Chapter 34: Tragic Fate Rages Tonight

"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Zanpakutō"
"Hollows/Vizard"
"[Reading/listening to a message/letter]"
"{Speaking a different language}"

AN: Just a reminder, every fight is happening at the same time.

-]|[-

Within his fiery prison, Aizen calmly waited. Though he couldn't see or hear what was going on outside, he could still sense the Reiatsu signatures of everyone. Gin's death was moderately surprising. He knew how wily his lieutenant was. Oh well, he likely would've been forced to kill Gin himself someday when the sociopath decided killing him would be more entertaining than serving him. Currently, he was still debating the merits of charging through the flames surrounding him versus waiting for Wonderweiss and Monet to arrive. Breaking through might hasten his evolution as Hōgyoku sought to protect him. Or perhaps he hadn't fully subdued the orb yet and doing so would merely leave him badly injured.

By definition, he wasn't much of a gambler; such things required leaving things up to chance. Aizen preferred to plan things as meticulously as possible when he could. He could adjust his plans at a moment's notice but he much preferred it when everything went perfectly. "I suppose there's no harm in waiting."

-]|[-

"If I'm going to show you what justice truly is," Tosen stated, "Then I'll do so with my full power." Up to that point, neither had gone beyond merely using Shikai against one another, not even using Kidō. Any injuries were minor and easily ignored by both parties. While Tosen was simply toying with his former friend, Komamura was holding back to keep a promise to a mutual acquaintance.

"Oh, do you finally intend to use your Bankai against me?" If he did, the wolfish captain would have no choice but to stop holding back, regardless of his reassurance to Hisagi that they'd face Kaname together.

But the renegade captain shook his head. "No, I have achieved a power far beyond Bankai." He raised his hand to his face and Komamura's eyes widened in shock. 'He can't possibly mean-' He did. With that gesture a Hollow mask formed on Tosen's head. Encasing his entire head and neck besides a small hole at the back for his hair, the mask was completely featureless save for a single vertical line down the center of the face.

Komamura stared in shock and horror at what the other captain had done to himself. "Have you truly debased yourself so, Kaname?! Have you fallen so far?! Are you that depraved?!"

"Depraved? Because I can Hollowfy?" Tosen asked, his voice taking on the echoing quality of a Vizard. "Do you think Kurosaki depraved for his powers? Yours is a naïve worldview, believing all Shinigami are just and all Hollows are evil."

A chain wrapped around his throat from behind suddenly. "Shut up, Captain," Hisagi snarled as he yanked with all his might and swung the blind man into the side of an office building. Though he immediately jumped upon his former captain and held Kazeshini to Tosen's head, the Vizard simply laid on the ruined floor, seemingly unbothered. "You always spoke about fearing your own power," Hisagi reminded him, "But you threw everything away for power. So what do you fear now?!"

His answer was a sword through his chest as Tosen sat up and impaled him at the same time. "What I fear? What I fear is forgetting my purpose and becoming another happy and complacent Shinigami like the rest of you!"

With a swing of his arm, Tosen flung his former lieutenant off his sword and away from him. A moment later, Tenken's titanic sword came crashing down upon the traitor. He raised his sword and blocked it without any hint of effort, only for Komamura to punch him in the side with his Shikai. The impact sent him flying sideways and badly mangled his arm. However, the moment he stopped, his arm nigh instantly healed itself, the shattered bones neatly slotting back into place and knitting themselves back together.

"High speed regeneration?" Komamura asked in surprise. In hindsight, he should have expected such a thing; it was immensely useful for a Hollow (or someone with Hollow powers apparently) and incredibly frustrating for anyone facing them. This fight just became that much more difficult.

-]|[-

Soifon gritted her teeth in frustration. She had thought she knew an Arrancar's power from observing the others' fights, but it would seem an Espada was something else entirely. She should have paid more attention to Kurosaki's report. This Ulquiorra was weaker than the blonde woman but stronger than Espada who had pushed Kurosaki so far. 'Tch. Did I underestimate them because Kurosaki lost to Captain Unohana? Did I assume he wasn't captain level and therefore they weren't?' Regardless of the reason, Ulquiorra's resurreccion was proving too much for her to handle. She had never fought someone she couldn't outspeed except her beloved Yoruichi. Yet this Hollow was keeping pace with her while also fighting Captain Kyōraku. Though, his wings did make him a much larger target. Backpedaling a short distance, Soifon drew an inverted triangle in the air with her left hand. "A broken chalice. Fourteen candles. Humility and chastity. The tides ebb and three ravens soar through the sky." Ordinarily, she wouldn't bother with an incantation for a Kidō of this level, but her partner allowed her the time she needed to utilize its full power. "Bakudō #30, Shitotsu Sansen!"

As the three fang-shaped projections neared him, Ulquiorra swung one of his green energy javelins at Shunsui, leaving him too busy to notice the Kidō. Each of his wings were struck along with his waist as the Bakudō propelled him into a nearby office building and pinned him there. A moment later, he erupted with power, demolishing the building around him and dissipating the Bakudō. "Do you truly intend to fight me with so little power?" He coldly demanded, his voice flat.

Still smiling easily, Shunsui shrugged. "I suppose we have been disrespecting you a little." He crossed his swords before him and chanted, "The Flowery Winds Become Disturbed, The God Of Flowers Sings, The Heavenly Winds Become Disturbed, The Devil Of Heaven Sneers. Katen Kyōkotsu!" The bearded man's two Zanpakutō transformed into their Shikai and he immediately went on the attack, rotating his entire body while calling, "Bushōgoma!" Twin wind blades flew from his Shikai and merged together into a single whirlwind that engulfed Ulquiorra.

Soifon saw her chance and went to stab the Hōmonka she had previously left while the Espada was disoriented. A flash of green was her only warning, forcing her to quickly move her head to the side to avoid a thrown javelin. She was just a fraction of a second too slow. "Luz de la Luna," she heard from within the whirlwind. The petite ninja gritted her teeth so hard they nearly cracked as her right eye was sliced open along one side. Her reaction speed had saved her life, as the projectile carved through the zygomatic bone next to her eye and continued on, only barely missing her ear as she moved. Still, it was a small price to pay as her hand neared her target. After all, even if Ulquiorra had spun around, she could always hit from the other side. So long as the two wounds overlapped, he'd be finished.

A chalk white hand engulfed hers. A quick but inexorable squeeze broke three of her fingers and a swipe of Ulquiorra's thumb broke off the end of Suzumebachi. "You shouldn't have told me your Zanpakutō's secrets."

Heedless of her injuries, Soifon channeled her Reiryoku through her broken fingers. "Hadō #4, Byakurai." The Kidō slammed into Ulquiorra's chest and though it failed to penetrate, it offered a handy distraction as Shunsui attacked from behind. With a declaration of "Color demon, black." Ulquiorra's wing was severed and Katen Kyōkotsu bit into his arm, causing him to release Soifon. Though she didn't know everything about Captain Kyōraku's Shikai, she knew enough to recognize what game was being played. "Color demon, white. Shō!"

Ulquiorra blocked the weak Kidō with his palm, only to stare in muted shock as his hand was bent backwards, his wrist snapped. Furthermore, each finger joint was reversed, horrifically broken from the impact. After a moment, several sickening crunches were heard as his limb regenerated. At the same time, the missing half of his wing regrew. He pointed his renewed finger at Shunsui and calmly stated, "Color demon, black." A green cero fired from his finger towards the captain.

Rather than dodge, Shunsui lifted one arm and let the cero impact his kimono. Though the attack felt like it should have torn his body apart, it splashed harmlessly against him. "You learn quickly," He complimented Ulquiorra. "However, Hadō #31 Shakkahō." From behind his kimono, the red orb flew from his other hand, burning a hole in his sleeve and aiming straight at Ulquiorra's head.

This time, Ulquiorra dodged rather than attempt to block. A quick glance showed the attack striking a building and doing no damage. "I see. So you can only damage the color you declare, but others can counterattack so long as they strike the same color."

"My, you catch on quick Espada-san. Are you familiar with this game?" Shunsui asked, tilting his hat back.

-]|[-

Two things happened near simultaneously to interrupt the ongoing battles. First, was a massive Garganta opening in the sky. Out of it stepped three beings: two Arrancar and one titanic Hollow. Monet and Wonderweiss looked every which way, curiously taking in the sights. Behind them, the insanely large Hollow plodded out on two stubby arms. Its bulbous body was a pale gray with random tufts of black hair dotting its form. The creature's face seemed to consist of a single yellow eye. The whole thing was so massive that its fingernails were Gillian masks.

The other interruption was the arrival of the Vizard. All eight appeared in the sky near Yamamoto simultaneously. As each of them drew their Zanpakutō, the Head Captain spoke up and addressed their nominal leader, "Hirako Shinji. Your group has returned after all this time?"

Shinji turned his head to glance behind him at Yamamoto and scoffed. "Returned? Of course not. You threw us away. Aizen tried to kill us with his experiments. We're not here to bail out Soul Society. We're here to settle a score."

"So then, whose side are you on?"

The blonde tilted his head, "Our own of course." He turned back to face Aizen alongside his comrades. "Once Aizen's dead, we'll decide from there."

The ever-impatient Hiyori demanded, "Are you done running your damn mouth yet?"

"Would it matter if I said no?" Nodding towards Aizen's reinforcements, Shinji added, "The enemy's getting impatient." Taking a quick survey of who exactly was present, he frowned as he realized something important. "Hachi, you mind taking up healing duty? Looks like none of theirs are present." The giant man agreed easily enough. He would be ideal for both healing the injured and guarding them at the same time. After all, he was the one who got through the barrier around the false Karakura, his skill with such Kidō was second to none. "Everyone else, pick your opponents."

At the same time, Hooleer took a deep breath before exhaling a mighty gust of wind that blew out Jōkaku Enjō, freezing Aizen from his fiery prison. The traitor smirked at the sight of his two special agents. Even as they seemingly stared around at random, he could tell they had locked onto their targets. At the same time, Hooleer took another deep breath. This time, rather than exhaling, it promptly vomited up a massive pool of black liquid. From within the liquid, dozens of Gillain masks appeared as the fluid slowly formed into a horde of the lesser Menos Grandes.

As the massive Hollow spewed forth dozens of Gillians, Yamamoto took a brief moment away from setting up his trap for Aizen. "Hmf, such minor nuisances," He grumbled of the army of Hollows. Without moving, he exerted his Reiatsu. Each of the Gillians burst into flames before anyone present could do anything. Within moments, the swarm was reduced to ashes.

"Thanks old man!" Mashiro cheerfully called as she zoomed away towards the titanic Menos. Unlike the others, she had already donned her mask. Love and Rose offered a nod of acknowledgement as they followed after her. Yamamoto snorted in minor irritation at the disrespect before turning his attention back to what he had been doing.

-]|[-

Lisa moved to support her former captain, appearing above the combatants. "Smash, Haguro Tonbo!" As she spun her Zanpakutō overhead, it grew into the immense polearm that was its Shikai. Gripping the pole properly, she declared, "Nijū Ichijō Tonbokudari!" Pale blue energy filled the head of Haguro Tonbo as she thrust it downward. Over and over, she stabbed down at the Espada fighting Shunsui, causing the blade of her Shikai to fire an arrowhead shaped blast with each thrust.

Ulquiorra dodged each attack in succession before deciding he had had enough. "You Shinigami don't understand how futile your struggles are. I will show you what true despair looks like. Be honored, I have not shown even Aizen-sama this form." A wave of green-tinged black Reiryoku flowed over him and when it passed, he was transformed. His bony helmet was replaced with a pair of long, twisting horns. His robe disappeared, leaving his white chest bare and showing his legs were now covered in black fur as were his arms. His fingers elongated into claws and his feet had become talons. From his enlarged Hollow hole, a black fluid oozed. A long tail curled behind him and his eyes had changed, his irises now yellow and his sclera a rich green.

An instant later, Ulquiorra was standing before Lisa, holding her aloft by his tail wrapped around her throat. The woman could only let out choked gurgles as her throat was slowly crushed. Ulquiorra was far too close for her Shikai to be of any use. A desperate kick to the head didn't even phase him. "Any last words," He asked, loosening his hold on Lisa ever so slightly as he touched a single finger to her chest, a black orb already forming at his fingertip.

Lisa's eyes twitched minutely behind her mask before focusing back on Ulquiorra. "The Dharma doll fell down." Ulquiorra frowned slightly in confusion just before a sword severed his tail. At the same instant, a heel crashed down onto his head, snapping one of his horns. Released from her captor's grasp, Lisa wasted no time and thrust her Shikai towards his heart. "Color demon, white!"

A black hand grabbed the blade of Haguro Tonbo and effortlessly crushed it. Her eyes widened as Ulquiorra lashed out with his other hand. She threw herself backwards with all possible speed to dodge his counterattack. Her efforts saved her life. Even without touching Lisa, a thin but deep slash blossomed open on her chest and face as her shirt and mask were cleaved straight through. "Segunda Etapa is the form of true despair," Ulquiorra boasted, bringing his arms before him to form another of his green lances, "There will be no victory for any of you."

-]|[-

Shinji considered the sphere of black water in front of him carefully. He could sense two Shinigami inside but just jumping right in would be rather foolish considering there was also an Espada inside. That and the water was churning in every direction at once. As a quick test, he donned his mask. Clenching his left fist in front of him, the blonde former captain charged a cero that he fired straight into the waters. The surface erupted in an impressive geyser that sprayed past him but his attack didn't seem to go as deep as expected. He didn't even have time to dismiss his mask before the disturbed water wrapped around and pulled back into the sphere, taking him along with it in his surprise.

To his astonishment, he could breathe within the water even if he couldn't see and the water felt remarkably heavy. He tried to leave, but the turbulent current battered him this way and that, spinning him around until he wasn't sure which direction he needed to go. In frustration, Shinji picked the direction he could sense the other two and tried moving towards them with Shunpo. While he technically succeeded, moving through the riptide felt like he was running through concrete. What should have been a near instantaneous movement to arrive at his destination was instead more akin to a fast run.

When Shinji finally got close enough to see the two Shinigami (the low light meaning he was practically standing on top of them) he realized they were Captains he wasn't familiar with, though one he thought might be Ginrei's son. Or maybe grandson. Whoever he was, the man currently had one arm hanging by a thread. It looked as though someone had cut out a large chunk of his shoulder. The other Captain was missing half his leg. Both were also bleeding from multiple other wounds though lesser than their amputated limbs. Before he could say anything, a flash of movement caught his eye.

Shinji immediately brought his sword up to guard against any attack and found himself staring into the demonic face of the Espada controlling their prison. Halibel's teeth had caught on the blade of Sakanade's sealed form. With a horrific screech of tortured metal, she bit straight through. Halibel's clawed hand speared towards his chest, seeking to kill the interloper in a single blow. A wall of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's petals blocked the attack but it quickly became apparent the Bankai was merely slowing her down, not stopping her.

Dismissing his mask with a thought, he knew he'd need to preserve his time limit, Shinji offered, "I hope this works with the shape you're in, Sakanade. Collapse Sakanade." Thankfully, his Shikai formed as usual. The Vizard dodged to the left as he spun Sakanade by its ring, spreading its pink mist through the area. Just in time too. Halibel broke through and swung towards her own left, away from Shinji's actual position. As the shark maiden swam around, trying to find them, Shinji told his temporary comrades, "That will buy us some time but I really hope one of you has a way to actually kill her."

-]|[-

As the three Vizards appear before Aizen's reinforcements, two of them couldn't help but notice how distracted the two Arrancar seem. Where Wonderweiss was gazing around absently at everything, Monet was staring intently up at the clouds. While Love and Rose pondered their inattention, Mashiro loudly cheered, "Dibs on the big one!" With a great leap she thrust a straight kick towards Hooleer, announcing in a bold voice, "Mashiro Kick!" The giant Hollow folded in on itself from the attack but nonetheless raised one skyscraper sized arm to try and swat the tiny woman out of the air.

Love sighed at Mashiro's antics before addressing the two Arrancar, neither of which were paying anyone any mind at all. "Look you two, if you wanna just leave, you can leave. We're just here to kill Aizen." What happened next was faster than he could see. One moment, Monet was trying to bore a hole in a particular cloud with her eyes, the next, she had hit him in the chest with a jade colored bala. Even as he hurtled backwards from the concussive force, both Arrancar leapt towards him, their own Zanpakutō drawn.

Gritting his teeth at the unexpected attack, Love donned his mask and called, "Crush down, Tengumaru!" His katana transformed into a kanabō more than twice his size, allowing him to easily block both attacks. A golden whip wrapped around Wonderweiss's throat and forcibly yanked him backwards towards Rose. When Monet curiously turned her head to see where he went, Love's Shikai erupted with flames and he swung his burning kanabō into her ribcage. "Should've taken the offer."

-]|[-

Her mask in place, Hiyori let all her decades of fury loose as she shouted, "Chop cleanly, Kubikiri Orochi!" Her Zanpakutō transformed into a serrated cleaver and she swung it down with both hands to perform her Suikawari technique. She'd split this skeleton's head open with one attack. 'Ha! Dumbass hasn't even turned around! How stupid can you get?'

Jūshirō's eyes widened in horror as he spotted Hiyori. "Wait, don't do it, Hiyori-chan!" It felt like just the other day, she was running around, causing trouble for Kisuke and Kirio before him. She had always angrily rebuffed his attempts to be friendly. Of course, that changed nothing. He still had to save her from making a horrible mistake. Baraggan pumped out his respira at frightening speeds and she wouldn't be able to stop in time. Jūshirō moved as fast as he could towards her, but so many factors were working against him. Not only was he much further away from the Espada than Hiyori and not only did he have to dodge around the dark cloud the skeletal king was producing, but he had been on the opposite side of Baraggan at the start.

The blonde Vizard fearlessly charged straight into Baraggan's respira moments before Jūshirō reached her. She didn't even get a chance to scream. One moment she was there, and the next, her Reiatsu was simply gone.

"So many ants eager to be crushed beneath my boot," Baraggan sneered as he turned to look at where Jūshirō stood, his hand still outstretched towards where Hiyori vanished. "What good is it to stand against a god?"

Ukitake shook his head, frowning in both grief and anger. "A god you say? I see no god here, just a monster. And as a member of the Gotei 13, it is my duty to slay monsters." The captain brought his Shikai together, pressing the blades against one another. "Bankai."

-]|[-

Soifon knew she had to time things carefully. She wouldn't be able to launch a second attack nor dodge if her first failed. Given her target's speed, she'd be unable to use her steel sash if she wished to catch him. So she stayed put and watched the fight closely. 'Now!' Shunsui had finally maneuvered Ulquiorra close enough for her. Her fastest Shunpo took her at what she judged the minimum safe distance and even as she moved, she muttered, "Bankai." Her broken stinger grew to engulf her entire arm before growing further until it was twice as tall as herself. Though still gold and black, what had been an elegant (if ruined) weapon of assassination became a golden missile launcher and attached face shield. "Jakuhō Raikōben." Having already taken aim even before she moved, Soifon only had one thing left to say, "Color demon, black."

At the last second, Ulquiorra spotted her, one of his flaming spears in hand. His cold voice rang out as he said, "Lanza del Relámpago." With a mighty heave, he threw the javelin, aimed directly at Soifon's chest. Ordinarily, she was certain she could dodge, but she was weighed down by her Bankai, and would be lucky to manage a third of her normal speed at best. Lisa and Shunsui were moving to aid her but she doubted they'd make it in time. 'I didn't even prove myself to Yoruichi-sama.'

Suddenly, the javelin was seemingly ripped apart into green particles which all raced off towards a distant location. Following the streamers of Reiryoku with her eyes, Soifon also spots a giant torrent of water and pillars of flames bearing towards the same general location, along with other bits of energy from other locations. Seeing her so distracted, Ulquiorra fired a cero oscuras at the woman, only to watch as it immediately veered away to join every other attack. "Don't bother," Shunsui commented, "If this is what I think it is, there's nothing we can do to each other until it's over. That goes for you too, Soifon."

-]|[-

Kensei announced his presence with a surprise attack from above. His Shikai in hand and mask on his face, he cupped his hands together as he charged Tachikaze with Reiryoku. Thrusting his hands forward, he launched the concussive blast at Tosen's masked head as the man clashed with Komamura. To his consternation, Tosen must have sensed the attack coming. He quickly grabbed Komamura and threw him in the way of the blast before appearing above Kensei and utilizing Benihiko, raining hundreds of blades down upon him.

Hisagi briefly released the handles of his Shikai, letting the chain wrap around one arm as he declared, "Bakudō #62, Hyapporankan!" A rod formed in each hand, which he threw at the blades heading for Kensei. The two hundred rods of his Kidō smacked aside enough blades to make it easy for Kensei to dodge the rest.

Seeing his attack foiled, Tosen snarled, a ragged horizontal line opening in his mask in a twisted parody of a mouth. "Still you persist in defending Soul Society?! Fine! I should have realized you would not be convinced so easily. You still mistake virtue for justice." The masked man flipped his grip on his Zanpakutō, holding it upside down as he declared, "Suzumushi Hyakushiki: Grillar Grillo." A wave of black erupted behind the blind traitor and covered him like a wave. Rather than fall off him, it clung to him, building up his form. When it finished, Tosen was over twice as tall as before. Hunched over and bestial, his body was covered in thick black fur from the spiraling spikes atop his back to his four clawed hands at the end of his elongated arms to the tip of his long bushy tail. Two pairs of insect wings emerged from his back and a large Hollow hole sat in the middle of his chest. The one spot of color on Tosen's new body was his head, a white mask shaped vaguely like a cricket and neatly bisected by a vertical line much like his previous mask. From underneath, his human jaw poked out, the only sign of his humanity left. Perhaps even more shocking for his former lieutenant and captain was when his eyes opened. Oversized orange sockets with relatively small green eyes set deep within them that peered out at the world.

"I can see," Tosen exclaimed, sounding even more surprised than Kensei and Hisagi felt. His surprise turned to jubilation. "I can see! I can see! I can see! I can see! This is the world! That's the sky! That's blood! …And that is you, Komamura." The last he stated more calmly as he beheld his longtime friend digging himself out of yet another pile of rubble. "You are even uglier than I imagined." The only response he got was a silent, flat stare.

Down below Tosen, Hisagi spun one of Kazeshini's blades to build up speed and launched his Shikai at the bug-like man. His scythe was caught casually with one hand and shattered just as easily. Kensei leapt up, his mask dismissed to conserve its limited use, and threw a series of rapid punches at Tosen's upper body. The gray haired Vizards fists were caught in Tosen's upper hands as a green glow formed in front of both the traitor's eyes. 'Ah shit.' He knew a cero when he saw one, even if he never used them himself, preferring melee combat. Pulling at his captor's arms wasn't helping and his few ranged options required him to be able to use his hands.

A moment before the ceros fired, Kazeshini's other scythe whipped through Tosen's arms and Komamura's giant Bankai threw Kensei backwards, interposing itself between the pair. The cero barely moved before it streaked away from the battle. "What?!" Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō swung its colossal sword down on the distracted Hollow, only for his blade to be caught, cracking from the force of Tosen's grip. His newly regenerated arm punched the armored samurai directly in the chest, caving it inwards with a tremendous explosion as Komamura collapsed, his Bankai's injuries mirrored on his own body. "Virtuous until the end, aren't you Komamura?" Tosen asked rhetorically, already dismissing the wolfman from his mind as he wondered what happened to his cero.

-]|[-

There was some shift that the others clearly didn't notice, but Shunsui did. He didn't waste a moment, calling, "Bakudō #79, Kuyō Shibari." Eight black holes sprung into existence around Ulquiorra with a ninth forming directly over his Hollow hole. "Do it now!"

A moment later, a sphere like a negative sun burst into existence miles away. Soifon distantly noted that was the same direction every attack seemed to travel earlier. Still, she had more important things to worry about. As Ulquiorra struggled against the Kidō holding him in place, Soifon carefully and painfully aimed her Bankai and once more declared, "Color demon, black."

The missile fired upward, heading straight for Ulquiorra. As she was unable to anchor herself, the recoil sent Soifon flying through the air and smashing into a water tower. The cold water provided some minor relief to her injuries as it numbed her body. The Fourth Espada's efforts dispelled one of the black holes mere centimeters before the missile reached him. Even with his speed, he was unable to dodge at such close range. The explosive struck his waist directly on his black fur and detonated. The ensuing explosion not only sent the already distant Shunsui and Lisa hurtling through the air but also obliterated the water tower Soifon was buried in, sending her through several floors of the building beneath her. The shockwave broke windows for nearly a kilometer around and drew the attention of everyone still fighting.

From where he had been observing the various battles, Aizen frowned in disappointment. He had been curious about Ulquiorra's second release and hoped to learn more. But it seemed he'd be disappointed.

Climbing out of the rubble, her Bankai deactivated, Soifon looked towards where her opponent had been. Had was very much the operative word. There wasn't a trace of the Vasto Lorde to be found, Soifon's already powerful Bankai had been further amplified by the rules of Irooni. It was exceptionally unlikely anything could have survived such a combination.

-]|[-

With Komamura down, it was left to just Hisagi and Kensei. The elder of the pair didn't even glance at Hisagi as he gestured, donning his mask once more. "Run or stay out of the way, kid. This is going to get loud."

"I'm not going to run, sir."

"Your funeral… Bankai!" Kensei hollered at the top of his lungs. An eruption of wind briefly enveloped him as the combat knife of his Shikai transformed. A pair of knuckle blades formed in each hand as his arms were wrapped in purple bandages and a strip of purple cloth wrapped around each shoulder and arced over his head. "Tekken Tachikaze!" In a burst of speed well beyond what he could normally manage, he appeared in front Tosen's as the other Hollowfied Shinigami traced circles in the air. Kensei's fist screamed towards Tosen's jaw, his knuckle blades transforming into spiked gauntlets.

Tosen traced the final circle as he declared, "Los Nueve Aspectos." Kensei's Bankai impacted his face just before the concussive blast impacted the Vizard. Though Tosen was sent rocketing backwards, his mask spiderwebbed from the vibrating gauntlet, Kensei took far worse damage. His former subordinate's attack completely destroyed his chest cavity, blowing open his ribcage and the fragile organs it had tried to protect. The last thing he heard was Hisagi shouting his name in alarm before his body simply gave out entirely.

The insectoid Vizard recovered quickly, his regeneration already working to heal his damaged mask. "Perhaps he'd have lived if he had embraced his Hollow powers," Tosen scoffed. Yet his boasting wasn't to last. He had badly injured Komamura earlier, not to mention he was facing the sun, casting shadows behind him. Combined with his intoxication over finally being able to see, and Tosen was ironically blinder than he had ever been. He never even saw the fifty-meter blade coming as Komamura's Bankai stabbed downwards through his skull. "Oh," Tosen uttered in quiet surprise as he was bisected. His body stood upright for only a moment before the two halves fell to the ground, his resurreccion undoing itself as he died.

-]|[-

AN: Well that's another couple deaths. Unlike Uryū, these were planned from the beginning, if not the details. Originally, Gin was going to kill Hiyori. But he didn't even survive to when she showed up. Anyway, while you've seen the effects of Ukitake's Bankai from a distance, next chapter will show it up close and explain what exactly it does.

Soifon got to finish off Ulquiorra. I'm reasonably sure that under normal circumstances, he'd survive her Bankai and he'd definitely kill her in a 1v1. But with Shunsui buying her time and the usage of Color Demon massively empowering her attack, she basically deleted Ulquiorra.

Here we have the Vizard appear. Unlike canon, they don't get to show off against a bunch of mooks no one cares about and instead have to face those who can actually fight back. A couple got assigned randomly, others either got assigned based on their personal history or who they'd be useful against. Sadly, Hachigan doesn't get to completely flex on everyone this time, but he did in canon so there's that. Instead, he's on the boring but practical healing duty.

Next time on Vow of the King: In a surprise twist, the pretty boy blows his load all over the ugly old bastard's insides.