The Sorcerers Gambit

An Unbidden Guest
Some time had passed by since the chaos that'd taken place in the world of the living, a city had suffered great casualties; and thousands of human lives had been lost. It weighed heavily upon Kazuya's conscience as he stood alongside his fellow Captains and listened to the words of Captain-Commander Shunsui. The Lieutenants and Shinigami officers that had been sent to the real world had given detailed accounts of what had transpired, and the Captains had assembled to discuss their next course of action.

One thing was for certain, whatever they decided, they had to decide it quickly. The dangers of having the Coven run rampant in the living world were far too grave to ignore; as a former member of the Kidou Corps, wherein he'd served as the Assistant of the Yorutai; and thus he knew better than most what rogue masters of the noble art could do to the human world. Although he feared that the Coven could not only realize his worst fears, but exceed them.

It was in that moment that their enemy struck, almost as if on cue. With a roar all of the doors and windows to the Council Hall were blown open, as an immense gale filled the chamber, threatening to hurl weaker subordinates through the air and into the opposite wall. Kazuya shielded himself with a barrier of energy on reflex, but he didn't know how his colleagues fared. And he didn't get a chance to check either for abruptly the room turned pitch black, a supernatural pall of darkness that clouded everyone and everything from view; suffocating their spiritual and physical senses alike as whomever did this made his entrance..

It began with a single spark of purplish flames, then another, and another; like a circle of vivid cinders they danced in midair before their form expanded into a searing pillar of those selfsame dark flames. The flames spread across the floor, but emitted neither heat nor did they damage the building, or anything they got into contact with for that matter. With a roaring sound the flames scattered across the entire room, engulfing it in a purple inferno, and where the pillar of flame had once stood, now stood a man. His robes were extravagant, there was no way around that fact, everything he wore was impeccable and made to impress, and midnight blue silk caressed the floor as he approached Shunsui slowly, arms gently folded behind his back. The most striking feature of his ensemble however was the unnerving mask he wore, alongside what was possibly the most ridicolous headdress that Kazuya had ever witnessed; and as a member of a Noble Family, he'd seen his share of poor fashion.

The masked man's movement was one lacking in caution, for in walking towards Shunsui he exposed his back to every single captain present. Once he and the Captain-Commander were but a few feet apart, he spoke directly to the latter.

"What a striking assembly, Kyōraku Shunsui, it fills our heart with joy to see that we made a lasting impression on you. How is your former Lieutenant, Nanao Ise?" With a casual hand gesture, the stranger conjured forth an effigy of Nanao's appearance before Arata had turned her into a thrall. It faded away as quickly as it came, just enough to provide a painful glimpse into the past.

At that moment the masked stranger turned his back on Shunsui and spoke to the entire room. "I hope this evening finds you well, mighty Captains of the Gotei 13. As you may have guessed, I am the current leader of the Coven and although my motivations might seem nonsensical to you, I assure you that everything will make sense in time."

He paused briefly before he continued to speak. "It is our desire to promote the wonders of magic as the greatest virtue of all, and in these arts all of you have potential. Thus we wish to keep casualties to a minimum, as your lives are more valuable than you might realize. Now then, Kyōraku-dono, here is what we want from you." The 'leader' the Coven made a single gesture as the purple flames which even now danced around the room assumed the form of a robed man, wearing a hood.

"We want you to meet one of our Sorcerers in single combat; should you win, we will return to the world of the living and restrain ourselves from using our powers at the expense of those simple mortals. Should you lose, you won't merely die, but your soul will be ensnared by us and used against any who'd dare challenge us in the future. Those of you who've had the pleasure to see Arata-san's work might realize what exactly that entails. To prove that we bear no hidden intent, we are willing to let you choose the location of the battle. Should you accept, the battle will take place tommorow."