Chapter 48: Hornet's Sting

Author's Note:

First off, RIP Akira Toriyama. Dragon Ball was a huge part of my childhood and is what got me into anime. It quite honestly changed my life in so many ways. I wouldn't be the person I am today without experiencing his work and most certainly wouldn't be writing this story. Which is kind of why I felt motivated enough to write this chapter early, as a way of kind of proving to myself that his creative mind has motivated me to do what I can to share my visions with other people as well. I don't know, maybe I'm just speaking nonsense…

I hope you all enjoy this chapter. There will be an additional Author's Note at the end, as usual.

Throne Room, Silbern

Within the dreary confines of the Quincy palace, an ancient being is seated atop a throne, breathing soft breaths as it rests. The breaths of this so-called King are the only sound that can be heard within the throne room, which appears vacant except for the King himself. The King's brow twitches suddenly before his eyes shoot open, his breath hitching as something seems to have spurred him awake.

His breath is somewhat heavy, which immediately prompts a man with long blonde hair to suddenly appear at his side, an urgent look on his face, "Your Majesty!"

Yhwach calms his breath somewhat, forcing it to slow as he rubs his forehead.

After a moment, the King's breaths calm completely as he swallows and sets his gaze intently in front of him, "Be at ease, Haschwalth… I merely felt a disturbance…"

Haschwalth lets out a slight sigh of relief before his brow twitches in mild annoyance. Yhwach doesn't miss this.

The King cocks his brow, now fixing his gaze on his most loyal follower, "Speak your mind, my friend."

The Stern Ritter nods, revealing, "Based on our intelligence, the Elder of the Tsunayashiro Clan has been slain by the hands of Ichigo Kurosaki. The Hollow apparently then went on to incapacitate four captains with relative ease, including the Kenpachi: Yachiru Unohana."

This puts a smirk on the King's face, "It is always good to hear of the suffering of that Clan in particular. I'm impressed by the boy's efforts—even I did not expect him to have become this powerful in such a short amount of time. Both he and his sister will no doubt become powerful allies in the future…"

Yhwach pauses, the smirks leaving his face as he questions, "…but that's not all you have to tell me, is it?"

Haschwalth nods, "You are correct as always, Your Majesty. As you decreed, Ichigo Kurosaki will prove immensely useful in our endeavors against the Soul Society… However, before the Elder was killed, he apparently came up with an extreme contingency plan to ensure the death of Yuzu Kurosaki. Each of the Soul Society's Great Noble Clans, besides the Kuchiki and cast out Shiba Clan, agreed to it."

The King's eyes narrow, a look of promised death in his eyes as he asks, "And do we know of this plan's details?"

The blonde man closes his eyes, replying solemnly, "Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto is under order of the Soul Society's Great Noble Clans to execute Yuzu Kurosaki immediately using the Sokyoku."

Yhwach hums at this, stroking his beard contemplatively, "I see… so they think Yamamoto ought to wield that blade…"

Haschwalth waits quietly as the King continues to ponder this information.

Yhwach suddenly smirks, declaring, "This is great news."

The blonde Stern Ritter widens his eyes and staggers slightly, taken aback by this unexpected reaction, "Your… Majesty…?"

The King's smirk widens as he now wears a toothy grin, which is rather unusual for him, "Don't you see, Haschwalth? What do you think will happen once Ichigo Kurosaki believes that his sister has been killed?"

The Stern Ritter purses his lips as his eyes are still widened in mild confusion.

Yhwach pays him no mind as he continues, gleefully, "His alliance with us will be all but assured! Not to mention…"

The King stops himself, shaking his head, "No, never mind that. That's just a bonus…"

Haschwalth cocks a brow, still confused about what Yhwach is getting at, however, not so much so that he is unable to ask a question, "'Once he believes she's been killed', Your Majesty?"

Yhwach gives his follower a brief, knowing side look before looking away and waving the man off, "Are there any troops among the Soldat who you think are worthy of being a Stern Ritter?"

The blonde narrows his eyes, thinking for a moment before revealing, "I believe so, but only you can know for certain, Your Majesty."

Yhwach exhales as he closes his eyes, beginning to drift off, "That will be all, Haschwalth…"

Haschwalth bows before turning to exit the throne room, leaving the King in silence.

Training Grounds, Silbern

Liltotto hums in boredom as she munches on chips from a bag in her hands, "Bambi isn't here today… that's odd. Gigi is probably still looking for her…"

As the young-looking Quincy continues to occupy herself with her thoughts, four other Quincies stand around her, looking at her with quizzical looks. This group includes a man with short black hair and a scar across the left side of his lips: Cang Du, a tall, well-endowed woman with long pink hair: Meninas McAllon, a massive buff man with a blonde moustache wearing a star-shaped mask: Mask de Masculine, and finally a familiar woman with long green, electrifying hair: Candice Catnipp. The group continues to watch Liltotto, or more accurately, the boy trying to do a pushup underneath her.

Keigo is in quite a predicament indeed, sweating beats as his arms struggle to support the weight of both himself and the smaller girl.

Mask smiles as he cheers the boy on, "Come on, kid! You're almost there!"

Meninas blinks before glancing up at her masked comrade, "Is there some kind of prize you get when you do ten pushups?"

The mustached man chuckles, "Of course! He will get to bask in the glory of his achievement!"

The woman furrows her brows, confused, "But that's not a prize…"

Mask looks as if he is about to say something, but Liltotto beats him to it, stating with a deadpan, "Don't listen to him, Meni. His ego might rub off on you."

Meninas widens her eyes before taking a careful step away from Mask, causing the man to laugh, "Ego? Well, what do you expect with all the fans I have? I guy can't help letting it go to his head a little!"

Liltotto jabs between bites, "You only have one fan, James, and he's yourself."

Mask dramatically reacts as if he were punched in the stomach, staggering back slightly, "Oof…"

Liltotto opens her mouth to continue speaking but suddenly widens her eyes as she feels the weight beneath her give way, the boy she's sitting on letting out a grunt as his face slams into the ground.

The girl nonchalantly stares at the boy, jabbing, "Looks like today wasn't the day anyway. You'll get there one day, buddy."

As Liltotto gets off the boy, he manages to mutter with some comical tears in his eyes, "Thanks…"

The small Stern Ritter continues walking, giving the others a warning, "I'm off to raid the kitchen… if anyone else was still planning on eating something today, you've been warned."

This causes Meninas to widen her eyes and perk up slightly before walking off with the smaller girl, past a still-sulking Mask. Meanwhile, Candice casually approaches Keigo. The green-haired woman stops in front of him before offering him a hand and a smile. Keigo eyes her briefly before taking her hand, prompting her to help him to his feet.

The woman states, still wearing a rather soft smile, "You got farther today."

Keigo sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, a blush on his face, "O-oh, well you know me. I like to take things one step at a time!"

Candice nods, her smile beginning to fade somewhat as she looks ready to speak. However, as seems to be a trend within the last minute, she is cut off as Cang Du suddenly walks past her and grabs the boy by the collar, beginning to drag him with him further into the Training Grounds.

Keigo squirms somewhat, "Hey! What are you doing, man? I thought I was just doing pushups today!"

Cang Du snarls at the boy, "Not with that pathetic performance. I'll show you the martial arts favored in my homeland! Maybe that'll toughen you up!"

Keigo purses his lips as a look of horror covers his features, suddenly recalling the multitude of thrashings he was dealt by the hands of one Tatsuki Arisawa. Cang Du pauses his stride as he notices Candice behind him, glaring daggers at him.

The man grunts carelessly, "Don't give me that look, Catnipp. Even a guest should know the bare minimum of how to defend himself. And don't worry, I won't be too rough with him. He is your responsibility, after all…"

As Cang Du begins his stride again, Candice can't help but dwell on the statement about responsibility. Her hands ball into fists as static flakes off her skin. The woman grits her teeth as her eyes narrow, her thoughts shifting to a particular individual—a girl with dirty blonde hair.

After another moment, the woman nods before running over to her comrade, "Wait up, Cang! I'll join you!"

Mask, now having recovered from his sulking, walks over as well, leaving the trio of Stern Ritters to train with the admittedly poorly out-of-place human boy.

A distance away from the group stands a man with a pink mohawk wearing a scowl on his face. He continues to watch the group for another moment before snorting, sticking his hands into his pockets, and walking away, "Idiots… training with a human will only hold you back…"

Elsewhere, Silbern

Underneath Silbern is a particularly dreary chamber, with mold and blood stains along its cobblestone walls. Weapons hanging on racks line the walls as well, including spears, rapiers, and some old-fashioned-looking guns. However, all of that is easily missed as high-pitched screams echo off the walls of the chamber, the source of which is lying on the floor a bloodied mess. A bespectacled man glares down at the form without a shred of empathy in his gaze as he plunges a lance down into the individual on the floor.

Indeed, these screams, coming from a certain black-haired Quincy, increase in magnitude as the lance tip stabs into her back, snapping a rib on the way through. Tears flood the woman's eyes as threads of Reishi briefly appear around her but fail to remain for any meaningful duration.

After a moment more of listening to her screams, Quilge exhales in slight disappointment, "It seems like you've reached your limits…"

The Stern Ritter huffs as he removes the lance from the woman's chest and discards it to the side, causing her cries to increase in magnitude once more. Her body merely spasms as there are bloodied holes in her arms and legs as well, which restrict her from grabbing her wound or even so much as moving her position.

Quilge adjusts his glasses, once more letting out a sigh, "As expected, you took to Sklaverei rather quickly. Your mastery of it in combination with that Schrift of yours will devastate the Shinigami beyond repair…"

The man narrows his eyes, a questioning glint held within them, "In my opinion, mastery of Blut and Rasontengai are both unnecessary and outside of your abilities, as evident from your inability to use them in any skillful manner against me."

The woman's eyes, which are smeared with tears and blood, widen as she grits her teeth. The other Stern Ritter notices this but chooses not to address it.

Quilge continues, "You don't have what it takes to master these. We ought to stop now before you die…"

The female Stern Ritter grips against the ground so intensely that blood is smeared on it due to the friction against the ground, tearing the tips of her fingers off as she balls her hands into fists.

A quiet, somewhat raspy voice lets out a defiant whimper, "No…"

Flashes of a smirking bespectacled Shinigami, a motionless and bloodied man with slicked-back black hair, and finally a young girl with dirty blonde hair run through her mind.

Quilge raises a brow as the woman manages to turn her head so their gazes match. There is a distinct desperate look with ferocity held within her eyes.

The man's frown deepens as the woman continues, "I'm still too weak…"

The Combat Instructor pinches his nose in a sign of annoyance, sighing once more. The woman doesn't take her gaze off him as he seemingly is thinking about how he ought to respond. Within the room, only the sounds of the female's haggard breathing can be heard as Quilge narrows his eyes.

The man hums before offering a cold response, "Kleines Mädchen, I've been a soldier in His Majesty's army for a very long time. I've seen my share of so-called righteous Quincies trying to achieve more power for their objectives…"

Quilge circles the room, retrieving one of the guns from a rack and beginning to fiddle with it. The woman furrows her brows as she focuses on staying conscious, blue lines of Blut running along her skin in an effort to close her wounds.

The man sighs as he clicks back the hammer of the pistol he's holding, causing a distinct locking noise to echo off the walls, "…and most of them are dead."

The girl continues to listen to the man speak, his back turned on her and expression hidden, "My point is, around here, those who wish to genuinely help others tend to not survive very long. Or… they will leave, as Souken Ishida did. In either case, they almost always find that they no longer wish to serve His Majesty, rather their purpose becomes that which they wish to protect…"

The wounded Stern Ritter's breath hitches as she realizes what he's getting at, "I saw the same look that I saw in all of them in Catnipp's eyes when the two of you returned… although, defeat was predominant. She knew what was to come of her and it is only through His Majesty's boundless benevolence that she is even allowed to live. For you, however, I saw a different look… one of fear. I had thought that you had different intentions than she, but looking at you now…"

Quilge lifts the pistol in the air, his finger held firmly against the trigger, "…I question if you intend on betraying His Majesty for the sake of that abomination."

The woman widens her eyes, her expression now empty, "What did you call her…?"

The Combat Instructor restates, bluntly, "An abomination. What else would you call a Quincy—no, an Echt Quincy with Shinigami and Hollow blood tainting her? It's an affront to natu—"

Quilge shuts his mouth as he is forced to sidestep an incoming blue ball of Reishi, which upon connecting with the wall, immediately blows a hole through it as if nothing was there to begin with. The man instinctually fires the gun, sending a quick stream of blue Reishi back at the woman. However, the other Stern Ritter, now held upright by blue strands of Reishi, bats her now Blut-covered hand against the attack, deflecting it and sending it to her right, exploding against the wall.

Fury is the only thing held within the expression of Bambietta Basterbine, as she stares with bloodlust directed at her fellow Stern Ritter, "Take. It. Back."

Quilge narrows his eyes, humming lightly, "It seems like I was correct… either way, His Majesty has instructed me to ensure both Candice Catnipp and Bambietta Basterbine survive until the promised day… even so…"

The man retrieves his blade from his belt, declaring, "You will have to force me to retract that statement."

Bambietta's expression becomes even more feral as her Blut recedes in place of two blue orbs held in each of her hands, a sure as a sign as any of her Schrift—E: The Explode.

Quilge doesn't take his gaze off the woman as he thinks, "Once she gets used to fighting like this, she'll have surpassed most of her peers… she might be too dangerous to handle… but if the Grandmaster truly thinks she is worthy of this training, then it would be a great shame for me not to make it a reality…"

Meanwhile, Seireitei

Yukio, now wearing a Shinigami's black Shihakusho, navigates through the rubble of the Seireitei while wearing a wary expression. A pair of headphones are worn over his ears, which wouldn't cause far away Shinigami to bat an eye but differentiates his look just enough that it would raise questions when up close. The boy walks along a still-standing wall before halting at the edge upon hearing the words of a group around the corner.

Out of sight from the boy, a group of Shinigami stand in discussion, "Did you guys hear? The Head Captain is about to finally take to battle! These Hollows are done for!"

Another responds, "It sounded like he was going to worry about attacking the Hollows as they pop up. The cowards have been ambushing our forces left and right and somehow masking their Reiatsu as they retreat! My bet is he's going after the Ryoka and the condemned first."

A third speaks a bit worriedly, "T-that's all well and good, but we really ought to get out of here, don't you think? The Head Captain's orders were to retreat and stay out of his way. I'm not in the mood to die today, man!"

The first Shinigami nods, "Agreed. I heard Captain Tosen and Squad 9 have set up a perimeter around the Noble District. Let's regroup with them."

The Shinigami are all seemingly in agreement with each other as they run off in the direction opposite of Yukio. The boy narrows his green eyes, waiting a few moments to make sure they are gone before letting out a sigh.

"This Head Captain is bad news from what I heard during training, but I didn't think he was so strong that even the other Shinigami were afraid of him…"

Something sounds through Yukio's headphones which makes him widen his eyes. The boy nods his head as he pulls a Game Boy from his pocket, finding the faces of Yuzu and Kon held within the screen.

The girl's expression relays great concern, "Do you think everyone else is alright…?"

Yukio once more narrows his eyes and averts his gaze from the girl, "We all trained like crazy before coming here… I think everyone should at least still be alive, but…"

Yuzu reacts in kind, her expression becoming even more worried as she holds her hands together against her chest and shifts worriedly.

After a moment, Yukio sighs and sets his now steeled gaze forward, "We need to keep moving."

The girl nods from within the Game Boy, prompting the boy to place the item back in his pocket before continuing to navigate through the rubble. Unknown to the boy, however, is the green-haired girl who walks out from the shadows from where he was just standing, looking off in the direction he headed intently.

Elsewhere, Seireitei

A white, gloved fist slams against the side of the face of a male Shinigami, sending him crashing into a nearby wall, whereupon it collapses due to the impact. The owner of the fist, a woman with long, green hair and a red tribal tattoo on her face, wears a bored expression as her right arm shifts to her side. Around her lie the unconscious bodies of numerous Shinigami, including those wearing Ninja-like outfits.

The woman, Nelliel Tu Odelschwank, huffs as she regards the bodies around her, "That's another Squad down…"

As the woman says this, a large figure appears behind her, casting a shadow over her. The figure is a man with a large purple collar and black hair, who holds a massive, spiked ball hanging on a chain.

The man screams as he brings the ball down, "TAKE THIS—!"

Nelliel effortlessly shifts her body such that she spins her leg behind her, delivering a roundhouse kick on the chained ball, which shatters it and carries through to make direct contact with the man's fan. As the woman's kick slams against the man, it knocks teeth out of his mouth and carries through, planting his face into the ground, rending him unconscious.

Nelliel takes a couple of steps away from the man, eyeing the shards from his unique-looking blade, as well as the badge on his arm, "…he's different from the others… I wonder if he was supposed to be stronger…?"

A voice calls to her from behind, "How very astute of you, Hollow."

Nelliel looks behind her to find a confident-looking woman, with short black hair worn in two braids bound by white cloth with gold rings at the end. Nelliel narrows her eyes as she notes the long white coat the woman wears as well, which flutters somewhat in the wind as she squats on a pile of rubble above the Arrancar.

The woman, Soi Fon, narrows her eyes in disgust at the sight of her Vice Captain, "You're right. He's supposed to be stronger, but that buffoon isn't good for anything. I ought to kill him for this disgrace."

Nelliel's frown deepens, finding the other woman's harsh words towards her own ally to be distasteful, but doesn't comment on it.

Soi Fon narrows her eyes slightly in a condescending manner, continuing, "Why didn't you kill my men, Hollow? Your allies don't seem to have any issues with rending us to nothing."

The Arrancar closes her eyes, looking away from the woman as if she isn't worth her time, "I don't owe you an explanation, Shinigami."

Soi Fon's eye twitches, "Is that so…? Then I don't suppose you care to explain why you don't have a proper mask, either?"

Nelliel remains silent, choosing such as her answer, leaving Soi Fon to mutter, "Well that doesn't matter to me anyway… all enemies of the Soul Society will die, as well as those who bring it shame…"

The captain then rises to her feet, simultaneously unsheathing the blade on her back. The bangs of the woman's hair hide her eyes, preventing the Arrancar from finding meaning in them even if she were trying.

Soi Fon disappears with a flash, however Nelliel doesn't so much as react to it, instead remaining still. The captain reappears behind the Arrancar, above her Vice Captain, with her blade poised for a finishing blow on the man. Nelliel's eyes shoot open wide as she suddenly sends a punch at Soi Fon's blade. The punch sends the sword off course, causing the captain to stagger slightly before retreating with another Flash Step as Nelliel goes in for a follow-up kick.

Now a safe distance away, Soi Fon clicks her tongue in annoyance as she glares at the other woman, "What kind of joke is this? You not only spare him but protect him?! We're enemies, why are you helping him?!"

The Arrancar furrows her brows in disgust at the other woman, but merely reiterates, "I told you that I don't need to explain myself to you, Shinigami."

The captain tsks as she takes an offensive stance, holding her blade in a reverse grip, "It doesn't matter. You'll be dead in a few minutes, regardless."

Nelliel doesn't so much as bother drawing her blade as she shifts her stance slightly, stating, "We'll see about that..."

Without another word, Soi Fon disappears with another Flash Step before reappearing briefly at Nelliel's side and using the high technique again. The captain uses Flash Step repeatedly in succession at such speeds that there appear to be over 20 copies of her circling the Arrancar.

Nelliel, however, looks unimpressed, her thoughts relaying as much, "I detest overly arrogant people like her, whether they be Hollow or Shinigami..."

As Soi Fon suddenly comes in for a strike with her blade, Nelliel catches the blade in her bare right hand and completely halts its momentum. This causes Soi Fon to widen her eyes in shock, her mouth hanging agape as she is at a loss for words.

The green-haired woman levels a cold gaze on the captain, "Attacks of average speed like this won't work on me."

Nelliel raises her left hand, now balled in a fist, to strike at Soi Fon. However, the captain manages to use all her strength to pull the Zanpakuto free from the other woman's grip before retreating with Flash Step just before the blow would've landed.

Once more a seemingly safe distance away, Soi Fon shakes her head in denial, smirking as she concludes, "I-it's nothing but a fluke that you reacted to that! Y-yeah, you were just lucky! No mere Hollow could be so fast—"

Before the captain realizes it, Nelliel has closed the distance between them with Sonido. This sudden action causes Soi Fon to flinch and instinctively slash at her. However, Nelliel, still not drawing her blade, grabs the captain's right, sword hand by the wrist with immense speed and strength, restricting its movement. In the next moment, the Arrancar slams her right fist into the captain's stomach, causing her to double over and heave. Bile is released from the smaller woman's mouth as she gasps for air, clutching her stomach in pain. Nelliel decides that isn't enough, however, as she proceeds to shift her right hand above her left shoulder before sending a devastating backhand slap at the captain's face. As the slap connects, Soi Fon's head jerks violently to the side before the woman's entire body is sent flying to the side with the slap, into a mound of rubble.

After a moment of staring at the rubble, Nelliel huffs before letting out a sigh. Her gaze becomes more serious as she directs it at a certain white tower in the distance, clear intent held within her eyes. The Arrancar begins walking away but doesn't get far as the rubble Soi Fon was buried under erupts with a white explosion of Reiatsu.

Nelliel looks back with mild interest to find Soi Fon, whose captain's coat disintegrates due to the energy rushing off her back, staring her down. The captain's gaze is both angry and desperate as she runs her left hand along the side of her blade.

What the woman says next causes Nelliel to widen her eyes, "Sting all Enemies to Death, Suzumebachi."

The Zanpakuto glows a bright white light before transforming and warping around Soi Fon's right hand and forearm. As the glow fades, a black and gold gauntlet remains. Notedly, there is a small gold chain linking the gauntlet to an equally gold, stinger-like blade worn over the woman's middle finger.

Nelliel narrows her eyes at the sight, recalling words that Aizen told her shortly after he recruited her decades ago, 'The release command of a Shinigami's Zanpakuto can often give you insight into what type of abilities they may have…'

The Arrancar's expression becomes overall much more serious, as she finally grabs the sword hanging on her waist before drawing it with her right hand, "Just so you know, I do not typically draw my blade when fighting those so much weaker than me…"

Soi Fon furrows her brow, clearly annoyed as Nelliel points her blade at the captain and adjusts her stance. The Arrancar's stance may be interpreted as condescending, as she straightens her back and shifts her head back slightly, giving her somewhat of a lordly demeanor.

Soi Fon quickly widens her eyes as Nelliel's Reiatsu begins to rain down in earnest with such intensity that the captain's knees begin to buckle, "V-Vasto Lorde…!"

Nelliel's gaze softens slightly, perhaps in lamentation or regret to some degree, "Take pride Shinigami, you are someone I recognize as being worthy of killing. I'll at least try to make it quick."

Soi Fon, getting a hold of herself, gnashes her teeth together before snapping, "Don't underestimate me!"

The captain darts off in a flash, her speed seemingly enhanced by the Kido-based technique marked by the white aura that she is using. Soi Fon jabs the stinger at the Arrancar, who manages a parry with her own Zanpakuto. However, the captain slams her foot into the Hollow's face as the momentum of the redirected blow from the parry allows for such a maneuver. This causes Nelliel to stagger backwards slightly, however, fails to phase her in any meaningful capacity.

Soi Fon disappears with Flash Step as the Arrancar attempts to cut her down with her blade. This allows for Soi Fon to position herself behind the Hollow before successfully jabbing the woman in the back with her stinger. Shortly after 'stinging' Nelliel, a black butterfly tattoo appears over the Arranar's clothing and back, centered at the area where she was stung. Soi Fon attempts to jab the same place again but is unable to as Nelliel quickly slams her leg into the captain's side, sending her up into the air. Shortly afterward, the Espada points her left hand in the sky before quickly charging and releasing a bright magenta Cero. Soi Fon barely manages to dodge the blast as it explodes in the sky above.

The captain once more appears beside the Espada, this time landing a jab into her right shoulder. Like last time, a black butterfly tattoo appears over her shoulder with Soi Fon once more trying to stab the same area a second time. Nelliel swings her sword at the captain, forcing her to retreat once more. The two continue this dance twice more, with Soi Fon landing jabs on Nelliel's stomach and left thigh, leaving corresponding butterfly tattoos.

At this point the Arrancar has decided that she has had enough playing around, so focuses carefully on Soi Fon's incoming blow aimed at one of the butterfly tattoos before striking the captain's right elbow with her left fist with such precision that it causes a crunching noise, immediately breaking it. Soi Fon howls in pain but is cut off as Nelliel mercilessly holds Soi Fon's right shoulder in a vice grip before punching the captain directly in the face with her right fist, causing the woman's nose to crumple and spew blood. The Arrancar attempts to strike the other woman's face again, but Soi Fon somehow manages to turn her legs in a propeller-like motion in the air, sending her foot crashing against the side of the Hollow's head. This impact causes the green-haired woman to release her grip as she staggers somewhat, allowing the small captain to back away in retreat.

Soi Fon staggers in a daze, unable to keep her gaze steady on the Arrancar before her as her right arm hangs limply and blood is smeared all over her face. Nelliel's Reiatsu rains down with greater intensity as she regains her bearings, fully set on ending the captain. The Arrancar raises her left hand and charges yet another Cero within it, settling her aim on the still disoriented Soi Fon.

Nelliel's gaze softens ever so slightly, "Farewell, Shinigami…"

As the Arrancar releases the Cero, Soi Fon can feel her life flash before her eyes, which close shut as she whimpers, "Forgive me, Lady Yoruichi…!"

The magenta Cero tears apart all that lay before Nelliel before erupting in a pink explosion against a wall a distance away.

Nelliel looks at the sight in mild sorrow, closing her eyes and seemingly giving a sort of short prayer, "Wherever your soul has gone, I hope to never find you on a battlefield again…"

"Oh, don't worry about her. She'll be fine. It's you who should be worried."

Nelliel widens her eyes and immediately looks behind her with a baffled expression. Her eyes fall upon a figure wearing black clothing, holding the nearly dead captain over their back. The figure's face is covered by a black mask, which is soon pulled down to reveal a feminine, dark-skinned face with golden cat-like eyes. The woman's dark purple hair is revealed afterward, tied in the back in a ponytail.

Nelliel continues to stare at the woman in shock, "I… I didn't even sense her approach! Was she that fast to grab that Shinigami and slip behind me undetected…?!"

This new woman, Yoruichi, smirks confidently, "You'll find I'm quite a bit stronger and faster than Soi Fon here, Hollow!"

Sokyoku Hill, Soul Society

Meanwhile, the legendary Head Captain of the Gotei 13, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, stares up at a massive, building-sized naginata protruding from the ground. The weapon is held in place on the ground by ropes tied around the end of its shaft, around which many robed individuals appear to be chanting and making hand motions. The ropes glow a bright red color briefly before they begin to come undone. As this happens, the weapon itself takes on a rainbow-colored aura before starting to shrink down, gradually. Yamamoto patiently watches the blade shrink, not daring to utter a word as it becomes more and more wieldy.

An explosion occurs in the distance, causing multiple of the robed figures to flinch somewhat before continuing to focus on the weapon before them. Yamamoto clutches his cane tightly as a vein bulges out of his forehead as if strained to the point of nearing bursting, further increasing the unease of the robed figures.

The Head Captain asks roughly, "How much longer is this going to take?!"

One of the figures responds to him quickly, "W-we're almost done, sir!"

True to their word, the spear has shrunk to the point in which it may be effectively used by a person in combat. The robed figures all step back as Yamamoto removes his captain's coat, revealing his scarred torso underneath, indicating how the legendary captain has fought countless battles in the hundreds of years the Gotei 13 has safeguarded the Seireitei. The captain's Reiatsu bursts forth—like a sea of fire, which forces the robed individuals around him to fall to their knees as he approaches the blade. Yamamoto grasps the shaft of the lance in his right hand, causing an orange aura to surround its edges before becoming focused—an ember waiting to turn into a raging inferno at any moment.

The legend muses to himself as he regards the powerful weapon in his grasp, "The Sokyoku… said to contain the power of a million Zanpakuto. It is a blade that is not meant for combat, but rather for killing. Those struck by it will die instantaneously, thereby it was deemed fit to become a blade used in ceremonial executions…"

Yamamoto trails off, exhaling as his eyes slowly close, "…but that is hardly the only reason it was banned from being used in combat… There is a danger in using this blade. If I am not careful, a fate far worse than anything that youngster Hollow could orchestrate may very well befall us…"

The captain opens his steeled eyes, "At the end of this day, only the Shinigami will remain in the Seireitei."

Without further delay, Yamamoto leaps into the sky, appearing as a flaming ball of Reiatsu.

Squad 1 Barracks

Isshin tenses up within his cell, his expression relaying a deep sense of dread. In front of his cell stands a mustached man with gray, slicked-back hair.

The man, Chojiro Sasakibe, comments with his back coldly turned on the former captain, "If you had not married a Quincy, then none of this would be happening."

Isshin furrows his brows in anger as he regards the man who had worded 'Quincy' with particular disgust, "Shut up..."

Sasakibe cocks his head back to regard the other man, his cold eyes matching Issin's wrathful gaze.

After a moment, the Vice Captain looks away and shifts the topic somewhat, "The Ryoka may have been successful if Sir Genryusai were to remain uninvolved. They alone presented no real threat to the Soul Society, despite some of them being able to best our weaker captains. However, with these Hollows who were so brash as to not only slaughter the Head of the Tsunayashiro Clan but also reduce the Noble District to rubble…"

Sasakibe narrows his eyes as he words in absolution, "Sir Genryusai will reduce the Ryoka, the Hollows, and your daughter to ash."

Isshin briefly widens his eyes before furrowing his brows again and deepening his scowl, "I realize now that Kaien wasn't just speaking nonsense back then. He was right about you, and I just couldn't see it. You pretend to be this refined and perfect servant, but you want the Quincies to go extinct. Even just one of them remaining alive is something that you cannot tolerate, even if they were a child…"

The Shiba pauses before stating with disgust of his own, "You're no better than Koga was."

The Vice Captain winces slightly before merely offering in response, "Do not misunderstand, I do not believe in killing for the sake of it. There is at least a reason for my distaste of the Quincies. One that someone as young as you could never understand…"

Isshin counters in a cold rage, "You're right, I couldn't. It must be hard to carry such hate in your heart."

Sasakibe returns the counter logically, "Those are the words of a hypocrite, Isshin Shiba. You are perfectly fine with Quincies existing despite their crimes against the Soul Society, but at the same time, you see Hollows as nothing more than animals that need put down. Both are enemies of the Shinigami, yet you chose to discriminate because of your misguided love for a Quincy woman. It is true that on a personal level, I hate Quincies more than Hollows, but in the end, both would be struck down by my blade in much the same manner."

Isshin grunts and looks away, choosing not to comment further. Both men become quiet, leaving the only sounds in the room to be the distant clashes occurring from outside of the Barracks echoing off the walls.

Author's Note:

I recently watched JJK and immediately recognized that Toji Fushiguro looks like Cang Du… (Cang Du if he were cool). But for real though, I want to do something cool with Cang in this fic at some point, he got shafted so hard in canon that I swear that Gege must've decided to take the design and make him one of the coolest and most badass characters in his manga (Gege is a huge Bleach fan).

As for the power scaling here, at this point, Soi Fon scales under the speed and power of Soul Society Arc Byakuya, who scales about equal to Bankai Ichigo, who then scales definitively below base Grimmjow at the start of the Arrancar Saga of Arcs in canon. These would easily put even just a base form Nel, who pre-time skip I can only assume was definitively stronger than or at bare minimum relative to canon Grimmjow (recall I've made Grimmjow in this fic Barragan level), way out of Soi Fon's league in terms of everything.

As for Yoruichi's scaling, I will mostly get into that in the next chapter as they haven't fought at all yet. I will say that Yoruichi trained on and off during the time between Yuzu running away from Ryuken and when she was captured. That combined with the intense training she did before entering the Soul Society puts her on a way higher level than she was in the Soul Society in canon (she was rusty) as well as above her prime in Turn Back the Pendulum (although I'm unsure how that compares to her at the end of the series). But again, will touch more on this in the Author's Note for the next chapter.

If you all are wondering what's up with the Sokyoku or Isshin and Sasakibe's shared past, those are things that I shall address at a later time. I am going to take creative liberties with certain characters and story elements, which you all should know I've already been doing by now. Again, these are things I will investigate later.