparing a strike with his Reishi-empowered sword. Gerard would not allow this humiliation to go unpunished. "EVEN IN MY WORST NIGHTMARE…...SUCH AN ABSURD FARCE COULD NEVER HAPPEN!" the Sternritter boasted, believing him to be the knight challenging the beast. Looking up, Kenpachi was still standing there, not moving a muscle. This only lifted Gerard's spirits, convincing him that the Shinigami was afraid to run away. "NO FLEEING WITH YOUR TAIL BETWEEN YOUR LEGS!? THAT IS THE PROOF OF YOUR ABOSLUTE PEAK OF YOUR FOOLISHNESS! NOW, TURN INTO ASH AND BEGO-!" Gerard was about to land his attack on the Shinigami, but he was too late.

Kenpachi had already jumped in the air the minute Gerard was flying over the edge of the platform. It was astounding. Kenpachi cleaved Gerard Valkyrie into two parts of his gigantic body. Those two giant parts soon flew into the icy cityscape, crashing into many buildings. They soon began disintegrating into various forms of Reishi.

The group of Shinigamis only stood there and watched as Kenpachi had been able to defeat a Sternritter that had almost been their end. So far, the red-skinned captain had been standing in silence, not moving a muscle. But that was until he jumped on a pile of rubbles and began roaring up to the skies once again. It was quite horrifying to listen, as it made the Shinigamis wonder whether Kenpachi was still a Shinigami or a demon. As much as they wanted to celebrate, they couldn't. Kenpachi's terrifying form had left them to disturbed to even consider celebrating their victory.

"That howl…...it sounds like that of a monster. What has he become!?" Rukia wondered, herself felling the chills from listening to Kenpachi's demonic roar.

"I don't know…...but something's changed with Zaraki right now. It's as if he no longer is himself" Shinji noted warily before facing those around him. "I think I would be best if we kept our distances between him for now. For safety reasons" the Captain of Squad 5 advised his fellow Shinigamis.

"But Captain Hirako…...you don't suppose that Captain Zaraki will be stuck in that form forever, will he?" Momo asked him like any concerned lieutenant would.

Shinji had to admit he didn't have the right answer to Momo at the moment. But he did feel like opening up to her. "I don't know, Momo. I really don't know. But as I was saying, we're not sure whether that thing is still Zaraki or not. Therefore, it would be beneficial for us to stay the hell away from him until we all know he's…." Shinji was interrupted once he could her the angry voice of Renji speaking up.

"IKKAKU! YUMICHIKA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING!?" Renji barked loudly when he saw the two members of Squad 11 run towards Kenpachi and the pile of rubbles their captain was standing on. The other Shinigamis were stunned as well, wondering whether those two knew the risk they were taking by approaching their transformed captain without caution.

Ikkaku and Yumichika stood right before the pile, looking up at their captain, who had so far remained silent while glancing out to the skies. Despite them being near him, Kenpachi didn't seem to have taken notice of their arrival. He kept standing up there motionless.

"Captain! Captain Zaraki! Can you hear me!?" Ikkaku opened his mouth to call Kenpachi out. They did not get a response out of him. "Captain! It's us: Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa! Don't you recognize our voices!?" the baldheaded man asked once again.

This time, Kenpachi finally responded by looking over his shoulder to face his subordinates with his golden eyes. Both Ikkaku and Yumichika found this gaze horrendous for them to watch. To them, this didn't seem like the Kenpachi they knew, the one that loved combat, yet had a decent and honorable side as a captain. But this creature with a demonic face and monstrous eyes was not this captain. It was something else.

"Please…...come down here, captain!" Yumichika spoke up while trying to act more soft-mannered towards his superior. "You had a great fight! But it's over now. It's time that you rested for a bit" the flamboyant man added.

Kenpachi turned around to face them fully, thus exposing his red skin for everyone to see. What was also noticeable was the horns that stuck out from Kenpachi's forehead. He was now growling with his monstrous teeth, which stunned both Ikkaku and Yumichika. They wondered what was happening with Kenpachi right now.

"Captain…...are you alright?" Yumichika asked him lowly.

But he and Ikkaku was in for a shock when Kenpachi roared at the two Shinigamis, thus unleashing his terrifying howl of ferociousness. Neither Ikkaku nor Yumichika had any guts to move after hearing this.

"Why are you…..." Yumichika was filled with so many questions, yet he was stunned once he could feel something powerful slash him on his stomach. This didn't come from any enemy. No, it came from Kenpachi himself. Yumichika only stood as he felt blood being spilled upon him.

This was a horrendous thing for everyone to see, especially Ikkaku, who was standing close to his comrade. He could not believe what he was seeing with his own eyes. His captain had just slashed one of his trusted subordinates. By now, tears began to stream besides the pink dots around Ikkaku's eyes.

"YUMICHIKAAAAAAAAAAA!" Ikkaku yelled when seeing what had become of his longtime friend. But he was too distracted to notice Kenpachi coming at him, eventually grabbing Ikkaku by his throat and holding him up against one of the many walls belonging to the destroyed houses. Ikkaku felt like he was being choked. "C-C-CAPTAIN! W-WHY!?" the baldheaded man said, trying his best to remove himself from Kenpachi's captivity. But he was too strong.

The many Shinigamis also had shocking reactions to what was being done right now. "WHAT THE FUCK DOES HE THINK HE'S DOING!?" Shinji angrily demanded from what he was seeing. "HE JUST SLASHED HIS 5TH SEAT, FOR GOD'S SAKE!" the captain added to his frustration.

"WE ALL SAW THAT!" Renji snapped before preparing to move. "WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! KENPACHI NEEDS TO BE STOPPED BEFORE HE…" Renji was stunned when he could notice that somebody had already taken the initiative to help Ikkaku.

It was Marechiyo, the fat man running towards Kenpachi while holding onto his Zanpakutou: Gegetsuburi. It was a rare sight for him to be acting so brave, considering his cowardly nature. The Lieutenant of Squad 2 was almost near Kenpachi and he prepared himself while running fast.

"HOLD ON TIGHT, MADARAME! I'LL SAVE YOU!" Marechiyo yelled as he suddenly threw his spiked ball right at Kenpachi. "CRUSH! GEGETSUBURI!" the chubby man yelled as he did that, thus activating his Shikai.

Marechiyo slammed the spiked ball right on Kenpachi's head. Considering that Kenpachi had been focused on Ikkaku, the sneak attack forced him to focus his attention on the stout man. Therefore, he let go of Ikkaku and turned his demonic gaze upon a scared Marechiyo. From what Marechiyo could tell, his attack had not even landed a damage upon Kenpachi. He was incredibly durable, even on his head.

"Oh fuck…...OH FUCK!" Marechiyo exclaimed out in shock as he took some steps backwards. The courage that had previously existed in him, was now gone. "COME ANY CLOSER AND I'LL SLAM YOU AGAIN!" he then told Kenpachi, who simply growled at him in return.

But it was too late. Kenpachi dashed towards Marechiyo and punched him right in the face, thus sending him flying towards the wall of a building. He crashed into it and Marechiyo could be soon lying amongst the rubbles with his face covered in blood.

"OMAEDA!" Shinji asked while taking a glance at back at Kenpachi. He could now see that the while Marechiyo had somehow distracted Kenpachi, Matsuri and Fujimaru had used this opportunity to help Ikkaku up on his feet. In the meantime, Momo, Rukia and Renji were seen trying to carry the gravely wounded Yumichika. Seeing his subordinates doing this worried Shinji greatly. "THOSE MORONS! WHAT ARE THEY THINKING!?" the Captain of Squad 5 wondered to himself, feeling very stressed,

Unfortunately for those Shinigamis, Kenpachi took notice of them moving away with both Ikkaku and Yumichika and they all froze.

"AH SHIT! HE'S NOTICED US!" Renji cursed while glancing over to Rukia and Momo. "WE GOTTA HURRY UP!" he told them while making sure the Kudo-twins also understood the message.

Kenpachi was about to charge towards the group of Shinigamis, with them knowing how he was much faster than them with this monstrous speed he had been given thanks to this new form of his. However, something prevented from him from going after the group, as if someone was restraining his moves.

"BAKUDO 9: GEKI!" the voice came from Hachigen Ushoda who was now performing a Kido-spell upon Kenpachi. This Kido-spell permeated a red energy, that engulfed Kenpachi, thus paralyzing the transformed Shinigami. Hachi held his breath while concentrating on holding Kenpachi. "RUN! ALL OF YOU! RUN WHILE I'M HOLDING ZARAKI PARALYZED! TAKE THOSE TWO TO SOME PLACE SAFE!" the tall man then called out to Renji and the others. The Shinigamis responded by moving as fast as they could.

Hachi was joined by his fellow Vizards, as well as Byakuya, Mayuri and Shinji. "Nice work, Hachi! That'll slow him down for sure!" Shinji commended his efforts, only to see how Hachi was struggling to hold Kenpachi under his control. The transformed Shinigami was now trying to break himself loose of the Kido-spell.

"It's no use! Zaraki is too powerful to restrain! Somehow, this new form of his has only increased his Spiritual Pressure! He'll soon break loose from my Geki!" Hachi told his comrades while sweating intensively.

"Now this is just fucking perfect!" Hiyori blurted out from what she was seeing. "We finally manage to get rid of that giant-ass Quincy, only to have another problem ahead of us!? Just what the hell's going on right now!?" the young girl asked her comrades impatiently.

"Yeah, we can't continue going into the palace now that we've got this on our hands" Love stated, agreeing with Hiyori's sentiment.

"That is true" Byakuya spoke up before facing Kenpachi. "But remember, we cannot afford to lose Kenpachi Zaraki in this battle. He is one of the main assets of the 13 Court Guard Squads. If we kill him now, it would deprive us of a chance to take on Yhwach and the Wandenreich! We must spare Zaraki" Byakuya then encouraged his fellow captains.

"A valuable asset, you say? You are not the first one to have said that, Kuchiki" Mayuri pointed out to Byakuya, who merely glanced at him sternly in return. "Can't you see what is happening right now? This exactly what we of the Court Guard had feared long ago. That when Zaraki would unlock and master his potential power…he would then turn against us!" the scientist then explained.

"Hold on just a damn minute! What are you saying?" Shinji wanted some answers out of Mayuri.

Mayuri glared at his fellow captain with dispassionate eyes. "Idiot! Has your time away from the Soul Society made you forget about what the late Head-Captain Yamamoto once feared!? He along with the Central 46 were worried about Kenpachi unlocking his potential, which is why they refrained from educating Kenpachi further. Apparently, they all understood the danger of keeping him among the Sereitei and decided not to let him learn more about his Zanpakutou" the Captain of Squad 12 filled in for Shinji.

"Yamamoto is no longer with us, Kurotsuchi" Byakuya pointed out to him sternly. "And as for Kenpachi learning about his Zanpakutou. It was necessary! Have you forgotten about the meteorite that could have destroyed the Sereitei? Because of Kenpachi learning his Zanpakutou, we were all spared from destruction!" he then told Mayuri.

"You have a point there, Kuchiki" Shinji remarked before glancing at Kenpachi struggling himself to free himself from Hachi's Kido-spell. "However, we didn't expect Zaraki to learn his Bankai or whatever the hell that form is. While a part of me tells me to feel happy that we achieved victory over that Quincy, another part of me tells me that this is a tragedy rather than a victory. So many things are going on right now!" he then said.

Hachi was still trying to hold his leash on Kenpachi, but it was no use. It a powerful roar, Kenpachi unleashed his Spiritual Pressure and it undid the Kido-spell, eventually causing Hachi to fly backwards. His comrades saw this in awe.

"HACHI!" Hiyori blurted out, surprised by seeing someone as tall as Hachi being sent flying into the air. But the young girl and the others soon turned their attention to Kenpachi, who now had his attention on the group of Shinigamis that dared face him.

"Damn it…we're screwed!" Love said worryingly.

"Not yet!" the voice came from Hiyori as she activated her Hollowfication. Love, Lisa and even Shinji did that as well. "We're not done here yet! None of us are finished until we stop breathing air! So we're gonna all hold that bastard off as long as we can! Is that understood, Shinji!? No more monkeying around!" Hiyori snapped impatiently as usual.

Shinji only sighed in irritation when hearing what she said. "Geez, I'd hope you would take a break from bashing me for once!" he said before looking over to both Byakuya and Mayuri. "Alright. We better do this quick. We need to find a way to calm Zaraki down before he does something….." the eyes that could be seen in Shinji's Hollow-mask widened when he could feel something moving fast near him and his fellow captains.

All the three captains could see that Kenpachi had successfully managed to cleave away the three Vizards, even as they were ready to confront him. His speed surpasses theirs and they were all sent flying towards the rubbles.

"HIYORI! LOVE! LISA!" Shinji screamed in shock as he watched Kenpachi being ready to charge towards them. The red-skinned demon was now ready and he wasted no time. In desperation, Shinji activated his Shikai. "COLLAPSE….SAKANA…" Shinji was stunned when he and Byakuya could see that somebody had already stabbed him in his abdomen.

It was Mayuri, the smug captain over Squad 12 having reached out to stab Kenpachi with his Zanpakutou. It was astounding to see why this stabbing made the transformed Kenpachi stop completely. The scientist panted as he began tapping his fingers on the Buddha-face on his Zanpakutou.

"Ashisogi Jizo: Kyodoyon" Mayuri said, with Kenpachi still not moving a bit.

"Hold on…what are you…" Shinji asked lowly.

"DAMN IT, KUROTSUCHI! I TOLD YOU THAT WE NEEDED HIM ALIVE, NOT DEAD! IS THIS….." Byakuya's angry voice was interrupted by the voice of Mayuri.

"You two may want to cover your ears now. The screech will hurt your eardrums" Mayuri suddenly advised the two captains. Before they knew it, the Buddha-face on his Zanpakutou began screaming so loud, that it forced both captains to cover their ears. But this scream affected Kenpachi and for some reason, he began losing consciousness. As soon as Mayuri pulled his blade out of Kenpachi, the transformed Shinigami fell onto the ground, but that was not all. His red skin began vanishing and Kenpachi was reverted back to his normal self. Mayuri sighed once he could see his work finished. "My, my, that was a close one. I figured that the only thing that could make Zaraki come back to his senses, was if I could paralyze the one who's controlling him. I never thought that I would have to use this ability to shut him down" Mayuri then stated, making sure his fellow captains listened to this as well.

"Damn…...you just returned him back to normal" Shinji remarked when seeing Kenpachi's unconscious body. He then groaned in slight irritation. "Tch, what a pain in the ass, we might as well begin carrying him to Kotetsu for treatment" the blonde-haired man groaned.

"That is unnecessary, Hirako" Mayuri stated, making both Shinji and Byakuya confused. "I may have stabbed his body, but I was only paralyzing the one who took hold on Zaraki. This means that the real Zaraki will come back to his consciousness from 3….2….1.." the scientist began a countdown and Kenpachi could be heard coughing as he awoke.

The long-haired man lifted his head up to see his fellow captains standing there. "Ahhhh my head…it feels like someone banged my head with a mace…what the hell happened?" Kenpachi asked as he noticed something else. "Speaking of which…..where's that cocky Quincy? I'd love to give him an asswhopping" he then wondered while looking around.

"You don't remember it? You don't remember how you defeated him?" Byakuya asked Kenpachi, feeling surprised over seeing how he seemed to have forgotten what happened.

"Tch, remember what, pretty boy? The only thing I remember is that giant bastard slamming me to the ground" Kenpachi muttered beneath his breath as he slowly got up on his feet.

None of the captains knew what to make of this. But at the very least, they had stopped Kenpachi from wreaking havoc upon the Shinigamis. Now, they had free passageway to Silbern. But given how this fight had taken a toll upon the Shinigamis, they decided to rest and see to that those injured were being treated. But was Gerard really defeated as they had thought? The answer to that, was a no.

Somewhere hidden among one of the towers belonging to the imposing palace of Silbern, a sweaty and panting Gerard Valkyrie could be seen overlooking the damages he had caused during his fight against the Shinigamis. For some reason, Gerard had reverted back to his normal size. Either way, he was not dead yet. After barley escaping death at the hands of Kenpachi, Gerard had fled to this imposing tower belonging to the palace, where he was given an opportunity to watch the fight between Kenpachi and his fellow Shinigamis unfold. His reaction, was that of a satisfaction.

"Hmmm…...I may have suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of you, Kenpachi Zaraki. But I must thank you. Thank you for doing the job in attacking your intruders" Gerard mused to himself while thinking over what he had seen. "Enjoy your short-lived victory for now, Shinigamis. I will be back. But this time…instead of me coming to you…...you will all come to me. Then, I will gladly show you how truly powerful I am…...with my godly powers…...not my godly size!" the Sternritter then exclaimed, being eager to battle these Shinigamis once again.

To be continued…


Author's note: That was a great chapter. It was how my fight with Gerard went. And trust me, the reason for why it differs greatly from the canon is obvious. I didn't want Gerard to be a Yammy-like character. That sounded quite repetitive. So instead, I wanted to focus on Kenpachi and how he came to activate his Bankai. And of course, that thing about Yachiru was pretty random. The name of Kenpachi's Bankai is Akushitsuna Nozarashi. The word "akushitsuna" is Japanese for devilish. I thought that it fitted well with Kenpachi's theme. In the next chapter, I will focus on Yoruichi and her fight against Askin. Urahara may as well be making an appearance there soon.