Bleach 536 & 537: Knowing your enemy.
Scene opens high above soul society. Far down below you can see the swirling, turbulent atmosphere on the land as the towers of energy begin dissipating. The Scene zooms until you can now see Bach lounging in his chair with that ever gloating smile on his face. Mazrim appears next to him and bows low.
Mazrim: Your Majesty, Jugo has said it should not take too long.
Bach:…
Mazrim: Your Majesty, he also said that there was an unusually large spike of energy from Hueco Mundo not long ago.
Bach: Hmm, quite probably the life of Tier Halibel has ended, it matters not as long as they don't disturb us until we are done.
Mazrim: Yes your Majesty. Should I assist the others?
Bach: No, it will be more fun to enjoy watching these one to one. I'm sure they have some plan on how to fight us and I would like to see what it is.
Mazrim:…
Bach:… isn't that right Urahara Kisuke?
Mazrim:?!
Bach: Come on out, there is no use in hiding, if I had wished to kill you I would have attacked before now.
No more than 20 feet away to the left of Bachs chair, the air begins to waiver and shimmer and Urahara Kisuke appears clothed head to foot in his black reiatsu hiding cloak. He lowers his hood so that his face can be seen clearly.
Kisuke: Well I guess I was going to get caught sometime, how long have you known I was here?
Bach: Hah, for as long as I've been sitting on this throne.
Kisuke: And yet you've chosen not to attack me?
Bach: hmph, you are the most intelligent man in and out of soul society.
Kisuke: Why thank you for the-
Bach: and an extremely tricky one too
Kisuke:…
Bach: who knows what traps you've got laid out or planned…also what guarantee do I have that that is the real you?
Kisuke:! I was not aware you knew of my Shikai's abilities.
Bach: After all you've done did you not think I would learn as much of you as I could? You've kept your secrets well , but that was one you let slip.
Kisuke: Well I may have above average intelligence but no one's perfect are they haha… and it's not like you have any real interest in picking a fight…
Bach looks stone faced at Kisuke for a brief moment before suddenly bursting out in loud jovial laughter.
Mazrim:?!
Bach: If there was anyone who would deduce my plans on their own it would be you. Tell me, what else have you deduced about us? i would find your deductions even more interesting than the battle below us.
Kisuke:hmmm
Kisuke takes a few steps forward and peers out towards the battlefield.
Kisuke: I was in point of fact thinking of going down and lending them a hand.
The joviality disappears from Bachs face and instead his eyes take on a menacingly evil glint. As Urahara Kisuke turns to look at him he locks gazes and flashes an evil smile.
Bach: Well that would be very interesting, maybe interesting enough for me to take part as well!
Kisuke:...
Scene Changes down to the Battlefield.
Ishida is standing off against one of the Quincies. The energy circulating around the Quincy in their Volstandig form seems to be immense. As Uryuu watches him, the Quincy pulls off his cap and cloak and throws it to one side. A shocked looks passes Uryuu's face as he sees that the Quincy looks to be a boy about the same age as him, if not slightly younger. The Quincy looks at Uryuu, grinning widely. He has short blond hair with a fringe at the front and looks similar to a younger version of Shinji.
Manden: You seem surpised? Kote Manden at your service my liege.
Uryuu: …You're mocking me…is there a reason why?
Manden begins to laugh out loud at Uryuu's words.
Manden: Reason? Of course there's a bloody reason! You! Last in the line of royalty and look how pathetic you are.
Uryuu:…
Manden: You see, I've been watching you for a long time Ishida Uryuu! To begin with I was curious, as one of my few peers left alive, and one with royal lineage on top, I wished to evaluate my own abilities against yours.
Uryuu:…
Manden: hmph, but you, you were just pathetic. Failing at every turn, relying on everyone to save your ass, you made me laugh and feel disgusted at the same time at how pitiful you are.
Manden spreads his arms out wide to either side and indicates the entire battlefield.
Manden: Why do you think we're all just standing doing nothing. We're not here just to kill you, we're here to show how pathetic you are. How useless all your tactics and abilities are against us.
Manden expels out a huge amount of reiatsu, making the ground around him shake.
Manden: Come at me prince of the Quincy. Show me what you can do when your life is on the line. Today i get to show you how beneath me you have always been!
Scene change to Wairudo
He stands before another released Quincy. This one is tall and seems muscularly built and looks similar to Sagat from street fighter. Wairudo is half crouched, his hand on his sheathed sword which is glowing slightly
Mashida: Well how much longer do you plan to wait? I thought that after you released your sword you would attack me immediately. Have I not explained it well enough? You are all to be given a chance at the first strike. Shouldn't you make the best use of it?
Wairudo: …Indeed
Mashida: …after all…the longer you wait the longer we have to torture your comrade...
Wairudo:!
Mashido disappears appearing a few feet to his left, then again appearing to his right and then finally back in his original postion.
Far behind him a large mound of rubble suddenly explodes, debris flying in all directions.
Mashida: My my, isn't that a quick attack. The Quickdraw I've never seen it before. It's certainly an excellent technique, quite ideal to use against us as well. It's speed would mean that we wouldn't have enough time to absorb it. Unfortunately for you though, that technique still loses out to a Quincy for two reasons.
Wairudo:…
Mashida: Our speed…and our ability to detect reishi. Par on par it outclasses that of you shinigami. Even if I can't absorb a technique like that, avoiding it is childs play.
Wairudo stiffens up as Mashido starts disappearing and flitting around the battlefield.
Mashida: Is that all you have? I'm afraid you'll have to try something different… numbers will not assist you here.
Wairudo flashbacks to a little while earlier. He is standing in the 12th squads Barracks. He's in front of some computer screens watching battles from the previous fights with the sternritters. Behind him Urahara Kisuke appears. Wairudo speaks to him without turning around.
Wairudo: So you didn't go with them to Hueco Mundo. I'm not surprised.
Kisuke: Wairudo san. I think it's time we put old differences to one side and speak frankly to one another. I have information you will need if you wish to survive the coming battles.
Wairudo:…
Wairudo comes out of his flashback and stands up straight once more. Mashida settles down on the ground facing him grinning widely.
Mashida: so? Thought of anything new?
Wairudo: No, entirely the opposite.
He unsheathes his sword in one big swing and holds it out out in front of him, the tip pointing down.
Wairudo: *Bankai*
Mashida: ( hah you fool)
Scene change to Urahara and Bach.
Urahara takes a few steps away from the cliff and looks over to Bach and sighs.
Kisuke: Well...the pieces were all mixed up, but once you realise they're all there it wasn't hard to put them together.
Bach: indeed! (grins widely).
Kisuke: You attacked soul society, and that without your main force, and destroyed it. Yet you chose not to press your advantage and kill everyone.
Bach: and you found that unusual? (Still grinning widely)
Kisuke: You out of anyone has an understandable reason to want revenge. What has been done to your people, what has been done to you. Even if your primary intention was to mobilise the Zero squad and get them down here that still could have been achieved by killing everyone, and yet you chose not to do so.
Bach still grinning widely stands up and walks towards the edge of the cliff, he turns slightly so he is half facing Urahara and indicates him to carry on.
Kisuke: that seems to suggest that revenge was never on your mind. Yes, because of your history with us, you may not feel any sadness or sorrow at killing us indiscriminately, but our destruction was simply a means to an end.
Bach: Splendid Urahara Kisuke, and what would that end be?
Kisuke: You chose to attack after Aizen had been defeated, that itself is an indication. I doubt if you ever truly feared him any more than you feared Yamamoto Genryusai. So why wait?
Bach: indeed.
Kisuke: it could be that you had yet to complete your full mobilisation of your forces, or maybe you couldn't fully act whilst he was there without revealing your presence to us.
Bach:...
Kisuke: but the most likely possibilities were that you were just biding your time. If he succeeded in finding another way of getting to Soul Kings realm then he would have completed your task for you.
Bach: so yet another confirmation for you as to my objective.
Kisuke: Yes, your objective was clear, and has now been confirmed once I saw you capture that Zero squad member.
Bach: Urahara Kisuke you certainly do not fail to disappoint. There is just one thing left for you to explain...What makes you think you can stop me?!
Kisuke:...Well your weaknesses are pretty obvious once you take the time to look at them-
Suddenly the whole area begins to shake, the vibrations in the air are intense. The sky dims and turns dark, both Bach and Kisuke look out towards the battlefield once again.
The view zooms out and high up to take in all of the battlefield. The view zooms in for a moment on Ginrei who is now being surrounded by shooting bolts of lightning. It changes to Byakuya who has Senbonzkura Kageyoshi released. Finally it changes to Isshin who has released Kokujo Tengen Myo with the massive samurai standing behind him with his sword drawn.
The scene zooms back to Bach's face who is grinning widely.
Bach: Are they indeed?! Let's see how well they can make use of those weaknesses!
Scene change to Wairudo
Mashida stands looking at his medallion in confusion and surprise
Mashida: ?! Why isn't it working?!
Wairudo: Did you think you could keep using your abilities and your flaws would not be revealed?
Mashida:...what flaws?
Wairudo: hmph, don't you know? Or is that your master has not deemed it fit to tell you?
Mashida:...
Wairudo: do not think I will grant any consideration to vermin such as yourself, die with your ignorance!
The ground 20 feet around Mashida explodes as if a bomb has gone off clouding the whole area in dust.
Scene change to Byakuya
He has enclosed himself and the Quincy in his Kaleidescope. The pink swords of the Senbonzakura rotate around them.
The Quincy (Mandarb) is observing the swords as they move.
Mandarb: Interesting technique, would I be right in presuming this focuses solely on attack.
Byakuya: you would be correct.
Mandarb: Granted that I cannot at present seal them away but do you believe this will be enough to kill me?
Byakuya: You are mistaken.
The swords moving around them stop. They begin to pulse with colour.
Mandarb:?
Byakuya: I was never meant to kill you.
The swords, all in unison point towards Mandarb and fly towards him with blinding speed.
Mandarb:!
Scene change to Ginrei
Ginrei stands with lightning bolts shooting down all around him striking the ground. They strike only in and around the Quincy but nowhere near him. Ginrei is smiling pleasantly towards his opponent. The Quincy has long spiky hair, in similar style to Zaraki's.
Kensei: Why do you smile old man? Is it because you have gone senile, or do you find it funny that you have yet to hit me even once?
Ginrei: No not at all, I was just musing as to how long it would take someone of your calibre to ascertain my intentions.
Kensei:?! Are you trying to slight me old man?!
Ginrei smiles more warmly towards Kensei.
Ginrei: well that depends? Have you figured out what I'm doing yet?
Scene change to Uryuu.
Uryuu is firing hundreds of arrows towards Manden who just stands there grinning as they all get absorbed. He begins laughing at Uryuu's failed attempts.
Manden: You truly are hopeless Ishida Uryuu, haven't you yet learned that your arrows are useless against our abilities.
Uryuu says nothing but begins to change locations as he fires from different angles.
Manden: Are you panicking already knowing that you're outclassed. That none of you're attacks can even touch me whilst I have my Volstandig and Sklaveri. I was better trained than you at half your age, I'm superior to you in every way!
Uryuu appears in front of Manden still firing arrows. They have now increased in size some thicker than tree trunks. All get absorbed as soon as they close to Manden.
Uryuu: It seems you weren't trained in one thing however.
Manden:...
Uryuu: How to rid yourself of your arrogance.
Manden!
Suddenly 5 steel bolts slam into Mandens body.
Manden: aargh
Uryuu: Quincy rule 19 - You are only outclassed when you fail to find your opponents weakness.
Scene change to Bach and Kisuke.
Bach: impressive, hiding those steel bolts within the reishi arrows. He was lucky in that he faced Manden. It wouldn't have been as easy against one of the others.
Mazrim: That boy has always been too arrogant for his own good.
Bach:...and he's always had a bone to pick with Ishida Ryukens son. Mazrim, I'd like to see the heart of your nephew but in debt of the actions you have had to take on my behalf, feel free to intercede if you so wish.
Mazrim: Thank you Bach sama.
Mazrim bows low and disappears. Bach looks towards Kisuke once more.
Bach: so they chose their weakest to spring the counter attack assuming we would provide him with the opportunity.
Kisuke: It does seem so, it was a risky strategy but most probably the only one they had.
Bach: Urahara Kisuke, what have you told them? You said our weaknesses were obvious and their actions seem to indicate some knowledge of them.
Kisuke: Well most of it is educated guesswork, but as I said before once you saw the pieces of the puzzle it wasn't too hard to put together.
Bach:…
Kisuke: Why is it that you only chose to steal our Bankai and nothing else? Why was it that you always stole them almost immediately after they were released?
Bach:…
Kisuke: Knowing a little of the Quincy from before, and being fortunate to experience your Sklaveri first hand in Hueco Mundo, it was quite obvious that this technique was an offshoot of that.
Bach: Ah, so you have had some help after all, so that's what you used to deduce our limits.
Kisuke: Indeed. I saw your Sklaveri tear apart the very surroundings and even a half living mindless beast, yet, it left everyone else around un-harm and untouched.
Bach: Hmph, and so you asked yourself your first question, if it's ability is to steal and rip reishi away why didn't it do so with us?
Kisuke: correct, since the matter our bodies are primarily made up with is reishi the easiest thing would be to steal it to the point that we were incapacitated or dead. You would have had the easiest victory in history of any battle.
Bach: and so you realised that the answer was quite obvious.
Kisuke: Yes, you did not do so because you could not do so.
Bach: And so you asked yourself the second question, Why couldn't we?!
Kisuke: Precisely. As I have said this is an educated guess, but everything does seem to point towards. You cannot steal away reishi merged with a soul.
Bach: But your Bankai-
Kisuke: -to be more precise, you cannot steal anything linked too closesly to the soul. Un-attached reishi is easy enough to break down and absorb but the same isn't true for resihi created by and part of a soul. You are unable to break that down, you do not have the power. Therefore your only option was to seal it away rather than absorb it. However you could not even do that when the resihi was closely merged with the soul. It is why you could not seal our reishi or even seal our Shikai where only a small portion of our power manifests externally because it was still too closely linked to persons soul.
Bach: Heh but when you use bankai the majority of your power takes an external and separate form weakening the link.
Kisuke: Weak enough for you to seal it away.
Bach: Splendid, splendid indeed Urahara Kisuke, you are correct on all counts. Did you not also ask why was it that we stole them almost immediately after they were released?
Kisuke: I would guess that, unlike your sklaveri, to increase the seals power to steal away the bankai it could no longer be omni-directional, therefore it had to be faced roughly in the right direction of the Bankai and within a certain distance to suck/draw it in.
Bach: Correct once again! Hah, you must be pleased to discern our limitations and weaknesses so quickly?!
Kisuke:…
Bach: Surely you must gloating with confidence being able to now prepare a counterattack!
Kisuke:…?
Bach:…Or maybe the reason you are unable to smile now is because I have not shown the slightest concern in your discovery?!
Kisuke:...
Scene change to the battlefield.
As the scene changes from battle to battle you can still here Bach's voice in the background.
You see Freidrich and Ryuken moving using hirenkyaku appearing one place after another but, not a single shot is fired, not a single attack made.
Bach: the reason is simple.
You see Isshin who has his ring of fire encircling him rotating extremely fast. The female Quincy facing off against him is laughing and shooting arrows from every single direction but they are all either absorbed by pressure of his flames or being struck down by the flames shooting out from his ring.
To one side you can see the giant of Kokujou Tengen myo walking away from them.
Bach: They were never given any instruction to survive.
You see Manden on his knees, the steel bolts still in his body. Uryuu unleashes a barrage of arrows towards him.
Bach: How long would you think it would take me to crush these ants beneath my feet if I so wished? What would happen if I released Yamamoto's Bankai right now?!
The arrows released by Uryuu crash into an ice wall just before they reach Manden. Behind the wall of ice you see Mazrim appear, he bends down and lifts up Manden in his arms. He looks towards Uryuu and gives an almost imperceptible nod before disappearing.
Bach: Their mission was never to defeat or kill you.
The black bubble of Kuchiki Byakuya explodes out from the top lightning bolts storming out through the breach into the sky.
Kensei:?! Through the ground?!
Ginrei: (still smiling) that is correct.
Kensei: So you never had any intention of fighting us one on one.
Ginrei: whatever gave you that idea? This is a war after all.
Kensei: hmph, so how do you intend to stop me from killing you then old man?!
Tree roots break out from the ground and wind themselves around Kensei's legs binding him in place.
Kensei:?!
Ginrei: (little old man chuckle) as you said before
To the side you see the giant of Kokujou Tengen Myo arriving close and raising his sword high.
Ginrei: we never had any intention of fighting you one on one.
The sword comes crashing down obliterating everything around it.
Scene change to Urahara and Bach.
Bach: Their mission was to keep you occupied and let this old man have some rest.
Suddenly before Bach and Kisuke the 5 Quincy appear standing. They look a little scuffled with some torn robes and a few scratches here or there but none look to have any serious injury. Behind Bach's throne Mazrim appears with Manden in his arms, gently laying him on the ground.
Bach: After all, why worry about dying when I can just bring them back once i sit on my new throne!
Next week: 538 - Reinforcements.