The War of Four: Ultimatum of the Immortals

Meeting of the Ten Sharpened Blades, Foreboding Omens
"...and from what my spies have gathered, Las Noches was assaulted most recently by a band of unknown entities that specifically targeted it to annihilate Herrera Tresckow, along with his entire army," Genjo reported aloud, sitting on his own makeshift alabaster carved throne-like chair as all of the Espada Afilado were gathered to bring forth the most distressing matters to date. As well what was happening beyond their permanently night skied world and their endless white sands.

Most of the meetings were updates on their personal army's status, the condition of security within Empresa, any outlying fringe threats that could pose a problem for them in the future, much like Rana Zolinder and her brother's band of unknown Arrancar. However, when it came up to Genjo's turn to give his own report, everything got quiet and still as he read out what was happening that no one could've expected.

"...and so far we have him currently listed in MIA while his Lieutenant, Luccia Botta, was seen nearly half dead where dozens of trained warriors were laid slain in mutilated or half-incinerated fashions," Genjo then dropped his fold of paper with an audible slap onto the alabaster marble table before leaning forward to look at the Primera, "something is moving in on Hueco Mundo, Primera, and its targeting the strongest to remove competition. We need to prepare for war, and soon..."

This wasn't something Casilda was too keen on hearing.

She let out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. "How many wars must I have to fight before all of this is over and done with...?" She questioned rhetorically, a clearly disdainful tone in her voice. She turned her head towards Tierra, who sat at attention. "Doncella, what about our communications? Any of the other cities know about this?"

"Well..." The orange-haired woman frowned almost out of embarrassment, folding her arms across her chest and averting her eyes away for a brief moment. "I'm very sorry to say, my Lady, but the birds have started to go quiet. Most that we've sent out never returned, and Nicolao's security sensors have noted dead corpses of their kind in the middle of destination paths. Someone's trying to make sure that we've got little to no help as possible."

"Terrific..." Casilda deadpanned. "Are the troops on standby?"

"Inward security's gearing up as we speak, ma'am..." Loly said readily and coolly, a smirk on her face and satisfaction within her words.

"My men are ready to kill upon sight anything that comes within our boundaries..." Bernabe added, his own smirk of anticipation on his face. "I assure you that they will not be coming out without harm..."

"My subordinate beastmasters have set traps within key structures in case potential invaders get too far into our lines." Senkaku pitched his own report in. "We've been setting up ever since Tierra informed me of the birds getting killed off."

"I've also taken the liberty of reinforcing our security within Empresa," Hikage, the Noveno of the Afilado, spoke aloud as he sideglanced the Primera cooly, "anything short of sheer force rivaling our own will make it nigh impossible to penetrate the new defenses we instilled into the city's perimeter."

"Most of the majority of the population as well as my students are well prepared for full-out war of any kind," Lobo said smoothly, though he looked worried to Genjo as he asked aloud, "though how did your sources come across them when Tierra's birds were being killed on sight?"

"Long distance surveilance happens to be a speciality of several of my handpicked intelligence gatherers, De Norte," Genjo said with a reassuring tone as he waved a jeweled hand in emphasis, "besides, most of Tierra's flock tends to migrate beyond the border patrols and protection of Empresa's army or any outlying outposts we might have. They're easy to kill if they wander too far...especially for a gifted marksman."

"You'd have to be a hell of a shot and be quiet about it if that's the case," the newest, as well as one of the youngest of the Espada Afilado Diez ranking, Caballero, his boots hauled up over nonchalantly ontop of the alabaster table much to the chagrin of Lobo and Hikage seated across him, "though to have it be virtually undetectable is also another matter..."

"So, in other words, they pretty much know how to keep themselves from our watch very easily..." Loly muttered in disdain, looking over to meet the shocked gaze of Nicolao. "Something that probably wouldn't have happened if someone had been actually doing their maintenance..."

"Excuse me?" Nicolao scowled, narrowing his eyes and glaring at the Sexta. "Every part of surveillance was hand-crafted, tested, and painstakingly cleaned for any mistakes or loopholes that could be used for bypassing purposes! I and my subordinates have done excellent work keeping the system active, thank you very much!!"

"Don't get so flustered by her, Nicolao," Genjo said with an amused tone, tapping his chin while locking his golden eye with Loly's form while sideglancing Nicolao, "she's always a critic of those who actually do the work around here..."

"Lady Primera," Hikage spoke up, turning his gaze to fully meet hers, "there's a possibility they interrogated members of Herrera's most trusted confidants about the locations or any unknown information he had on our city's layout and patrols. There's a chance the reason Rana Zolinder and her Arrancar allies haven't returned is because they got to her group first and found out how to infiltrate our defenses, but have been choosing to keep low," he then clasped his fingers as he added, "and this could be linked to the Espada group as of 300 years ago, and how familiar they are with Arrancar tactics..."

"Bet she's laughing it up, if not rolling in her grave..." Casilda said, a hint of frustration seeping into her tone. She leaned back in her chair, switching her hand position so that her palm would be enclosed on one half of her face. Her visible eye's gaze expressed a mixture of exasperation and annoyance. "Have there been any breaches yet, any sign of suspicious activity?"

After giving the scowling Loly a disdainful glare, Nicolao turned his attention towards the Primera and changed his tune quickly. "No, my Lady. Surveillance has not detected any sign of disrupting activity as of yet. But we are still sweeping the area."

"Good, because right now, and once again, we seem to be on a tight-rope." Slowly, Casilda lowered her hand from her face and rested her arm on the armrest of her chair. Her expression regained its serious demeanor. "I want each and every one of you to maintain a status of high alert. If what Hikage is saying to me is true, then this new threat have most likely dug themselves in quite deep into our territory. As far as we know, they could be listening into this very conversation right now without us knowing it."

"...really had to increase the paranoia, didn't you, Primera?" Tierra muttered dryly, a grimace on her face at the thought. All she gained in response was Casilda giving a casual shrug.

"Just thought I'd let you know...no pressure..."

Tierra sweatdropped. "...yeah..." She muttered under her breath. "No pressure, indeed..."

"I'll do perimeter sweeps every hour as thoroughly as I can," Hikage announced smoothly, as he stood up from his seat and kept his hands within the folds of his black cloak, "with luck, I'll be able to pinpoint the enemy's position and snuff them out before they can start any ambushes or surprise attacks..."

"Boooooring," Caballero said aloud in an obnoxious tone as he yawned exaggeratively, waving a hand in front of his mouth in emphasis, "I wish you gave us a real task like, turning the surrounding desert into glass or...clean up the last interrogation that Loly commenced a few hours ago. That'd been really enjoyable compared to say, "stick your thumbs in your asses and hope you don't get them cut off,"..."

Lobo simply sat silent, as he had most of the meeting with a far off gaze as he looked down at the table with nothing of his own input to speak of.

"Well, sorry if I can't please the minority..." Casilda said sardonically. "Just do your job and don't complain. You'll get your fireworks soon enough..." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the distant look within Lobo's gaze, almost as if he was out of it. She paid no heed to it, however. After all, she was certain that he was listening fully despite his mind on other things. In addition, she could guess easily what took up part of his attention...

"If you have no more use of my time here then," Genjo said presumptiously, standing up before grasping the scythe leaning against his own throne and began walking towards the exit, "I'll begin to enhance the surveilance protocols and begin to utilize my own Pesquisa to search for any fringe threats that might be linked to our new enemies...until then," with a audible crackling sound of his own personal Sonido, he whispered in finality, "I'll see you all when the fireworks begin..."

"Yeah, I'm done with this borefest," Caballero said, leaning forward so his legs could pull himself ontop of the table. Then with a smile, he backflipped off the table before landing deftly in the opposing direction of the group, disappearing within his own variation of Sonido.

Lobo then moved his glowing white eye and his normal blue eye to lock onto Casilda's, mentally projecting to his superior without words or gestures, "I need to speak with you alone..."

"Of course." As the other Espada made their own moves to exit the area, Casilda slowly stood up and folded her hands behind her back, signaling that she was ready to walk with Lobo.

Lobo stood up and walked over to Casilda's direction, continuing to walk with his hands in the folds of his uniform's coat pockets, speaking as he strode by, "There were a number of things I wanted to speak with you outside the other Espada's ears that I think are only appropiate for ourselves to speak about...I hope you understand, my Lady Primera."

"Of course I do, de Norte." Casilda said dismissively, briefly gesturing her words with a hand motion. "You have no need to feel nervous speaking to me about such. Just go on and explain what's on your mind."

"First, about Rana Zolinder," Lobo said in passive, yet mildly distressed tone as a drop of sweat ran down his visible temple and off his chin, "I don't believe she's dead, but is suffering a fate far worse. I heard reports that Genjo left out, that she might've been involved in the destruction of a good portion of Las Noches' wall as well as the attack on his forces and his person..."

"...that doesn't sound like she's suffering at all..." A frown came over Casilda's face as she regarded the Novena with slight skepticism. "Matter of fact, it sounds like she's doing what she's always been doing. What exactly is the problem here..?"

"I think I briefly explained my past connection with her," Lobo began to elaborate with a wave of his left hand, "we have...or rather had...a special bond with each other. We fought together, survived together, we even came up with similar sword styles that I've been able to pass onto my students today. Even though she left and we've parted ways, I could always feel her presence subtly in the wind of Hueco Mundo," his eye narrowed and his silver one glimmered slightly, as he grimaced his visible expressions on his face, "Nearly a night or so before the recorded attack on Las Noches and Herrera's forces, I heard a scream in my dreams that belonged to Rana's. When I woke, I could not sense her presence any longer, nor could I feel any security in that. I believe...somehow, the enemy is using her as a puppet now, and I don't know why I believe this to be true, but I know she's not herself anymore," bowing his head, he stopped walking as he whispered, "forgive me, my Lady. I shouldn't...defend someone openly who blatantly attacked us not too long ago. Its out of line..."

Had Lobo not added that particular ending to his explanation, Casilda would've been quick to reprimand him verbally.

Instead, she remained silent when she stopped in unison with him, regarding him with stony silence. If he had his head lifted up, he would've seen a piercing gaze in her eyes - something that would've certainly been enough to express her feelings on the matter. She didn't like the fact that he had even considered defending the one who had attempted to take her life. But she could understand the depths of comradeship that they once held towards each other and the remnants it left behind. She could never bring herself to hold anything against him for that.

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do." She said simply, turning her gaze away from her subordinate. "For a warrior, an enemy, and a puppet, there is nothing that can be done for her. I trust that you understand?"

"Yes, Lady Primera," Lobo said with a scratchy tone of solemn understanding as his gaze met hers undeterred, "I just wanted to inform you so that you could preform the honors of putting her out of her suffering. She's nothing but a vessel of rage and self pity now...there is nothing left of the Rana I once knew within her..."

"Rest assured... that is exactly what I plan to do." The Primera answered, switching her gaze back to him. "What else did you want to tell me?"

"Oh...that...," Lobo uncharacteristically blushed slightly on his pale complexion, before coughing to clear his throat and regain his composure, "I wish to have a temporary leave of absence to pursue a particular target I've placed vested interest in. That's all."

If this was a TV show, the sound of glass breaking would've been heard to emphasize the shift in Casilda's demeanor.

"You.... what?" She squinted one of her eyes, expressing slight disbelief and surprise at Lobo. "There's a chance that we may be going to war within the hour... and you want me to let you go off to kill some random person? Who's the person you're even going after?"

"Not kill per se, more like a test of strength and keen interest," Lobo defended lightly, before clearing his throat again, looking up towards Casilda's unbelieving gaze, "the Soul Reaper who defeated the prior generation Espada Novena...Rukia Kuchiki."

"Because "testing" is all the more better in this situation..." Casilda muttered sarcastically, shifting from disbelief to skepticism quickly. She placed a hand on her hip in an expressive stance. "Look, Lobo... I'm familiar with the ones that defeated our predecessors. But that being said, I need all my men here to ensure full security. You can hang out with your new girlfriend afterwards."

Lobo's dramatic change in mood also changed when Casilda mentioned the latter part, showing a mortified expression on the usually dauntless face, "G-Girlfriend?! Lady Primera, what...what did I say that insinuated romantic interests in my opponent?! Am I losing it?!"

Of course, this prompted Casilda to smirk a little. "Well, you are considered the gentleman of the bunch, and you just happen to pick up a said "interest"--" She used her fingers to emphasize quotations around the word "interest". "--in Ms. Kuchiki. By those standards, there's a pretty obvious guess in which direction that's gonna end at..."

"Then the only way to avoid such a...predicament is to either die a hero's death fighting for my fellow Espada and my Lady Primera, or die by her hands in the event she truly becomes the warrior I wanted her to be," Lobo said in a berift tone, becoming slight in awe at the end, before widening his eyes in realization before palming his face, "I'm doomed, aren't I?"

In response, Casilda just reached over to pat his head in a comical gesture of empathy and sympathy.

"Lady Primera," over the drifting thoughts that connected Casilda to her Espada, Hikage's whispered into her mind openly, "we have a trespasser nearing Empresa's borders. Its Spiritual Pressure is...unlike I've ever felt and I've never seen someone like this..."

All humor stopped right then and there.

With tension building up within her, Casilda stepped away from her subordinate. Her mouth curving into a slight scowl upon the revelation, and for a moment, she was wary of answering the call. But it didn't last long. "You have visual confirmation of it?" She questioned, her "tone" firm and commanding.

Lobo arched his visible brow at Casilda, and tensed as he realized something was wrong. Unsheathing his blade, he struck the ground with the blade's edge, stretching his Pesquisa to its limits towards the perimeter of Empresa's borders. Barely catching the glimmer that this trespasser's presence was causing, Lobo grimaced as he already knew that this wasn't a good sign...

"For the moment. Its cloaked which has some sort've properties from me revealing its true presence, but its carrying a large scythe of unknown make on its shoulder," Hikage began describing through the thoughts that sounded as if they were standing side by side, "it seems to be walking closer but in a very nonchalant, meticulous mannerism. Obviously this is part of their plan since they've been so careful to avoid detection up till now..."

"It's always the haughty ones I get..." Casilda didn't hold back her disdain as she spoke the first sentence, but she was quick to revert back to "leader mode" in the blink of an eye. "Maintain your current position, Hikage. Any sign of attack from this individual is your cue to silence it. I'll need to inform the rest of the Espada about this new predicament..."

"Understood-...waitaminute!" His thoughts suddenly were on alert, as his next proved unsettling, "he's stopped moving. He's approximately 1.2 kilometers away from defensive walls which I'm perched on right now, and he only has a scythe for a weapon. Is he just the bait or is he doing something that we don't know about?"

It was not a good thing to hear.

Immediately, Casilda ran through possible outcomes of the situation depending on choices. If she ordered him to attack, it would provoke the target into unleashing its trap immediately. But if she waited, there was a possibility that they would give him an advantage to summon up power needed for another attack. Her teeth gritted slightly, and her fingers curled in an instinctive manner. If it was one thing she hated, it was having to expand her thoughts to every possible solution and missing one vital thing.

Would that be the case here?

"Keep an eye on him. My orders hold steady." With that, she quickly expanded her link to the rest of the Espada in order to inform them. "To all of the Espada commanders! Hikage has picked up an unknown entity within Empresa's borders. The enemy has started their approach, I repeat, the first of the enemy has started their approach!"

"I knew they'd show themselves eventually," Genjo's thoughts spoke with a ominous knowing, before affirming his superior's orders, "I'll begin to sweep the opposing areas for any similar entities of unknown variables matching his description..."

"Finally! Someone to &$%#ing to kill!" Caballero thought with glee and feral anticipation.

"The calm before the storm is over," Lobo added his own two cents in solemnly as he began to walk towards the exit of the Meeting Hall for the Espada Afilados, "may the moon of Hueco Mundo shine brightly in favor for our victory..."

"From what I'm seeing, it looks like its talking to someone but I can't see or pick up anything. Must be a isolated frequency that we don't know about," Hikage kept updating with grimace, as his physical form wordlessly dropped the gun towards his right hand, raising it up and storing the necessary "ammunition" it needed for his counter or preemptive attack, "it still hasn't made a move yet, however...

"Eyes everywhere, ladies and gentlemen!" Senkaku was the next one to speak up, his tone commanding and alerting. "More than likely, there's more than one of them scouting us right now. Every move visible to them will be reported and made aware of by the lone wolf's friends!"

"Why must those cowards bide their time with talk and blabber?" Bernabe snarled, not pleased with the fact that their enemy was watching them. "If they're watching us, they're fully aware that we're aware of them. Attempts to sneak by us are useless!"

"Its moving the scythe off its shoulders and seems to be...looking directly at me?-" Hikage began to say, when a blaring "voice" suddenly filled his and everyone else's minds.

''"May I cut in, ladies and gents?!" An unfamiliar voice broke through the telepathy wave which they were all communicating with, presumably belonging to the entity a mere kilometer away from their locations, "and I do mean a literal cutting in, by the way, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!''"

"What the $*%&?! Did we just get a...prank mind caller?!" Caballero spoke aloud incredulously, not bothering to think in sync with his mind right now as it felt a headache come one with the eery, insane laughter.

"Obviously the enemy is more resourceful than I anticipated," Genjo spoke aloud to himself, as he locked his eyes towards the horizon where the entity was now hijacking their mental communication was having.

"Wait a minute, what in the hell--?!" This time, Loly spoke up, her voice expressing shock at hearing the invasive voice. "Get out of our chat, you asshole!! We can't talk about you behind your back if you're within hearing range!! Casilda, can't you boot this guy?!"

"...this was a secure connection." Casilda muttered, her voice laced with annoyance. "How this guy managed to get into it, I have no idea. Even if I did find some way to force him out, it wouldn't matter. He could just come back in if he wanted."

"Well, Hikage..." Loly was quick to change to a snarky tone, directing her words to the said Espada. "You're staring right at the guy. What, are you planning to fucking ask him out for brunch?! A spot of tea by Big Ben?!"

"If you're that insistant on retaliation, creature..." Hikage spoke gutturally with his thoughts, before taking aim with his trademark Zanpakuto gun, pulling the trigger...

CRACK-BWHOOOOM!!!

"...then allow me to be the first to strike!" he finished aloud with his voice, as his gun discharged a violet-white fissure of energy that spout out at high velocities and speed, aiming to strike him down with one blow, from over a kilometer away.

"Perfect," the intruder's voice rang out in their heads before its presence totally vanished, as its intended purpose had been utilized as the trespasser began spinning its scythe around in circles, until visible runes snaked along its metalic pole handle readying it for its employment.

Just before the the violet-white fissure of volatile energy struck him, the enemy combatant swung its scythe along the body of energy...

SIIIIIIING-Sfffffzzzz...

...and totally negated the entire attack, absorbing its energies into the blade itself causing it to glow a bright red, prespiring a faint spiritual pressure of its own.

"It...negated my attack?!" Hikage thought with disbelief, realizing all along the attacker was waiting for the first strike to come from the defenders, "its about to mov-"

SFT-SFT-SFT-SFT!

"e?!" Hikage tried to think aloud to warn his subordinates along the wall, but within a few disorienting leaps of an unknown Fast-Movement technique, the intruder appeared a mere ten meters away from him and the others, raising its crackling, glowing scythe above its head...

SRRRRRAAAAAAAACK-BOOM!

...and caused a movement that split apart the entire wall where Hikage and a few others narrowly escaped from, the fissure splitting a good fifteen meters of solid defense, along with the energy barrier it perspired.

"Alert! The enemy has breached our defenses! Fire at will!" Hikage ordered out, as an array of Balas, Ceros and makeshift Zanpakuto abilities discharged what they could lock onto the enemy target as it began to move in and out of their range as it full invaded the city's inner perimeter, and began to bat away each projectile that got too close, snuffing it out and unknowingly absorb its properties into the unusual weapon.

"Dammit!" Lobo swore aloud, his body moving as fast it could carry him as he intended to reach the location before any more havoc would be wreaked, "Hikage, hold him there for a minute! I'll be there as soon as I can!"

"Coming towards you, big guy!" Caballero copied as well, his red trench coat flourishing around him as he sprinted and intermittently used Sonido to gain distance to the location of the intruder, "the kick-ass calvary will be there in a jiff!"

"Cease fire!" Hikage ordered, as he saw with the vast array of firepower they ushered was being completely avoided, or better lack thereof was being nullified by his weapon, "energy is null against this opponent! Hold fire until I say so-"

SLAM!

"'Bout time you bitches stopped your whining, pussies!" The foul entity exclaimed with a feminine, tomboyish tone, though it sounded hollow as if it didn't belong to the creature at all. In the wake of slamming the pommel of the pole-handled weapon, he then created a magnanomious pulse of energy, creating a pyre of crimson energy that slowly and surely shifted into eight other particular coloumns...

"This just got worse," Hikage whispered with widened eyes, as eight other entities stepped forward from the energy coloumn, each of them retaining particular poses while all of them exuded unique, high amounts of Spiritual Pressure of different variations, "they're all here, and in force!"

Enter the Immortals, What is it you seek?
And that was when they all knew what to do.

"Hang on, Hikage, we're coming!!" Loly shouted, all humor stripped from her voice and replaced by genuine, serious alarm.

"Can't believe I have to pull a lowly subordinate out of the fire..." Bernabe grumbled bitterly.

WOOSH!

With several sounds of the Sonido, they appeared before the eight that stood beside the once-lone intruder. Some of them had appeared in crouched forms, while others materialized in standing or other idle stances. But in any case, they were now standing beside their comrade, with various expressions regarding their enemies. It was like they were facing a mirror image, with each Espada looking down on a potential opponent. It was the perfect setup for a tension-thick situation.

"Thank you, Casilda-san," Hikage could only whisper as he hefted his gun in a ready yet non-threatening stance in the event hostility wasn't immediate on their agenda, "just within a hair's breath of having to take them all by myself..."

"These entities," Lobo whispered aloud, as he was in a crouched form, with his Zanpakuto drawn and his two mismatched colored eyes narrowed upon them, "not one of them is Hollow or Arrancar. So Rana is not among them..."

Genjo peered down himself, holding his scythe in a tall-stance with an intrigued stare down at the other entities that stared at them respectively or off into space with indifference or annoyance.

"Soooooo," Caballero swayed his feet off the edge of the crumbled split section of the wall that was just recently splintered apart with ease, holding a specially crafted gun in one hand while the other picked his ear in boredom, "you gonna just stare and give us the silent treatment all day, or are we gonna make you squeal first?"

One masked entity walked forward, wearing identical greyish cloak yet having white spiked hair and a mask cover his face as well as most of his body. His voice, however, came out clear and purely inquisitive, "Which one of you is the Primera, Cortez Selestino?"

"That would be me..." Casilda answered readily, allowing herself to step forward in order to indicate her presence. Her eyes met the face of the entity in a neutral stare, her hands lowered in a non-hostile fashion. "Who exactly would you be to call me out?"

"It truly has been awhile, Casilda," the man spoke in a fond, nostalgic tone, walking away from the mass of the group, his cloak flourishing around himself, "I remember the days when you were just a shy, withdrawn girl that wandered the pale wastelands of Hueco Mundo, having such a precious innocence and naive beauty no one else would know the strength dwelling deep within your soul. Rising to the rank of Primera is no small feat, as well as building a civilization ontop of it as well within the chaos that seeps within this world. I'm quite impressed, Casilda, I really am proud of you."

This did not suit well with some of the Espada.

Bernabe narrowed his eyes, allowing himself to step forward out of line. "You insubordinate piece of shit..." He growled, allowing himself to step forward and glare daggers at the one who addressed his leader so casually. He grasped the hilt of his sword and pulled it from the scabbard, brandishing it dangerously. "Speaking so casually to our leader and expecting to live?! I think I'll find it good for all if I chopped your head right off--!!"

However, he was stopped by Casilda swinging her hand out to stop him. His eyes widened at the motion, and he turned his head up to look at her. "Ma'am...?"

He could not see it, as he was still standing a step behind her. None of her subordinates would see it, either. But all of the enemies that stood in her view would see every bit of it. Her calm composure had been wiped away, replaced by a face full of surprise and shock as she regarded the one who had spoken to her. If one peered closely, they would be able to see the hand that had stopped Bernabe's advance shaking ever so slightly. Her next word sent a shock through most, if not all, of her subordinates.

"...sensei?"

"The Fu-?! Did she just say this guy is her teach?!" Caballero nearly fell forward with his jaw dropped when the head honcho of the invaders happened to be confirmed as their Primera's former sensei.

"Well now...this is unexpected," Genjo chuckled as he stroked his chin thoughtfully at this new development while clenching his scythe with a little trepidation and anticipation for what's to come from this discovery.

The suspected former teacher smiled underneath his mask at his former pupil's recognition of him, despite the lengthy time of no contact. Reaching up with one fingerless gloved hands, he pulled down the mask to show his full visage to his former protoge, showing a welcoming smile behind it that mirrored the silver glint that was reflected off the constant overhead moon of Hueco Mundo. "Its been awhile, since you and I have spoken, hasn't it, Casilda?"

"...it has." Casilda, after a moment of silence, answered him with subtle bitterness laced on a controlled tone. "Though now I'm wondering why exactly you chose to speak under such circumstances. What are you doing here, standing beside such cutthroats?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Senkaku slowly make his way up to stand by her side, taking up the remaining flank.

"Tch!" The golden armored entity spoke out, clicking his tongue while slightly hissing but knew to hold his tongue for the particular situation they're in.

However...that didn't stop everybody...

"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!" An eerily, ghastly laugh broke the tense silence as a man wrapped in robes stepped around to Jigen's left flank. His smile evil in every sense of the word and his eyes glittered with entertainment, "I find that kind've hilarious, for the Leader who agreed to ally with myself in bringing the universe to its knees in a mere exchange of protecting what little civilization you have here!"

This time, Senkaku was the one to emit a light growl at the one that had dared to speak up. He wasn't one that appreciated such taunting in the face of his leader. But the feeling was amplified knowing that it was the former leader of the group that had caused them quite a lot of a grief. The laugh by itself made him want to rush forward and cut down the man right then and there. But he knew that would be acting out of the wishes of the Primera herself.

And speaking of the Primera...

"I wasn't talking to you, Tenshi." Casilda said in a blunt, sardonic manner. She kept her eyes on her former teacher, refusing to give Tenshi the satisfaction of attention. "When I want your input, I'll let you know."

"HA! Talked down by beautiful queen herself!" A golden armored man laughed haughtily seeing Tenshi's slightly irked twitch form on his face, "you should speak out more often, that way I can be amused by how much you are verbally beaten by such fine women!"

"Shut your face, brass-ass!" Tenshi snarled, looking as if he'd retaliate in someway before Jigen himself raised a hand to emphasize a desired silence.

"What I'm doing with them is nothing more than mutual cooperation," Jigen said smoothly, as if he wasn't personally bothered by the odd group accompanying him, crossing his arms over his cloaked chest, "nothing more, nothing less. We all work to accomadate the wishes of one particular entity, and this entity wants back what was his to begin with. That is all I'm here to help achieve with my associates."

"We don't have it." Casilda said dismissively. "All that is here is a barren wasteland, as it always has been. There is nothing here worth taking back except rocks, sand, and wandering souls. What could your "entity" possibly want out of that?"

"Jigen," the golden armored entity spoke out to Jigen, earning a turn of his head to sideglance his compatriot, "it will probably be better if you let him speak to her in person? It'd probably break the misunderstanding she has right now..."

"Of course," Jigen nodded, unfolding his arms before looking straight at Casilda with serious eyes that only she'd recognize their cool, composed focus, "I'd rather we speak alone. No tricks, just want to make an official audience with our mutual benefactor. Sound fair, Casilda?"

Casilda could practically feel the defiance radiating off of Bernabe and Senkaku upon the offer, and she knew that they would rather risk their lives striking him down rather than let her off into a potential trap. But she knew that when her sensei regarded her with that gaze, there was nothing but sincerity. So she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for what she would see. "Fair enough..." She answered, ignoring the varying expressions of shock Senkaku and Bernabe were regarding her with. "Lead the way."

"My Lady--!!" Senkaku began to protest, but Casilda was quick to cut her off.

"If I am caught within a trap, you will know the second it is sprung.." She said simply, looking over her shoulder at the other Espada leaders. "That will be the indicator for you to attack. And when that happens, not one of them is to be breathing when you're done. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Was the quick, simultaneous response.

"Amusing," the golden armored entity chuckled with bemusement as he looked at all of them, "they must not be taking us seriously, are they?"

"It'll be their downfall," a 'X' scarred woman spoke in a low, promising tone as her eyes locked onto each and every of the present Espada Afilado, "as their will to fight as the Hollowity they represent...nothing but chaos and darkness..."

"No one make a move without my say," Jigen said with an authoritative tone that only Casilda would recognize, raising a hand to point at his golden armored associate in particular, "do I make myself clear?"

"As clear as you can be, Jigen," the man said with a challenging smile, for which Jigen did not fall prey for as he beckoned Casilda with a nod of his head before shimmering out of view with an unknown Fast-Movement technique employed.

During their fast-paced travel, Jigen managed to find a suitably tall dune in the pale sandy wastes, landing with a soft thud with an exhale of sand swirling around his figure before he turned to watch Casilda join his side, "There's a somewhat...historical monument that both Hollows and Arrancars hold here. From what I remember it was the birthplace of the Gran Vasto Lordes, Ultharon, and also his resting place during the end of the Ultharon War three centuries ago, give or take. Do you remember the place called the Black Chasm?"

"...Black Chasm..." Slowly, Casilda closed her eyes and raised a palm to her face, lowering her head in thought. "...no..." She admitted softly, unable to bring the memory up to the surface. "It's been far too long since those days. Details have left my mind..."

"They say its the first time the coming-of-aged new Head Captain Shin'en released his Bankai," he said in a faraway, nostalgic tone as he faced the direction northwest to Empresa, raising a hand in the direction where dark clouds siphoned a constant, violent electrical storm in the distance, "with such destructive force at his disposal, he was capable of clashing against the omnipotent Sovereign Breaker form that the Gran Vasto Lordes assumed, striking him down in one of the most Epic battles this world of pale desert sands and a starless night sky..."

He turned around with a satisfied, if not reveling look on his face, "it was one of the most breathtaking exchanges of two ideals being forced one another's throats: Utter Chaos and Genocide versus Order and Justice! I'd wager even they, as much as they had been fighting and sacrificed, knew the gravity their war would have for generations to come," waving a hand in emphasis to Casilda with a satisfied grin, "had the Soul Reapers not won the war, you wouldn't have been able to erect your beautiful civilization, and neither would you have partaken in some of the most world shattering events that has transpired in such a short time. You must be quite proud of what you've achieved here, Casilda..."

Slowly, Casilda slid her hand down her face, letting it hang by her side as she looked at Jigen. "All I did was what I did best..." She answered simply. "And that was to help the ones that were in need. I created this civilization for those who were sick of the cycle of death, those who desired another way out. The only satisfaction I take is in the fact that those I have aimed to assist have accepted it... even if it did only come from moving a couple of rocks around...."

"You have more power than you ever can realize, even now you don't fully grasp the significance of your existence!" Jigen said with an applauding, boasting tone as he waved his hands towards her in emphasis, "your the first female Hollow, Arrancar at that, to have ever been giving the tremendous honor and prestige to create a civilization that pales prior attempts in the past! You've carved Order out of the Chaos that is a constant reminder of your most carnal, based origins, but you keep fighting to prove your sentience and your existence! You...you are so much more...," sighing with resignment, Jigen smoothed his hand through his face and back through his spikey white locks, before saying lowly, "we shouldn't keep him waiting. Let's go...Casilda..."

"Aye, sensei..."

With acknowledgement of his statement, Casilda folded her hands behind her back in preparation to follow him once again. The words that he spoke to hear rang as clear as day. It wasn't that she disagreed with him on any of it. But she didn't feel as if she should hold great pride over what she considered normal. Anyone would've called it humility to the most extreme degree, but there were others just like her. There were others who could've taken the position of leadership, particularly those under her command. She was simply the first to take the steps needed.

But she didn't say anything to hold that belief. Instead, she simply allowed herself to follow the man that led her to the one behind it all.

As Jigen effortlessly sped across the desert plains that made the majority of Hueco Mundo's world, he became incredibly silent. As his feet would momentarily touch base at the top of a dune, he'd then rapidly propel himself even further towards the dark, electrical currents that were made of the most destructive and monstrous Spiritual Pressure possible. Such was the result of destroying the birthplace of the most powerful Hollow weapon in existence, second to the Destruction Orb that was crafted by Ultharon soon lost in his battle as well to the Head Captain.

Landing at the beginning of a large recess within the once great obsidian mineral mountain, Jigen stopped completely, observing the dark endless chasm that was named after the destructive final blow that the Head Captain landed upon the monster. The fragments of the once proud, dark mountain were still nearly the size of mountains, as the majority of the chasm would've been able to fill Empresa and Las Noches with ease, looking like an endless black hole that went straight to Hell.

"We're here," Jigen said, turning to face Casilda, saying with a neutral expression that he'd often don in his earlier days with her that showed an undertone of disappointment, "now we just have to wait for him to reveal himself..."

"...why do you regard me with such a look...?"

The Primera picked up on it quickly, frowning and furrowing her eyebrows as she gazed into his stare. "When someone takes too much pride in a great achievement, they become inflated and disillusioned. They senses become overwhelmed by the satisfaction of what they have done, and whatever morality they had or promises they made are consumed by their newfound power. They lose balance, sense and consciousness in their high, leaving behind only a monster to abuse its talents. Many have walked down that path, only to meet a horrible end. There is nothing to be proud of when you truly acknowledge who and what you are...."

"I will have to disagree with you, Primera of the Espada Afilado and Queen of Empresa," a voice suddenly spoke, as malicious presence filled the senses of the old Arrancar with something far worse than any of Jigen's company were percieved. The voice of a educated, eloquent yet sharp tongue bore the voice of a talented liar and cunning being, "for I see nothing but a naive girl, who percieves herself as a saint when I see nothing but a wretched, dream that will be wrenched back into reality. The reality, that what is yours is mine, and I aim to take it back, little Arrancar..."

In that moment, time stopped.

Like a mirror shattered by a hammer, Casilda's calm demeanor shattered into pieces when her ears picked up that chilling, malevolent voice. Her pupils dilated, her heart rate increased tenfold, and beads of sweat started forming on her face. Her fingers, still and lifeless, were now shaking and twitching in a near-uncontrollable manner. There was no denying or mistaking the presence that she felt or the voice that she heard, as much as she wanted to. All logic screamed that it wasn't true, that she might've been hearing things, that her fear was talking for her.

But she knew that it was real.

Slowly, she turned herself to look into the eyes of the one they had all presumed to be long dead.

"...Aizen...Sōsuke...?!"

"What's the matter, humble leader of Hollowity?" Sōsuke asked in such soft, slightly disbelieving tone betrayed by only the calm, mocking smile on his smooth facial features, with only the left discolored white-black eye being one of the few things different about his appearance. That and his longer, smooth dark brown locks, he looked to be dressed in black which was a highly contrasting appearance to his formerly favored white attire he took upon taking control of Hueco Mundo's pale desert seas. "I've thought that such a calm, old entity such as yourself would surely know of my existence to be far extended past my exaggerated death? So many noteworthy entities, and you're one of the few who looks as if you're seeing a ghost, haha!"

Slowly, Casilda's eyes narrowed, and for the first time in ages, a cold and bitter tone was clear in her voice. "I should've known better than to assume that you were dealt with." She said, glaring daggers into the eyes of Sōsuke. "But you just had to come back, didn't you? Once wasn't enough for the so-called god, was it?" Her fingers slowly clenched into fists, and her teeth gritted ever so slightly. "None of us need or want your presence within this dimension, Aizen. If there was ever a time that we needed you, that ship has sailed. Hueco Mundo isn't yours anymore. It's ours."

"For someone as humble as you claimed to be, you certainly are presumptious in speaking out for the whole of your Hollowity," Sōsuke placed his hands behind his back, walking around the Primera as he spoke in thought, "why else would Herrera Tresckow not see eye-to-eye with you? Why else would there be zealots of an entirely foreign philosophy that is, for intents and purposes, self destructive? You speak as if you know your race, but when in truth, you've isolated yourself and your little civilization so far from your true origins that you have no concept of what it is to rule as Hollows desire to be ruled," leaning behind the Primera to whisper a soft, tainted tone her neck, "and I do know a great deal on how Hollows desire to be lead, as I've done before, I will do even grander now."

If there was one thing Casilda learned, it was not to stick to the defensive. Once one did so, it was all a matter of time before that particular person broke under the pressure. Sōsuke would not hesitate to crush her in the event that happened, and it was the last thing she wanted to happen. After all, there were those who needed her...

The second thing was not to give in to intimidation. The close proximity and the feel of the creature's breath on her neck sent a vicious chill down her spine. The scene was reminiscent of a rapist cornering his helpless quarry and moving in for the kill. As much as her hands were itching to swing out and strike him for getting so close to her, she knew that was what he wanted. All it took was a little provocation and he would have the upper hand immediately. No matter the circumstance, she couldn't let him have that.

"And what good could you possibly do...?" She countered, purposefully averting her eyes away. "You've lied, deceived, and manipulated your way into the position you're in. It would shame us if there was a leader who doesn't even know the meaning of the word "honesty". As a matter of fact..." She looked over her shoulder, crossing her arms. "I'm starting to wonder, considering how much of a good liar you are, if you're able to be honest with even yourself."

"Isolation can do wonders to the mind, Lady Selestino," Sōsuke said in a neutral, calm tone as he backed his head up and walked around her again, waving his left hand in emphasis of his speech, "I've spent a good three hundred years to comprehend the errors in my ideal world...the thoughts that led me to defeat and doubt...and the arrogance a mere Soul Reaper I once was thought I was superior to everyone and inferior to no one. However, that changed on the day of my death," he then turned to face the Primera with a dark, satisfied smile, flashing his white teeth, "and rebirth as a new variable in the physical and spiritual universe. So, due to this, I have no reason to lie at this point because if I started the same path of misfortunate mistakes I've made in my prior life, would I not fail in the same horrific fashion?

My new transcended vision will lead not just Hollows but all forms of life to a new Heaven, one of which is meant to be instead of a constant spiral of death, sin, and anguish. The only thing I need to achieve that," he then emphasized by raising his right hand to the Primera's arm's reach, "is a unified Hueco Mundo. Under your rule, you will calm the seas of chaos and destruction into a perfect society separate yet unique from other Spiritual Realms. Allied with me, and you will ensure that the Heaven you seek for your Hollowity is achieved as well. Well now," adding in a whispering tone, he narrowed his eyes in a piercing gaze at her, "will you accept the chance to change your world for the better, Casilda Selestino?"

"...so I just say "yes" and all of it will go away...?" Casilda rephrased, meeting his gaze with a solemn stare. "All I have to do is take your offer, and our suffering will cease to exist?" Slowly, she hung her head as if she was in thought. Her eyes closed, overshadowed by her bangs. "No heaven or hell, politics or religion... nothing to kill each other for or die over... all of it will come true?"

She remained silent after her sentence, and silence swept the area. She didn't allow herself to move from her stance, even as the wind billowed her hair in front of her face. After several seconds of that tense silence, she slowly raised her head and turned it away from him. Her eyes were still closed, but the expression of her feelings was clear in her response.

"Those are the words only for a true god to speak. You, however, are nothing more than a mutant and a monster." She said scathingly. "I would rather burn in the inferno of your Hell and be branded as a heretic than surrender myself and what I've created for the sake of your Heaven. Take back your hand, my Lord... I don't want your blessings."

Fight for Honor! Who's the "God" now?
Sōsuke smiled, his eyes flashing in an almost anticipatory, pleased way as if Casilda herself did something he wanted her to. Taking his hand back, he waved it in an nonchalant manner, saying aloud calmly, "Pity...I do like Hueco Mundo as it is, and the civilization you've created," his eyes then narrowed and his voice darkened into a sinisterly pleased manner, "but I guess a glassed world filled with blood will do just fine, for your race's personal Hell!"

Tk-Shiiiiink!

With that being said, Jigen began his approach, unsheathing his left horizontal lower sheathed blade, showing a black threaded hilt katana, a weapon that not even she would recognize. His eyes moved into that cold, passive state of detached reality: the reality that blood needed to be spilled.

"I wish you took his offer, Casilda," he said in a emotionally neutral tone as he approached her, his body slowly becoming enveloped in a frighteningly ancient, controlled, and powerful aura of Spiritual Pressure. A pressure that could easily rival that of the Head Captain's, and Casilda herself, "I wish you didn't have to be one of my students who had to die in this lifetime. Do yourself a favor and accept it, instead of fighting the inevitable..."

"Inevitable?"

Although she did not turn towards him, it was clear that Casilda was speaking to him. She put forth contempt within each and every word. "Where did your sense of pride, individuality, and hope go? Did you give it all up in the hopes that this remnant of a man could give you what you want? You act as if you're disappointed in me, sensei... but in truth, I'm the one who should be disappointed in you, for you have forgotten the things you've taught me. I refuse to raise my swords against you."

Then, she swung her hand out in cutting motion, her arm stopping abruptly at her side. Her eyes snapped open, once again glaring dagger's into Sōsuke. Her next words rang loud and clear. "666, Beast of Hueco Mundo!! Hear my command and heed it wel!! Dye with red the one who has unsheathed his sword against me, so that I may stand against this white plague masquerading as God!! Wipe away his existence from our dimension!! Leave nothing behind, not even a drop of blood!! I want him gone!!"

"666? Beast of Hueco Mundo?" Jigen thought with a furrowing brow, actually causing him to stop his advance when he heard what almost sounded akin to a ritual rite or a prayer...or a summons to a terrifying beast!

...SCRAAAAAAA-BOOOM!

From out from the shadowy folds of Casilda's cloak, an impossibly disguised presence emerged as a dark cloaked, dark red armored entity darted out with such speed and power, it was embodied in a aura of dark red Spiritual Pressure and Power so dense, that it appeared like a full sized meteor of living proportions was sent from nothingness towards her former master.

"Mizukagami!" Jigen immediately swirled a fluidly harnessed, controlled burst of silver spiritual energy, massive in scope as it embodied a twenty meter gait before stretching out like a veil over the incoming strike of the unknown opponent. Standing behind it, just a hanful of feet away, the meteor-enraptured energy roared out furiously like an unknown character from a nightmare story you wished never to see. For the first time in Jigen's long existence, he felt a twinge of uncertainty...and possible fear of this new Cerberus of Casilda's from her own personal Hell.

SPRAAAACK-BOOM!

"Impossible-" Jigen spoke aloud, as he found his nearly impenetrable sword-stance of reflection shattered by the enormous, monstrous spiritual projectile, forcing him to backpedal away as a giant fissure of energy exploded violently across the pale sands, creating a rivetting shockwave that echoed for miles on end...and rippled the hostile Spiritual Pressure off of the chaotic resonant Spiritual Energy ravishing the skies above the chasm's expansive hole.

With a buffet of wind flourishing around his black, long-coated form, Sōsuke smiled as he kept his hands pocketed while regarding the Primera, "This is a natural deposit of hostile, chaotic Spiritual Pressure. Your innate telepathy with your Espada as well as any battle fought here will never reach their ears or senses, no matter how advanced they are. This fight, as well as any that happens withing your precious city, will be completely and utterly isolated," closing his eyes, he inhaled the depositing, dense spiritual pressure feeding the entire area, "can't you feel it? Its like an orchestra of violence and chaos, existing solely due to the death of one entity. The ghost of a dead god lingers here," opening them with a hawk-like presence within his discolored orbs sent an eery sensation through the air, "you'll soon be joining it, Primera."

"I don't care what happens to me..." Casilda said coldly, grasping both hilts of her sword and drawing the weapons from their scabbards. "Even if I die here, there'll be someone else that will rise up to take my place and continue down the path laid out. But I'll be damned if I let myself bow down to the likes of you. Even if it takes away my last breaths, I'll be glad to finish what the Soul Society couldn't." She met his hawk-like gaze with one of her own as she readied her swords, her arms and blade in crosses.

"Foolish Arrancar," Sōsuke said, chuckling aloud, not even raising a finger to defend himself in the anticipationg of a violent conflict against a revered warrior such as Cortez Selestino, "the only thing you and your pet will be finishing, is the road of your elongated lives!"

____

"Hm?" Genjo looked to the horizon, his golden eye glowing slightly as a distant explosiong sent a rift of familiar hostile Spiritual Pressure, of a particularly distasteful Arrancar, "what's he doing? The only reason he'd be fighting is..." Genjo suddenly widened both of his eyes in realization, tightening his hold on his scythe before calling out to the other Espada, his body exploding into a pillar of violent Spiritual Power, extending his spiritual pressure in a breathtaking shockwave, speaking out in a commanding voice, "KILL THEM ALL! THE SCUM HAS SET US UP!"

The reaction was imminent. Without hesitation and not unlike those connected to a Hive Mind, each one of the Espada selected their own opponent within a second's gap. Because their numbers were even, there was no worry about being outnumbered. All they had to do was pick out an individual to duel one-on-one and move in. That is exactly what each of them did.

When they struck, they struck with lightning speed.

With several sounds made only from the trademark Sonido movement, the Espada threw themselves at the enemy's line. Their weapons were brandished, moving in to strike down their targets.

"Take those mongrels down!" The golden armored entity spoke out, unsheathing his Zanpakutou respectively as he clashed with his own opponent, as the other entities engaged respectively and synchronized just as effectively as their counterparts, "show them their futility in resisting the Sennin Butai!"

Sovereignty and Force, The Golden King & the Segundo Clash!
"I'm taking you first," the golden armored entity said to the Bernabé, Flash Stepping with incredible speed, brandishing a medieval-style double-edged sword enraptured in a coat of golden Spiritual Power, "you ugly, deformed cur!"

BRRRROOOM!

Within the wake of the spiritual powered swing, a fissure of incredible proportions of spirit energy aimed to both tear the Espada apart and incinerate his cells, measuring nearly ten meters wide and as tall as a ten story building. All of this within a single stroke of his blade against his enemy...and a sadistic smile on his light-tanned facial features.

"You've obviously never seen the true face of war, boy!!" Bernabé taunted back, sneering at the energy blast as it raced towards him. Slowly, he extended his free hand outwards, summoning his own spiritual energy to his palm. The orb that was the beginning of a rose-colored Cero that spread outward to envelop the surface of his palm. He ignored the winds that violently billowed his hair and clothing as the energy came closer and closer. "For it is one of the most ugliest things ever seen!!"

VOOM!

He unleashed the Cero upon his opponent's attack, aiming it at the epicenter.

And when the rose-colored Cero collided into the mass of energy...

CRRACK-BOOM!

...a violent orange tinted explosion reverberates the air in a massive conical light show, sending shockwaves that burst through the air waves with ease, easily causing any of the superstructures of the outlying portion of Empresa to crumble and dissipate under the chaotic forces' aftermath.

SHFT!

"Perhaps you've never heard of me, Arrancar," the golden armored opponent spoke as he appeared deftly behind Bernabé, swinging out his sword in a violent arc diagonally across where the Arrancar's backside would be with deft strength and swift precision, "I'm Lord Rey Dorado, heir to the Noble Dorado Legacy, and the Golden King that waged terrible war of my own in Aether when they refused my rightful place as their ruler!"

A throwback of the free hand was all it took for Bernabé to counter the attack.

Swiftly, he caught his opponent's wrist in a vice just before the blade could strike him, turning his head so that he could look over his shoulder. "I could care less who you are." He said lowly. "As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing more than a pile of shit. That is all you'll ever amount to being."

Then, with a forward pull of his arm, he threw his opponent away from him with immense physical force. He swung his sword shortly afterwards, shooting a lone Bala blast after him.

"Tch!" He clicked his tongue while sneering in contempt at the mundane answer he recieved, even as he was thrown a bountiful distance despite his own incredible strength. As the Bala came into view, smiled simply as he lit up his left armored gauntlet with yellow spirit energy...

SPRACK!

...and backhanded the Bala away, sending it reeling down towards the nearby wall, causing it to erupt with magnanomious physical force from the high-sped projectile.

"Then I'm glad we understand each other," Rey said with a delighted tone, his red eyes widening with glee, "cause I don't think of you as anything less than swine piss! Your death will mourn no one, affect no outcome, other than my own satisfaction in cleaning this world of another garbage excuse of sentience!"

With an outstretched motion of his free hand, an immense spiritually condensed electrical surge focused around his palm. With a pleased, calm look in his eyes, he jutted out his palm towards his opponent...

CRACK-BOOM!

...discharging Hadō # 63, Raikōhō with an incredible force towards the Arrancar a dozen or so meters away, intending on causing him either pain or serious injury, which either one was fine with Rey.

And to this end, Bernabé grinned toothily.

Once again, he outstretched his free hand as the attack raced towards him. This time, he spared his enemy no words as he summoned his energy to his aid once more. But there would be no rose-colored orb forming at the tip. Instead, what he unleashed was a focused shock-wave that would perform an act of Moses. The energy split the lightning bolts, diverting their path so that they would move past Bernabe without harming him.

When he was certain he had room, he struck.

With a Sonido, he re-appeared facing Rey's back, taking his blade to the man's spine. He channeled his spiritual energy into the attack, combining his immense physical strength with his power control in order to break through the armor and get to the flesh underneath.

BOOOM!!!

With an immense geyser of sand that was mingled with fire that was combusted by the energy let loose by the enemy, sending both a potent dose of physical and spiritual energy into an explosive, night point-blank blast upon his enemy.

"Hahahaha!" A voice was let out with a gleeful, menacing tone as clearing through the smoke emitted a powerful, golden-tinted barrier of unknown make bare inches away and emitted from the armor itself, "you've obviously never fought an enemy with Kidō Armor, have you?!"

SPOOORCH!

Within an instant, the barrier retracted into the mass of golden metalically forged armor, causing it to glow brightly, allowing Rey to move in a 180 degree spin with blinding ability, before he slashed out nearly half a dozen slashes of both horizontal and vertical arrays towards the proximate Bernabé, exerting slicing-currents of air streams and spirit energy in every attack.

"You fucking cow--!!"

Bernabé's expression of anger was cut off when he was attacked by the blades, the explosion and element of surprise forcing him to retreat. He swung his blade to counter the attacks he could not evade, all the meanwhile keeping himself on the defensive. The spiritual enhancement of these attacks forced him to resort to using his own spiritual energy in order to keep the pressure off of him.

"Kidō Armor...?!"

"Did I strike a nerve in that apish looking head of yours?!" Rey crowed gleefully, as he kept on the offensive, striking harder and faster, using deft swordsmanship and innate knowledge of weaponry to catch the renowned Segundo off guard, "this time and age has led to breakthroughs in technology which your stagnant culture has refused to embrace! Kidō Armor is something that Aether for the most part, has fully grasped and accepted for the most highest ranekd members of their Royal Corps' Knight Lieutenants and Knight Captains," through a momentary feint, Rey's body crackled with energies that surged to the blue iconic star on his breastplate, "do you know what rank your allowed to have this pristine valued armor, Segundo?!"

SPRRRACK-BLAAAAAAAM!!!

Discharging an incredibly pressurized Kidō beam of Hadō #73, Soren Sokatsui, from his armor itself towards the enemy intending on sending him reeling backwards or causing him great injury. Cackling, he continued while flourishing his blade, "I was among the highest ranked Knight Captains, being heralded from the Noble Family's greatest trove of Weaponry and Kidō forging crafts known in all of Aether and its neighbouring provinces! I am the former Knight Captain, Lord Rey Dorado, of the Noble Dorado Family, keeper of the highest worth of treasures, technology, and weaponry in all of Aether! You, a mere neanderthal monster, can not ever be in the same plane as I am!"

"Ooof--!!"

This time, Bernabe had to put his arms out in front of him in a defensive stance as the Soren Sokatsui spell crashed into him. He was sent skidding back, gritting his teeth as the lightning burned and licked at his Hierro. He dug his feet in, leaving miniature ditches in the sands underneath him. But even during all of it, he did not allow himself to falter or fall back completely. It was simply beneath him to do so.

With a swing of his arms, he put forth his power into deflecting the wave of death straight into the sky. It raced towards the sky like lightning in reverse, ignoring the winds that billowed violently in his face once he performed the action. "You're right..." He said sardonically, sneering at the man who had pushed him back. "I'm on a plane much, much higher..."

Then, he raised and swung his sword down.

A fissure of his rose-colored spiritual energy was unleashed, the size comparable to Rey's initial attack. It caused massive waves of sand to be blown away from its sides, spraying the entirety of the area.

"Reveal thy treasures..."

Rey spoke with a hint of a smile, as he pointed his blade towards the oncoming fissure, the blade and hilt itself turning into a golden stream of energy, that warped the entiriety of the area around Rey and beyond, sending an odd sensation to nearly every combatant as it opened what thought to always remained closed.

"Jōten Taiyō..."

BLAAAAAM-WHOOSH!

The large fissure of terrifying energy shredded and detonated over the continuing wasted landscape that was the outskirts of Empresa. However, within the midst of the fissure warped and...disappeared without trace or sensation, for within the middle of the space where Rey should've been torn to shreds or shown to have damage, was Rey completely unharmed and with no weapon in hand. In fact, he had his arms now crossed over his chest as he smiled a canine, challenging smile, his red eyes glinting with mockery, "Is that really the best your plane of power is capable of? Trash, completely and utterly $%#&ing trash!"

"What in the hell?!"

To say that Bernabe was shocked was an understatement.

His teeth gritted as he caught sight of the lack of injury on Rey's person, his free hand slowly clenching into a fist. He had picked up the words that served as the release command of a Zanpakutō and could tell right away that was the reasoning for both the strange sensation and the way that his attack was so harmlessly diverted. But it was the very nature of the move that had unnerved him a little. It was certainly no normal means of spiritual disruption.

He would have to be careful.

"Don't be foolish, boy." He said lowly, slowly raising his sword back up to a defensive stance. "I am far from dead and done. The only trash that will be taken out is you and the rest of your sorry group of misfits!!"

"Glad to see you're still struggling," Rey hissed in a challenging tone, raising his right gauntlet up while propping to other on his hip, "it'll make this all the more pleasing to see you turn that look of defiance and into complete utter, pitiful agony!"

VRRRRRRM!

Spt, Spt, Spt, Spt, Spt, Spt...!

What happened next looked and felt just as bizarre. Within the space around and behind Rey, a number of glowing ripples of what looked almost like a distortion in the spacial fabric akin to golden water, began to protrude a number of objects. Within seconds, the objects turned into an array of unique and deadly elaborate weapons, all of them having different make, style, and energies pulsating within them. The one nearest to Rey looked to be a scythe, and it was this one he chose to "unsheathe" from the space perpindicular to his head, having an elongated and jewel-tapered pole handle and a decoratively long arched blade.

"I think I should have a little fun with your neanderthalic body before ripping it to shreds," Rey said with a sadistic tone, propelling himself off the air before swinging his scythe around in a brilliant, crimson-lined arc that mimicked a blood-soaked crescent moon. The move had enough cutting power to easily squander Rey's initial attack, and the attack itself felt foreign compared to his sealed blade's style of combat, as it aimed the cutting blade and fissure towards the Segundo's left side and torso in particular.

Bernabe unleashed a mirroring attack to counter it.

With a swing of his sword, he unleashed an arc of his spiritual energy. The crimson glow of his sword indicated the increased power put behind the attack, consistent even as the needed energy left the blade. Red met red, resulting in a brief clash. Because of their similar color, it seemed more like a red, whirling rift within the space between them than a clash of energy. As it cleared, Rey would see the feral grin Bernabe wore once again.

He had found a challenging opponent.

"Excellent counter!" Rey audibly complimented Bernabe, holding his scythe towards him pointedly, "I'm glad to see I can fight someone, despite how repulsive they appear, that has some versed knowledge as far as tactics in the battlefield is concerned!"

Tak-SHIIIIINK!

"Let's dance!!!" Rey said in a proclaiming shout, as he stepped foward, discharging the scythe's blade from an elongated blade hidden within the long pole handle, moving rapidly in for the kill at accelerated speeds with an aura of red energy around it as the blade spun in circles as it moved towards his neck and upper torso.

SNAP-SHINK!

With a snap of his left metalic thumb and forefinger, one of the blades a few meters away discharged in an enraptured field of light before what looked like an elaborate halberd appeared in his left hand. As the scythe-energy enraptured blade zeroed in on its target, Rey leaned to the left and swung out his halberd, the pole section increasing at an instaneous pace until the crescent end of the halberd was a mere foot away from Bernabe's exposed right side. Swinging it in a decapitating gesture, the sharp halberd moved into the cut his body in half should the scythe be diverted or dodged away, or adding upon to the injuries he would be sustaining.

The scythe blade closed the distance faster than the pole - something Bernabe was quick to use to his advantage.

Reflexively, he swung his sword up to parry the blade, deflecting it away from his person. Then, he threw himself at his opponent once the halberd was swung. His blade moved to clash against the opposing weapon, the metal sliding against the pole as he closed the distance. His eyes grew wide with delight as he moved closer and closer, his pupils dilated smile gleaming.

Then, when he was close enough, he vanished.

But it wasn't even a second later when he re-appeared above the air, a red orb forming at the tip of a pointed finger. The crimson glow illuminated his sneering face - an indirect emphasis of his expression. The range he was at was point-blank, guaranteeing little to no chance of missing. But despite his expression, he knew that this wasn't an attempt to kill moreso than it was a simple test. He was curious to find out the full extent of the technology his opponent wore and the potential weaknesses it possessed.

Without hesitation, he unleashed the Cero upon its designated target.

Within the span of Bernabe closing the distance, and then moving above him, Rey's red eyes narrowed with a hazy lust for his opponent's blood. As the Cero was on the verge of release, a faint ripple formed above Rey's head, in the form of golden water, as he whispered, "Here's your shit back..."

BLAAAAAAAAM!

"...pissing trash!" What Rey preformed was nothing short of baffling. The very fissure that Bernabe had sent his way during its mysterious disappearance and loss of all sensation...had returned int full force point-blank when the Cero was released equally at point-blank.

"What?!"

Of all the things that Bernabe had been expecting, the move that had been pulled off had not been one of them.

With the sudden attack blocking his own, he found himself being pushed back and further into the air. He gritted his teeth, letting out a hiss as he fed more energy into the Cero blast. But because he had been caught off guard, the output that he had put to counter it was less than satisfactory. It wasn't soon before his blast was overwhelmed, and he found the very attack that he had used come at him.

Retreat!

Barely, he was able to use a Sonido to evade the blast and retreat to his former spot on the sands, landing in a crouched position. Unfortunately, he had come to the realization that figuring out what the armor itself did was not his primary concern. Before, he had simply assumed that the Zanpakutō had dispelled the attack. But upon seeing that move, he was starting to think something else - something much more dangerous.

Spacial distortion.

"Good reflexes," Rey's eyes took on an entirely different look, even his disposition changed as he regarded him with an easy smile of gratification of fighting such a worthy opponent, rather than treating him like a second rate hack with a fancy clip-on title, "normally that trick alone would've cost an arm or a leg at withdrawing from an attack like that. Though, then again," throwing the scythe in a swift arc, sending it with an impressive marksmanship skill towards Bernaebe before twirling the halberd around in his other hand, "it was your attack to begin with, so I guess even you have weaknesses after all...Segundo Bernabé Lino."

A Bala was fired off in response to the scythe rushing towards Bernabé. With a loud clang, the projectile struck the weapon and sent it off-course, dispelling upon impact. "I don't need to hear patronizing from slime like you..." He retorted, swinging his blade out to the side and straightening his pose. "Your words are meaningless and worthless to me. All I care for is the blood you spill when I drive my blade into your heart. I want nothing less than that!!"

Then, he flipped his sword and caught it when the tip pointed down to the ground. As he plunged the blade into the sands, he called out the name of his own Zanpakutō release to emphasize the desire to destroy his enemy.

"Cleanse!!! Radiación!!!"

Then, there was a flash of light, followed by a massive energy pillar of red rising around the Arrancar's shifting form. It stretched to the skies, illuminating the entire area in a bright red light. It was a beautiful, frightening, and stunning sight to take in to the Empresa scouts that were watching the battle from afar. The shockwaves expanded for miles, allowing for every combatant within the vicinity to feel its devastating effects.

Rey's smile widened once again to the sadistic, pleased appearance as he saw his opponent reveal his full, wild and incredibly volatile power, as the Spiritual Pressure flowed throughout the lands in the forms of shockwaves that reverberated and shook the very foundations of standing structures to mimic a hurricane-like storm, inducing sand-like twisters around the pillar of light itself, while crackling spiritualized lightning bursts high above in the usually starless and cloudless skies, as a maelstrom of destructive currents built high above them.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Rey laughed loud enough to overcome the roaring winds and bursting Spiritual Pressure exerted by the transformation his opponent was exerting. His own body glowed of a magnanomiously collosal current of Spiritual Power, until he created a pillar of energy so great, it also induced an affect nighly similar to that of his opponent, crackling high above into the malestrom currents the two were both creating, "this will be the first time I'll be able to utilize my powers to their greatest peak! Don't disappoint me, Segundo!"

Clash of Beliefs! The Dark Duel of Curtained Opponents!
Within the single, breathtaking moment when both self-designated leaders or morale-builders shouted the signal to attack the opposing parties, a single black-cloaked entity leaped towards his long anticipated target. In fact, unknowingly to his counterpart, he was actually looking forward to this. Not for the reason to cut loose and fight...but in order to fight him.

SHFT-SLICE!

Within a single, breathtaking movement, Senkenteki's body flew into the arm's length proximity of Senkaku Ningensei's. His less-than-average height crouched down, as he grabbed onto the hilt of what looked like a crescent-like hybrid of a katana blade and a middle-eastern design, he struck out with a furious, poised, and graceful arc to aim for Senkaku's throat and up along his right abdomen. His black eyes were focused, stoic, and underlyingly holding a anticipating that he had been holding back ever since arriving on Hueco Mundo.

If Senkaku showed any acknowledgement of that, the mask hid it all.

With a simple step back, he avoided the blade that threatened to cut him. There was just enough room for the tip to be a millimeter away from scratching his clothing. From the swing and strength of the blade, it was obvious to him that his opponent was holding back - something that he didn't mind. It would simply give him more time to mentally prepare himself against future attacks. In the meantime, he would return the gestures.

In the wake of Senkenteki's swing, Senkaku moved forward to get under the man's guard. His own blade moved in a horizontal swing towards the chest cavity.

With a precise foresight of the counterattack, Senkenteki lifted his lower body up, making his head perpindicularly pointed to his opponent, before spinning in a clockwise motion to avoid the horizontal slash just bare inches below him, cutting thin strands of his scarf off in excess.

Within this pinwheel motion, he made a corkscrew motion with his blade in a rapid series of slashes and thrusts towards Senkaku's mask, neck, and upper torso area. He aimed to either drive back his opponent or push his limits, not actually expecting a blow to be solidly made or a wound to be scored. It was too soon...for either fighter...to start earning their half-hearted victories.

"!"

Somewhat surprised by the move that Senkenteki made, Senkaku was almost taken off-guard.

Immediately, he bent his legs into a crouched position in order to avoid getting his face caught in the humanoid whirlwind. Then, he lunged forward, executing a crouched roll in order to distance himself. Reflexes and good balance allowed him to get on his feet in a flash, readying his blade in a defensive manner as he faced his enemy.

"That's another thing..." He thought to himself. "I don't sense any energy signature of a Shinigami within him. Matter of fact... it feels just like the energy I sensed from those cross-towers. Just what exactly is he...?"

Gracefully righting himself by allowing his front to fall first, bracing himself with his left palm, before propelling up and into a flip, landing gracefully onto the particular piece of landscape they unofficially claimed as their personal battlefield.

"That's good," he said in a dark, stoically intrigued tone as he narrowed his black eyes at Senkaku's mask slits, "you're as good as I remember you as, Tres Senkaku Ningensei," he then dashed with a propelling speed that mirrored the swiftness of a Flash Step or a Sonido, blurring out of view before reappearing in front of Senkaku, launching a diagonal uppercut swing before continuing a rapid flurry of slashes and thrusts, "but you won't get off easy with an Apocalypse to interrupt your duel with me!"

Thus began the dance.

Senkaku swung his sword in accordance with Senkenteki's attacks, generating bursts of sparks with each strike delivered. His heart began to race in the face of the assault, every muscle riddled with nervous electricity and every organ on overdrive. But on the outside, he was carrying himself just as 666 would have - in a cold and calculating manner. But it didn't keep him from firing a dignified taunt back at his opponent.

"The only thing an interruption would do is keeping me from killing you..."

Then, in the midst of his swing, he briefly summoned the energy of his Espada Cero in order to break the stalemate, his weapon, and his defenses within one strike.

Senkenteki's eyes dialated as he saw the iconic energy he witnessed him using before on his prior opponents, as well as studying the true effectiveness of the weapon's cutting power.

"That's it...!"

And within a second's time, in mid-swing, a dark violet-black laced fiery-energy crawled up the expanse of his blade's edge and body, blaring out in a loud thunderous roaring affect. Once it came into contact with the Espada Cero laced blade of Senkaku's...

SPRAACK-CLANG!

...it successfully countered the Espada Cero's famed, renowned cutting enhanced properties and funneled a gust of superheated wind in a buffet towards and around the two opponents, as a thin smile errected on Senkenteki's face in doing so.

"That is the same energy that the towers emitted!"

Senkaku's blue eyes widened in surprise at the revelation, even as the energy raced around them. As far as he knew, there was only one race that could utilize such energy, and that was the Hankami. But he was certain that if he was truly facing a powerful entity like the Hankami, he wouldn't have been able to fight against it. So what exactly was this man?

Senkenteki siezed the brief moment of surprise he caught in the man's muscular contractions. Sliding his and his opponent's blade simultaneously to his left, he spun the flat of his right foot and slammed it towards Senkaku's mask, intending on utilizing enough precise force to shatter it and send him a good distance away from his position.

"You look surprised, Arrancar," Senkenteki said with an amused tone, as he settled into a aggressive neutral stance while maintaining the flow of the violet-black fiery Dark Shinsei energy around the blade, "I thought you'd be more prepared...against an energy that you nearly wiped all of existence with?"

Reflexively, Senkaku swung his arm out in order to block the attack, his Hierro acting as a cushion against the force behind the kick. But in turn, he was sent skidding back and forced to dig his heels into the sands in order to keep himself from going to far. At his opponent's statement, he let out a slight growl as he steadied himself once more. "Don't speak to me as if you can read me like an open book, when this fight's only just begun..."

Senkenteki laughed aloud, a dark sinister-laced tone emanated as his closed his eyes briefly before reopening them to stare at Senkaku anticipatingly, "Oh, but I have read you, Senkaku! I read you the moment you clashed blades with that white-haired fool, or the time that ignorant girl of incredible power matched your own, battling with determination and strength that rivaled your own loyalty, beliefs, and honor. You're not that incredibly hard to figure out when your emotions flare up, like the flames of a well-lit lamp, and allow me to read your every sensation and surface thought," Senkenteki's body became embroiled with Dark Shinsei energy, wrapping around him in thick tendrils while sending out an awe-shocking pressure that easily caused a blistering heat to cascade over the edge of Empresa, ripping the buildings apart and setting them aflame, with violent hatred oozing in empathetic waves towards all within his radius of control, extending for great distacnes, "you're the most powerful, most potentially gifted Arrancar of all the Espada here! And for that reason, I requested the honor of killing you, Senkaku Ningensei!"

Was he there?

As Senkaku took it all in, his mind began to work on what his opponent had spoken to him. The mention of his emotions, the people he had fought, and the very aura of confidence he exuded made it all too clear. Somehow, someway, he and possibly his group had been there to observe the events that had transpired within Yūrei that day. But what role did they take? Were they part of the Ahijados's attack force? Were they agents for a completely different group? He would have to figure it out later.

Right now, he had to fight.

With a theatrical swing of the sword, he unleashed his own spiritual pressure from his body. A massive green aura of his spiritual energy manifested, clashing with the aura that Senkenteki had created. His hair whipped in front of his face, and his clothing billowed violently in the intense winds. However, he showed no sign of faltering. He kept his stance in preparation for Senkenteki's next attack, his silence the only outward acknowledgement of the declaration.

With a wide smile, Senkenteki could practically taste the sheer power that Senkaku perspirated in sync with his hidden emotions: Determination, Honor, and utter true Loyalty. Senkenteki reveled in this one moment of clashing his power against his opponent's, the utter breath before the plunge into the nightmarish storm known as battle.

Then...he leaped forward.

SHFT-SPRAAAACK!

Appearing within an instant due to his swift Haya, and discharged a fissure of Shinsei energy so potent, the shredding properties melded perfectly with the incinerative pressure of flames, as within the current of Senkenteki's diagonal swing towards Senkaku's torso and left shoulder discharged an incredible blast of energy that sent sand around them skyrocketing. The particles of sand themselves were so superheated, that they ended up turning into glass in midair before shattering from the outrageous pressure of the shockwave that followed the immense attack.

The enhanced blade met that of Senkaku's.

Once again, both energies collided with material ferocity, and the mixture of glass and sand formed a tornado that swirled around both of their forms. As he kept his sword locked with Senkenteki's, he raised his free hand to point a finger. The orb of green formed at the tip of his finger upon his mental command. It was a matter of using the point-blank range they were at to his advantage, lessening the chances of missing.

Without hesitation, he unleashed the Cero upon its target.

"!!!"

As he saw the finger raised up, he remembered from his past observation of this man and his tactics, as well as the techniques implemented on a number of high prestiged opponents. The infamously dubbed, Instanteous Cero, or what Senkenteki liked to call...the Silent Cero.

VRBLAAAAAAAM!!!

The horizon that the Cero covered was incredible wide, and the massive firepower broke a rift through the tornado, carrying a great deal of the crystallized glass and sand particles along with it, funneling past Senkenteki's form and into the distant tallest dune of pale particles...

BOOOOOOOM!!!

...causing an incredible explosion in the distance that created a dramatic shockwave, billowing a wave of sand for a great distance as well as buffeted winds flourishing here and there. What happened through the midst of the Cero's aftermath however, was even more astounding...

"Now wasn't that close?" A confident, undeterred voice rang out as a now shirtless yet unmarred muscular torso was shown on the shorter, young appearing entity, with only his right bare hand held up to stop the majority of the incoming Cero singlehandedly. A dark smile rang as a dark violet hue glowed behind his two eyes, as well as a third glowing apparition behind a piece of cloth that was slowly but surely disintegrating from the severity of the blast that his body couldn't protect. Once it turned to ashes a strange, terrifying thing appeared on the entity's forehead...a glowing, matching colored eye, glowing brightly and staring directly at his opponent with an intense, vivid concentration, "I was hoping you wouldn't see this part of me," Senkenteki said with his dark smile intact, his blade still matching intensity with Senkaku's as he glared predatorially with all three orbs, "but I guess you brought this upon yourself!!!"

VRRROOOOOOAAAAR!!!

Within an incredibly, equally instaneous reaction, Senkenteki discharged a thick torrent of black-violet hued flames from the palm of his left hand. The flames of Shinsei Energy came in the form of a Dragon's maw and neck, aiming to burn Senkaku to ashes if not send him hurtling away with immense force across the sandy dunes that rippled and blew back any proximate dunes of sand around him for a good twenty meters with every dune he'd been blown back by.

It wasn't the speed of the attack that got Senkaku's attention, nor the immense power it threatened him with - but rather, it was the third eye that had formed on his forehead.

With a Sonido, he boosted himself up into the air and evaded the attack. His form could be seen flying high into the air, his hidden eyes looking down on his opponent. His mind began to work once more, thinking of what the new "weapon" could mean for him. The third eye was usually associated with ESP and psychic abilities, according to the tales of mythology. Could that be how he had the information about him?

"You're probably wondering," Senkenteki began speaking, moving at such an unparalleled speed he arrived right above him with sword propped onto his shoulder and his hand on his hip, his eyes pulsating and beating with a thrum of power, "what it means for me that I have a third eye. I'll tell you what it meant to my race," he then raised up to point at the eye, "this is a symbol...a coming-of-age, if you will, when a member of our race reaches the pinnacle of their powers and retains the ability to harness Dark Shinsei Energy. When I recieved mine, my race was unsurprisingly targeted by the only other race of beings that retained that semi-sentient energy..."

"So you're one of "them"..." Senkaku acknowledged gruffly, turning himself around and looking up. His sword lowered itself, but his guard remained raised. "A race who resides in the "other" dimensions. Those who reside in the universal spiritual realm and the material world are unable to reach you, but you are able to enter our dimensions at your own free will. What are you doing here, participating in a mortal's war?"

"A correct assumption...for a mortal soul," Senkenteki said with a narrowing of his two lower eyes, before pointing his blade to him, "there is another race that's able to do the exact same thing we were able to do. Wanna guess what race you supported during the Plinian Eruption, the exact same race that laid genocide to my people?"

"...the Hankami themselves slaughtered an entire race of people...?" This seemed to catch a surprised tone in Senkaku's voice as he asked the question.

"Why do you act surprised?" Senkenteki asked briefly, closing his eyes as well as his third one...

SHFT-CRACK!

...before he moved with incredible speed within a Haya, slamming his fist that was enshrouded by Shinsei Energy towards his mask, intending on shattering that blank look he hides behind and sending him careening into the ground with the crackle of energized air pressure, sounding like the excess of a thundercrack.

"When you were the one who aided them into destroying all life as we know it, bastard?!?!?!"

"Wha--"

The sudden movement had caught Senkaku off-guard, and this time, he could not react in time.

The fist collided into his mask, shattering the hardened material and causing his blue eyes to widen in shock. The force was enough to send him flying into the ground, causing the sands around him to erupt in a pillar-shaped geyser. A miniature shockwaved was produced, resonating throughout the combat area. If it were anyone else, the skin would've been ripped off of the body from the immense friction of going through the sands. It was fortunate Senkaku possessed his Hierro.

When he stopped, he was laying on his back. His mask was shattered and laying in pieces around his head, revealing his face. His eyes were shut, his teeth gritted slightly as he tried to pull his mind back into gear. A groan escaped his lips as he shook his head, shaking the fragments of his mask off of his face.

"It's always my mask..." He thought to himself disdainfully, opening his eyes and scowling in resentment for his lost replacement.

"Don't pretend to deny it, Half-breed!" Senkenteki landed onto the sands a few meters away pointing at him with his left hand while scowling at him with all three eyes, waving it in emphasis of his untold rage boiling over the surface, "it was your kind's Espada Afilado, and your damned Primera bitch that dealt with the devils who murdered my race! I watched you turn this and every world into your personal Hell, and then revert it back, like it was all some sick joke! You genocidal bastards are no different than the Hankami themselves!"

"You think we wanted existence to die?"

Senkaku clenched his teeth at the accusations, feeling the need to defend himself. Slowly, he brought himself up to a standing position, glaring into Senkenteki's three eyes with his two. He spread his arms out in a gesturing motion to emphasize his point. "We tried to stop it!" He shot back. "It was the Ahijados that dealt with the Hankami, not us! Our efforts may have ultimately failed... but we never took part in progressing the universe's destruction. Do not blame us for what we didn't do, you fool..."

"You may have not shown forward support, but you sure didn't as Hell try to stop it from where I saw things play out!" Senkenteki growled, clenching his fist while tightening his hold on his blade, streaming tendrils of fiery dark shinsei along its metalic edge, "you acted surprise that Hankami would destroy a race, but believed that they'd destroy life as we know it?! What kind've fool are you?! They can't be trusted!"

VRRRRRRROAAAAAR!!!

"AND I'm going to kill them! Every last one of them!" Senkenteki roared out, as his body discharged an incredible surge of vengeful-fueld Shinsei Power, reducing the ground around him for a half mile as an indentation of a solidified glass-like substance that lit of black-violet flames. Raising his blade up in the air as he stared vengefully at Senkaku, he then snarled out, "and I'll kill anyone else who stands in my way!"

SIIING-BRAAAAAAAAACK-BOOM!!!

With an exhale of pressurized force that seemed to warp everything in its path before shredding it completely, the typhoon crescent shaped slice in air space flew towards Senkaku with unimaginable force and power, tearing a thick trench within the pale sands that sent a fissure of ungodly energy down into the Menos Forest below the crust of sand that made up the upper level of Hueco Mundo.

To this end, Senkaku remained silent.

A solemn look crossed his face as he saw the energy launched against him. Slowly, he tilted his sword so that it would be pointing downwards. He closed his eyes as the shockwaves of the blast billowed his clothing and hair, seemingly ignoring the blast as it raced closer. All in all, he was giving off the impression that he was going to let the attack hit him.

Then, he spoke.

"Equalize, Agua."

The reaction came in the form of a violent wave of spiritual energy that freed itself from his body. It swirled around him, forming a make-shift barrier and repelling the energy that threatened to kill him. It formed a massive cyclone in contrast to the pillar that Bernabe himself had created, foreshadowing the ability that would be shown upon the full release.

Senktenteki smiled darkly as he saw the whirlwind maelstrom spring to life into the atmosphere and around the winds, buffeting his hair while he stood his ground with menacing anticipation. With his third eye opened wide and his other two eyes narrowed, he gripped his sword with his hand while awaiting his ultimate battle yet, "This battle...is nothing more than practice!"

Depravity & Insanity, The Diabolical Clash!
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jinsoku, the initial invader in question, leaped towards his randomly chosen target, who happened to the Quinto Espada, swinging his scythe in a dramatic and blindingly swif arc towards the Espada's torso, exerting a exemplary amount of force as well as cutting power towards his opponent, intending on cutting straight through its Hierro and spilling his guts open, "HOW ABOUT YOU BLEED FOR ME, F'ING PISSHOLE?!"

"How about no?!"

Nicolao considered it very unfortunate to have the "initial pest" as his own personal opponent.

His eyes widened in alarm as Jinsoku rushed him. Out of the Espada, he was the one of the few that did not favor outward sword combat or did not have the immense expertise his the other Espada had. He was no slouch, of course - he anticipated that in times of necessity, he would have to defend himself. Still, he never liked it and preferred to avoid it if possible. He knew right away that he was at somewhat of a disadvantage against this man.

But of course, he had intelligence on his side and plenty of experience.

That would be more than enough.

Because of the speed of the attack, Nicolao could not block the strike. But he did have enough time to ready his blade in one of his hands before his opponent's moved in. With a simple step back, he evaded the cutting edge. The steel barely missed from grazing his clothing - the indication of how close he had been from getting bifurcated. He threw himself a step forward, his short sword swinging down towards Jinsoku's chest. Then, he followed up with a lunging stab before retreating back a few steps to a defensive position. Every move was made with care, calculation and precision - nothing short of what the scientist required out of himself.

CLANG!

Jinsoku instinctively raised the long pole handle to reflect the downwards stroke towards his chest, causing sparks to fly off of the metalic grip and reflect the blade with ease.

CLANG!

As the Arrancar lunged forward with a thrust, Jinsoku spun his scythe handle again, reflecting the blade itself to veer off course and harmlessly to the side of his person with no contact whatsoever. It was only when the man drew back, that Jinsoku's smile turned into a sneer of unsatisfaction and disappointment.

"What the Hell are you doing, pulling back so suddenly?!" The surprisingly mesh of feminine and masculine foul tones exited its mouth as both pairs of eyes, black and green, glowered upon him, 'you f'ing scared or are you lacking in actual physical combat, you wuss?!"

"I should be asking you the same..." Nicolao remarked, a slow grin crossing his face. "You seem all too keen on talking to me more than swinging your blade. I would've thought that a reckless tank like you would spend more time swinging that weed whacker around than run your mouth. I guess you're one of the people who prefer to hear themselves talk, aren't you?"

Narrowing its eyes, Jinsoku spoke aloud with a thin smile, "You may call this face you see before you as Jinsoku Shokei. In past times I've reveled myself in some of the horrific tragedies in the World of the Living as well as numerous Spiritual Realms, several small ones no longer exist due to my interference. However, a more common nickname I earned back in the early 19th century," he added with a wide eyed, feral grin, "was Jack the Ripper!"

"...really?"

Nicolao cocked an eyebrow and regressed his smile at the mention, thinking about it. "It's a good thing I've been reading my history, then." He remarked. "The oh-so-popular "Whitechapel Murderer", the "Leather Apron"... you claim to be all of that, and more. Well then, my "cult of personality", what is someone like you doing here? Shouldn't you be offing some more female prostitutes in the Material World?"

"Got boring," he shrugged his shoulders admittantly, not bothering to care if there was a hidden insult laced within the scientist's words, "decided to wipe out a few villages in the middle of nowhere, induced heart attacks, massacred law enforcement, but it starts to get old after awhile. I targeted a near endless array of Spiritual Realms, some of them roving bands of nitpicked families, some in small communities...I even got into Hell once and it was great! Till the Daitenshi tried to rape me and put me in the darkest pit where no one would find me," he finished with a comical bland look on his face, "yeah, so I've been here and there, all corners of the world, that kinda thing. This thing I'm doing for the boss though," he grinned manically, raising his letter-embroidered arm up, opening his palm up that slowly unslit a pink-unholy glowing eye that radiated insane empathic waves and clearly felt as if it belonged to a still-living entity, "is more of a Crusade against all things that is Living!!"

"...Aaeternus Visio Nocturna...!"

Suddenly, a pulsation of crimson energy that turned all things that is related to the five senses into a blinding jamming array of ungodly images, fiery heat, loud static, nautious scent, and untold pain that would be discharged into his prey.

It was something that made Nicolao's eyes widen completely, his calm reverie disrupted in the moment.

His eyes took it all in, his mind working quickly to decipher what had been sent his way. It wasn't just spiritual energy aiming to do internal and external damage. Instead, it exhibited pulses that were more focused towards the nervous system and the mind. That was when it occurred to him that such would make sense when taking in the claim of having multiple identities.

"Casting pulse waves to make himself look different from his real visage..."

Quickly, he performed a side-step to leap out of the way, throwing himself forward in order to attack. But throughout it all, he was continuing to calculate what he had heard.

"From his "Jack the Ripper" identity, there is a possibility that he possesses a certain extent of anatomical or surgical knowledge. The ability to induce disease within his target is also possible. It's no wonder why he's able to deal with the mortals so easily; he can do so through indirect means. Maybe this creature isn't so much of a frontward fighter as I thought he would be..."

"Transformatio, Nullam messorem!"

SHFT-WHIZ!

"Where do you think you're going?!" Jinsoku appeared behind him, its cross-masculine-feminine form shimmered into that of a black cloaked, top-hatted figure that was armed with an elongated, viscerally morbid knife, stained heavy with past victims' blood. Swinging out in a series of swift knife flashes, the transformed Jinsoku pressed the advantage, intending on shredding its target with an overwhelming speed and unnaturally sharp blade on its person.

"Shit--!!"

From seconds, Nicolao had to switch from offensive to defensive.

Twisting himself around, he swung to block and parry the attacks directed towards his person. Each series of blocks and counters were in bursts, and he mostly stuck to retreating. His thoughts of the current predicament continued to swirl around in his head like a mad tornado, even as he fended off the strikes against him.

"No... no, it's this ability that allows for him to change his visage. As far as I know, his previous one allowed for the simple overwhelming of the five senses. I just have to keep him within close-quarters for him to keep from unleashing that attack. I can't guarantee what it'll do once it hits me."

In the meantime...

After taking one final step back, he shifted both his pattern and his blade position. With a flick of the wrist, he flipped his blade so that it would be in a backhanded position. As another lunge came his way, he moved over and thrust toward the offending wrist. As he did so, he shifted the energy so that it would form the head of a two-prong fork. The gap between caught the wrist, resulting in Jinsoku's arm being pinned when the tips of the blade buried themselves into the ground.

Then, an orange orb of the Cero exclusive to Nicolao formed around his fist. It was only seconds later that it was unleashed, aiming to blow off his opponent's arm.

Jinsoku smiled at the intention and employment of his adversary, as his form quickly reverted back to the cross-gendered form that he was first seen...

SHIINK!

...as well as materialize the iconic, dark spiritual pressured scythe, spinning it around his head in a windmill motion, both intending on driving his enemy back, but slash away the energy that would intend to strike his arm, and absorb it into the weapon's construct store itself.

Under the physical strength of Jinsoku, Nicolao had to pull back his blade for the sake of remaining unharmed.

He leaped away, barely avoiding the attack once again. Because of the disruption, he had to call off the summoning of his Cero. But once he landed on his feet, he threw himself at Jinsoku once more to attack. His blade was swung in a series of one-handed thrusts and swings, moving at a much more aggressive rate than before.

Wrenching his hands upwards he began to counter the series of aggressive strikes with his own unorthodixical maneuvers with his scythe. Twirling it around in a continuous spin to repel the majority of the thrusts and slashes, Jinsoku smiled with enhusiasm as he saw his opponent get serious. While using but one hand to slash his scythe out and send a series of his own aggressive thrusts at his opponent, he raised his tattooed left arm till it clasped onto his upper scythe wieldering left arm.

"Umbrae Sánguine Angues!"

Within the next series of slashes, billows of smoke ushered forth in a mighty gust with a foul smelling odor exiting from them, resembling something akin to death and freshly spilled blood. Then, within the dozens of smog clouds, red venomous-looking snakes that were covered in blood and pulsated with energy struck out, snapping out with armor penetrating fangs. Hundreds of these snakes lashed out as the smog clouds seemed to cover nearly the entiriety of the battlefield and surrounded Jinsoku's opponent, while allowing himself to mask his presence.

It was another threat that Nicolao would have to deal with.

He gritted his eyes and narrowed his teeth as the red snakes raced towards him. With a simple leap, he had taken to the air and avoided the open maws of the snakes that assaulted him. But he didn't stop there, making sure to fly until he was completely out of the fog's reach. As long as he remained on the ground, his opponent would have the advantage. But of course, this would mean that Jinsoku would have free opportunity to use his illusionary attack.

There was always the option of letting him get hit, now that he had analyzed the ability itself...

Unforuntately for Nicolao, Jinsoku already predicted his flighting action. Standing high above the air, with its scythe in its left hand propped on his shoulder, with his right hand curled back, causing all the letters on its arm to glow violet-white, waiting until Nicolao's form was a mere ten meters below it before revealing its presence and launching its attack.

"Kihaku Tekken!" With a guttural, gleeful shout, he launched his blazing white-violet lettered arm downwards, exerting a tremendous amount of Spiritual Power through it...

VRRRRRRRROOOM-CRAAAAACK!

...before materializing a kushanada-sized fist with a ghostly-white structure that was relatively transparent, moving with incredible force and speed as it took up a good width of the overhead air space above Nicolao. If connected, it would drive his opponent straight into the dark fog below, dissipating it with an incredible uproar fissure of sand and create a deafening shockwave in its wake.

"...fuck."

All Nicolao could do was look up and brace himself.

When the massive fist collided with his body, the pain spread from the point of impact throughout the rest of him very quickly. The force of the strike sent him towards the fog, the wind generated from the wake of the fall blowing it away. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth as he slammed into the dunes, the sand rising briefly only to bury him within its depths.

Whoosh-Boom!

With a sudden freefalling motion, Jinsoku flipped forward before landing right on the recess of the mighty pit within the pale sands he just formed from the attack. Peering down with his left hand still holding his scythe readily, he raised his hand that glowed and pulsated with the unusual eye locking onto the epicenter, while also speaking out to him.

"You seem like a fucking bookworm, so if you wanna know what this pretty light on my hand does, I'll give you the basic boring shit! Basically, it enhances and controls some of the most dangerous, practical and unorthodoxical Kurai Geijutsu spells I know of. I can practically do any deranged, bloodthirsty piece of shit I can think of against your body, cause after the millienias, I've had a lot of time to come up with pretty creative ways to kill both the helpless and the strongest victims I know!" Looking at his palm's eye, watching it "blink" and pulsate, he also added, "it does a few unique things as well, like allowing my body to shift in appearance, mannerisms, and fighting styles, but I guess you already found that out, hehehe!"

In the midst of the pit, a prostrate Nicolao lay.

He was laying on his stomach, his ponytail undone and scattered over his head. One arm was lying by his side, and the other was bent over his head. His person was caked with sand that had settled down on him after his stop. He was deathly still, and it was hard to tell whether or not if he was actually conscious. All in all, he showed no acknowledgement of Jinsoku's words.

"HEY! YOU BITCH! YOU AIN'T DEAD, I KNOW IT!" Jinsoku yelled out in a comical fit of infuriation, waiting for a few more seconds before growling, "DO YOU WANT ME TO RAPE YOU'RE BOOKY ASS?! CAUSE I WILL!!!"

...

...

"FINE! YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Twitching, Jinsoku snarled as he reared back his arm again, causing it to glow vibrantly as it looked like he was holding something. What appeared above him looked like a large double-edged spear, glowing and whisping in a ghostly transparency, nearly as long as fifteen meters with a gait of five meters at the tip of the blade. With a loud yell, Jinsoku released the ethreal-bodied weapon towards him with incredible penetrative power and force towards Nicolao, "Kihaku Yari!"

Time slowed down as the spear was launched towards Nicolao's form.

There was no response from the Espada and no indication that the attack would be countered by him. All he did was lay there as death came to him, its blade flying to pierce his skull. Whatever had happened before and whatever had came to his mind earlier had been lost, now that he was lying helpless before his foe. The conclusion was inevitable.

That is, until under the matted hair, he smiled.

With a swing of his hand, he caught the spear by the blade and stopped it within its tracks - a motion that brought in a deathly silence with it. Slowly, he brought himself to standing position, still clutching the enemy's spear in his hand. He kept his head lowered, shaking it slightly in order to rid himself of the sand within his hair. But all the while, he was chuckling - something extremely out of place in the tense battle environment.

"And all this time, I thought you were something that I never saw before..." He spoke lowly, tossing the spiritual weapon away from his person. Upon contact with the ground, it shattered into minuscule fragments that dissipated in the air. "A spirit within its own special race and someone who couldn't be classified by our standards today. But now that you've been so generous as to tell me that, I feel rather silly for trying to guess in the first place. I had no idea the enemy would be so stupid as to hand me the key to victory..."

SHFT-WHIZ!

"You have no right to judge what I am! No idea what I'm capable of! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I AM!" Jinsoku snarled in its multi-lateral voice, slashing down with the scythe in its hands with a mighty gale of Spiritual Power and Fluxuating, Strange Energy, "SO SHUT THE $%&# UP!!!"

It was the same sensation that came from the eye the first time around, as well as overpowering distortions his sensory attack came. It seemed...like it didn't have an existence at all...while existing at the same time. A walking dead man within any plane of existence while possessing a foreign object upon its person, that caused such extranomical levels of power...that emanated a wave of pressure that filled with one thing: Disgusting Depravity.

In the face of such horrid feelings, anyone would have been willing to crumble. Anyone would have chosen to wither and stumble back in the face of such power. But Nicolao stood on in defiance as the enhanced blade came towards his person. All he did was raise his blade up, the smile slowly growing into a sneer. When the blades collided, the transmission of his opponent's energy was stopped completely. All that remained was the scythe itself to press against his energized blade.

"There's a special ability of mine that comes solely from my mind itself..." He said lowly, glaring into the eyes of his opponent. "All I have to do is analyze and deduce my opponent's attacks as well as make the correct hypothesis. Once it's certain I'm correct, my body adjusts and adapts... just like a bacteria becoming resistant to a certain drug over time. It took me months, even years to master the ability... but I finally did it. Now that I've adapted to yours, I can now say this; it doesn't matter to me what you are..."

With a vicious parry, he batted the scythe away and rushed forward in an aggressive stab towards the chest.

"Because against me, you're nothing but useless!!"

Jinsoku growled as this Arrancar, this half-breed, this joke of a species was gloating about his brain when he talked smack about its existence. Calling it inferior, useless, weak...would be no better comparison than the meat it devours and slaughters on a whim. It became enraged!

Letting go of its scythe, it then reached out its hand and grasped the cutting edge of its opponent's blade...

Snik-Spluurch!

...before throwing the blade of its opponent off course, to the side, before flailing out the freshly cut blood from the split palm that the offending weapon produced, straight towards Nicolao's face, neck, and eyes, intending on sending the vile, black liquid towards its opponent....

WHAM!

Before twisting its body around and roundhouse kicking the Espada in the chest with enormous force, intending on sending its enemy reeling into the side of the depressed pit of sand it created, yelling out with an enraged bloodthirsty howl, "YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!"

"Augh--!!!"

Nicolao let out a grunt as the boot connected with his chest, lifting him off of his feet as he went sailing back. He managed to retain his balance, allowing him to land on his feet. Because of the momentum he gained, he skidded a considerable distance before finally stopping with his back inches from the sand wall. Throughout it all, however, he was still giving that jeering, mocking smile of his. The physical pain meant nothing to him.

"I think..." He whispered, leaning himself against the wall with the blade tip pointed towards himself. "It's time that the kid gloves come off, don't you agree?"

Then, without a moment's hesitation, he plunged the blade straight through his chest. His eyes widened as a newfound agony swept through him, the blood staining his shirt. But at the same time, his spiritual energy began to billow around him. The winds generated blew away the sand around them, widening the crater. Through the pain, Nicolao spoke two words.

"Experiment...Infierno Espada!!!"

Then, a sphere of his own orange spiritual energy formed around him, whirling in a high-speed rotation.

"I couldn't agree more!" Jinsoku growled out, finding his grin once more as he backpedaled and kicked his scythe up twirling it in his hand at a high-speed rotation of his own. He then spoke in his own words of release, in particular to the weapon he held, "Awaken...Anzen Shintan!"

VROOOOOM!

Within a mighty animalistic roar that howled within a fissure and wind-like twister that stretched into the sky, adding to the chaotic Spiritual Pressures dancing and causing havoc to the usually weatherless environment. The battle was soon to give chase!

Vanity of the Wicked, The Femme Fatales!
CLANG!

"What's this?" Magatta Keiryō asked in an amused tone, her blood red lips curled and a hint of her pearly white, straight teeth showed a hint of a smirk as her blade clashed with the Sexta Espada Afilado's, "they're allowing little boys with feminine outfits to bear the title of Espada? They must be really lacking in strength if they allow such a high rank fall into the hands of someone as inept looking as you, haha!"

It was clear that Loly wasn't going to be friends with her opponent in particular any time soon.

At the scathing remark, she let out a growl as she pushed her knife against her enemy's sword. It was a rather remarkable feat, considering her weapon was much smaller than hers and would've required a great amount of strength just to pull off naturally. But she was doing it. "Didn't know you looked up to the Espada so much..." She said sarcastically. "Maybe I should let Casilda give you her autograph after this is done with."

"I have nothing but respect for the famed one and only female Primera in the history of Hueco Mundo," Magatta said as she pressed back, using only one arm while fully gleaming at the predatorial growl she heard her opponent baring upon her as well as the surprising push she had with such a significantly smaller weapon, "but so does Jigen. And after the Lord of Swords has his way with her, there won't be much left to put back into a coffee cup!" She followed up with a vicious slamming motion of her booted foot onto the Arrancar's own foot, before attempting to slide her enemy's weapon to the side before rearing back her fist and throwing a surprisingly powerful punch, taking into account the Hierro that surrounded her opponent's skin as she threw her fist towards her face.

"Grr--!!!"

The vocalization followed straight after Magatta's boot struck her own, forcing her ankle to bend inward. However, it wasn't enough for her to lose her ground. As Magatta's sword tried to push hers to the side, she slid it within the gap within the metal. This allowed her to keep its position and maintain her stance stability. But it also allowed for a perfect opportunity to strike back and land and equally devastating strike on her person.

As Magatta prepared the punch, Loly kicked the leg that had been pressed on upwards. With her opponent's foot on hers, this was a move made to knock Magatta completely off-balance. With a twirl of her foot and ankle, she positioned her foot above her opponent's involuntarily raised leg and performed a downward kick to send it away from her. In turn, this would cause Magatta's form to sway towards her, leaving for the Sexta to perform her final part of the attack.

A full-leg kick that would crash into her opponent's side, send her flying away and potentially break several ribs.

"Oof-!" Magatta felt the force of the kick, causing her to grimace even as she felt herself tumble to the side and roll across the sand for a good couple of meters. However, as she rolled, she spun gracefully back up to her feet with a surprising lithe, flexibility before standing back up with perfect poise once more. Spitting some sand and saliva out of her mouth, she wiped her face before running it backwards through some lopsided bangs before eyeing her opponent carefully.

"It appears you're more of a close quarters combatant than a flexible swordsman. That will seriously hinder you against me in this fight," raising her left hand up, gathering a current of wild spirit energy, uttering aloud the name of her given technique, "Tenran!"

BWOOOOOOOSH!!!

With a mighty exhaling blast of a rapidly expaning twister of wind, Magatta caused enough force to keep Loly from getting close as well as kick up a great amount of the pale sand around her, making it hard to track her with any of her senses.

"Seriously think I've begun to find someone that brags just as much as fucking Diablo..." Loly thought to herself, scowling in disdain as she felt the sand hit her face. The indirect winds generated billowed her skirt and her pigtails slightly, but it was nothing to sway her. She squinted her eyes, swinging her free hand out so that her palm would face the Tenran attack. At the center of it, the violet orb of her own exclusive Cero began to form, ready to scatter the winds.

But there was a subtle difference between her Cero and the ones of the other Espada. She possessed an affinity with poison that could be utilized even in the midst of her release state. That element could be added within the energy of her Cero, making all the more deadly to opponents when it made connection. A living target would experience hemorrhaging, the injuries caused by the Cero itself to automatically open up and make themselves worse. The result was a slow and painful death and the closest thing to decaying while alive.

With narrowed eyes, she unleashed the Cero.

BLAAAAM!

As the violet-colored Cero blasted through the swirling vortex of artificially created wind, a large shockwave was created from its power, funneling its way past the open dust-covered street and through a few houses bordered alongside Empresa's wall.

Within the wake of the unleashing Cero, Magatta appeared behind Loly, unleashing a series of high-sped slashes at her backside, not giving her a moment to recouperate or counterattack as she unleashed her true talent as a master swordsman against her opponent. Holding back would not only hurt her pride but also make her look weak in the face of an acclaimed member of the Espad Afilado.

"Fuck, Casilda's gonna kill me for that one."

In the nick of time, Loly bent herself downward briefly and quickly in order to evade the stroke of her opponent's blade. She could feel the wind of the strike's wake rustling her hair a little due to the close proximity of the blade, a slight chill running down her spine. But she was quick to react to the ambush, flipping and performing evasive maneuvers. Her body whirled and twisted, evading the blade's cutting edge. It obviously took effort and concentration to do so. But the visual effects made it seem like she was mocking her opponent's ability to fight. The taunting sneer didn't help deviate from that possibility.

"Aren't you supposed to be taking advantage of my so called handi-cap?!" She jeered. "The goal's to keep the pressure on me, not make me feel comfortable, you dumb bitch!!"

"The girl is good, I'll give her credit for that," Magatta thought within her calculative mind, keeping her current fluid gestures without halting or reacting to the "noise" that her bratish opponent jeered with, "but she obviously likes to have the upperhand in situations like these. Rattle her and she'll bound to snap!"

"I'm glad you can keep up with a warm-up stretch, boy," she countered with a light smirk as she had barely moved herself while only using her right sword arm to force her lithe opponent to preform her dramatic dodging maneuvers, "let's see if you can keep up-"

WHIZ-WHIZ-WHIZ!

"-when I actually want to exert minimal effort!" Magatta moved with such blinding speed, that she instaneously sped away while appearing before all three sides of her opponent as she flipped in the air. However, all three afterimages merely smirked as they dissipated upon Magatta appearing above her with a wind-current aura around her as she thrusted her blade towards her exposed torso in mid-flight, discharging a powerful pressurized lancing gesture. Intending on impaling her into the earth while exhaling enough power to cause a small mushroom cloud of air waves that blew about the sand with.

"Minimal?!"

The word was unwanted adrenaline for Loly's heart.

Her lone eye's pupil dilated, and her heart pumped at an accelerated rate once she saw herself surrounded. Her body tensed up immediately, both at the display of flash clones and the word that continued to echo within her mind. The seemingly unrestrained set of attacks that she had displayed before had only been a fraction of what was to come to her. She gritted her teeth, a bead of sweat beading down her face as she raised her head up to see the blade race towards her once again.

It was impossible...

Impossible...

She raised her free hand upwards once again, sending a violet Cero in her opponent's direction.

"Petty," Magatta spoke as she cut a swathe through the violet aura of the Cero aiming towards her. Faint prickling sensations ran up her spine as her thoroughly trained, veteran senses picked up the vile and potent corrupt flow of Spiritual Energy within the energy that was mere milimeters away from her body, with only her initial crushing attack to deflect it around herself, "a mere Cero laced with corrupting spiritrons that corrode the insides of anything it touches? There's a major flaw to this technique of yours," she spoke while she was merely a handful of meters away her body became enraptured in a thick, skyrocketing aura of her own Spiritual Power's pressure. In fact, it felt like with the extranomical heights it was climbing, it looked as if it would...

SCRRRRAACK-BOOOM!

...explode! And explode it did with enough force it effortlessly smacked away the Cero and its epicenter of pouring energies towards her form, as well as sent a devestating backlash shockwave towards Loly, before allowing Magatta to land a couple meters away from her.

"Nngh--!!!"

Briefly, Loly's spiritual pressure flared up in response to the shockwave, acting as a shield against it. She had to dig her feet into the ground and raise her arms in a x-cross as an additional response. The sand behind her blew away, spraying the area with sand and dust. But because it was behind her, none of it would actually hinder her in the case that Magatta made her next movement.

But, in the face of Magatta simply landing a few ways off from her, she lowered her arms to reveal a resenting and irritated expression. There were a few beads of sweat dripping down her face. "Sure, critique me on what I'm doing wrong..." She said sarcastically, glaring daggers at her opponent. "Always wanted an opponent who'd actually let me correct myself in the heat of battle..."

"I have a question to ask of you, Sexta Loly," Magatta said with an unaffected stoic stare as she placed a neutral disposition on her smooth, alluring facial features, "how long have you been in command? Have you truly been the first of your particular command to participate in battle? Have you truly tasted the gruel, sweat, and gore that the grittiest that real warfare has offered?"

"What exactly does that have to do with anything?" Loly retorted, placing one hand on her hip and sliding her feet together. One foot was placed slightly behind her and her knife hand was lowered to her side, completing an idle stance. "I've been in battle long enough to know that the enemy doesn't stop to chat right when they're swinging weapons at me. Why are you suddenly so interested in how long I've been in the Espada, sweetheart?"

"Because, deary," Magatta said in a low monologue, with a hint of seriousness mixed in with a mocking overtone, "I don't think you got what it takes to hold that title. From this brief exchange, I can tell the incredible gap between our powers. You're incredibly talented but incredibly naive and young, with little to no experience in comparison to your counterparts and colleagues. Really, I don't know whatever someone of his magnitude ever saw in pursuing his little project on you and your supposed twin," smiling ferally, her bangs covered her right eye while her other glowed in a clearly mocking way, "it must sting how rejected you must've felt, as well as clinging to that doubt every waking moment of your life as long as you live. No matter what superficial title you hang onto for dear life...before plunging into the abyss of your own powerlessness. You're absolutely, adorably pathetic I just want to vomit on your unmarked grave when I'm done with you!"

"You--!!"

Those were the words that finally brought the rage to the surface.

It wasn't the memory of what had happened in the past that stirred it, but rather the fact that the woman in front of him spoke so calmly about it as if she knew everything. Her eye dilated, and her mouth curled in a furious snarl that would've looked inhuman on anyone. The hand on her knife tightened its grip until she swore she could feel blood trickling from the palm. Involuntarily, she could feel her spiritual pressure billowing - a result of her steadily increasing rage. She expressed all of it within the next of words.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK AS IF YOU KNOW ME!!"

She emphasized that sentence with a Sonido that brought her right in the face of her opponent. She was in the middle of a spin-kick, her body whirling around and her leg already on its way to connect with the side of her opponent's head. During the process of it all, the rage was all too clear within her expression and body movements.

CRACK-POW!

Magatta reflexsively blocked with the back of her hand, with enough force along with a buffet her incredibly undeniably high Spiritual Power. The affect would similar to when an object would break the sound barrier, with that said object standing still and halting the indefinitely approaching object. With the excess flare of her opponent's enraged Spiritual Pressure, came her own, undying furious silver light that discharged a column with her at the epicenter as she threw the Espada to the side with little effort.

"Oh but I do know you, little child," she said in an unsettlingly calm voice of the roaring howl of her crushing Spiritual Pressure and Energy's column, "after all, the one who told me and my collegues about you, is none other than your maker," with a feral grin, she moved...

...

"whom you will all meet soon as you breathe your last!" She appeared behind Loly's form a good five meters; within an incredible gap of miniscule fractions of time from her earlier minimal efforted Flash Step. This one, made it seem she could surpass the current Captains themselves, let alone the Espadas.

Turning around within a pirouette movement, she slid her left hand across the blade's surface while uttering lowly, "Strangle and Shred," she struck out in a thrusting motion, causing the blade to click and discharge at a violent, rapid-snake-like pace towards Loly, intending on squewering her with the series of wire-connected blades, "Shitsuru!"

At this rate, Loly was going to have to take back the thought about her fears being impossible.

They were very possible.

She gritted her teeth and swung her hand in front of her, her palm extending outward to the extending blade. She fired off a Bala, the small sphere colliding with and detouring the killing edge away from her person. Then, she performed a Sonido to boost her up in the air over her opponent's head. Her free palm, still outstretched, unleashed a storm of Bala down towards her direction in an attempt to suppress her. But inwardly, she knew that all she could do was buy herself some time. The other option would be admitting that this woman had the best of her - and she would've died before allowing herself to do that.

"I'm not going to let this bitch get the best of me...!"

"Surpressing fire from above?" Magatta thought as the rain of Bala rapidly approached her position. With a whiplashing motion, she cracked her blade around in a series of blinding, whip-slashing gestures that mimicked a violet-hued wind of Spirit Energy. With every crack of her elongated-attached blades, a funneling cutting violet fissure would shatter a good half dozen to a dozen incoming Balas, and she repetitively did so with only a few outlying Balas striking the ground harmlessly, causing concussive shockwaves that reduced a few infrastructres around her perimeter, "nice, but I've witnessed that tactic so many times I could counter it in my sleep!"

CRACK-WHIIIIZ!

"And now for my counterattack!" She thought with a feral smile, as she cracked her whip-blade towards Loly's position, sending it hurtling towards her with ease, reaching her height in mid air space with ease as it aimed to stab her through her midriff.

And stab it did.

"Gack--!!!"

The elongated blade ripped through her stomach, eliciting a gasp of pain from the Sexta. The end that came out from her back was stained a crimson red, enveloped completely in blood. Pain shot through her like a bullet as her stomach was ruptured, causing blood to spill from her mouth. Instinctively, she grasped the whip with her free hand as if to pull it back out, but stopped in her motions entirely For the first time in the battle, a direct and crippling hit had been scored. This time, it seemed as if Loly would be trapped against the corner with no way out.

But then, her blood-stained mouth curled into a slow smile, and she reached behind her to grasp the blood-stained end of the whip.

With a move that would certainly have been considered suicidal, she yanked the wire and pulled her opponent into the air towards her, letting momentum do the rest. In consequence, this also caused the whip itself to continue tearing through her stomach and more blood to spill out. But the Sexta didn't falter in her movements. As Magatta neared her, she swung her free hand out and fired a solo Bala to connect head-on.

Magatta indeed was awestruck the usual arrogant, borderline brattish female Arrancar would resort to such a crude and desperate tactic. She felt the unusual tug of strength from the small, petite sized girl, actually lift her into the air and towards her. Narrowing her eyes into a scowl as she predicted a soon-to-be counter attack by her opponent within her mind's eye of the many different maneuvers, with many of them capable of landing a good solid blow on her.

"Scatter,"

SSSS-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK!

"Seishi Hari Renda!" She proclaimed aloud, causing the blade in the Sexta's gut along with the other string of interconnected blades to disconnect, scattering while being enamored with a bright violet spiritual energized aura within each of them. Then, as she sidestepped the incoming Bala, she twisted her blade's hilt and swung it in a figure eight pattern, causing all of the dozens of blades to circle around and then charge at her with lightning speed, intending on shredding and stabbing her repeatedly without mercy or pause.

But this time, Loly had willed herself not to move.

Once again, the blades struck her.

But this time, instead of cutting flesh, they shattered on impact. Every blade that was sent towards her had broken into pieces, leaving her skin relatively unharmed. It wasn't something that had happened due to the toughness of her Hierro, but it was a result of the earlier self-detrimental act. Judging from the mocking smile present on Loly's face, it was something that had been planned out ahead of time.

"Oh, there goes your precious sword!" She mocked, using a fake tone of concern to emphasize the sentence. It faltered slightly under her pain, her free hand clutching her stomach wound as she landed back onto the ground. "I guess with all of your knowledge of me, you didn't know how much I upped my own abilities. Since poison is my personal affinity, I can add its factors and traits to any part of me I wish... even parts of my own body. Just now, I added the element to my own blood so that you would have to sacrifice your own weapon cutting me. To be honest... I wanted to get a bit closer to you just so I could burn that smug look of your face. But ridding you of a primary weapon might do just as good..."

She took an idle stance, taking her bloodied hand off of her stomach and leaning a little as she wiped the blood from her mouth. "Now, if I can do that, then the gap between us must not be that wide as your haughty ass claimed it to be. It cost me part of my stomach to find that out, but I think the reward's worth the cost. So give me your best shot, bitch..." Her grin grew even wider, her canines gleaming in the distance that they were at. "I'll be glad to show you why I was bestowed with the title of Sexta."

"Damn!" She growled without speaking back to her underestimated opponent, letting herself distance herself while raising herself to be horizontally aligned with her airborne opponent, standing stoically in a perfectly poised swordsman stance, "I thought only the Quinta could pull something like this off, but I guess this IS more medical than actual mind over matter crap. Still..." she raised her bladeless hilt, with a begrudging smile on her face as she looked at the "toothless" hilt.

"You're a lot more stubborn than I would've anticipated, but the gap between us hasn't changed," Magatta said thoughtfully, looking up at the proclaimed braggin Sexta, raising her bladeless Zanpakutō to point at the Arrancar, "if I wanted to, I could defeat you without a single blade attached to my hilt. However..."

SSSSSSS-SHINK!

"...I'd rather not handicap myself, just because you're a child, Sexta Espada," Magatta spoke as she flourished a stream of violet energy from the base of her hilt, "growing" another blade that mimicked the original appearance of its sealed form yet permeated its released Spiritual Pressure.

"...oh...really?"

Loly was not convinced, lowering her hand to her side again to reveal mocking skepticism on her face. "If you could defeat me without struggle, you would've done it by now." She said, breathing heavily as she did so. "That's the point of a battle to the death - to kill your enemy. If the gap hasn't changed, then why can't you just finish me off and be done with it? All you've been doing is toying around and dragging this on longer than it should be. There has to be some reason you find the need to talk down to me, make me feel insecure and vulnerable, and ensure that you can justify insulting those below you."

She prodded further, taking a few steps towards her opponent. "Now that I'm taking a look at your armor, you were probably from some military organization prior to this, weren't you? Being part of one myself, I can narrow it down to a few things. Dishonorable discharge for doing something stupid and reckless... or maybe, just maybe, you were humiliated by one of your closest peers. Does all that metal you carry on your body keep you safe, sweetie...?"

"How perceptive," Magatta smiled back, rolling her head to the side as she could see her opponent with both eyes, "to tell you the truth, this armor is less than protective compared to my preceding piece, but I have to say it is damned sexy on my body," she chuckled before running a hand onto her hair, letting her bangs fall back habitually over her right bang and eye, "but it protects me enough from the likes of you, someone who's showing fatigue in the beginning of a battle. I've fought far more worthy adversaries for much longer durations, and I must say, I was hoping for a better challenge. So disappointing," pointing her left forefingers in a come-on gesture, she then said, "I'll let you release your true form if it makes you feel any better, but I assure you, unless you can come up with a better strategy than merely rearranging the physical integrity of your body, you won't win against the likes of me."

"...fuckin'..."

Once again, Loly had to scowl at the mix of an insult, her own backfire, and the room to release her Resurrecion within the statements. She sucked in a deep breath, creases forming under her eyes as she glared at her enemy. It was even worse that she had a point, as releasing her Resurrecion would've been the better thing to do at this moment. But now that her opponent actually mentioned it, her pride wanted nothing more than to defy those expectations. It was infuriating and insulting to her to know just how much she had backed into a corner right where the enemy wanted her.

But then again, why was she bothering with words in the first place?

If Magatta was going to give her a chance to kill her, who was she to stop her?

With a growl, she swung her knife hand out to the side and held her weapon into a backhand position, spreading her feet apart in a more serious stance. The pain might as well have been non-existent. "Fine by me!!" She snarled out, her anger once again seeping to the surface. "If you want to die so badly, I'll send you straight to Hell right away!! Poison..." Her form glowed with violet spiritual energy, creating an outlining aura around her form. "Escolopendra!!"

With that being said, her form was fully enveloped in a purple light, covering what would've been a shifting and transforming body. Massive tendrils could be seen emerging, whipping around in a wild and reckless manner. They slammed into the ground, kicking up sand and dirt as they did so. The light lasted for only a few seconds before her new form could be seen in detail. The centipede-like tendrils that were swirling around her in a menacing manner had replaced her arms, numbering in around four to six. Her shirt design was now reminiscent to someone wearing a ribcage around their torso and face, presenting a much more dangerous visage to her person. The eye that had already glared daggers into her foe had gotten a more colder glint to it, as if the release itself had hardened her exterior even more.

"That's more like it!" Magatta said with a smile, jubilously snapping her Zanpakutō back into its elongated state, having it eerily wrap around her arm and around her body in a semi-erotic, maschotistic manner as her eyes lit up with enthusiasm and her body perspirated an incredible violet-hued pillar of her own Spiritual Power, roaring high into the sky with the catastrophic spiritual storm raining all across the skies of Empresa and far beyond, "now let's have some fun, Sexta!"

Twilight Dancers, The Sound Battle!
Shft-Shft-Shft-CLANG!

Murasaki moved at lightning, gracefully fluid paces with the Septima Espada Afilado, her feet barely touching the surface of the pale sands just outside of Empresa. Moving with an even more graceful movement, she twirled around in mid-step, appearing through a series of Flash Steps while maintaining the spin, before ending on a downwards high-sped slash towards Tierra's left shoulder and down her torso.

When her eyes briefly met Tierra's, it was full of concentration, poise, and detachment. Just what you'd expect in a thoroughly trained warrior and one who's seen enough bloodshed to discard the horror of it being inflicted upon others and herself that she wouldn't flinch. The eyes of a predator...were full on her irises.

It was enough to reinforce the idea that the woman would be a true threat.

Unlike the majority of the other Espada, Tierra had the knowledge to know that anyone who raised a sword against her was an automatic and considerable danger. She could already tell that much based from the amount of spiritual pressure that she could feel from her opponent and the way that she carried herself throughout the brief exchange that this was going to be a tough fight. She never underestimated an opponent, even if they proved themselves to be weaker than her in the long run. It would've been a fool's choice not to give it their all.

As she performed her own twirl to avoid the swipe, she countered with her own uppercut swing to Murasaki's side. Her own movements were swift, fluid, and graceful. Although as equally concentrated as her enemy, she held a bit more expression in her face as she did so in contrast to Murasaki's detachment. At the very least, she was glad that she didn't have an opponent who would start bragging right off the bat. If she was lucky, that disposition would carry out to the very end...

Spinning on her heel in a pirouette maneuver to avoid the upper cut, she sprung out her leg after five high-sped twirls, launching a critically bone-crushing kick towards her shoulder and upper torso area, intending on sending her flying to the side, or at least make her stumble a bit. Following in sync with the maneuver, she outraised a palm and fluidly discharged a number of Shakkaho projectiles, all of them equally potent and as concussively damaging in comparison to an Espada's Bala.

"Multiple shots from one hand?!"

This was where a retreat was necessary.

After pulling back to avoid getting kicked in the stomach, Tierra felt her eyes widen slightly at the blasts that came her way. But it didn't mean that she wasn't prepared. Gripping her sword tightly in two hands, she twisted her wrists and used her sword as a means of defense against the Shakkaho blasts. Each blast dissipated once it hit the steel, leaving her unharmed. So within seconds, she had dispelled them all with natural ease without losing her stance or stability.

Whiz!

Within an instant of the halt of Shakkaho barrage halting, she appeared with an incredibly timed Flash Step, thrusting nearly in sync with her sudden fast-movement towards Tierra's left hip. Then slasing downwards towards her right calf, intending on making an incapacitating aggressive gesture, almost as if she knew that Tierra's best asset was her legs and the movement made possible by them.

"Hey!!"

Needless to say, Tierra was not pleased with the notion of Murasaki attempting to disable her - something that was quick to show itself on her expression.

With a prepared leap, she avoided the swipe. As her legs curled close to her body in mid-jump, her sword tip dug stabbed the ground. When she started her descent, she pulled it right back up in a countering display of combat pragmatism, for she had flung sand at Murasaki's face in an attempt to blind her and temporarily stun her. It was a rather dirty move, to say the least. But she knew that if the enemy was aiming to disable her first before striking, all was fair in love and war. In such a case, she had no problem using exploits.

Following the swipe of incapacitation, Tierra made a downward chop towards her opponent's head in an attempt to slice the skull in two.

Deftly closing her eyes in anticipation of the incoming sand particles, Murasaki inhaled air upon habit before raising her blade into a horizontal defending the equally anticipated strike towards her undefended person. What she did next however...

"Nenshō-Hō!"

CRAAAACK-WHOOOSH!!!

...was exhale a volatile currently of well-melded, coursing spiritual energy in the form of a viciously incinerative burst of flames, combined with the incredible concussive force of a mastered Hō technique, insuring enough firepower to at least scar if not stun her opponent in retreating her person if only for a few precious moments.

"Nnngh--!!"

Tierra shut one eye and grit her teeth as she felt the heat of the flames lick at her Hierro, the sensation more than enough to kick her into gear. Once again, she pulled back against the force that threatened her, voluntarily flying away and keeping her balance in the air. She skidded back once her feet touched the ground, stopping at the traditional fighter's distance away from her opponent. She was quick to straighten herself up, gripping her sword in a defensive stance and letting out an exhale to mentally steady herself. She was probably the only one that could say it or the one out of the Espada that would say it... but she was nervous. The first exchange of blows guaranteed that she was dealing with someone of the master level, but she didn't know whether the woman was simply toying around or giving it her all. Of course, she would simply have to dig herself in for the latter case, but the possibility of it was unshakable.

And considering the battles her comrades were having, maybe she wasn't too far off...

"You all have been chosen," the girl spoke in a beautiful, yet stoic voice as her eyes never once faltered from her eerily focused, predatorial gaze. Each of her strides were measured, concentrated, never wasted nor overthought, as she raised her blade in a slight axis upwards as she held her other hand perfectly still next to her hip as she continued to speak, "to see if you all have what it takes...to survive the change your world and the next will undergo...in the coming twilight that all gods will face...before the new ones ascend into their rightful place."

WHIZ-SHINK!

As soon as her words ended with finality, she charged again, using her Flash Step to thrust her blade foward towards left shoulder, near where it connected to the arm, attempting on disabling it. What appeared to be a simple high-sped executed thrust turned into a masterful funneling of wind pressure to be coated with it, sending a slicing series of air waves to slash and cut on all opposite sides of the blade's cutting penetrative edge. The whole time, her eyes were fixated on Tierra's, watching her expressions, awaiting any or all retaliations she'd make so she could counter them.

She would see Tierra's eyebrows furrow and an apprehensive frown on her face as the attack was made.

"Well, at least I know she has a voice now..."

With a swift twisting of her wrists, Tierra swung the blade against her opponent's in a parrying motion. The moment the sparks flew, she could feel the teeth of the artificial winds scrape against her Hierro. But as far as she was concerned, such a feeling was only minor and didn't inconvenience her in the slightest. She threw herself forward, swiping aggressively and quickly at her opponent with fluid and powerful motions of her sword. She met the predatory gaze with her focused own serious one, for she knew that looking away would only mean weakness. But despite her mind being on the battle at hand, she was also thinking about what exactly her words meant.

"From what I overheard, she must be referring to their takeover..." She thought to herself as she attacked her opponent. "They must hold great confidence within themselves in their mission, considering they walked right up to our doorstep and made their presences clear to all of us. But this is only nine individuals... where is their army...?"

Meeting back with successive parries and counters, sparks lit and flew into the air given life by the clashes of metal of each opponent's respective weapon. Murasaki's eyes continued to percieve Terrera's movements, read each and every miniscule contraction of her muscles and twitch of her eyes, she managed to match blow for blow with little to no effort.

She suddenly withdrew, her body blurring at an unrecognizeable speed, before the soles of her sandaled feet landed deftly, as her clad black garbed and masked appearance stood stoically and anayltically at her. Raising her blade upwards...

SHFT!

...swinging downwards with the same incomprehensible speed...

FWHOOOSH!

...while sending a fissure of incredible Spiritual Energy, enhancing her cutting stroke collosally, causing enough explosive volatile spiritrons to be flown throughout the area of her stance to be detonated after the incredible slicing gesture, causing an uproar of sand measuring up to be at least five dozen meters that soon vaporized from the incredible heat.

It was an immense display of power and energy control.

The brutish and more direct way would've been to unleash a blast that could counter the attack effectively. However, Tierra was not Bernabe or anyone else who would've preferred the more forward approach. She had to squint her eyes in the face of the oncoming light, her orange hair billowing as the winds grew in intensity, but she made no move to counter the attack. If there was anyway to avoid the attack and conserve energy, she would take it without hesitation. That was exactly what she did.

She boosted herself away with another Sonido, re-appearing several feet behind Murasaki. But instead of attacking her, she allowed her voice to speak for the first time in their battle. "I hope that you're not referring to anyone here when you speak about "gods"..." She answered lowly. "Not one of them would dare set foot in this squabble we're having."

"But we are gods, in terms to the mortals both in the Living and Afterlife," Murasaki said, in a technical standpoint, clearly not in a arrogant entitlement but moreover as if it was a fact marked by scientists and scholars themselves, "there is no real, true, God to speak of. If he/it/she were to exist, then this would be a laughable attempt at overseeing the Divine Kingdom laid out, ripe for the spoils of lesser entities to consume and control..."

'''THRUUUUMMMMM! THRUUUUUUMMMMM! THRUUUUUUUUMMMMMM!!!'''

Deep within the recesses of Hueco Mundo's undergrowth, where legions of Hollows were said to nest in the Menos Forest, a gradual, ghastly, and unexplainable force of masses of Spiritual Pressures unlike any other entity, including the Espada of any time period, have ever felt. And they were starting to march in the vicinity of Empresa's perimeter. The effect would feel like an unquestionably akin manifestation of an earthquake as well as a highly potent static distortion in the air of the collective Spiritual Pressures that were about to make siege to the Arrancar army.

"What the--?!"

Tierra's eyes widened as her vision and body shook under the effects of the spiritual pressure. One of her legs buckled under loss of balance, and she fell to one knee. It wasn't something that could suffocate her. But the feeling of it sent vicious shivers down her spinal chord. Right then, she knew that the earlier question of their army's existence was answered. The energy she felt did not belong to the Hollows nesting below, but something foreign and sinister to her. A bead of sweat fell down her face as she stood back up, apprehension sweeping over her.

"It seems like he's given the order," Murasaki spoke without worry but clarical understanding. Turning around, Murasaki raised her blade in Tierra's general direction, saying aloud, "we will kill the leaders of this Empire, and leave its headless army ripe for the taking by our own. Prepare yourself..."

SHFT-FWHOOSH!

"...Espada!" With that distinct, commanding yell, Murasaki's blade slashed towards Tierra's general vicinity, with its epicenter being her torso. In the excess of the blade's executing gesture, a wide fissure of violet-colored arc of enormous proportions cracked to life and seared anything in its path, shredding any lesser protected entites and wore down any hardened defenses the likes that only Espada Afilado would retain.

"Tch--!!"

Knowing that the alternative would be allowing damage to come to the city, Tierra extended her free hand out and formed the first of her energetic counter - an orange Cero orb in the midst of her palm. It grew to the width and height of her entire hand's underside. As the fissure came closer and closer to her, she felt the wind fight against her form and stance. She gritted her teeth and squinted her eyes, but focused on summoning the energy needed. When it came close enough, she released all of that energy against the offensive attack. She knew right then and there, things had gotten much more worse.

"My lady... please, make it through this..."

Echo of Eternity, Gap between the Abyss and Heaven!
"So, my Primera," Aizen spoke in a calm, clearly mocking tone as he kept his hands in his pockets, standing amongst a sea of sliced rifts within the sands bordering the mountains as well as a few large craters and scores within the obsidian minerals, clearly displaying the power and effort that the Primera exerted. And yet, Aizen had yet to show a wound, a drop of sweat, and a sign of exertion on his own part, "are we going to continue dancing or are you going to try to make an effort in extinguishing my life before your eyes?"

Meanwhile on the other end of the battlefield...the monstrous clashes of powers and Spiritual Pressures that now spanned a good couple kilometers horizontally away from the two of them, clearly showing that the battle had yet to tip in either's favor. Never had 666 been given the opportunity to unleash its fullest powers, as it had always been verbally commanded with restrain a portion of its potential. Now, that potential is finally unleashed upon Casilda's oldest teacher whom had now found a reasaonbly challenging opponent in centuries' time.

666 may have been fighting to a draw.

But his master was experiencing an uphill battle.

On the opposite side of where Aizen stood, Casilda had her blades lowered and readied at her sides. The bead of sweat that dropped down the side of her temple was as prominent as the solemn look that she bore on her face. Her mouth was slightly open as she breathed, indicating some form of exertion. As she looked upon his unhindered form, she had to suppress the apprehension, paranoia and irritation growing within her. It was not a good feeling, seeing that her opponent had done nothing but evade her each and every move. A less experienced fighter in her shoes would've become much more exhausted by now.

Anyone could've done it. Anyone could have stuck to dodging, broken their mental defenses with mere words and attack when their victim finally snapped. But Casilda understood that the man in front of her wasn't anyone. This was the same individual who had came so close to causing the destruction of the Soul Society, the genocide of an entire town, and killing all of existence. He may not have been a god in her books, but he was far above the rest and the closest thing to it. The very fact that he had not attacked yet only increased the feeling that maybe she had truly wandered into a trap she couldn't simply fight her way out of. But the only thing that kept her from lingering on the pessimistic thought was the presence of her subordinates. They needed her to win this, come out alive, and stop the war before it began.

So, in response to her enemy's taunt, she answered with a bit of dry humor and a ghost of a smile.

"Do I get a third choice?"

Smiling, Aizen raised his right hand out of his pocket, bending his ring finger back so his thumb would be holding it back, like a catapult being held back by the metalic locking mechanism that kept it primed and readied. He then spoke, "Just stand still," before flicking out his finger, in a snapping motion, while finishing, "and die."

FLICK-BLAAAAAAM!!!

Within the epicenter of the physical motion, the most undeniably frightening display of kinetic forces flew towards Casilda. What seemed to roll all of space with the masses within its path, the only thing left in its wake was a deep crevice that would take akin to that of a bomb reducing the earthen levels of its usual set height. Spanning nearly an entire kilometer in width and thundering forward much farther than that, the physical-ranged attack that Aizen sent effortlessly towards her, intending on displaying a fraction of his power...and utterly break her will to fight.

"Oh, hell..."

Only a fraction of his power, and already it felt like so much.

Casilda's pupils dilated at the sight of the winds warping, signaling the approach of the blast. There was no spiritual catalyst - only pure physical power. Right then and there, she knew that this fight was far over her head. He was toying with her, and he wouldn't stop until he was bored and finally decided to kill her. But it didn't mean that she would lie down and accept that. She had her pride and her devotion to what she created. She had to defend it to the death.

With a Sonido, she vanished and re-appeared above Aizen's head. One of her blades moved downward, channeling a great deal of spiritual energy into the metal. Upon connection, it would release a crimson-red pillar that would stretch well above the buildings of Empresa.

Whiz!

Just beyond the perimeter of the fantastic lightshow the incredible fissure of violent, perfectly controlled energies Casilda unleashed, Aizen stood with the winds buffeting his long dark brown locks and his black long coat and hakama, seemingly basking in the rare beauty the violent storm his opponent created.

"It seems you want to put forth some effort in killing me, so I'll assume you chosen the second choice," Aizen said in a calm, amused tone, but didn't pocket his right hand as he did before this. Despite this, he had yet to yield an ounce of Spiritual Power of any category or level, but still, it showed his own relenting to relieve a bit of effort of his own against her.

"Tornado Alley!!"

Casilda's next attack was unleashed with the swing of her sword. Crimson energy pillars with the size of skyscrapers were unleashed into the world and upon Aizen, backed with tremendously destructive power. All of these pillars moved rapidly in a wide arc, consuming everything in front of her within a considerable radius. With their speed and strength, anything and everything would be annihilated by it. Even the sands were not spared, turning into nothing but ash and glass in the attack's wake.

"Impressive," Aizen thought as he moved with ease at incredible speeds, dodging each instaneously erupted pillar of fire and energy, "to think that outside of her Ressureccion that she possessed this much power...she might be on a whole other level in comparison to her Espada associates!"

Shft-Shft-Shft-Shft-Shft!

Moving at an accelerated rate, not utilizing an ounce of Spiritual Energy, Aizen pushed his muscles in his body to move at a desired rate to escape the synchronized, eventually combined explosive power that this technique released, propelling himself high above the desolated landscape.

Aizen smiled as he onlooked through the hazy mist released from the highly incinerative properties, as a clearly outlined ground now made to appear to look like black glass almost as far as the eye could see. "Such a beautiful change in scenery," he spoke with a smile, inhaling deeply before exhaling with a sigh, "I was growing weary of the contrasting landscape to the beautiful starless night sky of your world. This definitely has a better feel to the abyss behind us," he looked down towards Casilda with a smile on his face, inquisitively speaking, "doesn't it, Selestino?"

And Casilda answered him, one of her swords plunged into the ground.

"Cero El Fuego Salvaje!!!"

Alligned with the spot in which Aizen floated, a massive Cero blast shot forth from the ground in an attempt to envelop him within its fold. Consecutively, multiple Cero pillars of similar width and sky-scraping height erupted from other areas of the ground, hitting the "chaotic" barrier full-force. The entire battlefield was illuminated in their light, their crimson glow dominating all. In the shadow of one, only the light of Casilda's eyes could be seen as she stared down her target. Under her breath, she spoke two words.

"Dodge this."

Then, removing her sword from the ground, she commanded the pillars to convert themselves into a fire-like energy that collapsed. It was like a rain that covered the entire area, incinerating even the air that it fell through as it descended down to the earth.

"Very well..."

Clap!

"...I'll take you a little more seriously..."

BOOOOOOOM!!!

"...Primera Casilda!" Aizen spoke lowly, as he clapped both of his hands in the general direction the Cero storm originated, sending a rivetting shockwave like his prior attack. This however, seemed to blanket the entire air space in a physical rift of destructive force, blowing back and ripping the Cero fire storm asunder as it broke down and discharged downwards aiming at Casilda below. The aftershock affect would appear as if a meteor of vast length and width barreled into the black-glassed earth and delved a deep crater towards its crust and recesses.

Fortunately, the Primera herself anticipated this.

Before the blast could reach full maturity, she kicked off with a Sonido to re-appear right behind Aizen. Her eyes were narrowed, and a scowl had once again formed on her face. She raised both of her blades, channeling enough energy for another Tornado Alley strike. But this time, it would be delivered at point-blank range to lessen the chances of evading it. All she needed was a second to summon it up before unleashing it upon her enemy, another set of sky-scraping energy bolts coming into play.

"Clever. She wants to use the minimal distance to increase her chances of the blasts hitting me," Aizen deduced inwardly, as he turned around with a smile on his face, facing the onslaught of energized pillars. Raising his knuckles briefly to crack them in his hands, he chuckled, "now I shall show you...fifty percent of my physical power..."

WHAM-BO-BO-BO-BOOM!

Aizen's first punch hit the first of the Tornado Alleys with such incredible force that it caused the energized skyscraper fissure to recoil and explode in a inverted fashion, causing a fissure or two to fly off course away from his position. Smiling through the bright crimson glares that covered his visage, he then propelled himself through the air like a missile, flying towards each and every energized column, smashing them with such concentrated power that they recoiled, dispersed or exploded in a backwards fashion.

CRACK-CRACK!

Grasping the last of the two skyscraper sized energy pillars of destructive power, Aizen began to turn them around in opposing figure eight motions. Staring undaunted towards the Primera as he moved forward with her own attacks in hand, shouting aloud, "Congratulations, Primera! You've earned the right to see half of my strength before you!"

WHOOSH-FWOOM-FWOOM!

Throwing them in opposing hands, he sent the energized pillars straight towards her with such accelerated force that they seemed to converged from opposing ends, from below and above. Aizen aimed to crush her with her own technique, aiming to break her while he enjoyed the show. If nothing else, it was enjoyable to utilize so much force of his own person.

Now, Casilda was someone who had seen a good majority of war. She had seen the most masterful techniques so many times to the point of repetition. Rarely anything surprised her - the sole reason why she commonly carried an unenthusiastic and lazy attitude out of the most serious situations. Even now, she should've known better than to expect herself to be able to overpower an opponent like Aizen. But to see him catch one of her most powerful attacks with his bare hands at supposedly half his strength struck at her nerves. Her eyes widened in shock as her own attack was used against her.

She knew.

"I can't even scar him?!"

That shock was almost enough to hold her still for the pincer attack.

Barely, she pulled into a Sonido and out of the reach of the two pillars just before they connected, resulting in a bright and luminescent explosion. She re-appeared on the ground in a crouched position, multiple beads of sweat falling down her face and a pensive expression replacing her serious one.

The bright luminiscent explosion cast a dark shadow around Aizen's still form. Even as he turned around slowly to look down at Casilda, folding his arms across his chest as his hair and cloak flourished wildly around his form as he stared with an eery pair of opposing colored eyes. He protrayed the visage of a wrathful titan, entertaining a demigod with effort it knew well enough would be above its reach.

After the excessing explosion finally disappeared, Aizen floated downwards in a casual, yet intimidating pace as he approached her kneeling form, landing a good ten meters away. But, like before, he made no motion for immediate attack nor looked like he wanted to. He bore a smile, looking to be enjoying himself as if he was a child who couldn't go out into the open world and experience life...until now.

"Giving up already, Primera?" Aizen arched a brow, as he lowered his crossed arms pocket back into the folds of his cloak, "honestly, I would've imagined your predecessor to put up a better fight against me, should he had any ounce of motivation that you do. But alas," with a shrug, Aizen closed his eyes momentarily before reopening them, "no one is perfect."

"I haven't run out of energy yet..." Casilda retorted stubbornly, slowly pulling herself back up to her feet. She gripped each of her blades tightly, readying them once again. "I'm still breathing. I've still got my blades, and I can still fight. Giving up is the last thing on my mind right now..."

"Very good," Aizen said with a humored tone, taking his hands out of his pockets, rolling his neck side to side as audible pops around his vertabrae could be heard in the open air, "because I'm not about to lower my level of exertion, just because you're a little winded, Primera. Now then," raising his hands up into tightened fists, putting his right foot slightly forward while putting his left foot backwards, assuming an aggressive martial artist stance almost similar to that of the preceding Head Captain, Genryūsai Yamamoto, "shall we continue?"

"He countered two of my best attacks without using his full strength, and with his bare hands. At this level, there's no guarantee that I'll be able to cause damage." Now seemed like the best time for Casilda to resort to undoing her own restraints. But the apprehension of performing the action too early caused conflict. Would releasing her Resurrecion be a reckless move, or would it be justified? After all, she was in the face of a living chessmaster. It was most likely that he was anticipating every bit of it, waiting for the opportunity to hit her where it hurt.

In the end, she decided to throw her dice. She lifted one of her swords in the air, stating the words loud and clear.

"Punish, Verdugo!!"

The next event could only be described as impossible.

Her spiritual power exploded outward from her body, washing over the area like a tsunami. The entire ground was bathed within a brilliant crimson, swallowing the sands whole. A tremendous amount of spiritual pressure billowed forth, holding the entire atmosphere within a suffocating grip. The effects would've been felt for miles, had it not been for the barrier separating Casilda from potential help.

Aizen's eyes widened with intrigue, at seeing such a sight. Not even her predecessor, or any of the would-be Primeras that came after him could even compare to the sheer mass of power that she released. The idea that she held all that power within herself for so long was almost baffable to Aizen, and how she could keep such strength hidden away...

"My, my...hiding all this power away from me," Aizen said with a smile, as the wafting energy wave past by him, making his senses almost appear to be alive feeling this much absolute, gripping, intoxicating power, "you must have been either very confident or very prideful to think you could defeat me with anyting less than this strength you display before me..." a small aura of black-white energy wrapped around his form, tendrils of a seemingly unknowable power kept him from being harmed by the wave of power being projected from the most powerful Arrancar of the Espada Afilado, "but it won't matter anyways. Show me that power you wish to smite me with! Show me the strength of your Espada over my own, three hundred years ago...Casilda Selestino!"

Father of Hollowity, Terror's Tempo Ignites!
Faintly, in the distance, a new figure began to tread towards the vibrant, luminiscent display of incredible power and strength. His gray-white mane of hair flourished about as the intoxicating Spiritual Pressure gripped at his very being, even from the full two kilometers seperating him and the two combatants. His presence totally sealed and nearly undetectable up until now, the man's silver eyes watched with a impassive yet familiar glint as he continued his steady approach.

"Casilda..." the man's voice whispered in the wind, almost deafened by the roar of the tsunami flourishment of power from the said female Arrancar's being.

When the smoke cleared, Casilda's new form could be seen crouched near the ground. Two crooked horns protruded from her head in the same manner of a devil's. A pair of massive black wings protruded from her back, twice as big as her body. Tattoo-like designs decorated her pale skin, presenting both an alluring and frightening visage. Her head was lowered, her eyes narrowed as she looked at Aizen. All in all, she had transformed from mortal to monstrosity in less than a minute... all for the sake of killing the man in front of her. She opened her wings up, bringing herself to a standing stance.

But whatever she was about to do or say in response to Aizen's challenge was cut off - not by him, but rather another presence that was silently approaching them.

"!!!" Her eyes widened in shock, and reflexively she snapped her gaze towards the source.

"What are you looking at?" Aizen narrowed his eyes at her, marveling at her beautiful transformed appearance. Walking towards her, he finally decided to humor his opponent and look towards the direction of the anonymoly that caught her eyes, "someone you know?"

"You could say that," the entity suddenly appeared in between Aizen and Casilda, without a word or sound, his cloak flourishing gently around himself with his hair, as he stood in a passive stance in between the two. He had a faint smile on his visage as well as a soothing, calm aura around him, flowing from his eyes as he took to looking at a sideglance view to Casilda, "but then again, its been ages since she has seen my face, let alone heard the sound of my voice in her ears..."

Even Aizen, for all his own omniscient perception, didn't recognize the entity standing before him nor could feel any power emanating from him. This actually made Aizen give pause, and drop his smile as he narrowed his eyes upon the intruder on his entertaining duel.

Such was not the case for Casilda.

From the moment she laid eyes on him, she recognized his form instantly. She recognized the aura that he exhibited, and for a moment, she felt a sense of comfort being within his presence. In that same moment, she was rendered speechless. It was one of the few times that she ever allowed herself to exhibit outright shock in the face of her enemy. All she could do was stare at him in silence, trying to figure out what exactly to say to him. But out of everything she came up with, only one word slipped past her lips and to his ears.

"Dad...?"

"Hello, Casilda," the man spoke with a genuine smile, as both of his silver eyes locked onto hers, "its been ages...my daughter."

"Daughter?" Aizen raised a brow incredulously, a faint smile returned to his face as an assumption to conjur some sense into what he was witnessing, "so...you are her surrogate then?"

"No," The aledged father of Casilda turned his face till it looked calmly at Aizen with a sideglancing stare, "I am her father. What makes you believe otherwise?" Shaking his head, he let out a slight chuckle and smiled as he placed a pam through his hair, "on second thought, don't answer. Most of Hollowity would rather kill each other in their sleep than actual mate with them anyways..."

"...how... how did you get through the barrier around this area...?" Casilda asked quietly, still unable to get her thoughts together for proper answers.

"Hm?" Casilda's father looked back at her, blinking as he spoke aloud, "barrier? You mean that noisy pressure this place is making?" He nodded to the bottomless chasm surrounded by the cracked, blackened mountains around the abysmal descending depths, "I felt your little friend's monstrous rage spark through the chaotic energies for an instant. I think that's what started the battle over in Empresa," he said with a shrug, completely nonchalant about his arrival.

That was enough to snap Casilda out of her haze. Her expression conveyed surprise at the revelation, not at the fact that the fight had started... but rather, the simple fact that her father already knew about it. "H-how long have you been watching?" She asked immediately, not bothering to hide her feelings on the matter.

"That is a good question," Aizen thought as he hadn't sensed or even felt this entity's presence until just now. The fact that this supposed-hollow had enough skill to mask his presence but also percieve what was beyond the chaotic veil the monstrous pressure that was produced by the chasm beyond.

"Oh not long," Casilda's father shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked up, recalling when he actually started observing, "I think its only been twenty minutes or so...though I believe the most exciting part of your battle has been the last twenty minutes, haha!"

Had it not been for the rather jocular tone that the man presented, Casilda would've accused him of lying.

But the rather relaxed way that he took himself caused Casilda to frown in annoyance, and she couldn't keep herself from breathing a sigh of exasperation. She closed her eyes, planting a palm on her face and shaking her head. It didn't suit well for her, knowing that the fight to preserve her position had been taken in as a spectacle by anyone, much less her own parent. But it was something that simply couldn't be helped. Out of the few who would show extreme tension at the sight of such a ferocious duel, others would show amusement and even pleasure. And of course, there were some people who were resistant to change, even over a long period of time...

"Of course..." She muttered. "Having a front row seat to it all... if you were enjoying it so much, why did you interrupt?"

"Oh," Casilda's father blinked owlishly in a comical light, turning back and forth between her and Aizen, before pointing to her and back at Aizen, "you two were having a moment? I'm so sorry, how clumsy of me...I just wanted to say hello to my daughter and I ruined the mood for you both! Don't worry," he began to walk backwards, turning around before leaping up with an incredible propelling burst of speed, not stopping until he stopped to sit on a crevice of one of the enormous black mountains. Hanging his legs down, he then cupped one hand around his mouth as he shouted down, "okay! Have at it you two!"

It was a bizarre and ridiculous sight to see. The man's nonchalant attitude was just as out of place as Casilda's lazy and unenthusiastic one when she was both off and on duty. Anyone else would've thought him to be insane, standing between two extremely powerful entities with nothing but blitheness. At least for Casilda, she was well-used to such behavior. Something such as her father could never go too far from her head. It justified the simple raise of an eyebrow when he retreated from his spot and voiced a cheer, treating the entire thing as if it were some spectacle sport. As her focus turned back to her enemy, all sense turned to the task at hand. She narrowed her eyes at Aizen, slowly curling her fingers to the point of them resembling claws.

Then, she attacked.

With a Sonido that outstripped the speed of what she could've achieved in her sealed form, she re-appeared behind her target. Her claw-positioned fingers swung down with the purpose of ripping him in two, backed by the increase in her physical and spiritual strength.

Aizen's eyes widened as he saw just the extremity of the Primera's enhanced speed, almost silently positioning herself with ungodly speed before rearing upon his person. He barely had time to anticipate the move, as he twirled around in a graceful 180 degree turn, while utilizing a strong burst of physical strength to batter her incoming taloned-hand to the side, barely missing his person...

SPREAAAAAAAACK-VOOOOM!!!

...only to cause an incredible fissure of enormous proportions from the fluent combined might of spirit and physical strength imbued into one movement.

"Incredible," Aizen thought as he moved, striking out with his right fist with enough force to cause a reverberating pummeling force, the distortion in the air itself made it look like a high-speed meteor of physicl force towards her form, but epicentrically her face, "I had to utilize 79% of my physical strength just to successfully parry that blow. If this is what she can do when warming up...then she might prove to be a worthy opponent after all. For now..."

Time had to be slowed down in order for anyone to see the movements in full detail.

With a duck and a lean of her head, Casilda deftly avoided the fist coming towards her. Her next counter-attack was simple - a lunge forward followed by a thrust of the palm towards the sternum. She kept her arm distance so that it would stop inches from its target when the arm was fully extended. The true attack was a force of tremendous kinetic energy against him, intended to both blow him back and deliver crushing blunt force trauma to his torso.

Aizen moved accordingly to counter the incoming attack. Shfting the heels of right foot back while the left one moved forward, he dropped down to a martial artist squat as he twisted his hips in sync with his own incoming palm. Instead of aiming for his opponent, however, he aimed to the incoming palm itself...that was cleverly disguised as a near miss or a faint, when Aizen knew too well...

CRRRRAAAAAACK-BOOOOOOM!

...it was an incredibly powered thrust, intending to incapacitate Aizen altogether, if not mortally injure himself. Utilizing a totality of nearly 85% of his physical strength just to counter the blow, Aizen's eyes widened with excitement and his smile returned with earnest as he saw just how strong his newly transtformed opponent became.

The rippling shockwave created a distortion that billowed in a 360 sphere, furthering the edge of the meteor-sized indentation Aizen created before, and tunneling downwards into a dark, blackened ravine that was filled with the unnatural ore veins stemmed from the root of the mountains, while ripping them apart simultaneously. Beneath the two warriors' feet, was a gaping five mile hole, with a good edge of the mountains blasted away as the two hovered in mid air, clasping each other's hands in a pushing battle.

"You are truly astonishing," Aizen spoke, even as he strained to match her current strength with his own, but never faltering in his calm, pleased visage, "to make me push this hard to match your every move!"

As she fought against him, Casilda kept her wings flapping in order to maintain her position within the air. With each and every movement, continuous and pressurized winds were generated in the arc that each wing created. She clenched her teeth together, her eyes narrowed in intense concentration as she put up her own physical strength to hold him back. Her fingers, intertwined with his, tightened their grip. However, this wasn't due to the simple backing of physical strength.

It was a form of restraint.

In both of her hands, two Cero crimson orbs enveloped both her own palms and Aizen's. Though these were harmless at best to touch, it was the sign for what was to come. She would destroy him at the point-blank range they were at with the beams, keeping her hand gripping his in order to ensure that he would not escape injury. She had no idea whether or not it would work, even if he didn't find some way to evade. But it was a window of opportunity, and she wasn't going to let it slip by her to find out. So without hesitation, she unleashed the beams upon him once they had built up enough energy.

"You leave me no choice," Aizen spoke aloud, his eyes lowering to near-slits as he swiftly administered one of his free hands into a fist, moving at speeds unrivaled at it looked as if it disappeared from its craned position...and reappeared inches in front of the Cero-discharge, releasing a shockwave the spontaneously combusted!

BOOOOOOM!!!!

Releasing a potentially powerful thrust of physical power, that it caused the air itself to combust in its wake along its distorted perimeter, intending on countering the point-blank Cero with every bit of physical power at its peak capacity.

It worked.

Once the two forces met, they scattered. A frightening amount of force was put behind both of the attacks, and the shockwave seemed to shake the very clouds that they stood under. It caused Casilda to fly back, but she caught herself with her wings in order to stop herself from going too far. She kept her eyes focused on Aizen, the scowl still present on her face. "I wouldn't want it any other way, your Holiness..." She said coolly, swinging out both of her hands so that her open palms were facing Aizen. "Cero Ametralladora!!"

Upon her command, multiple rapid-fire Cero escaped her palms and were launched towards their target. Individually, they were somewhat weaker than her regular one. But it did not lessen the disaster for whoever was unfortunate enough to get caught in the horizontal storm.

"Damn," Aizen swore lowly, as he dropped his haughty gaze as he saw the incredible gait from which she unleashed towards his way. Even so, his eyes never lost the cool, maintained focus, as he scraped the heels of his boots across the spiritual planes within the air...

VOOM!

...before charging in a series of indescribably high-speed movements, all while shouting aloud in a martial artistic like yell, "HAAAAAAAAH!"

WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHIZ-WHIZ-WHAM-CRACK-WHAM!

In a series of blinding movements to avoid, dodge, counter, and shatter the nearly inescapable storm of Ceros, Aizen mustered the true potential his full power of his physical prowess was capable of. Either shattering a number of Ceros to the side, while calculatively leaping, jumping, and sidestepping within the air to avoid the others, Aizen intended not to be struck by a single one of Casilda's attacks, never wanting to underestimate the importance of a single seemingly futile gesture.

"WHOAAA!!!" Casilda's father felt the wind from the buffeting, undeniably feircesome shockwaves nearly blow him off his seat, causing him to hang onto the edge of the cliff as he flew up a few times, like a comical rendition of a rodeo game as he pulled himself back to his seat on a number of occasions throughout the climactic battle of the ages, "if they keep going at this, they'll unintentionally send me flying from view! How embarassing would that be?!"

It was here that Casilda utilized her speed for a most supernatural factor.

When she was sure that enough Cero had been fired and Aizen had been distracted, she kicked into a Sonido as soon as the last one escaped her palm. When she re-appeared, her form was right behind him once again. But this time, she had her wings enveloped around him in order to trap him. Both of her hands were placed on his back, the Cero orbs forming once again. It was a risk maneuver, aimed to kill him while at the same time risking injury to herself. It was a bold and somewhat foolish maneuver... but she knew that she could not take any chances with him.

"Hold still..." She whispered vehemently, before unleashing the blasts on him.

"That speed...!" Aizen thought aloud, then realizing she was aiming to keep him still while she aimed for a lethal blow. Whether he wanted to test his endurance or not, was not in Aizen's plans. Closing his eyes briefly, before reopening them, causing his silver eye to glow brightly as he thought with excitement, "congratualtions, Primera. You have..."

VRR-SCREEEEEEECH-BLAAAAAAAM!!!

The dual Ceros expanded into a terrifyingly wide gait, stretching across like two skyscrapers moving at velocities that not even the Material World's sonic aircraft could match. This affect caused dozens of pockest of air pressure to detonate across the sky as the Ceros long expanse shot directly in a straight line towards the horizon, briefly causing a pyre of flames in the distance far away with a gargantuan tsunami of destructive force and flames.

However...

"...exceeded my expectations," Aizen's voice spoke aloud in the midst of the Cero beams, as an unknown force of energy welled up in a finite, subtle gesture, making it almost as if he had ceased to exist within existence itself from the destructive elements.

However, a silver conical rotation of light moved around his body in such a way that it caused the destructive twin beams of spirit energy to past along his form without any reflection or repelling action to be caused. Aizen's form turned around, with the conical beam circulating around him flawlessly and with minimal effort shown as usual. His left eye glowed dimly of silver while his right eye remained normal, as a smile graced his calm visage, crossing his arms as he observed the Primera with intrigue.

Injury was something that could not be obviously identified due to the tattoos covering her bare arms.

However, if one peered closely, one could see the thin wasps of smoke radiating off of the skin. Based from the stance she took after pulling away from Aizen, the damage was not enough to hinder her movements. However, there was a single bead of sweat that had shown itself on her face. For a brief moment, she had been certain that at least some damage would have been sustained by her enemy and dismissed the significant difference in strength. But now that she saw that he was still unharmed, it came back to her very quickly. That was made clear when she remembered that he had rarely done anything other than attack and counter-attack. There had to be a reason for it.

"All right..." She said slowly, meeting Aizen's gaze with a skeptical frown. "What in the hell are you trying to pull here?"

"What are you speaking of, Primera?" Aizen spoke with an amused tone, the conical barrier of light dissipating effortlessly, as he pocketed his hands once more while his left eye kept a constant, mesmerizing glow within the iris, "have you lost the will to destroy your opponent already? Have you surrendered yet...Queen of Empresa?"

"You haven't done anything outside of defensive and counter-attacking maneuvers." Casilda said firmly. "I'm the one who should be defending myself. My existence is the direct hindrance to your plans, isn't it? That's why you had your new minion lure me here to this place - to supposedly isolate me and my death from my allies. But yet, you haven't made one unprovoked attempt to hurt me or strike me down. You've been letting me do all the aggressive work while you sat back, analyzed, and taunted me at your will. I'm starting to wonder whether or not your goal here is to end my life..." Slowly, she bent back into a crouched position, her elbows resting on her knees and her arms stretched out.

"So what is it? What could you possibly be keeping me here or stalling for?"

"I don't think I'm inclined to answer such a juvenile question," Aizen chuckled before speaking, blinking slowly before locking his eyes back at her own bored ones, "but to sate your curiosity to get you remotivated, I will let you in on a secret..."

Unpocketing his left hand, he extended it out to Casilda in a non-threatening manner, almost as if he was asking for her hand, "Have you...ever felt out of place from where you belonged, Casilda? Like you were different, unique, in comparison to your kindred you call your Espada or the rest of your Empresa?"

"I--"

Abruptly, Casilda stopped herself, for this time, Aizen's words had struck a chord within her mind.

It was something that was always clear as day. Unlike the majority of the other Espada, who presented at least some of the typical Arrancar sociopathic traits, she always found herself to be the most... positive. With the exception of her sarcastic demeanor she carried at times, she was the one who carried more of a moral approach to things than anyone else. In terms of power, her gap between her Segundo was far greater than that of any other two Espada. Last but not least, she was the only one out of the Espada who found out the "secret of power" that applied to Hueco Mundo - something that had been kept under heavy classification.

"...just what does that have to do with anything...?" She asked tensely, knowing the chances of this being a verbal means of manipulation.

"You are what I'd to refer as the unexplained treasure within the wasteland of this world," raising his hand and flourishing it in emphasis, to the entiriety of Hueco Mundo, "in all my time among my colleagues of the Soul Society, I've conducted many tests upon Hollowity, developed hundreds of concepts, dozens of hypothesises, and even created a few theories of laws to which they use in practice this day.

The concept of a Hollow is that the Soul Reaper must kill it by the powers bestowed upon them. Any other way may risk of becoming consumption for other Hollows or disappearing from the flow of constant death and rebirth. The idea is because Hollows embody the most carnal, base traits humanity has to offer, to which Arrancars embody it through an aspect of Death or Sin.

Yet you, have a unique spark inside of you that is unlike any of the Hollows or Arrancars I've encountered. Yes, even Coyote Starrk, Tier Harribel, or Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck has not compared to the likes of you to your peculiar nature. In other words, let me ask you another question," Aizen asked, to which he smiled a little wider and a slight shadow formed over his visage, only being lit by the mesmerizing silver light from his stunning left silver eye, "have you ever once devoured another Hollow, Soul, or a Human being?"

"!"

Casilda's eyes shot open, and her posture jerked straight a little at the question. It was enough to completely silence her, not out of the fact that she had never been asked that question before, but rather the fact that she knew. Her expression and her silence was enough to confirm it, even if her unspoken words did not. She had never consumed anything during her evolution, while every one of the Espada had done so as a requirement. But just how exactly did Aizen know that...?

Suddenly, and for the first time in their fight, Casilda began to feel the slightest bit unnerved by how much the man knew about her...

"From the expression on your face and your expected silence, I take that answer as a no," he smiled, before looking to the mountain that had somehow remained unscathed through all the volatile explosions and shockwaves that surely would've rivetted it to its core, "it was an old theory of mine that if there were Vasto Lordes in larger numbers than I suspected, there was a higher, more elusive form of Hollow I've never could've laid my eyes upon. They'd be as old as the sands of this place would've been, maybe as old as the ancient Hankami race.

Only they would've been complete, or as I designated as the Soberano Llene. I'd never imagine any of their children would've lived this long however," Aizen narrowed his eyes at the stoic, calm gaze of Casilda's father, "isn't that right, Soberano Llene, or shall I call you by your self-acclaimed or given name?"

"Jinete del Juicio," Kessler spoke, his voice echoing down from the mountain, holding a unknown strength, command, and power that Casilda would've never had heard before, "or you might've heard my older name, Kishu Meiun," narrowing his eyes slightly as the wind cast his mane-like hair as he stared dangerously at Aizen, "how did you know of her and of my own origins?"

"I'm not inclined," Aizen said with a dark, hidden yet knowing smile as he looked back to Casilda's line of vision, "to answer such a juvenile question from even the likes of yourselves..."

"Grr--!!"

That was indeed the remotivation needed to set Casilda off.

With a Sonido, she re-appeared right above her target. However, she didn't do it to the point where she was right above him and within arm's distance right away. Instead, she took a higher position in the air and performed a dive-bomb death-charge, using the enormous weight of her own spiritual energy in order to increase the power of the crushing attack she was about to unleash. One of her arms were pulled back as she descended, her eyes wide with fury that she had never allowed herself to display under normal circumstances. If she couldn't kill him, she was going to beat him to the point of near-death and squeeze his knowledge right out of him.

With a deft raise of his hand, Aizen smiled with amusement as his hand began to glow a golden, contrasting color in comparison to the majority of his other tricks and prior energy colored auras. With a instaneous flash of light...

SPRAAAAAAACK-VOOM!

...was created an elaborate golden Dragon above him, nearly half the size of a skyscraper. Its red eyes opened and his brilliant scales shined brightly, as it turned its attention towards the descending target. Rearing its head back like a serpent, the Dragon suddenly roared...

ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!

...and within the excess of that roar...

VRRRRBLAAAAAAAAM!!!

...came a incredibly vibrant, luminescent streak of golden flames towards her, with such potency that it sought to rival one of her own destructively high yield attacks, within her own state.

This time, Casilda did not regard the construct her enemy created.

Another Sonido was all that was needed to yank herself out of the path of the flames and land herself right in front of Aizen in a crouched position. She lunged forward, her readied fist thrust towards the man's face. Not a second was used for hesitation, and she refused to hold anything back. Up close, the snarl and glare that had formed on her face could be seen in full detail.

With a turn of his head, he deftly avoided the punch with a higher rate of ease in comparison to before. His shining silver eye and dark brown eye narrowed at her with amusement....

SFT-BLAM!

...before throwing a blindingly swift, earth-shattering punch of his own, sifted and collesced by his own unreadable Spiritual Power to heighten its speed and double its power. He aimed it straight for her midriff, intending on sending her to her knees or across the sky, as the immense clap of pressure sent a resounding shockwave to lap at the proximate, battle-scarred black-glassed sands.

Time slowed down.

Any other time, Casilda would have been quick to block the strike directed towards her. But in her aggressive determination to attack, she had opened up her defense far too much. As the punch missed his head, her eyes widened in shock, and the fury within her expression regressed for a moment. She had realized her mistake far too late, for she had put herself at the point-blank range. There was nothing she could do...

WHAM!

Fortunately for her, the Hierro had kept his fist from plowing right through her body. But it wasn't enough to stop the immense pain from shooting through her once it sunk into her stomach. The force put behind the blow was enough to make her cough up blood and fall to one of her knees. A haggard gasp escaped her lips, the agony sweeping through her very quickly. But it didn't stop her from swinging out a counter-attack of her own - a hand with the fingers in the clawed position, aimed to tear the smirk off of his face.

"I told you..."

WHIZ-Tap

"...once I reached this point, I cannot hold back," Aizen suddenly spoke behind her, leaving behind a seemingly tangible impression of himself which she shredded the face off of until there was nothing but a gout of sand she caused to disturb. His hand briefly touched her opposing shoulder as he whispered, "Surely this isn't everything there is to you? Where is your power? Where is the might that I believed you to possess? Are you my equal...or just another ant that needs to be crushed?"

WOOSH!

Casilda flung her massive wings behind her with immense speed and power, intending to crush Aizen in the manner similar of a Venus Flytrap. Once the wings met, a tremendous shockwave was produced. It blew apart the sands around them with a tornado's force, even creating a sandstorm to douse the entire area. Any lesser entities would've been crushed and torn apart instantly by the pressurized winds she produced. But she knew better than to assume the same would happen to the likes of Aizen. Even as she finished the killing move, she allowed herself to speak out in a sardonic tone.

"Who would want to be your equal?"

VVVVRRRRRRROOOOOOAAAAAAAAR!!!!!!!!

Within an instant, the moment her wings made contact, a concussive blast of silver Spiritual Power made an explosion like a MOAB. Rippling outwards with a spherical dome formation, he projected such a proximate release of Spiritual Power that it contended with ease the size of Casilda's initial release. The size was compared to twice the height and width of a tidal wave, almost appearing lunar in shape and mass. Within the epicenter of the roaring, blistering concussive waves of Spiritual Power and Energy, Aizen appeared like a colescing, black figure, with a nightmarish red eye on his right and a constant silver eye on his left.

"You're right, Primera! Why would anyone settle for just being equals, when they could surpass me?!" His voice came out in a guttural tone, constantly reverberating over the monstrous howl his dome of Spiritual Power made, as well as the suffocating, intoxicating Spiritual Pressure that bathed and cracked the air and landscape for miles, "you believe you have the right to think little of me? How laughable! When you haven't even scratched the depths of your own potential, I could crush you with ease, effortlessly!"

It was a wonder how Casilda was keeping herself composed, even in the face of such spiritual pressure.

Not only that - but her own fury was kept intact.

She retreated, spinning around to face him as she unleashed his spiritual power. Her hair was blowing back, and she had to crouch down a little closer to the ground in order to brace herself against the initial shockwaves. But she remained firm, her voice calling back to him in a challenging manner. "I could care less of what you could do or how much power you possess!! You'll always be a black-hearted scumbag, and that is someone I'll never allow myself to bow down to so easily!! I'll put my last breath into taking your life, if that's what it takes!!"

"Admirable," Jinete spoke as he watched his daughter stand her ground, leaning his left jaw against his fist, "but if you provoke him too much, he might actually try to kill you. Then, all this dragging out would've been pointless in the end...Casilda."

FWHOOOSH!!!

"I think I've finally grown tired of your bravado and arrogance, Primera!" Aizen spoke aloud, as his dome collapsed and dissipated, walking towards her with a faint afterglow within both of his eyes as he began taking a few strides towards her.

A faint rumbling could be heard in the dark thunderclouds, caused courteously by the neighbouring mountain's constant warring chaotic Spiritual Pressure as well as the constant release and raising of the two respective opponent's powers. Strangely enough, it almost seemed like something was striding at incomprehensible speeds through the chaotic whirwinds high above the two combatants, but could easily be dismissed as Aizen raised his palm towards her.

"Say goodnight to your blissfully dying world," Aizen said with a calm, pleased voice as a bright and fantastic glow began to emanate through his palm, raising a spiritual pressurized force so great it began to form a whirlwind around his fist that turned into an energized howling vortex, "Casilda Selestino!"

SPRAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

With a single tossing motion, that twister barreled towards her with intense speeds and thrashing force, taking a distortion wave of ripping energies with it, aiming to writhe in pain as it would slowly tear her apart before her very eyes, something that was very well within Aizen's capacity at this point.

However...

CRACK-VRR-BOOM!!!

...a instaneous surging force of an eletrical power came from the heavens and crashed into the incoming wave of destruction. The reaction was so instaneous, that a flash of blue light lit up for a good two miles before a deafening thundercrack became apparent, nullifying the entire aggressive force heading towards Casilda with ease, followed by a buffeting wind that kicked up the black sand in a dramatic flair.

"Yo Cassie," a guttural, yet pleased tone heard through the midst of the chaotic destruction that happened within mere instants, his fur collared jacket and hair flourished dramatically as he turned his face with a faint glow from the electric energy coursing in and around his body off his glasses and feral smile, "how's it been?"

There was one short phrase that could summarize Casilda's feelings at the given moment.

Da fuq.

Now, Casilda wasn't exactly one for being ungrateful to being saved. In fact, she would've been glad for reinforcements, considering that her telepathy was effectively rendered useless by the barrier around them. Initially, only pure shock was going through her as she witnessed the counter and nullification of Aizen's attack. After all, who wouldn't be, considering who had launched it? In addition to that, who had been powerful enough to stop such a blast?

Then she heard the voice.

The mood was quick to turn topsy-turvy on her end.

Promptly, she slapped her palms to her face, tilted that very same face upwards, and let out a groan that would've made any teenage drama queen shed more tears than they would've otherwise. "Go away!" The voice wasn't too far from the metaphor, either.

"Ah! I can see you're absolutely thrilled to see me!" Tome spoke in an enthusiastic, if not oblivious tone as he outraised his arms, smiling widely at her, "I know ever since you seduced me you couldn't stop thinking about me! Hell! Who wouldn't want someone like me when I got these bad boys?!-"

FLEX-FLEX!

Tome flexed his arms, making them comically resemble that of a body builder's arms, raising his brow in earnest as he clucked his tongue at her.

"Why..."

Slowly, Casilda dragged her hands from her face to give him a humorously exasperated stare at her would-be seducer. Normally, she would've came back with a sarcastic retort to crush that misplaced enthusiasm. But as she stared at the man before her, she couldn't bring herself to say anything. There was a certain history she had with the man that made her wonder just how exactly they came to such a point. There hadn't been any true relationship between the two more so than there was a one-sided one. This wasn't a past lover that she had dumped or even someone whom she had dated.

What stood in front of her was immediately classified as her personal stalker that she simply could not shake off.

"You should know better than that, Cassie-baby," Tome let down his arms so they propped onto his hips as he looked at her behind his oval-shades with a genuine smile, "because you know better than anyone...

"...that we're the only ones who can communicate this way," he finished with a telepathic command of his own to hers. Not that he was reading her mind, per se, but more of a private communication without the need for words or the sound to register them, "and I could feel your struggling from distances you wouldn't think to be capable of reaching. So I came here, to see if I could lend my Cassie a hand!"

"I'm not your Cassie!!" Casilda was quick to shoot back at him for the statement. "We've been over this years ago! Wasn't blindsiding you enough to break your ego and drive you off? I mean, I'd be pretty angry and embarrassed if I were in your shoes."

"Awwww, but that was a simple act on your part! You were a little scared of my boldness that you had to start playing hard-to-get. I can tell when a woman wants me, and trust me," he winked at her with a comically leering grin at her, "if you want me half as bad as I want you, then you must be all hot and flustered to be so close to me!"

"...no." The Primera deadpanned. "Truly, I don't. And even if I did, I wouldn't be so stupid as to start getting all "hot and flustered" when I have a bigger issue to deal with. You know... like dealing with an enemy that wants to blow up Hueco Mundo? That sort of deal?"

"Which is why I'm here, babe!" Tome said with a big smile, waving his arms out in emphasis as he spoke aloud, "I'm what you can call...the unexpected calvary to your rescue! You and all your possy are getting helped out by yours truly," he emphasized with a proud poke to his chest from his right thumb over his heart, his violet split pupil irises winked at her mischieviously...as always.

"And who exactly are you with, if I may ask...?"

"Oh y'know-" Tome said, nonchalantly before facepalming himself in mid-sentence, "right! You've never met the guys, have you? Well in any case, they are what I'd to call my own band of misfits and possy, here to help whenever I ask or command, so to speak. And they ain't pushovers, I'll tell you that much..."

"I'm not one to believe simply in words..." Casilda's slight reluctance was showing through her words. Although she didn't mind the presence of Tome, knowing that another foreign army was nearing Empresa wasn't something that eased her heart. At the moment, she found that feeling to be nothing more than an inconvenience. "But I guess I don't have much of a choice here, do I?" After all, she couldn't exactly stop them from where she was if she wanted to, considering Aizen would be all too ready to strike her down if she turned her back to him.

"You make it sound like I'm such a horrible person, Cass!" Tome sighed, chuckling as he turned around, finding Aizen looking at him in particular, with an eery analytical stare and a small smile, "whatcha looking at, mister fashion model?!"

"What," Aizen spoke in a low voice, as he stared at Tome interested, "are you?"

"Heh!" Tome tsked as he then pointed his thumb to his chest, proclaiming proudly, "Tome Kūgun; Leader of the Crimson Knights! And I'm going to enjoy..."

VRRRRRBWOOOOOM!!!

"...kicking your ass for...hurting my Cass!" He snarled out in a vicious roar, as his body became consumed in a blazing red pillar of Spiritual Power that, at this point, easily matched to that of Casilda's, as well as a coiling fissure of lightning flowing around his body.

"Ngh--!!"

Casilda had to shut her eyes against the power of the attack, raising an arm up to shield herself from the winds blown. Her teeth were gritted, and her hair was whipping wildly around her face. It was exactly the same stream of power that had been unleashed all those years ago, so it was no surprise to her. She knew that once he was like this, there would be no stopping him. Because of his words, she could not find any excuse to help him without hurting his pride. So, she simply stood on and watched as Tome unleashed his fury into the atmosphere.

Now, she could focus on aiding her colleagues.

"Good luck, Tome..." She said softly, using her wings to slowly lift herself into the air...

"No..."

WHOOSH-WHIZ!

"...you aren't permitted to leave, Primera," Aizen said lowly as he appeared above her, with his hands in his pockets but glaring in her direction with a predatorial smile, "we still have things-"

SPRAAAACK-POW!

"Get the F$&# away from her!" Tome snarled out in a rare, menacing tone as he moved with such undeniable speed he appeared to have moved as one with the flashing light he created. Within the movement and threat, he launched a powerful thundercrack-like kick towards Aizen's head...

BOOM!!!

...connecting with Aizen's left forearm that raised to block promptly, but actually sending him a good kilometer to Tome and Casilda's left, creating a deafening shockwave from where Aizen landed.

Kessler blinked a few times as he took in the new development. Apparently, this new entity, one of which he hadn't encountered before, had equal if not greater power than Casilda was currently yielding. The fact he was actually able to negate and counterattack against Aizen with little difficulty showed a testament to his powers. Leaning back, he crossed his arms as he made himself comfortable against a black pyre of the cliffside he sat on.

"This can prove to be very interesting. I guess I'll catch up with her later after I watch for a few minutes..."

Majesty of the Golden King, Rage of the Beast!
"Do you understand now, beast?" Rey spoke down from the air space he dominated, his golden armored arms crossed over his elaborate breastplate as he looked upon the transformed creature he had been battling for the past half hour. The area which they took up claims as their battlefield was scorched, smothered, and cracked by the severity of the battle that they had transpired up to this point.

While a number of weapons of which Rey utilized against his transformed and physically augmented opponent littered the area, there was only a few scratches and scorch marks donning his immaculate armor. As well as a distinguishable slash mark made by Bernabe's claws during the beginning of their battle, taken aback at first by his incredible enhanced physical attributes, but the wounds didn't seem to bother him anymore as it was only a graze.

Bernabe could not say the same.

Although his Hierro was enough to withstand the ferocious onslaught unleashed on his person, it didn't mean that he had came out completely unscathed. There were trickles of blood leaking from his forehead, partially covering his face. Several bruise marks had accompanied the visible parts of his torso, leaving behind the ugly purple on his skin. He was currently in the crouched position, his pupiless eyes glaring at his opponent at the boast. But that was enough to show that he was only down and not out.

"The only thing I understand..." He hissed. "...is the fact that I haven't shut that mouth of yours yet!"

"Snarl all you want, half-breed, but it won't change the outcome of this war," Rey said with narrowed eyes and a sneer on his face. Raising his right arm up, a series of dozens of ripples formed within the air, almost appearing like transparent golden water.

Shft-Shft-Shft-Shft-Shft...

...and once again, a number of elaborately crafted, deadly weapons appeared behind Rey, ready for him to utilize at his own leisure and desire.

"Perish!" Rey shouted out, waving his arm out, causing a number of the weapons to suddenly discharge from their dimensional "sheathes" and towards Bernabe with incredible speed, causing ear-splitting missile-like noise as they disrupted the sound barrier as they homed in on their target once again in a hail of explosive spiritual power. Not to mention each of their unique weaponized characteristic such as: Poison-lacing, Elemental-wielding, Cutting power, Concussive force, and many more, were being utilized within the explosive impacts against its target.

There was no time to analyze, no time to concentrate an attack.

He would simply have to fight.

After building up his energy, Bernabe unleashed an expansive wave of spiritual pressure from his body. It went in a spherical motion as it expanded outward, deflecting the projectiles thrown his way and scattering them away from each other. As soon as the path was cleared, he coiled his legs up and boosted himself up into the air to meet his opponent. His claws flashed and were swung in a series of strikes, all of which were aimed towards his face.

"He must be jealous," Rey thought as he grasped a golden-tinted katana from the space nearest to him, and began parrying against the claw strokes, the talons creating sparks as well as spiritual concussive waves from the immense power both combatants put behind them, "to keep targeting my face so insistantly! Well, then...I'll show him..."

Shft-Shink!

"...what true brilliance shines through that idiotic ugliness of his!" He inwardly proclaimed, as he backpedaled away from Bernabe's last strike, creating a golden "ripple" in space next to him while simultaneously creating one behind Bernabe's backside. Slashing out a brilliant silver arc of cutting spiritual power to his right...

SPRAAAAAAACK!!!

...it instaneously appeared behind Bernabe's unguarded flank, attempting to slash his body with fine honed precision and power, utilizing the space-distortive abilities of his Zanpakutō against his opponent.

"Hmph--!!!"

With readied reflexes, Bernabe boosted himself higher into the air in order to avoid the energy that threatened to chop him in two. As he did so, he allowed himself to summon an attack of his own. With as much quickness as he could muster, he sucked in a deep breath and filled his lungs with the reiatsu-potent air. Upon the zero point of his breath, he blew everything out in an exhale. But what came out was not some air gust meant to blow his opponent away... but rather, it was a massive cloud of gas poison seeping into the air. He was not only aiming directly at his target, as he was moving his head in order to coat the area around him.

"Niebla Torció!"

"Poison gas? How vulgar..." Rey thought as he swiveled his sword into a inverted grip before "sheathing" it again within the dimensional rift beside himself. Reaching out with both hands, he then clasped his metalic-sheen covered palms together to counter the incoming smog.

CLAP-TNK!

"Tenranshō!" He inwardly declared, as a billowing pressurized tornado and kinetic force built in a spherical formation around his form, augmented to keep the deadly toxins his enemy was spewing towards him. Then with a loud thunderous clap, the wind billowed out with enough force to send both the toxins and his opponent away from himself for a good half mile.

"Hrrk--!!!"

All Bernabe could do was grit his teeth as the winds hit him full-force. He shut his eyes as his body went downwards, slamming into the ground with immense force. The fissure that made up his wake was half a mile wide and was as tall as a building, towering over everything else. The friction did nothing to his Hierro, but the scraping of the sand against his skin wasn't exactly a good feeling. He felt himself being buried within the depths of the dunes, his body immobilized somewhat under the pressure.

"HA! Look where your impudence gets you now, halfwit peasant!" Rey jeered out gleefully, pointing his left hand out in emphasis at the area where he was submerged within the pale alabaster sands. Snapping his metalic finger of his right hand, he summoned what appeared to be a regal, flag-adorned, chinese spear. Grasping the base of the weapon, he coated the weapon with a highly potent aura of spiritual power, causing it to crackle and gather lightning around his weaponized skin.

Raising it high above his head, Rey studied his opponent's location with a keen eye, gathering a great deal of spiritronic energy from the atmosphere around himself to increase the lightning-like qualities of his weapon. Tilting till he held it with one hand while steadying its aim with the other, the lightning flashes were incredibly vivid and luminiscent within the stom-ridden skies.

"Disappear!"

SPRACK-FWHOOSH!

Throwing his weapon head-on towards his temporarily incapacitated opponent, the lightning-coated projectile surged forward with incredible speed and velocity, screaming through the air within moments towards its objective. Once within striking distance...

SPRAAACK-BOOOOOM!!!!!

...a pillar of overpowering, electrical spiritual power surged downwards and upwards with such incredible power, it blazed high in the sky with a vivid white-blue coloration. As tall as any of the Seireitei's towers and its girth just as wide, it intended on striking the opponent deep within the sand, as well as send him reeling downwards even further.

At first, it seemed to work.

The light produced from the explosion was enough to illuminate the entire battlefield, and the width of consumption was enough to affect at least the majority of the combatants within. Over one hundred million volts of pure power electrified and incinerated anything that was caught in its direct path. With Bernabe trapped under the sands and little to no way out, there was no way that he could've survived it. It was the perfect finishing move!

That is, until the light faded away to leave the ashen ground visible.

The Segundo was standing there, arms folded across his chest and pupilless eyes staring down at his opponent with a subtle smugness. He was partially covered in the soot that had been created by the blast. But somehow and in a miraculous display of survival, he had came out relatively unscathed. Although his mouth could not be seen, one could see the smirk within the gaze of his eyes.

"Tch!" Rey curled his lip, sneering as his eyes caught sight of the relatively unharmed Arrancar within the epicenter of the blast radius. The fact that it was supposed to cook him thoroughly, caused Rey to suspect his Hierro must be on par with the prior Espada generation's Nnoitra Gilga, if not stronger. With this thought in mind, Rey spoke aloud in admittance, "your hide must be as thick as that smug grin on your bestial face, Arrancar, but you will not have such luck in the future!"

Tch-Shiiiiiink!!!

Grasping a long, immaculately wooden & golden tinted handle, he "unsheathed" what looked like a large norse hammer with ram-like enamorings and double-sided impact areas, crackling with unusual energies that seemed to warp the area around the battlefield they have been utilizing.

"Let us see how smug you are when your body is crushed beyond recognition, half-breed!" Rey snarled out as he brandished his new weapon expertly, hefting easily onto his shoulder while glaring at his enemy from the distance with unmistakably red, anger-filled eyes.

"Oh, joy!!" Bernabe jeered back, unfolding his arms and holding them out in a "come on" motion. "What're you going to do with that particular toy?! Hit me with it?!" This was followed by loud, harsh laughter at the expense of his enemy.

Blip!

Within an instant, Rey's form appeared to vanished out of thin air, not even a trail of where he moved or how he utilized the technique to...

WHIZ!

...appear right before Bernabe, already swinging his hammer in a blindingly swift arc, aiming to strike his torso. Even if it was only a graze, a incredibly overpowering force would be initiated from blunt side of the hammer. A force that harnessed so much power, that it could only stem from one of the most blatantly ignored if not one of the most powerful forces in the universe: Gravity.

In that split-second, Bernabe's mind worked out the necessities to counter such an attack.

Neither blocking nor stopping the hammer with a catch would work. A jarring, abrupt stop for the hammer most likely would've been the equivalent to it actually hitting something. In turn, the energy would have been released, and damage would have been sustained regardless. Evasion, although a quick and efficient strategy, would not be enough once Rey chose to pursue him. If he wanted the heat off of him, he needed something to discourage Rey from continuous assault with the hammer.

And fortunately for him, he found a way.

It was a short speed gap. But as Bernabe swung his hand out towards his enemy, he found his movement to be much faster than the movements of the one carrying a weapon. So within that second, he fired off a Bala at the point-blank range they were at before the weapon's blunt edge could reach him.

"''A counterattack?!?!" '

Rey's eyes opened slightly wider as the instaneous release of the concussive projectile was sent towards his body. Having only enough time to raise his left forearm in a gesture of instinct, his armor projected a barrier milimeters away the size of a disk to counter the Bala hurtled towards it.

BRACK-BOOM!

The force was jarring enough that Rey's aim was diverted away from Bernabe's chest and towards his opposing arm instead, as well as decreasing nearly half of its potential power yield to the distraction the Arrancar forced upon his opponent.

Bernabe's eyes held a sneering look within their pupilless orbs as he glared at his enemy, seizing his chance to continue his assault. With the hand nearest to the hammer, he reached out and caught the staff of the hammer before it could hit him. The action resulted in the energy being released. But once it smacked into him, his Hierro absorbed the impact of the force directed towards him. It did nothing to hinder the grip he had on the staff, nor was the force enough to knock him off balance. His next move was flawlessly executed; with his other hand, he caught Rey's wrist and moved himself forward, closing the distance between their bodies.

Then, for the first time in the fight, he opened his mouth.

Two sets of serrated, sharpened, and saliva-coated teeth could be seen, as well as a blackened, snake-like tongue that could be seen whipping around within the walls of the orifice. His head lunged forward, those teeth aiming to tear off a chunk of their target's face. A hissing vocalization escaped the throat, hitting his skin full-force as those teeth raced towards their target.

Rey's glare narrowed as he saw the Arrancar's determination to keep his chosen weapon from striking him. Rather than trying to free his wrist from his opponent's grip or try to attempt a retreat from the incoming jaws of his bestial opponent, he decided to do something abot the wide gaping chink in its armor this time.

With a swift inhale, Rey reared back his head before exhaling with powerful exclamation,

"NENSHŌ!!!!"

BOOOM-WHOOSH!!!!

A powerful, gale-force of flames ushered at point blank towards the incoming jaws of his opponent, intending on utilizing the open space and lack of Hierro within its mouth as well as the sheer proximity to cause an incredible blast of damage. Despite this, however, a searing wave of heat enveloped himself as well, causing a slight amount of burns to form on his exposed skin as well as scald some of the surface of his once immaculate Kidō armor. Inwardly however, he knew that it was one of the only strategies at his disposal...and probably the best thought at the time.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!!!!!!"

A furious, pained, ear-shattering and blood-curling scream came from Bernabe as the fire entered the orifice, setting the innards and his tongue ablaze. He tilted his head back, stumbling backwards and shaking his mouth back and forth. All the time, he was screaming an inhuman, chilling scream that seemed to tear through the atmosphere of the battlefield itself. It was a downright terrifying sound to hear, even for the veterans of combat.

"Damn you!" Rey snarled out, wrenching his wrist out of the suffering bestial opponent's grip, lifting his hammer up and striking the ground where he stood, "will you just shut the FUCK UP?!?!"

BWOOOOOM!!!

A sudden surge of gravitonic force suddenly siezed around Bernabe, intending on pulling him incredibly deep into the dune, as well as exhale it in a wide gait, creating what would appear like a massive crater in its wake, as well as a surging, compressing gravity well for his opponent to be trapped in.

"The fact that his head wasn't blown off just astounds me. His body must be incredibly resilient discounting his Hierro if he can take that kind of firepower without falling to his knees in agony or dying outright," Rey analyzed inwardly, as he gradually began to understand the true essence of the Segundo's power. Second only to the Primera, he truly began to grasp the concept of what it truly means to be second strongest of the Espada Afilado.

BOOSH!

The mutual fury that radiated off of Bernabe could be felt when he released his spiritual pressure in full-force. The gravity effect that threatened to consume him was stopped within its tracks before being expelled in a circular arc. The frontward section of that pressure was unleashed in Rey's direction with the intent on crushing him where he stood. As the fire was extinguished, a smoking mouth that dripped blood was left behind... as well as an extremely angry Arrancar.

"GRAAAAAH!!!"

VR-BLAAAM!

With an exhale of glorious yellow-tinted Spiritual Energy, Rey discharged his own Spiritual Pressure that countered his enemy's, his red eyes glowed with rage of his own. The fact his enemy mocked him openly and still stood alive enraged him to the point of losing his edge and strike him without thought or strategy. Almost...

However, the sight of seeing such a wounded, enraged opponent before himself caused him to smile, even laugh aloud, "What's the matter beast?! Did I burn that nasty tongue of yours off, with no retort to answer me?! HAHA!"

Whish!

"I was going to save this as a surprise, for when I'd slay your Primera personally. But, you've really left me no choice," Rey spoke aloud, as his body and the entire area around him billowed with intense Spiritual Power, causing him to glow brightly in a golden aura that indeed made him appear a warrior of the heavens. A large golden ripple formed directly in front of Rey, with an ominously thunderous rumbling forming behind its dimensional waters.

"Cease!" Rey spoke aloud victoriously, waving his hand nonsensically downwards, far behind the actual speed of the incoming to-be power of his.

SPRAAAAAAACK-BOOOOOOM!!!

From the large building-sized golden ripples came a sight terrifying indeed. It belonged to a Spiritual Pressure not of his own, but to an opponent's Bankai he nearly bested centuries ago. And this energy...took the form of a skyscraper height and width golden energy arc, composed of pure concussive and shredding force, intending on destroying everything in its path. And it was mere feet away from the Segundo, ready to rip him apart and detonate with extreme prejudice.

"My lady..."

The words of Rey prompted Bernabe's eyes to widen in shock.

This man was aiming to kill his leader, who was waging a battle with both her former mentor and their greatest enemy. As far as he was concerned, he and his allies were the only ones standing between the life of her and his enemies. That alone would've been enough to make his blood boil. But to sense that there was another person's energy being used against him was almost enough to send him over the edge. If he held any respect towards the man, it was instantly thrown away the moment the attack was executed.

"Scoundrel..."

He raised his arms up, his palms facing the blast.

BWESH!!

All of that force connected into his stance, and he had to dig his feet into the ground in order to halt it and hold it back. But even as sweat beaded down his face, he continued to yell out his thoughts to Rey. "You really expect to kill my Lady... with this kind of power?! I thought you were a warrior, the one who put an end to the existence of the so-called "mongrels"! Yet you challenge me with an attack of someone else's?! This isn't the move of a warrior, let alone a ruler!! You're nothing but a scavenger, a scoundrel, and a bastard who has no sense of the word "honor"!! YOU'RE NOT WORTHY OF KILLING THE QUEEN!!!!"

BWOOM!

On emphasis of that word, dual Cero shot out from his palms, ripping straight through the force and dissipating the entire foundation of it. They raced towards Rey, causing fissures of sand to be pushed out from the sides of the energy bursts.

BWOOOSH!!!

The energy columns seemed to envelop Rey's being, utterly snuffing him out within an instant, erasing his existence out of the enraged and disgusted Arrancar's sight.

"Fool!"

SPRACK-BLIP!

"All things material are at my disposal, cretin!" Rey stood with his arms crossed, with a narrow eyed glare, staring him down with glowing red eyes, as the large golden ripple seemed to have absorbed it entirely, "may it be the millions of weapons at my disposal, all strategies, all tactics, belong to me! Lord Rey Dorado!"

Click-Clack-Click-Clack!

Rey began to walk in a methodically intimidating pace towards his opponent, continuing to speak as he walked towards him, "Any half-bred cur may call it scavenging! Any simpleton might call it thievery! But I simply make what is others my own! I take what I want and crush what I don't! I AM KING OF ALL WORLDS, ESPADA! No ridiculous notion of honor or morals bind down true kings, filthy mongrel!"

SPHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT-SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINK!!!!!

"And you will face the ultimate punishment," Rey spoke, with his arms still crossed, as thousands of weapons formed from the large golden spacial waters, all of them respectively aimed towards at Rey with an innumerable amount of immaculate detail, unique energies surrounding them, and his own Spiritual Power rivaling the Segundo's if not higher as he was bathed in a golden glow of Spiritual Energy, "by being struck down by my magnificent armory, rotten cur!"

SSSSPRAAAAACK-WHOOOSH!

With an unseen and unheard command, all of the weapons launched at its target. Each of them bathed in a golden aura of Spiritual Power, with enough force behind each one of them to equalize a missile, while bearing their own unique properties against Bernabe. It would almost appear like the heavens opened themselves up to release an untold amount of fury towards those that opposed it. It truly appeared to be a magnificent sight.

Even an experienced fighter would've resorted to simply sticking to evading the attacks. But Bernabe understood that would've simply given Rey enough time for another attack. So instead, he resorted to waiting for the split-second moment where a path would be open for him. Once again, time slowed down within his perception, and his eyes peered for the opening that would present itself to him. He didn't move, even as the projectiles were launched towards him. All he did was wait for the moment where he could counter-attack.

Then, he sprung.

It only took one second for him to Sonido through that given path and behind his enemy, one of his hands raised. The claws held a green, liquid-like glow on the fingers. It looked very simple. But the real danger was what it was capable of once those claws struck their target. All they needed was one scratch, and it would cause the armor that Rey was wearing to break down. Poison would eat away at the material until there was nothing left but exposed flesh. Such was the nature of Desglose Superficie, the attack in progress.

His claw swung down.

"Fool...I see your Sonido for what it is..."

WHIZ-VRBLAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!

"...a cheap trick cannot be bought to the observor over and over, Segundo," Rey spoke aloud, without turning around to face the traversing opponent, as a brief instant where his opponent used to raise his arm up and swing down, discharging the powerful dual Ceros that he discharged only moments before that broke apart the powerful Bankai attack Rey attempted on using against him.

Now...he would use that power against his own adversary.

"Grk--!!!"

It was something that Bernabe had allowed himself to forget about.

The two Cero crashed into his body, and he let out a sharp yell as the red light enveloped him within its unforgiving grasp. He could feel his own Hierro tearing and breaking underneath the pressure. In addition, his body was hurled away from his opponent's, thrust up into the air for a brief moment as he was thrown. Then, with an unforgiving crash, he slammed into the sands. Once he stopped, his body lay still, quivering. The movements made were not out of pain, but out of pure humiliation.

The enemy was trying to kill him with his own weapons... and succeeding.

"Think poorly of me if you like, beast," Rey spoke aloud, his boots landing onto the sands just a few meters away from Bernabe, his arms continued to hold the pose of ascendence over the lower-class warrior before him, "but the fact remains that my power supercedes yours. There may have been a time when your brute strength, animalistic intelligence, and skills might have recognized you as an unparalleled warrior and ruler, but those days are long gone..."

Shft-Shiiiink!

"...the new world order is rising, taking the place where monsters and brutes like you once reigned supreme and will ultimately turn to dust in our wake," Rey spoke with a humorless stare, reaching out and "unsheathing" a scimitar of immaculate craftsmanship and golden etchings. Raising his blade up, he then whispered, "Audios, beast of Hueco Mundo-"

WHIZ-BRAACK!

"-what?!" Rey's eyes suddenly widened, as a new form appeared, catching the blade in mid-swing as well as seperating a great gait of cutting energy he put behind the blast.

"Sorry, Rey," A white haired, dark eyed man with ghastly dark trappings that was akin to that of a noble, with a red hilt-rapier in hand countering the other warrior's blade, "but I don't think I'll let you kill another for your own selfish gains!"

What?!

Bernabe froze upon the sensing of the foreign energy that had protected him from the finishing strike. It wasn't an ally, and it certainly wasn't a sudden defector that had broken off from the attack force. Both his senses and his eyes could tell him that much. As he wearily looked up at his savior, he could only bring himself to see the back of his head before unconsciousness overtook him. As his head fell down to meet the sands, he could only think of one thing.

His loss.

A Seer's Vindication, Awaken...Violent Flames of Hatred!
A Stand Off.

Those are the three words that could accurately summarize the battle between the unknown Spiritual Race survivor Senkenteki, wielder of the Shinsei energy base of Vengeance, and Senkaku Ningensei, the Tercera Espada Afilado and one of the only known wielders of the transcended power of Segunda Etapa.

The two have released incredible powers that devestated the pale sands bordering Empresa and beyond, subconsciously leading the fight outside of Empresa to decrease any chances of collateral damage or casualties. Neither of them have sustained any sign of lethal or incapacitating injury to note, nor shown any sign of tiring, and both seemed to have their own advantages to keep one from gaining the upper hand from the other.

Truly, it was a battle of patience, cunning, and attrition. Or was it?

"I can see why you're numbered #3," Senkenteki spoke aloud with an admitant grin, his third eye closed for the time being while his eyes narrowed at him with keen interest. His form had a few scratches from close calls by Senkaku's claws, while a few scorch marks tattered is jet black cloak, but other than that, he wasn't worse for wear, "despite memorizing most of your combat techniques and fighting styles from your fight in Yūrei Ōkoku, your style seems to be more substantial than what I'm witnessing firsthand. You were holding back, weren't you?"

"Maybe I was..."

The Tercera was a little over Senkenteki's condition. Scratch marks could be seen on his chest, but there was no injury considerable enough to worry about. He had his hands lowered to his sides, his stare even with that of his enemy. "But I'm not obliged to tell what exactly my tactics are or what they were to my enemy." He said firmly. "I'm not that foolish..." The display of power between them had not been enough to jar his resolve. That allowed him to keep his calm demeanor even in the heat of combat, keeping stability within the stand-off as well.

Then, he felt a twinge in the back of his head - a recognizable warning sign that one of his allies had fallen.

"Bernabe...!"

His eyes widened slightly, momentarily drifting in the direction in which he had felt the drop.

"Ah! I guess that means that smug bastard Rey managed to off your Segundo. I'm impressed," Senkenteki spoke aloud with a dark smile on his face, though his words had a sincere note to his surprise, "I thought that I'd finally be rid of that arrogant twit if he was facing off against the your 2nd most powerful, but I guess I was hoping for too much, wasn't I?" He added with a shrug and a chuckle, not really thinking much of the battle whoever won or lost it.

"...not exactly the most encouraging words to hear if I was your ally..." Senkaku muttered, slowly turning his gaze back to Senkenteki. His black tail swished around idly, the index and middle fingers of his left hand curling and uncurling slightly.

"Its not like I particularly feel that way about all of them," he said in a casually defensive gesture, as he opened his eyes and stared back at him, beginning to walk around in a predatorial manner, "I mean, he's good at what he does, I get that, but he doesn't need to brag every wake hour of the day on what we already know. I think he's got something against Jigen and wants to take it out on the rest of us, beats me," shrugging in a casual manner before looking up in thought, "though, there is one ally I'd like to kill when this is all over, but for the most part, they're all okay."

A slight growl escaped Senkaku as he watched Senkenteki walk around him. In response, he mirrored those movements and made sure to keep the distance between them. As he was doing so, he felt a sense of deja-vu, his mind flashing back to his fight with Shiro. Was it the same situation here? Was this a sign of karma returning to catch him? He couldn't help but feel a sense a bit of apprehension.

"If you get out alive, that is..." He thought mentally in retort to the statement, but did not say out loud. But, he did give his own non-verbal response.

When he stopped...

PLOOSH!

A geyser of scalding water erupted underneath Senkenteki's feet, fully capable of causing third-degree burns as well as extensive pain.

Blink!

Senkenteki's third eye opened, and allowed him to look directly downwards before the geyser moved to overwhelm him with its incredible, superheated and pressurized force.

SLICE-SPRAAAAAAACK!

Using just a well-timed slash of his sword, he created a jetstream of cutting force to split the scalding waters to jettison in opposite directions, creating a veil of steam around himself. Smiling darkly as he looked up at his opponent for the clever instigation to resume their duel, he then emitted dark flames of Shinsei onto the water, furthering the cloud of steam to completely cover the area before the geyser of water ran its course.

"Smart thinking, Senkaku," Senkenteki's voice shifted in an echolocative affect, as his presence cloaked and kept itself hidden, "but I can guaruntee that your instaneous water discharges won't work if you can't pinpoint your target. Oh and another thing ;before you try anything with this mist, know that my Shinsei energies have melded with it. Something to keep in mind," the smug, devious tone could be heard as both a warning and a taunt from Senkenteki as all became unsettlingly quiet in their particular battlefield.

"Damn it."

Had it been the mist alone, Senkaku would've had the chance to do some serious damage. But upon hearing that there was an undesired element within his chance caused severe conflict. It was an aggravating ruin to his ability, keeping him pinned down while his enemy was free to do as he pleased. It wasn't something he could grow to like any time soon.

So, trapped in the poisoned mist, Senkaku allowed himself to stop.

He slowly sat down onto the sands, his eyes slowly closing. He folded his legs Indian style, resting his elbows on the side of his kneecaps. His hands folded together, fingers intertwining with each other at face level. The complete result was a meditative stance, relaxed and calm. From that position, he did not bring himself to move. In such a situation, he seemed very vulnerable to attack.

But was he?

Hissssssssssss!

What sounded like a rapid rise in temperature, the mist all around Senkaku began to rapidly boil and soon, became an unbearably hot cooking oven-like affect. One would originally think that this would be an effective strategy to break that meditative effect he'd have, since environment change is a key component in keeping one's concentration.

However...

"Turn to ashes..."

Senkenteki's voice broke the silence, as he stabbed his blade into the sand, before speaking in a declarative voice,

"Kokuyōgan Bakuhatsu!"

VRRRRROAAAAAR!!!!!

Within the single stroke and declaration of his technique, a powerful pillar of obsidian flames of Shinsei erupted underneath Senkaku with a 25 meter radius with his meditative-prone form at its epicenter. Creating an immense shockwave that created a tidal wave of ashen-glass-like sand particles in a 360 degree radius, the pillar detonated with such force that it could rival a Ressureccion-style attack.

"The fire to my water..."

Senkaku's counter was one of pure defense.

For the first move, he put his focus within the mist itself. The constant rise of temperature was counteracted when his half conflicted against the energies within. This resulted in the oven effect weakening and strengthening in constant variation.

For the second move, he called upon the water directly.

PLOOSH!

As the pillar was moments away from enveloping him, he summoned water to form a pillar of his own that would form within Senkenteki's as it rose up. This resulted in a sort of barrier protected from both incineration and the detonation of the flames, the waters cancelling out the effects of the attack. The combination was enough to cause the mist around them to thicken.

And throughout it all, Senkaku had not moved an inch from where he was.

"Incredible...!" Senkenteki thought with admiration, though not total shock of the method his opponent used to counter his attack, "I barely remember him being this docile appearing when he's got this amount of incredible control over moisture and his spirit energy. His Pesquisa must be astounding to predict my attack like that..."

SHIIIIINK-WHOAAAR!!!

"But I won't let him best me that easily!" He thought with renewed vigor, as he slashed his blade out of the ground, sending a fissure of black-violet Shinsei flames towards Senkaku with incredible force, cutting power, and incinerative properties. Using his Vengeance-based Shinsei properties, he intended on cutting through the condensed or powerful jettisons of water vapor, as well as exude enough air waves to push away the mist that had covered the battlefield in between himself and his opponent, as winds rivaling that of hurricane-class discharged throughout the sands as the attack closed in on its prey.

This was where Senkaku broke his stance.

He unfolded one of his hands, outstretching his index finger towards the blast. Even as the edge of the winds touched him, all he did was squint and narrow his eyes. A white orb formed at the fingertip, and only one word betrayed his intentions.

"Cero Pintor."

VWOOM!!

In contrast to the Cero he had unleashed before, this one was a monstrosity.

The size was comparable to that of a Cero Oscuras, vast and massive. But the properties that were displayed would be much more frightening. As the Cero Pintor connected with the opposing attack, it only took seconds before the opposing blast crumbled. All the Shinsei energy did was give Senkenteki time for what would've been a nigh-unavoidable attack.

Death would be imminent for those who chose to stay in the path of such an attack...

"Oh Shi-!"

SHFT-VOOM!

Moving at accelerated paces when all three of his eyes caught wind of the incredible-sized energy fissure, he jettisoned himself straight into the air, as it had the only enough space to avoid the beam entirely. As he stopped a good twenty meters off the ground, he barely turned around to gaze at the collosal beam's destination...

CRACK-BOOOOOOM!!!!

...and the magnanomious explosion that erupted from its long-far off destination, emitting shockwaves so tremendous that it could be felt in buffeting winds from kilometers away, as well as the tsunami of sand that it created along with the glassed particles it it made as a byproduct.

"My instincts were correct in this assertion," Senkenteki took his eyes away from the vivid luminescent display of power back down to its point of origin and user, "he is the strongest Espada Afilado next to the Primera. The Segundo's raw unbridled power cannot compared to the perfectly honed control of this man below me," this allowed Senkenteki to smile, as he lowered himself back to the ground at the same distance away from the currently prone individual, "this is the perfect test...to see if I can kill them...if I am capable of besting them by surpassing this warrior before me!"

"I've seen many Cero created by your kind, Tercera, but I've never seen such destructive power yielded so timely," Senkenteki spoke aloud with anticipating excitement, as his body began to glow a vibrant dark blue, as his Spiritual Pressure began to emanate thick and heavy for even the likes of an Espada, "you might actually be the one thing I can have valid proof! The proof I will attain when I defeat you!"

VRRRRRROAAAAAR!!!

Senkenteki's body became emblazoned with dark black-violet flames, his Shinsei becoming incredibly stronger and more potent, sending empathic distortions around him that felt hot, painful, and constricting. Filled with wanton violence that cried out for one absolute thing: Vengeance.

"Ah--!!"

When the pressure was unleashed on him, Senkaku opened his eyes and let out a sharp gasp. It was like trying to breathe in a stifling desert; the air was thinned out, and temperature was increased to a level in where it felt like the sun was beaming right down on him. With a grunt, he forced himself up to his feet in order to stand down against his enemy's power.

Then.

"HRAAAH!!!!"

With a yell, he unleashed his own spiritual energy, the wide and flame-like aura erupting to life. His hair and tail billowed upwards in the intensity, and his eyes glowed a brilliant green as they glared at their target. "If you defeat me..." He said coldly. "And that's assuming you won't die first..."

"Oh I don't plan on dying yet," Senkenteki spoke with a dark, feral grin, as the dark violet-black flames suddenly wrapped around his body in a thick dark aura, "not until every one of the bastards that were responsible for my race's extinction are dead...and everyone who sympathizes with them!!!"

VOOM!!!

Jettisoning himself from his spot with a large shockwave in his wake, Senkenteki moved with incredily augmented speed from before. Once he arrived before Senkaku, he swung his blade in a series of blinding swings, all of them with a condense release of Shinsei destructive flames, creating a synchronized and combined pillar of cutting power towards his opponent.

PLOOSH!

All Senkaku had to do was summon up his water.

With a clench of his fist, he caused another geyser of water to burst underneath where his opponent had stopped, preventing the close-quarters attacks from touching him. It was the same moves he had used on Hana when she had attempted to cut him down with her Reason-type sword. But this time, he allowed himself to slowly back away instead of leaping away, keeping his gaze trained on his opponent as the created pillar of water started to collapse inward on itself.

''CRRRRRK-BLAM! VROAAAAR!!!''

As Senkenteki slashed with a mighty exertion of physical force upon the geyser of water, he stretched out his left arm, surging a Shinsei manifestation of a violet-black dragon with blazing red eyes. Its mass was nearly the size of legend, with its head being nearly the size of a twenty meter tall building with a ten meter radius, moving with incredible and zig-zagging unpredictable directions as it closed in on its prey. Once it would snap at Senkaku...

SNAP-BLAAAM!!!

A blast of pyrotechnic quantities would erupt, and continue utilizing this form of attack, disrupting any form of beginning of a geyser-like attack as it bore to smash directly into his form and explode with highly destructive force.

"What?!"

Senkaku's eyes widened in surprise at the sight. It wasn't the attack that Senkenteki used, but rather the fact that he was able to switch from slashing at him to slashing at his attack. Such reflexes were "inhuman", for lack of a better term. It was the equivalent of a muscle spasm, unpredictable and sudden. The shock made him reconsider the simple walk and replace it for a full-on retreat back.

Then, with a Sonido, he kicked himself into the air in order to avoid the explosive grasp of the apparition in front of him. He allowed his wings to do the rest, letting himself shoot into the air and far above the ground. As water tendrils were summoned to circle him, beads of sweat were forming on his face. It was not a fun moment for him right now...

VOOM!!!

Senkenteki followed after his retreating opponent with a concussive thunderclap exertion of his legs, moving up with the sound of a streaking sonic jet with his draconic manifestation of Dark Shinsei racing beside him. He did not want to give such a powerful and tactically brilliant enemy the chance to restrategize against him, nor did he want to hesitate.

Rearing back his left arm, billowing with a buffeting bundle of black tongues of dark flames, Senkenteki's eyes narrowed to poised, concentrated slits...

SIIIING!

...before reopening with glowing violet hues, as he thrust out his fist towards his approaching target, letting out a war cry, "HAAAAAAAA!!!!"

The tendril of thick, black flames that formed the manifestation pulsated and grew larger, thicker, and raced up to the base of where the "neck" of the manifestation would be. With a few, crackling roiling spasms, the draconic manifestation reared back...

SPRAAAAAACK-VROAAAAAAAR!!!!

...before nearly a dozen black draconic manifestations jutted out from the first one, jettisoning with incredible force and zig-zagged towards and around Senkaku's position within seconds. Each one of them snapped out with volatile, crushing force towards the defensive water tendrils, aiming to crush his defenses quickly, as the main one rushed with the speed of a snapping king cobra with a magnified sonic boom force.

WOOSH!

With an outward swing from a crossed-arms position, he swung the tendrils in an arc towards the oncoming projections. The amount of water quickly increased, forming a frontward defensive wall that served as a shield between him and what was threatening to incinerate him. The sound of the fire canceling out the water rang within his ears, subtly creating more tension within the scene in front of him.

It was at this moment when Senkenteki's form moved with a burst of Haya, coating his blade in a thick jet of Dark Shinsei, and thrusting it into the occupied defensive wall of water in between him and his opponent. With a large surging force of penetrative, incinerative power pressing into the curtain of water...

SPRACK-CRRRRRRK-SLICE!

...it suddenly gushed and blown open, as Senkenteki's form zoomed towards his opponent, with nothing standing in between him and his target.

"Its over..."

SHIIIIINK-SLICE!

"...Espada!!!" He roared out, slashing in a horizontal fashion once he was in range, discharging a cutting wake of black, fiery energy along the edge of his blade that would reach the skin of his opponent.

"An opponent that always claims to see the end of the battle will never see it."

Once again, time seemed to slow down for Senkaku as he watched the enemy race towards him. He did not move from his spot in the air, merely watching as death come to him. He could've stopped the frontal attack quite easily, pushed the man back, or avoided it. But he did not even allow himself to lift a finger, looking on with solemn eyes.

"But since you are so eager to see the end of this duel..."

SLICE!

The blade tore a diagonal and flaming gash down his torso, sending a wave of pain throughout his body. In turn, he allowed himself to fall and collapse from his position in the air. He could've steered himself to avoid hitting the ground. He could've steered himself out of it. But he didn't. Instead, he allowed himself to descend, gravity pulling on him as he did so.

"It sickens me to raise my blade against someone like you. Let someone else put you in your place... you deluded fool."

BOOSH!

He hit the ground, the point of impact producing a geyser of sand as it was disturbed by the body slamming into the earth.

"Heh!" Senkenteki smirked as he watched his foe fall to the earth, "lost the will to fight? How pathetic! Things were just starting to get interesting," he sighed, but still bore a grin, allowing himself to lower down to the ground, eventually reaching the sands just a few meters away from the crater that was caused by his opponent's vertical drop.

"Its a shame, but I'd hate to get chewed out if you were to survive our little skirmish," Senkenteki said reluctantly, scraping the edge of his sword along the pale sand, before he stood just above the prone, fallen body, "so long, Tres Espada. It was fun but-"

SHFT!

"-what?!"

CRACK-SHFFFFFFFFT!

"NGH!" Senkenteki barely had time to acknowledge the new presence, let alone the arrival that appeared just above the defeated warrior, having sent a near blinding punch towards his torso. His heightened senses alone allowed him to parry the blow with his forearm, but the sheer force sent him off his feet, skating across the pale sands with his heels.

Standing just above Senkaku's prone body was a young man with silver hair, gracing the edges of his shoulders with a muscular, stocky physique. He wore a double-edged sword sheathed diagonally on his back, the hilt pointed to his right side, and his eyes glaring at Senkenteki's. After a brief few seconds, he then spoke, "You know, you look kind've pathetic in that hole of yours, Senkaku," looking over his shoulder, he smirked as he looked down at his wounded form, "and here I thought from what Tome told me you're some sort've badass, heh!"

Any thoughts Senkaku would've had was snapped away the moment the presence appeared within his senses.

His eyes snapped open, and the first thing he did was pull himself up to a position where he would be on one knee. One hand was pressed against the ground, while the other one was placed near his hip. The pain of the slash delivered was considerable and was somewhat distracting to him. But as far as he was concerned, it was nothing hindering. After taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he slowly raised his head up to look at his "savior".

"Who are you...?"

"Hiroi Kyozai," The man, dubbed Hiroi, answered with a grin before shrugging while mentioning, "you could say I'm a close buisness associate with a known acquaintence of your Primera's: Tome Kūgun."

"Acquaintance?" Senkaku repeated the word in a slightly incredulous tone, wincing as he brought himself back to his feet again. Getting back up with any considerable wound was harder than walking and running around with one, and this was no different. "More like pest of the century... and you say you're allied with him?"

"Hey, in his defense it was like over a hundred years ago," Hiroi raised his hands up in a half-hearted attempt to defend both his brother and his buisness partner, "and that pest is actually sticking it in with the big bad boss of this band of total random circus of weirdos. So...you can thank him after this is over...or not, whatever you're feeling in the mood for," he finished with a shrug, chuckling in afterthought as he knew full well how unliked Tome was after his little vacation with his distantly related kindred went.

A heavy sigh escaped Senkaku's lips, and with a brief curl of his legs, he boosted himself out of the crater that had been created. When he landed beside his newfound ally, there was green glitter all around him. It gave off the visage of him - or at least something around him - dissolving into the air. But as the sparks increased and his former features were returning to the surface, it was clear that he was simply returning to his normal form. The "glitter" merged together at his hand, reforming his jian sword.

"I've lost the patience to deal with this one..." He said coolly, sheathing his blade within its scabbard. "Have fun showing him his place."

"Hey!" Senkenteki shouted out, seeing that his newfound enemy did not regain his fighting spirit but intended to leave with this new tagteam member in place, "where are you going, coward?! We still have a battle to finish if you have the strength to stand!"

Hiroi looked on with a stoic glare, but said nothing, crossing his arms as he observed his opponent. His enhanced senses, wide bank of knowledge within his mind, and past encounters marked him as a wielder of Shinsei properties despite the fact he wasn't a Hankami. The third eye seemed troubling, as he hadn't witnessed a Spiritual Species with a distinguishing trait such as that before.

"Tell me something before you skidattle," Hiroi asked, not breaking his stoic, concentrated stare on his new opponent, "is he strong?"

"Very." Senkaku confirmed. "The majority of this fight was a stalemate before its end. Not only is his skill of the master level, but his reflexes and physical capabilities are warped to somewhat unpredictable levels."

Slowly, he set his gaze back onto his old enemy. "And as for you..." He said, his tone taking on a more icy edge. "This is not one of cowardice, but one of disinterest. If there is another time where you wish to confront me, I will gladly welcome it. But this time, I'm hoping for the attitude of a true soul looking for revenge, not the attitude of someone treating combat as a mere game. Farewell... Senkenteki."

THOOM!

With a Sonido, he vanished from the area.

"You bastard!" Senkenteki snarled out...

WHIZ!

....following after him with a Haya employment, "come back here-!"

BWOOOOOM!!!

What happened was near instaneous and unnoticeable to Senkenteki's own unique precognition and reflexes. As he passed by Hiroi, showing a clear disinterest in engaging him in combat, Hiroi lifted up a arm with incredible speed of his own. With an outwards palm and a gracefully controlled burst of Spiritual Power...a magnanomious blast of yellow Spirit Energy shot out with enough force to send Senkenteki twirling over to his left.

"-damn you!"

"I'm sorry if I'm inconviencing you, punk," Hiroi spoke lowly, keeping his stoic glare as he retracted his palm, reaching for his Zanpakutō with his other free hand, unsheathing it with a deliberate grating, menacing tone with eyes glowing, "but I'm taking over this little song and dance routine. You can catch up with your duel buddy if you can beat me. Fair enough for you?"

Senkenteki, now truly studying his newfound opponent firsthand, suddenly widened his eyes with amazement. He was...unlike any species he had ever witnessed or seen before. The energy within him was self-sustaining, overflowing, and constantly controlled by this man...almost like a thunderstorm without quitting or a fire that is never quenched or defused. After what he just witnessed, he knew this man would not disappoint.

With a smile, Senkenteki reached for his own sword, unsheathing it deliberately while smiling ferally, "I think I might enjoy combatting you a little more. He may have been practice, but you...might be the real deal!"

The Breaking Point, Unleash the Beast Within!
An unexpected turn of events came to pass for a member of the Sennin Butai. While other comrades of its were in fact defeating opponents of much higher caliber, or with much more ease than it was, something came about during the course of the battle that this particular crazed warrior began to understand: It could lose to this Espada!

"D-Damn you!" Jinsoku hissed out a guttural, masculine voice, even as it held a brightly glowing and powerful scythe in its right hand but was bleeding through several deep gashes and several bruises marked on its person mostly on its torso and limbs. While he had appeared to be dealing "damage" to the Arrancar, it didn't see much more than a few visible scratches and bruises. How could this power...of mind over matter...transcend his own legion of spell-like abilities and unknowable power?!

"It's frightening... isn't it?"

Nicolao's voice spoke to his opponent with a smooth, calm tone as he approached Jinsoku, a smug smirk onto his face. Both of his hands were folded behind his back. "I have... such a limited arsenal within my reach compared to the rest of my compatriots. Yet, that is all I need." He shifted one of his hands out in front of him, revealing bloodied fingers. "The pattern of your energy movements, the potency and properties of each blast, and even something so mundane as your body language... I see it all, and all I have to do is make the accurate guess for those particular abilities to be completely useless. The only regret is that it had to be put to use on a psychotic child like yourself, but I suppose a half-dead rat is as good as a completely dead one..."

Then, he flicked his wrist forwards, wriggling his fingers.

SHING-SHING-SHING-SHING!

But what his claws did was far from docile. With each and every movement made, they extended and shifted into spear-like shapes that were aimed with deadly accuracy at Jinsoku. They went into a pattern of extension and retraction at horrifying speeds comparable to the blink of an eye. The movements he made were subtle and nonchalant, leaving little to no predictability to read.

"SHIIIIIIII-!" Was all the time for surprise and thought within Jinsoku's mind. Within the split second of pointing the fingers at its person, it reacted by swinging his scythe as fast as he was able and towards his opponent's direction....

SCRRAAAAAAA-BOOM!

...launching an arc of crimson, cutting power and energy, intending on stopping the onslaught of rapidly shifting & contracting talons. However...

SFT-SFT-SFT-SFT-SFT-WHOOOSH!!!

...the prehensile carbon-based blades ripped through as easily as a tidal wave stopping an exploding city block. As a last ditched effort in halting the blades, Jinsoku placed a palm on its chest where the blood oozed the thickest. After a inverted crimson triangle, forming as the basis for its new spell, it then lashed its blood-wet hand forming a large inverted spell diagram in the middle of the air.

"Gladio Cruento Tempestas!" It uttered the incantation, sending a blinding number of blood-based, carbonized needle blades towards the storm of contracting and retracting talons heading its way, matching its gait and size barely. The clash of forces began causing sweat to form and bead down its browline with anxiousness and possible peril on its life at stake.

"I'll be honest with you..."

Nicolao continued to speak, even as he shifted his hand. The extending talons turned their path towards the projectiles sent his way, deflecting each and every one of them away from his person. "I didn't have to cut you up so badly..." He admitted, frowning a little. "All I really needed was one measly scratch on you and I'd be done for the day. What I committed was simply overkill on you, and I almost feel sorry for you. So, in repayment for my carelessness, I shall tell you what's going to happen from here on out..."

The smile came to his face once again as he regarded his enemy.

"Can you feel it?" He asked, making dramatic gestures with his hands. "The innards of your body growing against your skin in engorgement? The growing pain of your heart slowing down? Because that's one of my more special abilities that this form gives me. All I have to do is cut a foe with my claws and victory won't be too far ahead. In a moment or two, your body will shut itself down under the agony you will experience. It will be a slow, torturous, and most painful death for you, and I shall enjoy watching as you take your final breaths of life."

BA-BUMP!

"GRK!" Any retort the entity had for the Arrancar was short-lived, as the said side-effects began to kick in. It felt its heart thrust dangerously against its chest, as well as a series of blood vessels overloading within his body. Tendons began to wrap in a constricting, self-destructive synchronized mess of muscles and bones, causing what looked like a painful scene. Jinsoku gurgled up blood, puking it out onto the sand in front of it, while dropping to its knees, breathing with heavy gasps while hissing, "ddddrrrr....da...amn...you...kaff! KAFF!"

With widened, blood-shot eyes that began to tear blood as well, Jinsoku raised up its unblinking, pulsating blue-eye hand up into the air, whispering in the few gasps of air it had left, "O-Oblit...erate...existence...KAFF! KAFF! Ah....K...K...Kōin...!"

SPLEECH!

Jinsoku's arm spasmed, causing rupturings that actually made it past up to the surface of its flesh and began having the body start to destroy itself before the Espada's eyes. However, the hand that held up the pulsating, if not strongly thrumming eye above its head began to direct its attention back at the Arrancar. When it seemed the arm it was holding itself up on was about to explode, a series of violet veins began to expand down the length of the limb, reconstructing and rematerializing the inner workings of the body.

The body Jinsoku barely clinged to began to glow and filter throughout the self-annihilating vessel, slowly allowing a limp entity to crawl back to its feet and stand with a dead, almost lifeless look in its eyes. The unmistakeable glow of the violet eyes had on both irises what separated Jinsoku from an ordinary "walking dead man" from an unusual anonymoly.

Needless to say, Nicolao was shocked.

"He reconstructed himself?!"

It was a remarkable sight to see. In all the methods seen to counter his ability, he had never seen something like what Jinsoku had performed. "Fascinating..." He whispered, looking into the eyes of his enemy. "It seems that power of yours can even keep you from the likes of death. Maybe I was wrong to assume that you were like any other specimen I've seen, after all..."

"QUIET!!!" A voice of a deeper, more menacing tone spoke out as its eyes opened with a glowing glare towards Nicolao's direction. Violet spirit energy of unquantifiable levels wrapped around around its body, slowly changing its physical attributes, making it larger and the skin tone darker. That's when suddenly...

SCRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAACH-VOOOOM!!!

It erupted into a large pillar of Spiritual Power, sending out a ear-wrenching noise spread across the air, followed by a warping space that culminated into a magnanimous shockwave that kicked up a tidal wave of sand within the epicenter of the violet pillar of energy that crackled and thundered into the sky.

"What--?!"

Once he was hit by the sensations, Nicolao once again found himself shocked - and not in the good way.

He let out a grunt and gritted his teeth, having to dig his feet in the ground just to brace himself against the pressure. One of his arms moved to shield his face, while the other remained ready at his side. One of his eyes was tightly shut, while the other did its best to keep a visual on his enemy in the face of the winds. "His spiritual pressure is rising?!" He thought to himself. "How could he have been harboring such power without me knowing it?! Was he holding back the entire time?!"

Within the epicenter of the pillar of energy, a entity of slightly the same height if not a bit muscular in physique as well as donning eloquent robes of silk, almost appearing arabic slightly in nature as well as Aethian. And with a single release of what appeared to be wings...

FWHOOSH-BOOM!

...the column of constantly roiling energy subsided, showing off the entity for all of its glory. Clearly masculine in every sense of the word, the new entity almost appeared demonic in nature but more humanoid than anything its kindred would appear to be. While still feeling like a Demon, that unknown make of a sinister purpose underlying this new transformation still hung in the air. The feeling of madness clinging to its skin and every breath it perspirated!

"Ahhhhhhh!" The transformed Jinsoku spoke aloud in a much more appealing, almost gentle voice with a shadowy edge to its tone, as it rolled its neck and shoulders, "thanks for shutting up. My ears were still being repaired from the mess you caused me, but all is good now that I'm finally awake," the entity smiled, folding its black angelic wings behind itself, crossing its arms over its chest before speaking aloud, "my name is Kōin. Kōin Shokei. Its a pleasure to finally meet on a more informal manner, Espada Quatro Nicolao."

"...what?"

Nicolao was stunned, to say the least.

Slowly, he lowered his arms to his side and stared at the transformed Jinsoku. It was as if he was talking to a completely different person, rather than the psychopath that he had been associated with. The properties and increase of power, the new identity, and even the way he was carrying himself had all changed in a subtle manner. Just what exactly had happened?

"You look confused," the dubbed Kōin spoke in a nonchalant voice, walking towards him with an equally casual gait, the armor on his shoulders and hips jingles, glowing slightly while leaving trails of an unusual blue mist in its wake while his violet-red eyes stared at him interested, "I supposed Jinsoku didn't explain himself to you, did he? That upstart is always so mouthy yet he forgets where his head is at times, I swear."

SHFT!

"Let me put it to you this way," an unknown Fast-movement technique initiated, and Kōin was right in front of Nicolao with his arms still crossed in front of his substantially buff chest, smiling at him, "Jinsoku is an alias that he adopted to keep from being caught by the Daitenshi when he raided Hell's coffers. In fact, he is essentially my craziest side as well as a part of the many that make up Shokei, the original. I am afraid I can't tell for certain which one started out or if he or she or it still exists, but make no mistake...I'm a embodiment of the great Demon of Limbos legacy, Kōin the Maddened'."

If Nicolao had a heart, it would've stopped immediately upon the sight of his enemy re-appearing in his face.

"Nngh--!!!"

In a reflexive and instinctive move, he swung his hand out at Kōin as soon as he was finished talking. His claws were extended, briefly holding themselves in that position in order for the Arrancar to perform a decapitation move on his opponent. Even as he performed the move, his mind was racing at a hundred miles per hour... for he recognized that name, as well.

And that wasn't a good thing.

SPRACK-CRACK!

"Ohhhh?" Kōin saw the desperate, if not terror-filled gaze of his enemy suddenly lash out, if only to cause the destruction of the previously sharpened claws that tore through Jinsoku's attacks and body with ease, "you expect me to have the same physical composition, let alone the same Spiritual Pressure as Jinsoku? How laughable..."

CLAMP-Squeeeeeeeeze...!

"...Jinsoku used the scythe, the Seishi Daikama, as a crutch for not being able to utilize my Kōin eye to its fullest potential. In other words..."

CRACK-POP-POP-POP-POP!

"...he's the weakest of Shokei, as well as completely inferior in comparison to my power, little Espada!" Kōin spoke with a dark, sadistic tone as he crushed all the bones in Nicolao's hand, while watching him with glowing violet-red eyes filled with maddening glee.

Having the bones crushed in any part of your body was not a fun experience.

Nicolao let out a sharp gasp as he heard the bones within his hand snap into fragments, falling onto one knee. But it wasn't long before that gasp turned into a strangled yell of pain, signaling just how much it hurt. Vainly, he tried to yank his hand out from the other man's grasp. But the pain was just too much to overcome with one hand alone, and he feared that the man would only break the bones within the other if he tried another attack.

"No, no, no... how could this happen?!"

"What's that brilliant mind of yours analyzing right now, little man?" Kōin asked in a mocking tone, as he held onto the hand he continued to grind the bones and ligaments within it to paste, "are you taking in how much pain I'm inflicting on you, or that I can inflict upon you? Are you finding this whole scenario that a completely different person is humiliating you when that person's other self was being effortlessly beaten by your powers? Do tell, I am quite patient, hahahaha!"

"GET OFF ME!!!"

With that demanding shout, Nicolao pulled back his free hand and aimed his palm at his target, his fingers set in a clawed position. The telltale sign of orange light forming around his hand appeared - the beginning of another Cero. He thrust it forward, unleashing the energy built-up in Kōin's face. At the same time, the brief burst of adrenaline allowed him to yank his broken hand away from the vice-grip. However, the excruciating pain he felt was nothing compared to the horror that was washing over him, even as he watched the light shot.

CLAMP-BRRRRRRRRRRK!

"This is your Cero?" Kōin asked with an incredulous tone, before laughing in a manical tone of utter enjoyment as he reached out with his free hand, grasping the Cero and condensing it into a sphere right in front of Nicolao, "its quite beautiful...if anything but just to look at..."

SFT-BOOM!!!

"...but it is far from being deadly," he spoke with a deadly smile on his face, throwing the Cero into the horizon, letting it detonate far away from its intended target.

"I can't match him...!!"

Multiple beads of sweat fell down Nicolao's face as he stared at Kōin. The Cero was nothing more than a desperate attempt to buy him some time. But all it managed to do was amuse his enemy even more. His gaze wavered, and he staggered back a few steps. But he knew that any attempt to gain distance was futile. Kōin was simply much faster and more powerful than he could ever be. It was one of the few moments where he truly found himself backed into a corner.

"Go on, Nicolao Jandro," Kōin spoke with a white, devilish smile as he walked towards him, "draw your Zanpakutō. Unleash your Ressureccion form. Killing you the way you are would be incredibly dull," with a flash of angry, vehement eyes Kōin snarled, "and I wasn't woken up to meddle in the affairs of the insignificant! So go ahead and become somewhat challenging, Arrancar!"

SHING-SHING-SHING-SHING!

Running out of options, Nicolao did the only thing he could do. The fingers on his working hand performed that deadly dance, extending and contracting in a series of stabs towards Kōin. There had to be some way that he could injure him, some way that he could deliver some damage. That was all he needed, wasn't it? One scratch and victory would be assured?

Now, even as he attacked, that option was looking very abysmal...

FWHOOSH-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

"For such a smart man, you certainly don't know when to stop using redundantly failing tactics," Kōin spoke with a drawling tone, as one of his wings flourished out in a blinding manner. The wing smashed and shattered his talons repeatedly, breaking them down into hundreds of shards onto the sands between them, until nothing was left of Nicolao's elongated carbonized blades.

"I gave you advice and willingly allowed you time to bring yourself to a level where you stood a chance..."

SHFT-SLAP!

"...and you acted in a frightened, blinding manner..."

SLAP!

"...with no intelligence behind your tactics whatsoever..."

SLAP!

"...is an insult to me, your opponent..."

SLAP!

"...as well as yourself for being heralded as the Genius of Empresa!"

WHAM!

Kōin snarled in an angry tone, completely unimpressed with this Espada and his lack of trying something useful or cunning like he claimed he could. After moving up close and personal, he began to use incredible strength with a back-hand slap repeatedly while following his moving body, until he reappeared above his soaring form and slammed his foot into his chest, intending on sending hurtling into a towering sand dune below, causing an uproar of pale grain and wind to buffet around in a thundercracking shockwave.

"I sincerely believe you've wasted my time, Nicolao Jandro," Kōin spoke as he stood in the air on a plane of violet crackling energy, crossing his arms while glaring down below at his target, "so unless you have something witty to say to me, I'll unleash one last gift of my own that you can live with for eternity."

Had the man truly not realized that he was already within his Resurrecion?

Nicolao hardly doubted it mattered now.

As he lay there with his arms beside him, his hair scattered, his wings sprawled out, and his eyes shut, he knew that this was it. What use was his mind when his opponent outclassed him in every way possible. It was a human standing up to a god, a mouse standing up to a lion, a child standing up to an adult. It was simply impossible to win in this situation. Death was imminent.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and struggled to push himself onto his elbows. He looked up at his opponent, trying his best to ignore the pain within his chest and blood trickling from his mouth. However, as he peered at his would-be murderer, he could see something else. He could not sense its spiritual pressure, and the speed that it came was incredible. But once he saw the vague details of black wings, he knew.

For the first time, he allowed himself to smile.

"Behind you."

That was all that he would allow himself to say, before the unexpected happened.

WHAM!

Knuckles coated in black fur struck Kōin's face, and the force of the punch sent him plummeting down to the ground. The body hit the sands like a crater, creating an expanding tidal wave of sand as well as a shockwave that nearly treated Nicolao like a tumbleweed. However, it did not phase the Quinta's move any. Slowly, he pushed himself up into a kneeling position, taking in deep breaths to calm his body. As he continued to look up, he saw his savior descending downward with his back to him.

"Are you all right, Nicolao?" Senkaku asked coolly, staring at the direction in which Kōin had crashed.

"Of course not!!" Nicolao was quick to turn his smile into a scowl, grimacing as he placed a hand to his chest. "I was nearly killed!! If you hadn't shown up, I might as well have just written a letter to the Devil himself, telling him I'm on my way!!" To his disdain, this only earned a slight chuckle from the Tres.

"Well, I'm here now. You can relax..."

"Well, well..." the low, now intrigued voice rang out from the epicenter of the crater, as a slowly rising form of Kōin with a trickle of blood running down his lips and a slight bruise formed on his jaw from the impact of Senkaku's fist, "that is what I call a Ressureccion. Had I known this Arrancar's Ressureccion was so pathetic, I wouldn't have bothered my time playing around and killed him. But yours...wait..."

TWIST-POP-POP!

"...that's better!" Kōin spoke as he twisted his neck in a direction, causing a few audible pops to be heard as he then landed on the edge of the crater, facing his new opponent while wiping the blood from his face, "wasn't Senkenteki handling you? If you're here I would've sensed his death by now, but I'm assuming you must've tricked him some how...or an unexpected ally has arrived, am I right?"

This time, it was Senkaku's turn to grimace at the voice that rang in his ears.

Slowly, he narrowed his eyes and glared daggers at Kōin. However, he kept his tone concentrated on Nicolao. "Get out of here." He said simply. "I'm guessing that the same thing that happened to me happened to Bernabe, as well. Recover him and take him out of the battlefield."

"Yes, yes, of course..." Seeing that his role in the fight was over, Nicolao allowed himself to shift back into his normal form. "Do take care to stay alive yourself, Tres. It would be a grievance for both of us if you arrived to help and ended up dying, anyway..."

THOOM!

With that, he was gone, leaving Senkaku to stare down his newfound enemy.

"You shouldn't care about whether you're right or not..." He said coldly, tilting his neck from side to side. "In fact, if I were you, I'd be caring about whether or not I'm going to end up surviving this..."

"You stepped into my territory, Senkaku Ningensei," Kōin spoke aloud in a low, unconcerned tone as he let his arms prop on his hips with his wings outstretched, "this fight is in my favor, whether you want to believe or not. Send all your Espada compatriots here if you'd like, the outcome will not change. You're all going to be crushed like that poor excuse for an Espada that left like a coward. Let's just hope..."

SHFT-WHIIIIIIZ-CLAMP!

"...that you're worth my time!" He finished saying, as he outstretched his hand and summoned the Seishi Daikama via telekinetic force. With it in his left hand and holding it in a master's stance, he smiled a feral grin with glowing eyes as he awaited his own battle with the Tres Espada Afilado!

It was a challenge that Senkaku was glad to oblige.

With a furious lunge, he moved in...

Blades of Fiery Temperment! What is True Passion?
"You're certainly a stubborn one," Magatta spoke with a slight smile, as the area in which they battled within the outskirts of Empresa had large carvings from Magatta's unrestrained strikes of her enhanced Shikai whip. Looking as if she hardly lost any breath fighting the intense battle she found it slightly perturbing that every time she found an opening and wounded the Ressureccion-enabled girl she was able to reinforce her body to a degree where it would be near impervious to her attacks.

Still, from the amount of damage she had been able to inflict on her opponent, she knew the effect was taxing for her opponent as well. That reasoning kept Magatta from showing her irritation, showing as if she was having an enjoyable time toying with the girl-Espada.

"This is fucking ridiculous..."

At this point in time, Loly wished that looks were capable of killing. It would've made her job a lot easier.

While Magatta had kept herself balanced, the Sexta had also attempted to do the same. But the cost of her movements were taxing, and so far, none of them were proving to get her much result. Sweat was dripping down her face as she regarded the bane of her existence, tentacles swirling around defensively. Things were looking quite grim for her.

But it didn't mean she had to give up.

There had to be a way to bring Magatta down... but how?

"I've fought much more arduous battles than this little girl, so if this is wearing you out, just say so and I'll let you take a break, hehe!" Magatta chuckled as she openly jeered at her opponent. She knew to really end her at this rate would eventually allow other reinforcements of her own side to possibly interfere....and then it would be trouble, but she knew studying her movements allowed her the upper hand.

Slowly, Loly lowered her head, her eyes overshadowed by her bangs, and began to concentrate.

At first, it seemed like nothing was happening. But as the air began to mist and visibility began to lessen, it was very clear that she was summoning a technique. It only took seconds for the fog to thicken completely, enveloping their combat area. Even the very silhouette of the Sexta would vanish, leaving Magatta "alone". But there was one more fatal thing that would have to be taken into account for the one trapped within.

The feel of burning skin.

From the start of the consumption, Magatta would feel a burning sensation across the showable parts of her skin. This was the "acid" effect that the fog possessed. It would burn away at anything, phasing through even the likes of spiritual defenses. Magatta's weapon was suffering the effects as well, the material burning and slowly dissolving under the influence of the mist.

But as far as the Sexta was concerned, that lone was too merciful.

THOOM!

With a Sonido movement to re-appear behind Magatta, Loly emitted a frontal shockwave at close range. This was Espinal Cerrar - a technique that aimed towards the opponent's bone structure. It would literally burn every bone within the body from the marrow out, creating a slow, agonized, and painful death. With these two moves, Loly was aiming to trap and crush Magatta within a single move. But with her stamina shaky, she knew it would be a very risky maneuver.

She could only hope.

"That was close..."

HSSSSSS-CRK-CRK-CRACK!

"...had I allowed that fog to touch my skin any more than it did, I'd been unable to counter that shockwave," Magatta spoke aloud, as her form was surrounded by a large, inverted blue pyramid, made of Kidō while constantly perspirating a modified form of Shō to keep the acidic fog at bay. The whole of Magatta's body was glowing as she maintained concentration to keep the poisonous, acidic fumes and the crushing force that threatened to penetrate the barrier didn't help anything as well.

However, sight scarrings appeared on her skin to show that she was indeed not completely unscathed from the initial contact from the acidic fog, but her smile showed that she hadn't felt anything unusual in her time in war. Raising her compacted blade up, her body began to glow brightly as she prepared her own counterattack behind the barrier.

"You've shown yourself to be both competant and skilled enough to earn my respect, Sexta Espada," she spoke with a begrudging admiration, but her smile soon turned feral and her eyes glinted of menace as she then finished, "but its now time for you to die...

"Ban...kai..."

WHIRRRRRRR-VRRRRRR-BOOOOM!!!

Within a fantastic silver-pink eruption of Spiritual Power and Energy, her Kidō dissolved within an instant and sent a roiling, energized shockwave that decimated all the structures within the northeastern section of Empresa from the initial concussive power alone.

Then, within the wake of the scarlet mist, a seemingly unharmed Magatta lounged bountifully on what appeared to be a soft, velvet flower that opened up and appeared to be almost like a lounge chair...or a throne, as the stem and vines beneath it coiled with visibly sharp, knarled thorns.

"Shitsuru Senzai," She said with a relaxed, almost ecstacy endowed smile as she eyed her opponent with a more casual, nonchalant attitude than before, with a hidden menace within her gaze and features that couldn't be placed.

Needless to say, Loly wasn't pleased.

"Wipe that fucking grin off your face!!" She snarled, swinging two of her centipede-like tentacles in a downwards motion. Enough force was put behind both of them for a crushing blow. But all in all, she so desperately wanted to get rid of that smile that seemed to be merged with her opponent's facial features. If there was anything keeping her fury in check, it was that and that alone.

"Please..."

Snap-SPRAAACK-SLICE-SLICE-SLICE-SLICE!

"...put away that thing before someone gets the wrong idea," she said with a menacing, yet beguiling tone, as within a single snap of her finger a series of thick, thorn-riddled tendrils erupted from the ground and tore the two tentacles into shreds. The blood that was splilled onto the bare, gnarled branches suddenly sprouted dozens of roses that blossomed nearly instantly, seeming to suck the very blood that had been spilled into its roots.

Silence.

Loly could only stare in disbelief and stunned silence as she watched her own flesh fall apart at the seams. It was morbidly fascinating, watching her own spilled blood getting sucked up like dirt into a vaccuum cleaner. For a moment, she had been rendered completely numb to what would've been immense pain. Her pupils were dilated, and her body had been rendered frozen.

Then, the effects.

A gasp escaped her lips as she felt both the pain and exhaustion kick in, and she fell to one knee. Her head was bowed, sweat dripping down in an even faster rate. Her breathing was now audible, and her eyes were shut in an attempt to rid herself of the slight haziness overcoming her.

"I'll allow you a moment to regain some sense of dignity," Magatta spoke, chuckling as she stroke the arm-rest petal on her left while wiping up a trace amount of her opponent's blood from a rose dropped onto her right hand, "oh...who am I kidding?"

SNAP-BLAAAAAAM!!!

The "roses" on the vines suddenly became thousands of projectiles, discharging at rapid speeds with incredible cutting ability, intending on shredding her opponent to pieces within an instant. While she wanted to watch and enjoy her suffering, she wanted to make sure she couldn't fight back either.