The War of Four: Crossing the Wire

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The Final Battle Begins! The First Steps Towards Victory!
"This is Zulu 2-1 to Overwatch. Zulu team has completed sweep of Area 9. No negatives detected over."

"Roger that, Zulu. Hold your position until relieved. Reinforcements are going to arrive shortly. Out."

Zulu 2-1, otherwise known by his real name Brice, let out a heavy sigh as he switched off his communicator. A disgruntled look was on his face as he turned towards his patrol partner. "Patrol this and patrol that. Ever since Squad Omega 3 went missing, everyone's been more tense than usual. If I don't get killed in action, everyone else's stress is going to do me in!"

The partner shrugged lightly, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned against a large warehouse. "Well, you have to admit that it's for good reason. I mean, we had reports that these guys were high-ranking officials. Leave them unchecked, and they're bound to cause trouble. Can't really blame the higher-ups for being so on their toes about this."

"I just want to get this over with as soon as possible, Jackson." Brice muttered. "The moment they get to make the call, we get to go home and let the more devoted police officer patrol for as long as they like. I, however, would get to sit at my place for some hot chow. Not to mention that I haven't gotten a chance to send a letter to my wife and son--"

"Wait a minute." The said Jackson looked up with slight interest, both of his eyebrows raising. "You had a wife? And a son?"

Brice smiled proudly. "Yeah. Been married for a year or two. My son Stephen's turning five a few weeks from now, and I'm hoping that this can end in time for me to join his birthday party. He might not remember it, but that's why we've got photo albums to bug him with when he's older."

A light chuckle came from Jackson, and he pushed himself off of the wall. "You're starting to grow old, Robespierre..." He said jokingly, keeping the rifle within his hands lowered. "Think you just might need to retire before you get arthritis or something." This only made Brice roll his eyes in good humor. "Anyway, just to be on the safe side, I'm going to take a brief sweep within the nearby alleyways. Be on your guard, all right?"

"Not like there's much else to do..."

With that being said, Jackson walked away and left Brice to stand with his own pistol at the ready.

Unbeknownst to them, however, they had listeners within the warehouse they had been talking beside.

Tamiko was peering through a one-way window, leaning against the wall as she listened to the two guards finalize their conversation. She gave a heavy sigh, closing her eyes and hanging her head a little. "Hope you live long enough to meet your wife and son, my friend..." She muttered softly. She despised the idea that the ones she opposed weren't all psycopaths and tyrannical zealots, but instead sociable human beings. It reminded her just how grey the situation was in total, just what measures the Gotei 13 was forced to resort to when pushed to such a limit. Masahiro's recent actions were still fresh in her head, after all...

"It can't be helped," Seishuku spoke lowly and stoically calm in Tamiko's general direction. He was leaning against one of the internal pillars of the Beta Team's hideout. With his arms crossed over his chest, his uniform now donning custom-crafted pieces of Kidō armor he was able to forge within the past several days of hiding within the base, "fatality rates are exceptionally high for mercenary organizations. Now that they're an established military force, there's bound to be an even higher rate of casualties because of their allegiances."

"I'd prefer," Tamiko said, shooting a slight glare towards Seishuku for his input. "not to dwell on it, Fubun. Not now, of all times. Masahiro was bad enough, but you repeating the reality of the situation isn't going to make my mood any better about it." She walked away from the window to the radio system they had established within the confines of the main room. Her palms pressed themselves on the table surface as she looked at it thoughtfully.

Enrico had been assigned to man the radio whenever the others weren't. Most familiar with the equipment, he was able to rearrange the parts and designate a makeshift lobby HQ right next to the kitchen and a dozen meters away from the entrance.

"They've been quiet on their end for the last half hour," Enrico spoke as he looked up from the seat he had chosen. Sitting directly in front of it with his hands resting on the table-top, he looked up at Tamiko with a reassuring smile, "I think they're gearing up some fancy speech before they send their troops down. If they need anymore intel we haven't given them in the past several days, then they would've communicated to us..."

"Hope they haven't run into any problems beforehand..." Tamiko muttered, folding her arms across her chest as she looked over at Enricho. "With this being the day that the counter-attack begins, I'm just waiting for a problem to happen..."

"That sounds a bit too pessimistic for you, Tamiko." Masahiro's voice said from the nearby hallway. The source was leaning against it, arms folded across his chest and a small smile on his face. "I think we've all had enough problems stacked up on our persons for once. With anything, this just might be the good luck streak we were all waiting for. And speaking of which," He looked over at his other two compatriots. "Anyone know what to do once it actually begins?"

"We have a few alternative objectives," Seishuku announced, turning around and facing them fully, "we can either move to incapacitate their air fields they've placed within the Seireitei. Aim to smash their communications arrays they've established with their troops. Or...we go to rescue the Captains that are imprisoned somewhere within the underworks of the Seireitei itself."

"Well, I can easily say that rescuing the Captains is immediately out of the question." Masahiro said, causing Tamiko to spin her head towards him in a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

"What? Why?" She demanded, casting a slight glare in his direction.

"Think about it." He reasoned, using a calm but somewhat empathetic tone. The last thing he wanted was to sound too stoic and detached like Seishuku. "That's most likely what the resistance force would be thinking of - salvaging any manpower for attack. What would be the use of going there when our allies will be finding that particular point?"

This was enough to soften Tamiko's light glare. She frowned thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side. "Well, once you put it that way, I suppose it'd be pretty pointless for us to go in there. What about the other two options?"

"Silencing the aircraft, as much of a blow it would deal to the Inner Circle, would not be crippling enough. In a narrow-minded sense, such a thing would only put us on even footing with their troops, but considering that they have the upper hand in combat technology, they would still be fully capable of decimating our forces. Going for their communcations, however..." A slow smile crossed his face. "Would do much more. Without their ability to voice alarms and commands to one another, they're essentially blind and in the dark."

"It'd be a necessary priority then to silence their communication. The only real problem is where is the central hub? If we leave one spectrum of their forces capable of reestablishing contact feasibly, it would be fruitless to partake in this endeavor," Looking between his two compatriots, he crossed his arms as he asked aloud, "is there any place within the Seireitei that would be a good location to set up a communication array?"

This was where his two comrades would furrow their eyebrows in thought and look at each other, hoping that they would find an immediate answer out of one another. But when it was clear that none would come, they were at a loss for words. They started to think about it, racking their brains for a possible point in where they would find a possible central hub for the Inner Circle's communications. But after a moment, they found themselves looking Seishuku with rather blank looks.

"Okay, maybe this isn't going to be so easy as I thought..." Masahiro muttered.

"I'm... sure we would notice it if we see it, right?" Tamiko offered. "I mean, modernized technology is usually the most obvious. There might be some communications tower set up or something..."

"If you're going to bring up an idea, Masahiro, try and at least have a good idea of how to accomplish it," Seishuku sighed, his eyes rolling as he turned around to face the one-way window. What interested him was the reunion of the patrolling guards outside, and the renewal of conversation. While at first he thought it to be idle chatter, he couldn't help but raise a hand to the others to beckon them to come closer to hear it.

"Huh? What is..."

Masahiro didn't bother to finish the question as he and Tamiko tentatively moved over to Seishuku's side. They lent the outside their ears as well, picking up the words of the police officers outside.

"...is nothing but a mess. Why would they keep military elements within the Seireitei when they're sending in police units, too? Why aren't they waiting until the situation's all cleared out?"

"They must be real eager to make this place known as secure as soon as possible. They're trying to lessen military involvement as soon as they're sure there's no more threats to worry about, but there are particularly strong concentrations at the more prominent Gotei 13 barracks. Heaviest one I've seen yet is at the 9th Division."

"You mean the place where they're setting up a communications tower? Well, that'd be a bit justifiable, considering it's... well... a communications tower. Wouldn't be surprised if most of the troops guarding that place were of the 43rd Sherman Regiment. Those guys are mean sons of bitches when they need to be..."

"No kidding. I heard that they've actually got more kills on Captain-class opponents than any other division within the I.C.'s military. No special powers or nothing! I mean, just think. If all of the military was like that, we'd be frickin' invincible!"

"Yeah... because then we wouldn't have to worry about the little things like those scraps of the Gotei 13 running around."

"I heard that..."

"So did we," Seishuku spoke with a smile, turning his head over to the others before dropping his smile as he looked thoughtfully, "but that both helps things and complicates things. Taking out the tower won't be the issue. Its the matter of a sufficient distraction to lure away the majority of the security surrounding it..."

Masahiro folded his arms across his chest and looked away from his partners, thinking about it. "I'm sure whatever assault that the resistance members conjure up will do the trick. They'll be aiming for the strategic points of the enemy's stronghold, and the defenses will most likely be concentrated on them instead of us. That should give us ample opportunity to sneak in and do whatever we need to do in order to severe their communication lines."

Tamiko allowed herself to snort a little, looking a bit smug. "See? You didn't believe me when I said it'd be a communications tower, did you? That's what happens when you don't listen to logic."

"Neither of you looked so hot when your friend asked you where that would be, hehe!" Enrico spoke in retort, momentarily laughing before he ducked away from a dagger-filled glare from Seishuku.

"In any case," Seishuku looked towards the window, as he felt an ominous foreboding sensation sweep the atmosphere as a proximate bright light illuminated the alleyway, "the war, has begun..."

The Stoic Stand-Off, Unrelenting Power!
Within the 11th Division's barracks, there would be a storm waiting to brew.

Deep within the nests of what used to be Noriko's residence of office, soldiers outfitted with various type of Kidō armor were stationed and maintaining a steady patrol. Each of them had their own assortment of heavy Kidō weaponry, capable of shredding anyone who wandered carelessly into the zone of occupation. Unlike the police officers that made up the majority of the internal defense, they were much more serious and competent. Rarely did they speak words to one another, and the conversations they carried were usually related to their business.

This was probably one of the toughest defense to breach. But that was why the one sent to deal with it would be one of the most dangerous combatants Hollowity had to offer.

He walked through one of the more empty hallways with a sword in hand and a mask covering his expression. His other hand was in his pocket, almost as if he was taking a stroll. Underneath the Hollow mask that covered his face was a concentrated and cold expression, his eyes sweeping the area constantly for any threats. Thanks to stealth, he had managed to get in undetected. Had it not been for his goal, he would've probably gotten to their center without any trouble. But he knew that he was only a side show to the main part of the invasion, as were his comrades.

He took in a deep breath, exhaling and forcing any nervousness he had within him out of his body. He stopped in front of the door, reaching a hand and pushing on the handle to force it open. The door made a creaking sound, alerting any nearby soldiers to his form when he stepped through. Had it been police officers, they probably would've warned him to stop. But the armored soldiers were much harsher to their opposition, which was emphasized by the radio command of one of them.

"Unknown entity. Terminate imme--"

However, he would not be able to finish his sentence before Senkaku was on him.

SLASH!

With a single swipe of his sword, that particular trooper and his armor was destroyed. The other soldiers widened in shock, as they attempted to raise their own machine guns to destroy the intruder that attacked them. But the man was quicker.

SLICE-SLICE-SLICE-SLICE-SLICE!

Within a matter of seconds, the intruder had swung his sword to cut down each and every one of the heavyset soldiers before they could even pull their triggers, slowly sheathing his sword as the blood from the cuts sprayed from their bodies. They collapsed, leaving pools of crimson in their wake. The intruder didn't spare a word or look back, knowing that there was no point. There was no time to gloat or crow over how weak they had been. There was only time to move forward, if he wanted himself an his comrades to succeed.

Just as he was nearing the next door, he was greeted with a surprise.

WHAM!

The door was kicked open, revealing more soldiers that raised their machine guns. Briefly, the intruder's eyes widened, and he only had time to put his arms in front of his face before they opened fire on him.

RATATATATATATA~

However, as powerful as they would've been to any other individual, the Kidō bullets that assaulted him had virtually no effect. It was all thanks to the immensely strong Hierro that kept them from shredding him, allowing him to keep his ground. As he held his stance against the barrage, he began to summon his spiritual pressure to his aid. The air around him began to billow with a sudden pressurizing thickness, and it wasn't long before the soldiers began to realize what he was doing.

"Oh, shit! Stop firing! Get out of--"

PWOOM!

But it was too late. The man swung his arms out, unleashing a concentrated force of spiritual pressure. The opposition unfortunate enough to get caught directly within was instantly crushed, their bodies torn apart and rendered asunder by the energy. Those who had been hit indirectly were thrown out, slamming into the opposing wall of the next hallway. Those particular ones didn't dare try their luck again, picking themselves up and retreating to a secondary line. As the stranger continued walking, he could hear their radio chatter.

"We've got an intruder! Code Red! Code Red!"

"Who is it?!"

"It's the Tercera of the Espada Afilado! He's coming this way!!"

Underneath the mask, Senkaku couldn't help but smirk. "That's right." He whispered. "I'm going to destroy every last one of you, and there's nothing you can do about it. For the Primera..."

In the distance, the soldiers couldn't help hear a number of explosions and similar cries in the distance. Four different directions of heavily armed sectors were suddenly attacked and without warning. Like distant thunderclaps, brief flashes of light followed by flames and thick, black smoke that rose to the sky indicated the intensity of the various other invaders.

A number of soldiers began to gear up and rush towards the sound of the nearest proximate exploding Spiritual Pressure. As they saw their men crumpled to irrecognizeable chunks of metal and blood, their response was immediate.

"Open fire!"

RA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA!

All eight troopers began unleashing a virtual hell of Kidō blasts, all from which were fully automatic weapons. Never knowing the ramifications of their prior bretheren, they fired their red colored projectiles of concentrated slugs of Spiritual Energy towards their target, aiming to make him as irrecognizeable as their comrades appeared to be.

This time, Senkaku didn't throw his arms up. But all the same, the bullets continued to ping off his Hierro. Once again, he didn't stop to gloat or taunt them. Instead, he swung his hand out towards the group when those powerful rounds came close enough, summoning his spiritual pressure once again to his aid. This time, he used it as a concentrated cloud shield, with the bullets stopping in front of him once they got caught in that cloud. With a slight pulling back of his hand and thrust, he sent that rain right back at the troopers that dared to fire on him.

SPLURCH!

The rounds, enhanced by his spiritual energy, tore straight through the defenses of the troops and shredded the group within seconds. As Senkaku lowered his arms, his senses could pick out even more headed his way. "Let them come..." He whispered to himself, reaching up to pick up one of the machine guns dropped. He aimed it at the doorway where reinforcements would storm through, looking down the sights of the weapon. "Let them all come." With that being said, he unleashed the fruit of their own gift against them.

BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM!

Not only were the soldiers being shredded by their highly modified weaponry, but they also ended up firing a few ricochet shots in other directions, causing them and other follow-up infantry to be mowed down with them, causing blood and metal, sparks and flashes of light to emerge from the deafening sounds that cascaded through the military base.

A few of the soldiers, however, believed they had caught him off guard. Moving in from behind, they unsheathed Kidō blades the size and shape of a small gladius, and moved in for the kill. Each one slashed towards a key vital point on the Arrancar's body, hoping to nail him with a single incapacitating blow whereas their bretheren's projectiles did little to no damage to the Tercera Espada.

Senkaku's senses, however, were too quick to step up to the plate.

With two back kicks, he promptly knocked two of them on their backs. Then, he spun around and used the rifle in his hands to parry and ruin the balance over another. Flipping the rifle to one hand, he hurled the weapon at his opponent's head to stun him before grasping his sword with one hand. He drew it out in an iaiado swing, cutting down his hapless enemy within an instant.

SLICE-SLICE-SLICE-SLICE!

With a series of elegant twists and flips, he made short work of the others that attempted to flank him. Throughout it all, his masked face was set in intense concentration, even in the face of the shouts of the soldiers.

"We can't stop him!! We have to retreat!!"

"You stay put right where you are!! Failure is not an option!! Keep up the pressure!!"

"We'll die if we keep doing this!! We need more firepower, now!!"

SLICE!

After cutting down another enemy, this was where Senkaku allowed himself to speak. "Yes, you feel it don't you?" He asked, his voice loud and stern. "The fear of an unstoppable force cutting you down as if you were nothing but leaves in the wind. Tell me, did you ever consider the possibility of facing this fear when you were destroying the lives within the Soul Society? Did you ever think that karma would not be gentle on you?" He swung his sword with a violent flourish, slinging the blood off as he glared at his regrouping enemies.

"Well, now it's too late to reconsider or regret. I'm going to slaughter every last one of you until there's no one left standing. I will accept nothing less!"

"You bast--"

PWOOM!

The retort was promptly cut off when another force of spiritual pressure was unleashed, once again crushing his opposition in a mesh of metal and blood. Senkaku glared at it all before continuing to walk, with his sword at his side and his heart full of fire. "Not one of you will be left." He whispered. "I swear it..."

But what would come in retort, would be different from a mere handful of hardened, yet underclassed soldiers or a volley of weapon fire. Instead, what came next was within the camoflauge of the distant reverberations of the handiwork of the other Arrancars' attacks, reaching full force to the Espada's location. Just enough so to distort the sensory output by a small fraction...

SHFT-WHAM!

...just enough so to allow his mask-covered jaw to be slammed by a fist, barreling through the wall with blurring speeds to the observant senses and eyes to even one of the Tercera's caliber. The force thrown would be enough to kick up all corpses, debris, and haplessly dropped weapons and slugs with the wall of the room, enough to shatter and recoil in a surreal moment of absolute poise and sudden destruction.

What would emerge from the smoke, would be all the more surreal in comparison to the troops encountered thus far. Smooth, purposeful crunching footsteps of metalic in nature, revealed a bronze colored armored warrior, bearing semblence to a design from Aether, but with distinctive markings making him appear foreign. With a regal fur-lined black cloak hung over his shoulders and neck, the being spoke in a measured, eloquent tone while still projecting an assured menace to his enemy,

"No...I believe those are the words I should say to you, Tercera Espada Afilado."

"Ngh--!!!"

Needless to say, Senkaku was genuinely shocked.

His body skidded across the floor, his Hierro creating sparks to fly up as he did so. The intense friction was enough to cause his body to stop before it got too far from his assailant, and he was quick to maneuver himself up to a standing position. From the punch, he gripped his sword tightly in one hand, switching his gaze over to the challenger. As he took in the appearance, his eyes narrowed slightly in thought. This one would certainly be no pushover, judging from the stance and the visage alone. This would be his stopping point.

"And so an officer arrives. I was wondering if you'd show up right away or wait until the majority of your forces were decimated." He remarked. "To whom do I owe the honor?"

"Mukuro Sengumō," the armored general announced, speaking in a hallowed reverberation through his intricately designed helmet. Raising his right hand in emphasis, he preformed a "come-on" gesture as he goaded the Arrancar, "show me what you're capable of, Tercera Espada. You've shown to be worthy of my time...for the moment."

The man hadn't bothered to unsheathe his weapon yet, and he was challenging an enemy openly. Senkaku bristled slightly, straightening his stance a little more. "I'm not going to fight an unarmed opponent." He said firmly. "I don't care how strong you may think you are."

"How strong...I think I am?" Clenching his outstretched hand into a fist, Mukuro stared impassively back at Senkaku.

WHAM-BOOOOOM!!!

Within just a mere few seconds, his body crouched down within a singular movement as his hand slammed into the floor of the base. What happened within the impressive strike into the floor, a discharge of black flames were emitted, discharging out and engulfing the entirety of the base's barracks structure, sending out a searing shockwave to launch his opponent out into its courtyard.

"You must be misunderstood. I am no mere grunt sent to deal with a pest. You're the second strongest Espada Afilado, Senkaku Ningensei," Mukuro spoke in a contempted tone, grasping some of the flickering onyx flames and fusing them into a Kiriken blade into his right hand, his feet crunching the rubble as his body emanated an equally vile and powerful aura that distorted the atmosphere all around himself, "I am the Armored Dragon, a position only entrusted by Suna Tekketsu, the First Horseman, for me to dispose of the most critical of threats. If it be may by design or fate that we met this day, I will fight you on my terms," placing his left hand on a draconic-shaped blade on his left hip, in emphasis, "this weapon will only be drawn when your fullest capabilities are revealed to me. Until then, I will not need it to test your basest abilities, Arrancar."

"Hrah!"

This time, Senkaku was quick to act. He pulled his sword back across his chest before swinging it, the metal meeting the shockwave with immense force. The flames flickered violently within the wake of the collision, dissipating into the strong and rapidly fading winds. As he looked up at Mukuro, he couldn't help but scoff a little. "You regard me as the second strongest, and yet you believe that you can beat me only your bare hands?" He questioned rhetorically, wrapping a hand around the wrist of its opposite. "Fine by me."

TCHT!

Upon his mental command, the metal of his weapon ignited with a green flame, creating a torch effect that one could only relate to his trademark Espada Cero. The light from the flame-like energy was bright enough to illuminate Senkaku's visage, making him appear all the more menacing. He slid his free hand up to the hilt of his sword, preparing it for what he knew would be a tough battle.

Boom!

Then, he was in front of Mukuro in a heartbeat. The empowered blade of his sword raced towards the heart of his enemy.

CLANG!

With a perfect parrying blow with his black fire-enraptured Kiriken sword, Mukuro redirected the thrust to his heart to his right, using enough poise and force to allow him the follow-up counterattack with ease. With his left hand moving in a blur, Mukuro grappled Senkaku's sword arm with a nigh unbreakable grip, turning around and using his lunge's momentum to his advantage, as he hurled him head over heels and into the earth, causing an incredible shockwave.

CRACK-BOOM!!!

Simultaneously, he let loose a proximate spell of Raikōhō, causing an immense electrical blast of searing and concussive force to be let loose upon Senkaku's form, creating a powerful fissure of sparking and howling lightning from his palm upon his target. With an obviously red glow emanating behind the black slits of his helm, Mukuro didn't speak or goad, he just ensured that he'd project enough damage to implore the threat he held against him.

"Argh--!!"

Senkaku instinctively shut of his eyes when he felt his back slam into the ground with immense force. His Hierro was enough to stave off what would've otherwise been a crushing grip on his sword wrist, and thus he could keep a grip on his weapon. When he sensed the energies building up for the Raikōhō, his heart increased out of instinctive alarm. The position he in was certainly too vulnerable, and against an enemy like this, he couldn't afford to be weak. He swung two fingers of his free hand to point at Mukuro before the blast could be unleashed.

VWOOM!

A green Cero was unleashed, ripping through the blast. At the point-blank range they were at, the property of heavy energy concentration had the potential of taking off a good portion of Mukuro's torso and ending the fight right then and there.

Ordinarily, any other opponent would be alarmed at the swifter gesture and the unleashed force that would render any other entity into many awry pieces. Mukuro, unlike his compatriots, wasn't an ordinary enemy that Senkaku has fought. As the emerald glow continue to discharge, a blinding aura of golden light appeared within the epicenter of contact of Mukuro's body.

SSSSSSSSSHK!

A golden hand pushed forth through the emerald wafting energies, grasping Senkaku's fingers, forcefully bending it with a violent movement backwards in an attempt to break the joints and bone, bypassing the annoyance that Senkaku's Hierro presented. Behind the emerald light, a pair of glowing red eyes glared upon him as his right hand speared through and aimed to thrust his black-enflamed Kiriken blade to stab into Senkaku's Hollow hole from a directed angle to deal some damage.

One hand holding the wrist of his sword hand.

Another hand, generated from the very armor that Mukuro had on.

And yet another one, aiming for the Hollow hole just below his sternum and hidden within his clothing.

Senkaku was baffled. Not only did this man quell a concentrated Cero at point-blank range, but he had also made it so that escape was next to impossible. As he saw the Kiriken blade move towards his Hollow hole, he clenched his teeth. His narrowed eyes widened a little, pupils shrinking. All of it would be hidden underneath that mask, of course. But it wouldn't be hidden from the tone he took when he spoke again.

"Get off me!!"

With that roar, he quickly swung his legs so that they were at chest-level, his feet aimed at the spot just below the center of Mukuro's body. Within that split-second, he thrust his feet just as the Kiriken blade stabbed through his shirt and his Hollow hole. Mukuro would receive no purchase from his chosen target. Senkaku, however, would.

CLANG!

His sandaled feet connected with the metal of Mukuro's armor, sending him off of the trapped combatant and causing him to fly away. With a flip and twist, he threw himself at his involuntarily retreating adversary with renewed vigor. His sword ignited once again, and he swung it in a flurry of attacks once he was close enough.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

Mukuro responded in kind, only briefly stunned from the force used to propel his person away from the target, by his enemy. Once Senkaku blindingly charged to follow-up his attacks, he'd be greeted by peculiar sight. A golden armored limb jutting out at an angle from his shoulder, past his cloak, in addition to his normal limbs. Despite taking the full brunt of the attack, only the cloak itself bore a singed appearance and even that appeared to be abnormal.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

His sword arm repelled the blasts with equal intensity, causing a superheated wave of pressure to crack and shift the atmosphere around them, cracking and rattling the landscape around them, as the two moved at incredible speeds to retaliate each other. Mukuro found an opening within the flurry of attacks, as his third arm reached out discharged a wide area discharge of Haien-infused Nenshō flames towards his unguarded area. Simultaneously, Mukuro swung his left arm around, and emitted a hyper-condensed Spiritual Energy beam, in the emphasis of a cutting laser, attempting to blindside him from the last attack, if his parrying didn't occupy him enough, or his black flames failed.

Because the attacks were unleashed at the same time, there was much easier room for Senkaku to evade the attacks.

With a boost of his legs, he hurled himself over his opponent in an acrobatic front-flip. Once he landed on his feet, he twisted himself around in a pivot in order to strike at Mukuro's back. The flames around his blade brightened, the energy increasing in potency to the point where the Kiriken blade itself would be sliced in two pieces. It was a property of the Espada Cero to increase the overall sharpness and cutting potential of the blade at the user's will. His aim would be at the arm construct, his focus on the one thing that could cause him problems later on.

"Hmph..."

CLANG!

Within the instant that his adversary hurtled over his reach, he knew what he would aim first, having witnessed the true integrity and resilience of his armor. As he would pivot, Mukuro summoned a blade to his other hand and another to his third arm, forming three black flaming Kiriken blades at his beckoning. With excelling footwork, he evaded the slash of his enemy by preforming a deft diagonal body spin, as he held his three blades close to his form...

VWHOOSH!

...before spinning at a blinding pace towards Senkaku, spinning the blades in a whirling slash of poised, harnessed release of cutting and spiritual power, discharging a wafting fissure of black flames and shredding force upon Senkaku's entire form, sending a crack into the landscape for a square mile with ease.

"Ryūkuroi Kenhane!"

This next move would require precise timing on Senkaku's part.

His eyes narrowed, and he lifted his blade over his head. It was the initiation of an overhead strike, one that would split his opponent straight down the middle. He only had a short time period time to do it due to the speed Mukuro was bearing down on him at, and anything less would risk him. He only had a second to wait before his enemy came close enough. He swung down with all of his mind, releasing the pent-up energy within his blade upon contact.

The results would be devastating.

BOOM!

The power unleashed by the force of the strike was not only enough to make the earth buckle underneath Mukuro's position and create a small crater, but it also caused a bright pillar of energy to materialize and stretch towards the sky. It consumed a moderately large radius, bathing the area within its green brilliance. The energy generated would have torn apart and completely destroyed anything unfortunate enough to get caught within it, even turning to earth underneath it into glass.

The base had all but been obliterated. With nothing but a large crack within the earth and a deepened crater of glass-like properties, steaming and sparking from the two elements that had caused its formation, it looked as if no form of life had been spared. But then, hovering in place was none other than Mukuro himself, projecting an immense Spiritual Pressure while having two arms crossed over his chest, while two arms gripping two Kiriken blades.

"Most impressive, Tercera Espada," Mukuro spoke in a booming voice, his armor glowing golden and unmarred by the collescing destructive forces of their prior clash, "you have an accomplished amount of power and skill in just your sealed state. Truly a warrior of renown and worthy of my respect. I may have to draw my sword to meet you head-on...eventually..."

"Not even a scratch?!" Senkaku clenched his teeth, the grip on his sword unconsciously tightening. Despite his effort, there had been nothing done to the armor that protected his enemy's form. Frustration was starting to bloom within him, but he knew better than to let it become prominent. At this rate, the fight would become nothing but a stalemate. He knew that he needed to turn the tables if he wanted to win this fight. But he had to think about his approach...

"Respect?" He repeated, almost as if the word was a disease. "If you still refuse to draw the sword on your hilt, then you obviously consider me to be beneath you. Don't say words you clearly do not mean, Dragon..."

Tap-Clink!

With a swift use of Flash Step, Mukuro lands on the glassed landscape but a few meters distance from Senkaku. Mukuro stares at him impassively, and tries to convey his emotions through his words, knowing the masked Arrancar wouldn't be able to see it himself, "You doubt my sincerity? When I draw my blade, I aim to kill, not exchange blows to test the abilities of an enemy. But if you truly desire to see my weapon unsheathed," Mukuro emphasized with his right hand slowly and methodically grasping the draconic hilt, causing what looked like jaws to unhinge from the scabbard, allowing the elegantly crafted blade to slide in a smooth manner, as Mukuro stared him down, "then you shall have it...!"

SHIIIIINK!

BOOOM!

With a simple exertion of unsheathing his blade to the side, the glassed floor of their battlefield became shattered once more, sending a billowing shockwave from the mere flick of his wrist and the hefting weight of his weapon. Radiating a silver-black spiritual power, Mukuro became synchronized in releasing his own Spiritual Power with his weapon drawn, causing his extra limbs to dissipate and resume a two-armed stance once more.