Chapter 26: Worst Team. Best Combo
"Thine appearance disgusts me, vile creature!" said Shin Graceland, a clear sense of disgust in his voice "Release thine hold on my subordinate, lest you wish to taste the cold winds of my blade?"
"What…What's this joker talking about?" asked Tarant, looking at Rin, who was still trapped in his web "Can you translate for this guy?"
"How dare thee speak to such a lovely young woman whilst in thine hideous state!" said Shin "Before I engage in battle with you, I must first cleanse my theatre of your vile webs!" he said as he drew his Zanpakutou.
"Enter the Stage! Dashimono!" called Shin as a sharp wind blew all throughout the 9th Squad theatre, blowing away the webs that Tarant had created with his spider-shaped Ressureccion form, including the webs which bound Rin.
As the wind died down, Shin's sword transformed into a fan, adorned heavily with old pictures and traditional symbols.
"Pfft, Haha! What a pathetic looking weapon. You should have kept that sword sealed. At least you could have tried to cut me.
"Rin, you understand what I must do…It would be wise for you to get away, lest you get caught in my attacks." warned Shin. Rin silently nodded an took her chance to escape while Tarant continued to laugh at Shin's weapon.
"I mean, what can you do with that wimpy little fan anyway? Blow a light breeze at me?" laughed the Arrancar.
"Why, that is exactly what I intend to do monster." said Shin smugly, a smile forming on his lips, though it might be difficult to notice due to his Kabuki makeup. With a flick of his wrist, Shin launched a blast of air at Tarant, which lightly caught the side of his face. A moment later, a cut was formed and he began to bleed.
"I believe you said something earlier about attempting to draw blood from you. It would appear I have succeeded in that regard." Laughed Shin
"H-How…You didn't even come near me!" asked Tarant, beginning to get both scared and angry at Shin. While afraid of his power, he couldn't forgive the Captain for mocking him like that.
"My Zanpakutou, Dashimono, allows me to bend the winds to my will. It would be foolish of you to battle me, for I control one of the elements which make up the world itself. How can you battle against nature?" asked Shin as he waved his fan around and sent a more powerful gale at Tarant and then manipulated it in such a way that the Arrancar was thrown outside without damaging the inside of the 9th Squad theatre.
"Unfortunately, my attacks are often wide, and as a result, I can not fight at my full while I am among my comrades." explained Shin.
"So that's why you got the girl to leave…and why you sent me out here so carefully." Said Tarant as he quickly regained his composure and began to fight back, attempting to get close but was immediately blown away.
"Indeed. After all, I cannot have you damaging my precious-" started Shin, before there was a deafening crash from behind him. He turned around to see his beloved theatre in ruins.
"W-WHAT!?" he cried "Who did this, I shall smite them with the power of God himself.
What emerged from the crater and the rubble that used to be a theatre was certainly not human. At least not anymore. It appeared to be a Hollow, but with the torn clothing and stature of a Shinigami. He also carried a Zanpakutou, a ridged blade designed for maximum pain. A moment later, another man appeared, carrying a guitar.
"You!? I should have guessed as much. Do you see what you have done!?" cried Shin
"Huh? Oh, it's the stupid play man" said Ganseki "What? Was that your theatre. Oh, I'm so sorry Mr. Actor." He laughed.
"This is unforgiveable! I shall utterly destroy you!" threatened Shin
"Hey, uh…Maybe you should look behind you." said Ganseki . However, his warning came too late as Tarant had already began his counterattack. Before Shin could act, his entire body was encased in a cocoon, apart from his head.
"Hahaha! Try and blow that away you bastard." Laughed Tarant
"How dare you. For you to cover me in this…this…horrible substance. For this alone, I will kill you." Threatened Shin as he tried to break out of the webbing. Unfortunately, it was too tight and there was too much. His struggles only resulted in him falling to the floor.
"Anyway, is that you Madness?" asked Tarant, looking over at the Hollowfied Shinigami "Geez, it's only been about an hour, but you've changed so much. What is that anyway? Some kind of-" started Tarant, before the Hollowfied Madness cut him off by instantaneously dashing towards Tarant and cutting him in half with his sword. The final look on Tarant's face was one of disbelief as a former comrade took his life.
"Now look what you've done, stupid metal jerk!" shouted Shin "Because you brought your fight over here, I didn't get the chance to kill that Arrancar who not only humiliated me, but also defiled my sacred theatre. After this, remind me to kill you. Now hurry and cut me free so I can finish what you've started!"
"Geez, make up your mind gramps. You gonna kill me or help me?" asked Ganseki
"Just do it fool!" shouted Shin as he furiously struggled to break free as Madness turned to face his new, defenceless foe.
"Tch, fine." muttered Ganseki as he played a short riff on his guitar, sending sharp sound waves which cut open Shin's bindings. The 9th Squad Captain immediately used a gust of wind to launch himself backwards to get some distance on Madness. The Hollowfied Shinigami simply watched as Shin got to his feet and Ganseki decended to ground level.
"It disgusts me to say this, but…" started Shin
"We have to team up, right?" asked Ganseki "I ain't happy with it either, Mr. Actor."
"Regardless, it is necessary, Metal Kid." Replied Shin "Hmph, if it's you, then I don't mind using my full power around others. I hope that my Wind hits you."
"I hope I pierce a hundred holes in you with my guitar" relied Ganseki
"Bankai!" called both Captains as they were enveloped in a pair of bright lights. Upon remerging, thir equipment was upgraded immensely. Meanwhile, Madness began to create a ball of energy near his mouth, charging up for the powerful beam attack only used by powerful Hollows, Cero.
"Kyoutendouchidashimono" said Shin as he emerged, carrying a large staff with a large fan at either end, each as heavily adorned as his Shikai form. He immediately began to spin the staff above his head and around his body, which whipped up an extremely powerful gale around Madness, enough to stop his attack as well as lift him off his feet.
"My Bankai is much more powerful than my Shikai, naturally. With this, I have become the God of Winds. No Gust is too powerful for me to control!"
"Buatsuikaneiwa!" called Ganseki as he emerged from the light with a full stage, entirely lit up with by spotlights and filled with speakers as If he were about to perform at a concert. With Madness trapped in an invisible orb of air, Ganseki prepared his attack.
"Hell yeah! Let's get ready to Rock 'n Roll!" he cried "My Bankai more than triples the power and quantity of my sound waves. Any last words, Madness!?" asked Ganseki, only to be met with silence from the struggling Hybrid "Huh…You always were the silent type…Never really suited to this noisy squad. Maybe you'd have been better off in the 2nd Squad." He said as he finally began to play an incredibly loud guitar solo that would have enraged Shin in any other situation. The sound waves pierced every spot on Madness' body, until he stopped moving and had bled out. The bone-like structure disappeared from around his body, returning him to his normal appearance as he fell to the ground.
Breaking the silence that followed, Ganseki finally said "You know…It sucks that we work so well together."
"We shall speak of this to no one, agreed." Said Shin
"Agreed." Replied Ganseki "Oh, hey! I better get back. The Head Captain was gonna take on Damon Akuma alone!"
"What!? But…The Head Captain was only appointed recently. He doesn't know about Akuma's ability."
"Shit, we'd better go then." Said Ganseki as he led the way back to the 1st Squad Barracks.
Meanwhile, the cataclysmic battle between two superpowers continued on, with one side clearly winning over the other. The Head Captain Atsui Hasebe threw all of his strength into the swings of his Heavy Longsword, only for Damon Akuma to brush them aside
"You said you were here for 'The Key'." said Atsui "I shall not let you have it!"
"I'm afraid that you will have to give in to me eventually." Said Damon "While you are the Head Captain, it is clear that you have little skill or knowledge. Frankly, I could end this battle quite easily. Now give me the key or I'm afraid I shall have to take it by force."
"If declaring war isn't the use of force, then what is?" asked Atsui. "My job as Head Captain is to maintain the peace. If you were to launch an attack on the Soul King, then it is my job to stop you here!" said Atsui, with an unwavering conviction in his voice.
"Soul King?" asked Damon "Ah, I see. You assumed I was after the King's Key in order to attack Squad 0, didn't you? No. I am after a very different key. A key to open the doors to the realm that even you and your Soul Society are forbidden from interfering with." Chuckled Damon
"You...You don't mean…" muttered Atsui as his grip on his sword weakened for a moment
"Indeed. I am not after Soul Society. I seek to open the doors to Hell!" laughed Damon
To Be Continued…
Zanpakutou Translations:
Dashimono – Performance
Kyoutendouchidashimono – Amazing Performance
Buatsuikaneiwa – Heavy Metal Rock