I Am The Spool Of Fate
Unknown To The Dead Nor Known To The Living
Weaving Over One Thousand Lives
Yet These Hands Hold Nothing
So As I Pray For The Deceased
The Mausoleum of Fate
A Predator Among Us
Falling Stars V
Reflection of the Heart
Stable.
That's how the situation appears to be from Captain Kurotsuchi's perspective. From the reports he received from one of his officers, three Royal Guards have been defeated, and only two seem to be active. One even is being brought in alive if only to help give vital information to them in exchange for his own life.
Still, he felt uneasy.
The only Guard unaccounted for is one he had a personal experience with in the past: Shūtara Senjumaru.
She had been a Shinigami that predates most of Soul Society, and is responsible for weaving the myriad of different uniforms each member of the Gotei 13 are adorned with. One time, not long after he had been promoted to the rank of Captain, and Head of RD, she came to Soul Society under some guise of an investigation.
"Captain, we just had a report of a Royal Guard penetrating the barrier at the designated site," Akon says with a brisk walk up to him. "It's her, isn't it?"
"You don't even need to ask such a trivial question," Mayuri scoffs, his eyes affixed to a large screen jutting from the ceiling. It showed a distant ping of red, rippling in waves from a distant point from the Seireitei. "Doubtlessly the only reason we know now is because she's ensnared her prey in her web."
"Who's that?"
Mayuri turned around at feeling the telepathic words, seeing Crisol's bright eyes blinking at the red pulsing circle next to him.
"Ah, that is, my dear, a Royal Guard," He explains with a smile. "Think of them as comparable to your upper rank Espada, but perhaps even more than that."
"I never met the Espada," Crisol admits, turning his head to Akon and Mayuri as they exchanged glances. "So, they're strong?"
"Not just that, they're what makes the Soul Society what it is to this day," Akon added, raising a finger with emphasis. "They're ancient, with only a couple being ones who existed from a hundred to thousands of years ago. Each of them are responsible for contributing to the whole of Soul Society, but they're also akin to a supreme order of sorts."
"What my officer is trying to say is that they're a bunch of busybodies who have no qualms doing whatever they want, whenever they want," Mayuri says disparagingly with dismissive waves of his hands.
Unlike how he didn't have any particular love for his colleagues, they are the ones - not the Zero Division - who are keeping the bulk of the fighting away from himself and his department. "I do remember encountering the one who is creating that reiatsu signature. She claimed she had been investigating, but all she did was intrude into my office and didn't take a single thing."
"A bit odd, for sure," Akon says with his arms crossed. "But that isn't even the strangest part."
"What's that?" Crisol asks with a tilt of his head.
"She didn't need to tell me, because I never would have known," Mayuri confesses with a sag to his shoulders. "Every countermeasure, every alarm, every lock was completely bypassed. She did it with such grace that the only reason I knew is because I was making rounds in the department at the time. She was standing in my lab, and told me she was going through the lab for an investigation. When I asked why, she smiled and said it wasn't my business to know."
"It was a very bizarre experience for everyone in the department, for sure," Akon admits, looking over at the mute Arrancar with a smile. "I'm sure if she meant to kill us, we all wouldn't have even realized that it happened until too late. She's got more than enough discretion to be a match even for the Onmitsukidō Chief."
"It's not simple stealth," Mayuri says with a grim countenance at the screen above their heads. "She has such refined posture that there isn't a single moment of wasted movement. Grace like that isn't even something you train for. The innate ability to slip past unnoticed is one of Senjumaru's most dangerous abilities."
As Crisol took in this information, he looked up at the screen once more. Additional blips formed from the Seireitei, moving swiftly across the screen towards the distant reiatsu signature.
"Three signatures are heading to the source," Akon says, checking a computer console for clarification. "Yoruichi Shihōin, Kisuke Urahara and Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck."
"Perhaps they can do something," Mayuri muses with a smile. "Or maybe I'll get lucky and get rid of those meddlesome people."
Crisol furrowed his brow.
He couldn't say why, but he could sense something ominous about the reiatsu signature of Shūtara Senjumaru. Whether it was because of her power surpassed that of all others, it's possible but there felt an oddity within.
Almost like something is hidden, but not able to be seen, like a mirage.
Because of the nature of his relationship with Mayuri, Crisol doesn't speak up about his feelings. Instead he fixed his eyes on the signature and waited to see if he is right.
Drool unknowingly escapes the corner of his mouth, his body vibrating with hunger.
I hope I can eat whatever is out there…
The Sword Five are stunned.
In an instant, their desire to fight had been snuffed by how easily Shūtara clutched their necks. An overwhelming gap between themselves and the Royal Guard was established, and only Lieutenant Renji Abarai was able to close it.
When the battle ignited, six arms swung around in precise jabs and slashes. The puppet arms barely made a sound, the creaking no longer audible amidst the clangs of blades meeting blades.
Renji's Zabimaru whirred around in dexterous spirals, each segment hook colliding with a sword length needle, parrying and repelling in a flurry of swift arm movements.
His eyes tracked the arms seeing them move with silent grace and lethal intent. Swinging his sword around and around like a flail, he crashed his weapon as much as he parried the needle blades.
"How can he see it?" Hasuka asks with amazement. "Those arms are faster than anything I've seen before!"
"They're not just fast," Mēra affirms with narrowed eyes. "They're not making all those sounds from before. I think they can adjust to whatever she wants, making them quiet or loud, fast or slow to whatever liking she wants."
"I guess we can't do anything ourselves," Tsumiko stoically said, her eyes looking over at the two. "We have to leave it to him."
Ryūten's hands clasped together, startling the Spirits as a rise of reiatsu flowed from her.
"Time to make those arms stop moving!" The Kidō Lieutenant shouts, throwing her arms around in an arc. "Bakudō #62, Hyapporankan!"
A single arc of a luminescent amethyst outlined pillar fires out, separating in dozens of pillars that streak across the air. The needle wielding weapons turned about, weaving what looked like a red thread through the air, lassoing each of the pillars within seconds.
And, with a gesture, hurled them back at the six women.
"Eek!" Ryūten's mouth formed a shriek as she hastily leaped back from the incoming projectile storm.
Before the Zanpakutō could scatter, Zabimaru swoops in and blocks the rebounded Kidō, shattering them in the effort.
"Just stay back, and throw up a barrier!" Renji shouts at them. "You're only getting in my way!"
"Too late," Shūtara says with a musing smirk. "I have you now."
Renji realizes what she meant at the last second. Diverting his sword away left the arms unopposed, as they now angled at his vital areas from all around himself.
Three came rapidly to slash at his sides and front, three others came down over head to piece his skull and shoulders.
Retracting his blade with a click, the blades slammed into the ground with a powerful shockwave, bursting the earth and causing the six women to shield their faces from the impact. They looked on with aghast expressions, the dust cloud all that obscured the Lieutenant's body.
Except, there was no body.
Not even blood.
Where-?
SHFT!
A flicker of movement appears in front of Shūtara, causing surprise in her eyes since she arrived in Soul Society. He had his blade pointed at her, his right hand holding the handle as bright red light flares from the blade itself.
"Senkō!"
A flash of crimson reiatsu follows a streak of metal that launches out of its segments like lightning. It impacts Shūtara's chest, throttling her back across the ground and slamming her straight into the far wall of the black threaded barrier with a seismic crash.
"He struck her?" Nonomi gawks with wide blinking eyes. "She's a Royal Guard! How is a Lieutenant able to land a hit on a Zero Squad Captain?!"
"I guess the Captain Commander was right in helping you," Hasuka exclaims with a bright grin. "You're something else, Lieutenant."
Shūtara is left staring at the offending blade jutting into her kosode. Blood seeped from the wound it dug into her flesh, running down from her chest to her thigh. A hand raised up, grasping the blade and yanked it out with a violent twist of her wrist.
"I'm impressed with the speed and force you produced," Shūtara says, her mechanical arms retracting back behind her as she rubs the blood between her physical fingers. "You've been training diligently it seems."
"You thought you were fast, with those arms of yours," Renji says with a smile, confidently holding it fast as his blade kept her pinned to the wall of thread. "But I've been training to surpass one of the fastest Shinigami in the Gotei 13. Your six arms aren't anything in comparison to millions of razors, let alone a thousand."
"Ah, I believe you are mistaken," Shūtara says with a white, malicious smile. "I have been playing with you this whole time."
SHINK!
Renji's eyes widen as pain juts through his calves and feet. Looking down, he saw sword length needles piercing his body.
I didn't even sense them! He panicked, taking his sword and smashing the needles, freeing his wounded leg in place.
Just as he thought he was free, dozens more needles discharged from the floor, stabbing and slashing at him. He whirled his blade around, deflecting the attacks that are lethal but is cut across his chest, shoulders and sides in the process.
"You thought this is a barrier, but it's closer to that of my True Zanpakutō's power," She says as he weathers the assault, her uniform glowing gold as life weaving threads renew her wounds back to full health. "Shigarami weaves threads of reishi that emblazon the symbols of the Shinigami. From the Kidō Corps, to the Gotei, the Onmitsukidō, the Zero Division, it all is bound by the fabric I've woven through my Zanpakutō."
As Renji is assailed by the earth piercing needles, he looks up, seeing thousands of needles protruding from the ceiling. Covered with blood, his eyes narrow as he sees them extend further and further.
"While you were focused on forging your sword, I had plenty of time to ensnare you into my domain: Sōretsu, Kokujin no Maisō," She declares, raising up her bare right hand with a cruel smile. "Become buried in my weave, Lieutenant Abarai."
Snap!
In an instant, all the needles fell like rain towards Renji. Propelled by the reiatsu that is woven in place, they rocketed towards the Shinigami with deadly momentum, all with the intent of eradicating his wounded body.
Raising his sword, just bare moments before they made contact, he mouthed out a word unheard by all.
Bankai
VRRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRR!!!
The entire domain shakes from an enormous pure of fiery red reiatsu surging upwards. The needles, each as strong as iron, shatter on contact with his reiatsu. The earth upheaved, the Kidō Lieutenant yells as she raises a barrier up around herself and the other Zanpakutō Spirits.
Beyond it, they could see his fiery form emerge from a cloud of smoke. A snake head tears back, eyes aglow a predatory yellow. It protrudes a smooth blade of short length, connected with a bone spine wrapped around the waist of the man's kosode. An emerald furred, boney limb resembling a monkey's is adorned to his left arm.
Apart from the wounds, Renji stared unfazed at Shūtara's face, now enveloped in the form of his True Bankai.
"Sōō Zabimaru," He exhales.
Mera and the others marvel at his Bankai. Compact, its form is not linear and offers him room for two sides of combat. A fearsome force exuded off his person, like that of a changed man.
"I wanted to see how well I could do without this Bankai. Of course I can't compete with a Royal Guard truly," Renji admits with a fierce grin. "But since you thought that last move of yours was enough to kill me, you should probably try something else real quick."
Shūtara narrowed her eyes at him. Her self assured smirk remained, seeing what his Bankai appeared to be.
Short range, perhaps blasts incredible destructive power. Perhaps I should use Mugen? No, Shigarami is all I need, She judged mentally. He's wounded, after all. It should only be a matter of time-
In a flicker, Renji's form passed through the air, arriving in front of Shūtara.
Raising Shigarami up to defend against him, his blade swings down-
krrrrrRRRRRRAACK!
-shattering it, and slashing down her chest in a vicious downward cut.
She deftly stepped back with Shunpo, eyes wide at the strength behind his blow. Her other mechanical arms thrust out, each one parried by Renji's blade.
Throwing a haymaker with his baboon arm, she weaved a layer of red fabric-
THUUM!
"HNGH!" Shūtara grunted out a cry, feeling her puppet limbs crash into her face and chest in a throttling impact. Thrown backwards into the fabric barrier, her body reels forward as she is left stunned at what happened.
How?! My Reiatsu should surpass him! What kind of Bankai can overwhelm me?!
Renji's feet are already stomping the ground, twisting his sword arm around to thrust at her chest. Glaring, all six arms throttle down and catch him before he makes contact, each one grasping a part of his body.
Unsheathing her hidden wakizashi from within her kosode, she grimaces as she tries to push him backwards with her puppet arms. Creaks and groans ebb from the arms, yet the man didn't budge, his forehead tensing and his eyes glaring at her with firm resolve.
I can't move him!
"Orochiō!" Renji cries out.
SHINK!
"Ulk!" Shūtara chokes out, blood vomiting from her mouth as her midsection is impaled. Her eyes look down, the spine unraveled from Renji and is now flowing back like a tail, while the short blade became a long segmented sword; now embedded deeply into her body.
Twisting it around like a key, his body erupted with an intense golden blaze, rising and overlapping the pair. Shūtara's eyes widened with terror as fangs rose up, poised to strike.
Sōō Zabimaru, Zaga Teppō
Slamming into her body, she let out a shriek as her body purged with an immense fiery blaze that sweeps her entire form. Flesh turned to ash, eyes vacant and mouth devoid as the whole of her beautiful frame.
Such destructive power had the intensity to burn a hole through the fabric wall behind, spreading up and across the whole dome of black threads. Unraveling the fabric whittled away, dispersing in the wind and revealed the light of the Sun overhead.
Sighing heavily, he turns away from the pile of ash to look at the others.
His blood turned to ice.
Standing there amidst the fallen tapestry of the black threads is Shūtara. Her eyes fixed upon him, smiling, all six arms arranged behind her with hands open; each one holding spheres that contained ribbon bound the five Zanpakutō Spirits while Ryūten Kyōkō is left impaled by a number of needles protruding from her own uniform.
"That might have worked, if you struck the real me, Lieutenant Abarai," She says, raising an arm up to present a slender needle. "But the games end here."
Bankai
Shatatsu Karagara Shigarami no Tsuji
"We should be getting close," Yoruichi says, her upper body leaning forward with arms held back to increase her sprinting speed. "Her reiatsu is coming off like a beacon so it's hard to miss it."
"I've never had the pleasure of meeting the Royal Guard myself," Kisuke admits with a smile, his stride a bit more casual than his colleague's, with sword in one hand as he ran beside her. "Given what happened recently, I don't think she'll be quite hospitable."
"What is this Shūtara Senjumaru known for?" Nelliel asks, turning to look at the other two Shinigami. "Her battle style, her habits, her desires. Anything we can go off of?"
"History texts aren't exactly forthcoming on that one," Kisuke admits with mirth. "All we know is that she contributed to Soul Society by weaving all the tapestries used to this day. From banners to the uniforms we wear, all manner of clothing was woven by her."
"We can assume it is related to her moniker of One Thousand Arms, likely she's quite fast as she is precise," Yoruichi added, eyeing the Arrancar with a clinical gaze. "How good are you at speed or reaction timing?"
"I'm decent," Nelliel says with a shrug. "More or less. My former comrades were a bit more adept but I'd argue some others were technically faster. I'd like to think I improved over the course of the time I spent training."
"Hmmm," Yoruichi hums to herself in thought.
"What?" Nelliel asks.
"It'll do," Yoruichi says, turning to smile at her. "After all, this can't be scarier than facing Aaroniero, right?"
"Oh," Nelliel awed with a wide blinking expression. "I thought it was something else entirely."
"Like?"
"Well, about-"
VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!
All three froze in transit.
A wave of pressure exuded from their own destination. What was once an approaching valley became a bleak blackness that swept out over the sky and their surroundings.
Massive colorful hanks of tapestry are suspended from the air, all framing a risen gateway akin to a torii, with a massive golden loom behind Shūtara. Red tapestry flows endlessly, extending like a carpet forward, with several other small carpets unfurling to other gates that are connected to hanging hanks above.
Renji's body, bloodied and armed with his Bankai, stood in shock. The Sword Five are confined inside of containment spheres, the Kidō Lieutenant is slumped over, impaled from the inside by protruding needles.
Kisuke's mind reeled into one of the worst outcomes of his predictions: that the enemy managed to use Bankai before they could react in time.
"Ah, I thought I was sensing approaching enemies," Shūtara says, a ruby lipped smirk shown as she uses a free puppet arm to point at them. "The Reiō wants you removed most of all, Kisuke Urahara. Though I don't mind cutting the others down to size."
"How thoughtful of her," Kisuke says with a smile, his blade raising readily while Nel did the same and Yoruichi crouched down, ready to pounce. "To think Aaroniero thinks so much of me that I'm given the Kill On Sight order. I'm not sure what is funnier. That the Royal Guard taking orders from a Hollow, or that God is afraid of me."
Shūtara didn't reply, just maintaining a smirk. All of her enemies are within striking range. What would happen next will be outside of anyone's ability to prevent.
SHINK!
Blood showered the air, splashing onto the floor. All eyes are locked onto the sight of Shūtara, her eyes wide open at the sight of a blade thrusting through her chest from behind.
"Wh-Who…?" She chokes out, craning her head around to look over her shoulder.
The sight of Ryūten Kyōkō, the drill-style green twintail adorned Lieutenant of the Kidō Corps. She wasn't bloodied or harmed, driving confusion into her. She was sure she had killed her, weaving a uniform of her own design that impaled her when struggling.
Looking over at the place she had slain her, she saw the image of her bloodied corpse fade away.
Turning to look at her attacker, the appearance shifted, slowly turning from a curvaceous short young woman to a tall physically strong man enamored in white. Sharp features with fair skin, dark brown eyes with slicked back brown hair, a visage all Soul Society knew all too well.
The sight of him brought fear out of Nelliel. Even though she had worked for him, the mere presence of him brought shivers out of her body.
Yoruichi's eyes bulged. She thought the Kidō Lieutenant had been the only escort of the Sword Five, specifically for her abilities in barriers and sealing. Yet, when did the switch happen?
Kisuke's expression maintained a cautious stare. His smile turned into a thin lipped sneer. He didn't appear surprised but Kisuke rarely exhibited such a reaction.
Shūtara, however, looked horrified at what she beheld.
"Aizen!" She exclaimed hoarsely. "How…when?"
"I assumed you to be more intelligent than this, Aaroniero," Sōsuke Aizen said with a mocking smile. "I never parted with The Gotei 13. I merely made a show of it so it was assumed I left. As for how I managed to get the better of you, you should know of all people Aaroniero that merely bolstering the powers of one Royal Guard is enough to surpass me."
Shūtara grunted, swinging an arm around with a blade in hand.
Catching the blade between two fingers, Aizen pulled out his sword from Shūtara's back with a jeering grin. She swung around several needle blades, each one parried by his blade or an upraised finger.
Mentally she conjured a swathe of colorful fabric to swoop up and around Aizen, sealing him off. Grinning she felt a little relieved despite the pain.
SHRK!
"Ulk!" Shūtara grunted out, her chest splitting open down the middle from an invisible blade. Staggering back, she clutched the wound with her hand, blinking quizzically at what happened.
The answer revealed as blood flecked off a peerless katana.
Appearing out of thin air, Aizen treaded softly up to Shūtara's person, without seemingly a scratch.
"Your Bankai seems to only target those you can perceive," Aizen says with a smirk. "It was a mistake to have infused your own reiatsu with this Royal Guard, Aaroniero. Because of this, having seen my Zanpakutō's release, Kaizen Saimin is still in effect."
"H-How…did you know that?" Shūtara asks with a trembling step back, eyes wincing with pain and barely able to see straight.
"You may not be aware but I was paying special attention to when Shūtara Senjumaru and her cohorts were visiting Soul Society to investigate the matters of Kisuke Urahara's experiments and any traces of it left behind. Though I never had a chance to use my Zanpakutō on them, I remembered their reiatsu, and I can identify any changes that could have been made," He explained, walking up to Shūtara's person with one hand in a coat pocket and the other pointing the blade down. "Since any creation of Rudbornn's Calavera shared his own senses, it only took some careful deduction that whenever you changed the reiatsu of Shūtara's body, you left your own senses as an insurance policy to ensure you could take control of it whenever you wished. It worked against you, as I never used my Zanpakutō release in front of any member of the Royal Guard save for Kirio Hikifune."
Grimacing in place, she mentally turned all of her power to what was in front of her. Masses of fabric flourished out, whipping across the air and seeking to ensnare Aizen in one of its hanks. Even as they seek to ensnare him, a tremendous eruption of light blasts away Shūtara's fabrics, distorting the black space with a violet wave of reiatsu.
Shūtara's eyes fixed at the sight, shaking at the immense force of pressure wracked on her wounded body. Without moving an inch, Aizen had rendered her Bankai ineffective, staring at her with a casual smile.
"How curious," Aizen says, his effects rustling with his hair under the influence of his own reiatsu's roaring projection. "That a Royal Guard at their most powerful isn't a match for me."
In a single breath, a slash across the neck ripped the life from Shūtara Senjumaru. The space within the Bankai shredded, ripping apart like fabric with the loom disappearing from sight along with the gate framing it.
As the head of Shūtara drops to the ground, a look of terror framed her eyes with an open mouth. It's an expression that Aizen looked down with disdain.
Wiping the blood of his sword with her cheeks, he sheathed his sword.
"Yo, Aizen," Kisuke's voice cut through the air, causing the Shinigami to look his way. "I thought we went our separate ways, after Inoue graciously gave you and your Arrancars a second chance at life. Forgot something here in Soul Society?"
"I have no memory of making such an agreement," Aizen says, raising a hand with emphasis. "I merely removed my own forces back to Hueco Mundo for the next stage of my counterattack. As I explained to her, I never left your company, choosing to be present to see what your plans were and what countermeasures Aaroniero would use against you. Since the Hōgyoku was stolen from me, it's only right that I focus my efforts on correcting that issue in whatever means I have available."
"You mean the Hōgyoku that you fed my Hōgyoku to, right?" Kisuke jeers with a playful smile.
"Precisely," Aizen replied without skipping a beat. "You were most useful in providing me with the means of strengthening my creation. However, given it's been fused to another, I have to even the odds if I stand a chance of matching an Arrancar who has devoured the Reiō with a Hōgyoku infused into him."
Kneeling down, Aizen grasps the head and shoulders of both sides of the Shūtara corpse.
"Where are you taking those?" Kisuke asks.
"Back to Hueco Mundo," Aizen answers, turning to the three with a smile. "You were wonderful distractions. I hope to see you continue proving yourselves useful to my plans."
Vrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
In the middle of the air, black jaws tore up and down across the space behind Aizen. Standing there expectantly is Kaname, waiting for his arrival.
Aizen stepping into the rift, Aizen didn't look back even once as the Garganta sealed behind him.
Leaving behind a baffled Renji Abarai.
"So," Renji turned to scratch his chin with his monkey arm. "Did I win?"
"Tch," Gin clicked his tongue with annoyance. "It seems like the last one bit the dust. We'll put a hold on our little fight, Captain Kuchiki."
"As if you think I'd allow you to flee," Byakuya says firmly, his hand raising his sword up at his foe. "You've done enough harm working for the enemies of Soul Society. I'm going to punish all traitors myself."
Gin had expected this.
They had been fighting in earnest for the last ten minutes. He was being pressured in a way that he didn't feel since Nimaiya's other Bankai had done. Even though neither had been using their best moves, it still felt surprising that a man like him could reach the same level he was at.
Feeling an impending reiatsu, he grinned to himself.
"That's not for you to decide," He says.
VOOOOOMMMMM!
A golden beam of light crashes down around his proximity, stopping short of any further conflict. Rising up with the piece of debris, Gin looked down at Byakuya with his usual thin smile.
"It's been fun, Captain! Let's do it again sometime!" He crows out cheerily.
Byakuya's eyes coldly stare back without a verbal retort. He could only watch as the man was transported away, back to the Reiōkyū.
Sheathing his sword, Byakuya knew from his battles with the Zero Division and Gin Ichimaru that he had perfected his powers. All that is left is to ascend to the Reiōkyū, and enact his duty against Aaroniero and their cronies.
Just wait a little longer, Rukia, Byakuya silently prayed, turning back to the Seireitei as he Shunpo away from the scarred battlefield. I'll grant you peace, soon enough.
Reiōkyū
"So, the mission is a failure," Aaroniero says to herself, seated upon her throne alone. Her star-crossed eyes open with a smile across her face. "It seems like the Soul Society made great strides to bridging the gap between my power and theirs. Perhaps it was fortunate that I acquired the Quincies as additional supplements to my forces."
"So, it was all a test?"
She turns her gaze, seeing Rukia's image seated upon her left armrest with her back facing Aaroniero's side.
"Of course," Aaroniero's face turns to face Rukia's phantom form without reproach. "This also helps confirm what Gin says about Aizen being alive. What I didn't anticipate was his appearance in the battle against Abarai and taking advantage of my recreation of Senjumaru to work against me. Even so, his reiatsu being this strong is concerning."
"Aren't you more concerned about what he plans to do with Shūtara's corpse?" Rukia's phantom asks.
"Obviously he's going to extract the Ōken so he can ascend to the Reiōkyū without being impeded by the barriers separating me from Soul Society," Aaroniero surmises with a dismissive gesture. "I don't know what it entails yet. Our fate is aligned to battle so that won't change no matter what I do."
"Are you just going to sit here and let it all happen?" The Rukia vestige asks with a turn of her head.
The phantom regretted it almost immediately.
A disturbing stretch of lips with teeth curled into a depraved smile. Ear to ear, a hideous giggle escapes from Aaroniero's mouth as Rukia's phantom trembles at the sight of it.
"I have my plans, my sweet Rukia," Aaroniero says with a raised hand, brushing ghostly over her imaginary cheek, her eyes wide and mouth parted. "Just be patient. You'll be having the best view from right here, I promise."
Seireitei
Captain's Meeting Hall
It has been only a few hours since the attack that shook the foundations of the three realms occurred. The wounded had been taken into the 4th Division diligently, the fighting was handled efficiently and in areas mostly away from populated zones, and the list of dead is kept to the enemies.
Currently in the meeting hall of the First Division Barracks is every able bodied Captain along with anyone who has clearance who can assist in giving out information about their current plans. Lined up on opposing sides in standard formation are the Captains, or at least those able to attend.
"I see we have dealt with the matter of the Royal Guard with rather extraordinary results," Jushirō says, seated at the chair of his predecessor and mentor with a rigid upright posture. His sleek black hair, now tied back into a ponytail with a crimson tassel, is kept neatly behind his back while his hands hold the armrests loosely.
Looking at Unohana, he addressed her first, "What's the status of the wounded, Captain Unohana?"
"The Visoreds are going to recover shortly," She says with mirth, her countenance reserved despite the good news. "Zaraki, however, will need at least a day to make a full recovery. Renji Abarai isn't in critical condition but will take about the same time to heal. Captain Suifeng is well out of the woods, but I'm unsure about how soon she will be able to perform in active duty. As for the 3rd Seat Sayuri, she had a clean severance of her limbs so she will return to duty by tomorrow as well."
"And what of our esteemed guests?" He asked, though some could swear there is a critical edge to his voice when he used those words.
"Kirinji is recovering, though he is under watch under our custody," She says with a nod. "So far he's been cooperating and has shared some information with us about the enemy and their intentions."
"I didn't mean the prisoner," Jushirō says with a sigh, leaning forward to look hard at Unohana. "I meant the Sword Five."
"Oh, my mistake," She smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "The Zanpakutō Spirits are in safety within the First Division Barracks, for now. Their escort, Ryūten Kyōkō from the Kidō Corps had mysteriously been displaced from the scene and returned wondering what happened. According to testimonies, she had been hypnotized and replaced by-"
"Sōsuke Aizen," Jushirō finishes with a harsh breath.
"What was he doing in Soul Society?" Sajin Komamura asks with a snarl. "I thought he left after what happened in Karakura Town."
"It seems he returned to steal the corpse of a Royal Guard," Unohana answers. "It's speculation, but our busy Captain Kurotsuchi and Kisuke Urahara both conclude that it's possible Aizen is using her body as a template to recreate the Ōken."
"I don't know if it was a good idea to let Aizen go, Captain Commander," Toshirō says, turning his cool gaze to Jushirō. "I know we weren't in a good place, morale wise, but he's not an ally of Soil Society. He still works for his own aims, and that can easily work against us."
"Better to have Aizen working against Aaroniero, than to have two enemies poised to defeat us," Jushirō replied calmly to the young Captain.
He, like Sajin, Hisagi, Nanao, Maki, and Rangiku had all come back like Byakuya did from training in the Dangai Precipice World. Only Ichigo remains, and Tessai Tsukabishi is keeping his Kidō active to give him all the time he needs to get as strong as he can for the upcoming battle.
In addition to the Visoreds, they now had Captain positions filled along with supplemental forces.
Third Division went to Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, with Izuru Kira remaining as Lieutenant.
Fifth Division is assigned to Shinji Hirako, with Momo Hinamori as the Lieutenant.
Lisa Yadōmaru is chosen as the Captain of the Eighth Division, with Hiyori Sarugaki as a Pseudo-Lieutenant for the time being.
Kensei Muguruma returns as Ninth Division's Captain, with both Mashiro Kuma as his "Super" Lieutenant and Shūhei Hisagi as his Lieutenant.
Though not officially assigned a position, Maki Ichinose stands in as the Pseudo-Captain of the Thirteenth Division for a lack of qualified candidates to fill in the position. Sentarō and Kiyone remain as co-third-seats.
Hachigen remains an ally but takes no special post as both Kidō Captain and Lieutenant are still combat capable. Kisuke Urahara, Tessai Tsukabishi, Love Aikawa, Yoruichi Shihōin, Isshin Kurosaki, Ryūken and Uryū Ishida, and Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck are allies but are largely personal allies to Ichigo Kurosaki.
Their greatest asset.
Even with all their additional forces, Jushirō had been tempted to get unconventional. There are other dangerous things that are currently held within Muken that he could utilize.
However, like Aizen, they have been classified as unconventionally immortal or unkillable to an extent. There might even be a worse case scenario that they deviate from a plan or even worse betray them.
No, I won't have that risk to our allies, Jushirō thought to himself as he pondered current affairs. What we have has to be enough.
"What about the Quincies?" Maki asks Jushirō directly with a solemn expression. "I've been informed by both the Sword Five and what we heard from the prisoner of an entire army of Quincy. Weren't they exterminated?"
"It was before your time," Jushirō answered, looking at the rest of the assembled Captains. "Captain Commander Yamamoto had partaken in a war against another contingent of Quincy known as the Licht Reich. Many people died in that massacre with so few that I assume there had been enough to escape and flee. The Quincy Extermination from two hundred years ago is from a different faction than that one, though what's left of them could have joined forces in secret."
"How did we not know about this?" Toshirō asks sternly.
"That's still being investigated," Unohana intervenes. "All that matters is that they somehow have been recruited by Aaroniero over the short time she has become the Reiō. Perhaps her powers allowed her to weed them out of the shadows and managed to strike a deal with them."
"And that has to do with reshaping the three realms?" Sajin inquires with wide eyes.
"Yes," Jushirō answered, bringing attention back to him. "It doesn't matter how they intend to do it. All that we know is that the longer we wait the more time we give someone of that level of power to enact this mad plan. For all we know, even in the best case scenario, all of reality will be destroyed in the process as it's being remade."
"How do we fight someone like that?" Toshirō asks with a disbelieving tone.
"We don't," Byakuya intervenes, bringing Toshirō's gaze to him - as well as the rest, curious what made the quiet Captain speak up.
He looks to the Captain Commander for approval before he continues.
"Go on, Captain," Jushirō nods with authority.
"In the event we can get into a position where we have victory in hand, we cannot kill Aaroniero," Byakuya explains calmly, looking at Toshirō and then the others. "She is currently the Reiō. If she perishes, all of the realms will be thrown off balance, destroying them. There are only two ways we can prevent the collapse of the world and all other worlds as we know it."
"And that is?" Toshirō asks persistently.
"We render Aaroniero unable to fight, or we have a substitute for the Reiō close at hand to maintain Balance," Byakuya declares, looking at Jushirō for commentary.
"It's a tall order," Jushirō nods with understanding. "She's got the most power of any being in creation right now. Along with an artifact like the Hōgyoku, there's little else in our ability to defeat her, let alone end her life."
"And if we can kill her," Sajin begins, looking around at his comrades. "How do we know what qualifies as a Reiō candidate?"
"That is something else for I and the Research and Development Chief to discuss," Jushirō cut in, addressing the group of Captains in a suddenly brisk tone. "From what I am informed we have at minimum till the next day before we can launch our own attack upon the Reiōkyū. Until then, remain battle ready. Our enemy can arrive at the Reiō's whim so we need to be ready for any assault of any kind."
With that being said, all the Captains were dismissed. Each of them filed out behind the other with the purpose of getting to their post and standing by.
Though, one held back, and waited for the others to leave.
"You have something to say, Captain Hitsugaya?" Jushirō asked.
Turning to face the Captain Commander, the young Shinigami had grown up in his time in the Dangai. A few inches is all, but his youthful aura became more mature and his gaze held a sense of clarity.
So when he spoke, Jushirō already knew what this was going to be about.
"You already know who your Reiō candidate is, don't you?" Toshirō Hitsugaya asked Jushirō with a firm stare.
"It hasn't been decided," He replies with a sigh. "No one knows how much loss of life will happen in the coming conflicts. We don't even know if we'll be victorious. But in the event we are, we have to consider the possibility of being in the position to stabilize all the realms; less our victory becomes pointless."
"You're dodging the question, but, I understand what you're saying," Toshirō says with a huff, turning away from the Captain Commander. "Please don't forget what he's done for us before choosing him, though. He's suffered enough already."
"That depends on him, Hitsugaya, not me," Jushirō counters.
"I was afraid you'd say that," Toshirō remarks with a grunt, exiting the chamber.
And leaving the Captain Commander to consider the possibility of a true crossroads decision he, if anyone else, has to make when the time comes.