Spending Autumn With The Demons: John Kakusei Vs Ryūketsu Ōtamu

California Dreamin', The Dark Predator's Strike!
The waves lapped against the sandy front of Monterrey. John lay on his beach towel on a large rock where he could feel the breezes. Autumn is upon us, he mused. A cooler of Snapple sat next to him, and he pulled one of the bottles out. Swiftly releasing the cap, he took a sip, and set it on the table next to him. ''Ever since Hikaru opened his Winery, I've been bored silly. Saya is off who knows where. Mizu is traveling the world, Nodoka is working at the Winery, and Sayuri...''He paused. "Who really cares?" He took another sip, then mentally kicked himself. "Dang. I wish I could see them all again." He got up to stretch. "If anything, I want to have a fight. It's been forever since I showed my skills, and I want to do something rather than drink fruit juice."

During the musings of the ignorant Soul Reaper, one would mistaken a shadow moving towards him from his backside direction. This entity only sought answers to questions within his mind. Trading one master for another, he only longed for solace, peace, and the thirst for power to be finally quenched. Seeing the man from afar, one would almost turn a blind eye and say he looked normal. But Ryūketsu was anything but normal...

With a deft "smelling" of the wind, the Hunter could tell with certainty that it was a Soul Reaper donning a Gigai. The fact he appeared to be on a sort've vacation almost made the predatorial figure almost laugh. Whether this Reaper was a hoax or a genius, putting one-self in the position he did is inexcusable. After all...when one becomes a warrior, nowhere is safe!

Draped in black-red cloak trappings, Ryūketsu raised his left hand, pointing at the entity from the distance of twenty meters estimatedly. Making the appearance of a simple "Finger-Pistol", Ryūketsu charged a condensed amount of Spirit Energy to the point of it nearly becoming irrecognizeable from any distance. Then, with a impassive stoic face, he released the pressure...

"Byakurai..."

SPRAAAAAACK!

...sending a pale-blue streak of penetrative, electrical energy towards John's neck, where the base would join the back and shoulders. In one swift move, he'd maim him, paralyze him, and suffocate him. That is, unless the Soul Reaper could react fast enough...

"That was rude," said John calmly. He stood behind the person who attacked him. You almost destroyed my Snapple. This stuff ain't cheap, bub. A case of 12 costs anywhere from $10.99 to $14.99. You need to be more careful."

"You're quite quick on your feet," the attacker spoke with a low tone, not skipping a beat as he lowered his right extended hand, "and here I thought you lured yourself into a false sense of security. I should've expected nothing less of someone of the Gotei 13..."

"Well, I trained under a Captain who was also a Yonkō, so you can't underestimate any of my comrades or me." John set the case of Snapple down. "Also, I'd like to know who is shooting me."

"Yonkō? No wonder my senses spoke otherwise about him," Ryūketsu thought while narrowing his eyes, turning around to face the human body-garbed Soul Reaper, while going over the information within his head, "would he be talking about the White Hair...or is he speaking of another? I'll just have to find out for myself..."

"A simple stranger passing by," the predator spoke with a detached tone, closing his eyes before swiftly inhaling, "I just couldn't help but...smell...the bloodlust coming from your pores. I hoped doing you a favor by exterminating what nonchalant fairytail you were concocting your pitifully miniscule mind."

"That doesn't answer my question," John flared a portion of his reitatsu. He glared at the 'stranger'. "Let's be more specific. What's your name?"

The stranger merely stared at him, even as his hair and cloak flourished in the wake of the buffeting winds created by the release of a substantially potent Spiritual Pressure. Observing the man before him, he then spoke, "You want my name, boy? You'll have to do better than project such Spiritual Pressure..."

Whish!

"Impress me," the entity spoke, raising a hand and curled his finger in a "come-on" gesture, "and I'll tell you my name, Soul Reaper."

John materialized his Zanpakutō. "Welcome to the quiet before the storm hits." The area around John's reach exploded in a pillar of light. The gigai he was in disintegrated. "Former 6th Seat of the 7th Division, John Kakusei. Remember it, stranger. It'll echo in your mind."

The Sky Weeps, the Fire Burns
"Former?" The entity spoke out in query as the light blazed before his eyes causing him to blink as a result but not look away. After the winds from the transformation event slowed, Ryūketsu began placing his left hand on the hilt of what looked to be a swastika-tsuba katana on his left hip, with his right hand propped on his right hip, "I didn't think it was possible for Soul Reapers to become weaker. Did they degrade you for your lack of strength, pitiful Soul Reaper?"

"Nah, friend. You got it all wrong. In the 7th Division, the seated officers from 6th to 3rd have to either be exceptional fighters, or know Bankai. We are all Captain-class or Lieutenant-class Soul Reapers."

"That defeats the purpose of ranking, imbecile," Ryūketsu sighed as he kept his thoughts to himself. Deciding he had to show this entity why he didn't think much of him, he began breathing in a low, guttural tone. His body began to exude a dark, red aura as his Spiritual Pressure began to crackle the air, distorting it with a sudden violence...

VRRRRRRRM!

...before discharging into an incredibly heightened blast of Spiritual Power around himself, causing a reverberating shockwave around his body, sending unholy sensations in the air that didn't feel like any Soul Reaper or Hollow this boy has ever felt.

"Since you've impressed me with your little speech, to a degree, I will give you my name," The man spoke as he unsheathed his blade, but not releasing it as he kept his stoic, hazel-eyed stare upon the boy as the metal grated on his sheathe, "my name is Ryūketsu Ōtamu, current Leader of my Master's Hantā kindred. I will show you true mettle from the likes you've never witnessed, Captain-class Soul Reaper," he finished with a mock disdain, holding his stance for battle, awaiting the Soul Reaper's first move before he would make his own.

"Hantā? Never heard of them before." John barely kept his composure. ''What's this power? It's as sinister as Nodoka's and as powerful as Mizu's Bankai at the peak of it's power. Dammit, what have I gotten myself into? NO!'' John readied to strike. ''I trained under Hikaru himself. I can win this!''

"Allow me to educate you..."

SHFT-SWISH!

Ryūketsu moved with vivid, blinding speed as he utilized a Flash Step to move directly past John's left side. Within arrival, Ryūketsu spun around in a pirouette fashion, and slashed out with a Spiritually-heightened stroke towards his unguarded arm, intending on either severing it or sporting first blood in their clash.

KATRASH!

John rolled out of the way in a Legend of Zelda style and swiftly turned to face Ryūketsu. "I'm not as fast as Nodoka or Hikaru, or as strong as Mizu." John smiled and pointed to himself with his left thumb. "But of all the members of the 7th Division, nobody can land a blow on me behind my back. That's what I've made sure of, since that day when I lost all my troops because I was not paying attention." He pointed his sword towards the demon. "So if you want to not waste any more energy, fight me face to face, or squander all your power on useless strikes."

"Please..."

SHFT-SHFT-SHFT!

"...I haven't even started trying to outrun you," Ryūketsu spoke in a smooth tone, as his body moved rapidly in a series of Flash Steps that would form a triangle in patternization around the Soul Reaper. With each passing Flash Step of his own, he'd lash out with a slash, a thrust, a kick, any number of strikes to overwhelm the young warrior in order to allow him a incapacitating blow.

John's training with Hikaru was not something to be trifled with. He parried each slash, thrust, and kick that came his way. He was not going to back down now. "I can see you." He slashed at the place where Ryūketsu would be next.

CLANG-SKRRRT!

"He's good," Ryūketsu silently thought as he clashed his blade with John's, their edges spawning sparks in the wake of the intensity of the opposing opponents, his eyes stared stoically back, "he's definitely a student of one of the Four Yonkō. If I knew which one, I can counter his movements more effectively. Still..."

"Sokatsui!" Ryūketsu uttered aloud, ingeniously sifting his Spirit Energy to his blade, and discharging the raw discharge of the level 30 Kidō at point blank towards the opposing Soul Reaper. Slashing in sync with the discharge of spiritual force and energy, Ryūketsu backpedaled away to observe the damage that would've been done to his opponent.

"...he's far from being one of their star pupils..."

A maple leaf with sword edges guarded John. Sounds of the wind could be heard from the edges of it. "Sokatsui isn't enough to bring out my Shikai." John stood with the blade transforming into a double-edged sword. "I must be pretty rusty to let something like that happen."

"You let your guard down..."

WHIZ-SMACK!

Without warning, Ryūketsu bent the transformed blade of his opponent to the side, and stretched out his hand, jettisoning a transparent chain towards the man's unguarded chest, intending on sending him reeling backwards from the sheer force and possible penetration in the man's body.

"Idiot." Akireiki transformed into a claymore, right as John swung the blade, releasing a kamaitachi. The wind-scythe deflected the attack with ease. "I didn't know what you were tossing at me, but my Akumukokakku can fire off blasts to cast away any attack that comes near me. Also," He held Akireiki to where his eyes peered over the blade's edge. "Akireiki bends only to my will. not the will of anybody else. Not even Seireitou Kawahiru."

"Really? Fascinating," Ryūketsu spoke with feigned interest, swinging the invisible chain that sliced and broke the earth around himself, slowly but surely crackling with unholy pressure, "the will of anything in this plane? What about those...from the pits of Hell?"

SHIIIIINK-BOOM!

And just like that, when swinging the chain towards John, a magnanomious discharge of fiery crimson Spiritual Power was released in John's vicinity, causing an uproar of earth covered in flames, with the boy at its epicenter, threatening to shred and incinerate him from the sheer violence of the release of energy from it. It was reminiscent to a fissure of Hell's flames erupting from ashen soil. A very image that'd make any seasoned warrior feel trepidation.

John deflected most of the flames with kamaitachis, but they soon overwhelmed him to where he had to fire a quick wind blast with Akireiki's base form. "Dude, seriously, do you know how much collateral damage we've caused so far?" The entire coast of California was scorched to a crisp. "And hell flames? I've fought against a man who wields the sword to tame demons." John dashed over to the ocean. "Your fireworks do not impress me." He fanned a huge wave towards Ryūketsu.

If someone said the whole coast of California was turned to a crispy piece of overdone bacon, it would've been an understatement. However, a good fifty meters of yellow sandy beach had quickly turned into a plethora of scorched earth and craters, as their battle began to escalate. As the Soul Reaper rushed to the tide, Ryūketsu sprinted after him, sprinting with his body hugging the air low while keeping his eye on the exceptionally trained opponent before him.

As a wave of wind billowed out towards him, kicking up a portion of the water with it in excessive force, Ryūketsu quickly spun his blade in front of himself while moving. Just a few moments before the wind could strike him, he uttered lowly, "Hadō # 58..."

SNATCH!

"...Tenranshō!" Ryūketsu uttered the proclamation, discharging an incredible widening pillar of a tornado, propelled with extreme force with the merged and full-powered spell of Shō, it aimed on striking John straight on and send him reeling across the air space. In fact, it was pushing him directly in the path of a large upcoming wave that any surfer would dare to take a chance on boarding...unfortunately, a hapless speeding body wouldn't enjoy it as much.

"Oh come on!" yelled John. "Can't I get an attack in edgewise? I fired a freaking typhoon to create a gigantic wave of water!" John gripped Akireiki till his hand bled. "That's ENOUGH!!!" He swung his Zanpakutō with such magnitude that the wave dissipated, turning into a tornado of water around him. The gale force winds around the small hurricane began to draw the burnt trees and scorched sands on the coastline towards it. Though it seemed that the coastline would be torn away, the hurricane began to compress into one area: John's Akireiki. He had transformed it into it's Zankutai mode, and the gales began swirling around the blade until it glowed green. "KAMAITACHI NO KIBA!" He brought the sword down as if it were a hammer. The speed of the wind blade emanating from John's sword could not be described. It tore the very air itself as it sped towards Ryūketsu.

"This...This power is incredible! I can't believe his Shikai can be this powerful...!" Ryūketsu thought as he observed the Soul Reaper called John, cry out in fury towards his opponent. The power of this young man's Shikai was unreal...truly of a Captain's stature, a twister of incredible aerodynamic power began to funnel winds in an incredible density.

As he measured the true power behind this attack, Ryūketsu's eyes widened, allowing himself to backpedal at his highest speed to the beachfront. As the blade of his enemy began to shift colors, he knew the man was about to attack. Weaving a number of handsigns, Ryūketsu spoke aloud while his body glowed brightly of his own deft Spiritual power.

"Bakudo #91..."

SLAM!

"...Kokushokuhatsu Chakushin Kiseimon!!!" And with the loud declaration as well as slamming his palms onto the beach ground, two parallel-aligned pillars erupted from the ground with a 25 meter distance between them. As the attack was being released with incredible speed, the chains rapidly pulled up the gate, revealing a black, obsidian mineralized appearing gate with various kanji red letters engraved upon its surface.

Then the attack came...

SSSSSSSHIIIIIIIIIINK-BWHOOOSH!!!!

With great, collosal intensity the aero-pressurized emerald energy crashed into the most powerful barrier known throughout the Soul Society. Shaking, cracking and searing its mark upon the gate, gale force winds flew about chaotically around the 25 meter high by 25 meter wide gate, decimating the landscape behind the war-torn beach, throwing haplessly parked cars and crushing shacks along with all the vegetation and roads nearby.

Bring the Pain! Punishment for the Stubborn
However...the gate stood firm before its might and power, with only a long series of scars on its foundation to show the cutting power of the technique used against its foundation. Ryūketsu then, at long last, allowed himself to smile.

"You actually thought, a measly Shikai technique could actually harm me? I must be too cautious to use such an elaborate defense against such a weak power such as yourself," Ryūketsu spoke as he levitated himself to rest ontop of the monstrous-sized gate, crossing his arms as he looked with a smug grin on his face, "unless you use Bankai, nothing you can do will have any affect against me...considering I possess a Bankai myself..."

"Don't...be...too...proud..." John wheezed from the effort and strain on his lungs. He pointed to behind Ryūketsu "You just... got lucky." Across the plains behind them, 2 perfect lines of sky blue showed themselves, and the devastation of the land could be seen next to the demon who cast his shield. There was nothing but flat land for an incredible distance, showing the true potency of the attack had outside his shield.

"You are a true apprentice of Hikaru Kurosaki, being so arrogant when you've wasted so much Spiritual Energy in trying to kill me with that one move," Ryūketsu spoke with a cool, composed visage, even as he observed the apparent destruction that the aviational attack caused, "and without a Bankai, you can't come close to forcing me to draw out my Shikai. You aren't worth the effort in killing anymore..."

"I'm not arrogant," John smiled through great pain. "I'm just stubborn. And who says I need a Bankai to defeat you?" He lifted his sword as it transformed into the Akumukokkaku form. "My master's greatness was not measured by his Bankai or his Captaincy. He mingled with us 'lower' Shinigami, becasue we were his friends. We reverred him as Captain, yet from me to Saya, we could talk freely, and we learned many things about our Captain. Things he wouldn't share with anyone, not even with the Yonkō." He stood in a fighting position, even though he looked like he would fall at any moment. "Captain Hikaru Kurosaki's value as a person, as a Captain, and as my friend, is in his desire to protect that which means most to him! And let this be known to you, Ryūketsu Ōtamu! If I could not hold my own against you, Hikaru would have been here long ago to stop this fight."

SHFT!

"Let us see how long you keep that bravado up," Ryūketsu spoke lowly, with a vehement disgust laying over his eyes as he raises his blade towards his opponent, "after I inflict untold horrors upon your body and mind. Punish..."

SSSSSHINK!

"...Shūnenbukai," Ryūketsu spoke aloud in an anticipating tone as his blade lengthened a foot, his guard turned into a black cross, and the edge shifted into a double-edged weapon, resembling something more akin to a rapier longsword hybrid than a katana now. Eerily it had blood-seeped runes running across the length of the blade, just adding to the intoxicating Spiritual Pressure it released.

SWISH!

Moving at incredible speed, slightly faster than before, Ryūketsu moved to slash his enemy's exposed side, intending on utilizing the unknown Kogasu trait. Intending on incapacitating his opponent with sheer, unbearable pain, Ryūketsu hoped to end this little charade before it actually took anymore effort to exterminate his life.

Dammit... thought John, That Kamaitachi sapped nearly all of my strength.

4 seconds to impact. I have to think of something.

3 seconds to impact. But what?!

2 seconds to impact. I can't switch blade arms.

1 second to impact. I need another blade...

0.5 seconds to impact. Ryūketsu's blade was 0.32 millimeters from John's left arm. Then 2 centimeters; then a meter; then 40 meters. John fell towards the ocean, gaining speed as he fell.

Interlude: John's Power
"Across the West coast, untold devastation from what appears to be a typhoon has taken out most of the central Californian coast. There have been reports that a 'wind-scythe' was the cause of most of the Central Valley being wiped away, but scientists have yet to discover the origins of such a powerful attack. Strangely enough, no one has been reported missing or killed. At this moment in time, the US National Guard has been dispatched to the Monterrey area to evacuate any other people still in the vicinity. From Los Angelas, California, this has been Jack Ryder. Back to you, Tom."

Hikaru clicked off the television. Rukia clutched her chest and silently prayed for all who were affected. Nodoka sighed and stated, John's Akireiki is quite devastating to the Human World, eh, Hikaru?

"Wind is a powerful element," answered Hikaru. "Almost as powerful as fire, but it's still up there."

Nodoka scratched his shoulder, ''Still, to do all that damage without a single casualty, that takes some God-given skill. No wonder you spent so much time training John.''

"His power is truly a force to be reckoned with," Hikaru sipped from a glass of wine. "He may have awakened his Zanpakuto early, but that does not mean he had full control over it."

''I didn't have control over Itoyanagi when I first achieved Bankai. Heck, I don't have full control over it's power now.'' Nodoka paused. You don't think that John is close to achieving Bankai now, do you?

Hikaru closed his eyes. "Right now, he's falling free into the ocean. He only has a few moments to recover and dodge the next attack."

''That doesn't answer my question, Hikaru. This isn't like you to avoid questions.''

"What are you talking about, Nodoka?" asked Rukia. "Hikaru doesn't answer when something doesn't need-"

"John has no Bankai," answered Hikaru.

What?

Rukia furrowed her brow. "Hikaru! At least let me finish!"

"I'm sorry, Rukia," He kissed her forehead and hugged her gently. "Can you please forgive me?"

Rukia nuzzled closer to Hikaru, "Oh, you're just so sweet. I can't stay mad at you." She smiled and kissed his neck.

Hikaru...topic at hand?

"Right, right." Hikaru settled into the couch caressing his wife. "When I first met John, I noticed something very interesting about him and his Zanpakuto."

Nodoka was interested now.

"His Zanpakuto, Akireiki, gave off the feeling that it was only part of a complete Zanpakuto."

Part of? Question overshadowed Nodoka's usually stoic face.

"Akireiki is Autumn's Chill when translated into English. Autumn is one of the 4 seasons, so what can you take from that?"

There are 3 others with season-based Zanpakuto? answered Nodoka.

"That's what I thought at first, but then I took a good look at John's reitatsu. It looked like it was under a heavy Gentei Kaijo."

Nodoka was silent, even in his mind. Rukia looked up at her husband and asked, "What are you saying, Hikaru?"

"If my guess is right," started Hikaru. He paused, then ended with, "John Kakusei was born with Bankai-like abilities."

Return to the Fight: Arise
"You got lucky to dodge my attack, boy," Ryūketsu thought as he reared around, and propelled downwards after his opponent, moving at faster speeds than the free falling body, "your arm would be feeling like its dipped in molten lava with how much pain that would be running through your body. Had I actually wounded you, you might actually be suffering from a seizure or a heart attack from how painful it would be..."

SHFT!

"But its over for you!" Ryūketsu thought, as he used Flash Step, appearing directly below the free falling boy, just above the surface of the ocean. As the falling frame of his opponent would be nearing closer, Ryūketsu slashed his blade in sync with the falling form, intending on cutting a clean line through the man's head just above his nasal cavity. If nothing else, Ryūketsu would inflict a grazing blow and a mind-shocking inducement of outrageous pain.

John slipped in and out of consciousness. Pain...dark...pain...dark...more dark...snow? John lay in a snowy field, light flakes of ice melting on his back. John blinked. He felt no cold. In fact, he felt normal. A figure approached him from the flurries. "You have awakened me, John Kakusei."

"Who are you?" John asked. He noticed Akireiki was with him, and in it's Akumukokkaku form. "I still have my sword, so what is this place?"

"It is your inner world, John," Akireiki spoke.

"AH!" John dropped his blade and took a few steps back.

"YIPE! It's cold! Why did you drop me, idiot!" The blade shivered. "You may not feel the cold, but I do! I'm an autumn, not a winter!"

"Sorry," John picked up Akireiki and inspected it. "Wait, my inner world?" He looked at the figure, who appeared to be a snow princess of some kind. Her pale beauty almost drove John to blushing, "If we're in the world of Zanpakutō, then who is she?"

"I am the next power you shall receive, John," She answered. "We haven't much time. You are close to hitting the water, and if you do, you will die."

"What?" John was taken aback. "Well, what do I do?"

"Call out my name," responded the princess.

"But I don't know your name," said a nervous John.

"Your master always said never to have doubts in battle, right?" She was angry now. "How could you pick a time like this to be quivering? You have already held your own against someone far superior to a Captain-class Soul Reaper! Of all the times, why on earth would you falter now?!"

She's right, John took in all of her words. ''She's right. If I retreat, I die. So instead...'' "I'll fight to my last breath!"

The princess smiled, "Don't get too hyped up. You should still be alive when the others awaken."

"Others?" John asked, then slapped his face. "I'll worry about that later. Right now, I need to recover from that attack!"

"Good," the princess walked closer to John, "Just remember..." she playfully nipped his nose, and kissed him lightly. "to always stay warm in the winter."

Back in reality, John closed in on the water and Ryūketsu. He opened his eyes and turned to face him, "Cover everything, Fuyu No Arashi!" A great ice shield separated the combatants, falling to the dark ocean below with Ryūketsu beneath it.

TK-SCRAAAAAPE!!!

"What is this-?!" Was Ryūketsu's last thoughts voiced as his blade slashed out and into what looked like an incredibly swift projection of ice that his blade couldn't penetrate. A shield that pummeled him directly into the ocean below, with a thunderous crash of water in all directions, sending a colossal wave of water towards the battle-wrecked shore and struck the giant gate barrier from earlier with enough force to almost send it to the ground.

"I understand...what he is now...!"

"YES!" John jumped with delight. "I AM EPIC!" He laughed and danced on the ice until he slipped and fell down. "Ouch..."

"This is our master?" asked Fuyu No Arashi.

Akireiki sighed, "Sadly, yes."

John stood back up, "OK, we're agreed that the last attack wasn't the decider of the battle, right?"

"Yep," answered Fuyu No Arashi.

"No shitaki, Sherlock," retorted Akireiki.

"And we all agree that playing 'Fun, Fun, Fun' by the Beach Boys right after we destroyed most of the Californian coast would be in poor taste, right?"

"Yep."

"Totally, but we'll still play it anyway, right?"

"I think we have more important things to worry about," stated Fuyu No Arashi. "Such as me having the nickname Yukihime since it sounds prettier, and the fact that John doesn't know what I look like."

John brought Fuyu No Arashi to eye level. It was an elegant scimitar with the characters 雪 姫 (Yuki Hime) on the blade. The blade's whiteness could cause snow-blindness if stared at for too long, so John could only examine in short bursts. ''She was a 10/10 babe when I saw her in the Zanpakutō world. No wonder I'd go blind by staring at her blade form.''

Inside the World of Zanpakutō, Yukihime blushed.

Cl-Click...

The ice that John began standing on began to crack around him. Deep within the recesses of the ocean's depths, what could be heard was a faint rumbling, a blazing red light shining beneath John's soles. That clicking soon turned into audible cracking...

C-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

...and then the cracks turned into...

SPRAAAACK-SHIIIIIIIIING!

...dozens of barbed chains that sought to wrap around, pulverize, and shred his body, with each pass having muscular numbing properties. Ryūketsu started his counterattack, and he wasn't even on the surface of the water in trying!

''OPTIONS! NOW!'' John frantically asked his Zanpakutō.

Let me lead, said a quiet Yukihime. John's eyes were overshadowed light blue, and he swung his sword to the ground yelling, "Fubuki!" A wave of air propelled John to the air about 300 meters away from the grip of the chains. Now it was visible that he held Fuyu No Arashi in his left, and Akireiki in his right.

''Whew! Fast thinking.''

You're our master, retorted Yukihime. You're the one who should do the fast thinking around here.

John surveyed the area below. He's probably still underwater, so... He lifted up Fuyu No Arashi. "Enclose, Hōhyō!" The ice platforms began to converge on Ryūketsu.

VRRROAAAAAAR!!!

Within the water's thunderous shaking, suddenly the water began to shake and spin, with a slowly rising Ryūketsu at its epicenter. The maelstrom generated crushed the ice around him, as electric tendrils of his ravaging, dark Spiritual Pressure created a nearly constant whirlpool of water circle around him the size of a football field in width. His eyes glared vehemently at John, as he raised his blade in his direction, speaking lowly, "Zainin Hitsugi!"

VOOM-SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-CLANG!

A energized stream of Spiritual Power discharged from his blade and into the atmosphere, directly in John's path. Within near seconds, the dark clouds above John manifested three pillars of energy that transformed into clad-black, morbid appearing slabs to surround John on all sides, latching together to form a suffocatingly tight prison. If one would see from the outside...it clearly looked like a prisoner's coffin from Hell!

"Shūryō Shiki no Uzu: Me!" John swung his blades in a clockwise fashion from ground perspective whipping up a huge twister preventing the blades inside the box of death to come near John. The coffin around John slid down the twister into the watery depths below. John smiled and held out Fuyu No Arashi to show Ryūketsu. "She's a definite keeper!"

The Chill of Winter in Silicon Valley
"As I expected," the Hantā spoke as he rose to the air with a Death Step, "walking" across the air-space while holding his Shikai aloft and studiously narrowing his eyes, keeping a stoic expression as he spoke out, "your Zanpakutō was actually a Dual Zanpakutō-type to begin with. You just didn't have the strength or resolve to manifest it until now. That's why you couldn't control your Zanpakutō individually...it had the output of something close to a Bankai when it should've been divided evenly between your two Spirits within you..."

John scratched his head and chuckled. "Well, I'm not even sure if it's that. See..." he held up Akireiki. "When I converse with Akireiki in the Zanpakutō World, I'm in an area surrounded by trees in fall, and he's a man similar to my build." He held Fuyu No Arashi to where Ryūketsu could see clearly. "My new one, Fuyu No Arashi, appeared as a snow princess of sorts, and she was in a world of snow alone. And even Akireiki felt uncomfortable there, and he was still in blade form." John readied himself. "They're totally unrelated swords, yet I feel as though they are connected somehow. And I have another piece of information. Yukihime mentioned 'others'."

"What...?!" Ryūketsu's eyes widened, halting his advance entirely at this revelation, "this...boy...student of the famed Yonkō, Hikaru Kurosaki...has more than two Zanpakutō spirits?!" With this in mind, Ryūketsu realized that this boy's strength was mroe than he gave him credit for. To have the ability to manifest two separate Zanpakutō Spirits is a feat few can accomplish, let alone Twin Zanpakutō Spirits. But to harness the power of Three, let alone Four is something that could rival the power of the most seasoned if not most Powerful Captains of the Gotei 13!

This prospect...led Ryūketsu to make a rare smile, that turned into laughter. Laughter that was filled with both anticipation and irony, raising his face to the sky while covering his face while still grinning in a sadistic, malicious fashion, "You are definitely a student of a Yonkō, boy. To think Hikaru found someone who could wield this kind of power in time...you could rival anything the Gotei 13 has ever concieved in over a thousand years! HAHAHAHAH! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"