Chapter 9: The Sword Face The Gun

"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Zanpakutō"
"Hollows/Vizard"
"{Speaking a different language}"

AN: Sorry this one was so late. See endnotes for my excuses.

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First Day of the Ryoka Invasion, Soul Society

The sun was starting to set, but the 4th Division was still hard at work tending to all the injured Shinigami. The sheer number of injured in a single day had forced Captain Unohana to pull several squads off other duties to heal them. Isane wiped her brow as she finished with yet another patient. Between her usual duties and Kurotsuchi-san, she'd normally not have time to be "down in the trenches" as it were, but already over half of 11th Division's unseated members had been incapacitated. Even if she could, she wouldn't leave her subordinates to handle such a workload alone. The argent haired lieutenant wasn't the sort to sit around while others worked. Furthermore, she actually enjoyed healing others. Any Shinigami could kill; it took something special to heal. Or at least, that's how she felt. 'Not to mention, right now most of the paperwork would be requisitioning more supplies… from ourselves. It'd be like writing yourself a check.'

"Oi! Yer ears broken?! I said gimme some sake!" A boisterous voice echoed throughout the medical ward. 'And there's the other reason we need officers healing patients.' Isane mentally grumbled. While she certainly respected the work the 11th Division did on a professional level, on an emotional level, she regularly wanted to smash their heads together. Like right now when two members of said division were bullying one of their medics. 'Bunch of meatheads with swords, the lot of them.'

Making her way over as quickly as she could without making it obvious she was hurrying, Isane addressed the pair of still injured Shinigami, "I'm sorry, but we don't allow any alcohol within patient areas except for medicinal purposes." As the two turned to look at her, their medic quickly made himself scarce. 'Poor Yamada-san. He'd go far if he were less timid.' Unfazed by the grunts' glares, Isane's kind smile remained in place as she implored, "So please, return to your beds so we can properly heal you."

Sadly, the duo either had a room temperature IQ or else simply somehow failed to notice the lieutenant's badge on her arm. Either way, they turned their vitriol upon her instead. "Who the fuck asked you, toots? We're 11th Division, the strongest division there is! When we demand some sake, you get us some damn sake!" The one speaking punctuated his statements by poking her in the chest with each sentence.

Her smile still in place, the statuesque woman placed a hand on the shoulder of each man. "I'm afraid you misheard me." While Isane knew she'd never be as intimidating as Captain Unohana, she had her own tricks for unruly patients. Squeezing her fingers, she felt the two louts' collar bones start to give way under the pressure. At the same time, she channeled a precise amount of Kaidō into their bodies, healing their bones ever so slightly slower than she was breaking them. Crying out in agony, the Shinigami writhed and struggled under her grip but were unable to dislodge her, even when using both hands to pry at her wrists. Continuing as though nothing was wrong, Isane once more requested, "Please return to your beds. It wouldn't do for your injuries to worsen because you disobeyed doctor's orders."

Her victims patients hastily nodded, causing Isane to release them, their collarbones fully healed. The pair quickly hurried back to their beds, passing by a short woman with her long black hair braided in front of her. Captain Unohana Retsu watched them scramble to find their assigned beds with well-hidden amusement. 'Hardly subtle, but I suppose there's something to be said for Isane's methods.' Turning her gaze towards her second in command, the most powerful woman in Soul Society suggested, "Isane-san, why don't we take a short break in my office?"

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Once inside the captain's office, Retsu quietly set about making them some tea while Isane patiently waited at a low table her captain kept in her office. Isane knew that Retsu preferred not to speak to her subordinates with a desk between them, citing that it made her seem distant. A more relaxed setting let members of 4th Division feel at ease and properly open up to her. 'Just another reason most of the division carries a torch for her, myself included.' A cup of tea being placed in front of her drew Isane from her thoughts in time for her to see Retsu sitting down at the table with her.

"Now then, I can't help but notice that you've been rather more irritable than usual lately. Would you care to explain what has been upsetting you?" From most, Retsu's request would've been more of a demand. But from her, they felt more like the worries of a concerned mother. 'But then, Captain Unohana is kinda everyone's mother, isn't she? Otherwise, she wouldn't have that collection.' As Isane thought that, she gazed at a set of hooks on the wall. Each of the dozens of hooks held a coffee mug, all of them bearing some variation of "World's Best Mom" on the side. While Retsu wasn't fond of coffee herself, she happily accepted each mug from whichever subordinate (or even Shinigami from other divisions) purchased it for her in the Living World.

Belatedly taking a sip of her tea, Isane tried to enjoy it, but her unease apparently saw fit to ruin even that for her. With a sigh, she answered, "It's the execution. Even if Nemu-san broke the law, she had the best of intention. She doesn't deserve to die for it. Then when these Ryoka invaded, rather than postpone the execution until they've been dealt with, the Central 46 have instead moved the date forward by nearly a week! Nemu-san tries to act like she's okay, but I can see she's hurting! I want to help her, but all I can give her is empty platitudes until her soul is obliterated by the Sōkyoku! HOW IS THAT JUST?!" Slamming her hand down, Isane suddenly realized she'd been shouting. Quickly bowing her head, she said, "S-sorry Captain Unohana."

Retsu calmly accepted her apology, "That's quite alright Isane-san. We all get a little worked up from time to time." Lowering her own teacup, Retsu's face grew more serious as she said, "But I must insist you not share such sentiment with others. The Central 46 are the final authority in Soul Society and questioning their decrees, not to mention expressing a desire to help an inmate, will get you thrown in the Maggot's Nest."

Her lieutenant sputtered in shock, "What? But Rangiku-san has been loudly protesting the execution for over a week now!" Why should she have to keep her mouth shut while another lieutenant was nearly shouting her opinion from the rooftops?

The older woman shook her head solemnly in reply, "Rangiku-san has a long history painting her as a layabout and a bacchanal. She can get away with such rants as nobody will take them as any more than impotent grumbling at worst. You, however, aren't known for kicking up a fuss and your words will be taken far more seriously." Retsu covered one of her adjutant's hands with one of her own, "So again, I must insist you not speak or act rashly."

Rather than answer, Isane found herself standing up abruptly. "I-I have to get back to my patients. Thank you for the tea, Captain Unohana." Without waiting to be dismissed, she quickly fled the room. Left alone, Retsu gave a soft sigh of her own as she moved to clear away the remaining tea. 'You've got a lot to learn about hiding your intentions, Isane. Maybe in a thousand years, you'll be able to get one over on me.'

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Inside the 10th Division barracks, Rangiku was hard at work avoiding work. As her own captain put it, if she put half as much effort into her actual work that she did in avoiding said work, she'd be the most diligent lieutenant in Soul Society. Right now, she was lazing on her office couch, nursing a bottle of sake. Sure, there was paperwork that needed doing, but Toshiro could handle that fine. He always did back when he was a 3rd Seat. And the Ryoka had injured a couple seated officers, but it'd be alright. This wasn't even close to that time when they'd lost half the captains, three lieutenants, and the head of the Kidō Corps in one week. God, she'd only been out of the academy for a few years back then and was certain all of Soul Society was doomed. Compared to that, this was just a minor hiccup they'd have all forgotten by next year.

"Oh my, I do hope Toshiro doesn't find you slacking on the job~"

Rangiku shot up in alarm at the unexpected voice, "Holy fuck!" Looking around wildly, she saw that her old friend Gin had snuck up on her and had sat down on the armrest above her head. "Damnit, Gin! What have I told you about sneaking up on me like that?!" Glancing down, the orangette saw that not only had her robe come loose, revealing one of her nipples, but she'd spilled her sake. Ignoring her wardrobe malfunction, she quickly set to cleaning up her spilled alcohol.

With anyone else, she'd have covered up first, but Rangiku knew full well that Gin had zero sexual interest in anyone. When she'd first realized he wasn't interested in her, she had thought maybe he preferred petite women. The less said about her disastrous attempt to hook her oldest friend up with Soifon, the better. 'I saw it and I still don't understand what happened.' Then she'd attempted to get him a date with Yumichika. While that didn't end in the 11th Division thinking there was a hollow invasion occurring, it was still a resounding failure.

Once more, Gin's voice cut through her thoughts, "Say Rangiku, I've been thinking. Once this Ryoka business is taken care of, I plan on taking a bit of a vacation. Few months of sun and sand. How would you like to come along?"

Looking up from where she was wiping up sake, Rangiku chuckled, "Boy, I wish. Captain would literally kill me if I tried to spend Autumn working on my tan. Maybe if he was a little older, I could work my charms, but he's even less interested in my girls than you are." The buxom woman hefted her breasts to emphasize her point. Heaving an overly dramatic sigh, she said, "Any other guy would kill for a look at these beauties. Yet he's eye level with them all day and just nags about my paperwork."

Gin stayed seated on the armrest, content to simply watch as his beautiful friend worked. "I could always take care of him for you."

Despite his tone never shifting, Rangiku knew what he meant. Her voice was mildly chastising as she told him, "No killing my captain. If he's dead, who will do my paperwork?" For all she whined about him, she did like Toshiro. If she hadn't, she'd have transferred to a different division in the nearly fifty years they'd worked together. Or maybe had him transferred; she did have seniority after all.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem." At this, Rangiku found herself really looking at Gin. He said a lot of things with that mocking smile of his in place, but something about that line felt almost… ominous. 'Or maybe I'm just overthinking things.' Standing up, the silver haired captain moved towards the door, "Give my offer some thought, won't you? No doubt this whole mess will be wrapped up in a week or so."

And like that, he was gone. Strangely, the lieutenant of 10th Division found herself revisiting an old thought she'd often had regarding Gin. 'Once more, he leaves and I'm stuck with a mess he caused.'

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Second Day of the Ryoka Invasion, Soul Society

In the morning, Sado and Ganju woke up in the supply room they'd taken refuge in for the night. While it hadn't been a comfortable night's sleep, it'd kept the Shinigami from finding them. Unfortunately, they still had no idea where Nemu was being kept as the few Shinigami still conscious after fighting them hadn't known either. For that matter, the pair hadn't found any of their comrades either. Though not surprising, given they were scattered across a city, it was nonetheless frustrating. The pair got ready to leave without speaking, Ganju still unnerved from Sado's threat the previous day and Sado just not very talkative in general.

Before they could exit the building, a large form crashed through the ceiling. "I finally caught you, Ryoka!" Came a boisterous voice. Rather than wait for the dust to settle, Sado went on the offensive. Activating Brazo Derecha de Gigante, he charged at the silhouette that was even now standing to their full height. As he swung his fist, the muscular teen was surprised to note his opponent was once again even taller than himself, though not nearly as massive as Jidanbō had been. With a clang, Sado's fist was blocked. However, the massive amount of force behind his blow wasn't so easily stopped. The Shinigami was hurtled out through the wall behind him and into the courtyard beyond. At that point, the small building gave up the fight against gravity and collapsed.

As Sado and Ganju leapt from the collapsing building, they finally got a good look at their ambusher. The Shinigami stood roughly fifteen centimeters taller than Sado and was heavily overweight, obese even. He had a receding hairline, and his uniform was customized with a large purple collar and a thick gold necklace. More worryingly, he wore a lieutenant's badge on his left arm, though he was clearly injured. "Ha! Not bad for a commoner! But I am Ōmaeda Yoshiayamenosuke Nikkōtarōemon Marechiyo, and I won't lose to the likes of you!" His declaration would've been more impressive if he wasn't speaking through a badly broken nose. With a wave of his arm, he shouted, "Stealth Forces, attack!"

From the nearby rooftops, a dozen Shinigami dressed like stereotypical ninja descended upon the courtyard. In response, Ganju merely cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "You handle the fatso, big guy. I can handle these shrimps." Ignoring Ōmaeda's outrage cry about being "plump", the Shiba charged at the opposing ninja, ready to throw down. Upon reaching them, Ganju slugged one in the jaw hard enough to take him out of the fight and then the rest fell upon him.

Choosing to trust in his semi-reluctant comrade, Sado focused on Ōmaeda. Said lieutenant sneered, "You pack a punch, but it won't save you. Crush, Gegetsuburi!" As Ōmaeda's Zanpakutō transformed into a flail of all things, Sado was already on the move, attempting to flank his opponent and land a decisive blow right away. "Not good enough!" The obese Shinigami declared as he swung his flail. Seeing the spiked ball of metal heading for him, Sado punched it out of his way. But his enemy Shunpo'd away, reappearing in the same direction as it had been sent and using the momentum to make another swing.

This time, when the orb came towards him, Sado didn't hold back. "El Directo!" The extension on his shoulder opened up and charged with Reiryoku. After a moment, the half-Mexican's Reiryoku erupted from his shoulder like flames, launching him forward at incredible speeds. His fist crashed straight through the head of Gegetsuburi, shattering it like spun glass. But his attack didn't stop there. Sado continued forward until his fist buried itself in Ōmaeda's chest. The lieutenant coughed blood as his ribs shattered before the force of the blow hurtled him up and away, launching him over the courtyard wall.

Sado didn't drop his guard for several seconds, wanting to be sure his opponent wasn't going to come rushing back. When the lieutenant failed to reappear, he turned his attention back towards Ganju, just in time to see the other man knock out his last foe with a vicious headbutt. Dusting himself off, Ganju looked over at Sado in surprise. "Done already? Man, they really don't make lieutenants like they used to. No offense, but my older brother would've kicked your ass."

Rather than respond, the taller teen merely deactivated his Brazo Derecha de Gigante and swiftly left the area, Ganju hurrying to follow.

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"And that's why Rammstein is garbage!"

"I don't wanna hear musical critique from a woman who listens to fucking David Hasselhoff."

"Insult the Hoff one more time and I'll shoot your tits off!" To prove her point, Bambietta stopped in the middle of the intersection they were at, formed her rifle, and pointed it right at the side of Candice's left breast.

"Fine, fine. Geez, get off your damn period, Bambi. I like Battleheart more than Rammstein anyway," Candice muttered as she smacked the rifle aside. The brunette grudgingly dispelled her weapon at her friend's acquiescence. The pair were strolling rather carefree through Soul Society. They still hadn't learned where this Nemu chick was being held so they figured they'd just keep beating up Shinigami until they found someone who knew. As such, stealth would actually be counterproductive; better to just let enemies come to them.

Regrettably, their plan succeeded a little too well. "You were right, Captain," A male voice said from their left, "Two of the Ryoka, right out in the open." Both Quincy turned and saw a pair of men in a more open area only meters away. One had short black hair, a sleeveless shihakusho, and the number "69" tattooed on his cheek. The other was a black man with his purple hair tied back in a ponytail, an orange scarf tied around his neck, and, most importantly, a white captain's haori over his uniform.

Both women stared for a long moment before Bambietta muttered, "Well… shit." They had hoped to find someone who actually had some actionable information, not run into a damn captain of all things. Flirtatiously lifting her skirt with one hand, the German woman said, "I don't suppose we could find some way to convince you big strong boys to-" In an instant, Bambietta's rifle reappeared in her offhand and fired off a three round burst at the two Shinigami. While the captain simply smacked the bullet aimed at him out of the air, the lieutenant Shunpo'd away to one of the rooftops. Candice quickly shot after him, bow in hand and firing arrows to further separate him from his superior.

For her part, Bambietta switched to shooting two-handed and kept firing upon the captain. She could fire one-handed but working the bolt action was a useful mnemonic that let her focus on the power and rate of fire of her shots rather than forming them to begin with. Yet despite her best efforts, he casually smacked every bullet away with his bare hand. "Tch," She scoffed in irritation. The brunette knew full well that captains were powerful, but this was ludicrous. 'The bastard hasn't even drawn his sword yet. Fine. Let's see how he likes this then.' Bambietta started infusing her bullets with her schrift. Finally, her enemy drew his Zanpakutō. With lightning quick slashes, every bullet was bifurcated. Yet to Bambietta's shock, the ground behind him exploded rather than his sword. "The hell?" She muttered. Taking another shot, she watched him slice it in two once more. "Well, I'll be damned. He's not touching the bullets. He's using the wind pressure from his swings to cut them. Clever bastard."

His ears ringing from the numerous explosions, Tosen decided to end this battle. He held his blade in front of him and declared, "Cry, Suzumushi." His Zanpakutō vibrated and emitted a high-pitched ring throughout the area like an oversized tuning fork. Yet despite the Quincy girl being well within his range, she failed to react at all. Indeed, she didn't seem to have even noticed his shikai. It only took the blind captain a moment to realize what happened. 'The explosions must have deafened her.' Now, he could just use Suzumushi's second ability to kill her easily. Or use Kidō to take her down, lethally or not. But if Tosen was being honest with himself, which he very rarely was, he was growing frustrated with the façade he had to put on as a captain. And right in front of him was the perfect excuse to vent. Placing his left hand upon the ring of his cross guard, the secret traitor stated, "Bankai."

From the cross guard came a massive glowing ring which then split into ten. With a gesture from his Zanpakutō, the rings flew off, forming the anchors of a massive black dome around the combatants. "Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi."

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Some distance away, Candice and Hisagi briefly paused in their own battle to gawk at the giant balloon. So far neither had taken any serious damage. Hisagi had a few minor cuts from close calls and Candice had lost her hat, but neither had gotten serious yet. In the end, it was Candice who broke the silence, "So… I know that wasn't Bambi. Did that other guy really just summon a giant balloon? The fuck is that about?"

Hisagi was stunned for an entirely different reason. "That's the Captain's bankai. Are the Ryoka really so strong as to force him to use such a thing?" He had only seen his captain's bankai once before, when the man had shown him so he'd know to clear the area if it was ever used. Though to be honest, anyone who wasn't a captain should always clear the area if someone was using their bankai. Bankai was the ultimate expression of a Zanpakutō's power and rarely was such a thing a precise weapon.

Suddenly, his senses screamed at him to move! With a hasty Shunpo, the lieutenant barely dodged an arrow that would have otherwise gone straight through his skull. "Eyes up pretty boy! Keep your head in the game if you want to keep it at all!" Even as she spoke, the verdette fired another arrow at him. Again, the lieutenant dodged, though it was closer than he'd like to admit. The Quincy woman didn't fire a lot of arrows, but the ones she did were too accurate for comfort.

"Still, I suppose if even the Captain is willing to go all-out, I have no excuse. Reap, Kazeshini!" His hands, which had been gripping the hilt of his Zanpakutō, separated with each hand now holding the shaft of a double-bladed scythe, both weapons attached by a lengthy chain. Seeing the archer taking a moment to study his shikai, Hisagi chose to share something that always bothered him, "You know, I've never cared for my shikai. Look at it; doesn't it look like something meant to take life?"

Candice stared at him in confusion, not sure how to take such a statement. "Um, yeah. But that's the point of every bladed weapon; they exist to kill. Not sure why yours is special, beyond the whole Grim Reaper connotations, I guess? So why are you acting afraid of your own sword?" Without waiting for a reply, she nocked and fired another arrow.

Hisagi deflected the shot with one of Kazeshini's blades and replied, "Because I am. Anyone who isn't afraid of their own power has no right to wield that power." Spinning one of the scythes, he launched it at his opponent as a whirlwind of steel and death. Candice immediately moved to dodge, but despite her best efforts, the blade left a shallow slice in her hip. It wasn't debilitating but it definitely stung, not to mention it was bleeding all over her shorts. It might seem minor, but she liked those shorts, damnit!

What followed was a game of cat and mouse with Hisagi trying to close the distance while Candice moved every which way, taking potshots as she went. Both managed a few more glancing blows but failed to land a critical strike. Of course, each had their own difficulties with their enemy's attacks. Hisagi had very little experience fighting long ranged opponents. Candice, on the other hand, had plenty of experience fighting mid to long ranged fighters. An enemy who could change the trajectory of their attacks on the fly was something new. 'Hm, Uryū's got more control than I do. Wonder if he could redirect his shots? Might make for good training when we're done here.'

Multiple small flickers of movement near her face caused the Quincy to reflexively dodge to the side. It was only after moving that she registered what the objects were. "Are those… his jewelry?" As if in response to Candice's question, Hisagi's armbands and neckband started glowing orange before exploding into blinding clouds of smoke. Dazed and disoriented, she didn't see the follow up attack coming until it already landed. One of Kazeshini's blades sliced deeply into her right shoulder. Her bow dispersed as her arm hung limply. "DAMN IT!" Candice shouted in agony and rage, clutching her shoulder with her left hand.

As the smoke cleared, Hisagi appeared before her. "Surrender," He insisted, "Without your arm, you can no longer use your bow. If you give up, your life will be spared."

In response, Candice spat in his direction. "Go to hell," She growled, "One arm is more than enough for the likes of you."

"I see. You leave me little choice then." Despite her bold words, the pain and blood loss were weakening the verdette. As such, she didn't react in time to the lieutenant's next attack. Kazeshini embedded itself deep into her thigh, eliciting another howl of pain. Seeing her clutch at Kazeshini's shaft, Hisagi warned the Irish woman, "Don't pull it out. You'll only die faster."

Candice grinned viciously at her foe. "You should've spent less time… being afraid of your power…" She offered, "And more time being afraid… of mine!" Before Hisagi could react, the Quincy channeled her schrift into the weapon she held. Lightning coursed through the Zanpakutō, flooding up the chain and into the opposite shaft held in Hisagi's hand. Thousands of amperes of electricity flooded his body, forcing his muscles to contract and spasm wildly even as his hand started burning. With how hard his jaw clenched, the man couldn't even scream. After several excruciating seconds, darkness overcame him as he passed out. Panting from exertion and blood loss, Candice boasted, "Told… ya. Shoulda… been more… afraid… of me."

With that, she too lost consciousness mere moments before the black dome in the distance exploded. At almost the exact same time, a small black cat appeared next to the unconscious Quincy. Yoruichi shook her head in wonder and exasperation, "Not sure what's more impressive: That you two ran into a captain so soon, or that you survived it. Well, either way, I best get you girls somewhere safe."

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As Tosen's bankai finished manifesting, Bambietta realized that she wasn't just blinded by the darkness. Conjuring a small orb of Reishi produced no light, nor could she sense the orb in her hand. Infusing it with a small bit of her schrift, the German woman threw it off to the side. 'Well, the tinnitus already faded. So, either that orb never hit anything or I'm deaf on top of being blind and unable to sense Reiatsu now. Fuck.' Her mental curse became a much louder vocal one as a sword sliced into her back. After reflexively shooting towards where she thought her assailant was, she briefly focused her attention on the injury. 'Painful but shallow. Great. It's not enough for him to cut off almost all my senses; he has to be a sadistic bastard too.'

Another shallow cut opened up on her body, this time on her stomach. Though she didn't know it, her opponent was taking the opportunity to vent. "People like you, people who flaunt their power over the weak, should all perish. When the time comes, Aizen-sama will purge you all. You, those maniacs in the 11th Division, that bastard who killed Kakyō-san. Every last one of you will die screaming!" As he spoke, Tosen's voice grew louder and angrier until he was shouting. Taking a breath to center himself, the blind captain resumed the slow execution of the Ryoka before him. This time, he sliced her from hip to thigh before once more dodging a bullet from her rifle.

Yet another slash to her back, from shoulder to hip. When the Ryoka didn't immediately fire at his assumed location, Tosen paused to see what she'd do. Curiously, she formed another weapon in her offhand. Rather than aim at a specific location, she fired both in every direction as fast as she could. However, he could sense that each attack was far weaker than normal. Indeed, he allowed a few to hit him and while they stung slightly, they'd be unlikely to do worse than bruise his skin. "It's almost sad," the dark-skinned man said as he sliced down one of the woman's arms, "You're completely outclassed and yet you refuse to accept the inevitable. If you surrendered, I'd at least be willing to kill you quickly."

For her part, Bambietta was well beyond pissed. She'd reached the point where she became so furious that it looped back around to a sort of tranquility. 'Getting really tired of this Pin-The-Sword-On-The-Quincy bullshit. Bastard's killing me by inches.' Her thoughts were interrupted by a cut from her right between her collarbones almost to her crotch. 'Motherfucker! Slash open my goddamn cunt, why don't ya?! What kinda pussy can't even attack unless his enemy can't fight back?' Not wanting to tip off her enemy, she fought to keep a bloodthirsty grin off her face. 'Fucker's about to learn why he should've killed me quickly.'

Tosen watched in curiosity as the Ryoka began gathering power. Cutting her from the bottom of her ribcage to her opposite hip didn't even make her flinch. Nor did the next half dozen slices along her body. As her aura swelled, and unseen to him, a pair of wings sprouted from the young woman's back, the blind captain decided it was time to kill the invader. Though neither could see it, a bright pink aura engulfed Bambietta entirely a moment before a sword burst out of her chest from behind. Coughing up blood, she finally revealed her slasher smile, "Boom, m-motherfucker."

A massive explosion engulfed the two, originating from Suzumushi. The Zanpakutō was blown into tiny fragments and the two combatants were violently blasted in opposite directions. Though Bambietta was immune to her own explosions, she still had numerous injuries, blood loss, and a punctured lung to deal with. Thus, it should be no surprise she was unconscious before she even hit the ground. Meanwhile, Tosen was brutally burned and battered by his enemy's suicidal attack. His hands, having been holding onto the bomb as it went off, were little more than mangled stumps. Though, with how hard it was to breathe with his badly broken ribs, he barely noticed at all. In mere moments, he went into shock, not even cognizant of his bankai dispelling.

As such, the man was also unaware of several of his seated officers approaching right as he blacked out. The quartet had noticed their captain using Bankai and said Bankai violently bursting apart, causing them to rush to his aid. However, as his fellow officers were stabilizing Tosen for transportation, the 4th Seat looked towards where his captain's opponent laid… only to see nothing but a pool of blood.

On a distant rooftop and moving away at speed, Yoruichi adjusted Bambietta in the arm that wasn't already carrying Candice, "You girls sure know how to overdo it."

-]|[-

On the opposite side of the Seireitei, Ichigo moved towards Senzaikyū. He was mostly recovered from his fight against that Kuchiki girl, though he had needed to knock out a passing patrol of Shinigami and steal a new top for his shihakusho. Annoyingly, the only one that fit properly was sleeveless. Ichigo didn't dislike sleeveless shirts on principle but it was different enough from what he was used to that it kept bothering him. It was like wearing a new pair of shoes you hadn't broken in yet. On the other hand, his irritation with his new uniform combined with his hurried pace had already convinced multiple patrols that he was a seated officer in a hurry, causing them to simply stay out of his way without asking any questions.

Suddenly, from above and behind, Ichigo heard a loud voice declare, "There you are!" In a heartbeat, Ichigo drew Eien-ō and deflected an attack aimed at his back. Turning as he parried, Ichigo saw the attack in question came from an odd sort of sword-whip. It was held in the hands of a tall redheaded Shinigami who glared down at him from the rooftops. Even as Ichigo watched, the sword-whip came back together, forming a sword with six segments and pick-like protrusions coming from the end of each segment. The redhead lifted his sunglasses and glared down at him, "You're the bastard that hospitalized Rukia! You'll pay for that! Now die!" With that, he swung his Zanpakutō at Ichigo once more.

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AN: So the two main reasons this chapter was late were 1) I started a new story called "Filling Hollow Holes". It's a Bleach smut story starting in the Hueco Mundo Arc. It has rather low priority so unless I get sudden inspiration or need a break from this story, don't expect it to be updated often. 2) Sado's fight against Ōmaeda kept fighting me. Eventually I decided to make it short and one-sided, reasoning that Ōmaeda seems to be one of the weakest lieutenants and Sado is roughly where he was at the start of the Hueco Mundo arc.

Yes, Bambi did use Vollständig at the end of her fight there. Why didn't she use it earlier? Because she has very little practice and not only is it slow to form, but she can only hold it for several seconds currently. Could she have used it to tear apart Tosen's bankai with her Reishi Domination? Theoretically yes, but again, she has very little practice and of all the Quincy in this story, she has the heaviest focus on power over control. So it'd be much harder for her to do than one of the others. As it is, she only tied with Tosen because he likes to play with his food. In both fights he has in canon, Tosen tends to waste a lot of time rather than simply going for the kill. And yes, Tosen's shikai not working on people who can't hear it actually is canon. For the other fight, Candice is more powerful than Hisagi, but him getting that one hit in fucked her. With her dominant hand pretty much useless, she had very little chance of winning outright.

And for the only part of the Author Notes anyone cares about. Next time on "Vow of the King!" Orihime and Tatsuki spice up their relationship with some roleplaying while Uryū defends his title as "Most likely to be the bottom in a gay relationship". And Renji wants revenge on the man who got to stick it in his waifu.