It was morning in the Sereitei, but the morning sky was blocked by dark clouds, blocking the sun as it tried to peak through but to no avail. As other squad members were training and doing their work, in the Squad 4 barracks, Unohana-taicho, Kyōraku-taicho, and Ukitake-taicho were having a lengthy conversation and enjoying green tea. Well... only Unohana and Ukitake were enjoying the green tea. Kyōraku was busy drinking sake in the morning. All of a sudden, Unohana's expression turned into a sad frown, immediately getting noticed by her friends.
"Unohana-taicho, is something the matter?" Ukitake asked with concern in his voice.
The raven-haired woman stared at the gentle captain for a few moments before sighing. "Yes. I do not know what to make of Yamamoto-sotaicho's threat towards Urahara Kisuke and the people he lived with." she replied.
"You mean the ultimate ultimatum?" Kyōraku jokingly asked as he drank his fourth cup of sake, trying to lighten the mood which unfortunately did not work at all.
The raven-haired woman ignored the poor attempt at a joke. "Anyway, I do not know if it was the best idea to ask the man's help with intimidation." Noticing the looks she was getting from her fellow captains, she elaborated. "Let me be specific. I don't agree with threatening to kill innocent children when they have done nothing wrong."
The two men had to admit that Yamamoto's threat was a bit too far. They vividly when their former mentor gave the former 12th Division Taicho his ultimatum, then watched with fear as Kisuke balled his fists, a look of sheer hatred and rage on his face, something they thought they would never see intheir lifetime as Urahara was the embodiment of calm, cool and collected. They then silently hoped and prayed, begging that the former captain not do anything stupid and eventually breathing an inaudible sigh of relief when Kisuke reluctantly agreed.
"Me and Jūshirō were having that very same discussion before we came here," Kyōraku spoke, pouring himself another cup. "Can't say I'm surprised that Old Man Yama would say that. Both of you know as well as I do that he will do whatever it takes to do what he believes is right." He then put the cup before it reached his mouth and sighed. "Even sacrifice kids. I think The Dragon has woken from his slumber, and is as ruthless as ever."
They were all silent for a moment. They knew that Urahara was going to agree to cooperate with the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, however they were worried that once this was over, the professional relationship between them and Urahara Kisuke had shattered like glass and would never be repaired.
Before one of them could speak further on the matter, three hell butterflies approached the three Soul Reaper captains and landed on their shoulders. After the message was received, the butterflies dissipated. Ukitake sighed, "It seems Master is calling another meeting. Let's go."
Everyone nodded and went to the meeting hall.
X
Yamamoto-soutaicho sat on his chair, patiently waiting for the other captains and lieutenants to arrive so that he could get this meeting over with. His trusted student, friend and lieutenant Sasakibe Chōjirō was standing next to him. As he sat there, he began to think the choice he gave Urahara. It was a very cruel choice, one that would most likely make the scientist despise him for a very long time. He had no interest in harming children and would never do so to those two, that was why he was hesitant in killing that arrancar, Wonderweiss. However, this was war and in war, you had to be physically and mentally prepared to do things you were not capable of doing, things that would even your morals and humanity, and that is what he did to Urahara. Realizing his train of thought was not getting him anywhere, he began to think about other matters, more particularily, his successor.
'Hmph. I am getting too old for this nonsense. When the battle with this group called the Wandenreich ends, I will request- no, I will DEMAND retirement from the Central 46, and they will grant me it, whether they like it or not. Now who will be my successor? Sasakibe has made it crystal clear that he will follow any path I take, so he will most likely retire as well. If Shunsui could changehis attitude and turn into a serious version of himself, he would do this job splendidly. As a matter of fact, he will be the next Soutaicho of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. I do see him delaying the process for as long as humanly possible. Jūshirō would fit right in with his personality and intelligence, but that illness will not be going away anytime soon. Unohana would be a great leader, but those who do not know her past will not take her seriously. I fear that those foolish enough to disrespect her will never be heard from again.'
He felt a slight twitch on his left arm but ignored it. He still was getting used to his arm returning after losing it using Hado #96, Ittō Kasō. As much as he hated to admit it, he had to thank that human girl, Inoue Orihime.
(Flashback, a few days after meeting the Reio)
Yamamoto stepped out of the Senkaimon, trying to sense Orihime's reiatsu. When he found it, he slowly made his way towards the location, not bothered at all. He hoped to reach the girl's location without any interference. However, that was ot be the case as a Garganta opened and a group of Adjuchas-level Hollows surrounded him when he was halfway there. The old man was a little surprised, perhaps even impressed that they were not so bold and arrogant as to attack him individually, choosing to attack as a group.
'They plan to attack me as a group.' He thought as he felt their reiatsu. Combined, their reiatsu was on par with some low powered captains such as Sui-Feng-taicho and Hitsugaya-taicho, but individually they were really weak. Or maybe it was the fact that he was that strong. 'Bold strategy, but futile.'
"Look guys, a Shinigami. He will make a very good meal." A random Hollow that looked like a combination of a lion and a spider sneered.
"He may look tasty, but be careful. He looks very powerful." Another one spoke.
"WHO CARES?! I'M HUNGRY! GET HIS ASS!" yelled one as they all rushed to attack Yamamoto.
That was the biggest mistake they had ever made.
They didn't even move one centimeter before being incinerated instantly by Ryūjin Jakka, a sphere of bright red, orange and yellow flames surrounding the strongest man in the Sereitei. Yamamoto scoffed.
"Foolish Hollows." he muttered as he decided to use Shunpo to reach Orihime's location as to not encounter any obstacles on the way. A few seconds later, he arrived at her doorstep and knocked on the door. He had footsteps and a voice yelling, "Coming!" before the door opened. He watched the young girl's expression change from happy to shocked to terrified really quickly. She was wearing a pink shirt and sweatpants, her eyes wide with shock and fear.
"Greetings, Inoue Orihime." The old man grumbled, noticing her expression. "Do not worry. I have not come to the World of the Living to cause harm to you or your friends. It was decided that you, your friends and the Kurosaki family will not be touched."
"Okay." The orange haired girl whispered, swallowing the lump on her throat, only it would not go down. "T-Then why are you here, Yamamoto-sotaicho?"
The old man gestured to his missing arm.
"Repair my left arm."
(End flashback)
He was snapped out of his thoughts as the two large doors opened and everyone except Omaeda Marechiyo-fukutaicho of the 2nd Division walked in and took their places.
He banged his cane to the ground, signaling the start of the meeting, "I have called this meeting to discuss the matter of the Quincy. As you know, the group known as the Vizard left the Thirteen Court Guard Squads after learning the truth about the savior of the Soul Society Kurosaki Ichigo, leaving us short staffed. It is this reason that I, Sasakibe-fukutaicho, Ukitake-taicho, Kyōraku-taicho and Unohana-taicho went to Urahara Kisuke for his assistance."
This earned a groan from everyone except Unohana, Kyōraku and Ukitake. The doors opened once again with Kisuke entering the room. All eyes were on him and everyone noticed something was... different about the shopkeeper. They quickly realized why that was. There were no quips, no quirks, no jokes. Kisuke was wearing his usual attire, but the trademark white and green bucket hat was missing. He was looking directly into the eyes of the Captain-Commander Yamamoto without no fear and his hands were shaking slightly. Everyone involuntarily took a step back. The ones who knew Kisuke knew that this was not the eccentric, slightly insane shopkeeper that they grew accustomed to.
The man that was walking between the two lines of captains and lieutenants was the very serious Urahara Kisuke, former captain of the 12th Division and founder of the Research and Development Institute. Even Suì-Fēng and Mayuri unconsciously took a step back, a little unnerved by the serious look on their enemy and rival's face.
The Soutaicho grunted, "Urahara. I hope you made good use of the information I gave you."
The sandy blonde haired man glared at the old warrior, who was again unfazed by the glaring. Kisuke finally spoke, "Let's make one thing clear. I do not want to be here anymore than you guys want me to. The very sight of you makes me sick and want to vomit. But since Yamamoto-sotaicho thought that the best way to make me cooperate was to threaten my wards, I had to come."
All eyes turned to look at Yamamoto, who remained impassive. 10th Division Captain Hitsugaya Tōshirō and 7th Division Captain Komamura Sajin widened their eyes in shock. Yes, the man was loosely affiliated with the Soul Society, but violence was unnecessary.
Kisuke continued, "However, I have found ways to counter their tech, such as those medallions that steal Bankai. I created a way to restore a stolen Bankai, but it is untested, so you will have to find out in the battlefield. As for these Schrifts and Quincy: Vollständig, I got nothing."
He wasn't sure it was because he knew him well, but Kisuke could feel his former fukutaicho fuming, bringing him a little bit of satisfaction.
Yamamoto blinked before he growled, "What do you mean you have nothing?"
"I mean, since I have never seen those techniques, I have no way to counter them."
"How correct you are, Urahara Kisuke."
An unfamiliar voice froze everyone in the room. Eyes wandered around the room until they landed on 6 individuals wearing white cloaks and black masks. "Greetings, Thirteen Court Guard Squads of the Soul Society." The person in the front spoke. "And it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni-soutaicho. We have come to declare war."
The person looked around, seeing almost everyone had unsheathed their Zanpakutō. Not intimidated in the slightest, the person spoke, "To be frank with you, I am surprised. This looks like the meeting hall for the most powerful Shinigami in the Sereitei, but it was really easy to infiltrate. Do you not feel that you people might do well in pulling a little more consideration into your security measures?"
"There is no need for security." Yamamoto growled as he stared a hole at the intruders. "The Thirteen Court Guard Squads are here. There is no greater security than that."
There was silence from the intruders for a few seconds before the person in front seemingly tilted his head up.
"I see. That hubris will be your undoing, Yamamoto Genryūsai..."
All of a sudden, a giant blue arrow made of reiatsu flew into the room very fast, with the ancient warrior barely being able to duck down. Yamamoto then felt something very light, wet and small touch his right shoulder multiple times. He looked at his shoulder and saw small drops of blood. He looked up and saw the fukutaicho of the 2nd Division Omaeda Marechiyo pinned on the wall dead. He was missing his left arm and still clutching, or rather holding his Zanpakutō with his right hand.
"OMAEDA!" Suì-Fēng yelled.
"Do not mourn for him. Rather, that man deserves to be applauded for single handedly showing you Shinigami your path that you must all ultimately follow, that being a meaningless death after a hopeless and desperate struggle. Do not despair, because the same thing will happen to you soon enough."
"What makes you think that you are walking out of here alive after what you did to my second-in-command?" Suì-Fēng shook with rage as she wordlessly entered Shikai, glaring at the intruders with the most pissed off expression they had ever seen on a person.
"All of those eyes. They hold many questions. You must be wondering who we are." The stranger said, purposely ignoring Suì-Fēng's question. "And yet you know that we will never tell you who we are. It should not be so difficult to deduce the answer for yourselves."
"You guys are the Wandenreich." Kisuke guessed, getting a nod from the individual.
"Indeed. Now a warning before we leave. The Soul Society will be destroyed by the Wandenreich."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions that seemed to occur everywhere made the meeting hall shake.
"Farewell." The stranger spoke as they all became seemingly swallowed by shadows.
"Awaken, Benihime!"
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
Those attacks never hit their targets as the strangers disappeared. Not long after, sirens were heard.
"There are intruders in the Sereitei! I repeat, there are enemies in the Sereitei!"
Yamamoto stood up and barked, "Battle stations! War is here! Let us show these Quincy why we are Thirteen Court Guard Squads! To battle!"
X
"Give me your reports. NOW!" Akon, the 12th Division's 3rd Seat, shouted as all of the screens within the Reseach and Development Institute flashed red.
Some of the officers becgan frantically typing at a computer and reported their findings. "Sir, we have confirmed the presence of enemy spiritual pressure at sixteen different locations within the Sereitei."
"They have gotten past the Soul Shield Membrane somehow, but their methods of doing so are unknown!"
"The reiatsu of many Shinigami have disappeared across an even wider area, and it appears as though they all died in combat!"
"3rd Division Kira Izuru-fukutaicho's spiritual pressure has also vanished, along with other three seated officers!"
"72 Shinigami have perished in the West 601 District, while 152 others have perished near the West 224 District!"
'Damn it!' Akon thought as he smashed his fist on his work station in frustration while tuning out the information that was being reported to him. 'Over a thousand dead within the seven minutes of the enemy invading?! What the hell is going on here? There is no way we're beating these guys!'
X
Kajōmaru Hidetomo's entire body along with the members of his squad shook as Haschwalth approached them calmly, no fear evident on his body or face.
"Stop. Don't move closer. Stay back, or you die." He spoke, trying to put on a brave face, but his shaky voice was proof that he was afraid.
Haschwalth, unfortunately, did not stop. The blonde man just calmly continued towards the terrified Shinigami and spoke, "If you are frightened, I permit you to flee. None of you are good examples to be used effectively anyway."
The brown haired man with the glasses looked offended. "You dare mock the Thirteen Court Guard Squads?! I said stop! I'll-"
"It would appear you have not noticed." Haschwalth interrupted. "Your fear is so great, that rather than see this for the matter of life and death it is, you have subconsciously chosen to refer this situation as 'passage'. A foolish notion. Unfortunately foryou, the war has already begun."
Kajōmaru could not take much more, so he charged at the Sternritter and swung with all his might...
... only to be cleanly cut in half from the head.
X
The five members of the Royal Guard looked silently down at the Sereitei, which was a very, VERY long way down. It would take at least a week to reach the bottom, and that was with the use of Shunpo. Ichibēi broke the silence by saying, "It would appear that the war has already begun. Now where is that boy?"
"I'm right here, Sensei."
Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice. A young man who looked to be in his early twenties was approaching them. He was at least 6'5", with a lean but muscular physique and orange hair that seemed to reach his shoulders. He was wearing a standard Haori that would normally be worn by the most powerful Shinigami in the Soul Society, although his had the Zero Division's emblem on the back and it was inverted, meaning the Haori was black and the emblem was white and the sleeves were torn off. He wore nothing underneath, revealing a huge scar in the shape of an X on his torso. He also wore a hakama that was black on one half and white on the other, with white socks and the black boots that the Espada wore to accompany them. He also had two tattoos, one was shaped like a circle with each half being black and white, and the other being the emblem of the Royal Guard was the other arm. In his hand was a red devil mask, with two horns protruding from the forehead, white eyes and sharp jagged teeth. His face had no baby fat and his eyes were a warm chocolate brown.
The monk smiled, "Hello, my boy. Today is the big day. Are you ready?"
"Yes, Ichibei-sensei. I am." The man replied.
Tenjirō scowled, but it was not directed towards the man. "Ok, kid. You know what to do. Make the bastard pay."
The man nodded once. He then walked to Kirio and Senjumaru and hugged them both, a hug that they graciously returned, hesitantly letting go after a few seconds.
"You had better come back to us, or else we will revive you and cut off your balls." Kirio warned the man, who simply kissed her forehead and slightly smiled.
"I'll be back. I promise." The man whispered. "Nothing will stop me now."
"I know you will, and when you manage to succeed in everything," She leaned in and kissed him in the cheek before whispering so only the man and her female teammate could hear, "who knows? Maybe we can revisit that game of bondage we played the other night. Remember? The one you made Kirio and I beg for you to punish us, Ichigo-sama." The statement made the Gikon inventor blush in embarrassment while the man just chuckled as he remembered that night explicitly well.
"I look forward to it, Hime."
The man then walked up to the edge of the platform. Once he reached it, he turned his head around and said, "Sensei, Tenjirō, Kirio and Senjumaru, I'll be back soon. Ōetsu," he stopped and looked at the dark skinned man, who was raising and lowering his eyebrows with the goofiest grin plastered on his face for some reason, making the man chuckle, "you do you, man. See you soon."
Kirio smiled beautifully.
"See you soon, Ichi-kun."
Compressing reiatsu on his feet, Kurosaki Ichigo pushed himself off the platform, descending to the ground below at very fast speeds, a look of determination and seriousness on his face.
'Zangetsu. Ayumi-chan. Your Majesty. Are you ready?'
"Yes, Ichigo-sama."
'You goddamn right, King!'
'I am with you every step of the way, Ichigo.'
'Me too. I am curious about one thing. Why do you take the long route? You have all of my powers and knowledge, you could have just teleported there.' The Reio asked.
'I want to make an entrance, and I want the Shinigami to continue struggling for a little while longer'. Ichigo replied, feeling the being sigh in his head.
'Very well. Tell me about Hell. How is being the ruler in that dimension?' A wave of frustration pulsed within him, making the god-like being chuckle in amusement.
'I will tell you after we are done with this. First, we need to kill the fucker who murdered my mother.'
He deeply scowled as he put on his devil mask. At the same time, his hair seemingly began turning black all on its own.
'After that, we are taking revenge on the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.'.
Then without another thought, he forcefully pushed himself forward, going at even faster speeds than before.
X
The five Shinigami watched as Ichigo moved further and further away until he became a dot and disappeared.
Ōetsu broke the silence, "Man, that kid is terrifying."
Everyone looked at him with huge question marks on their head. Tenjirō asked irritably, "What makes you say that now?"
The dark skinned man didn't reply immediately, instead choosing to show his teammates his broken 'failed creation', Sayafushi and crying anime tears. "While we were sparring, he broke Sayafushi! I'm sad, man. SAD!" He finished with a tone that sounded WAY too cheery for a guy whose sword has been broken.
"I don't see a problem here." the pink haired woman spoke before being slightly taken aback by the serious expression on Ōetsu's face.
"You don't get it, sister. I made Sayafushi to the point where it doesn't break. Ichigo blocked a sword that can cut through people easily with Blut Vene, then he beat me with a punch infused with Blut Arterie, sending me several metres away. Had he punched with his full strength, I would have died." he finished somberly.
This shocked everyone. To hear that a sword was broken was one thing, but the creator of Zanpakutō being defeated, and soundly at that, was another thing.
Senjumaru spoke, "You can always make another Sayafushi, can't you? You are the creator of Zanpakutō."
From serious to happy went Ōetsu. "You goddamn right! Why? Because I am the number one original Zanpakutō creator! Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! That's me! Nimaiya Ōetsu! The OG Blade God, baby! YEAH!"
The others could not help but chuckle and shake their heads, all of them thinking the same thing.
'He will never change.'
X
"Whoo!" Zangetsu, a man who literally looked like Ichigo, but his skin, shihakushō, Zanpakutō and hair was white and his eyes were black with white irises, yelled. "It's been a while since I got to let loose. Are you guys as excited as I am?!" he asked his two companions, a man who wore a black cloak and heavily resembled Yhwach from a thousand years ago and a man who was all yellow and glowing while wearing no clothes.
"Yes we are, although we do not share the same enthusiasm as you, Hollow." Juha Bach spoke.
"Indeed. Even though we will not be joining in your slaughter fest, we will be aiding Ichigo from here. We will arrive in a few minutes. Do as you wish until then." The Reiō boomed.
"Ya know what I'm gonna do?! I'm gonna go watch King's memories to get motivated! See ya!" He said, grinning maniacally as he jumped from the building they were standing on, crashed onto the street and went into another skyscraper, his actions causing the two spirits to sweatdrop.
"How did you deal with him for as long as you did?" The being asked.
Zangetsu no Ossan sighed, "Ignoring his ramblings and wild moods. After that, I got used to him."
There was silence for a few seconds.
"Father, why did you give Ichigo your full power? I don't imagine you doing it out of the goodness of your heart." Old Man Zangetsu spoke.
The Reio looked at Juha Bach with narrowed eyes. Fragment or not, his son saw right through him.
"I used the Almighty to see the endless possibilities and only one stuck out to me like a sore thumb. I saw the foolish version of you kill the boy's lovers, Ichigo being able to wield multiple Zanpakutō and that Hyosube Ichibei tried to seal him away, but failed. Both Yhwach and Hyosube were eventually defeated, but I think Ichigo was beyond broken at that point. Now quiet, we are about to arrive."
Ossan looked at his father with shock and suspicion; shock because of what he heard and suspicion because he knew his father was not telling him everything, but he kept quiet.
This conversation would happen soon, he was sure of that. His father will tell him what he is hiding, noticing that Ayumi was not paying attention to them, merely staring at the sky as her master flew closer to his target.
X
Chaos.
Destruction.
Those were the two words to perfectly describe the state of the Sereitei. The Sternritters appeared out of nowhere and killed every Soul Reaper they saw. Captains Kuchiki, Suí-Feng, Komamura and Hitsugaya get their Bankai; Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, Jakuhō Raikoben, Kokuto Tengen Myo'o and Daiguren Hyōrinmaru stolen by Sternritters F, K, E and I (Äs Nödt, BG9, Bambietta Basterbine and Cang-Du). Byakuya was even critically injured after having his own Bankai used against him.
X
The moment the two ancient rivals saw each other, they instantly began trying to kill each other.
XXXXXXXXXXX
"It has been a thousand years, has it not? Yhwach." Yamamoto grumbled as the flames of his Zanpakuto died down. "And now I have come to put an end to you once and for all." Yhwach simply smirked as a challenge, before his smirk turned into a frown as he recognized three of his Sternrritters jump out and try to attack him.
"Time to die, old man!" A Sternritter with a red Mohawk shouted. The ancient Shinigami's response? To unleash a tower of Ryujin Jakka's flames on them a couple of metres taller than the Sokyoku Hill, one of the tallest landmarks in the Sereitei and could be seen from anywhere on the surface.
"Pitiful fools." The leader of the Quincy grunted as his maroon cloak flapped around. "You should have known better than to intrude on my battle. That is punishment for trying to interfere."
Yamamoto just cracked his neck from side to side, staying silent.
Yhwach narrowed his eyes at his arch-nemesis' sudden silence. "What is the matter? It appears as though you want to say something-" He did not get to finish his statement as the old Shinigami disappeared from view and reappear in front of the cloak wearing man, slashing him across the forearm.
"You have not changed at all, Yhwach." The Captain Commander lowered his sword. "You never did value your subordinates' lives, but your cruel ways are about to come to an end. Right here, right now."
The black haired man just chuckled. "You have grown old, Yamamoto Shigekuni. How amusing." He gestured to Ryūjin Jakka's flames burning fiercely around the three men. "And yet, seeing you give into your anger like this, it's almost as if I am seeing your old self again." He said as he briefly saw a younger Yamamoto standing before him.
"Enough nonsense!" Yamamoto shouted as he used Shunpo to get close to Yhwach and swung his Zanpakutō with the intention of beheading him, but his enemy simply ducked underneath the swing and kicked the ancient Shinigami as hard as he could, making him fly and land on the rooftop of one of the barracks. Yhwach then drew his broadsword and followed after Yamamoto, who had recovered near-instantaneously from that kick and met him in the middle, resulting in a clash of the swords that made a small shockwave. Then with speeds that would be difficult to follow for the lieutenants and seated/unseated officers, they began fighting furiously. When Yamamoto landed once again landed on a rooftop, he was followed by the Quincy King who seemingly grabbed part of the roof they were standing on and flung it at Yamamoto. The Shinigami with the long white beard and moustache simply let out a battle cry and returned the attack at him with fire clinging on to those pieces.
Yhwach shielded his face from the tiles, not realizing that was what Yamamoto wanted. By obstructing his view, even for a few moments, he had the upper hand and he took full advantage of it. He leaped into the air, spun around to get enough power, and struck the moment Yhwach removed his arm. The Quincy King saw Yamamoto approaching him with a sword slash and quickly got out of there, barely dodging the attack that destroyed half of the roof. As he landed on the ground, he looked up to see Yamamoto, but he was not there, and that was when he felt it. Reiatsu filled with boiling rage and determination rose from behind him, wanting to overwhelm him. He looked behind him and saw a streak of fire heading towards him. Yhwach merely reinforced his Spirit Sword with Blut Arterie and cut the fire in the middle, making it disappear.
"You have drawn your sword."
"You speak as if you have been waiting for me to do so."
Yamamoto's face turned grim. "And why do you think that might be? Allow me to tell you. It is so that I may shatter your sword, body, mind and soul from the very core!"
After he finished speaking, all of a sudden the flames that surrounded both of them vanished was replaced by the day suddenly turning brighter, and the temperature slowly rising, confusing both Yhwach and Haschwalth. 'Where... where did all of his flames go?' The blonde man and his King thought at the same time.
X
'The ground...' The petite captain thought as she continued to watch her opponent closely. 'It is steaming.'
X
'There's dryness in my throat.' Ukitake though as he stared at the sky.
X
The kimono-wearing man blinked as he felt his bottom lip crack. He wiped the blood that was coming off it with a slight concern on his face. 'My lips are cracking. Uh oh.'
X
"Captain Unohana?" Isane spoke. "Does your skin feel dry all of a sudden like mine does?"
The Captain of the 4th Division could not but chuckle at her lieutenant's antics. "My my, Isane. It's so cute, that with everything going on you can be worried about your complexion."
"Huh? N-No, I didn't mean it like that!"
Unohana paid her no attention as she continued to stare at the vase that was beginning to crack. 'You don't have much time, Soutaicho. Please be quick about it, or you could very well end up destroying the same world you are trying to protect.'
X
"Bankai: Zanka no Tachi."
"Bankai? Are you telling me that that charred, sad old sword after all his flames have disappeared... is his Bankai?" The blonde man questioned with skeptism.
"Do not underestimate it just because of how it looks, Haschwalth." Yhwach scolded his Grandmaster. "Yamamoto Shigekuni's Zanka no Tachi is immensely powerful. All of his flames get sealed in the space of that single blade. The amount of flames that a single swing produces is astronomical. If it touches you, you will be instantaneously incinerated in a raging inferno."
"Ah, yes." Yamamoto's gruff voice made everyone turn back to the screen. "A thousand years ago, you felt first-hand what my Bankai is capable of. But Bankais are a tricky thing. Are you certain of what you speak? Are you certain that this is the same Bankai from a thousand years ago?" He raised his sword. "Perhaps you would like to test whether my blade has remained unchanged for a thousand years... by feeling its force on your flesh."
Yamamoto then flew towards Yhwach, who seemed to be caught off guard at how fast his nemesis was, and barely dodged as the sword cut his cloak, but there were no flames, stunning him. 'He cut me, and yet there are no flames! Flames are his Bankai's power, there is no denying it. But where are they? Where are those accursed flames!?' He thought as he dodged another swing and Yamamoto's blade hit the ground... only to create a massive tear on the earth.
"The tip of his blade?!" Yhwach exclaimed.
"Correct!" Yamamoto yelled as he swung and missed again. After the Quincy King created some distance, he simply held up his sword and said, "Zanka no Tachi, Higashi: Kyokujitsujin. I have concentrated all of the heat that my flames possess into the narrow line on the blade's edge. It does not burn. It does not rage. It merely eliminates all that it touches without a trace. That 'Blut Vene' that you Quincy seem to pride yourselves in will offer you no defense here!"
Suddenly appearing in front of him, Yamamoto once again attacked Yhwach, but the latter dodged it with a small smile on his face.
"How tiresome." He scoffed. "In that case, all I need to do," he then used Wogenschritt to get behind Yamamoto, "is cut you down without being touched by your sword!"
Yamamoto slightly turned around and didn't flinch as the Quincy King struck. However, the spirit sword seemingly got cut in half, causing the latter's eyes to widen considerably. "But how?'
"You truly are a foolish man." The ancient Shinigami barked. "Were you not listening to my explanation? I do believe I called this blade Zanka no Tachi, Higashi. Where there is an East, there must also be a West. No matter. I will make it visible to you. Perhaps then you will understand." Bright red, orange and yellow flames with unfathomable heat suddenly erupted from the man's body and swirled around them, causing a cloak of fire.
"Zanka no Tachi, Nishi: Zanjitsu Gokui." Yamamoto stated as he coldly stared down his most hated nemesis. "Its temperature amounts to 15,000,000 million degrees Celsius. You have no hope of touching me now, for once my Bankai is released, since both my body and blade... bear the heat of the very sun itself!"
Yhwach scowled, yet he knew that there was nothing he could do as the temperature began to rise and rise until he had to use Blut Vene in order to prevent himself from turning to ash.
"Well, are you just going to stand there and let yourself burn to ash?! Wait, no. Forgive me. That question was too spiteful. There is nothing you can do, is there? You could try to run…" The flames grew until the middle aged man could not see the buildings surrounding them. "…BUT THAT WOULD ONLY DELAY YOUR INEVITABLE DEATH!"
He slightly crouched down. "SHALL WE DANCE?!"
He then literally flew towards Yhwach, who suddenly spread his legs shoulder width apart and opened his palm. Thin lines with Roman numerals came out of his fingers and a circle with Quincy crosses and a sphere on top appeared around him.
"Kirchenlied: Sankt Zwinger!" He shouted, confidence clearly evident in his voice. "This is a Quincy large-scale protection enchantment that combines both offence and defense, the ultimate Quincy technique! Take one step inside and the light of God will you apart where you stand!"
"It is futile!" Yamamoto shouted as he landed in the ground, stabbing his sword in it. "That cannot stop me!"
"Lifeless bodies." He began to chant. "Ashes of those who have perished by my flames, lend me your aid. I will grant you... a brief pleasure of battle once more." As soon as he finished chanting, the ground began opening up all around him, and hundreds of thousands of charred skeletons came rising from the ground.
"Zanka no Tachi, Minami: Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin."
The look of confusion and shock was clearly visible on Wandenreich leader's face. "What in the... what in the world... What in the world is all this?!"
"Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin." The Captain Commander eerily responded. "Gathering the ashes of those I had slain in the past, my blade imbues them with heat and forcibly awakens them. These awakened dead become my servants, and those whom I deem as their enemy, will be pursued until they turn into dust!"
Yhwach laughed with no mirth in his voice. "Haha. How laughable that the leader of the Shinigami would be reviving the dead, as it goes against everything you-"
"Your mouth works, Yhwach." Yamamoto interrupted. "Yet your eyes do not work at all."
Confused, Yhwach looked at the charred skeletons and realized in terror that the skeletons were some of his subordinates during the Litch Reich. "You dare… use my subordinates against me?! Their leader!?" He began yanking the dead army off of him. "Do not presume, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, that you can stop me with tricks like these!" He bellowed in anger.
"I can see your unshed tears, Yhwach. Seeing your undead loyal subordinates. Oh, how you must hate me for using such a deplorable trick like this." Crimson fire erupted from his blade. "Yet know this! Your pain, hatred and resentment you currently are feeling pale in comparison to the pain and hatred of the Shinigami that you have slaughtered!"
"ZANKA NO TACHI, KITA: TENCHI KAIJIN!"
The swing completely destroyed Yhwach's right and part of his torso as he fell to the ground. The cloak of fire that was surrounding Yamamoto disappeared and his Zanpakutō reverted back to normal. Rain began pouring down as Yamamoto just stared his body.
XXXXXXXXXX
Hearing a large explosion, he saw the 1st Division headquarters burning. As he screamed out to his 3rd Seat, whom he had left in charge, the true Yhwach, appearing behind Yamamoto, thanked Royd Lloyd who been pretending to be Yhwach for his service before obliterating his body with a huge Heilig Pfeil. When Yamamoto asked him what he had been up to this entire time, Yhwach asked what is underneath the 1st Division headquarters.
Yhwach stated that he went to the Central Underground Prison to speak to Aizen and ask him to join his army as a Special War Potential, though he predictably refused the offer. He asked Yamamoto if he exhausted his power to fight his decoy. When Yamamoto denied this and began to initiate Bankai, Yhwach simply stole it with a medallion. He explained how it was not that they could not take his Bankai, but it is that his power is too enormous for anyone but Yhwach himself to handle.
Yhwach then activated Zanka no Tachi, Kita: Tenchi Kaijin, the same move that nearly ended his life a thousand years ago. Yamamoto knew right then and there, he was going to die.
X
"Goodbye, Yamamoto Shigekuni. Die, knowing that your death will bring peace to the world!" Yhwach shouted as he unleashed the attack. Knowing his death was upon him, Yamamoto let go of his Zanpakutō. He watched as his own technique got closer and closer but before it could reach him, something came from above and crash-landed in front of him, making a shocked Yamamoto create some distance. Whatever crash landed in front of Yamamoto stopped Zanka no Tachi, Kita: Tenchi Kaijin mid-swing with his hand and punched Yhwach. This thing moved so fast, the Quincy King had no idea what had happened before he found himself hitting the ground and stopping the momentum by dragging his feet across the ground.
"This is truly something else." Yhwach laughed as he stood up. "How far have you fallen, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni? You now need assistance to fight your battles?"
Yamamoto scoffed. "I do not need any assistance from anyone. This must be one of your soldiers."
They were silent as they stared at the dust cloud. When it disappeared, they were stunned to see a person they had never met before whose clothing consisted of a sleeveless Haori, a black and white kosode and tattoos on both arms. The thing that was intriguing about this person though, was the fact that they were wearing a red devil mask, and they were staring right at Yhwach and Haschwalth.
"And who might you be?" Yhwach asked. Instead, the stranger merely disappeared in a blink of an eye. The Quincy King's eyes widened as he felt the hand that held the medallion which contained the ancient Shinigami's Bankai clutching air. He looked down at his hand, and looked up again to see the stranger holding up his medallion and crushed it with with his bare hand.
Haschwalth stared as the black flames turn to their bright red and orange version as they surrounded Yamamoto. 'Judging the build and physique, that is a male. A male that is strong enough to crush a medallion that is virtually indestructible, no matter how many times it is attacked.' He narrowed his eyes in contemplation. 'This is no Quincy, and I very much doubt is a Hollow. He has to be a Shinigami since he is wearing the Captains Haori, even if it is black instead of white. However, it seems he is no ordinary Shinigami.'
'Zanka no Tachi?' Yamamoto attempted to communicate with his Zanpakuto the moment he received his flames back and quickly resealed his Bankai, not knowing that they had another medallion in place. It was silent for a few moments before he felt a wave of heat pulsing through his sword as the Zanpakuto woke from its very short slumber.
'Genryusai.'
Yamamoto released a inaudible breath he had no idea he was holding in. 'It is good to hear from you… old friend.' He then turned his attention to the person who was still staring a hole at his archnemesis. Since his back was turned, the Soutaicho could see the emblem on the back of the Haori the man was wearing.
"You are from the Royal Guard, are you not? Why have you come here, and are you an ally or foe?" The person turned their head around and Yamamoto knew he was being glared at.
"Go." The man spoke in a distorted voice, pointing to a particular direction. Yamamoto quickly realized that he was pointing at the 4th Division barracks. "I don't need you distracting me from my mission."
"And what mission is that, boy?" The middle aged man could not help but ask, still being bothered by the fact that this person's reiatsu was unrecognisable. It felt dark and held no emotion, like the darkness… and it was easily above his own.
To answer, the man held up his hand and a standard Asauchi appeared out of thin air. Clutching the hilt, he swung it and a huge gust of wind suddenly appeared and almost blew both Quincies away. Once it subsided, he pointed it at Yhwach and said two words. Two words that stunned everyone into silence.
"Killing you."