Dark Horizon - Distant Thunder

Kill the Shadows, The Tide of Darkness Cometh
Ominous thunder.

That was the only thing that could be heard, upon the tall scaling heights of the Seireitei's wall. With all but a necessary company of Shinigami patrolling the outer walls, the Rukonagi Districts were bare in its entirety due to the extreme threat that was imposed from the horizon beyond them. For all the citizens knew, it was a terrible storm, one that hasn't wrought upon the Soul Society for over a thousand years.

They'd only be half right.

Behind the flashes of lightning, crimson in hue, and the deafening booms of thunderclaps lied a powerful gait of spiritual pressure. Its malicious presence was constant and unwavering. The very fact that the moment the Scouting Parties, accompanied by the Stealth Force Commander, and even Yoruichi Shihōin who was sent but a mere few minutes ago to investigate hadn't been heard from. Their presences were swallowed by the darkness and the ominiscient spiritual pressure that dominated the landscape.

"Sure taking their time," Renji muttered aloud, leaning upon his hands as he looked across the ghastly foreboding stretch of dark clouds heading their way. His body tense, with his fur-laced coat flourishing over his being and his goggles receded up upon his forehead. He wished that he could jump down and enter the fray now, rather than wait for an unknowing threat to come their direction.

Having dealt with the Stern Ritters of the past, he thought he would be better suited to handle such levels of nervous anxiety. But he couldn't shake off something awful was coming. Like a spider crawling up his spine, he could tell the looming threat was nearly upon them, but not enough to be noticed just yet.

"Renji..." Rukia said to him, appearing by his side with a Flash Step. She looked a tad more worried than he did, staring off into the distant, dark horizon with clear concern and anxiety in her expression and stature. Despite this, there was still a steadfast aura about her; she never was one to cower in the face of something dreadful such as this, but at that same time, had Soul Society ever encountered anything of this nature in it's history. "... have we heard anything from Captain Suì-Fēng and her team?" she asked him while keeping her attention diverted towards the looming storm.

"Not a peep. Kinda strange, considering our cheery comrade's pedigree for timeliness and keeping everyone appraised of her status," Renji quipped with a bored, yet solemn tone, regarding Rukia with a sideglance and nothing more. The exhale coming out of his mouth signified his own hidden worry, but nothing of the utmost immediate concern as his childhood friend was expressing, "has the Captain Commander decided what we're going to do? Or are we going to keep sitting on our asses until whatever's out there comes to knock on our doors?"

"Until further notice." the black haired woman replied, turning her attention towards the several dozen wavering Shinigami on their right and left flanks. "We're to remain here and immediately report any new developments with the storm..." she continued, resting the bottom of her left wrist on the pommel of her katana, before slowly grabbing it in a cautionary pose. "Truth be told... I honestly don't want to see anything new from that storm... something feels terribly wrong here Renji."

"Well, if you didn't feel anything wrong about this whole damned thing, I would be the one worrying instead," Renji quipped back. Turning his face towards her to wink at her with confidence, he spoke aloud with mustered courage, "with the way things turned out last time, I'm pretty sure we can handle whatever is thrown our way, right?"

His question wouldn't be given the time to be answered.

Within the corner of his eyes, and all those with the appropriate view within the Soul Society, a magnanimous eliptical explosion split the darkness within the horizon. Darkness was illuminated, the Stealth Force Commander's spiritual pressure spiking and briefly clashing with that of the omniscient spiritual pressure of the unknown menace. The distance, while it being nearly a dozen kilometers, still generated a fierce shockwave of blistering winds to strike at the Rukonagi Districts facing it.

Buildings on the outer proximity crumbled instantaneously, while windows and streets shattered, with only the more prominent area surrounding the Sekkiseki wall being relatively untouched. Many Shinigami, including Renji, lifted up their arms to shield their eyes from the wind and dust-carried debris that flew towards them, barely retaining their calm visages at the sight of the infamously destructive Bankai power.

Then, just like that, the spiritual pressure of Sui-Feng had been silenced like a flickering flame on a candle.

"Holy Hell, did you see that?!" One Shinigami said aloud.

"That was Sui-Feng-sama's Bankai! It had to be!" Another shouted.

"Did she kill whatever's out there? Is she still alive?" The third questioned aloud.

"CUT THE CHIT-CHAT!" Renji shouted from above, angrily flailing an arm high above from the wall's top, "stay on your guard! Whatever Captain Sui-Feng fired her Bankai at isn't dead yet! Remain vigilant!"

Rukia's eyes remained fixed on where the explosion had taken place. It had shaken her to her core, not the explosion, but the speed in which Sui-Feng's energy had risen and then completely vanished. it was merely a couple of seconds, and her presence was gone entirely. She'd felt the death of a Captain before, since the time of Yamamoto's defeat at the hands of Yhwach, but this death was so much... colder.

"Captain Sui-Feng..." she said with a slightly tremble in her tone. "...she's dead."

"Mourn later, Rukia," Renji spoke in a solemn, stern tone. An outstretched hand rested upon her right shoulder, squeezing it with empathetic emphasis, as well as to alert her to what his eyes were widely staring at, "her murderer is on its way here and fast."

What would be seen as the source of the storm, billowed forth towards them in a column of smog and shadow. Crimson tendrils crackled along its path, as it decimated everything it came into contact with, moving at incredible velocity with great momentum.

Before it would reach halfway, Renji raised his right hand out with a commanding tone, "Get into positions! Release your Zanpakutō and prime your Kid ō for offensive fire!"

All the Shinigami below steeled themselves in front of the gate guardian, whom had been adamantly and gravely silent the entirety of the incident's start. A series of synchronized incantations were heard, releasing various blades into their evolved and truest forms, while others lined up and culminated the energy necessary for their Kid ō to reach its fullest potency for attack.

The next event would be one that none of them would see coming.

From the center of the shadows in the distance, a bright orange light suddenly appeared. It was slightly smaller than the explosion triggered by Sui-Feng's Bankai, but it was actually coming towards the wall. Upon further observation, they would all see that the very Bankai they had witnessed just mere seconds ago was being thrown back at them.

"Get back!!!" Rukia screamed, immediately using a Flash Step to leap back from where she stood on the wall, only hoping that Renji would follow her. Within that instant, the missle-like Bankai slammed into the gate below the wall from which they previously stood, resulting in a colossal explosion that flung the gates from their hinges, while also obliterating most of the Shinigami on the wall just above it.

Renji's eyes opened widely upon reflex. He could sense the spiritual pressure, let alone see the blurring projectile heading towards them, as Sui-Feng's once more. What the Hell were they dealing with?!

Leaping back with a powerful leap from his legs, his body zoomed like a missile away from the imminently destroyed barricade. Whatever was trying to head into the Soul Society was breaking in, one way or another, whether they liked it or not.

But one being managed to muster the courage to stride towards the attack the geyser of smog thrust their way.

"HEAD BACK INTO THE SEIREITEI, SHINIGAMI!" Jidanb ō yelled aloud, his gargantuan frame moving like a bullet train towards the golden stinger warhead, rearing back both of his newly prized axes, "I SHALL MINIMIZE THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE TO THE GATE!"

"Jidanb ō-!" A Shinigami began to say, aghast that such a kind and noble soul would sacrifice himself so needlessly. However, he and the rest of the Shinigami that heard Rukia's cry, having seen a glimpse of the rocket screaming their way, began employing Flash Step, one of them hauling away the hesitant comrade with them as fast as they were able.

As the missile neared but mere meters away, Jidanb ō swung with all of his might with both axes, shouting at the top of his lungs in a valiant warcry, "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!!"

As the axes burrowed through the surface of the missile, derailing its momentum and velocity downwards, the explosion engulfed him along with the entirety of the Rukonagi district facing the gate. An eliptical explosion ballooned to all directions, billowing upwards like an enormous tsunami of golden-white flames and super-heated destruction. While the Sekkiseki walls deflected the majority of the spirit energy that was thrust in its direction, the gate itself, was annihilated within seconds into brittled wood fragments.

As a column of smoke breached into the Seireitei's living area, hundreds of Shinigami braced themselves a good distance away from the destroyed gate that once kept them and the enemy apart. Now, with Renji and Rukia landing among their midst, the first line of defense had all been shattered and the enemy free to enter the divine territory of the Shinigami and purified souls alike.

"What the Hell...was that...thing...using Captain Sui-Feng's Bankai?!" Renji snarled out with vindictive rage, as his jaw audibly tightened with the pressure equally his fists tightened with.

"It may have redirected it if she had tried to fire it again." Rukia said with an observant tone, having drawn her Zanpakuto and holding it defensively. "But if she had died after the first explosion, how would she have been able to fire it again?" She wouldn't have time for the answer. For at that moment, the shadows which were seen from afar began to pour into the opening within the wall. Shinigami were quickly devoured by it's maw, and the force of it's charge was enough to shatter the buildings around them.

The Blight had begun.

"The Hell is that thing?!"

"They're screaming! Oh gods, we need to get out of here!"

"What is it doing?!"

A number of outright escalmations were heard above the inaudible screams and shouts of panic that spread through the ranks of Shinigami. The smog seemed to overcome them, and due to the nigh visibility, it was impossible to say what was happening to the victims. One thing was clear, the momentum was great enough to reduce structures to rubble instantaneously within proximity of its movement. It warranted enough caution to not engage lightly.

It was here, that Renji had enough.

"STAY THE HELL BACK, FREAK!" Renji snarled out, taking a large step forward whereas the others fled from the oncoming bog. With a vibrant flash of crimson light, Renji's Spiritual Pressure was let loose, cracking the foundation of the ground in front of Rukia and along the path the living smoke was to take.

Unsheathing his blade, he coated his spiritual power along its edge and swung it at a blurring speed, cutting through the animated mass of energy and halting its progress indefinitely. The explosion, compressed energy, and the sword's swing pressure was enough to momentarily buy them a moment's reprieve from the animated mass of death.

Rukia's Zanpakutō then shined with a white light, transforming into her signature white katana. She stabbed it's tip into the ground in front of her four times, before pointing the weapon forward at the hindered mass of shadows. "Tsugi no mai..." she started, as white spiritual energy began to mass around her and her glowing weapon.

'''"Hakuren!!" '''she shouted, thrusting the weapon forward and unleashing a massive blast of solid white energy. All things between her and the impeding darkness were immediately frozen upon making contact, and even the mass of darkness became frozen in it's place, at least, part of it was. It was certainly spreading to other parts of the Seireitei, but at least her attack might have slowed it down.

"Dammit, this thing is still spreading!" Renji swore as he saw the outer edges snaking along the Seireitei's buildings and pavement. He was on the verge of heading to one end to halt its advance, while also inquire if Rukia would do the same, when a familiar burst of powerful spiritual pressure filled the air.

It felt cold, controlled, and tempered as what would appear to be two dragons of ice flourish towards the two opposing ends of devouring smoke, freezing with absolute power and control.

"Looks like I got here just in time," T ōshir ō Hitsugaya spoke coolly, as his being flourished down from the air onto the ground between Rukia and Renji. He was followed by a cohort of fellow Shinigami forces, standing a good distance back knowing the gravity of the situation, with only a handful treading behind T ōshir ō's rear flank.

"Captain Hitsugaya." Rukia addressed the superior after his statement, still holding her weapon in a defensive stance. "Have we learned anything about this creature?"

"We barely received communication before Captain Sui-Feng...was dispatched," the white-haired Captain spoke grimly, his eyes turning to the frozen mass of shadows, "it seems that the origin of this spiritual pressure coaligned with our earlier speculations. It is from Hell."

"W-What?!" Renji's eyes widened with disbelief, taking a step back as he looked over his shoulder at the blackened ice, "you mean to tell me that thing...swallowed up the Captain and the others, came from Hell?!"

"I've only just got here. What do you mean, swallowed, Lieutenant?" the Captain asked with a disconcerted, widened gaze.

"Captain Sui-Feng's Spiritual Signature faded just mere moments ago." Rukia inserted in Renji's place. "It was after the first explosion and before the second one that was just repelled. And since I can no longer feel her presence either..." she continued, hesitating due to the surrealness of their situation. "... we have to assume that Yoruichi was also consumed by this darkness."

"How awful!" Rangiku responded from her Captain's side, her hands going up to her mouth as her eyes widened with adamant horror. Captain Hitsugaya's eyes widened and his complexion paled, as the ramifications of losing two noteworthy allies in a matter of minutes was detrimental for the start of this conflict.

"Well, whatever it is, how do you kill something that looks like shadows?" Renji asked dumbly, his eyes glaring at the writhing mass trapped within the spiritually woven ice.

His answer wouldn't come the way he expected.

"Kill shadows....?"

A writhing, hissing and echoed voice spoke out, followed by the sound of bending metal. This would turn out to actually be the shadows slowly bending itself out of Hitsugaya and Rukia's ice barrier, both of which were completely shattered into bits of shining dust as the shadows would lunge out for all of them. However, rather than consume them like expected, the writhing mass of darkness would split into several thick tendrils that wrapped around each member of the group's body right up to their shoulders.

''"Darkness cannot be destroyed..." ''the voice would continue. From each individual tendril, another tendril would emerge right in front of the captured Shinigami. From the completely terror-stricken Rukia's perspective, the center of the newly emerged tendril would contain a glowing red orb, almost like an eye staring into her soul.

''"So long as you walk my earth... darkness can never fade..." ''it would continue, as the shadows from the orb-tendril slowly moved towards the young Vice Captain's face, preparing to consume her and the others whole.

"D-Dammit! Get off me, you sack of shit!" Renji snarled, as his body convulsed and writhed underneath the mass of darkness that enveloped and constricted his body. For one reason or another, he couldn't summon his spiritual pressure to repel its substance away from his proximity.

"Unhand me-!" T ōshir ō growled as he too tried to shrug off his own prison of shadows. His eyes averted from his own prison to Rangiku's, widening with sheer horror as he saw his Lieutenant struggling and giving into panic, "Rangiku!"

"No-no-no-no-no!" Rangiku spluttered with a paled complexion, her eyes wide and filled with fright, as her blue irises stared into the crimson light that was the mass's own "eye".

Many other Shinigami cowered, shouted, and screamed as they were wrapped within the mass that had freed itself so suddenly. None seem to have the capacity to free themselves, let alone save each other. It looked as if it would be but mere moments before they would suffer the same fate Yoruichi Shih ōin and Sui-Feng had...!

That is, until an ominous voice called out all around them.

" Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer..."

Instantaneously, a white blur would erupt from the shadows itself in all directions. Every Shinigami, all three Lieutenants, and the Captain alike would see a dance of velvet flower designed kimono and white in front of them. Every tendril that had presented itself as constricting prisons and would-be maws would be severed, dissipating into smoke before disappearing into the air.

As all the afterimages of their rescuer disappeared, only one would remain solid. With a pair of silver-edged scimitars in each hand, the eye-patched and straw-hat toting Captain Commander appeared between Rukia and Renji with a nonchalant smile on his face as he finished his release command, "Katen Kyōkotsu."

"Shunsui's speed...he moved too fast for me to follow, even while using his Kageoni technique," Captain Hitsugaya thought with revered awe, as he fell to a crouch with a gasp in his breaths. It felt like being thrust into a warm blanket, being released from the shadow's cold and deadly embrace. He could only thank his current superior with a relieved sigh as he stood back straight up, noting that Rangiku was comically kissing the ground with overjoyed thankfulness, "its a good thing we have a competent Commander, even if he's slow to act."

"Commander!" Rukia said aloud in response to Shunsui's arrival, thankful that he came when he did.

The mass of shadows initially screeched, with most of it's form rearing back and changing into the shape of what appeared to be a massive worm. The consistant wave that had poured into Seireitei was still plowing through the area, but it seemed that the area where Shunsui and the others stood was right at the center of the being's entirety.

The worm then pulled it's head back, before thrusting it down just a few feet from the group, unleashing a hellish roar from it's "mouth" of which appeared to be full of fire.

"That thing's breath makes me want to retch!" Renji muttered in annoyance, as waves of foul breath billowed the air around them and the Shinigami behind them.

"Seems I made someone cranky," Shunsui chuckled with a snarky tone, as his right hand raised up to grasp his straw hat. Turning to face the roaring entity, he looked up at its fire-filled maw with a mocking grin, "did I hurt you, big fella? Wouldn't you say that's fair, when you've already hurt my subordinates, hm?"

As he spoke, Captain Hitsugaya's eyes darted left and right, seeing the mass of shadows resume its offensive advance into the Seireitei. Raising his blade back up into the air, he shouted aloud, "You're not going anywhere!"

With a violent burst of blue-white spiritual energy around his being, causing his Haori, scarf, and hair to flourish wildly, he discharged two ice dragons up into the air. Arcing over to the mass of shadows, they dove into the mass once again, freezing it solid and making it immobile for whatever time it could.

It wouldn't be as simple as the last time it was frozen, however, as the shadows themselves seemed to entirely consume the heads of the ice dragons and began following the frozen trail that they had left in their wake. Within a few seconds, it would be all over Hitsugaya and his surrounding area and consume both him and the others as well.

"Now, Rangiku!" Tōshirō shouted aloud, having waited until the shadow tendrils were nearly upon them to command her to strike.

"Growl," Rangiku uttered lowly, swinging her blade out to the size, creating a twister of ash to swirl violently around them in the path of the devouring shadows. Before the shadows could touch the grains, Rangiku vibrantly pulsed with an aura of orange spiritual power, as she swiped with blinding speed with her blade-less hilt, "Haineko!"

Expanding at an indefinite rate, the twister of ash seemed to explode outwards in an eliptical shockwave, cutting apart the shadows with frightening speed. Flowing past the point of which they originated, the body of Haineko's blade shredded the encroaching mass of darkness, reducing its advance indefinitely, before returning back into its sealed state.

"Divide and start erecting sealing barriers!" T ōshir ō commanded the Shinigami, whom were standing a good distance away from the chaotic shadowy force threatening them.

"Right!" They responded in unison, dispersing in the general opposing directions of the Seireitei, lining up as they got ready to prep the Kid ō.

"Now, now," Shunsui chided the beast, walking towards it while keeping his scimitars aloft near the ground, his single eye regarding it warily as he smiled disarmingly at the grotesque abomination, "that's no way to treat a host. When you take the time to speak to my subordinates, I expect to be given the same courtesy. Can't we talk in a more civilized manner, hm?"

The worm like formation inched it's face closer and closer into Shunsui's vicinity. It uttered a low, gutteral sound as he too was coming closer towards it. And then, the unexpected would take place.

"Of course we can..."

From the top of the shadow worm's head would slowly emerge a small, feminine like figure, shrouded in darkness as well. At that same time, a hauntingly familiar voice would ring in their ears. Finally, the being atop the worm would fully emerge. From the waist up would be Sui-Feng; her eyes glowing red, and her grinning teeth sporting vampiric fangs. She still wore her Stealth Force uniform, but a chunk of her rib cage's skin was missing, exposing her bones and part of her insides, showing the amount of damage she had taken in the earlier battle.

''"...COMMANDER!!!!" ''she screeched, lowering her face down quickly so that all would see her.

A series of mixed enraged and horrified reactions were heard.

"Bastard!" Renji shouted, barely restraining himself from letting loose every ounce of power boiling within and striking the demonic serpent. To defile her image in such a manner, struck to the core of his being. It was a very clear insult to the Shinigami whom it now faced.

Rukia was utterly frozen at what she saw. The formerly valiant and honorable Stealth Force Captain was now nothing more than a puppet to be used by this hell abomination. The visage and the terrible wounds on her person made her want to wretch.

T ōshir ō himself winced, grimacing at the unkind fate that befell his colleague. Held out as a prisoner and a speaking avarice for this twisted creature, he tried to avert his eyes from her wounded chest and keep a watchful eye for future movements from its writhing mass that currently lied still.

Rangiku herself felt her shiver and cringe at the sight. Her forehead enamored with beading sweat, knowing she could've been just like Sui-Feng, and selfishly thanked her Captain Commander from saving her from such a dark fate. She just hoped no one else would be devoured by the abomination standing leering over them.

The Captain Commander, finally, after taking a moment to visibly recoil at the horrifying sight of his assumedly deceased subordinate and comrade screaming in his face, recovered his vigor. Despite not holding a smile, he managed to resume his more hospitable tone as he kept himself from retching at the sight of the beautiful woman hung out in mock effigy for all to see, "I'd like to ask what you intend on doing here in the Soul Society. Depending on your answer, I may spare you any further pain upon your person. Answer poorly, and I can't guaruntee you'll have a nice trip back to Hell."

''"You would threaten me...?" ''the possessed Sui-Feng would ask him, rearing down to be just a few feet from his own face while still grinning madly. ''"You have no leverage over me, God of Death. Your land has been laid low from me simply raising my feet. Nothing that you can do right now will stop me. In fact..." ''

It reared itself back and spread it's arms apart, raising an eyebrow as it spoke to him more. "Why don't you go ahead and send me back to Hell, in the harshest way possible?"

"Well, that's unfortunate," Shunsui allowed himself to sigh, lowering his gaze as his right hand reached up and pulled his straw hat down enough to conceal his visage, "I was hoping you'd be more reasonable. Oh well, I guess if you're intending on staying, might as well do the hospitable thing and make sure...you're comfortable."

When he spoke those words, five binding pillars of Gochūtekkan energy would drop out of the sky atop the serpent's body. From the points of impact, dozens of of H ōrin orange-golden energy ropes sprouted from the points of contact, wrapping around the body into a tight vice grip. This included the exposed body of Sui-Feng to be kept from being submerged once more.

"Sorry I took so long," Nanao Ise, 1st Division Lieutenant responded as she appeared a few meters behind her superior. A few beads of sweat bore down her browline, showing an indication of the exertion she placed into the Kid ō, "using full incantations while masked by Kyokko...took a little longer than expected."

"You did fine, Nanao," Shunsui turned his gaze briefly over his shoulder to regard his Lieutenant with a grim smile, "now just step back and let me take care of this."

"Yessir," She responded with a bowed head, backpedaling away with a dashing leap, making sure to stand among the other experienced warriors whom stood firm in the face of such adversity.

"Now then," Shunsui turned his gaze to glare coolly back at the snake who held the corpse of his dear compatriot, "about that trip to Hell I was talking about..."

The being was instantly pulled down under the weight of the newly summoned Kidō. The expression of the possessed Sui-Feng expressed an initial sense of surprise when it found it's waist bounded by the orange ropes of energy, but it slowly became a toothy smirk and a low chuckle. ''"Do you believe that she is within redemption, this vessel of mine?" ''it spoke in a raspy voice, before it started to flinch. "Very well, then you might have her, but do hurry, I don't believe she's going to last long..."

With that, from the waist down, Sui-Feng's body was split from the monster, and fell to the ground in front of Shunsui. Her signs were very faint and falling... but she was still alive.

"Gaugh!" Sui-Feng breathed out raggedly, as her eyes opened with dim life behind them, her fists clenching instinctively.

"She's still alive!" Rangiku began to speak hopefully. Any advances were deterred by a morose stare that was shared with Renji, determining that she really did not have much time left.

"Hey," Shunsui whispered lowly, brushing one of his sword-gripping fingers over her messy bangs, "its going to be alright soon..."

"Kaff! You...and...I...know...better, C-Captain Commander," Sui-Feng coughed a bitter reply, as she smiled humorlessly with clenched eyes.

Shunsui couldn't respond, holding a tenderly saddened gaze at his dying comrade. Seeing someone with such iron will and nerve reduced to this, truly tore him up inside.

"I-It...tore...Y-Yoruichi...s-sama...apart," Sui-Feng's eyes watered with tears, choking on her own blood as she struggled to look up at him with desperate eyes, "d-don't...underestimate it. Make sure...you...destroy it...for...her...sake...if...not for mine!"

"That's the plan," Shunsui spoke lowly, his eyes now covered by the shadow of his own straw hat.

"End...my...suffering...S-Shunsui...san," Sui-Feng begged, clenching her tear-ridden eyes as blood trickled out of her mouth and over her prostrate chin.

Nodding with understanding, Shunsui lifted up his right-handed blade, inverting it just above her head. With a swift impaling motion, Sui-Feng's breath halted and her mutilated body stopped twitching. Releasing the blade from her skull, he watched as her body began to dematerialize, turning to a breath of spirit energy to flow into the wind and be carried away from the battle scarred landscape.

''"Torn apart is putting it lightly..." ''the shadow-serpent taunted in a bemused manner. Without warning, the Kido restraints binding it were shattered with a slight hint of exertion. It then began to lower itself back down, but more tendrils were emerging from both of the worm's sides. On it's back, wings began to sprout, and all the while, a glowing red eye was at the front of the beast's body, staring directly into Shunsui's area. "...and a mercy compared to what would have been, had you not killed her. But I wonder if you'll ask yourself: could you have saved her?"

Shunsui's blades would be held aloft, slightly shown in a pair of trembling hands. His visage would be obscured by his hat and his downtrodden angle. He remained eerily silent, as a number of individuals would arrive in earnest upon the battlefield a dozen meters behind him.

A stern duo, Kensei Muguruma, Sh ūhei Hisagi, would arrive beside Renji and Rukia with Mashiro Kuna just beside their flank. Rose would stand beside them, with a daunting impassive glare fixated upon the monster standing before their Captain Commander. Battle-hardened Kenpachi Zaraki, with lil Yachiru, on his shoulder would tap gracefully on the farthest angle, staring idly at the beast responsible for the carnage with an excited grin. Ikkaku and Yumichika would stand behind their Captain with mixed feelings about the atmosphere they were plunged into. Mayuri Kurotsuchi and his daughter Lieutenant would appear upon a rooftop not too far away to observe safely. Shinji Hirako also stood a good distance away, with Momo Hinamori hiding behind his Haori with trepidation at the monster they were about to face.

Byakuya himself treaded just a hair behind Rukia, bearing an impassive and restrained posture, as he silently observed the event about to transpire before their eyes.

The last of which, who appeared closer to Shunsui, would be the familiar brother-in-arms, Jūshirō Ukitake.

"So this is the thing responsible for so much havoc," J ūshiro spoke with knowing as he looked up at the being of immense proportions, with caution and revulsion equally.

"J ūshiro-san," Shunsui said in a level, calm tone without turning his head towards his direction.

"S-Shunsui?" J ūshiro began to ask, before a flourish of flowers and pink velvet linen was thrown into his arms.

"Hold onto that for me," he said pointedly, raising his Zanpakut ō into a 'X' stance, as his eye glared coolly up at the dragonic abomination, "I'm going...go a little wild now. Won't be needing that torn up when I'm done with it."

"I-" J ūshiro began to argue, before biting his tongue. Lowering his head with a sigh, noting the bizarrely malformed landscape and the death that hung in the air. Nodding with agreement, he employed Flash Step, whispering faintly, "good luck."

"Are you ready?" Shunsui asked rhetorically up at the beast before him, scraping his Zanpakut ō against each other in an audibly grated pitch, producing a shower of sparks to light up his enshrouded face.

By this point, the mass of shadows had taken on a new form. From the worm emerged a large, four legged dragon-like being, whose entire body seemed to be composed almost entirely of stone, and yet it moved like any organic beast would. Spikes adorned it's head and back, leading down to a long and flexible tail, and it's wings spread apart for several meters. The red eye that was seen earlier was now on the beast's forehead, serving as it's source of vision.

With a low snarl, the creature reared it's head back, and then unleashed a burst of yellow and black flames from it's stone mouth upon Shunsui and the rest of the group behind him.

"BAN-KAI!"

As the flames geysered towards the group, T ōshir ō took initiative with an authoritative shout. His body exploded with a maelstrom of cyan-white spiritual power, before the ice dragonic clad warrior emerged. With a single eye covered by a partial wing-christened ice helm, T ōshir ō thrust his blade into the plumes of fire, dispersing it into harmless steam within a single projective blast of flash frozen spirit energy.

"Daiguren Hy ōrinmaru!" He uttered lowly, as he floated above most of the collective band of Shinigami warriors.

Shunsui, in the meantime, had moved without the dragon noticing. As his afterimage burned away in the wake of the torrential gale of heated air, Shunsui leapt above the demon's head swinging both blades down in a vicious slash upon its exposed eye. All the while, he whispered aloud the technique to enhance the force of its blow, " Takaoni!"

Like steel slamming against solid rock, the two swords Shunsui let loose upon the beast were repelled without a second glance. The dragon like being quickly butted it's head upwards, propelling Shunsui further into the sky, but it didn't stop there. With a single beat from it's mighty wings, the beast flew upwards, directly towards Tōshirō. It's mouth opened once again, unleashing yet another burst of dark and light flame upon the ice Captain.

The others on the ground would find themselves occupied with another matter. The shadows that had entered before were still moving, and everywhere they would look, they would only see it grow. Even worse, however, was that within the larger parts of the shadows, spiritual signatures were beginning to emerge, large spiritual signatures...

"Hyōryū Senbi!" T ōshir ō cried out, discharging a large wave of freezing moisture into the gale of flames, turning it all into icy mist enshrouding the battlefield in a fog of war. During such time, the other Shinigami made their moves against the encroaching shadows that threatened to flow further into the Soul Society.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura," Byakuya declared, turning his blade as it was unsheathed slowly out of its scabbard into a storm of sakura hued razor blades. Within a swift, nigh invisible motion dictated by the twitch of his hilt-garnered hand, the storm of blades rushed forth and began shredding the shadows in front of his vicinity. As he did so, he gestureless spoke to Renji and Rukia, "conserve your strength. Let the Captains handle this matter until the utmost of importance that we require you again."

"But I can fight-!" Renji began to argue, just before the earth combusted into violent convulsions, as the semi-sentient darkness tried to fight the shimmering hyper-sped blades.

"It is the solemn duty for Captains to put their lives on the line before their subordinates. In this manner, should we fall, there will be competent successors to be left in our wake," Byakuya spoke matter-of-fact, twitching his sword hand to one side and then the other, continuing his oppression against the materialized wave of shadows, "understand?"

"Y...Yes, Captain Kuchiki," Renji reluctantly admitted, bowing his head and turning his cloaked form on his heels, leaping back a considerable distance from the battlefield to observe from "safety".

Within the vicinity of Kensei, he wordlessly unsealed his own Zanpakut ō, turning it into a trench knife that began shredding the shadows for a good distance. The waves of compressed air blades slashed swathes into the earth, through the shadows, intent on eviscerating everything in its path.

"Keep your eyes out for those signatures, Sh ūhei!" Kensei barked out, as he continued his assault upon the living darkness, "they may try and take us by surprise!"

"Yessir!" Sh ūhei nodded with confirmation, unsheathing his Zanpakut ō  promptly and waiting for an opening to intervene.

Kenpachi Zaraki barely paid the shadows any heed, as his dense spiritual pressure created a near perfect wall of disintegrative energy that caused the shadows to fall short of its advance. Keeping his sword firmly laid over his shoulder, the 11th Division Captain hungrily eyed the shadows that held the strong life signs, knowing something was lurking within it. Like a hungry shark in a lake of darkness, he hoped he'd be able to tango with this new foe.

"Damned shadows aren't something I'm keen on fightin'," Shinji growled, as he discharged a wave of S ōkatsui into the swathe of shadows that attempted to skirt around the other fighters and towards his position, "makes me feel like pest control. Make sure you get any I miss, Momo-chan."

"Yes, Captain!" Lieutenant Hinamori acknowledged, as she built up a small reserve of spirit energy within the base of her palms, anticipating anything that would try and surprise attack them.

"Play, Kinshara!" Rose uttered aloud in a musical tone, as his Zanpakut ō transformed into a golden vine whip, slashing through the shadows with an intricate gesture. As he did, he played subtle sonic vibrations within its mass as it tried to reform, causing it to slow its regeneration indefinitely. Then, as he retracted the whip, he slashed the area centered from the manipulations, causing it all to explode with a sonic boom, "such ugliness will fall before my artistic grace!"

J ūshiro, having stashed the Kimono at a safe location, came back to the field of battle with sword in hand. As he eyed the flow of darkness trying to move while the demon fought Shunsui, he could only cringe at the dire circumstances. It didn't help that T ōshir ō's clashes with the dragonic entity caused fog of war, obscuring any potential attackers that may be lying in wait, but the fact that the shadows acted independantly from its host was all the more disconcerting.

The white haired comrade, however, would see Shunsui reappear from up high, coming down upon the beast like a cyan colored meteorite. With widened eyes, he then saw that Shunsui used the thrust to his advantage, and the high altitude to build up momentum to increase the force of the Takaoni to astronomical proportions.

"Takaoni!" Shunsui shouted aloud, as his being was encased with a virulent maelstrom of spiritual power, further encouraging the double-slash of his twin Zanpakut ōs upon the demon's exposed backside. With the clear intent of grounding it and causing lasting damage, he hoped that the force of his Zanpakut ō would be enough to instill some actual pain on the durable entity.

This attack, unlike the last one, would find some merit, as the dragon like being found itself yelping briefly upon the point of impact due to it's amount of force; evidenced by the shedding of a few stone scales from it's backside. However, Shunsui's hopes of grounding the monster would never be realized; in fact, they would be turned on him.

Immediately turning to face Shunsui, who had come down to his level in the air, the monster flapped it's wings in his direction, pushing it back while also unleashing a mighty brush of air upon the Commander, certain to be nearly three times the force as his own attack previously.

Shunsui found himself surprised by the force of his attacker's wings, hurtling him backwards with unintentional high velocity. It was thankful that his senses were alert to counterattack, however, as he righted himself in mid-air with a powerful discharge of spiritual pressure, cracking the ground beneath him and halting his feet to smash into a large portion of wall debris.

As soon as Shunsui was thrown off guard, T ōshir ō took the initiative to invoke his prieviously concealed trap. With the powerful gust of wind, the icy mist and steam was dispersed, revealing a pentagram of snowflake shapes around its enlarged body. As the symbols glowed a bright white light, T ōshir ō raised his blade up at the beast, one red and one azure eye gazing impassively at the beast as he turned it clockwise.

" Rokui Hyōketsujin!" T ōshir ō muttered as the ice enveloped the entire rock-laden hide of the beast, turning into a tall tower of flash freezing moisture.

"What is this...? even while frozen, the dragon's voice could still be heard, its red eye glowing in an ominous manner as it glared at Toshiro. "What base insult... you think this is worthy of containing me?"  The ice then began to shatter rather quickly, as the beast fully turned it's body to face the Captain once more. ''"I will show you a true trap... filth!!"''

Suddenly, from directly below Toshiro on the ground where the shadows lay, a massive stream of orange fire was unleashed upon him. It's source would be revealed as a somewhat larger dragonic creature as the stone one itself, taking on a much more wyvern appearance. It's body was covered in red spikes, and it didn't even appear to have eyes, but by the power of it's breath, it was clearly a force to be reckoned with. And it wouldn't be the only one. Across the Seireitei, a few more of these red wyverns would begin to pop up as well.

''"Those who live in violence will die in violence..." ''the stone dragon said idly. ''"The weak are devoured, but the strong survive. The strong absorb the power that my realm grants them, and they are granted the form of mighty wyverns. Behold... the true power of the Circle of Violence!!" ''

Even as T ōshir ō appeared to be enveloped by the uproaring geyser of exploding tongues, all of the affiliated Shinigami would share surprised glances and wide-eyed looks of terror at the sudden sign of dragons sprouting from the shadows. While the wave of darkness had halted in its aggression, the newfound force of aggression and malice took to the skies and flew over all the stout protectors of the Soul Society.

The true battle began now!

A Reaping Beatdown, Rock You Like A Hurricane!
"Freakin' Dragons swooping around the Seireitei!" Kensei muttered with near disbelief. As he eyed one of the dragons swoop over head, while the other flew to a high tower and perched on it heavily, blowing flames out of its mouth. Inverting the hold on his Shikai, he palmed it into his left hand as his spiritual pressure compressed forcefully, halting his waves of destructive wind upon the shadows that had slowed its advance.

"Should I go after those?" Sh ūhei asked, as he warily eyed both the receding wave of living shadows and the overcasting inanimate shadows the wyverns created overhead.

"Don't bother. I'm not going to beat around the bush with these guys. No sense in holding back now," Kensei spoke firmly, his eyes glaring up at one of the dragons perching. As it turned its head towards his direction, he muttered in a level, guttural tone, "Ban...kai!"

A howling whirlwind of spiritual power and air currents discharged from his person, creating a cyan vortex that would rise all the way into the darkened skies above. As it would disperse, Kensei's steel wrapped arms, back-arched brace, and twin pairs of knuckle blades signified the full release of his Zanpakut ō.

"Tekken Tachikaze!" Kensei howled out as he kicked off the ground with a mighty leap, hurtling himself at the dragon within his sight. With a right twisting thrust of his fist, Kensei created something akin to a typhoon of concussive air currents, jettisoning from his knuckles and focused through his blade's edge into the body of the dragon. Its cyan hued twister would nearly dwarf the beast in mass and barrel through it with unbridled destructive force as he would crow out with wild abandon.

The red wyvern let out a slight cry of pain as it was forced off of it's comfortable perch and into the air from Kensei's attack. However, no hole would be made in it's body, despite the force of the blow, and it simply soared back a good ways towards the Sekkesei wall. It's feet slammed into it's stone form and within just a couple of seconds, it jettisoned itself towards Kensei, furthering it's speed by giving a single beat of it's great wings. With a snarl, and the force of a freight train, it slammed it's head into the Captain, sending him reeling back a great distance.

It was through Kensei's hardened senses and skill that he prepared himself for a counterattack.

With both arms raised to block the hardened drake's headbutt, his body reeled back, flowing through the tower of which the creature had previously perched upon. Even still, Kensei employed Flash Step, using spirit energy underneath his feet to propel himself through the air like a rocket back at the airborne wyvern. As he reared back his left fist, both of his knuckle blades would transform into iron knuckles with a cyan glow.

As he struck the surface of the dragon's head, directly upon its crest, a wave of crushing and imploding force would be distributed across its skull. Even as he twisted his arm in a fully powered punch, the spiraling discharge of imploding and exploding energy would be enough to rend asunder any natural protection the beast would have between him and his Bankai's fist.

Unlike the last time, this hit wouldn't find it's mark.

As his fist came within a few feet of the beast, the wyvern's form dispersed entirely into a huge burst of flames, causing the Captain to fly straight through them. As he did, the wave of fire reassembled itself back into it's thorny red wyvern form. Upon that moment, it's long neck twisted around to where it's head was facing Kensei, and with a loud roar, it unleash an incredibly hot wave of fire upon the Captain.

A swift blurring movement would be seen as the flames engulfed his visage, signaling a tactical withdrawl from the Captain via Flash Step once more. Appearing upon the decapitated tower's newfound debris top, Kensei didn't even wince at the visible burns upon his upper arms and upper jawline. His smoking Haori and steaming arched braid flourished within the wind as his cool blue eyes sharply glared with deft analysis upon the beast that narrowly evaded and counterattacked him.

"So, this thing is what it east, hm?" Kensei thought grimly, taking his time to be examined by his opponent equally, thinking on how to handle his opponent, "this thing doesn't hit that hard but those flames are sure a problem. Not only that, but if it wasn't for the velocity of my thrust, I might've gotten scalded by his body's transmutation. Obviously he can't be flames and spew them at the same time. I wonder though..."

He reared back his left fist as he reared his body back, readying himself for attack. With a swift blurring motion, he disappeared and reappeared just below the beast. Before he'd give the animal time to react, he thrust his fist upwards, producing a much more concentrated microbursting thrust upwards, with the intent to drill through its large frame through its soft underbelly.

"Kach ūken!" Kensei growled gutturally, as he discharged his choice technique at the beast.

He will have found the perfect spot. With a pained snarl, the wyvern was flung into the skies by the force of Kensei's strike. While no direct hole was put into the creature's body, it was screeching enough to let anyone below know that it had sustained damage. The response to the attack would be much more alarming, however.

It's eyes shined yellow briefly, and as it reared it's head back, orange flames began to fume out of the corners of it's mouth. With a loud roar, it unleashed what would appear to be a sonic blast from it's gaping mouth, but as that attack barrelled towards Kensei, a white beam of purely concentrated head would come with it. The result would create a large crater in the ground, but the creature continued to hold the beam and direct it at all avenues that it was able to.