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.


It was nothing but intense back and forth from the start of the fight. Torsic advanced heavily with his sword swinging in wide, powerful arcs while Shin blocked and deflected in his lazy one-hand style. When the forces shifted Shin would cut and stab at Torsic's chest and throat while the bandit ran around trying to block impossibly powerful attacks. The balance of power was severely tipped in Shin's favor, up until now.

"You're strong" Torsic admitted with his sadistic grin "but I've heard you don't even have a shikai!"

"Really?" Shin said, contacting the blades and making a huge push to force Torsic away. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Around" Torsic growled. He kicked a wooden chair up into the air and then made a rotating mid-air kick to send the projectile Shin's way. Shin slowly extended his sword forward so it would hit the chair, and the wood was blasted apart from the soft contact with the malicious blade.

Should you spoil his fun now? Shikei asked.

Not quite yet Shin answered. I'm eager for an actual fight here. Let him release first.

"You're really pissing me off" Torsic said through his teeth. He kicked up an entire long table, keeping it perfectly level in the air despite how unbalanced it was from where his kick was planted, and then jumped up to plant his foot on the edge and push the table along. Shin was more apathetic than usually. He sliced the table apart in one amazingly quick, fluid motion, ending with his sword in its sheathe and his arms crossed while two huge halves of wood flew past him.

"Bad move" Torsic said from behind. Shin's apathy left him in an instant. Now he was shocked. Torsic was on one half of the table, legs crossed and sword laid flat in his lap. Time seemed to be going extremely slow as the table moved through the thick air, but in reality Torsic's flash step and motions within it were so quick that Shin's eyes could barely see them clearly. Everything was a speedy blur to him, even his own flash-speed movements. "You're predictable, Shin! That's why you shouldn't have that name!"

"Eh?" Shin grunted. Torsic began swinging his sword, but Shin saw the air around it move much slower than the air around even his hair. His sword existed separately in this speed from his body. Shin's sword was a part of him and moved at the same speed, allowing him to block the first attack. Then Torsic came in close and threw a short knee to Shin's face. It hit on the forehead and Shin felt his body start to fly away from the impact, but before he was blown away he swung his sword at Torsic's hand.

Now normal times resumed. The table crashed into the wall and blew apart into even smaller splinters and chunks. Torsic landed with his grin eider and eyes even more arrogant than before. Shin landed in a skid along the floor and stopped with a crash against a stone column built out of the wall to hold up the rafters. The room rattled with his impact.

"Ow" Shin said lethargically. "That kinda hurt...I hope it doesn't bruise."

"Don't be so cocky" Torsic said. He slouched his back and lowered his head toward Shin across the room. "Your brain must be seriously rattled by now. I'm surprised you can even stay conscious after a hit like that!"

"And I'm surprised" Shin began "that your hand hasn't started hurting yet." Torsic was curious. His lips curled inward at his confusion and his brows were raised. Then he looked down at the hand that gripped his sword. It was cut, right through the skin to the handle it held, right between the ring and middle-finger knuckles. Only when Torsic saw his grave wound did he register the intense sting and drop his blade down.

"HAAAAAAAAA!" Torsic shouted, his wide mouth flying open. "My hand! You bastard! My haaaand! What kind of swordsman cuts another swordsman's hand!?"

"A good one" Shin said. He flash-stepped forward, jumping as he did, and reappeared in Torsic's slow world form the corner of Torsic's eyes. He returned the previous blow with a flying-knee to Torsic's forehead. It would have been his temple, but Torsic turned at just the right moment and was blown back into the wall just like Shin. Shin then kicked Torsic's sword up and kicked it back at its owner with the same leg. All motions of his opponent executed with much more style, grace and power. Shin's strategy was working.

You're being generous Shikei said, obviously amused at Shin's mimicry. You could kill him with a nasty look, you know.

Could I? Shin asked, remembering his recently formed new technique. Satsugyoushi hasn't been tested on a single target yet. If I concentrate that much power into such a small point...yeah, I probably could kill him like that. But that wouldn't be fun, and if I'm going to overthrow an entire region's military I need a good warm up.

Cheeky jackass Shikei chided. Be more arrogant, why don't you?

"Oh you son of a bitch" Torsic growled. He came from the settling dust with his eyes shining through the darkness his ratty hair threw onto his face, and his toothy grin was blazing even brighter. "I'm gonna enjoy hacking you apart!" Torsic took his sword in his good hand and set the blunt edge onto his shoulder. Then he raised his arm up so his sword draped down his back and touched at his rear. Despite the damage he managed to make a fist with his right hand, the one that was cut, and raised that arm across his chest. His right fist was in front of his left shoulder, his sword was curled over his body, and his legs were set into the ground.

"Here it comes, eh?" Shin said. He took his sword in a two-handed, serious grip and prepared for the worst. "His shikai..."

"Rampaging forces that flatten the woods," Torsic summoned, "come out and chop down this world full of fools! SKOGMORDER!" Torsic threw his arm forward and let the energy build around his sword. When it snapped to a stop so did the energy, and Shin observed the vicious new form that he would have to fight!


Eight long ax-spike blades extending from a long metal shaft. The sword itself hadn't extended very far, but its sharpness had exponentially increased. The eight blades extended out as crescent ax blades from out of the shaft, four on each side that got shorter and sharper as they approached the end of the hilt where the handguard used to be. The traditional color scheme of black and metallic silver stood out as well. The flat edge of the shaft was black while the outside edges of the blades were silver. The were like reverse scythe blades. Shin just had to grin at that observation.

Shall we show him despair? Shikei asked, eager to rip apart another foolhardy warrior.

"I want to see how long" Shin began "I can fight him with just a sword."

"Muttering to yourself?" Torsic mocked. "Or are you trying to convince your sword to release itself? Begging before your own inner spirit!? What a fool you are, Shin! I will take your name and raise it to a new level of awe in this world!"

"Shut up" Shin lowed "and come here. I bet your insides are dying to meet my sword's icy-hot metal!"

"I'll kill you!" Torsic shouted. He jumped in the air with his devious weapon raised overhead in his left hand. Then he came crashing down hard into Shin's guard. Shin barely blocked the attack, as his sword slipped between the two longest blades. Their tips came down dangerously close to his shoulders. Torsic was smiling. He pressed down hard and flipped away, swinging his sword across as he left to try and catch Shin's blade between the ax-points of his own released sword.

"That's odd" Shin said. "I'm sure I had it right. It was going to block the longest tip of his sword with my sword, then swing it down and cut his chest from below...huh. I wonder what went wrong."

"Don't try to figure it out" Torsic demanded. "My sword has killed hundreds of men before! None of them ever understood its ability until it was too late!"

"Well" Shin said "at least they figured it out. It isn't technically a big secret if some half-witted warrior can dissect a sword's ability during a fight."

"Are you mocking me?" Torsic asked honestly. "Whatever!" he growled. "You won't get the chance to understand anything once I rake off your ass of a head!" Torsic started running now. He kept his sword off to the side while keeping away his injured hand by hiding it in his pocket. Shin planned his offensive rather than his defense and ran forward as well. Once he saw that Torsic was within range to swing, Shin flashed forward and cut Torsic's right arm near the elbow. He was aiming for the more crucial nerves and joints so his arm would be totally disabled, but instead carved a deep thin slice into his forearm muscle.

"GAH!" Torsic shouted in pain.

"What?" Shin said. He stopped his flash in mid-air and landed with assistance of his off hand. "I could swear my aiming was right that time. He's moving my sword somehow! Is that his ability?"

It's not that vague Shikei said but roughly, that seems to be his ability.

"I need to start swinging harder" Shin said. He took his sword in both hands, facing the blade forward, and rushed in. Just as he predicted, Torsic swung his sword around hard to block. A huge gust of wind came from the space between the blades and dragged Shin down to the ground. Once both of them were stopped Torsic followed his sword through and swung down from overhead. Shin blocked with both hands steady on his blade and again felt the dangerous presence of the blades as his sword stopped on the shaft between them.

"Swing as hard as you want!" Torsic offered with his evil smile. "It won't make a damn difference!" Torsic wound his sword back up over his head and swung down hard. Shin concentrated all of his might on blocking the extended blades rather than the black shaft.

He missed and got stabbed in his left bicep. Shin glared at the wound, then at Torsic who was still grinning menacingly at Shin's falter. Torsic yanked his sword forward, turning Shin's mere scrape into a bleeding gash that sent the mighty shinigami reeling forward in pain.

Well Shin began now my left arm is numb and useless. This is great. Shin gripped his sword tightly in his right hand and looked up. Torsic was still setting his sword up for another attack, as the weight of swinging it with only one arm was throwing him off. Shin didn't care. He flew in and stabbed Torsic straight through the gut. Then he kicked his foot onto his chest and pushed Torsic away to get his sword free again.

"GHI!" Torsic exclaimed in pain. Shin rushed in yet again, losing no time, and made an attack at Torsic's wrist. Without any hands he would either have to yield or come up with some brilliant new way of wielding a sword on the spot. Shin swung straight down at Torsic's wrist, the bandit froze in terror, and Shin's sword hit at the corner of the metal shaft and the lowest, sharpest blade of Torsic's weapon. Shin scowled openly before pulling away, finding it difficult to take his sword with him.

"So that's it" Shin lowed. "The space between the blades acts as a vacuum-"

"NO!" Torsic shouted. "You're not allowed to know it without dying!!!" Torsic came back in and swung horizontally. Shin blocked with the tip of his sword, shifting to the side knowing where the blades would stab once the blade was stopped. He was unharmed.

"-that sucks in an enemy's sword" Shin finished from his interrupted statement. Torsic still had a slight advantage as his sword was constructed to fight against thinner blades. The eight blade-spikes were positioned along shaft so that a sword like Shin's wouldn't be able to keep them from reaching the wielder's flesh. Then the vacuum would aid in slicing apart a man's muscular structure from his skeleton with a swift withdrawal of the blade. Now Shin understood how it worked and began to work around it. He leaned into his stab and pushed the blade away. Torsic swung again. Shin rolled under it and came up from his crouch with a stab that reached through Torsic's gut and came out his upper back.

"Hgg-!" Torsic grunted. His diaphragm was pierced, disabling his ability to breath. Shin continued his attack regardless, as did Torsic. Both true berserk warriors fit to wear the title of Kenpachi, but in the end only one would walk away with it...and their life.


Release Shikei demanded. Show this fool the futility of fighting off death.

Look in his eyes Shin replied. He's not even fighting anymore. He's just swinging that tool of his around like he's blind, trying to hit me with nothing but rage.

"HAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!" Torsic roared. His casual, confident demeanor was shattered, and in its place was a terrible coursing madness that forced him to live past his own limits. His spirit pressure took over and began moving his lungs in place of the bleeding muscle below. His energy forced his heart to pump at twice its normal speed. It was all or nothing, a true berserk. Shin, however, was staying as calm as he could in his frantic dodging.

"That's right" Shin said, stepping over a broken chair, "I have an environment to use." Shin slid under a table and kicked it up. Torsic tore it apart, then spun around and hacked the rest of it to tiny pieces, thinking Shin was continuing to mimic his previous techniques. Shin stayed on the floor and made for the thrones carved from the wide wooden wall at the far end of the hall. Torsic followed after him with his sword dragging behind him.

"DIE SHIN!" Torsic demanded. "DIE, DIE AND LEAVE THE WORLD IN PEACE!!!" Torsic kicked countless small objects Shin's way, trying desperately to throw the king off his set path. Shin blocked them simply, batting them away with the flat edge of his sword and dodging the more dangerous objects when he could. After so much dodging and leaning, Shin decided to initiate his new attack. He leaned ahrd to his right and threw himself off his feet, spun around in the air, then hit the ground in another spin that took out the thick wooden legs of the shorter, elegant table in front of him. Still spinning, Shin brought his knees together and sheathed his sword. He shot up straight with his legs slightly parted and sword high in the air. The table was thrown straight up to the ceiling in a motion too quick for the white-eyed Torsic to detect.

"There is always death" Shin said. He jumped up, out of Torsic's vision, but it didn't stop Torsic from jumping forward and blowing apart the center throne with a single swing. He tried to move his right arm, but anything below the elbow was totally dysfunctional. His breathing was halted by the flooding blood in his mouth and he could feel the hot, deadly embrace of the end coming around him.

He saw death descend from above. Shin was standing upside down amidst a black mist of unknown spirit pressure that pushed up, glowering down at Torsic from the ceiling on top of the table he had thrown. "Nothing can evade death. Not you or I. But I am death, so I get some degree of lenience from it for now."

"But" Torsic began in a bloody sob, "I'm famous! I'm feared! They call me the 'Knight of the Blackwoods'! I control two entire villages out of nothing but fear! I'm a perfect warrior! I deserve it more than you!!!"

"Really?" Shin asked from up above. He lifted his pressure and let everything drop down, then he sped himself up with a quick burst of pressure to meet Torsic's teary eyes and scowling frown with his own stone-cold glaring face. "You know, now that there's so much hype with this name, I don't think I deserve it either." Torsic was shocked, so much so that he opened his eyes wide and stared death in the face.

Looks like I wasn't needed Shikei said with a hollow sigh. Perhaps the next opponent will be just challenging enough for you...

"Satsugyoushi!" Shin growled. His eyes turned pure black with crackling white in the shape of laughing skulls. A lightning bolt of sheer pressure blasted out from his eyes and into Torsic's soul. He could feel his own spiritual pressure starting to numb and decay under the absolute terrifying pressure of Shin's deadly glare. He was seconds from death, he could feel it, and the cold washing of peace started to set in from his own slowing heart.

"RED ARROW!" some mysterious, regal voice called. A slicing rush of air came from the other end of the hall and a huge lance of fire blasted through Torsic's chest. The lance nearly hit Shin as well, but Torsic's half-dead body soaked it up nicely. Then, with his trademarked arrogant grin and slanting eyebrows, Torsic fell forward and died. His sword hit the ground and returned to its normal state. Shin was appalled at first, then furious to know who interrupted his honorable murder.

It was a man in a regal red dressing like the men of the town, a brown ponytail fluttering behind his head, and a huge spiritually resonating arm-mounted Crossbow. "Your plan has been thwarted...Shin Kenpachi!"

"Who the hell...!?" Shin exclaimed. "Who are you?"

Kill him and find out! Shikei demanded.

All you talk about is death! Shin shouted mentally, gritting his teeth at the sword in his hand. Shut up for a while!!!Skogmorder: Norwegian for 'Forest Killer'