Averian

Averian (平均者, Averian), known occasionally as Hijō (非情, Heartless) and Kuchikukan (駆逐艦, Destroyer), was the first created through the machinations of The Outsider; in addition he was also the first Hollow to naturally evolve into an  and, through his connection to The Outsider, possesses minor Tenjin-like power. Throughout history he has waged war against the Soul Society, coming into conflict with both the Gotei 13 and Royal Guard, though his motivations for causing such destruction and mayhem was never known until sometime before the Collapse. Kenji Hiroshi, Kei Yume and Van Satonaka discovered Averian's identity as an agent of The Outsider as well as his origins; this information caused Kenji to drop off the grid. In the wake of the Collapse Averian revealed himself at the head of a new Espada.

Appearance
Averian is lean but powerful man who is also tall, with white hair and yellow eyes. Immediately following his return he wore an all-white uniform similar to the garb associated with Averian's Arrancar, though he soon changed to a light blue kosode, black hakama and a dark blue haori.

Personality
Although a powerful entity with a love of battle who arguably gets his kicks and thrills in the heat of mortal combat, Averian claims he is not the force of rampant destruction Kenji and members of the Ryū Order painted him as in the past. Indeed many of the actions and mannerisms he has displayed since his return have done nothing to erode the validity of this claim, for he has been nothing but a gentleman. Averian has surprisingly shown that he is true to his word, having once parted ways with Kenji after the two worked together to escape a dangerous situation. He then used this particular event as incentive for Kenji to again accept his word; and even admonished Rosuto for attempting to break the agreement he and Kenji had made. He is also polite and respectful, even to ones he once called his enemies; demonstrated when he showed genuine concern for Shinrei's injuries. Perhaps this is astonishing due to his past actions and stratagems, though many of the traits and views expressed by his Battle Dolls where not those Averian held personally. Since his return to the world-stage Averian has been nothing if not a gentlemen, treating the humans of the Human World with respect and patience and at times showing a slight degree of concern for their well-being. He did not show much in the way of respect to Rosuto initially however, only doing so when he realized that he had surpassed Kenji in terms of spiritual and physical strength. This indicates that Averian respects strength more than anything; for example, he was much more respectful to Meian prior to Rosuto revealing his strength, as Averian believed Meian to be the stronger of the two.

He did not, however, demonstrate much in the way of patience when faced with Arturo Plateado, instead reacting with open hostility and anger that surprised even himself; this was especially true once Arturo revealed he had killed Yoshiro Kazuki. Once he encountered the renegade Battle Doll Averian pointedly warned him not to try and topple him again, stating that he would fail. He then punched Arturo after the latter referred to Kenji as a "lowly worm" and told him to respect "warriors who are infinitely your greater". This action shows that although he and Kenji have had their differences in the past he does respect Kenji's abilities as a warrior. Indeed he thought much the same of Yoshiro, even though he conceded he was not as strong or clever as Kenji and Kusaka, but was honorable. He even made a point of traveling to Horiwari in order to pay his respects at Yoshiro's grave, where he wished the Shinigami restful peace. In the same manner he did not show Shūhei Hisagi and Sanada Shirono the level of respect he showed to Kentaro Hiroshi; this further hints at the man's acknowledgement of strong individuals.

In battle he is relentless and dogged; rarely does he give any ground to his opposition, nor does he really feel threatened or fearful; a trait he happened to instil in all his Battle Dolls. This leads him to hold back during most circumstances, rarely using his full power and only doing so with individuals he has acknowledged. Like some of his greatest opponents and indeed contemporaries have shown Averian demonstrates a playful side, at times toying with his opposition for his own amusement; shown quite clearly when he engaged Rosuto. He physically assaulted Kenji and Kusaka but purposefully let them survive; Kenji even correctly deduced that Averian could have stopped them fleeing had he so wished, indicating he can be merciful and is willing to entertain the notion. He even allowed Rosuto to survive after "invading" Hueco Mundo with Meian, even though he was originally planning on killing him. When he spooked Kenji by appearing in the middle of his living room in Horiwari Averian also demonstrated that he enjoys smoking, before claiming that he did not mean to fight Kenji or the Ryū Order in earnest, but insinuated that he would fight back in defence of his home of. He also demonstrated a similar attachment to the first he visited. He threatened a Hollow with a painful death should it or others threaten the building.

Immediately following his return he has not yet claimed any real goal; he seems to wander from realm-to-realm doing what interests him, though he has shown an interest in the development of Kentaro and his friends, specifically Kentaro himself. Though Averian himself pointed out to Kenji that this was hardly indicative of some greater scheme. A stunned Kusaka couldn't believe that one of the first things Averian did after kicking him and Kenji in lumps was to develop a taste for. The only thing so far Averian has had a direct hand in that Kenji was fit to determine was his summoning of the Tower of Night. This resulted in a series of events referred to as the Tower of Night Incident that directly threatened not only the security of Kenji's world but also countless alternate worlds, though why Averian did this is currently unknown. Since his return Averian has demonstrated a tremendous degree of patience, both with his former enemies and others around him. Examples of this trait include spending his days in relative relaxation without worrying about anything, only intervening in situations that truly demand it, and allowing those that break the agreement between himself and Kenji to leave Hueco Mundo despite his earlier vow to fight back and kill in defense of his home. His goal, especially following the formation of his own Espada, remains unknown.

History
It is unknown just how long Averian has been active. The first time the name "Averian" was documented was in the time prior to the organization of the Gotei 13 and the building of the Seireitei. He encountered Garian Shinjo and fought with him many times and their final confrontation resulted in Garian's ultimate victory and Averian's banishment to, though Garian thought him dead. In actuality Averian survived and either created or corrupted the knowledge of the Battle Dolls to make himself immortal, whilst enabling him to strike back at his enemies by using the Battle Dolls as disguises under safe control from Hueco Mundo.

In time Averian created Himuro Kyousuke. Himuro was a Battle Doll with the appearance and powers of a, including a Zanpakutō stolen from a fledgling Shinigami, who would soon become the Lieutenant of the 6th Division in the Gotei 13 under Captain Sōritsu Kuchiki. Averian left Himuro to his own devices and seized control from afar whenever direct manipulation of events was required, such as when Sōritsu became suspicious. Sometime -- perhaps immediately -- following this Sōritsu was suspected to have been disposed of by Averian and subsequently replaced with a Battle Doll who not only shared the man's appearance and personality, but also mimicked his frightening power. Averian thus commanded not only the 6th Division but also the Kuchiki clan, whom Sōritsu led as Clan Head. It was later discovered that Averian's first Battle Doll -- Arturo Plateado -- was responsible for the death of Sōritsu.

Averian soon went into deeper hiding in the. He was aware of and his plans but never sided with or against him, maintaining a neutral force in the subsequent war with Soul Society, whilst directing Sōritsu to watch from afar. He only began operating openly when the began their invasion of Hueco Mundo, and even then he kept his operations within the trees of the Forest. It was only after the Wandenreich fell that Averian began to build his own army to achieve what so many had failed to do: destroy the Soul Society, though it could be said he became far more embroiled with Kenji and Kusaka and their Ryū Order, for he shifted his attention mostly to them.

The only times Averian fought with Kenji personally and not through his Battle Dolls during the First Spiritual War was some months prior to Kentaro's birth and immediately prior to Kenji's supposed death. The former was when Averian intended to kill Ino Hiroshi but the attack was instead intercepted by Kentaro whilst in the womb, and he was subsequently forced to flee by Kusaka. The latter was when Kenji went to Hueco Mundo to put his plan into place to become a Kodairei, though Averian was actually aware of Kenji's survival. He wanted to see how Kenji's abilities would develop and thus sent his strongest Battle Doll to return Kenji to Horiwari, whilst Averian himself watched from the seclusion of the Forest of Menos.

At an unspecified point the young Kentaro also fought against the Averian-controlled Sōritsu, whose observations put Garian on the trail, eventually leading to the discovery of the real Sōritsu's death.

Synopsis

 * Main Article -- Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi).

Part I

 * Main article -- Bleach: Sun and Moon Chronicles.

Kagamino City arc

 * Prelude to War!

Arrival arc

 * Survival Against the Odds: Kenji vs. Averian

Parts II & III

 * Main Article -- Bleach: War of the Worlds.

Ending of a War arc

 * Return of the Legend
 * Averian's Proposal

Second Coming of Averian arc

 * A Day in the Human World
 * Pushing the Agreement
 * Surprising Intervention
 * Return of Arturo
 * Mourning a Warrior
 * Two Become One: Fury Unleashed!

Part IV

 * Main article -- Bleach: Cataclysm.

Testing the Waters arc

 * Meeting upon the Sands

Braving the Waves arc

 * Clash Upon the Sands

Navigating the Waves arc

 * Solitary Invasion

Part V

 * Main Article -- TBA.

Powers and Abilities
Gifts of The Outsider: Ever since his creation Averian has been granted a number of "gifts" by The Outsider in exchange for his services, which does quite a bit to explain the vast differences in power between Averian himself and other Arrancar. He was likewise gifted with the restored Sōkyoku. These "gifts" include:


 * Devourer of Souls (霊食い, Reikui; Literally meaning "Soul-Food): a trait given name by Kenji and feared as Averian's greatest ability. Anyone (spiritual or otherwise) killed by his Zanpakutō not only have their spiritual powers stolen and added to Averian's own power, but they also have their techniques and accumulated knowledge stolen as well; this includes racial abilities usually inaccessible to Arrancar. In addition Averian can freely siphon off any stolen power and knowledge to other individuals, which he did to create his enhanced Battle Dolls and Espada (sans Takeshi Terashima). He also did this in an attempt to kill Ino in order to torment Kenji, but ended up mixing his own power with the child she carried, which is how the child developed Hollow-like powers; in addition he came to possess some of the same power which coursed through Averian, which came directly from The Outsider.


 * : An ability stolen from an unknown source which allows Averian to create, control and direct flame using his mind alone. With it he created flames of sufficiently high enough power and intensity to burn through what remained of Oda Kōhai's Soulless army, a feat which shocked Kentaro and his allies. These flames burn with an intense blue-coloured flame.


 * Hiyubi (朱指, Scarlet Finger): a quick-fire penetrative beam of searing blue-coloured fire often employed by Averian as a swift one-shot attack, with the potential to burn through even Captain-class opposition in one use.


 * Immortality: Averian, as the first Hollow created by The Outsider, has lived for ages beyond counting. This stems from The Outsider himself and explains how Averian has been fit to continually wage war with the Soul Society more or less since the dawn of time itself.

Even beings as spiritually powerful as Kenji and Kusaka could only sense his power when he willingly lowered it so they could detect it, suggesting that he is on a level of power far beyond them. Even when his Battle Dolls where infused with only a fraction of his power they where still strong enough to face multiple Captain-class fighters simultaneously without experiencing trouble, which hints at Averian's massive power. So far the only person who has been fit to determine the truest depths of Averian's power is Kentaro and that is because a piece of Averian's power flows through him. Following The Collapse Averian lost a great deal of his former strength in the wake of a titanic battle with Kusaka Kori that levelled the.

Genius-level Intelligence: Averian is a smart and calculating man who is rarely made to look the fool and has continually outsmarted and outmaneuver such individuals as Garian Shinjo, Sōritsu Kuchiki and Anika Shihōin. His intelligence led him to corrupt the Battle Doll technology to grant himself immortality. From the safety of Hueco Mundo Averian directed his Battle Dolls and Hollow army to war with the Soul Society and Ryū Order, demonstrating effective strategy and leadership abilities that more than matched those of his enemies; whilst at the same triking his opponents through misdirection, making them belief that his Battle Dolls where the true threat. In battle his intelligence serves another use. He can quite easily identify the strength-level of his foes in comparison to others after only a short time without the use of analytical abilities, demonstrated when he correctly deduced that Rosuto was stronger than Kenji after a brief skirmish with the man.

Zanjutsu Mastery: Averian quickly and effectively shattered the offense and defense of Kenji and Kusaka upon his return without much effort, even when they attacked him together. He demonstrated his ability by bifurcating an army of Soulless which Kentaro, Akiye, Hawke and David all had struggled to defeat conventionally, a feat he accomplished with a single slash of his sealed Zanpakutō.

Hakuda Mastery: Averian was capable of landing a strike on Rosuto before the latter could properly defend himself or counter in reprisal, though this proved a one-time occurrence; Rosuto was quickly fit to react to Averian's strike, though Averian matched him blow-for-blow regardless. He seems to favor simple attacks like kicks and jabs as shown when he took down Kusaka. His speed is of sufficient levels to bypass Arturo's defenses and land a punch on his cheek before the latter could react, a feat he achieved within a Gigai that drastically reduced his overall combat abilities; shocking Arturo.

Immense Strength: Averian's attacks are fueled by the incredible strength of his spiritual power, causing even glancing blows to be potentially fatal. He repeatedly demonstrated the strength required to beat down Kusaka during their battle and casually cut through Kenji's Blut Vene, often with simple maneuvers and casual strikes. Even when in a Gigai his strength was sufficient enough to lift and throw a fully-grown Human male against a wall with enough power to kill. He later did the same to a Human threatening the staff of the cafe he frequented with only a single hand, shocking the Human bystanders as well as a nearby Shinigami who approached Averian asking him what he was to have such strength.

Immense Durability: Averian took a fire-wreathed uppercut to the chin from Rosuto without any sign of damage or discomfort, despite the latter's strength being on a level that is greater than his younger brother Kenji. He also demonstrated no pain or discomfort when Kusaka, aided by Blut Arterie, constricted his wrist to stop him finishing off Kenji during their battle.

Zanpakutō (former)
Masaokishu (真青騎手, Ghastly Pale Rider). Averian's Zanpakutō takes the form of a long-bladed with a circular guard and a rough serrated edge. The weapon was destroyed under unknown circumstances by Kusaka Kori in the immediate aftermath of The Collapse.


 * : Averian releases his Zanpakutō by impaling the ground and uttering Gallop (襲歩, Shūho). Masaokishi takes two different forms upon release; the first is a horse which acts as Averian's personal mount, and the second is a skeletal construct similar in appearance to the of, which is the size of a multi-story building. Both of these creatures have differing abilities which results in Masaokishu having multiple forms within Shikai, not unlike that of Kenji's Raijin (雷神, God of Lightning) and Meian's Kaiyōmonshi (海洋門歯, Ocean Incisor).


 * Shikai Special Ability: Averian's Zanpakutō is considered by many to be death incarnate. Meian Shiba claimed that to feel its release was to feel the icy fingers of death gripping your spine and to feel its power was to feel your death come upon you; he further suggested Masaokishu to have a large area-of-effect, while Rosuto noted its mere release to have a demoralizing effect on the surrounding area. The mere presence of Averian in this form caused organic life to wither and die.


 * Shitaikishi (死体騎士, Cadaver Knight): Averian releases Masaokishu's Shitaikishi form by declaring the release command "Envelop" (立ち込める, tachikomeru). The skeletal construct grows in size and huddles in on itself, which creates a roughly-shaped sphere that encases Averian, his opposition and a large area. In Averian's own words his skeletal construct becomes "a guardian deity that envelops heaven and earth, where the winds rage madly." He went on to further note that none whom had seen this technique had ever escaped from it and that it was certain death.


 * Shitaikoma (死体駒, Cadaver Horse): Averian releases Masaokishu's Shitaikoma form by declaring the release command "Trot" (だく足, dakuashi). The horse and Averian undergo a form of fusion, which results in Averian taking a monstrous transformation not unlike that of a Resurrección. His left eye is perpetually open and wide, his fingernails grow out and can be used as weapons, his uniform becomes armoured and form-fitting and his hair turns completely black.


 * : Not yet revealed.


 * : Not yet revealed.

Behind the Scenes

 * Although the main antagonist responsible for most of the events transpiring throughout Parts I and II of Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi), Averian himself rarely appeared to intervene personally, instead acting through various Battle Dolls he could control from afar. Per his return in Part III he is neither a protagonist nor antagonist to the main cast, being more of a neutral force who sometimes comes to their aid, whilst at others hindering their progress. Part IV begins to return him to an antagonistic direction though for now he remains a neutral force.