Disclaimer: The ideas and concepts used in BLEACH belong to Tite Kubo, as well as any regular characters. Most of the characters in this story belong to me. Thank you.
In the Golden Age of Shinigami power, it is hard to define an important event in terms of the zanpakuto. Many of the Bankai forms of present day shinigami would only stack up with the more powerful shikais of this Era's standard. Now, under the black sky of laughing skulls, one such power has emerged. More power than one can measure by the modern standards, more raw force than any weapon designed yet. More dangerous than a rain of swords, a wildfire of inextinguishable flames; Shin Kenpachi has summoned up death itself.
Shikei, the Death Penalty, his scythe. Now we sill see the power that Shin has held deep within himself for so long!
Shin stood firm, back straight and eyes blasting out pressure, with his awesome scythe in hand. His hands were in the same spot as it was incanted, left hand further down the shaft and right hand near the blade. It was less spectacular than Shin had anticipated, just a long black handle and a sharp, black blade with a sharpened silver side. He still bled from the mouth and had difficulty keeping his body up, but the pressure continued to pour out.
This is insanity Mann said. He's dead. DEAD! I bashed his ribs into dust and mashed his organs into paste! PASTE! How is this man walking!? Then he saw it. The horrible swirling in the distance. The rain clouds that twisted and contorted into the shape of a giant skull in the sky. Then more clouds moved over the skull, covering it, and forming a face. Shin's face.
At least I'm standing Shin told himself. I know that my body won't work, my magic won't work, and by association this scythe won't work. But the one thing that is working, thankfully, is my pressure.
Don't settle for less! Shikei shouted. If your body won't move for you, make it move for me! Listen and comply with your soul. Work with me, Shin Kenpachi!
"Fine" Shin growled. He forced his brain to fuse with his spirit, and both Shin and Shikei moved his leg forward. It was daunting to control his body using an outside source, but he was making it happen. Mann was now adapted to the pressure that kept pressing him down, and he prepared for Shin's advance. "Ignore him" Shin said. "Keep walking."
You think it's hard to walk? Shikei asked. Imagine attacking. Swinging that weapon of yours. Shikei had a point. Swinging a sword was much easier than accurately attacking with a scythe. He had a limited cutting area and no thrusting power. Instead of wild swings, he had to make precise swipes and get in a very specific area. Once he was close enough to hit, he couldn't easily get any closer and still do damage. The weapon was designed for an expert in the field of scythes, and Shin was a swordsman before anything else.
I need to realize the right style first Shin said. I won't be able to fight at all if I can't use this weapon. Right now, I'm disadvantaged.
"Come, Shin" Mann growled, finding it difficult to talk under the pressure. "You will lose."
"Maybe" Shin groaned. He stopped his leg as it planted and lowered the blade of his scythe to Mann's neck level, a threat of death. "Let's see what you can do, Shikei..." Shikei listened to the dread in his tone and stirred in his hands. Mann raised up his giant sword, which was now under heavy damage. He still ran forward, sword up, and swung it hard at Shin. No wind whipped up and no dust moved from the crashing swing this time. Shin instinctively rose up his scythe vertically and blocked the attack. His intent was to block and absorb, but Shikei led his arms into a sudden spasm that deflected Mann's sword so far that his arm was nearly disjointed.
"Grh!" Mann growled. Shin saw opportunity as Mann was slowed by the pressure and stepped in. Though his body still bled from within, his mind was poised on the kill and his arms were focused on his scythe. Shikei went under its own influence and became incredibly light. Shin lowered his right hand's grip on the handle and pushed forward with his right arm while pulling back with his left. The pivot of the scythe made it swing so sharply the air was seen splitting in a distorted fashion behind the blade. Mann, meanwhile, got caught in the attack and had his chest cut from across. It was only a cut, though, and he retreated at full speed to avoid another.
"I got it..." Shin said. He kept his scythe swinging, following the motion the whole way through, and let the blade hook around to his back. He let go with his right hand, let the handle curl around his left index, then grabbed the end of the handle with his right as it spun around to the left side of his body. His right arm was wrapped around his face, drawing the scythe back even further, preparing a massive sword slash.
"No way" Mann groaned. He tried hard to bring his sword back around, dragging it across the ground and moving his whole body to get it in front of him, as he could see the attack coming. Shin spun the scythe around, blade now facing out again, and took a deep step in with his left foot. Then he worked his lateral muscles, his obliques, and his hips to spin his body around. As the scythe again cut through the air, he let his arm blast out and whip around. Mann's sword was up in front of him, sticking from the ground like an iron grave marker. Shin didn't see it, but Mann had also leaned back and let his arm hold the sword steady from a distance. It worked in avoiding certain death.
This is power, Shin Shikei said. This is what you were always destined to possess.
"It's nice" Shin said. The scythe had blown apart the air around the blade as it traveled like a sword in more than 360 degrees. Mann's sword was cut close to the hilt, and his arm was separated with it. A small cut appeared on his forehead, just above his scared and disbelieving eyes.
I'm glad I could die, Shin Mann said, unable to verbalize his thoughts at the moment. He saw Shin taking his weapon in both hands again, winding up high towards the sky in a head-cutting motion. I am glad that, through my power, I was able to release one such as you into the world. Kill many for me, Shin Kenpachi. Accomplish what this humble barbarian was unable...
That was it. In a black flash of glaring steel, Mann was dead, and Shikei was stained with its first real blood, the first true warrior's blood it had ever felt.
The battle was officially over. Shin's pressure lifted, the guards cleared out once they gained consciousness at last, and the three mighty fighters were safely lying on the ground, counting their blessings. Suichi awoke first to the rain that started pooling the center of the crater. Then, he raced into the building pond that formed with the clogged drains at the base of the ruined tower. Hoji was safely floating on a piece of grassy rubble against part of a tree. He was injured, but he was breathing and alive. His sword was in its sheathe as well, something Suichi didn't anticipate. Now he had to find Shin with Hoji on his back.
"Compared to that pressure" Suichi said, "you're pretty light, Hoji." Hoji stayed asleep and limp on Suichi's shoulder as the assassin raced around looking for his other unofficial bodyguard. "That pressure though...what the hell was it? It wasn't natural. It stopped the rain and knocked everything out!" Finally, Suichi found some terribly torn up ruins that were stained with blood. Near the center, he found his lost comrade, Shin, laying unconscious with his sword out of his hand. He also saw a headless corpse a ways away, but ignored it out of respect.
"Shin!" Suichi called, hoping there would be some response. He laid Hoji down carefully and rushed over. "Shin. Shin Kenpachi, are you alive!?" He saw the dust moving as Shin breathed, a good enough sign. He turned him over onto his back and looked at his wounds. His chest was basically smashed in, like some iron giant stepped on it. The broken bones were visible almost poking through the skin.
"Oh, that isn't good" Suichi said. "I don't know how to heal, either. You're just going to have to live with the pain for a while, Shin..." Then, Shin's sword caught Suichi's attention. Seeing it out of its sheathe and on the ground, wet with blood, sent unfamiliar chills up his spine. It was like looking at a different sword, or someone holding a sword at him.
What is this? Suichi asked himself. Shin's sword fells...dangerous. I feel like it's staring me down. For some reason, I feel like there are daggers at my throat...no, at all my vitals right now! Could it be...? Suichi reached for the sword, very slowly and cautiously lest it jump up and bite him, to touch it. He poked the hilt, and felt those daggers tighten up his throat and knot his innards as he did. Then he took a cold whim and grabbed the sword. It was indescribable what happened, but it ended in Suichi feinting away from Shin and waking up shortly after.
"It's just like I thought" Suichi said. "The power Shin has...can't be explained." He looked at Shin, peacefully dead looking, then over at Hoji, who was now heaving pained breaths and coughing. Suichi picked himself up, got light-headed and almost fell over, then ran to Hoji's side. "Hoji, are you alright?" he asked.
"Can you see my heart beating?" Hoji asked. Suichi looked at his chest, which had a long but healed scar on it, and saw nothing beating that he shouldn't see.
"No, I can't" Suichi answered. "You'll be fine."
"Cool" Hoji said. "Help me up?" Suichi grabbed his arm and draped it over his shoulder. Hoji stood weakly on his feet and kept a hand on Suichi's shoulder for balance. "Where's Shin?" he asked. Suichi pointed over to the battered body that Hoji asked for, and Hoji gave a painful wince. "Damn. He got the short stick alright..." Hoji had to pause from his pleasantries to cough up some blood, but quickly recovered. "Who's that?" Hoji asked.
"Who?" Suichi asked. He looked over where Hoji was looking and became startled. There was a man standing there, looking over the carnage with his arms crossed. He had a sword holstered in plain view, which worried Suichi most. His garb was either that of an assassin or an indiscreet scout, with tightly bound, red and black belts and sashes around his face and torso and very tight wraps on his shins and feet.
"What a miserable scene" he said in a calming, almost sweet voice. Then he flashed over to Suichi and waved a hand. "Sleep, injured one." Hoji fell right asleep, snoring on Suichi's shoulder, but Suichi didn't budge.
"Hypnosis won't work" Suichi said. "I'm immune."
"Of course you are" the stranger said, "but are you immune to pain?" Without warning, the stranger delivered a solid punch to Suichi's diaphragm, pushing the air out of his lungs and forcing him into collapse. What happened after was unknown, as Suichi lost all consciousness for some time...
"I have recovered Shin Kenpachi and his friends" the stranger reported into what looked like a walnut shell. He held it to his ear, nodded as he listened, then held it back to his mouth. "Yes my lady, I will make sure they are transported safely. Please prepare the medics upon my arrival." He stowed the nut shell and looked down at the sleeping, unconscious, and nearly dead bodies he had to carry. "Ooohh, my..." he sighed.
