บท 26: Chapter 26
Throughout civilization, battle had always marked the point of change.
Humans fought wars, changing their leaders, beliefs, and even the land itself to suit their means.
In which case, the winner determines the result. The one to decide the path of the future.
Amidst the sound of gunfire screaming in a torrential down pour, war brought about the coming of a new era for humans, and this was the same for the Soul Society.
Yamamoto of the older generation lived from a time where there was no such organization as the Thirteen-Court Guard Squads of the Seireitei. Instead, he and his compatriots had wandered in a world of blood shed where strength was the largest deterrent. With enemies all around, and no place to truly call home, they forged a path by the sharp edge of their own swords.
That strength was one that Yamamoto had in excess, dominating the previous era in the conflict against the Quincy and Hollows of old.
Swords and arrows made for killing were common in conflict, yet this time, it was truly different.
Floating ominously within the Seireitei's sky, was a vast blot of steel and armaments releasing a pressure Yamamoto had never once felt before.
Weapons of Legend and Reverie.
Noble Phantasms.
Yet in Yamamoto's eyes, they were something more. They emanated an aura that demanded a respect earned only from the battlefield. Something Yamamoto was quite clear on as a veteran of the Soul Society's past conflicts.
How much blood must one draw in order to release such a heavy blood lust?
A red barbed spear hung loosely in the air, red vein-like structures seemingly pulsating with a demonic spiritual energy that manifested the image of a snarling dog. Before it, the weapons and Zanpakuto the lower seated-officers carried paled in comparison.
Yet Yamamoto's eyes had already moved elsewhere.
An aura of tranquility, bearing the principalities of kindness, humility, and faith.
That flag tied upon the end of a spear billowing alone in the wind had a presence greater than even the most ferocious of individuals. It was plain and simple, yet it was in this state of a lofty and lonely disregard, that it gave the most substantial impact.
A single banner amidst an army of gleaming silver.
And even then, there was more.
Countless more.
For a moment, Yamamoto was left at a loss, staring blankly ahead of him and towards the image of his own Zanpakuto amidst that steel.
Impossible.
He had only drawn Ryjuin Jakka once, and even then, he hadn't even released it from it's caned form, granted the one before him was also in the form of a cane. However, just from the presence the other swords were emitting around it, it was clear that the possibility that he would be facing his own Zanpakuto may be a reality.
And this sunk in deeper than the sharpest of daggers.
His own partner, and the power he knew that it was able to wield.
If this King of Hollows had access to his Bankai, then the Seireitei would burn in a flame never before seen in millenniums.
"Unohana," he called, his voice coming out rasped.
"Captain," Unohana said after jolting herself out of her dazed state.
"Evacuate the seated officers. This battle is no longer at a scale in which they can participate at. With the new generation, comes feeble embers, but even embers can ignite a fire," he spoke with certainty. "The Sereitei has never once fallen, nor will it ever."
"Understood," Unohana said calmly before immediately issuing out the order. She then sent a concerned glance at Yamamoto. "Be careful," she said.
Yamamoto grunted, but his order to evacuate the seated officers didn't change. If in the worst case, the Seireitei is defeated, then all hope would then rest upon those that got away. For such a means, it was best to be prepared.
He then stared hard at the King of Hollows, standing alone within that meshwork of metal.
The other Vasto Lordes stood on either side of the King, their eyes a-light with an eager satisfaction at seeing the seated officers leave.
He would not allow that satisfaction to remain on their faces.
"Captains, prepare for battle," he said.
Toshiro, Shunsui, Tousen, Komamura, Soifon, Gin, and Kenpachi all readied themselves.
Yet, Yamamoto made a mental note to himself as Aizen had yet to arrive. Byakuya was injured and had gone missing, so he was already accounted for, yet Aizen had no excuses to not have had seen the gathering signal.
Could it be that Aizen was already taken down?
Yamamoto's face darkened.
It was a possibility.
Grasping tightly on to Ryujin Jakka, the wood around the blade began to fade away into burning ashes, revealing the sword beneath.
"You have trespassed on the Soul Society's grounds, and have killed our people," Yamamoto's voice was cold. "Your sentence is death."
His was a blade of fire the likes of which could burn away even the toughest of metals such that they evaporate away like water.
Wisps of dancing flame travelled down Ryujin Jakka's blade and curled around its pommel.
The temperature in the area sky rocketed, making it harder to breath as the fire ate away at the air.
"Come, hollow," Yamamoto beckoned. "I will show you why it is that swords and spears are forged in fire."
"And I will show you why it is that the blacksmith is the master of flame."
The voice that came from the Hollow King's mouth was eerily calm, as if unaffected by Yamamoto's display of power.
Thereafter, the swords rained down with Yamamoto's movement.
Knives, daggers, spears, they descended the fastest, carpet bombing everything in sight.
They were so fast that only shadows could be seen.
"Sit upon the Frozen Heavens, Hyorinmaru!"
A sheet of ice appeared in the sky, lumbering and emmiting a chilling fog, it blocked the majority of the descending weapons, yet not all.
"It's that spear!" Toshiro warned.
The very same red spear that had ripped through the Seireitei's protective dome pierced holes through the sheet of ice Toshiro had created. Almost like swiss cheese, they shredded straight through the frosty layer unimpeded.
"Use physical attacks!" Soifon called, vaulting over Toshiro as she parried red-spear after red spear.
Gáe Dearg: The Crimson Rose of Exorcism. Under its pointed edge, all ties of energy were severed.
True to Soifon's reputation as the Captain of the Stealth Force, her speed alone allowed her to deflect all the incoming projectiles of Gáe Dearg. Never ending clanging noises echoed throughout the sky as Soifon faded in and out of vision shifting the trajectories of the spears.
Yet, it wouldn't be enough.
"I don't think so."
A hand planted itself upon Soifon's face. Eyes widening, Soifon had no time to react before she was hurled across the distance, sending her tumbling in the air.
Gritting her teeth, Soifon forcibly stopped herself and glared at Nel in a stagger. "You were already lucky to escape death, yet now you're clearly seeking it!" She yelled. "Sting all enemies to death: Suzumebachi."
A black and gold rimmed stinger appeared over Soifon's hand, glowing with a dull light made from spiritual energy.
"I assure you," Nel said moving a hand to grip her lance. "It is not me who will be suffering today."
A fierceness shone in Nel's eyes attributing to her heritage as a hollow. "This time I don't see your friend helping you."
Almost before Soifon could react, a spear's tip was just before her head powered by the explosive strength of a cero. Veins popping in her eyes, she twisted her body backwards such that she only lost a couple strands of her hair.
"Soifon!" Toshiro called, yet before he could provide aid he felt a shift in the sheets of ice he had created to blanket the rain of swords.
"You Shinigami truly do not understand," A dark and deep voice spoke.
Up above, in the direction of the ice sheets, a purple mass of dark spiritual energy suddenly tore a hole through the ice. Like acid, it began to corrode away anything it touched.
"Here, standing before you, is death itself. The God of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan Louisenbarn."
From the ice there appeared a hand of bone.
Gold coloured bracelets around a thin wrist dangled gently. A simple flick of a hand sending a cloud of corroding gas towards the ice and completely eradicating it.
There past the ice, and wreathed in a regal mantle of flowing violet fur, a skeleton stood tall.
"I am time itself. Look upon the breath of death: Respira!"
Mouth opening, a dark miasma instantly descended down.
Unlike the King of Hollows, Baraggan was merciless. His attack was not directed towards the Captain, but at the seated officers and lower ranked Shinigami Unohana was leading away.
"Filth!" Yamamoto raged.
With a flick of his sleeve, a wave of fire enshrouded the miasma containing it within.
Baraggan was far from pleased.
"Fool, you are only delaying the inevitable."
Even as Baraggan spoke, tiny wisps of Yamamoto's flame were slowly being eaten away, yet still they remained.
It was a flame that burned for an eternity.
"…" Baraggan clenched his teeth realizing this before he instead turned to look up.
"I will not be bested here," Baraggan muttered.
Looking at the direction Baraggan was staring at, Yamamoto realized that Baraggan was staring to the King of Hollows, the Vasto of White.
Thereafter, Baraggan roared, clouds of death shooting out from his body in all directions.
Before it, everything was rotting away.
"My, isn't that an interesting ability," Gin spoke off handily as he hurriedly retreated along with Tousen.
Some of the other retreating Shinigami weren't so lucky. A single touch, and the skin began to fade away from their bones, leaving nothing behind but ashes in the wind.
Yamamoto's expression grew grave.
"Ryujin Jakka!"
A dome of fire surrounded Baraggan completely, clashing with the miasma Baraggan was releasing.
However, no matter how eternal a flame, it would only burn as long as there was something to burn. The space around Baraggan was completely empty, void of anything, and preventing the fire from reaching him. Yet, he couldn't move either.
Releasing a breath, Yamamoto then turned his attention back to the King of Hollows.
More precisely, to the vibrating red spear whose blood-lust only continued to increase.
With Soifon preoccupied, the task of deflecting the falling weapons fell upon Sajin Komamura and Zaraki Kenpachi. Unlike Sajin who had a troubled expression from beneath his helmed visage, Zaraki had a feral smile on his face.
The two had noticed the blood-lust coming from the red spear almost immediately.
"Be careful," Tousen called out to Sajin, but was hard pressed to say anything else when Harribel struck down on him. The shark fin blade in her hands may seem dauntingly large and bulky, but it belayed a swiftness and edge not seen on the surface. More so when a yellow spiritual energy burst forth from the blade and created an explosion.
"Kaname!" Sajin shouted in alarm, yet he couldn't aid his friend as it was more important to stop the descent of the swords.
As for Shunsui, he was staring impassively at Ulquiorra who simply stared back before the both disappeared into action.
"Enough!" Yamamoto yelled.
With this shout, an immense spiritual pressure weighed down on the area. It was almost visible as even the air itself seemed to distort.
Raising a hand, Yamamoto immediately aimed a torrent of flame towards the red-spear thrumming with demonic power. Whatever kind of ability that spear had, Zanpakuto or not, Yamamoto did not wish to know. All that mattered was that he stops it.
The spear of the Red Plains.
And the Legend of the Hound of Ulster.
An acute war cry reverberated throughout the sky, a gleaming red light bathing the area in a sea of purplish red. There was a certain heaviness that caused shivers to travel down people's spines. More so when a howl echoed in their ears.
It Pierces the Heart.
"Have you heard of Legends?" The King of hollows spoke solemnly.
"Tales of weapons capable of crushing armies and changing the land itself."
Yamamoto creased his brows, feeling the energy of his attack dwindling the closer it got to the spear.
"Then let me show you."
Thrumming gently, the red spear zipped into the Hollow King's hand, leaving a trail of red in the air and the clang of a pole arm to resound.
The image that the Hollow King displayed changed completely with the addition of the spear. No longer did he just appear as a hollow that stood above the rest, but that blood-lust exuding from the spear spread over the Hollow King like a raging flame.
In those amber coloured eyes, a dull crimson flashed.
If hollows were savage and ruthless by nature, then there was no doubt that the Hollow King before everyone's eyes now was at the pinnacle. Shrouded in a fierce killing intent and blood-lust and never showing his back.
He who stands at the front.
Hollows revered power. To be called King wasn't only because of actions, but through the strength one wielded.
Instinct attracted the weak to the strong, and for hollows, this was even more so.
"OOOOOOOOHH!"
Masked visages opened their jaws and wailed in proclamation by instinct, the respect and awe in their eyes hard to describe.
Even the Vasto Lordes were affected, gazes heated as the compulsion to roar out nearly overrode their sense of reasoning.
Everywhere, everyone gave pause. To the Shinigami staring up, the presence the King of Hollows exuded was suffocating.
Yamamoto's eyes widened as the world itself seemed to distort with the King of Hollow's next movements.
"Head Captain!"
Unohana's warning came to Yamamoto at just the precise moment. The Shinigami under him were cowering, they needed his guidance.
Stilling his body, Yamamoto glared before spiking his spiritual energy, yet by then, the attack had already come.
"Gáe Bolg."
It was but a whisper in the wind. Something that was barely even audible, but it gave a power to that red spear like none other. Everyone could feel it.
That blood-lust intensified such that it was impossible for the Vasto Lordes to reserve themselves any longer.
For power itself to hollows was intoxicating.
Mouths opening, they released an ominous ear deafening wail that heralded the coming of the Barbed Spear of Death. The sound came from the gut, born from the desire of acquiring that which they no longer had.
With a flourish of the Hollow King's hand, that spear descended, thrown forward like a missile loaded with power.
It was like a meteor falling from the sky that multiplied into hundreds in an instant.
"Bankai!"
The temperature plummeted, clouds forming in the heavens, writhing tendrils of lightning within. And from those clouds came the snow.
Falling gently to the earth, they froze upon contact, blooming into radiant ice flowers spanning the entirety of the Seireitei.
The Dragon sitting upon the frozen skies.
Its breath was frost, its eyes jade pools of sleet that shone with power in defiance to its attacker.
The strongest Ice Zanpakuto.
"Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"
A Dragon of ice soared, maw opened, and body releasing a numbing coldness that seeped into the bones.
Barbed spear met dragon in a collision that created shockwaves that forced almost everyone back.
From the dragon's front, a layer of ice magnitudes larger than the one before it intercepted Gae Bolg's path as the dragon converted its very body into a shield.
Resplendent ephemeral light blinded the world, yet in that light, there existed a fierce crimson.
Gae Bolg, the spear of the mightiest warrior Ireland had ever known.
It alone had the power to crush armies.
The Cursed Spear of Striking Death.
It embodied the concept of cause and affect, yet rather than technique, it focused solely on the power and the area of effect; carpet bombing the entire area.
A tapestry of action that splits into numerous spearheads distorting space.
That spoken of in legend displayed itself once more.
The attack of Ireland's Child of Light.
Cú Chulainn.
And the legend of the Red Plains.
Silence.
Then an explosion that shattered the sheet of ice completely.
Glacial sheets fell to the ground like rain, shards falling like hail.
And at the very front, three ice petals floating behind the back of Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya shattered into fine mist.
Blood seeped from his pours, and a gash on his forehead smeared crimson over the latter part of his face.
He had used all of his spiritual energy to stop that attack, and even then, he wasn't able to completely stop it.
Toshiro bitterly looked down at the hole in his stomach before his eyes darkened from the strain of staying conscious. Unlike before, he didn't have enough power to create a copy of himself in the ice. Therefore, this was his true body.
"Captain!"
A voice registered into Toshiro's ears, but even then, it sounded distant to him along with the rapidly approaching ground in his blurred gaze.
Rangiku Matsumoto, Lt. of the Tenth Division broke off from where Unohana was leading her away with the other seated officers to catch Toshiro before he crashed onto the ground.
However, a shadow soon loomed over the both of them.
A hollow.
Large, and bear like, it lunged towards them.
Even as the King of Hollows acted, the other hollows didn't remain idle. This was the case for Harribel, and Nel who were already engaging the enemy, and this was even more so for the hollows Baraggan had brought with him.
Rangiku's expression sunk before she gripped tightly onto her sword.
Based on the power the hollow was emitting it was an Adjuchas level for sure. Generally, she was confident in combating one, and even escaping should the situation prove dire, but she couldn't have any confidence now that she was protecting Toshiro behind her.
Her gaze darted back and forth, but no one she could see was around to provide aid after Captain Unohana began evacuating the seated officers.
Pursing her lips, she slashed out with her sword.
"Geh," she groaned as her Zanpakuto deadlocked with the hollow's claws.
Behind her, she could hear Toshiro's breath growing faint.
He needed medical attention or else he was going to die.
"Captain, hang on!" She urged while gritting her teeth. "Growl, Haineko!"
The sword lodged in between the hollow's claws faded away into a storm of silver ash that completely enshrouded the hollow. Each particle was a tiny blade that could seep into the smallest of pours.
Spinning in a vortex, it began to eat away at the hollow's skin and body. However, Rangiku wasn't prepared for the tenacity the hollow displayed.
Haineko took the form of silver ash. Anything the ash touched, Rangiku could cut at will with but a few gestures. However, unlike a sword, when the hollow chose to ignore its own defence and charged forward, there was nothing Rangiku could do to stop it.
All she had in her hands was an empty hilt, the blade still in an ash like form. Eyes widening, she swung Haineko furiously, each slicing motion opening a wound on the hollow. Yet, as an Adjuchas, its defences were far stronger than regular hollows.
It shrugged off all the injuries, intent on stabbing forward.
Her complexion paled.
She couldn't dodge.
Behind her was her captain, and any more damage may result in his death.
"Damn it!" She cursed.
Abandoning any thoughts of attacking, Rangiku sheathed her blade and moved to pick up Toshiro off the ground.
Yet, her movements were too slow.
Just as she wrapped her arms around Toshiro's body to pick him up, a claw's shadow appeared right before her eyes.
Unblinking, she stared in a daze at the sword suddenly pierced through the hollow's chest.
Sleek, and dripping with blood, Rangiku followed the blade's shaft all the way to its hilt.
"G-Gin?!" She cried out in alarm.
Currently, mostly all of the Captain of the Seireitei were engaged in battle amidst the hollows and the rain of swords. It was difficult enough already to fend for themselves, but to fend for others as well? It would come at a cost.
Smiling, Gin only shook his head while staring at Rangiku. Shinso, his Zanpakuto, was still pointed in her direction, but by doing so, Gin was forced to block his own enemy's attack with his own arm. Now hanging limp by his shoulder, Gin had to fight with the use of only his left arm.
Rangiku didn't know what to say.
Fool, Idiot, nitwit, were all words that wanted to burst out from her mouth, but instead, it was just her tears that unexpectedly came. After all, Gin may very well die with how the situation was. The Hollow King was able to produce such a fear-inducing attack that had nearly killed Toshiro, and now that Gin was injured and constantly under attack, wouldn't he be next? And yet, even with the pressure on him, Gin still chose to save her.
It wasn't fair.
If she had only been stronger, then perhaps she'd finally understand Gin's reasons for leaving back then.
Seeing Rangiku crying, a sharpness appeared in Gin's eyes before he stared at the hollow in front of him, and then to the hollows near Rangiku. The hand gripping his sword tightened as the smile on his face belied violent intentions along with his spike in spiritual pressure.
"Shoot to kill, Shinso,"
A sword that stretched across the horizons ripped a horizontal line across an entire horde of hollows, causing many Shinigami to cheer.
Even Yamamoto gave a nod, but his attention was more focused on Toshiro.
As the youngest Captain, Yamamoto knew that Toshiro had the greatest potential to become one of the Soul Society's strongest pillars. He couldn't allow Toshiro to die, and seeing the state Toshiro was in after bloking the Hollow King's attack only made Yamamoto more furious.
Unohana was quick to arrive to Toshiro and Rangiku. Having been leading the seated officers away, she was much farther from the battlefield and took a few moments longer to arrive.
Upon arrival, Unohana immediately took Toshiro away for examination, a dull green glow encompassing Toshiro's body as Unohana activated her healing Kido.
Yet her expression grew grim.
"T-This, impossible," she muttered to herself before the intensity of her Kibo increased several folds. The brilliant green light of her healing spiritual energy nearly fully engulfed the area, yet Unohana only appeared to look more and more strained.
After all, the wound was barely healing at all.
What sort of weapon could cause this?
It wasn't healing.
Pursing her lips, she tore off a segment of her haori to use it as a bandage. If her healing kido wouldn't work, then all that she could do was hope that it would heal naturally.
Quickly patching Toshiro up, she stared at Yamamoto, but couldn't give him the assurance he was looking for.
For the first time in centuries, rage filled Yamamoto's very being.
Wisps of steam appeared around him as the very air began to boil, reducing the structures around him to nothing more than cinders.
What lay in front of him was still the Zanpakutos the King of Hollows had created, but he didn't care.
Under the fires of annihilation, all would melt and burn.
He had reserved himself, knowing full well what it would mean if he truly went all out.
Torrents of roaring flame spewed forth from all around him; a sun descending upon the world.
"G-Get back, the Head-Captain's attacking!"
Someone called.
Almost immediately, all the Shinigami flash-stepped behind Yamamoto's back, leaving only the hollows at the front.
The sound of crackling echoed in the air, like burning tinder.
What was flame if not the element that brought about both life and ruin. It was flame that gave light, illuminating the dark and paving a path to a distant future. But it was also flame that scorched the very earth dry.
Husks, ashes, and embers.
The Shinigami of fire stood tall.
A weathered back that knew not any scars appeared before the eyes of the Shinigami as the white Haori of Squad One fell loosely in the wind.
"Ash meets ember, and so there is flame," Yamamoto's grip on his sword tightened, old muscles rippling with a power long forgotten in times of peace.
Expression set in stone, there was a fierceness and resolve in Yamamoto's eyes that would never bend.
"None of you will live for your transgressions, Ryujin Jakka!"
It was a tidal wave of hell fire.
Large torrents of fiery red stretched across the sky, like fingers grasping onto an object.
A mixture of oranges and red, the fire itself appeared alive; smothering the swords in the sky and melting them into globs of searing goo. For all swords were once forged in flame, and so they shall return.
The expression on the Hollow King's face changed.
"Shirou!"
Harribel called in warning.
So, the King of Hollows was named Shirou? No matter, Yamamoto would make sure that it would be a name to be forgotten.
The intensity of the flaming tendrils only seemed to increase further. Black scorch marks marred the ground, and hollows began falling from the sky like flies; the heat causing their skin to bubble.
Yet, as if to defy Yamamoto's intentions, a lone banner stood billowing in the flame. Its regal whites and gold unable to be marred by the blackness of ash.
A banner of purity, tranquility, and faith that suddenly exploded with power.
There was once a woman who fought for her country.
A farmer's girl.
A commoner who knew not of bloodshed and war, yet took up arms anyway.
A Saint.
For God was with her.
Luminosité Eternelle.
The will and devotion placed upon that banner still remained even without the original owner, for an eternity. The embodiment of a single woman's love for her country, and the desire to protect she left behind.
The Hero of the Hundred-Years War.
Jeanne d'Arc.
It was a light from the heavens that shone down from the world of fire, enshrouding Shirou and the rest in a protective coat of Holy Energy.
It was the greatest contradiction any Shinigami had ever seen. That power was Holy, something perhaps only wielded by the Soul King himself. Yet to see that kind of Holy power protecting hollows, Yamamoto and many other Shinigami were stunned.
Even more so when a giant garganta formed in the sky.
"W-What?!"
Some of the Shinigami staggered back.
Because inside the garganta were numerous Menos Grande, and behind them, something even larger.
Before the Shinigami could even react, pillars of pale yellow enshrouded Shirou and the rest.
Staring up at the garganta, and then to the pillar of pale yellow now surrounding him ad the others, Shirou clenched his fists. He was exhausted, but he couldn't show it. It was best this way to prevent the Shinigami from being able to measure his limits.
And besides.
Shirou's eyes narrowed towards the horizon where Sokyoku Hill was located.
He still needed answers from Aizen.
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Moments before,
The land around was deathly silent aside from the ragged breathing of those nearby.
Kukaku was just barely holding on to consciousness, and she was currently using all her effort to glare at Byakuya. It wasn't that she had hated the man before, but what she couldn't forgive is what he did to her brothers.
It was as if Byakuya had gone crazy after saving Rukia, attacking everyone else in the group systematically. Compared to Byakuya, no one was able to stop him, perhaps only Kaien, but he was wrapped in suppressants.
This only made it all the more heart wrenching when he and tossed himself in front of her and Ganju when Byakuya came to attack them.
Ganju was next to be defeated in a fit of rage, and she herself had partaken in it. However, no matter how angry she was, it was a fact that she couldn't amount to much against a Captain-Class Shinigami.
She was thoroughly defeated, and when the blade's edge was descending on her, it was her younger brother who took the blow.
Both of her brothers were stabbed straight through right in front of her eyes. Words couldn't even begin to describe how she felt staring at Byakuya's despondent face, as if he couldn't understand what it was that he had done.
Vision blurring, the last thing she saw was Kaien's fingers twitching.
"Surprised, Captain Kuchiki? I didn't think you would be so savage as to crush those weaker than you," Aizen spoke calmly.
Silently, Byakuya's gaze fell upon the man he had thought he was fighting.
"What is this?" He asked in a soft voice; laced within was a glacial fury that was near its ti[[ing point.
"Oh? You can't tell your own handy work?" Aizen said smiling. "Then again, I suppose I can tell you now, but first a little matter to attend to."
Byakuya's eyes widened when he realized that Rukia was no longer in his arms.
"By your expression, I think that you should rather ask yourself if she was ever in your hands in the first place?" Aizen questioned slowly, Rukia held in his hands as he talked leisurely.
Resisting the impulse to move, Byakuya forced himself to think. Nothing was making sense. Aizen's Zanpakuto was supposed to be of the water type, Byakuya had seen it himself. Clearly though, something was wrong with the situation.
"Kyoka Suigetsu," Aizen said while removing his brown-rimmed spectacles. "It's not what it seems. Rather, it's a very special Zanpakuto. One with the power of Complete Hypnosis."
Another Aizen suddenly appeared by Byakuya with a taunting expression.
"That water type Zanpakuto was never real," Aizen explained.
Shink!
Senbonzakura sailed straight through Aizen, the Aizen before his eyes fading away.
"You're mad, I can tell. Who wouldn't after personally attacking his own sister?"
"Shut up," Byakuya's words were frigid, his hands balled so tightly that the whites of his knuckles were showing.
Pink sakura-like petals circled in a storm of miniature blades around Byakuya, threatening to explode out in all directions.
"Trying to weed me out by attacking everything around you?" Aizen asked, not seeming fazed in the slightest. "Or perhaps its just to cover your own blind spots? In any case, are you really sure of that?"
Almost as soon as Aizen finished speaking, Byakuya got a clear view at what Aizen was staring at.
Kukaku and the rest.
"Moreover," Aizen said reading Byakuya's facial expression. "Is this Rukia in my hands the real Rukia, or is it the one you can't see lying near your feet? I dread to imagine what would happen if those sharp blades of yours were to accidently sweep her up in the current."
Byakuya's expression froze.
This Bastard.
The flowing pink-coloured petals ceased altogether, forming back into Senbonzakura's sword.
Byakuya was at a loss about what to do.
If Aizen indeed possessed complete hypnosis, then how could he be sure that he was attacking who he wanted to? He couldn't be certain of anything, therefore he had to trust in his own senses and judgment. But right now, despite the calmness of his face, his emotions were going haywire. More than anything, he wanted to strike Aizen down at this very moment, but he couldn't.
Not with surety.
"Are we done, Captain Kuchiki?" Aizen asked. "If so, it was admittedly an entertaining spectacle, but I'm afraid it has to end."
Byakuya felt a cold sensation in his chest, only to realize that it was from the steel of a sword.
"This is where our time together ends Captain," Aizen said while pulling out his blade.
There was a squelching sound before blood begun to spurt heavily into the air.
Byakuya buckled onto his knees. He was still injured form the time he went to the human world and hadn't fully recuperated. Another injury was only bringing him closer to passing out.
Yet he forced himself to remain awake long enough to see Aizen walking towards Rukia.
At that moment, he knew that this had to be the real Rukia. Otherwise, why would Aizen continue to use his power on someone already beaten.
Forcing strength into his body, he lashed out, seeming to catch Aizen by surprise.
However, it was someone else who forcibly knocked him out. A hand appeared just off the edge of his vision, gauging a fissure across Byakuya's side.
W-Who!?
Unable to maintain consciousness any longer, Byakuya collapsed on the ground.
Aizen turned around to stare at Kaien Shiba flicking the blood away from his hands.
"Was the act necessary?" Aizen asked off-handily.
"…" Kaien didn't answer, instead scratching his head while his expression creased into a frown.
"I guess it doesn't really matter, but I suggest you go back to lying down. I sense others coming," Aizen spoke.
Kaien nodded his head, and then resumed his earlier position.
"Now then," Aizen muttered while picking Rukia up by the scruff of her neck. "Time to get matters underway."
"I don't think so, Aizen," a voice called approaching from the distance.
Within seconds Yoruichi burst out from the shrubs pulling Ichigo by the arm.
"Hey that hurts!" Ichigo complained, trying to get feeling back into his arm. Yet, at that very moment, he finally registered the scene Yoruichi had brought him to.
"Karin! Everyone!" Ichigo's expression grew panicked seeing their injured states. More so when his eyes landed on Aizen who was still holding Rukia up.
It became clear to him who had been the cause of all this. Anger nearly caused him to charge in, yet Yoruichi forced him back.
"Don't. He's far stronger than whatever you are capable of right now," Yoruichi warned. "Just go get the others while I deal with him."
Ichigo didn't like the feeling of helplessness that took root in him once again. It was why he had trained so hard after his defeat in the Human world, and also his progress when he defeated Renji. To once again be unable to do anything, it almost too hard to accept.
Gritting his teeth, Ichigo eventually relented when his need to make sure the others were okay overwhelmed his desire to avenge them. But still,
"What about Rukia?" Ichigo said cautiously.
Yoruichi glanced at Ichigo, and seeing the determination in his eyes, could only motivate herself further.
"Just leave it to me," she spoke again.
Frowning, Ichigo eventually moved to help Karin and the rest.
"You think you alone are enough?" Aizen asked when Yoruichi approached.
"Honestly," Yoruichi said slowly. "No, but to get Rukia out of your hands, that I have confidence in."
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