Author's note: This chapter will tell us the fight between the Schutzstaffel and the Royal Guard and how it went. And of course, it's my story. I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Tite Kubo. The original characters belong to me.
Chapter 24: The Royal Rumble
In the Royal Realm, high above the Sereitei
Kirio Hikifune had with the help of her Zanpakutou named Otsubu, managed to trap the enemy invaders inside her Cage of Life. This new cage however, almost functioned as a large jar made out of wood. It was almost dark inside, although a tiny tint of light could be seen on the ceiling. But nevertheless, the group of Quincies were now trapped inside this cage, or could not even be considered as such anymore. The Quincies lit the place up, as Jugram Haschwalth was holding a white lantern that was filled with blue light. It was all thanks to Reishi that it glowed so bright in the darkness.
"This Laterne should help us see clearly in the dark" Haschwalth told those around him.
"What is our next move?" Uryu suddenly asked the blonde-haired man, who glanced at him with his stern eyes. But Uryu was still tough enough to look him in the eyes.
"Because of little information we were given by the Daten, we will have to deal with these fools without even knowing what else they're capable of" Haschwalth explained to him, without any sort of emotion.
Uryu adjusted his glasses and even held out his Heilig Bogen. "Shall I assist the Schutzstaffel?" he asked Haschwalth, who continued to frown upon him.
"No. Your duty is to stand by His Majesty's side and protect him" Haschwalth told him and began facing the five Sternritters that stood around them. "Besides, His Majesty ordered that the Schutzstaffel deal with the Royal Guard, yet they do not seem to take that order seriously enough" he went on scolding the five Sternritters.
Askin only rolled his eyes. "Gee, you don't have to be so mean" the flamboyant man said in return while scratching behind his neck. "God, I'm beginning to have second thoughts about joining this circus" he admitted in his thoughts.
"We're on the job. That I can assure you" the voice came from Lille, as he glanced at Haschwalth with a defiant expression on his face. "His Majesty handpicked me to be the Schutzstaffel's captain. And I sure as hell won't let him down!" he then insisted to the blonde-haired man.
Haschwalth narrowed his eyes. "Then stop acting like a know-it-all and get your act together before I…" before he could continue the lecturing, someone had already stepped in between him and Lille. It was Uryu, who was facing them both with a stern glance.
"Just what are you two doing?" the four-eyed man asked while adjusting his glasses. "His Majesty has placed all of us in charge of dealing with the Royal Guard, yet you continue to bicker and point fingers at each other, rather than concentrating on the job ahead" Uryu told them, and suddenly began facing Haschwalth with a smug glance of his own. "I had expected you to at least have some common sense, considering that you are the Sternritter Grandmaster. But perhaps that's not really the case" he then went on expressing his own views of Haschwalth.
Haschwalth scowled when hearing this. "You will not judge my disciplining, Uryu Ishida" he sternly told the four-eyed man. "As the Crown Prince, you should speak less and listen more" he then added with little pleasantries in his voice.
"Do not be so harsh on him!" Gerard suddenly spoke up and fixed a smile at Uryu. "This newcomer here has some truth in his words. I like him" the man with the winged helmet expressed his admiration for Uryu's words.
"I also feel the same way" Askin remarked while facing Uryu in a sassy manner. "His Majesty may have been wise picking you as his successor" the flamboyant man added, starting to find some trust in Uryu.
Uryu smiled at them and nodded his head in appreciation for their words.
But the group of Quincies suddenly turned around and began focusing on their opponents that had begun revealing themselves on the other side, all thanks to Tenjiro Kirinji and his Zanpakutou: Kinpika. Light shined from his blade. Kirio Hikifune stood in the middle only this time, she looked much thinner and more voluptuous in terms of appearance. This was her other form, as Kirio was known to change appearances.
"I call this the second stage of my creation: the Jar of Life" Kirio told them with a surprisingly gentle voice. "These walls of wood are much harder to break through, as they have been empowered thanks to me releasing my Shikai" the purple-haired woman explained to them.
Lille looked around and even fired at the walls with his Diagramm, but once again, the shot got only sucked up by the walls, much to his irritation. "I see. These walls are just sucking in my shots like the trees did before them. Damn" he cursed underneath his breath when seeing how futile his shots were.
Kirio only giggled. "That's right. With this upgrade, the Jar of Life's hunger has only increased. Therefore, it is more than willing to taste your shots" she told Lille, before fixing her eyes upon Pernida, who simply stood and glanced at her. "I don't know how in the world you were able to bend my Cage of Life, but I have a hypothesis, based upon what happened to the trees. Somehow, you have the ability to infiltrate an object, both organic and inorganic, and do with them as you please" she then revealed, while Pernida remained mute.
Senjumaru formed a smirk when hearing this. "Hmm…well that explains what happened to the Second-Class Divine Soldier" she noted, still remembering how the giant solider was easy beaten when Pernida only gazed at it.
"Hey, you!" Lille suddenly demanded an answer from Kirinji, as he could see that his shining blade was not showing the hole it had received from his shot. "How come your Zanpakutou isn't showing the hole? My Diagramm pierced it along with that woman's giant spoon" he demanded an answer while seeing this.
Kirinji grinned cockily over seeing this. "You're a pushy one, aren't ya?" he remarked before brandishing his weapon. "And for the record, the reason why Kinpika is not showing you the hole on the blade is simple. It doesn't rely on the blade exclusively to inflect damage. All that I need…is the light!" the man with the pompadour said. Kirinji suddenly began readying an attack with a large blade of water hanging around Kinpika. "Now if you're done bitchin' and ready to get real, let me show you how we of the Royal Guard really do things!" he exclaimed and suddenly swung the water in a slicing manner.
The line of water was long and it was aimed to take every Quincy with it. Before Lille could use his weapon to shoot, Gerard suddenly stepped forward and used both his shield and sword to cut the line, therefore destroying it. Lille remained behind him and was using his comrade as a cover.
Gerard grinned, and faced the Shinigami with the pompadour while laughing. "Is this all that you got!? How disappointing!" he taunted Kirinji.
Kirinji only smirked in return. "It's too soon for you to get cocky, Quincy" he noted before snapping his fingers on his left hand, much to the confusion of the Quincies.
But Gerard was in for a surprise as he suddenly felt his own helmet crack and shatter into two pieces, this exposing his upper face for everyone to see. There were black sideways M-shaped marks covering the sides of his face, and he wore a thin black braid around his scalp. And of course, his eyes were bright white.
"What trickery is this?" Gerard said, only to feel a cut reaching from his forehead to his stomach. It was not serious, but it left him bleeding. "DAMN YOU!" he cursed out in anger while seeing this.
Lille's only eye widened by seeing this. "What the hell? How did that happen!?" he angrily asked in disbelief.
Kirinji only faced them with a smile. "Heh, you may have thought that it was only water that I just swung at ya. But you're wrong. 'Cause what I just slashed at you with, isn't just water. Inside it, there is light as well. The light from my Kinpika!" the Shinigami revealed smugly.
But while feeling this pain, Gerard could not help but to chuckle in a smug manner. "Is that so?" he spoke lowly before exclaiming with pride. "Then this might have happened as a miracle!" he said and pointed his sword towards Kirinji.
Before his comrades knew it, Kirinji suddenly felt himself getting cut, in the same manner as Gerard had just been. He received a cut from his stomach to forehead. The Shinigamis were caught in surprised by seeing this.
"Shit!" Kirinji cursed while blood was dripping from him. He then glared angrily at the Quincy and was shocked over seeing that his own injuries had disappeared completely. The cuts he had received were no longer there and it infuriated the man with the pompadour. "THIS HAS TO BE A FUCKING JOKE!" he exclaimed out in disbelief.
The blonde-haired Sternritter smirked. "So, it was your light that attacked me? Well, I have with the help of my Hoffnung, deflected it back at you!" he said while suddenly moving his swords close his face. "My blade is capable of deflecting damages and injuries that I receive from my enemies. Such is the power of miracles!" he boasted with confidence.
Kirinji only panted while wiping off the blood with the help of his water. "So that's what it is? Then you'll pay for doing this to me!" he then hit back.
"Just a minute, Kirinji" Senjumaru suddenly interrupted him and fixed her stern eyes upon the members of the rest of the Sternritters that were joining up with Lille and Gerard. "While they were too distracted by their comrades' move against you, I secretly managed to plant one of my needles inside that hooded stranger's coat" she then revealed, forcing all the Quincies to stop moving.
Nianzol looked at Pernida and he could see that a couple of markings was seen on his hooded coat. It was the same trick that she had used on him. He faced Senjumaru in disbelief. "What!? But you weren't even close enough to be doing this on Pernida!" he told her while facing Pernida with distress. "Pernida! You need to remove that coat quickly! She's gonna….." the long-haired man was too late as spikes suddenly began piercing the individual on the inside.
From the way they saw it, it looked as if many spikes were piercing through Pernida. Senjumaru smirked by what she was seeing and eventually glanced dispassionately at Nianzol.
"There is a misconception in your statement, deranged one. Yes, I was near you when I infiltrated your coat with my Zanpakutou, but with him, it is a different case. Allow me to show you why" she revealed and suddenly revealed all her artificial arms, as well as the many needles she held in the hands. The thin threads could be seen, as they were all over the room like a spider's web, much to the shock of the Schutzstaffel.
"What the…..." Askin asked in disbelief while noticing that he was that close on walking straight into the web of threads.
Nianzol sweated and could even notice that they were right before him. In desperation, he tried using his ability to make them vanish, but as he tried point his finger at them, they never got destroyed.
"I would be careful if I were you" Senjumaru said to him. "One simple touch and my Shinhari will be able to infiltrate your clothes, like it did with your comrade's. And I forgot to remind you that my Zanpakutou is able to infiltrate skin as well" she warned him and glanced over at Pernida, who suddenly began bending down. Eventually, the Quincies could see that Pernida was covered by threads, as he had walked right into them.
But for whatever reasons, Pernida did not seem to have blood running out of his hooded coat and he did not seem to be mortally injured. Lifting up his gaze, Pernida glanced at the Shinigami who had just attacked him and gazed at her.
"What kind of creature is he?" Senjumaru asked while narrowing her eyes. But as she kept being focused on Pernida, she was in for a surprise, as her artificial arms suddenly shattered into many pieces. The young woman was stunned by this. "What…...how did he..." she asked in shock while seeing this.
Both of her comrades were surprised by this. "Hey, Shutara! What's the big id…." Kirinji was interrupted by a feeling in his left hand, it began circling relentlessly, eventually falling off, causing him to bleed. "AAAARRRRGHHHHHHH MY FUCKING ARM!" Kirinji shouted in pain and agony.
Kirio was filled with shock and distress and suddenly began jumping, only for her feet to crunch themselves in circles until they vanished. The purple-haired woman was filled with distress over seeing this and she landed on her stomach, only to see Pernida standing before the bleeding Shinigamis. However, Kirio was close enough to get a good look at what Pernida really was on the inside, and her own eyes widened. But she was not alone, as Kirinji and Senjumaru also took notice of Pernida's identity, seeing him through his hooded coat.
"It can't be…...Lord Susuhame!?" Kirio asked in disbelief over what she saw.
Senjumaru was stunned, so was Kirinji. "Lord Susuhame…but that is none other than the….." she was stopped by seeing her right foot getting compressed, much to her agony. "DAMN IT! I CANNOT STOP IT!" she cursed in anger.
Pernida was only gazing upon the three Shinigamis with zero noise. However, something appeared to come out from the opening of his hooded coat, and it sounded like his own words.
"My name is no longer Susuhame…..there is only…Pernida Parnkgjas!" the sentences came out from the opening.
Kirio was shocked by what she heard. "Why…...why of all people…would you become an ally of the Quincies!?" she wondered in disbelief, before something hit her in the head.
The purple-haired woman gritted her teeth in frustration while seeing the rest of the Schutzstaffel appear besides Pernida. She looked up to them bitterly.
"You are fools" Lille spoke up lowly and aimed his rifle at the woman. "To think that Pernida was able to easily humiliate all of you. Can't say that I am impressed with your feeble efforts" he added to his dissatisfaction.
"Excellent work, Pernida!" Gerard expressed his admiration for his comrade's actions. "I knew that His Majesty made the right choice of naming you a Sternritter" he remarked before glancing at Kirio with a sadistic grin. "Now finish her!" he then urged Pernida.
But the Schutzstaffel were in for a suprise when they could hear a voice coming out from Kirio's own lips. "Shin'uchi!" he woman suddenly exclaimed, and a shockwave sent the Sternritters flying into the air. Eventually, they all landed on their feet, yet something happened underneath them.
"The floor…...it's flourishing!" Nianzol asked as he could feel grass and plants sprout of the wooden floor. "What the hell's going on!?" he added with distress in his voice
Uryu and Haschwalth took notice of it as well, and they could even see the walls and ceiling flourishing with plants as well. They both could not believe their eyes, as everything around them had changed into a flourishing garden.
"The whole place is now filled with plants and greenery!" Uryu exclaimed and realized that there were living plants hanging from the ceiling as well. These plants suddenly sprouted out a rain upon everything, including those standing inside the jar.
The two men moved away from a living plant that was on the verge of swallowing them. It was without a doubt that the place that become filled with life, almost as if they were standing in a forest or something.
"This cannot be…" Haschwalth uttered outlowly, as he and Uryu joined up with the Schutzstaffel, who was just as stunned as they were.
But the Quincies were in for a surprise, as Kirio suddenly stood there, her feet having returned to normal, as had Kirinji's left arm and Senjumaru's artificial hands and right foot. All their injuries had vanished thanks to the rain that came from the plants. In other words, this rain had healed their wounds.
Currently, Kirio sat on a vine, as it grew out from the ceiling. She then looked down upon the Quincies with a surprisingly serious glance.
"This is the final form of my Zanpakutou. My Shin'uchi: Ukemochi Otsubu" she revealed to them and suddenly stretched out her arms. "When I activate my Shin'uchi, my own Zanpakutou becomes this zone of lushness and fertility. I control all of it. Even as we speak, I requested that it heal our injuries and restored our body parts with it's pure rain" she then added to her explanation while grabbing a nearby apple hanging from a tree and ate it. "And in addition, the trees here produce fruits that are fresh towards me and my allies, yet poisonous towards you Quincies" she added with slight humor in her voice.
"The final form of your Zanpakutou?" Lille was getting confused. "Hold on! Your words don't make any sense! The final form of a Shinigami's Zanpakutou is called a Bankai!" the one-eyed Quicny added to his correction.
"Wrong, Quincy-pirate!" the loud insult came from Kirinji, who glanced at the group in a cocky manner, still having the toothpick in his mouth. "Unlike the bums that lives beneath us in the Sereitei, we don't call the final forms of our Zanpakutous a Bankai. No, us members of the Royal Guard call them a Shin'uchi the man with the pompadour explained loud and clear for them to hear.
Uryu's eyes widened in surprise. "A Shin'uchi…" he said lowly. "Is there any differences between a Bankai and a Shin'uchi?" he then went on asking them, only for Haschwalth to take several steps forward.
"Hardly" his words were strict as steel itself. He then glanced at the three Shinigamis. "Long before they were given names, the Shinigamis used to refer this final form of theirs as Shin'uchis, which meant it was an evolved Zanpakutou. It was long before the terms of Zanpakutou, Shikai and Bankai were even used. The only Shinigamis to still use that word to date, are the five members of Squad 0" the blonde-haired man went on explaining.
"You really are a perceptive one. I give you points for your knowledge" Senjumaru noted with interest at Haschwalth before facing Kirio. "That said, I believe it is time that we finished this fight. I grow weary of watching these scumbags" the serious woman said to her comrade.
Kirio fixed a slight smirk when hearing this and she held out her right hand, before snapping her fingers. The Quincies stood prepared, wondering if she was trying to launch an attack on them. Surprisingly, she did not move, and no plants or vines could be seen attacking the group. This left the Quincies wary.
"Eh…...what just happened?" Askin asked lowly, before he could feel something and began coughing out loud. "What the hell!? Something's stuck in my throat!" he then said with a hoarse throat.
The other members of the Schutzstaffel began coughing as well, including Uryu and Haschwalth, as they felt no oxygen around them, only venomous air.
"What poison is this!?" Gerard angrily demanded while continuing coughing relentlessly.
Kirio glanced at them ruthlessly. "Why don't you just take a look around and see for yourselves?" she then suggested to them and the Quincies did as she told them. The group was surprised to see that living plants, from the walls and the ceiling, had their jaws opened and were breathing out purple powder throughout the area.
Uryu covered his mouth while glancing around him. "Those plants! They're sprouting out venom from their mouths!" the four-eyed man noted with caution.
"Correct. These plants are spewing forth a poisonous powder that gradually infect your bodies, until you all fall onto your deaths" Kirio explained to them with no sign of remorse for her actions. "All that you can do is stay there and wait for your deaths in this wondrous paradise. That will teach you why scum like you should have never invade the Royal Realm! Now, succumb to nature's wrath!" the purple-haired woman added to her words harshly.
But she was stunned when she saw Askin suddenly got up on his feet, the flamboyant man only shrugging his shoulders while licking his lips with satisfaction. She couldn't believe her eyes. Askin seemed to have tasted the venom. He then glanced at Kirio with a smirk.
"Gotta say, that's quite a delicious powder your plants produce, ma'am. Maybe I should ask for the ingredients" Askin remarked before he faced the stunned Shinigamis with a cunning glance while putting his hands in the air. "However, I believe that this calls for a little makeover for your plants. Gift Ball!" he exclaimed and he suddenly fired a ball made out of poison that floated right up to the air. This ball seemed kind of big and Askin held out his finger. "And now for the finishing touch! Gift Regen!" he exclaimed and snapped his fingers, causing the big ball to explode and a rain of poison suddenly fell down upon the flourishing landscape.
Kirio suddenly used a large leaf as an umbrella and both Kirinji and Senjumaru stood underneath it beside her. The leaf was endurable, as it withstood the poisonous raindrops.
"Damn it! What kind of tricks did he just perform!?" Kirinji demanded before noticing how the greenery around them began withering, including the living plants that were spewing out the poisonous powder. "No! The plants are withering!" he then said while he and his comrades could see how all the plants died out thanks to the raindrops of poison.
"I don't understand! How were you able to withstand the venom!?" Kirio demanded an answer from Askin, who merely poked his ear to pretend he was not interested in talking to her.
"I told you royal ruffians before: I'm capable of withstanding lethal doses like this, duh!" he replied while making a rude gesture to her at the end of his sentence.
Kirinji scowled. "That still doesn't answer the goddamn question! How the hell were you able to breathe the venom in as if it was nothing!?" he then angrily asked.
Askin waved his hand at them in a whimsical manner. "Oops, silly me. Now that you mention it…I think I have neglected to tell you the fact that I'm…well radioactive" Askin said while not taking this seriously enough.
But the Shinigamis could not believe the fact that the Sternritter was able to withstand poison such as this as he was indeed radioactive on the inside.
The rest of the Quincies had managed to get a hold on themselves once the venom vanished completely. Lille immediately aimed his rifle at the Shinigamis, who was caught completely by surprise.
"You've all been a big pain in our asses!" Lille spat and was about to pull the trigger. "Now give my regards to hell!" he added to his anger.
"Shin'uchi!" Lille stopped pulling the trigger as he and his comrades heard the voice coming from Senjumaru herself
Before the entire group knew it, large spikes suddenly sprouted up from the floor beneath them all and Nianzol, Gerard and Lille got pierced by some of them, while the rest narrowly dodged them, although there were more spikes to come.
"What is this!?" Uryu asked while using Hirenkiyaku to avoid getting pierced. "Is this her doing!?" he wondered while gazing at Senjumaru.
Haschwalth gritted his teeth in frustration as he brandished his sword. "Fools! How could you have been so negligent?!" he scolded the Sternritters who had been caught.
The spikes soon returned to the floor and the Sternritters were freed as a result. Senjumaru glared at them all in a deadly manner. "Tsutsuma Shinari. That is the final form of my Zanpakutou" the woman revealed while suddenly stretching out her artificial arms. "It takes the form of giant spikes that impales anything that comes across them, but just the floor underneath you. Even now, my Shin'uchi is everywhere in this jar!" she revealed to them all.
And it was the truth, seeing as some wraps suddenly vanished from the walls and the ceiling above them. There were giant spikes hanging, with them ready to attack their targets.
Gerard was clutching his damaged stomach while looking up. "This is a trap!" he exclaimed in outrage while moving around.
Lille was in desperation trying to fire his rifle at Senjumaru, but the injury he received from getting impaled in the stomach somewhat made him loose focus. "Fuck! I can't aim clearly!" he cursed out in frustration.
"We'll never survive this!" Askin exclaimed in fear and suddenly ran behind Uryu and Haschwalth, cowering behind them as a result.
The rest of the Schutzstaffel also hid behind the two as well, yet Haschwalth was only glancing dispassionately when he saw what was happening around them. Uryu noticed this and became confused.
"Why are you so unfazed by this!? We're not gonna make it!" the crown princedemanded an answer out of him.
Haschwalth only sighed in annoyance when hearing this. "All of you think that this is the end of us?" he asked them sternly while glancing at the Shinigamis. "Absurd! We will not fail His Majesty. And I will show you all why!" he declared to the Sternritters.
Senjumaru narrowed her eyes at Haschwalth. "Your arrogance is unbearable! Hopefully, your death will put an end to it! Now perish before us!" the woman shouted and the giant spikes each headed straight towards the group of Quincies that had been gathering around Haschwalth. The tips of the spikes were almost reaching him.
Haschwalth closed his eyes and sighed. "It would seem that I have to intervene in this fight as well. How annoying. I was under the impression that the Schutzstaffel were more than up for this challenge" he lamented lowly.
But before the giant spikes could hit their targets, they stopped before they even reached to the group. The Shinigamis could were outraged, as they had expected the entire group to be pierced by now. After a few seconds, the spikes moved away from the group of Quincies.
"But how…." Senjumaru was in disbelief over seeing this.
But as the spikes vanished, the Shinigamis could see Haschwalth standing before the Schutzstaffel, holding a hefty and bulky shield with his left hand. From what they saw, no injuries could be seen on him or the other Quincies.
"What happened just now?" Kirinji asked lowly.
Haschwalth took some steps forward while Uryu stood behind with the Schutzstaffel. The Sternritter Grandmaster remained as calm as he always was during a battle. "I suppose my Freund Schild will do the job just fine" he noted lowly and suddenly looked over his shoulder to face the Schutzstaffel. "When this is over, I will report this negligence to His Majesty! He will be notified of how incompetent his Schutzstaffel behaved in this battle" he roasted the Sternritters without any pleasantries.
"How peculiar" Kirio noted by what she saw. "You used that shield of yours to protect you and your comrades. I never knew that Quincies possessed such advanced tools" she added to her explanation.
Senjumaru only huffed by what she was hearing. "Well, I am not impressed. And I will just continue sending spikes towards you until you die! My Shin'uchi is not to be taken lightly with!" the woman lashed out against Haschwalth.
Haschwalth could not help but to form a smirk while hearing what the two women were just talking about.
"You ladies deserve some praise for being members of the Royal Guard. However, what you are saying is nothing but utter nonsense" he replied and started moving his shield "To you, Senjumaru Shutara, I say that your Shin'uchi will never kill us. Why? Well, allow me to correct what Kirio Hikifune just said" he suddenly began focusing his gaze upon the purple-haired woman. "My Freund Schild does not function as a defense against physical attacks. Rather, it absorbs all misfortune that would occur to me and allows me to redirect it towards it's origins. And in this case: that would be you, Senjumaru Shutara" he concluded his explenation.
When Haschwalth was finished, Senjumaru suddenly felt piercings in her entire body, with blood sprouting out from her body, much to the shock of her comrades.
"DAMN IT…..WHY…." Senjumaru yelled as she felt her impaled and forced to the ground, her injuries including holes in her body.
"I am more than a majordomo to His Majesty and the substitute emperor" Haschwalth told the Royal Guard. "I am also the Sternritter Grandmaster, as well as Sternritter B – The Balance: Jugram Haschwalth! All misfortunesthat has dared to near me, has only run back to it's origins" the blonde-haired man added.
Kirio was suddenly feeling herself coughing endlessly and Kirinji was feeling distressed over this situation.
"You bastard! What have you done to her!?" he angrily demanded.
"Oh, it seems that my Freund Schild also managed to absorb the poisonous powder her plants were sprouting out on me earlier. It simply wishes to return the favor and give Kirio Hikifune a taste of her own medicine" Haschwalth explained while seeing the purple-haired woman coughing out blood, to his delight of course.
"NO…" Kirio said while she felt her entire body becoming infected with poison. She could even feel it in her eyes. "IMPOSSIBLE…I MADE SURE IT WOULD NEVER HAVE AN EFFECT ON ME!" she yelled while continuing coughing.
Haschwalth could not help but smile wickedly. "What a pathetic trio. I nevertheless salute your hard efforts, Royal Guard. But it is time to end this rumble. His Majesty expects us to be finished soon" the blonde-haired man said while facing Kirinji, who glared back at him.
Clenching his grip on his Zanpakutou tightly, the man with the pompadour knew that he and his comrades were in serious danger. But they could not rely on Ichibe to help them, as he was currently busy dealing with Yhwach. But there were other reasons for Kirinji to remain confident in himself. Yes, he just refused to give up his dignity by letting Ichibe come in and save the day. No, he was a powerful member of the Royal Guards, just like the monk. Something struck inside the Shinigamis mind and it gave him a realization.
"Heh, looks like it's finally my time to shine now, Hyosube. I will be the one to save us all, not you!" Kirinji noted smugly in his head and began confronting Haschwalth and the Schutzstaffel.
Haschwalth narrowed his eyes once again. "Retreat if you wish to live, clown! You have no hope of vitory" he said the obvious.
Kirinji scoffed. "I wouldn't necessarily call someone a clown without knowing him personally. And I've already told you: I WILL NEVER RETREAT!" he said while aiming Kinpika at the group of Quincies and a vortex of water began circling him. "SHIN'UCHI!" Kirinji yelled and the man suddenly began circling around the entire group.
The Schutzstaffel were too slow to react, as they could see Kirinji drag with him water while circling around them. Before everyone even knew it, the entire jar was filled with hot water on the inside. The water slowly inflicted damages upon the Quincies while it began healing Kirio and Senjumaru's injuries.
"WHAT IS THIS!?" Haschwalth yelled as he felt his skin burn while he couldn't as much as swim.
"SHIT! I CAN'T MOVE IN THIS DAMN WATER!" Lille yelled while his skin also felt some burns.
Meanwhile, Kirinji stood and enjoyed the view of his opponents being caught inside his Shinuchi. "Did you all think that I was gonna die without even showing you the final form of my Zanpakutou!? Like hell I would!" he asked cockily while floating in the water. "Well here it is! My own Shin'uchi: Nagareru Kinpika!" he exclaimed boastfully while seeing his opponents suffer.
Uryu could see that it didn't help to swim, as he felt both water filling his lungs while his skin was burning. But considering that he and the other Quincies were not low-level Soldats, it would take long before their skin would burn completely. He could see the other Sternritters struggling to move.
"DAMN IT!" Askin yelled out in anger while feeling his fingertips burn. "I CAN'T SWIM, LET ALONE MOVE MY BODY!" the flamboyant man added to his frustration.
"I…WILL NOT DIE…..NOT LIKE THIS!" Gerard expressed his open defiance to what he was seeing and feeling.
Kirinji only sat on the wooden floor with the toothpick in his mouth. "Heh, struggle all you want! Once you get caught in Nagareru Kinpika, there's no way out!" he told them. "All that you can do is pray while you die in a watery grave! Consider this as payback for all the humiliation you've cost us so far!" he told them while making sure that there was no escape from his Shin'uchi.
As the Quincies were floating in the water, and Kirio and Senumaru slightly recovering from their injuries, things seemed to be that the Royal Guard would emerge the winners. But while struggling with swinging, Nianzol suddenly raised his arms in the air and his coat slit off. With his coat floating in the water, Nianzol's body was exposed, as he wore white belt-like restraints all over his body, except for his arms and legs. In the middle of the restraints was a Quincy Cross, which looked like the Wandenreich's emblem. The emblem began glowing brightly and so did Nianzol's restraints. A holy light began enveloping all around the young boy with two tongues. Kirinji took notice of what was happening and became furious.
"YOU GOTTA BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" Kirinji roared angrily while cursing.
Yes, the bright light surrounding Nianzol began enveloping inside the Jar of Life and it came as a shockwave. This came quickly once the restraints were activated thanks to the emblem hanging in the middle of Nianzol's chest.
On the outside, the Jar of Life exploded, quickly tossing out the walls and ceilings of wood, as well as the water that it had previously been filled with. The reason for this was simple: a hurricane suddenly descended upon the platform and it tore nearly everything apart, expect for the wooden floor. But even the pillars on the wooden platform were swept away by this hurricane.
Kirinji was using Kinpika to hold himself onto the wooden floor, eventually grabbing Senjumaru. Kirio had used whatever powers she had left to create three trees so that she and her comrades could hold onto, not wanting to get blown away. The hurricane was strong and both Kirinji and Senjumaru were blown, only to grab Kirio's trees.
Kirinji tried looking forward, although the hurricane nearly blinded his eyes, making it impossible for him to see clearly. "A HURRICANE!? IN THE ROYAL REALM!?" he exclaimed in frustration by what she was seeing.
Kirio held onto her Zanpakutou. "What kind of power is that!?" she asked in disbelief, until she and her comrades snapped by seeing the bright light vanishing, thus revealing the group of Quincies. However, they were stunned to see what had happened with Nianzol.
The young boy was now wearing white shorts, yet his upper torso was completely exposed. Nianzol actually wore shoes that were breathing air, considering that the young boy was currently floating. He even wore a white leather pilot hat, as well as googles. His wings were that of a stunt kite and it hang so perfectly on his back. His kite-like wings were also made out of Reishi. Above Nianzol's head, a Heiligenschein had emerged, and it was a propeller with five blades spinning around. It almost looked like a star, thanks to the five pointy blades. But there was more to Nianzol's new form. Even now, winds begin blowing from the young boy's body. They supported Nianzol, as the hurricane descended upon the platform. There was no mistaking it. This was without a doubt the Quincy: Vollständig of Nianzol Weizol.
Nianzol faced his opponents , forming a smug smile with his two tongues. "Ah, it's finally great to be able to get out of these restraints. I haven't done that for weeks!" he noted to himself before pointing a finger at the Shinigamis. "Surprised, Shinigamis!? Well you should be! Because now that my restraints are gone…...nothing can hit nor injure me! That is the best thing with this form: Lufthansa!" he exclaimed with pride while seeing the name of his form, which was "Wind of God" in the Quincy language.
But while the Shinigamis were struggling to withstand the winds, the rest of the Quincies stood behind Nianzol, as they did not wanna expose themselves to winds that blew with him. But despite that, they could still feel some tints of the hurricane that had arrived. The minor burn injuries on their skin slowly disappeared.
"Damn...now I understand why His Majesty chose him to be on our team" Askin noted while feeling how cold it suddenly got around them. This made him shiver. "This hurricane is immense! Even my bones are freezing!" he added while trying to warm himself.
Gerard used Reishi around him to form a new winged helmet, in which he eventually put on. "I must admit that Nianzol really saved us back there. He has my gratitude" the blonde-haired Sternritter admitted with a cunning smile.
But Lille only narrowed his only eye and felt anger boil slightly inside of him. "This is just bullshit! Those bastards made me look like a clown in front of the Schutzstaffel!" he thought and suddenly reached for his rifle once again. "I'm sick of these games! No longer will I be humiliated by these fools!" Lille exclaimed and ran straight towards their opponents.
Gerard noticed him and only joined in. "Now this will be fun! Wait for me, Lille!" he said and they both ran towards Nianzol.
But Nianzol took notice of his comrades running, so without even facing them, he blasted wind towards them by using his Reishi Wings. The wind was powerful enough to even destroy the planks on the wooden floor and it forced both Lille and Gerard to jump back.
"What the hell, Nianzol!?" Lille asked in anger. "Are those goggles of yours making you blind or something!?" he added to his rage.
"I don't need your help in dealing with those weaklings now that I know their abilities!" Nianzol said in a very rude manner. "Now shut up and let me have the spotlight for once!" he said and started floating towards the Shinigamis.
Lille and Gerard were furious and were about to go after Nianzol, only for Haschwalth to block their passage with his sword. He glanced at them with dispassion. "Idiots. If you really wanted to defeat them so badly, you should have activated your Quincy: Vollständig long ago. Yet here you allow yourselves to be ridiculed by someone as dull as Nianzol Weizol" he then began scolding the Sternritters.
By hearing this, Gerard fixed a bright grin when hearing this and even eyed Lille, who faced him in return. "You heard what he said! Let us both go full power and see if Nianzol will act so tough then!" he suggested to him in a competitive way.
When hearing this, Lille suddenly opened his left eye that had the x marking covering around it. Surprisingly, he even fixed a smug smile when hearing what Gerard's suggestions was. "Fine by me" he responded in return.
"Now remember what His Majesty said" both Sternritters faced Haschwalth as he glanced at them strictly. "Do not obliterate their bodies. We need their corpses!" he insisted.
Kirinji, Senjumaru and Kirio looked in distress as Nianzol began approaching them. The closer Nianzol got, the more wind the Shinigamis could feel. The trees behind them began bending over. Seeing this only made them more agitated.
"Shit! The trees is getting weaker by the minute!" Kirinji said and held Kinpika tightly. He then faced his comrades. "We can't allow ourselves to be humiliated like this! We must stop them!" the man with pompadour yelled and charged towards Nianzol with his weapon.
Kirio held Otsubu to her and even fixed a smug smile in return. "For once, I agree with you on that one, Kirinji!" the young woman exclaimed and suddenly joined in with her comrade.
"I WILL NOT DIE LIKE THIS!" Senjumaru yelled in defiance and suddenly joined her comrades in charging towards their opponent.
While surprised at seeing them still having some courage left, Nianzol only laughed. "You morons are stupider than I thought! There is no hope for you!" he said and was about to use his winds, only for something to happen.
Someone had shot both Senjumaru and Kirio right in their stomachs and it made them both fall onto the floor, with Kirio falling on her stomach while Senjumaru falling on her back. Nianzol was outraged and quickly turned around to see who had attack. Seeing who it was, the young boy got more outraged.
"LILLE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" he yelled.
"Shut up, you misbegotten boy!" the voice came from Lille, who was now in his Quincy: Vollständig.
Lille had eight Reishi Wings that had three holes in them each. He also wore a white furred coat, almost as if he was a priest, although his arms and feet could be seen. An oversized Heilligenschein floated above his head and Lille's face was covered by white lines, although his eyes could be seen. Lille was currently floating and he had even exposed his hand palms, in which x markings could be seen on each of them.
"You should know better than to challenge me when I have activated my Jilliel!" he said while explaining the name of his form, which was Judgement of God in the Quincy tongue.
Nianzol only glanced at him in a bored manner, but suddenly noticed that something had happened while he had turned around to face Lille. And yes, something had happened.
"YOU UGLY PIECE OF….." Kirinji said those words while blood ran from his lips. The Shinigami with the pompadour had been stabbed by none other than Gerard, who had used his Hoffnung to stab them. But Gerard was in a different form now. "I WILL…..GET MY….." Kirinji felt the blade being pulled out and Gerard used his foot to make him fall onto the wooden floor.
In fact, the blonde-haired man was now in his Quincy: Vollständig. He now wore a Norse helmet made out of Reishi. His shield and sword had also changed with the shield now having five points like that of a star. Thick patterns were now covering his arms and legs, and he also had a pair of feathered Reishi wings. Gerard resembled a Valkyrie from Norse mythology now. He glanced down upon his opponent with nothing but disappointment.
"You are no match for me! I am Aschetonig. You have plagued me and my comrades for the last time, Shinigami!" Gerard spoke up in a strict manner while saying the name of his form, which was Power of God in the Quincy tongue. "Now by the order of His Majesty, I will not allow you to ever threaten us again! So lie down and die in vain!" he added to his words.
Still having the toothpick in his mouth, Kirinji fell down, no longer possessing the strength to fight back. As he, he tried to feel the Spiritual Pressure of Ichibe, but for some reason, he could not. The Shinigami fell, with the Schutzstaffel taking pride by seeing this.
"Objective completed. We have eliminated the Royal Guard" Lille said while gazing upon the corpses of their defeated opponents.
Nianzol felt himself angered over what he was seeing. "Damn you…" he muttered out angrily towards his two comrades. "Why did the two of you butt in!? I almost had them there!" he angrily barked at both Gerard and Lille, who only glanced back at him with no fear in their eyes.
"Tread lightly, Nianzol! We are stronger than what you could ever hope to become!" Gerard barked while pointing his blade at the young Quincy. "When I am in this form, you will bow down to God's authority!" he added with a declaration.
Before things could escalate any further, Lille stepped in between his comrades, as he was the Captain of the Schutzstaffel after all. "Quit misusing our powers! You will only make things worse!" he scolded them before facing up to the main platform, where Yhwach was currently battling Ichibe Hyosube. Eventually, Gerard and the other Quincies did the same thing, as they were only waiting for their leader to finish. "His Majesty is currently fighting that monk. From what I can feel, neither of them emerged the winner" Lille told them.
To be continued…..
Author's note: That was chapter 24. Since Kubo never showed us a fight between the other members of the Royal Realm, I took the liberty to write about that, while Yhwach is of course out fighting Ichibe. I also named their Shinuchis. Ichibe's name is Shirafude Ichimonji. And because of Nimaiya's Zanpakutou never being shown, I guess it was no use in showing him, considering that he also died too early. Anyways, here are the names of their Shikais and Shinuchis.
Kirio Hikifune – Otsubu - Ukemochi Otsubu
Senjumaru Shutara – Shinari -Tsutsuma Shinari
Tenjiro Kirinji – Kinpika – Nagareru Kinpika
Also, let us see the new terms that we came to know in this chapter with regards to the Quincies. Also, regarding the Quincy: Vollständiges to both Lille and Gerard. I have decided that Lille will not look like some floating coffin, so he only wears a white-furred coat along with his wings. Also, Gerard can use his in whatever size.
Laterne – German for "Lantern": An object that Quincies use whenever they need some light to see clearly in the dark. The light is of course made with the help of Reishi
Gift Regen – German for "Poison Rain": This is a technique that Askin can use after firing a Gift Ball and sending it up in the air. The ball of poison disintegrates into many raindrops that rains down upon anything.
Lufthansa – meaning Wind of God: This is the Quincy: Vollständig of Nianzol Weizol. Whenever Nianzol activates it, a shockwave erupts as a result, because the restraints that hold back his power are torn off. Nianzol gains the appearance of a kite flyer and he possesses an enormous amount of wind-based powers. When he is in that form, nothing can definitely reach him, as Nianzol is a walking hurricane. (Fun fact: Yes, Lufthansa is the name of the German airline, but I thought that it was the right name for something as weird as Nianzol. I wanted to truly demonstrate that Nianzol did not receive his Schrift for nothing).