Chapter 39: Winter war part 3
Baraggan could not make out the kind of expression that quirky soul reaper had on his face as he stood in front of them in his shabby looking green coloured hakama, wooden sandals and striped hat. He would've been hard pressed to even call him a soul reaper if not for the sword that was on his right hand that was clearly a zanpakuto. But overall, he could feel nothing whatsoever from this man, nothing to judge his proficiency in combat, nothing to tell him about the kind of opponent he was. What he did know, was that Aizen placed his abilities and intellect in high regard. A fact that was impressive on its own. He had made the mistake of underestimating Shinigami once before, and he would never let himself be felled by Shinigami ever again. But mere words would do little to convey what was actually the truth. And as such, Baraggan would deal with him similarly. By his side were his four surviving fraccione Charlotte, Abirama, Findorr and Choe Neng.
"My, it's an honour to be targeted by the King of Hueco Mundo himself" remarked Urahara with a small smile, readying his Zanpakuto.
"Despite knowing who I am, it's rather presumptuous of you to think that I would personally send you to your maker, is it not, Urahara Kisuke? You speak as if my subordinates don't even exist. They may not be as powerful as I, but they are arrancars nonetheless. My subordinates. And you'll be facing four of them at once. You can dream of being killed by me if you even make it past my subordinates" he said, waving off his hand. The four arrancars, who were already in their released state, rushed towards Urahara without so much as an acknowledgement of their master's indirect order.
Abirama, the bird arrancar took to the skies first, raining down deadly, razor sharp feathers pinpointed at where Urahara was. The feathers were fast enough to be difficult to track with the naked eye, sharp enough and carried enough momentum to go through the nearby buildings with ease and were numerous enough that dodging them was practically pointless. Following this, Findorr, the crab arrancar pinched his claws, generating high current water current jets that slammed down alongside the rain of feathers. Choe Neng, the gigantic whale arrancar who towered over most of the buildings in the area then opened his mouth wide, firing off a titanic emerald green coloured cero.
"And now~~here comes Beautiful Charlotte Chuhlhourne's Final Holy Wonderful Pretty Super Magnum Sexy Sexy Glamorous Cero~~!" chanted the muscular arrancar wearing a croptop, making a heart shape with the cusp of his hand, from which a pink coloured cero blasted the ground and everything in between himself and the ground. Overall, to an onlooker, the continuous attacks from the four fraccione was wide enough to cover the space of an entire city block, as well as powerful and fast enough that even most Shinigami captains wouldn't have evaded it unscathed.
However, what happened next would truly show Barragan why his opponent was so highly regarded even by Aizen.
"~~Gyahahahahahaha! How exhilarating! What an interesting attack! I'm surprised you didn't bite your tongue when saying all that!" cooed the quirky Shinigami, appearing right behind Charlotte and tapping his shoulder.
"You..!"
"Dammit, how the hell?!"
"You're still alive…?!"
The four fraccione immediately swung their arm, claw or wings at Urahara, only to find him gone once more. Their flailing and desperate attempts to catch the Shinigami continued for a short while, with none of their attacks touching even a single strand of his hair, which only added to their frustration.
But then, the found something binding their arms. Specifically, around their wrists. A glowing yellow ring of reishi. It was as if their arms had frozen in place, and they could feel a burning sensation growing within their bodies.
"Wh…what is this…?!"
"I…I can't move..!"
"It….something's….burning…..!"
"You….! What did you…?!"
"Rather than use such wide attacks that left you open and blocked your field of vision, you should've focused on close quarters combat. That way, it might've helped prevent your now impeding deaths. Sadly for you, being part Shinigami and not pure hollows means that I can seal of the outlets for spiritual pressure on your wrists that exist for all Soul Reapers. You really shouldn't have allowed me to get in so close so many times" said Urahara, lowering his hat. "All that's left is for your own spiritual pressure to burn you out from the inside out"
The four fraccione watched in horror as the burning sensation grew stronger and stronger, with their reishi pooling around their wrists, engulfing them entirely. And soon enough, all that remained was four columns of burning reishi in the place where the arrancars stood. The 2nd Espada had no words to utter as he watched his subordinates waste away right in front of him so easily. Instead, he only approached the slightly smiling Urahara, drawing his zanpakuto.
"So, it would appear that Aizen Sosuke's wariness of you wasn't completely unfounded after all" said Baraggan. "For making such short work of my subordinates, as I mentioned earlier, I'll atleast put you down myself. Consider it an honour" he said.
"That's all fine and good, God king-san, but I'm just wondering…..those were your own subjects, you know? I thought you'd be…..well, pissed at me for 'making such short work of them'" he said.
"Hmph, they were but mere fraccione. They exist for my sake. They die for me if needed. You could even call it their privilege to serve under me. Left alone, they would've been nothing more than sustenance for those above them. By taking them under my wing, it is only natural that they live to serve me. And why should I weep at their passing, when even in death they continue to serve their purpose?" asked Barragan. "From their deaths, I know how you move around. I know I would be foolhardy to let you get in too close. They have left with me valuable information without needing their king to risk his life. And they have died fighting the enemy. I see nothing for them to complain about"
"Hmm….sound rough" replied Urahara.
"What care does a soul reaper have for such mundane trivialities? You would do well to think of your final wishes as I snuff out your existence. And I do not mean that in jest. Rot, Arrogante!"
A black fog shrouded the second Espada, and his reiatsu spiked 4-5 times of what it was before. Jet black and purple flames engulfed him. The king of hollows spared nothing in trying to exude his presence and his arrogance. In the place of the aged arrancar now stood a skeleton with a golden crown, his body cloaked in a purple cloak with black fur around his neck. He then held out his bony hand, which materialized a gargantuan looking battle axe with two pointed blades and a large spike protruding outward from its centre. There were four golden chains present around the base of the spike, which extended into his cloak and attached to an ornate bracelet worn around his right wrist.
"Now that's what I'd call the Grim Reaper" remarked Urahara with a bemused smile. "If I may, I'd say that God king-san's appearance is more fitting for the name 'Death god' than us Shinigami"
"Bwhahahaha! Indeed! How amusing, I never imagined I would ever find myself agreeing with a mere soul reaper! However, enough talk! Have at you!" he said, swinging his battle axe.
"Very well!" said Urahara excitedly, disappearing with a buzz and swinging Benihime at Barragan from behind.
*CLAAANG!*
Sparks rang out when Urahara's zanpakuto met Barragan's battle axe. Surprised, the eccentric shop keeper tried again and then once more, only for the same thing to happen. After that, he put some distance between himself and the god king.
"Ehhh….this is surprising! I thought I was fast enough to cut into you before you swung your weapon. But somehow you manage to parry my sword despite being slower. But…..ah I see…..that's how it is. Time…somehow…you're slowing me down, right? From afar, I don't see that much change in your speed. So that means it has to be my speed that went down. But that's not all. When we clashed, I noticed that the objects in the background moved slower as well. You're probably slowing down time or your slowing down my perception of time, aren't you?" asked Urahara "Somehow calling you the grim reaper seems even more fitting"
"…..not too bad, Urahara Kisuke" murmured Barragan in a low rumble. "You are correct. Whenever you strike at me, you are slowed down enough that I can retaliate quite easily. To be able to deduce my ability from just three clashes is quite something. However, knowing wont change the fact that it is impossible for you to cut me, let alone have any hopes of winning. In fact, if you've already seen through that, you should know how pointless it is to continue your futile effort"
"Hmm I don't know about that. After all, if you're just slowing down time, then all I need to do is hit faster and faster until I can hit you, isn't that right?" answered the candy store owner. "Eventually, I'm bound to sneak in a hit or two"
"You presume too much. Whoever said that was the limit of my abilities? I have yet to show you anything, Kisuke Urahara" he said, walking towards Urahara.
*CREEEEAK! CRAAAACK!*
The roof of the building he was walking on started to slowly crumble to dust, the effect spreading to the surrounding materials as well.
"My aspect of death is old age. Everything around me ages and dies, until there is nothing left but dust" explained Barragan. "And this ability, is called respira"
A black, dense fog permeated around Barragan, aging and crumbling anything that came in contact with it. Concrete, Iron, Steel, Grass, Trees and anything else touched by it. It mattered not. Some decayed, some cracked and crumbled and some others simply fell apart. But without exception, anything the fog touched fell to ruin.
Urahara made his move, circling around Barragan and jumping around to avoid the deadly fog.
"It is useless!" rasped the god king, directing more of the menacing fog at Urahara. The arrancar himself was fast, being able to use sonido to cover the distances Urahara put between himself and the god king. But wherever he sonidoed in, the fog followed after. The fog had already caught the hem of his hakama once, which he immediately slashed away, leaving a sizable hole in his favourite green coloured dress.
"Byakurai" chanted Urahara, pointing his sword from which a thin white coloured bolt of lightning flew straight towards the black fog. Urahara narrowed his eyes as he watched the beam go through the fog and then into the building in the back where it created a punched a hole straight through.
"Where are you aiming, Soul Reaper? If you think you can get rid of my respira with some flimsy low level kido, think again!" growled Barragan.
"Sho" he chanted once more, casting the most basic hado spell that generated a blast of air that sent debris and glass towards the black fog. While the air itself died down, some of the debris was simply pulverized to smaller, finer grains while the glass and rock passed through relatively fine. Urahara repeated the experiment with a few more hado spells and a few bakudo spells, all of which were aimed at the fog that Barragan continued to generate. And then finally, he slashed at the fog from afar, using his zanpakuto's ability to generate crimson energy waves. They too, passed through just fine.
"Hmph, I see now. You realize that even touching this fog means death. And I can practically continue to create this mist of death indefinitely. But you have no means of getting through to me until you can find your way across my respira. And so, as futile as it is, you continue to hack away at it despite it being pointless. Or perhaps…..ah….I see. It is the very aspect of death that makes you frantic, doesn't it? The very thought of being reduced to nothing more than bones, without so much as a whimper…it scares you, doesn't it, Kisuke Urahara? I see, I see…indeed. Though you are a soul reaper, a being that deals with death, you still fear it, don't you? I don't blame you. Even the agents of death themselves still die. Everything dies and it is through this fear of death that those living can continue to grow and evolve and proliferate. Can continue to…live. It is part of your instinct as one of the living. You cannot help but fear the finality of death and try all that you can to try and escape its allure. And that is why you continue to-" Barragan found himself stopping when he noticed the sly smile on Urahara's face. "And just what is so funny? Has the aspect of dying driven you insane, Urahara Kisuke?"
"Huh..? Oh no no no! It's just that…god king-san…there's no doubt you've lived longer than most of us ever have. You're probably even older than the head captain, aren't you?"
"….? And? What does that have to do with our battle?"
"Well….it's just…..I agree that you only became an arrancar recently and your respira is probably something you got after Aizen made you into an arrancar. Even so, with your knowledge, I assumed you'd be well aware of how it works. But it seems that even you have misunderstood the true nature of your ability, God king san" replied Urahara slyly.
"….What do you mean?"
"All that your respira does is accelerate time for anything it comes into contact with. But that in itself does NOT mean that it can 'instantly destroy and decay anything it touches'. And well, from observing how different substances around us fared against that fog, I've determined that your respira causes approximately 500 years to pass for every second outside of the fog. But that in itself is pointless. First off, when something decays, it does so because external factors such as bacteria, moisture, air, chemicals, sunlight, or other similar things act on said object over an extended period of time. But without those other factors, merely speeding up time of an object when it's left by itself would not be as detrimental to the state of the object, especially for non-organic substances. Look at all of the different things around us" he said, pointing to the buildings and other man made objects such as lamp posts, cars, houses, sighboards and so on. "In less than a fraction of the time you've stayed alive, humans have done so much. They've learnt to build things that are strong, resilient, light and yet functional. Even your respira, which can cause living matter to instantly decay still put up quite the fight against things like concrete, that can last thousands of years without external factors such as air and moisture. Or take this for example" he said, sending a crescent wave of energy from his sword upwards, shattering the glass windows of the building above him. As the pieces came raining down, he pointed towards Barragan with the rain of glass shards in front of him and chanted "Hado #1, Sho!"
The shards of glass propelled forward from the force of the hado spell at supersonic speeds, crumbling and shattering from the force of the spell and becoming glass shrapnel that flung towards Barragan.
"It's no use-!" Barragan sent a wave of his respira at the incoming projectiles, but found that his fog did nothing to stop the glass pieces from punching straight through and into him, piercing numerous holes all across his cloak and his bony body.
"GRRRHH! Wh…what is this…?! How….?!"
"Just glass. Surprisingly sharp, transparent and a great material to store practically any substance without worrying about any type of corrosion or degradation. It's a substance so stable, you could leave it outside for a million years and it would still be present in the state it was left, albeit slightly flaky because of vitrification. Because it doesn't react to air or moisture like steel or iron does, and it isn't broken down by things like bacteria. So, for all intents and purposes, glass is pretty much immune to the effects of time. And so are many of the materials built by humans. Truly, as God king-san said, the very concept of aging is only scary because it's so hard on the living. For something non living, it might as well not matter at all. Heck, even things like honey for example are the same, and that's an organic substance. And there's also this thing of course" he said, swinging his sword in a wide arc, generating another crimson beam of pure reishi. Barragan set up his respira as before, but this time making sure to block the hit with his axe in case it failed. And as expected, it did. The blunt side of the ace dissipated most of the attack, but some of it still splashed around him, cutting things behind him.
"Things made of pure reishi are made up of spirit particles, which are practically the fundamental particles of the spirit world. Fundamental particles like electrons, protons and neutrons. While some are radioactive and decay naturally, stable particles practically exist forever unless they react with something. This applies to reishi as well. Which is also why a kido spell like Byakurai which shoots a lightning bolt can pass through that fog as easily as air. After all, lightning is nothing more than a discharge of electrons, which cannot decay by themselves no matter how many eons pass. All that your mist does is speed up things that naturally occur and this is really only significant to organic materials. Honestly, if you ask me god king-san, I'd say you overestimated your ability" said Urahara casually, flinging more crescent, crimson coloured energy beams at Barragan. "All I need to do is hide behind a glass wall and you can try and try to make it rot but it wont work unless you physically shatter it. Heck, even my zanpakuto's blood mist shield which is made from my reishi would have the same effect"
"Why you..!" growled the arrancar, "Do not mock me, worm! If my respira doesn't work, then all I need to do is crush you with my own hands!"
The two circled around each other, with Urahara using a combination of Tenran and Sho to fling storms of glass and rock shards propelled by the supersonic winds of Tenran and the extra force generated by Sho. The miniscule, powdery form of the glass shards within the swirling winds did an excellent job of cutting away at anything that came in its path, functioning like an abrasive jet. And that included Barragan's battle axe and his body itself. Urahara's constant slashes of crescent, crimson energy waves didn't give much leeway for Barragan to move around either. And as he ran around, Urahara was continuously chanting something, murmuring under his breath. With each passing second, pink glowing spheres of reishi were forming around him. And then in one final stroke, Urahara swung his sword once more, chanting "Shibari Benehime"
A blood red net of crisscrossing reishi engulfed Barragan, with wisps of the deadly fog seeping out. While the fog itself tried its best to break down the net, it didn't work.
"Here's another fact, God king-san. Did you know that light is pretty much the same? No matter how much 'time' passes, you cannot decay it. Heck, the very concept of time doesn't even apply to a photon of light. Because they move at well, light speed, they practically experience no time at all. There are stars out there that are billions of light years away from us. We see their light after the photons from the stars left them billions of years ago all the way until they reach our eyes. And in all that time, that photon has travelled unperturbed. And here's the thing. No matter what the medium it goes through, light has the same speed. It may take longer and shorter paths, but its speed is constant. Now you may be wondering why am I tell you all this. Well, if you pay your attention to what's behind me" he said, pointing to the numerous spheres of light behind him. "Those are spheres of light from the hado spell I was casting while I was running around. It rains down rays of light and focuses it at a single point. And because they are light rays, you can't decay them away with your mist, and they won't slow down in your vicinity either. That much energy condensed in such a small space causes it to violently explode. Mind you, I had to control the amount of energy I put into it. You see, the stronger you are, the easier it becomes for you to put too much energy into the spell. And too much energy in a small space can easily cause an explosion that can take out entire cities. Kinda like a thermonuclear weapon. Heh, no wonder it's a forbidden spell. But well, since you ARE the god king of Hueco Mundo, I don't feel too bad about using it. You can tell where I'm going with this can't you?"
"D…damn you…! This accursed net…! I'll be free in no time-!"
"Hado 91, Senjukotentaihou"
The spheres of reishi instantly sped towards where the god king was, converging at a single point. With all the energy from each of the spheres collapsing to a single point, it caused a titanic explosion that lit the entire sky pink. Everything within two city blocks was utterly decimated. It was clear that neither respira nor any of Barragan's other abilities could do anything as his entire body was completely annihilated by the blast.
"Sorry about that god king-san. I have nothing against you. But there are far more important things I need to look into. So, I hope you won't hold it against me for finishing our little dance prematurely" said Urahara, before moving out.
"So, it's you huh? Let's just get this over with" said Isshin with a non-caring sigh.
"That's quite the arrogant statement, Soul reaper" replied Zommari. "I have neither ridiculed you nor have I even had the chance to introduce myself. Neither have you introduced yourself for that matter. You speak as if you've already won this battle. Do all soul reapers like to-"
"Bakudo #79, Kuyoshibari"
Before the arrancar had the chance to even complete his sentences, eight pitch black orbs appeared around Zommari, with a final ninth one manifesting at the center of his chest.
"Wh…what trickery is this?! You'd attack while I'm still..?!"
"Bakudo #63, Sajosabaku"
A shining rope made of reishi wrapped around an already bound Zommari.
"Again…! You'd attack while your enemy is still…you…you soul reapers…! Always playing dirty…! Have you no sense of honor….?! These accursed bonds..! How is it that I can't even budge…!"
"Alright, first off, I haven't attacked. Not yet. I just bound you in place so you'd stop squirming around. I really don't want to miss and make this any longer. And next, why, oh why, would start giving me lectures and not attack? Personally, many of my acquaintances just died, one of whom was especially close to me. So, I don't really feel like hanging around here. I really couldn't give a crap about 'honor' and things like that. So if you'll excuse me" he said, drawing his sword and raising his up. Zommari could try and try, but nothing he did could undo the bakudo spell cast by Isshin. Heck, he'd be so immobilized, that he couldn't even move his zanpakuto to release it in hopes of setting himself free.
"Getsuga Tenshou"
The massive blue reishi wave easily tore through the immobilized arrancar and every building behind him. The height of the reishi wave itself was taller than the buildings it tore apart, leaving behind a massive crater. There was absolutely no trace of Zommari remaining and Isshin couldn't care less about it at the moment. With a single flick of his sword, he proceeded to check on the battles of the others.
Yoruichi had the most casual stance as she stood witness to the five that approached her. It looked awkward considering the anti hierro armor she was wearing on her. The pair of oversized gauntlets and leg greaves she was wearing was such a stark contrast to her own slender and lithe build. That didn't mean she was lax about her upcoming confrontation however. After all, she was facing off against four arrancars, one of whom happened to possess an enormous amount of spirit energy, even more so than Ruby ever did. It easily surpassed her own spirit energy. Along with them was Momo, a girl whom she only knew by name and as one of the co-conspirators with Aizen. What did catch her attention however, was that while she was only supposed to be a lieutenant level Shinigami to the best of her knowledge, her current spirit energy was easily at the same level as Renji at his current level. Which was still lower than each of the three arrancars in front of the blonde haired arrancar. She gave an amused sigh, and put up her guard, challenging them, her eyes narrowed at the Tres Bestias.
"So, you're Yoruichi….?" Asked Sung-sun.
"…? Well, I didn't think arrancars would know about me but yeah. Who's askin'?" replied the flash master, her eyes raised.
"Considering how much Ruby talks about you, it would've been hard to forget. Although…I have to say, you don't quite look like how Ruby described you to be" admitted Mila-rose.
"Ruby…? You know her…? Wait…who did you say you were again?" asked Yoruichi, genuinely curious.
"My name is Tier Harribel, Espada number 3, and these three are my fraccione, Mila-Rose, Sung-sun and Apacci" said the blonde arrancar, stepping in.
"….Harribel….? You're…Harribel…?" asked Yoruichi, surprised. "….Well, isnt that just peachy. Now I see…ah well….she's told me a lot about you all as well. Who would've thought…..this would turn into such an interesting set of events…."
Momo was watching the exchange between the two with an unsure look on her eyes. She wasn't sure why Tier and the others hadn't attacked yet, but she could see why. Naturally she was aware that Tier and her fraccione were family to Ruby and Summer and while she was aware of Ruby's connection to Yoruichi and the Kurosaki family (both through Ruby and Summer themselves during their training sessions as well as through Aizen), it had momentarily slipped her mind, only for her to be reminded of it when the people in front of her started conversing with each other. A fact that Yoruichi seemed to guess.
"So…? Don't tell me you and her have something going on as well.." she asked, looking at Momo.
"….she….Not Ruby-san per say but….Summer-san did train me for a short while….but we have had several conversations, Ruby-san and I" She replied. Yoruichi, Tier and her fraccione and Momo were then left eyeing each other.
"…wouldja look at that. Six women with totally different stories and origins connected by only one person in a world consisting of billions of people. What're the chances of that? Heh, you just totally made this whole thing a lot more awkward. But to be fair, I'm more surprised than stumped. Considering what she's told me, I'm surprised you're working for Aizen. If you know who I am, then, shouldn't we be on the same side?" asked Yoruichi.
"That depends. I'm not sure what Ruby told you about us, but if everything she told us about you are true, you have my gratitude for looking after Ruby during the difficult times of her life. I only regret that I wasn't there for her then. And….it is also the reason I approached you, since I thought that would be the case. Judging from how defensive you sound regarding Ruby, I assume it's all true. But….whether we join forces or not is another matter. Although we have no particular loyalty for Aizen, we have no particular love for soul reapers either. All that we care about is ensuring that those that are with us are protected. So far, we've done just fine as his Espada. Thanks to Ruby, Aizen isnt even as condescending on her as he is with some of the others. As we are now, Ruby is even able to look after Ichigo and the rest. But you on the other hand…..you've given no assurance so far that you can do something about Aizen" said Tier.
"What…?! The way you put it sounds as if you don't care if captain Aizen wins or loses!" snapped Momo angrily.
"Yeah, what of it?!" snapped Apacci back. "I'm pretty sure the big shot himself knows that. Fuck, the only reason we even-"
"I believe Harribel-sama asked you not to interfere with us, didn't she Hinamori-san?" cut in Sung-sun. "You have your own way of doing things and we have ours. So we would appreciate it if you minded your own business"
"That and this are separate matters! Betraying Lord Aizen was not something I agreed to turn a blind eye to! Harribel-san…..even you should know the consequences of such a thing! Their forces have already thinned out so much! It's only a matter of time before Lord Aizen emerges victorious! You want to safeguard your subordinates, don't you? I'll overlook what you just said. In return, just focus on the fight at hand!" said Momo.
"Hmm I dunno. I mean, if you haven't noticed, your side's doing pretty roughly too. And well, we have Kisuke. No matter what Aizen's planned. I'm sure Kisuke has a dozen more plans than that. There's no way we're losing this one. And besides….it's what Ruby wants, Harribel" argued Yoruichi.
"Maybe. But….before I decide on anything, I'd like to know for myself, the kind of people Ruby put her trust on and believes in. The little one told us a lot about your capabilities too, and though they were a bit hard to digest, I could take her word for it. And besides, if you are proposing to work together, then don't you think it's in good courtesy to show proof of what you have to offer?" said Tier.
Yoruichi sighed softly. "True. You have a point. You only want to make sure Ruby and your other allies are safe, and I can respect that. In fact, I'm glad you asked that. I can see why you mean so much to her. Very well. I thought it might also be a nice way to learn about each other's stories. And besides, it would look bad if we're just standing here and doing nothing, wont it?" she said.
"Heh, well said!" said Apacci with glee. "Thrust, Cierva!"
"Devour, Leona!"
"Strangulate, Anaconda!"
With the release commands spoken, the Tres Bestias each transformed into their resurreccion, with reishi flaring around them. Apacci's entire body was covered in brown fur, with deer like hooves, a small tail and antlers like a deer where her mask used to be.
Sung-sun's lower body transformed into that of a snake's.
Mila-rose's resemblance to an Amazon warrior deepened, with two claws holding her breasts, an armoured thong, an armor-like neck garment, and a pair of boots which extended to her upper thigh. She gained sharper lion-like fangs, an orange x-shaped mark on her forehead, and a long lion mane with gold highlights. Unlike her companions, she retained her broadsword like zanpakuto.
"Bankai!" cried Momo, to Yoruichi's surprise. Sure, there wasn't much intel she had on Momo, but she was dead certain that Momo hadn't achieved Bankai. But then again, it would've been strange if Aizen continued to keep her at his side unless she did something to increase her usefulness to him, she thought to herself. Although her spirit energy spiked to few times of what it was initially, she was still only about as strong as Renji was when he used his bankai, confirming her initial hypothesis. The massive pink reishi around her began to morph and shift, thinning out and centred at Momo's back. From here, the reishi began branching out, like the branches and roots of a tree which formed the shape of four wings. Each of the branches then formed several leaves made of reishi, in which some had burning, plum shaped reishi glowing orange. Momo's zanpakuto which had two prongs in it initially now had seven, three one each side and one tip. Momo's attire changed as well, now porting a wider sash like that in a yukata at her hips, a necklace of prayer beads with a magatama at the center around her neck and a white robe covering her shoulders. Her shoulder length hair was tied in a loop.
"Keiken'na Tobiume" (Lit. Devout Flying Plum Tree)
Even the nearby arrancars were surprised by it.
"When in the world did she get that….?"
"Did Ruby and Summer know about this?"
"Her power…..it's about as much as that red head's was back then….nah, slightly more maybe. But still, it's a far cry from our own and Yoruichi's, let alone Harribel-sama's…"
"I don't know what you're planning, Harribel-san. I'll keep out of your way as you asked. But in return, I hope you'll be smart about your decisions" said Momo, charging in first. She flicked her seven branched sword, flinging two fireballs from the 'branches' on her back. Yoruichi easily avoided the projectiles, but saw that once then were close to her, they exploded, scattering many flares that then further exploded in a cascade of explosions, like crackling fireworks.
"Heh nice! Almost reminds me of Kuka!" smirked Yoruichi. "But you're still waaayy too slow to be catching me!"
The Tres Bestias then approached her, each one circling around her. Sung-sun first tried cornering her by conjuring snakes from within her sleeves while Apacci attacked Yoruichi from the other end using a stream of balas. Mila-Rose on the other hand tried keeping the flash master occupied by getting in up close, attacking with a mix of sword slashes and hand-to-hand combat. The trio were in perfect sync, avoiding the attacks of the others while managing to perform their own flawlessly. Like a well choreographed dance. Yoruichi on the other hand, was facing the trio for the first time. But her vastly superior speed and hand-to-hand combat prowess made it nearly impossible for the trio to do any serious damage to her. And during the parts the Momo felt the need to attack, they would need to switch out in order to prevent disrupting each other.
The Tres Bestias couldn't help but compare her to Ruby when it came to speed and agility. But her hand to hand combat skills were nothing like Ruby's. She was easily able to surpass Mila-Rose in terms of strength, and the whole time, Yoruichi only looked as if she was playing. However, more than the actual combat, their conversation was the more interesting part of their fight. As they exchanged blows, they spoke of their times with Ruby and all of the different similarities or otherwise they had in common regarding the ex-rose huntress when it came to their times with her.
It was a strange feeling for sure, thought the Tres Bestias to themselves. Talking to Yoruichi felt no different than talking to any of their other companions. If not for her reishi, there was no way they would've been able to tell that she was a soul reaper. Yoruichi was like a strange mix between Ruby and Nel. Possessing Ruby's maturity and Nel's playful and carefree attitude.
"Hooh…..looks like she's quite in demand, that girl. At this point, I have to wonder who she hasn't spent time with" said Yoruichi. "But then again, I'm not really surprised. She has that quality that attracts people to her. I'm just happy I was able to give back something to her for everything she did and went through. The World of the Living can be a really unforgettable place to be after living as a soul for hundreds of years. You can take that from someone who's lived here for long enough. Seeing as how you're her family, you should take up that chance as well once this is all over. It'll help broaden your horizons for one. And I'm sure Ruby will be more than happy to see you try living her life. From going shopping, to going on eating sprees and going to the beach, there's just a whole lot of fun activities out here" said Yoruichi. "For one, the sheer amount of different food you get here is already a good enough reason to aim for that, don't you think? In fact, I wouldn't even mind showing you the ropes"
"Shopping….for clothes…." Said Sung-sun dreamily.
"Food….." said Mila-Rose and Apacci. They exchanged a few more strikes before Momo switched back again.
"How can you…..How can you just talk about going and shopping casually when so many of your allies are dead?! Thi…this isnt normal!" she argued, sending a few more spread shots of her exploding fireballs.
"I don't see why not" said Yoruichi unperturbed. "They're Ruby's family, so I have no reason to have any particular hostility towards them. True, the soul reapers may have faced a large number of casualties and true, it is quite unpleasant. But to be honest, it's not like I was particularly close to them. I've been away from the Soul Society for over a 100 years after all. And being the ex-captain of the punishment force and the stealth force, death of your comrades is just something you learn to accept. In any mission, you learn to acknowledge that there will be casualties. What surprises me even more is you, Momo" she said, avoiding all of her attacks with super fast flashsteps. "True, the Soul Reapers may not be the most pleasant bunch out there. But there ARE good people amongst them as well. People who cared about you despite what they personally did or believed in. In the end, isnt that the only thing that matters? Are things really fine the way they are now? Toshiro….you were really close to him weren't you? Aizen was responsible for that. And yet….why do you continue to follow him? Don't you see that he doesn't care for-"
"NO YOU'RE WRONG!" she snapped, swinging her sword widely, sending more explosions. "Captain Aizen was the one who showed me the truth! And he allowed me to choose my own path and take my own decisions after that! In all the time I've been with him, he's done nothing but support me and help me become a better person, even though he had no reason to! With all those Espada and Arrancars being there….beings that were so many times powerful and useful to Captain Aizen than I could ever be….and yet, he still…he still didn't complain one bit despite how weak I was in comparison. If anything, I wouldn't be where I am now without him..! And you're wrong..! It was head captain that killed Shiro-chan! He…he could've avoided it….he could've sensed it….and yet….he carelessly killed not just him but all of his other allies like they were nothing…."
"Sounds like a convenient excuse to me to turn your eyes from the truth. A monkey could see that if they watched you go on for a few minutes. You're just being in denial" remarked Apacci.
"It still doesn't change the fact that it happened due to his Kyoukasuigetsu" retorted Yoruichi calmly. "Hiding things from those that trust you isnt always wrong, just as how revealing the truth isnt always the right. It all comes down to the context and the intention. Because one can twist 'facts' to suit one's own narratives. Just like what Aizen's been doing to you. Tell me…..you said that you were training under Ruby and Summer. For all the spite you have against Soul Reapers, tell me, does Summer strike you as the same? Did Toshiro, whom you reached out to give a second chance, strike you as the same? I'm sure she must've asked you about it….right?"
Momo grimaced, pausing her thoughts from the current battle momentarily.
"It's fine to look up to others. It's even fine to aspire to be like them. After all, they do say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. But you have your own life to live, your own dreams to pursue and they aren't always the same as the dreams of those that you look up to. You can always follow your dreams without needing to 'betray' those that you look up to, and there are things that you can learn from others and use them to better your own life even if that other person isnt someone you can see eye to eye with. And right now, you're doing nothing more than living out a fragment of his own dream at the cost of your own. In my eyes, a person who's given up on their own aspirations and dreams to only mindlessly follow another is no better than a mindless puppet; one that's dancing to the tunes of the puppeteer by the strings it doesn't know it has. I have no particular animosity towards you nor any reason to be killing such a person. If you really value what she has told you and if you really want to prove that you're not just Aizen's puppet, try to think for yourself for once and try living your own life. Not that I should be putting it this way, but…..if you ask me, if you truly want to stand by Aizen's side, pursuing your own ambitions while supporting his own is how I would do it. What you're doing…..is just being useful to him. Like a tool"
"Shut up, SHUT UP!" roared Momo, firing off multiple fireballs from her Bankai that spread out causing untold destruction around them. Some of them even whizzed past the Tres Bestias, much too close for comfort.
"Oy, go be throwing tantrums somewhere else, you-!"
"Who….Who do you think you are, coming out of nowhere and telling me all this now!? You don't get to give me life lessons out of nowhere when you have no idea about the people you're condescending! If you really want to 'help', where were you when I was out there, looking for answers!? Where was Shiro-chan?! Where were those so called 'friends' that I trusted more than anyone?! And to the bitter end, Shiro-chan….he….he just…"
"He looked quite regretful and destitute, didn't he? For someone to be at captain level, he didn't put up any resistance as he approached you. Despite knowing that Aizen was just a few paces away. Despite the fact that the captain commander was against him coming over to this side just to talk to you, whom he considered a traitor. And till the end, he looked like he wanted nothing more than to make up with you, regardless of who you believed in or what you wanted" added Tier slowly.
"You….I…that's…." said Momo, clutching her head and talking to herself. All of those words, spoken both by her enemy and her ally, it was as if fate was reminding her of the very same words spoken to her by Summer, albeit worded differently. The person who supported her and helped her despite how much Momo disliked Summer initially. The person who, for all intents and purposes, was the only one who spent any quality time with her, accepting her regardless of what she said or how she acted around the estranged soul reaper. And till the end, wanted nothing more than to help her find her own path, without making her feel that her decision to be with her beloved captain was a wrong one. But….it couldn't. Her captain couldn't be wrong. There was no way. After all, she'd been watching him ever since she became his lieutenant. And since then, he'd done nothing but care for her. Summer's words painfully echoed within her.
"You know….watching that four eyes is fine an all, but….you shouldn't let that blind you to things around you. After all, if you keep chasing after 'senpai' all the time like a high school girl in love, you'll disregard your friends, your family and even yourself. In the end, not only will you not be good enough for your Aizen senpai, but our four eyes senpai will also become tired of you eventually. Can you imagine if someone kept looking at you, kept observing you without really living their own life? The first thing that would come to your mind would be 'Doesn't this person have their own life to live? Why is she/he clinging to me all the time'? So yeah…..for your own good, and as a small request from your teacher as well….just…have some self respect 'k?...now now, don't be so distraught. Come here…there….just rest easy for now. You don't have to do anything immediately, but it's just something for you to think about. If you have anything at all, you're always welcome to ask"
"Wh…what is this…..just…..what the hell…just….stop…! All of you coming and telling me what I should be doing…then….does that mean I was just wasting my life…for nothing…?! Who's right…..Is Summer-san right after all….? Or was Aizen-sama wrong all this time…..no….no….that can't…..I won't…..just because….I won't…! Just…JUST GO AWAY…AAAARRRRRGGGHHHHH!" The estranged girl raised her sword high atop her head, pouring in every bit of reishi in that her bankai would allow her to collect. All of the burning orbs disappeared, along with the tree-like reishi on her back, condensing at the tips of the seven prongs on her sword.
"That…..looks like it could do some really serious damage.." muttered Sung-sun under her breath.
"Momo, wait..!" called out Mila-Rose, but the girl merely glared at her with terrified and distraught eyes.
"Stay away….! I won't….I won't let you mislead me anymore…! I'll…I'LL-!" before Momo could bring down her sword, before Yoruichi was about to flash step behind her to take her out, Momo could feel someone's hand on her shoulder.
"You're looking at this the wrong way" said Tier in a soft tone. "Nobody is wrong or right here. Each one of us have our own truths and beliefs that guide us, which we use in turn to guide those we care about. It's up to you to form your own truth and your own principles and beliefs based on what you believe is right. Based on what YOU want to do. And that's not something you can learn by following someone or being with the person you hold dear. That is something you can only learn by seeing and experiencing the world on your own. And that takes time. It's only something you can get slowly over time as you grow and mature. That is what both of them wanted to tell you. That is what Yoruichi is trying to tell you. Don't accept something is right or wrong just because someone said so. Go out there and find out for yourself, whether you think it is right or wrong, based on how you've lived and based on what life has taught you. Then….you'll see that you'll be able to proudly stand by your beliefs, even if you do it all alone. Just like Summer did. And just like Aizen did"
The girl's hand quivered, hesitation openly visible on her face. Yoruichi considered using the opening to disarm her, but decided against it. Instead…
"Please….just withdraw for now and give yourself time to think about what you really want to do. Forget about Aizen, about Summer, and about this entire battle. Don't hurt yourself anymore or push yourself when you don't want to. Honestly, you being there for Aizen, at your level, wont help him much. You….know that right?" asked Yoruichi. Momo could only turn away. "I could easily take you out or even kill you with little to no problem. But that would solve nothing. If instead….I can help another like Masaki did for Ruby….then I'll be happier with that outcome. So just….stand down.."
After what seemed like several tense minutes, the girl's hand finally lowered, the flames disappearing from her blade. The white robe around her slowly dissipated as well, along with the extra prongs on her zanpakuto and her hair returned to the way it was before she used bankai. Momo's face was strained, and small tears were forming on her wavering eyes. Whatever thoughts were on the girl's mind were hard to read. But her face, although confused and lost, did look as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her. As if pulled down by something invisible, she felt her body give away, her consciousness draining with the tension that now left her body. Tier gently caught her, quickly using Sonido to reach the ground and place her a safe distance away from all the fighting.
"So….what now, Harribel-san?" asked Yoruichi. "I don't mean to be a party pooper, but I for one don't really feel like fighting against the four of you after all that"
"There wont be any need to" said Tier.
"Harribel-sama…?"
"I could fight you personally, but doing that achieves nothing. I've seen what I wanted to see, and so have you three, I assume?" she asked, looking at her fraccione.
"I mean…..I suppose" replied Mila-rose, scratching the back of her head. "I can see why she got attached to her for one"
"I still don't see why she called you a 'cat-lady' but….the rest I can understand" admitted Apacci.
"Oh that? I'm pretty sure she means this" chirped Yoruichi, transforming into her cat form with a puff of smoke.
"…." The tres bestias watched the playful cat waving her 'paw' at them with what appeared to be a 'smile' on it's face while their mouths hung wide open for a solid five seconds.
"You're kidding me…..right…?!" said a bewildered Apacci.
"This is not what I had in mind…" said Mila-Rose.
"Well….atleast we know why she got along especially well with her…I wonder what would happen if that blue haired pain in the rear looked at her.." said Sung-sun.
"And there you have it" said Yoruichi, back in her human form. "It's not really useful for much else apart from…fun and at times, stealth but.."
"Still…..it's…."
"Impressive..?" said Mila-Rose.
"Weird…?" suggested Sung-sun.
"And what's with the weird gauntlets and boots…?" asked Apacci.
"Anti-hierro armor" said Yoruichi. "If I'd connected while wearing this, it would've punched straight through that hierro of yours with no trouble at all. And….not to boast, but I do know how to land a good hit. Trust me, you don't want me punching you with this thing on even by mistake"
"Anti…heirro armor…? Something like that exists..?" asked Sung-sun.
"Nope. It's custom made for me by Kisuke. And this isnt the only thing he has" said Yoruichi "That's why…you can be sure that Aizen wont be staying for long"
"~You called for me?~~" came a sing song voice from behind Yoruichi. She could feel a hand feel up her rear. A vein popped in Yoruichi's forehead and she swung her fist behind her, annoyed.
"~My, Yoruichi-san, you're still as wild as ever~~at this rate you'll never get a hus-GHWARGH!"
"Stop fooling around and start talking you perverted shopkeeper!" admonished the cat Shinigami, bonking Urahara in the head.
"What's with this pervert…wait…..Kisuke Urahara….?" Asked Apacci.
"Was he….always like this…?" asked Mila-rose.
"You have no idea. Anyway, Kisuke! What the hell are you doing here?! Werent you fighting Barragan?" asked Yoruichi.
"Sure was, but as you can see, I'm done" answered Kisuke. "And so I left immediately since I just had the most immediate urge to pet Yoruichi-san and-GHWARGH!"
"Did I hear you mention that you bested Baraggan? And his fraccione? Yet, I don't see any visible injuries on you. How is that possible?" asked Tier, her eyes raised.
"Wait…you're right! That ass is even more powerful that Harribel-sama! And that respira of his….wasnt that nearly impossible to get through? Not to mention, he still had four of his fraccione. So you're telling me this perverted bastard took out all five of them without getting a single scratch..?" asked Apacci, shocked.
"Even winning against Barragan himself without a scratch would be quite the achievement. I doubt even Ulquiorra could've done it. But you….." stated Mila-Rose.
It was only then that they understood the true depth of the abilities of the man standing before them. After all, he HAD been the one who came up with the elaborate scheme to counter Aizen's Kyoukasuigetsu. Not to mention, he was able to beat Barragan and his fraccione all by himself. Which already put this man leagues above them. But what bothered Tier were his eyes. They were the same. His and Aizen's. Like they belied what was truly going on within their minds. Like she hadn't even seen the surface of what Kisuke Urahara really was. And yet…..Tier could feel something different about Kisuke Urahara compared to Aizen Sosuke.
"Once you know the trick to his respira, it's not that hard to get around. I'd also say that I was better equipped to deal with his particular set of skills. I'm quite certain that you too could've bested him with the right conditions, Harribel-san" said Urahara. "On that note, seeing as how this is the first time we've met formally, let me introduce myself. You probably already know, but I'm Kisuke Urahara. I've of course heard about you, Harribel-san. I'm sure Yoruichi-san already told you everything, but still, my sincere thanks for everything you did for Ruby-chan. And that goes for you three lovely ladies as well"
"Likewise. I also heard that you made it possible for the little one to live a comfortable life here when she was hurt and injured. You have my gratitude for that" replied Tier.
"Tch, who the hell are you flirting with, lecherous old man" scoffed Apacci, a vein popping in her forehead.
"Atleast he called you both that and not a pair of gorillas, which is way more than you both deserve" cut in Sung-sun craftily.
"That's enough you three" said Tier sternly, then turning to Urahara and Yoruichi.
"So then, Harribel, what have you decided? To help us out or…?" asked Yoruichi.
Tier thought to herself quietly before sighing. "There's no doubt that you are as skilled as I envisioned you to be. From all that I've seen you do, from sealing Aizen's zanpakuto, to defeating Barragan without getting so much of a scratch and even the way you handled my fraccione and Momo. I'm even slightly inclined to believe that you just might pull it off. But I wanted to see for myself the kind of people the little one put her trust in and the kind of people whom she lived with. More as a person than their abilities. Because….there was no reason to think that you wouldn't be just like Aizen was. For all I know, you could've put on a an act of good faith, just like how Aizen has to Momo"
"….I can't really argue with you there" said Urahara.
"But the little one did see past Aizen's persona. Both Summer and the little one trust you with their entire being. And unlike the other soul reapers, you do see the world around you in a more informed manner. I'm glad there are Soul Reapers like you out there. Very well. The little one was one thing, but having seen you for myself, I find myself sharing her views. I wouldn't mind sparring with you to test your battle abilities further than they could, but I would prefer conserving my strength for when we face off against Aizen"
"So…does that mean…we're really doing it, Harribel-sama…?" asked Sung-sun. Tier nodded.
"Just know that I haven't made this decision lightly. I still believe there is a chance that even if we all banded together, it would still fall short. In a sense, by deciding to side with you and effectively betray Aizen, not only am I putting my faith in the little one's words and yours, but I am also putting ourselves at the risk of getting disposed by Aizen for betraying him. But….after having seen you deal with Momo in that manner and the way you handled yourself with my fraccione…I think I'd like to try my chances with you" said Tier.
"Of course and….thanks. I really appreciate it" said Yoruichi.
"As thanks, I'll be sure to whip up something that'll allow you to spend some time in the World of the Living with Ruby and her family and see the world the way she did when she was here. You needn't worry so much, Harribel-san. One way or another, Aizen will be stopped" said Urahara, offering his hand, which Tier shook. "~~After all, I can already picture Harribel-san and all of you lovely ladies in swimsuits when you all finally hit the beach together with Ruby-chan after this is all over~~!"
No sooner had he said that the eccentric shopkeeper earned the fists of the Tres Bestias and Yoruichi combined.
"Man, how the hell did Ruby put up with this leacher for almost a year?!" asked Mila-rose, annoyed.
"You asshole, try hitting on Harribel-sama one more time and I'll send you to kingdom come!" said Apacci, shaking her fists.
"Tch, and I was looking forward to seeing Ruby's place all this time too. What a droll way to sour the mood" said Sung-sun.
"A rather strange man for someone of his level, isnt he?" asked Tier.
"I wouldn't worry about this pervert too much, if I were you" said Yoruichi. "In fact, if we're done for now, I'd like to help out my student before we go. It seems she's still struggling with her opponent. It wont take long. However…..that guy….if he's one of your allies, I can try to hold back and not kill him" said Yoruichi, pointing to Soi-Fon and Nnoitora in the distance. Tier's eyes narrowed in displeasure.
"Tch, that asshole? You're free to finish him off. I'd rather do it myself, but I don't want your subordinate to be throwing punches at me when I'm not there for her" said Apacci.
"He's a scumbag alright. He's given us his own fair share of headaches, and I can tell you that Ruby looked ready to kill him more than a few times" said Mila-Rose.
"Not to mention the fact that he's tried 'disciplining' Yuzu and Orihime on multiple occasions as well. We did stop him before he did anything but….because of Aizen, we couldn't really finish him off" said Sung-sun.
"That's all I needed to hear" said Yoruichi, disappearing with a flash step.
"And I can go smooth things out with that one" offered Urahara, pointing to Starrk. "I assume he's also one of your friends"
"Indeed" said Tier. "What would you have us do then?"
"It's fine, Harribel-san, for now, there's nothing specific. The others should also be done just about now, and it's about time that those in Hueco Mundo arrive here as well. Which means the Soul Reapers that were stationed there as well as your own comrades. With all of us together, even Aizen shouldn't stand much of a chance"
"You sent for them already?" asked Tier surprised.
"I did it in advance just as soon as I sealed off Aizen's zanpakuto" he replied. "That's why I think it'll be better for Harribel-san and your fraccione to wait until they arrive. After all, you do function better working together with your comrades from Hueco Mundo, don't you?"
"True.….That makes sense" said Tier. "He knew it would come to this that far ahead? Truly, the more I see how he works, the more he reminds me of Aizen. But unlike him, this one does not posses the same air of pride and arrogance. Perhaps that is why the little one was able to feel at ease around him compared to Aizen"
"While you're on standby, I can go get the others. Their battles should be ending as well, so with some extra help, those should be no problem. And then, all that will remain will be Aizen himself. With that out of the way, I'll head over to them now" said Urahara, disappearing with a flash step going towards Starrk, Ukitake and Kyoraku.
Kira Izuru was the kind of individual that possessed a certain insight on things his peers found harder to see, and had the kind of mental fortitude to accept certain things that his peers had a harder time processing. Such as his thoughts on battles and wars. And his view on the current situation at hand. To him, being forced to watch a good number of his trusted comrades show their innermost weakness through the spell cast by Aizen was far worse than if he'd been affected by it. He rather preferred that he had been. Because atleast then, in his madness, he wouldn't have had the kind of mental clarity to process the ugly truth in front of him. But even as that situation calmed down, his horrors didnt end. No sooner had that happened, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, the skies turned red, and infernal pillars consumed those that stood standing, as well as the hope that he had. Gone. Burnt to cinders. People he'd shared more than decades of his life in the Soul Society with. Gone, just like that. All that was left of the lieutenants still standing, was only him. Sure, there were those that were merely injured and were simply out of commission for the time being. But as it was, he had no one to share his shock and sense of loss with. Those around him were captains who were too preoccupied dealing with the situation themsleves. A cold dread crept within him, as the sense of being left all alone with no one around who could empathize with him left him paralyzed. He knew of war, he wasnt one to take it lightly. He knew that their current battles were far from over and that like his superiors, he needed to do his part in combating his enemy. And yet...
"You looked trouble, Izuru" said a voice, calling out to him. It was a voice he would've recognized anywhere. And of all the people he could've faced off against, it just had to be him.
"Ca...captain Ichimaru..." replied Izuru, drawing his zanpakuto, Wabisuke into a defensive stance.
"Hmm? That's odd. I didnt think you'd still call me captain, but well...it's still nice to know you think of me that way" replied Gin, his smile ever present. His tone was completely relaxed, as was his gait, as if all he was doing was merely taking a stroll to his subordinate's house. "You looked quite stressed, Izuru. I know the duties of a Soul Reaper can be quite taxing, but you really should learn to relax once in a while you know? After all, your mental health is just as important as your duties"
"Why...why are you here..?" asked Kira, holding his position. Of all of his enemies, Gin was the one whose abilities Kira was most familiar with. The moment he appeared in frotn of him, he already knew it was a lost cause with no one else to support him. The best he could hope for was to stall and perhaps wound his ex-captain in an effort to slow down Aizen's plans.
"You dont have to be so suspecious you know? I just wanted to have a small chat. Honest" replied Gin. "It's not so strange that I'd want to see how my subordinate has been doing after I left, now is it?"
"Strange...? Are you really asking that? After what you did?! Till the last moment, I believed in you. And yet...you just left, without so much as a word. Dont you have anything to say for yourself?" demanded the lieutenant, pointing his zanpakuto. Gin had an awkward expression on his face.
"Going straight into the matter are we? I suppose you're in no mood for remniniscing" sighed Gin. "I'm not even sure why you're bringing that up now. I told you many times, Izuru. There are times when you may need to do things that would turn the world against you. But if it helps achieve your dreams and ambitions, if you feel truly right doing it, then you shouldn't let what the opinions of others stop you"
"That's it? And? Are you finally satisfied now captain? Are you finally following your ambitions and goals? Does that make you feel acomplished, knowing that the path you've takne led to the deaths of many who once believe in you?!" asked Izuru.
"Sure" answered Gin nonchalently. "If you're asking me that after being my lieutenant for that long, it simply means that till the end, even you never really did understand me after all" he sighed. "But there IS one thing that you need to be doing right now, isnt there?"
"...yeah. You're right, captain" said Izuru, facing off against his former captain. As much as he'd wished he could hear a reasonable explanation from Gin, that last sentence from him erased all expectations of that. It was clear that no matter how much he probbed his captain, he would never be able to see the reasons for his captain's defection. It was as Gin said; in the end, he never did understand his captain, despite believing otherwise. But there was one thing he DID know. HIs ex-captain was his enemy. And it was his duty to stop him where he stood, whether it was impossible or otherwise.
"You've never changed" said Gin, attacking with his dagger like zanpakuto with ultrafast strikes, which were only barely parried by Izuru. If it wasnt for the fact that he knew the attack patterns of his captain, the battle would've been decided long back. But this was good, thought Izuru. Because he counted 20 strikes in that short exchange between themselves.
"Its true...I never did understand you fully, captain. Just as I dont understand why you'd let me strike your zanpakuto so many times. But both of us know what that means, dont we captain?" asked Izuru. "Each strike from my sword means the weight of your weapon doubles. And twenty strikes would mean your zanpakuto now weighs 1048567 times of what it was before. I would assume that your zanpakuto weighs around 0.5 Kg in its contracted form. That means right now, it should weigh more than 500 tons. Even you can't possibly-!" Izuru knew what was wrong even before he completed his sentence. No...he should have noticed it much before, before they even got to clashing 20 times. Gin was standing in front of him just the same, holding his zanpakuto as if it was weighing no more than what a typical dagger weighed.
"Goodness gracious, a bit slower than usual, arent we?" asked Gin, nodding his head. "You've seen that my zanpakuto can extend beyond the length of a regular sword. And the longer a pole-shaped object is, the harder it is to swing it around, even if it weighs less. A 1Kg sword that's 10 meters long is far harder to swing than a sword that's only a meter long. And yet, you've seen me use my Shinso, both in Shikai and Bankai when it was much longer than that. Why do you think that is?" asked Gin.
Izuru stopped in his tracks, his eyes raised in realization. But no matter how much he thought, he couldnt think of a possible explanation for why that was exactly. All that he could theorize was that it was probably some special attribute of his ex-captain's zanpakuto, one that even he didnt know about, despite having seen him use his Shibkai and Bankai before.
"Take this as your final lesson, Izuru. Sometime, it's just impossible to completely understand a person, no matter how long you're with them. So, in the end, it's all about whether you want to stay with them despite that" said Gin. Swiftly, Gin jumped backwards, swinging his sword downward diagonally. Izuru didnt immediately put up his guard, both because he didnt expect his enemy to be jumping away from him and also because even if Gin could reach him by extending his sword, at the distance Gin was from him, Izuru knew that he could parry his opponent's blade. However...
*SCHICH!*
Kira stared wide eyed at the sky as he felt a searing, sharp pain slowly spread across his torso, his uniform becoming wet with blood that was slowly pouring out.
"B...but how...? I was sure...that I was way beyond his reach...so then...wh...no...you...you were using your Bank-" Before he could even finish his thoughts, Izuru fell down with a dull thud, his Zanpakuto slipping from his hand.
"And in the end, you never really did tell me how you were doing" said Gin with a hint of sadness, walking past him. "Perhaps next time..if there is one, we can have a better conversation" he said. Turning his head, Gin observed the spot where Rangiku had been just moments before she had been moved away by Hachi. Right next to the spot where she was laying before was a circular scorch mark on the ground, just inches away from her previous location. In the confusion that ensured from Aizen's hado spell and Yamamoto's flames, it had only taken Gin a subtle swing from his zanpakuto's blunt side to push Rangiku just out of harm's way. Although Gin made sure to make full use of his zanpakuto's extension and contraction speed to make it seem like he hadn't interfered, in his mind, he couldn't be sure if Aizen had noticed him at the time. But if he did notice, Aizen hadn't asked Gin about the same and so Gin chose not to think about it further.
"Well, I should head back to the captain now that I've finished my job here" he said, quitely observing the unconscious Izuru one last time before leaving.
At the side of the Soul Reapers:
Omaeda Marechiyo, Hisagi Shuuhei, Tetsuzaimon Iba, Nemu Kurotsuchi Captain Komamura, Captain Toshiro, Captain Mayuri, all other members of the Stealth Force.
Vizards:
Lisa, Kensei, Mashiro, Rose, Love.
Arrancars:
Tesra Lindocruz (Nnoitora's fraccione), Yami Llargo, Barragan and all four of his fraccione, Zommari
Injured/Incapacitated:
Rangiku, Hiyori, Yumichika, Ikkaku, Nanao, Wonderweiss, Izuru, Momo
Well, I know this chapter probably wasn't the most exciting. There wasn't too much focus on any of the big events/players, but I wanted to get some of these 'lengthy' fights out of the way before tackling some of the bigger stuff that'll happen next chapter. I would've kickstarted it this chapter itself, but well, I had to take a few days off on being sick and I didn't want to put off a chapter release for too long, so I thought it might be ok to split it in two parts.
Response to reviews:
Kokomo: Sure does. Just not the way it happens in canon though. What I've planned will involve Remnant a lot more and also Bleach verse of course. Quite a few things will be different as well.
Argorok: Thanks a lot as usual! Yup, and though this chapter didn't focus too much on the guy himself, it'll go back to him soon enough.
Crimsongear: Indeed. It wasn't easy choosing whom to kill and I had to contemplate on that for a bit. Ah the length of this fic? I'm not sure myself. I plan to end the bleach arc by chapter 43-45. The arc after that will be the second half. But here's the thing. Initially I planned to make that part of the story its own thing, as in, a separate sequel fic. Just so that this fic doesn't look too big. But that would mean you as readers would now have to jump over to the new one instead of getting updates on this one. But we'll see when we get there.
Ninguem248: Thanks!
Lucian Naruto: Ah true. I mean….she really has no reason to be here…yet. As much as I would love seeing him getting killed by her, again, it's unlikely to happen.
firewyrm2: True. But I hope this chapter explained their motivations to do so better. Strictly speaking they weren't really going all out. Tier only wanted a way to see the kind of people they were for herself, and if they were people she could put her trust on, even if Ruby herself trusted them greatly. Actually….there's one person who could do that in bleach verse itself. You'll see in the next two-three chapters.
Vedahzii: I thought so too, but it seems the reception has been quite positive. I'm glad. But yeah, those were the major deaths so as to speak. Anything that follows after will be the more obvious ones, if they exist.
Fregreg: Thanks a lot! Yeah, that was indeed the point. This will actually be shown/highlighted soon enough.
L4 of the WEST: Thanks! If I can be slightly honest, I do want to wrap up the battles part myself. Those aren't super fun to write, for personally I prefer seeing them in some form of visual media than written text. But I can't just gloss over them without making it look rushed, so I'm doing what I think would get a good balance. This part is almost done anyways, another 2-3 chapters from what I envision. Bleach is a nice series to get to know. It's one of those that's still fondly remembered by many. If you get the time sometime, you could try to learn more about bleachverse.
rama alif: Thanks a lot! Me too! Oh they definitely will. That's going to be one of the major things of focus during the remnant arc.
Plebers: Maybe. If I do get around to writing a Summer prequel fic, (which I do want to write at some point), I'll probably make more artwork for it as well.
NEGATARO: I know, but well, I can assure you that the major deaths are done atleast. Anything that might follow is either obvious or characters that aren't big players. We'll see.
Xeno01: Me too, me too. But well, in a way, he did have a few death flags even before the war began. Like that one time in the Soul Society arc where he should've died by Aizen's hands but still lived. But oh well. As for Mayuri, the only bad part about it is that Ruby didn't do it herself.
Yup. But well, they do show that as a particular weakness of the Captain Commander, both in the Winter War and in the 1000 year war arc.
True. I know this chapter didn't focus on them at all, but well, even without his flames, Yama is still the strongest Soul Reaper. But we all know Aizen isnt without his cards either.
True and I wanted her to be something more than just a BG character. I wanted to give her some form of development, however minor it is. Atleast Tier and the rest helped with that.
True. You'll see. I have something different for Gin as well this time around.
Oh yes, I thought I should at some point. I'm still compiling them, so maybe next chapter I can put them in as a footnote.
Thanks a lot, as always, thanks for the detailed review!
whirlpoolartist: Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!