Zarin has retreated to request aid from Soul Society, and now Hakan stands alone to face this threat head-on. How will a Captain of the Gotei 13, with 80% of his strength suppressed, fare against a mere Prælia, a foot soldier, of the Obscūræ? Will he have to give it his all, or will luck be in his favor? He will have to face an enemy that he knows nothing about, but what do these Dæmons know of the Shinigami? Just how heavily are the odds stacked against them?
[9]
Hakan waited patiently to ensure that Zarin made it safely down the mountain, and then turned his attention to the battle ahead. The Captain began his ascent up the mountain, Zanpakutō in hand, and allowed his Reiatsu to hang heavy in the air, baiting the enemy to show themselves. His thoughts drifted to the seal on his collar, and he considered whether to release it. Such an act was against the rules, but he was always someone that went out of their way to find loopholes in the rules. Unfortunately, the rules were sound here, and he wasn't about to give the Captain-Commander reason to reprimand him. He would just have to hope that it didn't come to that.
There was a flash of Fire, not nearly as large as the attack before, but enough that Hakan had barely managed to dodge out of the way with an expertly timed Shunpo technique. He let out a breath of surprise, despite his reflexes. Those flames felt hot, hotter than anything he had experienced before. All throughout Hakan's life, he had never felt the heat of flames, and was incapable of being burned. He tightened the grip he had on his Zanpakutō, even more worried about these mysterious foes that possessed powers and abilities completely unbeknownst to him.
A figure, cloaked from head to toe in red, appeared in front of Hakan, brandishing a curved sword in their hand. This weapon was similar in appearance to a standard Japanese katana, but it had key differences that made it unique. It lacked a proper guard, and instead sported two metal hooks on either side, almost like that of an English longsword. The handle was shorter, without the signature cord wrap, and instead seemed to be bound in leather. The pommel was pointed and sharp, and was no doubt meant to be used as a lethal strike, opposed to blunt strikes that a traditional katana would be capable of. This was a weapon that sported almost no defensive qualities and was designed purely to kill.
Hakan faced the foe, and upon this observation of their weapon, took on a defensive stance, cautious of the aggressive fighting style they no doubt utilized. His longer Zanpakutō was pointed forward, while the shorter one was positioned horizontally over his head. This allowed him to block with one, close the distance, and counterattack with the other. It was a fighting style he favored for as long as he could remember, and it had yet to fail him. He kept this stance as he questioned the enemy, hoping to figure out who, or what, he was dealing with. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
The enemy seemed uninterested in the question, but like Hakan, they possessed a curious personality, and so they responded in kind. "I'll answer your questions, but first I would like an answer to mine: What's the deal with that white cape? I assume you're one of these Shinigami we had been warned about, but we already killed all the ones in this area, and none of them dressed like you." They bounced on their feet, hardly worried about the outcome of the upcoming fight.
"I am Captain Hakan Takao of the 7th Division, so yes, I am a Shinigami. This 'cape' as you call it is the Haori worn by the Captains of the Gotei 13. Now answer my questions. Who, or what are you? You're not Human, Shinigami, Hollow, or Quincy from what I can tell." He made sure not to let his guard down, unwilling to fall for their easygoing behavior, and ready to counterattack at the drop of a pin.
They flipped their sword in their hand as they pondered the question, and then looked at Hakan with bright red eyes from beneath their mask. "I am a Dæmon, one of many Prælia under the 9th Pillar of the Obscūræ," a wicked grin spread across their face as they continued. "and you really shouldn't give out your name so easily." In a second, they were behind Hakan, blade aimed to strike his neck.
Hakan barely managed to tilt the wakizashi above his head down to block the attack, and with the katana in his other hand, he struck back as hard as he could, landing a stomach strike with the blunt pommel. With the Dæmon momentarily dazed, he took the opportunity to widen the distance between them and took up the same stance again. Despite the dangers, he was intent on dragging as much information out of them as possible. "And why can't we sense your Reiatsu? You are spiritual beings, so we should be able to sense something."
The Dæmon, after recovering from Hakan's counterattack, couldn't help but laugh. "You're stronger than the other Shinigami we have faced. Most don't survive that attack." They coughed up blood, momentarily surprised by this, but then turned their attention to the question. "I don't know what this Reiatsu is that you speak of. All living things have an Aura, and this Aura, as well as all matter, is made up of Ætheric Particles, otherwise known as Aperion. The Æther is the building blocks of the universe, and it can only be sensed by a rare few. Even I cannot sense your Aura, but I know that you are strong."
Hakan nodded, and now understood that while the concepts were fundamentally similar, they had different realities of how the universe worked. This Æther was just another word for Reishi, and Aura would probably be in reference to a Souls Reiryoku and Reiatsu. While similar, he knew that there was an important difference between them that he couldn't quite determine. Maybe Katheryn would be able to figure this out. She always had a knack for this sort of thing.
Fire flickered around the Dæmon's sword, as well as their body, burning the leaves and grass that littered the ground, and heating the surrounding air to uncomfortable levels. They leapt at Hakan with surprising speed, but nothing that the seasoned Captain couldn't handle. They exchanged a few blows, neither seeming to be able to make direct contact with the other. The Dæmon backed off, exasperated at Hakan's defense. "I did not know it was possible to protect oneself so well without a shield."
This comment told Hakan everything he needed to know about the Dæmons. They were not used to fighting enemies that were well versed in sword arts such as Zanjutsu, and they didn't react well to Hohō either. This tickled his curiosity once more, and a plan started to develop in his mind. While he worked out the details, he questioned the Dæmon some more. "Those flames of yours. What is that? A technique of the Dæmons? I have never encountered flames that could harm me, let alone flames made of pure Reishi such as those."
"This?" The Dæmon lifted their empty hand, creating a small orange-red flame that flickered in their palm. "This is the Element of Fire. We Dæmons can manipulate the Aperion in the air, drawing it into our Aura, and reshape it based on our Element." Their eyes shifted from the flame and focused on Hakan's eyes. "You said no flame has ever harmed you? Then perhaps we have more in common than you might think." They produced another sword from within their cloak, and then the intensity of the flames exploded in power around them. "Unfortunately for you, this fight has dragged on long enough."
Hakan smirked, chuckling lightly at the fire in the Dæmon's eyes. It was about time he started taking this fight seriously. He changed his stance, relaxing his posture, but exponentially increasing the output and density of his Reiatsu. "Awaken, Raiho." There was a release of pressure in the air that almost sent the Dæmon flying back, but they managed to dig in and keep their footing. His Zanpakutō transformed entirely, taking on the form of Chinese hook swords. The sword in his right hand became enveloped in orange flames, and the sword in his left brought about a torrent of wind that circled the length of the blade like a vortex.
The wind howled, and the fire roared, but the Dæmon just laughed. "I see. I remember now." Their own swords burned with a fierce intensity, rivaling the power of the Captain. "You will die here, Shinigami!" They charged forward, sending a volley of firebolts at Hakan, aiming to blind him so they could get in close enough for a lethal strike.
Each of the bolts of fire were sucked into Hakan's right-hand Zanpakutō, increasing the ferocity of its flames. He placed the two swords side by side, pointing them towards the Dæmon. The wind from the left began to mix with the flames from the right, and together they created a blast of fire that could rival the attack that had decimated the side of the mountain before. The blast destroyed everything in its path, and then Hakan fell to his knees, breathing heavily from the strain that attack exerted on his sealed Reiatsu. A sword plunged into Hakan's collar, and the searing heat, as well as the sizzling of flesh, made him yell out in pain. He pulled away, blood spilling to the ground as he held a hand over the wound.
The Dæmon, seemingly unharmed by that attack, couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Hakan's face. "I'll admit, that was impressive, but it was just that. Unfortunately, it lacked the necessary bite to finish the job." They stepped towards Hakan, but they hesitated when the Captain started laughing as well.
"Yeah… I knew you'd survive it, but I also knew you'd let your guard down after." He grinned as an ethereal chains made of a bright yellow energy came forth to surround the Dæmon, wrapping around them, and binding them fast. "Bakudō Number 63, Sajō Sabaku." He considered casting another Kidō spell to ensure they could not escape, but the attack from earlier was starting to make him nauseous. Was it poison? He cursed himself for not being more careful and collapsed to one knee. "What did you do to me?"
The Dæmon, now bound by the Kidō, seemed less than inclined to answer his question, and instead asked their own. "What is this?!" They struggled to break free from the spell, but they were bound fast, unable to escape. "None of the other Shinigami we faced did this!" They growled and glared at Hakan. "Release this Enchantment at once!"
Hakan let out a weak laugh, his vision going dark as spots began to dance around him. "Shit…" He silently prayed that Zarin would return quickly. That binding spell didn't last forever, and he doubted the Dæmon would leave him alive once it broke. Well, if the poison didn't kill him first, or whatever it was that that Dæmon did to him. With these last thoughts, he finally succumbed to unconsciousness, not knowing whether he would ever wake again.
[…]
Zarin rushed down the mountain, despite his injuries, and pushed past his limits to reach a distance where he could contact the Soul Society. He checked the Denreishinki as he ran, but it wasn't until he was out of the forest that the signal interference diminished enough for his calls to go through. There was a lot of static, but the communication became clearer the further he distanced himself from Mount Hiei. "This is 4th Seat Zarin Morozov of the 2nd Division, I am requesting immediate assistance in the World of the Living. We have encountered foes of immeasurable power, and conflict was unavoidable. We need combat and medical support." He hated asking for help, but he wasn't foolish enough to let his pride kill them both.
It didn't take long for Zarin to receive confirmation of his request, and soon a Senkaimon opened near his reported location. He collapsed from his wounds as help from the 4th and 11th Divisions finally arrived, as he was able to relax and trust that the others would take care of the rest. Thoughts he never imagined himself having, but perhaps it was just the fatigue affecting his mental state. He looked up as Kazumi Hirano, Captain of the 4th Division, approached him, and couldn't help but chuckle, causing pain to course through his body. Never in a million years did he think they would send two Captains as backup for an intelligence gathering mission gone wrong.
Kazumi pouted slightly as she examined Zarin, forcing him to lay down when he tried to get back up. "These wounds are bad, but it's not lethal. I think you'll be fine." She smiled, and then stepped back for the others in the 4th Division to see to his recovery. Her deep blue eyes looked in the direction of the mountain, and she frowned slightly when she could not sense Hakan's Reiatsu. She called over Jaclyn Hyde, her 5th Seat, and together they approached the 11th Division Captain and Lieutenant to discuss the rescue operation.
Soren Stendahl, Lieutenant of the 11th Division, was excited to be on this mission, as the opportunity to fight powerful opponents didn't present itself often; However, he was less than enthused to be dragged along by his Captain, Zen Higuchi, and he was even more exasperated to see Jaclyn, the girl he thought to have kicked his ass a few nights ago, approaching him. "Oh great, as if the day couldn't get any worse. What does the little princess want this time? Need me to protect you from the big scary enemies? Maybe pat your head and reassure you that everything is gonna be okay?"
Jaclyn glared at the giant of a man, and she stomped her foot as she lunged towards him as a feint, making him flinch and take a step back. She smirked, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and looked up at him. "Only thing you're going to be doing is cleaning the entire 4th Division Barracks if you keep that attitude." She didn't often bluff, but for some reason he just made it so easy and fun.
Soren gulped and took another step back. "Y-yeah, whatever." He turned around, crossing his arms and started giving some orders to the members of the 11th Division that had travelled with them. They were setting up a small base of operations in case they ended up spending more time in the World of the Living than originally planned.
The two Captains stepped to the side to discuss their next course of action, and it was clear that Kazumi was stressed and worried about Hakan. "Zenny, we should head out as soon as possible. God knows if he's even alive up there. The longer we wait, the higher the chance of something terrible happening, and I don't want to lose him."
Captain Higuchi ran a hand through his short spiky white hair, and he looked at the distant mountain with a thoughtful expression in his teal-colored eyes. "Look, Hirano, I'm itching to fight, but I ain't reckless. These foes ain't like anything we've seen before, you know? We outta do some scouting of the area first, get a firm lay of the land, you feel me? Wouldn't want to end up like buttercup over there." He jerked a thumb at the tent that Zarin was being treated in.
Kazumi clasped her hands together as she gave Captain Higuchi her best puppy-dog eyes, something that he was never able to defend against. "Please, Zenny? You're the strongest Captain the Gotei 13 has to offer. There's no one that could beat you." She fed his ego with false praises, hoping to get her way, and knowing that she would.
Captain Higuchi rolled his eyes and let out a defeated groan. "Alright, fine. You always know how to twist my arm, Hirano. We'll go save your little boyfriend, alright?" He called for Soren to join them and gave a quick rundown on how they were going to climb the mountain. They'd be going in practically blind since they couldn't sense the enemy's Reiatsu, and they would be relying on what little information Zarin had afforded them before passing out from his injuries.
Soren made sure the Nodachi he carried as a Zanpakutō was secured on his back, and then nodded to his Captain. "Yeah, let's go. Less time we spend around this dump the better." He was never a fan of the World of the Living, as he had been born a Soul in the Soul Society, and he didn't care much for the noise created by modern technology.
The two Captains and Soren travelled together, choosing to leave Jaclyn behind to take charge of the camp to prepare another tent in case Hakan was seriously injured. Soren and Zen would have preferred to leave Kazumi behind, but she adamantly refused to be left out of the rescue of her betrothed. They just hoped she wouldn't get in the way if it came to a fight, as neither of them were very capable of fighting around others.
When they arrived on the mountain, they were surprised to find much of the forest to be burnt, and it didn't take long to find Hakan, unconscious from his injuries, and the Dæmon he had captured still bound by the Bakudō. Captain Higuchi turned his nose up at the Kidō, disgusted that a Shinigami would be forced to use such tricks just to end a fight, but he could get behind the idea of capturing an enemy they knew nothing about. "Well, the method ain't perfect, but at least your little boyfriend ain't dead, Hirano. Got you a fighter, I'll say."
Kazumi hardly heard Zen's words as she rushed forward, checking Hakan's condition. She did a quick preliminary scan with Kaidō, but the results were less than informative. "I don't understand... He's losing Reiatsu at a constant rate, but that doesn't make any sense." She looked over at the Dæmon who had stopped struggling long ago, glaring daggers at the Shinigami that arrived on the scene. "What did you do to him?" She stood, and marched over to the Dæmon, brandishing her Zanpakutō as a threat. "Tell me!"
The Dæmon laughed, and then grinned, showing off their unnaturally sharp teeth. "Like I would tell you Shinigami anything. You might as well kill me." They lifted their chin, exposing their throat for her to slash.
Soren stepped forward, placing a firm, yet reassuring, hand on Kazumi's shoulder. "Easy. Don't let the enemy provoke you. They're more valuable as a prisoner. Be glad that Captain Takao was able to complete the mission. I'm sure he'll make a full recovery."
Kazumi wasn't so sure, but she knew he was right about letting the Dæmon live at least. "Yes, I suppose you make a good point." She sheathed her Zanpakutō, and then turned her attention back to Hakan. "I'll apply some first aid and then we can move him back to the camp, and when he is stable enough, we will head back to the Seireitei. Please take the prisoner back so that they can be properly detained and interrogated by the Detention Unit of the Onmitsukidō. I'm sure Captain Shihōin will be more than happy to cooperate."
Captain Higuchi shrugged, and then threw the Dæmon over his shoulder. "Well alright then, Hirano. I'll leave Soren here to carry your little boyfriend back. I'll take care of the rest, you hear?" He disappeared as he made his way back to the temporary camp to properly detain their prisoner until they could depart for the Soul Society.
Hakan and Zarin were both fully healed, but Hakan was not waking, and his Reiatsu was showing no signs of recovering. This worried Kazumi, as a similar fate had befallen the previous Captain of the 7th Division. Perhaps it was related to these new enemies, and perhaps they have been around longer than the Soul Society realized. They wouldn't know more until they were able to interrogate the Dæmon for information, but Hakan didn't have a lot of time left.
[TO BE CONTINUED]
The Gotei 13 have managed to capture a Dæmon alive, but will they be able to gather any useful information from interrogation, or will the Dæmon be unwilling to divulge anymore secrets of the Obscūræ now that they have been taken prisoner? Hakan has been infected by an unknown condition, and his Reiatsu is being drained at an increasing rate. His inevitable demise can only be delayed by constant applications of Kaidō, but what happens when he is not the only one infected? This disease could very well wipe out the Soul Society without the Dæmons having to life a finger. The Dæmons are the least of their problems now, as the structure of the Seireitei is on the verge of collapse.