Capítulo 43: First Challenge or Waste of Time?
With Ohta making no effort to conceal himself, the number of assailing Shinigami, primarily from Squads 6, 7, and 8, steadily increased as they tried to surround him. Unfortunately, while Ohta had some interest in the Captain of Squad 6, Rukia's brother, Kuchiki Byakuya, his current location was probably the 'worst' place he could have ended up.
Based on the information provided by Yoruichi, the Captains of Squads 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 13 were the least likely to have any direct connection with Aizen's schemes. Furthermore, the Captain of Squad 8, Kyōraku no Jirō Sakuranosuke Shunsui, was in the category of people Yoruichi urged him 'not' to fuck with. The man was the person most likely to succeed the current Captain-Commander, denoting him as especially powerful among the Gotei 13. More importantly, he was one of the three Captains virtually guaranteed to take their side when it came time to rescue Rukia.
If Ohta were to kill any members of the Gotei, specifically Captains, the 'safest' options were Ichimaru Gin of Squad 3, Tosen Kaname of Squad 6, Kenpachi Zaraki of Squad 11, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri of Squad 12. Only the first two were considered candidates to be Aizen's collaborators, but the latter two were dangerous elements that might imperil his life even if they managed to succeed in Rukia's rescue. Zaraki was described as a monster who perpetually thirsted for battle, and Mayuri was a crazed scientist who reveled in dissection and human/spirit experimentation.
Curiously enough, at least according to Yoruichi, Ohta could be made the next Kenpachi if he killed the current one. Said title could only be passed from one person to another in combat to the death, so whoever killed the acting Kenpachi became the next. This made Zaraki a 'safe' option, but, as the acting Kenpachi, it also meant he was the 'strongest' Captain in terms of pure fighting prowess. Yoruichi also told him it would upset the Captain of Squad 4 if he actually slew the man, so he should only do so if left with no other choice.
"Let's just hope I don't run into Yoruichi's 'kitten' as my first opponent..." muttered Ohta, referring to the Captain of Squad 2, Suì-Fēng, aka Soifon. She was said to be the weakest of the current Captains, but her stealth capabilities and speed shouldn't be underestimated. Her Zanpakuto could also kill any target it struck in the same place twice, so even if she lacked raw power and Reiryoku, Soifon was among the most deadly of the Gotei. She was also, according to the cat herself, batshit crazy and more than a little obsessive over the exiled Shihouin heiress...
As Ohta was wondering who his first 'true' opponent would be, a figure plunged from the sky, landing a few tens of meters away from him along the corridor-like path he was walking. Ohta had been doing his best to maintain a relaxed, ostensibly apathetic expression, but he couldn't help smiling the moment he saw the figure.
Standing approximately 188cm tall, possessing distinctive crimson hair done up in a spiky ponytail and tattoos covering much of his face and body, the person who arrived before Ohta was none other than one of Rukia's captors, the recently-appointed Lieutenant of Squad 6, Abarai Renji.
Rising to his full height, Renji stared at Ohta with his sanpaku-like eyes, an intense look on his face as he asked, "Are you Yamada Ohta, the rumored 'lover' of the criminal, Kuchiki Rukia...?"
"Depending on 'your' answers, I'm the guy that's about to give you PTSD," replied Ohta. "Now, tell me, did you come here to stop me from reclaiming what's mine?"
Frowning even more so than he already was, Renji drew his sword and practically growled, "Rukia does not belong to you..."
"That was her decision to make, and she already made it," said Ohta, also drawing his Zanpakuto. Depending on the Spirit Class of his opponent, his 'base' psychic powers had limited effectiveness. One of the requirements for promotion to Lieutenant was a Reiryoku grade of Class 6 or higher, so he would need to touch Renji to effectuate his telekinesis against him.
"That's a lie, and you know it!" roared Renji, scowling as he accused, "You took advantage of her vulnerability and tricked her with your human wiles. Now, you've come here to give her false hope! Can you imagine how much it will torment her to learn of your death or imprisonment...!?"
"Guess I'll just have to survive," replied Ohta, smiling as he vanished from Renji's view.
Opening his eyes to their limits, Renji internally exclaimed ("He's fast...!") while leaping backward.
"Boo..." muttered Ohta, appearing behind the stunned Lieutenant as he slipped the tip of his Zanpakuto between Renji's ribs, just under his liver. At the same time, he placed his hand on Renji's left shoulder, placing a psychic imprint on him before vanishing as the crimson-haired Shinigami spun to try and bifurcate him at the waist.
"Shit..." grunted Renji, feeling his strength beginning to leave his body. Such wounds weren't especially effective against individuals with high Reiryoku density, but he would need to continuously channel his spirit energy to the area to prevent it from bleeding excessively.
Observing Renji from a distance, Ohta remained silent for several seconds before remarking, "You're weaker than I expected. Even without releasing your Zanpakuto, you should be stronger than this."
Understanding the reason for Renji's apparent weakness, Ohta narrowed his eyes and questioned, "Are you looking down on me?"
"Not anymore..." replied Renji, holding his Zanpakuto in front of him with his right hand, tracing his left across the flat of his blade as he shouted, "Howl, Zabimaru...!"
In response to Renji's shout, his Zanpakuto transitioned from a typical katana with a rectangular tsuba and a crimson handle to a six-segmented blade, each section getting wider from the hilt. Each segment had a pick-like protrusion at the front and back, giving it the appearance of a saw or the toothy maw of a beast.
"Neat," remarked Ohta, finding the design of Renji's Zanpakuto impractical but fairly cool-looking. At the very least, it was a perfect fit for his rugged, tattooed, borderline-delinquent appearance.
"Take this!" shouted Renji, swinging his Zanpakuto despite a considerable between him and Ohta. As he did so, the six-segmented blade split apart, held together by a tendon-like material that allowed it to stretch and slice through the wall lining the street, sweeping at Ohta more than seventeen meters away.
Though he could have easily evaded the attack, Ohta intercepted the tip section of Renji's with his own, holding his Zanpakuto in a relaxed reverse grip as he stopped the fang-like blade in its tracks.
Seeing Ohta stand completely still, causing the remaining section of his Zanpakuto to tense and buckle as they tried to push him back, Renji asked, "What the hell is this? Even if you're somehow stronger than me, the momentum of my attack should have pushed you back..."
"It might have," responded Ohta, adopting a teasing smile as he added, "If I had allowed it to."
Deflecting the tip of Renji's Zanpakuto downward, Ohta backstepped to create a bit of distance between himself and his opponent. There was no need for this, but caution was better than overconfidence. He didn't know Renji's full capabilities, so he decided to play it safe, even though he was fairly certain he had already won.
Clenching his teeth and frowning, Renji tried to retract his Zanpakuto but ended up pulling himself forward abruptly as the end Ohta had embedded into the ground remained fixed like an anchor.
"What the hell...!?" exclaimed Renji, fixing his posture at the last moment to avoid being catapulted over the end of his now-immovable Zanpakuto. That wasn't an exaggeration either, as the moment the segments came together, Ohta promptly fixed them in place, turning the jagged-toothed blade into an edgier version of the fabled Excalibur. And, unfortunately for Renji, he wasn't worthy enough to draw it.
Exerting himself to the point his face turned purple, Renji tried and failed to extract his Zanpakuto while Ohta observed him with a faint smile from a few meters away. As Renji's blade impacted his own, Ohta channeled a shit ton of psychic energy into the fanged tip. When the other segments came into contact with it, the psychic energy spread through them like a virus, effectively granting him control over the crimson-haired Shinigami's prized weapon as he simply lacked the strength to counteract it.
"You about finished...?" asked Ohta, having stood idly by for nearly a full minute.
Raising his withering gaze to meet Ohta's, beads of sweat condensed beneath the visor covering Renji's brow, cascading down his nose and the sides of his face due to his strenuous exertions.
"What did you do?" asked Renji, shifting his gaze to the Ohta's Zanpakuto as he inquired, "Is this the ability of that little toy? What a cheap ability..."
"Not everyone needs to compensate for their inadequacies with size, flair, and facial tattoos," retorted Ohta, sheathing his Zanpakuto into the hilt at his hip as he asked, "Now, are you going to surrender obediently, or do I need to beat some sense into you...?"
Realizing that Ohta was suing for a scrap, Renji ceased trying to extract his Zanpakuto from the ground, veins bulging at his temples as he replied, "Bring it on, you damned Ryoka(Traveling Evil)..."
Getting into a boxing pose, Ohta made a come-hither gesture with his left hand, smiling viciously as he said, "Come, let's see if you're even worthy of my time..."
Launching himself toward Ohta with a loud "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaagh...!" Renji intended to beat the former to within an inch of his life. Unfortunately for him, he abruptly froze halfway through his leap, his body trembling as he struggled to even breathe.
"I'm waiting..." said Ohta, his smile gradually easing into a deadpan at the realization Renji might genuinely be unable to free himself. Yoruichi could have broken free within milliseconds. Comparing Renji to her wasn't fair to either of them, but Ohta expected someone at the level of a Lieutenant to have more...gumption.
Easing out of his combat posture, Ohta asked, "Seriously, man? You really 'are' compensating with that appearance of yours..."
Unable to speak, all Renji could do was glare at Ohta as he slowly started to black out. Shinigami, strictly speaking, didn't need to breathe, but they could still be asphyxiated if the blood flowing to their brain was throttled or cut off.
After several tense moments, Ohta surprised Renji by firmly stating, "I'm going to save Rukia." before spontaneously releasing the crimson-haired man from his psychic hold. Then, while Renji gasped for air after plopping to the ground, Ohta added, "Rukia told me you were a colleague from the Rukon District. Out of consideration for her, I will spare you this one time. The next time our paths cross, expect no mercy..."
Punctuating his words, Ohta punted Renji's face, caving in the crimson-haired Shinigami's nose and sending him flipping backward through the air for several tens of meters. He wanted to send a message to the Gotei that a singular Lieutenant was no match for him, but more than that, he simply didn't like the 'indignant fury' in Renji's expression when he looked at him...
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Shortly after Ohta's defeat of Renji, word quickly spread through the Gotei 13. Most lower-ranking Shinigami were horrified to learn that a Ryoka had fought and defeated a Lieutenant. Other Lieutenants, Captains, and those who knew Renji personally, however, didn't take the news too seriously. It was no great secret that Renji had feelings for Rukia, so they assumed he either held back or let his sentimentality cloud his judgment.
Among those who believed Renji hadn't been bested in terms of pure skill with an inordinately handsome, almost beautiful man with slate-grey eyes and long black hair kept in place by an intricate headpiece, forming three thick strands of pointy bangs over his face. If Ohta saw him, he would be unnerved by how similar the man, Kuchiki Byakuya, was to his girlfriend, as despite being unrelated, the man looked like an older, male version of Rukia.
Upon hearing the news of Renji's defeat, Byakuya muttered, "So, this is the path you have chosen, Renji..." in his deep, characteristically apathetic monotone. He was the 'most' aware of Renji's feelings for Rukia, but while both Shinigami had risen from the Rukon District, Byakuya didn't consider the redhead worthy of his adopted sister. As for Ohta...the usually taciturn Byakuya had 'many' things he wanted to say to the formerly human youth before invariably killing him...
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(A/N: If Ohta had wanted, he could have totally been like, "Stop hitting yourself..." Renji's fortunate that, deep down, Ohta is a very 'considerate' person xD...)
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