The War of Four: The Eye of the Storm

The War of Four: The Eye of the Storm is an article created by Achrones150. Use is allowed with the permission of the owner, with the exception of collaboration-created articles.

"I will always be watching over you..." This article, The War of Four: The Eye of the Storm, is the sole property of Mangetsu and cannot be used, edited, or referenced without his explicit permission, with the exception of collaboration articles.

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The War of Four: The Eye of the Storm Act I

Is this Legal? Invitation to the Seireitei!

The atmosphere felt ominous.

As V-14's Avian steed flew them across the airspace of the Soul Society. Below, their usual hideouts within the Rukon Districts, passing them by as they flew closer and more in the open than usual. With looming thunder clouds, rumbling above them and with occasional fierce winds blowing by them, the feeling of an invitation to their long enemies' headquarters became less and less appealing. At least, to some of them...

"So..." Hyōryū asked pointedly, sitting backseat with Anton in front of her and Shinshin behind her, rolling her neck side to side, "where are we going to park? Considering we're allowed into the Seireitei, I'm not sure exactly what we're supposed to do with Rika's pet."

"The Soul Society holds an alliance with Yūrei, and their police commander works very closely with the forces of the Gotei 13." Angelika explained, looking to the ones on the bird. She also had her radio earpiece on so that her allies traveling by teleportation or other means could listen it. "As far as landing zones are concerned, they won't have a problem with identifying and helping us land. Rest assured, our ride will be safe and sound." She looked over to Rika. "Frau Nakamura, keep yourself at the bird at all times. With our bad luck streak, I don't want to take any chances."

"Yes, ma'am..." Rika nodded readily.

"The rest of you, keep yourself at an alert, composed level. Remember that these aren't our enemies anymore. Any personal vendettas you hold must be suppressed. I don't care if one of the Captains kicked your pet puppy or drowned your favorite goldfish." This earned a few snickers. "We're here for negotiations and discussion, not another fight."

A slight scowl came across Anton's face. "Oh, that's right. If I had known we would be negotiating with these bastards, I would have just offed Shindō right then and there and be done with it." He said coldly. "At least then, I wouldn't have had to worry about seeing his smug face again."

"Well, negotiations probably would go less well if you killed one of their Captains, right?" Kaitlyn asked, albeit holding no patronizing or reprimanding tone. "I think that'd be a worse option than having to deal with the face of someone you hate..."

"It'd be especially unwise, as a certain enraged Lieutenant managed to calm himself and work up the courage to approach Angelika-senpai on the insistance of creating this alliance," Shinshin implored to Anton, sitting directly in front of Kaitlyn, so it was easy for him to intercede on the point further, "We haven't killed each other yet, besides a few of their footsoldiers and us being wounded by them, so its nothing of consequence they can't overlook. Yet..."

"Which is good that we haven't killed any of them, right?" Hyōryū asked to Anton, shrugging as it all made sense to her. Despite her dislikement to most Soul Reapers, a good fraction of them were actually on their side, so she couldn't say they were all bad. That, and the Lieutenant Hayate would be better as a friend than an enemy...

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to let this type of water go under the bridge..." Anton muttered, jerking his head to gesture to Angelika. "For one thing, did you see what that guy did to Angelika? That wasn't wounds. That was a full-on human barbeque. I don't even know how the hell you lived through that. I mean, I could smell the flesh sizzling, her insides were literally falling out of her body, not to mention I got a good view of the intestines, liver, kidneys and--"

"BLURGH!!!"

Rika didn't take it as well as the rest of them. She bent over the side and heaved her stomach's contents, much to Oliver's amusement. As she continued heaving, he started laughing heartily. "Gee, Anton!" He jeered, switching his gaze over to the surprised Russian. "You really get into description when talking about stuff like that, don't you? What, did you take anatomy class before you joined V-14 or something?"

"Oops..." Anton muttered. "My bad, Nakamura."

"For someone who has a girlfriend, you sure don't know the meaning of restraint, do you, Semenov-san?" Mōka asked with a snicker, sitting up front and was able to pat Rika on the back as she looked at him with an upraised brow.

"Well, my girlfriend isn't one of those pussy-foots who'd faint at the sight of a mouse." Anton answered, folding his arms across his chest. "Besides, you can blame my service under the destruction battalion for my detail. If you had been in my shoes, you'd be having the very same thing in your mind, too."

"Oh, I've got one better..." Oliver said immediately, smirking. "During my time as an Aethian soldier, I got to use a flamethrower as a weapon. When I got to using that thing, there was a whole bunch of fried chicken everywhere. I even got to seen the skin and muscle melt right off of their bones. You could even hear the flesh bubbling and splashing right on the ground--"

"O-okay, could you two please stop back there?!" Rika begged, her face a sickly green. She found herself having to lean on Mōka for support, trying to keep herself from puking again. "I think I'm going to pass out!!"

This time, both Anton and Oliver were laughing at her, and she attempted a glare over her shoulder at them.

"Making the pilot pass out is not a good idea, Anton," Hyōryū sighed, jabbing a slight punch into Anton's side before turning to glare daggers back at Oliver, "neither is it to make such dialouge in our more innocent listeners, Ollie..."

"Yeah, Ollie! Think of the children, hahahahaha!" Yajū gafawed over Oliver's joke, snickering at the dialogue as it wasn't even close to being grotesque enough to phase him.?

"Rika, I believe we're in the Seireitei's airspace," Mōka nodded to one of the barracks' courtyards, whispering to her as she tried to support the barely conscious, nauseous-feeling girl while whispering calmly, "just hang in there a little longer and we can get away from this brutes, okay?"

In response, Rika managed a grateful nod. "Y-yeah..." As best as she could, she raised her head up in order to look below her. As her eyes squinted, she could see the silhouettes of Shou and Genesis running below her, leaping from building to building. She could also see the silhouettes of what appeared to be Gotei 13 sentries, some of which were motioning in the direction of the designated landing zone.

"Kachō, this is Yoshizawa." Shou reported via radio. "I've just gotten word that the 9th Division had a landing zone within the midst of their barracks set up for us. Their Captain will be there to greet us, and I presume the Phoenix will be there as well. So at the very least, our introduction won't be as tense."

"We took out a lot of the 9th Division troops..." Yusuke said, a frown of concern on his face. "Won't they be at least a tiny bit furious at us for killing off their soldiers?"

"What, you didn't hear what the big guy said?" Oliver questioned, cocking an eyebrow and (pointedly) ignoring the glare given to him. "It's not like he's going to have his troops jump us. During my and Sis's fight against those 9th Division troops, I could practically see it in their eyes. If they're anything like their Captain, they'd prefer to destroy us in direct combat rather than something so cowardly as an ambush."

"Say, Kaitlyn, was it?" Anton, after wincing at the slight punch his girlfriend gave him, turned a curious look to the blonde girl. "I've heard that you're the head of the Taikodansō Company, which apparently has influence within the Rukongai as well as the Seireitei. Won't the Gotei 13 have issues with if it when they realize what recent operation you've been helping out with?"

"I'm willing to take my chances." Kaitlyn said simply. "Like I said before, I would've faced the very wrath of the Paladinus Primus herself if it meant saving my father. The status of my company won't override that."

Oliver grinned, wrapping an arm around his daughter's shoulders. "That's the ideal kid for you! Supporting you whenever you need it the most!"

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. "You're still a moron, though." She added, inwardly smirking at the mock look of hurt on his face. "Getting yourself captured like that was something I'd expect from my sister, but you?"

"Oh, haha, very funny, blondie..." Genesis grumbled under her breath, though making sure her radio was turned off.

"So would you mind sparing me a weapon or so?" Hyōryū leaned around, giving her best impersonation of a "puppy eye" face, as she begged, "like, the really shiny and deadly ones? Pretty please?!"

"Reduced to begging, Hyōryū-san? I'd never thought I'd live to see the day," Shadō spoke over the radio with a bemusing tone, as he ran through the shadows, weaving in and out to keep up with the two Daitenshi's pace.

"S-Shut up, Shadō!" Hyōryū blushed slightly at the remark before returning her begging gaze to Kaitlyn, entirely serious in wanting to recieve a weapon in exchange for a brief drop in her dignity.

Of course, Kaitlyn didn't mind.

In fact, she seemed all too ready. Her eyes widened, and she gave an enthusiastic smile at the request. "Of course!" She said. "After all, I do owe you after your assistance, even if it was indirect at best. I'll even put a discount on what you choose to get for the occasion."

The dialogue made Oliver roll his eyes, and he slid his arm off of Kaitlyn's shoulders to fold both of them across his chest. "Of course. The moment she knows about a weapons dealer, the first thing she does is attempt to make friends." He drawled. "You're such a whore when it comes to bullets, sis."

"O-okay..." Gently, Rika pushed herself off of Mōka as soon as she saw flashing lights below - the indication for the landing zones. "I think that's the landing zone up ahead. Everyone, brace yourselves for landing!"

With a couple of clicks of the tongue, she got the bird to start its descent. There was a slight jolt at the downwards movement. But it was nothing that any one of them would've paid attention to. As they got closer to the ground, they would see the familiar figures of the 9th Division standing around the landing area and looking up at the animal aircraft. It was clear that they, as well as the rest of the Captains, had long expected their arrival.

"Mōka?" Angelika questioned, turning towards the said woman. "Can your partner perform teleportation? If she can, I'd like her to bring Sakura and Shinji here, as well. Giving the Gotei 13 any reason to suspect us of deception is the last problem we want to come to the surface..."

"Sure thing, partner,"? Mōka smiled to Angelika, understanding whom she meant. Raising a hand to her earpiece, she adjusted the frequency to reach her stationary subordinate and lover, at the base as they began to descend onto the ground, "Kari-chan? Can you do a favor for me?"

"Exactly what, pra tell, should I do this time? I've been having to deal with this Soul Reaper's sweet talk and having her trying to understand me for the past day or so and its starting to piss me off. Do NOT ask me to-"

"Kari-chan, please focus,"? Mōka spoke in a commanding, yet soft tone as the avian creature touched down, not wanting to look unpleasant in front of her hosts, "I want you to bring Sakura-chan and Shinji-san with you to my location. Please use the fast-way but don't get carried away, okay?"

"Yeah yeah...I'll get right on that-"

"Glad to see you all could make it," Daisuke spoke out initially once the group finally arrived onto the courtyard of the 9th Division Barracks, his eyes bulging slightly at seeing the additional occupants. He quickly recovered, however, and began clearing his throat, continuing in front of his men and his superior beside him, "I see you had more comrades than I anticipated. Going to be a full house for this debriefing, I suppose..."

Angelika quickly switched her gaze from the Lieutenant to the Captain, who had his hands folded behind his back and a pondering look on his face. "We'll explain everything once we get to the meeting room." She said coolly, bringing herself to stand up and walk off of the Dragonbird. "I'm sure all of the rest of you will want to hear about our recent endeavors."

A grin came across Hachiro's face. "That we would, you one-eyed brat." He remarked, though having a clearly jocular tone within that voice. "I'm sure all of you have quite the story to tell." He turned his gaze towards Rika. "You needn't worry about your steed, pilot. My men will stay here and ensure that no one has any funny ideas about doing anything with it..."

The reassuring tone was enough to make Rika relax, a relieved smile crossing her face. "T-thank you, sir..." She said softly, allowing herself to move after Angelika. She slid off, with the bird letting out a light caw as she did so.

"Easy there," Mōka spoke to Rika, sliding off in sync with her, making sure she kept a light hold of her form in case she fell over, "I don't want you suddenly tipping over just because we're on solid ground, Rika-chan..."

"I hope the numbers aren't too much trouble for you?" Asuka questioned, following straight after the two of them.

"While it might make some of our colleagues and subordinates understandably nervous around you, I think its all the better," Daisuke spoke honestly, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous smile as he emphasized, "if we are truly to have a coherent alliance, having more allies on our side is better for us, right?"

"And us, as well as you..." Angelika agreed, allowing herself to slide off of the bird. She dusted herself off, paying a glance towards Mōka and Rika. "As promised, one of my subordinates will bring Lieutenant Keikai back here shortly. We took special care as to ensure that she was in good health the entire time she was in our company."

That prompted Hachiro to give a slight nod of appreciation, though he scoffed afterwards. "Eh, I doubt that her Captain would've missed much of her, anyway." He commented. "Considering problems he's been dealing with, however, I can't say I blame him for it..."

"What exactly happened, if I might ask?" Mōka looked over to the 9th Division Captain, her brows perked up with interest as to hear what precisely would've happened while she has been away from the Soul Society, "did the Clan have issues that caused him to let us go in the first place?"

As they talked, Yusuke regarded the scene with a bit of a downtrodden attitude. As he slid down the bird, he became noticeably quiet and withdrawn. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, his head was slightly lowered and his eyes were fixated on the ground. It wasn't exactly pleasing to him that a recent friend would have to leave them so soon....

"Hey Yusuke, don't worry about Sakura-chan," Daisuke noticed Yusuke's attitude shift immediately. Bending over to reach out and pat him on the shoulder, "if this goes as smoothly as I hope it will, you can visit Sakura whenever you want, and she to you guys..."

"Wouldn't that be precious," Yajū scoffed aloud, rolling his eyes but kept his mouth shut. He didn't like this whole charade of a "ceasefire" with the very enemies that had been dogging them this whole time. But, he was just muscle, not the brains so he knew better than to voice anything more than a complaint...

Despite Yajū's sarcastic comment, Yusuke allowed himself to smile a little and nod. "Yeah... I hope so, sir..." He answered lightly.

"All right, you all!" Hachiro clapped his hands together and regarded all of the V-14 members with a respectful and polite gaze. "I'm sorry to interrupt the conversations, but Shin'en would kill me if I wasted too much time talking. I'll show you to the meeting room. Follow me..."

With that, he turned around in order to lead them towards the designated area. As he walked, he spared a glance towards Mōka. "You wouldn't happen to have a problem with that, would you, miss...?" He questioned her, cocking a slight eyebrow.

"Nah," Mōka shrugged nonchalantly, before discreetly cocking her head back towards Anton's direction as they all began trekking behind Daisuke and Hachiro, "I'm just worried about our Aethian friend becoming victim of a vendetta your 10th Division Captain has developed during their last clash in the Rukon Districts..."

Anton immediately raised his hands up in a slightly defensive motion, though having a clear scowl on his face. "Hey. I'm not going to act foolish in the presence of the rest of you." He answered. "As much as I'd like to run a sword through his throat, I know the consequences of what will happen if I do. I can keep myself cool if he can. But if he gets any ideas, don't expect the peace to be kept."

"We'll try to make sure our colleague doesn't do anything brash, right, Captain?" Daisuke tried to reassure the pointedly mentioned Aethian to his superior. He had forgotten how enraged Captain was during their attempt to take down V-14. He heard that he nearly killed the Aethian, and would've decimated the rest of them hadn't it been for his family's political problems intervening...

"Of course." The Captain said smoothly. "The same goes for the rest of us as well as the rest of you. We keep ourselves in line and no trouble-making. So," He turned towards his Lieutenant, once again cocking an eyebrow and smirking. "I trust you'll see to keeping your succubus in line. It would be bad if another mother-daughter family reunion took place in the midst of our meeting room..."

"I-I'm not her Master, Captain! She's her own person, and I can only encourage her to just act courteously is all," Daisuke acted in a flustered manner, blushing as he turned his head away from his superior, quite embarassed on how he addressed Sakura.?

"So...you're him, huh?" Mōka spoke pointedly, in a subtly intimidating tone that caused Daisuke to be thrown out of his nervous state of mind. As he turned to look over his shoulder, Mōka could only smile wryly, seeing the young boy too naive for her to believe that he harnessed the very ashes of Hell to his side, "you're a lot younger than I imagined you to be..."

"I...umm...thanks...I guess?" Daisuke acted timidly in front of the beautiful woman, having a nostalgic appearance in a semblence to someone he knew. Rubbing the back of his neck, he tried to stutter out, "ummm...do I know...you?"

Anton could only cock an eyebrow. "You mean she didn't tell you?" He commented, almost allowing a smirk of his own to cross his face. "And here I thought with all the time you spent with her, the first thing she'd talk to you about is her children..."

"Ch-Children?!" Daisuke's eyes widened with shock.?

"What? You didn't know? I'm that bitch's daughter, Mōka Komori," the said Dominator spoke aloud, smirking as she crossed her arms and raised a brow in amusement, "but my Hankami title is that of the Dominator, but I'd rather you just stick to my first name, kay?"?

"S-S-Sure!" Daisuke felt himself blush up a storm, despite the risque greeting and introductions, he never thought such a beautiful woman was a near identical replica of Sakura herself. If he didn't know that they were mother and daughter, he'd almost assume that they were sisters, "m-my name is Daisuke-"

"Yeah, we covered that already," Mōka rolled her eyes, walking past him to leave a dejected Lieutenant in her gait, "let's get this over with already. We can gossip and giggle if your Captains' Meeting is delayed for some reason..."

"I can guarantee you Shin'en will probably be late..." Hachiro muttered, rolling his eyes. "He's always the type to get everyone else on time and then wait for a good while before showing up himself. Really gets on our 7th Division Captain's nerves..." Inwardly, he was relieved at the nonchalant attitude she was showing at the mention of her mother. Now, if Sakura could show the same amount of temper...

"As long as there isn't any nasty surprises waiting for us, it will be good for us to get acquainted with the other members of the Gotei 13's bravest and strongest," Mōka nodded with affirmation as they once again set off towards their destination.

Looking up ahead, the group could see that the large series of steps leading up to the 1st Division Barracks also doubling as the Captains' Meeting Hall and the Head Captain's quarters.?

"Geez, talk about huge!" Zaii commented as his eyes bulged out to see such a large palace-sized Barracks, not to mention the wide gait the stairs had while they traversed up the solid tiled treads, "how many Soul Reapers are housed here?!"?

"Its more for show than anything," Daisuke commented, putting his hands behind his head as they walked up the long series of stairs, "the 1st Division has about as many Soul Reapers as any other Division has, but it has to retain a sense of presence and superiority due to them being direct subordinates underneath the Head Captain himself..."

"It must have its own strategic defense advantages as well," Shinshin mused lowly, looking side to side, seeing as the building seemed to be one of the highest points of the Seireitei, "it almost appears they have a complete vantage point over the whole Soul Society. It would be a good view for those with expert tactical analysis..."

"It sure is impressive," Shito nodded in emphasis to Zaii's comment as he cupped his chin, "I wonder how much space is actually inside?"

"We'll find out, won't we?" Oliver muttered, chuckling a little. "Or, we'll find out if they don't decide to chop off our heads at the last minute..."

"Captain Horikawa." Kaitlyn's voice called the said man's attention to her, and she regarded him with a slightly curious gaze. "Is Qilin still Captain of the 7th Division?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes twinkling with confusion. "Yes, he is... why do you ask, dear?"

Kaitlyn managed a small smile."Let's just say we were business partners a while back. When the debriefing is over and done with, I wish to speak with him."

"Well, that's up to him, if you must ask." Hachiro gave a light shrug of the shoulders. "It's not like I dictate or keep track of what he does... even if he can be a little troublesome at times--"

"Dayum, gurl! Why yo ass so fine?"

"I know, right?"

"Damn it, Captain!"

"..." Hachiro's eye twitched a little at the sound of Qilin, Sakura, and Tetsuyo's respective voices as they got closer to their respective location. In turn, this was followed by laughter from both Qilin and Sakura. "Scratch that. Make that very troublesome."

"Did someone say, fine ass?!" Yajū's eyes widened with a disturbing glee as he saw Tetsuyo and Sakura before most could say anything, "that is a fine-"

WHAM!

"Behave, Yajū!" Mōka said with a berift sigh, stamping on his foot with enough force to quell his debaucherous thoughts, and allow her a moment of quiet, "we're supposed to arrange an alliance, not a room for you to rape someone..."

"Yeah, we really don't want that kind of reputation you know," Shito spoke with a derrisive tone of annoyance, rubbing his temples at being surrounded by such impulsive comrades.

"Suit yourselves...ow...ow...," Yajū scowled, but not before limping over to the back side of the group, not wanting to attract anymore attention from his real boss.

Ignoring his new allies-to-be antics, Daisuke approached Sakura with a bright smile, waving out to her as he approached ahead of the group, "Hey Sakura-chan! I see you got here before we did..."

"He's not even the least bit concerned about the cat-calls..."

Tetsuyo had to sweatdrop as Daisuke approached the Hankami with a nonchalant gait. He folded his arms across his chest, turning to his grinning Captain. "You were very lucky this time, my friend..." He muttered lowly. "The Punisher is known for her indulgences. If she was anything like Captains Sazuke or Ikidori, you and that man would've had your kidneys and stomachs rearranged by now."

"Wouldn't have done it if I knew I wasn't going to get away with it..." Qilin answered nonchalantly, chuckling a little. "You have so much doubts in me, my dear Lieutenant..."

The Punisher folded her arms across her chest as she looked at Daisuke. "You should know by now that I'm always early to events that I come to." She answered smoothly, nodding her head towards Qilin and Tetsuyo. "I ran into these two on my way there, told me that the rest of them were waiting up in the meeting room. With the exception of the Captain-Commander..."

"Figures..." Hachiro rolled his eyes, having already expected it. "Well, I suppose that's plenty of time to get acquainted..."

Hello Gov'nor! Revelations of a Common Enemy...!

"That's good to know," Daisuke sighed with relief, realizing that Sakura hadn't gotten into anybody while he had been away. As he looked to Qilin, he realized that the man's infectiously easygoing mannerisms often deflected sarcastic and course talk. Of most of the Captains, he is the example of a good social person, "I'm just glad you are finding each other's company pleasantly enough, despite circumstances..."

"Whoa! They're here already?!" Ryōken called out, appearing directly behind the now ascended collaborative of V-14's currently appeared forces, "geez, that's a lot of you..."

"Don't change the subject of your tardiness, Captain Aizen," Lieutenant Fiaresu spoke derisively in an annoyed tone next to his lax acting superior, "its better to be honest of your bad habits than trying to poorly disguise them with inept execuses."

"Ah, that's cold, Senshi-san!" Ryōken raised his hands in protest of mock surrender to his being late.?

"The only reason why you showed up is because I came to get you," Kukkyōna, appearing on Ryōken's other side while ascending with his Lieutenant to meet the rest of V-14, "I swear I forget that you're a Captain sometimes..."

"Sometimes I like to sleep in! Is that so much to ask?" Ryōken rolled his eyes as he spoke with a playful tone, walking up with them to meet the others of V-14.

"I apologize for the influx of numbers if they were unexpected..." Angelika said smoothly, motioning to the group behind her. In particular, Asuka was walking up to stand by her side as she was speaking, her hands folded behind her back. "But under the circumstances, I truthfully wasn't expecting to bring so many with me. We'll make sure to explain everything once your Captain-Commander gets here."

"Then I suggest you get comfortable..." Qilin muttered, putting his hands on the back of his head. "It's probably going to take a while before the big boss gets here, so you might as well hang out and--"

However, he abruptly cut himself off upon the sight of Kaitlyn, who blushed slightly in embarassment at his sudden lock-on to her.

"Kaitlyn? It is you, isn't it?"

His expression brightened, and within an instant, he was in front of her. Before she knew it, he had scooped her up in a bear hug and lifted her off her feet, ignoring the slight yelp that had come from her person. "Oh, it's been far too long!" He exclaimed, quickly setting her down and looking over her. "How exactly did you end up with such a band such as the V-14? With your white slate, I'm pretty sure that recruitment couldn't have possibly been in the question."

Kaitlyn's smile got a little sheepish, and she chuckled nervously as she glanced at Oliver. The man, in return, was giving her a cock of the eyebrow of question. "Let's just say that one of my family got himself into a lot of trouble and we had to walk him out. I wouldn't want to spoil any of the explanation the bosses are going to give..."

"Hm?" That was when Qilin's gaze drifted to Oliver. Although it relaxed considerably, it was clear he was still enthused. "Oh, so this is your father?" He guessed, nodding in acknowledgement. "Yes, now that I think about it, Hachiro did mention something about a blonde-haired gunman that made up one of the enemy's assault on the convoy."

"You heard about that, huh?" Oliver drawled.

"Something like that doesn't exactly get by unnoticed, Black Eagle..." Qilin answered. "The Captain told me that you," He nodded over to Hyōryū. "And a woman that displayed just as much skill as you did fought off several squads of the 9th Division's seats by yourselves. Two gunmen, and without any special powers of their own nonetheless! It's quite obvious that you're going to garner a reputation upon yourselves, positive or otherwise..."

"Well we're not that special,"? Hyōryū blushed slightly from the compliment given by the ecstatic man, rubbing her neck while turning away, "its the other guys you should be praising. We're just the helping hands, really..."

"Are you...being bashful?" Shadō asked incredulously as he looked over at the young woman whom he knew only as a partner.?

"N-No I'm just...a little...umm...-"

"Excuse me," Shinshin approached Qilin directively, effectively saving? Hyōryū from further embarassment, uninentionally. His eyes cool and dispassionate, nearly unreadable as he asked the man, "are you the aledged Spirit-Smith I heard so much about? I was wondering if you could do something for a blade of mine," he pulled out his katana from his sash, holding it out in a horizontal presenting manner, his manner expectant, "its name is Kakushin..."

Daisuke rolled his eyes. The fact they were able to save as many as they could from death was incomprehensible, considering neither said gunman had been holding back in their assault on the convoy. He personally rather not dwell on it, so he just simply turned his eyes away to gaze on an unfortunately close pair of eyes. Crimson eyes, as fiery as Sakura's, locked directly onto hers, "Uh-oh..."

"Hello, mother," Mōka spoke in a sarcastically enthused tone, crossing her arms just below her impressive bust and cocking her smooth, hourglass hips to the side, she looked at her mother dead in the eyes that was borderline murderous intent, "it has been too long, hasn't it?"

"Well, well, now isn't this a surprise?" Ryōken approached Asuka's direction with a haughty tone, with the unintentional audience of Kukkyōna and Senshi, "I can't believe the next Head of the Sakamoto Clan graces our feet with her presence! You remember me, Asuka-hime? I used to pay your Clan visits when I was working on our Clan inter-relationships...you still look as radiant as ever by the way!"

A beaming smile crossed Asuka's face as Ryōken approached her. "Ah, Aizen-san! I could never forget that face if I tried. How is my brother Akimoto doing? He hasn't been giving the Aizen Clan too much trouble, has he?" Although he was a member of the sub-branch Raven House, he was one of the few R.H. members to have dared to take up a leadership position within in the clan. He was heavily known for his rallies and sermons promoting anarchy and self-government - something that wasn't looked upon lightly by the Gotei 13. It had gotten him constantly in trouble with both the Clan Elders and the Chamber 46, but he still held them. Surprisingly, a massive number of people had taken to these sessions and supported his cause.

Their conversational talk was a heavy contrast to what was beginning to transpire between the Hankami mother and daughter.

"You have some nerve to take that tone with me, you disgusting whiner." She said venomously, returning the stare with a glare filled with unrestrained venom. As much as she wanted to wring the other female's neck, she kept her arms folded across her chest. Even she knew there was a limit to everything. But that didn't stop her from undoing the chains for her words. "Why aren't you somewhere playing with the "mortal children", as you always wanted to? Little kids shouldn't be involved in adult things like this."

"Spiritsmith?"

Qilin's eyes regarded the man with confusion, and he placed a hand to his chin in thought. They drifted towards the blade "Son, I'm afraid that whoever told you that name's been digging up too much in the fiction and fantasy books." He said, closing his eyes and shrugging his shoulders. "The Spiritsmith's nothing but some legend made up by folks with too much time on their hands. I mean, I could probably take the blade to someone who can actually fix it, but that's all anyone can do..."

"A...are you... blushing?" Oliver snickered, looking at her face. "Aw, aren't you the cutest little thing, yes you are~!" Off to the side, Kaitlyn couldn't help but snicker as well at the woman's unfortunate attention.

"SH-SHUT UP!"? Hyōryū shouted in protest, stamping her foot with indignation as she fixated a glare of daggers towards Oliver, "I will kick you so hard, you'll wish you had something manly to brag about!"

"Easy, Hyōyū," Shadō raised his hands, trying to calm his associate down, "let's not start nut cracking people in front of our hosts please..."

"No, I shouldn't be," Shinshin narrowed his eyes at Qilin with suspecting certainty, "from what my colleague has talked about, it seems that you were the one supplying him with all the unique spirit blades he requested on many occasions. I was wondering if you could fasten one for me, or at least, find a Spiritsmith of near caliber to you who is able..."

Mōka could only smirk as she placed her hands on her hips, flipping her hair from one side to the other, "Oh? You dare pull the age card on me? You with the temperment of a child, whom is no older than a century and a half, to call me a child? Try again, witch, and I might be offended, but that would be childish of you, now wouldn't it?"

"Okay, time-out you two," Daisuke tried to intervene between the two volatile behaving women, raising a hand to each of them with a nervous smile on his face, "why not postpone whatever reunion you two are planning to transpire after we're done here, okay?"

"Do you always let him boss you like this, or do you pretend to do as he asks?" Mōka had to ask, much to Daisuke's chagrin, pointedly towards her biological mother.

"Well, considering the recent events we've had over in Yūrei and the recent incidents we've had to handle culminating with both, well, your organization and the leftover rabble the Ahijados retained, his cause is as strong as ever. I pacify him with good natured visits and it usually keeps him in a good mood. As long as I don't directly tell him to stop his protests and sermons, he's pretty receptive to debates and small talks," Ryōken spoke to Asuka with good cheer, appreciative that Asuka remembered him as well as the last time they spoke.

"Funny, I remember it was usually me who had to talk sense into Akimoto rather than you," Kukkyōna spoke with a dry toned, sideglancing his partner before smiling back at Asuka, "its been quite awhile, Asuka-san. I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Kukkyōna Hayate, the Clan Head of the Noble Hayate House. I accompanied Ryōken-san during our trips to your estate..."

SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-SHFT!

Within a series of simultaneous Flash Steps, nearly all of the Captaincy was present. With people like Taiyō and Sazuke moving with their respective Lieutenants to take their positions without being distracted, others like Kaze

"Well, look who we have here?" Taiyō spoke out, smiling toothily as she walked past the assembled group to take a position assigned to herself, crossing her arms as she observed the gathered mass, "it seems like we'll be forming a circle rather than horizontal aligned lines instead today, huh?"

"They do seem like a lively group, don't they?" Nozomi asked, her other onlooking more observing colleagues.?

"I just hope they aren't up to any tricks," Kaze muttered as he stared at them with suspicion, but held his ground, "of course of all the times I would like him around, Meikurai is insisting he's busy. Stupid boy should know when to be present..."

"Please wake me when this pow-wow is over," Yukiakari spoke allowed as she closed her eyes while crossing her arms over her chest, dipping her head only slightly, "I'm not interested in making small talk with mercenaries, friendly or not..."

Tap-Tap-Tap!

"Mercenaries, eh?" Shindō whispered, appearing directly before the culminated group of V-14, walking straight towards Anton before stopping just short of the well-built, larger man. His gait composed, yet had a barely restrained menace, and his eyes stared stoically towards the Russian, with a obvious glare behind the cold onyx eyes of his, "so you survived, Anton Semenov..."

Suddenly, the tension within the room had increased tenfold, and the majority of the occupants had ceased talking. The V-14 leaders, particularly, took an eye of caution towards the two pairs that were in the process of arguing with each other. On one side was two Captain-level opponents. On the other were warriors far beyond that. Both of their attitudes seemed to be deteriorating bit by bit, and it would only be a matter of time until one side snapped.

Anton paid no heed to it. A malicious smirk crossed his face as he stared down at Shindō's slightly smaller form. "Yeah..." He whispered, lowering himself so that their faces were inches away from each other. "I know it must disappoint you to see me alive and kicking. I probably would have died, too... but, you know, I started to think about you a lot since then. Needless to say, I wouldn't be able to carry out dreams of gutting you, ripping every organ from your body and hanging your entrails on the Seireitei's gate if I was dead, now would I?"

"Unlike what you've heard from the castrated sheep," Sakura said vehemently, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm quite capable of being nice. Of course, you would've never thought that. Your head was always so far up the ass of humanity that you'd never once stop to pay attention to what was happening to your own kind, wasn't it? I don't know what's worse; the mortals who are so full of themselves that they think they're on level with us, or the immortals who loathe themselves so much that they want to become just another sniveling human..."

"Why you-?!"

"You bi-!"

TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP!

"Now now now, children," the Head Captain spoke as he suddenly appeared, fashionably late as always. He managed to move with such deft speed and grace that he slapped all four bickering entities at once, ending with Mōka and starting with Shindō, with a ruler no less, "while it would be a morbidly attractive thing to see innards hanging from the Seireitei gate, it wouldn't suffice as there are four gates and wouldn't be enough to spread the joy of your dream effectively. That, and the fact as interesting as your two philosophically involved family squabbles are, the Hankami are not Immortal, just long-lived and are about as emotionally parallel as everyone else is. Now, without further interruption..."

SFT!

"...welcome to the Seireitei, V-14!" Furuidenshō spoke aloud with a cheerful tone, waving a near ecstatic hand towards the large group of mercenaries and affiliates involved with the infamous organization.

Anton's reaction was the comical one.

"Did," He stared at the Head Captain with widened eyes, one of them twitching slightly. His mouth was agape, and the look on his face could simply be described as priceless. All of his fury had disappeared, replaced by nothing more than comical shock. "Did you just hit me with a ruler?!" He asked in disbelief, holding the back of his head with one hand and using the other to point at Furidenshō. "Who does that?!"

"Apparently, he does..." Gina muttered, putting on a small smile of amusement at the man's expression. She folded her arms across her chest. "Takes you back to your school days, doesn't it? When the teacher always threatened to spank you in front of the class if you misbehaved. Good times, huh?"

"Get over here, you all..." Noriko said bluntly, fixing her eyes on the Captains who had brought themselves over to the V-14. "Just because there's more people here than anticipated doesn't mean we have an excuse to act out of line. You can speak with all of your friends later."

Qilin huffed. "Yes, mom..."

However, he allowed himself to turn towards Shinshin one last time, leaning forward so that his mouth was close to his ear. "We'll talk later..." He whispered so that only the other man could hear. "I prefer not to speak of my other... business... in the presence of the Captains. I hope you understand." With that being said, he retracted himself away and stepped back in order to head to what would've been his own spot.

However, the Punisher's reaction was less than humorous. In fact, it was downright malevolent.

Once the words about the Hankami hit her ears, her narrowed crimson eyes filled with murderous and furious intent. "Say that again." She said lowly, her voice quiet but the venom unrestrained. "Speak as if you know everything about our kind once more, and I'll make sure you'll be giving the Togabito my regards!!" In a way, Mōka had been right. She had a short temper, and when it was set off, she rarely bothered to stop herself. This time, she felt justified. Who was this man to talk about her race so casually, as if he were Izanagi himself? The fool knew nothing.

"All is one and one is all," Furuidenshō spoke softly in response, unphased by the Punisher's angry shout. Turning his eyes to face her angry visage, he spoke simply, "when it all comes down to it, we are all insignificant. Death can come to anything and anyone. Where something begins it also ends. I've learned it the hard way, that taking a high stance above the masses, means you have to set the example for them, otherwise it is simply folly and arrogance. Wars start because others belittle those weaker than themselves or those who couldn't understand them. I may not know everything about your kind, nor do I possess powers that allow me to justify my existence is greater than your own, but I am simply speaking in facts. The fact that you are able to mingle with humanity's living and spirit realms, speaks volumes of your emotional disposition being far more alike to the masses than what you would admit....

But regardless, if you want to have a more personally vocal discussion, feel free to speak to me alone in my quarters. I promise I'll be as hospitable as your young friend is to you," the Head Captain added, winking at Daisuke, causing the latter to blush and look away from the insinuation.

The the conflict from the Hankami allowed Shindō to forget his current vendetta long enough to walk away without trading blows. Inwardly he knew he would attain the opportunity to strike back at his enemies. It was only a matter of time...

As soon as the rest of the Captaincy lined up, with the respective three V-14 leaders standing in front of their ragtag group to face the now seated Head Captain respectively. During the confusion as well, Karitori appeared via dark disturbing flash of light and vibrations, revealing the unharmed Sakura to return to her Captain's dispassionate side and Shinji to walk relatively recovered to Asuka's group.

And of course,

"Shinji-kun!"

"Shinji!"

Rika and Yusuke were quick to rush to their partner's aid, quickly moving to each side of him to support him. At that point, he was still having difficulty walking and had nearly stumbled. "Easy, big guy..." Yusuke encouraged. "You've been through a lot of mental stress, and it's still a bit too early for you to start up and running just yet. How do you feel?"

"I'm still in the process of regaining my motor functions..." Shinji's voice was slightly hoarse, but otherwise normal. "I... only need a few minutes to recover myself fully..."

"All right... Rika, help me set him up against the wall. He'll need all the time he can."

"R-right..."

As they coaxed Shinji over towards the wall, Angelika nodded over towards Sakura. "You are free to check her for any potential anomalies within her external or internal system." She said to Shindō. Unlike Anton, she made sure to keep her tone professional and polite. "But as of this moment, she is in good health and possesses no such problems."

As they began to speak, the Punisher's expression began to change from anger to a sullen thoughtfulness. She folded her arms across her chest, turning her head away for a moment. There was at least some truth to the words that the Head Captain had spoken, even if she would never acknowledge it outright. It was a rather scary thought, knowing that someone you considered to be lesser than yourself to have such a viewpoint. Of course, this sentiment had always been shared by Daisuke himself. His faith within her own humanity had been enough to rattle her to the point of mental breakdown, and he was nothing more than a Shinigami Lieutenant. She was a blood-born god, and yet she had been brought down to size by him. All of it was because she failed to recognize the full potential and ability of the mortals.

"...but your alternative, is to strip away all freedom, thought, and hope and plunge them forcefully into a world you only assume is perfect because you say it will be..."

"That, and the fact as interesting as your two philosophically involved family squabbles are, the Hankami are not Immortal, just long-lived and are about as emotionally parallel as everyone else is..."

"...I may not know everything about your kind, nor do I possess powers that allow me to justify my existence is greater than your own, but I am simply speaking in facts..."

The memory of Kukkyōna's words to her as well as the Head Captain's was enough to make her lip curl briefly. She had been within existence long before any of them had even been born, long enough to justify her own status as an immortal. If Shin'en claimed to not know everything, how could he also claim to speak in facts? As far as she was concerned, he was being nothing more than a hypocrite. In fact, he had no right to speak to her about anything regarding the Hankami.

"...taking a high stance above the masses, means you have to set the example for them, otherwise it is simply folly and arrogance..."

Then again, maybe that had been her fault, too. Maybe she had not made a proper example of her role. Maybe she had not projected her image in the manner of what would be expected of a goddess. Her informal, carefree and borderline-reckless behavior may have been what constituted to the majority of opinion here. As far as the rest of them were concerned, she was nothing more than another empowered being... just like they were.

Suddenly, she felt a lot more disappointed in herself...

Mōka found herself stunned. Despite the youthfullness of the Head Captain before her, as well as the initial lax and carefree introduction, he held both the wisdom and poise to speak in an unshakeable resolve of his own beliefs. She knew as a fact very few who knew their true origins would dare speak to them as if they were equals. The fact she managed to talk her mother, the virtual Queen of Hell, into submissive pause, made an incredible impression onto the Hankami born woman.

"I like him," she thought with a smile, looking at his back as he turned to sit at his seat at the head of the Captaincy, awaiting for debriefing patiently, "he and I could get along very well..."

"You okay, Sakura?" Daisuke asked Sakura with an empathetic tone. During the few times he spoke alone or within the same room with the Head Captain, he knew at times he seemed unreasonable or stern at times, but he never talked down to someone like that before the Lieutenant. Especially not a woman, "I'm sorry if he offended you. I guess he sometimes might get a little carried away when he's trying to keep the peace..."

"That isn't necessary," Shindō spoke solemnly, not bothering to project any hatred or resentment to the leader of the enemies he swore to destroy. With a mere flicker of his eyes, they changed into the infamous red-black eyes of Tamenkyōme, examining Sakura Keikai's form within a few moments before disengaging the Kidō altogether, "I find that she is in the exact shape you claimed she's in. You have my thanks for being courteous to her, at the very least..."

"Th-Thank you, Captain, for understanding," Sakura bowed her head to her superior, thankful that her superior understood. When she raised her gaze, she saw that Shinji was barely standing, causing her to rush over to the bandaged man and stand before him, "are you alright? Are you still having trouble breathing?"

"My psychology is fine..." The man answered readily, allowing for Rika and Yusuke to place him on a sitting position against the wall. "I only need a few minutes to regain full control over my motor systems..." His crimson eyes stared into her own, his gaze stoic as it always was. But the slight waver within his irises showed the extent of the state he was in. "I... thank you sincerely for your kindness, Lieutenant Keikai, for I know you did not have to help a recent enemy recover..."

Rika herself was quick to join in with a smile. "Well... if Konno-san feels comfortable enough to thank you, you couldn't have done any wrong..." She said softly. "You have my thanks also, Keikai-san."

"It's not something we can't handle if it's worse than it looks..." Yusuke said in reassurance, looking at Sakura and giving his own grin. "Run along, Kei-chan. We'll be but a moment..." He turned back towards Shinji, kneeling down to the man's level in order to start checking him for any possible anomalies.

"...there's still so much I've failed to realize about you mortals."

As the three prepared to give the debriefing of the recent events, the Punisher's gaze softened to a more sullen look. "How long has it been? A little over two millennia, and yet I still haven't brought myself to see what the Monitor and Oracle had. I'm pretty sure they would've realized it by now. Just what exactly am I missing...?"

"We'll start from the beginning..."

Angelika cleared her throat, preparing herself for what was to be a long speech. "The first encounter we had with the Inner Circle was through one of the Dragons. His name is Yashin Shiyōnin, and he came under the guise of a client needing assistance in terminating Kenja Kōdai, a.k.a, the "Burning Knight". Needless to say," She motioned towards the said man with one hand. "One thing came to another, and I came to decision to reject the contract. Doing the Inner Circle's dirty work wasn't under my method of operations. However, they seemed to take this as a sign of defiance and decided to make us a primary target for elimination."

Asuka was quick to pick up where her leader left off. "After Captain Takuji's encounter and retreat from his ambush of Alpha and Beta Teams, Yashin was quick to follow up and finish their weakened forces off. Luckily, Kenja and my Gamma Team was there to reinforce the area. That was where we detained Lieutenant Keikai."

The Head Captain looked onwards with a serious gaze of contemplation and acknowledgement of the two female leaders. He inwardly mused the hilarity of a die-hard mercenary organization was being run by three females with a good majority of their subordinates being male. Readjusting his focus, however, he realized something was amiss,

"Now I can concur with Captain Aizen and Captain Horikawa's reports upon the Inner Circle threat, they have never attacked openly. From what I've gathered on them, the Inner Circle has never attacked openly and prefers their operations done in secrecy or vaguely masked rumors. How could they attack you when any skilled Gotei 13 user was within the Seireitei?"

"If I may," Kenja stepped forward, a known thorn in the Gotei 13's side as well as a begrudgingly accepted ally thanks to their resident Substitute Soul Reaper within Karakura Town, he cleared his throat before elaborating, "I've personally fought Yashin and his minions before. One of the main reasons he can preform such open acts is because he remotely controls the bodies of both Spirits and Humans from afar. It is child's play for him to take on groups such as V-14, and do so without your knowing. He had done so only minutes after the 10th Division pulled out, hence the mess that was left out of Captain Takuji's report..."

"So that's what happened," Shindō thought, passively observing and listening to their conversation but remaining stoically silent, "could it be...that the information I was given was also leaked by that man? Damn that Yashin!" 

"Yashin is like a Chessmaster among the Inner Circle's Lieutenants," Mōka spoke aloud in admittance, crossing her arms as she stood forward, "he plays out every scenarior in the field in order to accomplish his objectives. However, it seems like he's doing most of his mistakes on purpose, unlike that Dragon Kunō. She only pulled out because I arrived, and she didn't intend to lose anything within the initial assault, as she was searching for Shidai Kagai..."

"Speaking of which," the Captain Commander spoke in sudden elation, turning to Angelika, as he believed her to be the most informed of the three, "I heard that you went with our 9th Division Lieutenant in an attempt to retrieve those prisoners but encountered some problems. Was one of those problems, Shidai Kagai as well, the one whom was originally your contract to free and the whole intention of the Prison Escort debacle?"

"The very one..." A faint scowl crossed Angelika's face at the mention of her former client. "My forces ran across him while attempting to intercept and subdue your designated targets. Apparently, he was after an artifact called the "Eye of Ragna". However, from what Asuka has told me, he created an empty replica and left the real Eye of Ragna for whoever could grab it first before fleeing the area." She quirked a slight eyebrow. "How did you know?"

"Lieutenant Hayate was debriefed by Captain Horikawa, of course," The Head Captain shrugged in a matter-of-fact manner, "but it still concerns me is that he might have something to do with the chaos within the Underworld as well as the vast information network the Inner Circle possesses. That, or he's a loose cannon that will undoubtedly wreak havoc on any side he chooses to deem an enemy. I do have an inquiry though," Furuidenshō leaned forward, his hands forming a bridge for his chin to lean on, speaking to all of V-14 in general, "have any of you determined his true origins? I cannot find a record nor recall who this Shidai Kagai is, or what he was doing in a prison to begin with..."

There was but one voice who would answer him - Shinji.

"His eyes..."

All eyes turned towards him. Asuka's eyes widened in surprise when she saw the look on Shinji's face. His normally unbreakable and stoic expression had contorted to a look of fear, beads of sweat falling down his face. "They were the same as the Dragon's..." He whispered. "I could see the emblems within those crimson eyes of his, just as I saw them within our battle with Yashin. The way he spoke, the way he carried himself..." He slowly placed a palm to his face, covering one half of it. "It was exactly the same as him...!!"

"?!?!?!"

Nearly everyone did a double take from what they just heard. The fact one of the most seen and manipulative of the Inner Circle's lieutenants, a Dragon no less, had been identified as being both Shidai Kagai and Yashin Shiyōnin? The idea seemed maddening, but...

"Are you sure?! They are one in the same?!" Hyōryū asked Shinji, directing her worst fears of the Demon they've all come to know and fear. The one whom summoned a real Demon from the Underworld in an attempt to annihilate the Black Blood Sect. The one who hard injured and attempted to dispose of them all...was the same man as the aledged and infamous man who posed as a criminal mastermind who needed out of a prison?!

"No, they're not entirely the same," Shadō spoke aloud, having been one of the few to have seen both Shidai and Yashin up close and personal, though for entirely different purposes all-together, "Yashin showed his face flamboyantly, having no reason to even use an identity or a mask to keep secrecy. Shidai spoke subtly, seemed to have a more hidden and vague agenda, and I barely got a glimpse of his face. That...and he had a left sided red eye instead of Yashin's right..."

"So far, it appears as if the Inner Circle has allowed Yashin to be their front man," Kukkyōna analyzed aloud, looking over to the three female leaders of V-14, "it seems almost as if he has an innate fascination with your organization. And it sounds almost...coincidental...that he hasn't destroyed you or any allies you have with the power he possesses..."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Mōka spoke out, her eyes flashing challengingly to the 6th Division Captain, "are you saying Yashin has been taking it easy with us? From what I've heard and witnessed, his very existence alone is frightening to any or all of his subordinates. He very nearly succeeded in destroying us on several occasions..."

"If that were the case, why did they send another Dragon to hunt Shidai?" Ryōken countered, having been there to witness the ordeal for how much effort both V-14 and the Inner Circle made into retrieving the man, "if Yashin was indeed Shidai, why would the Inner Circle try and use so much unnecessary force into capture or kill him? That, and why would they not work alongside their usual frontman?"

"Are you saying," Shindō spoke aloud for the first time, his eyes narrowing across the line of Captaincy and V-14 to Ryōken, a hidden anger lingered behind the onyx orbs of his as he spoke, "that Yashin has been allowing V-14 to survive up to this point? And that he's using both Inner Circle and mercenary resources for another reason?"

"It could very well be. After all, the Inner Circle is officially a Mercenary Organization, from what we know of. I can't imagine all of their subordinates and lieutenants are in it just for undying loyalty and good pay," Ryōken deduced, shrugging as he merely hypothesized.

"It gets worse..."

A grim look donned Asuka's face as she looked at each of the Captains. "Prior to our movement here, we were contacted by one of the Dragons after she had somehow sliced our comms. She goes by the name of Brina McTavish - a name I, by the word of my subordinate, can safely assume you've heard of. She managed to hack our communications and hear everything, including the proposal of alliance. Even now, I can bet she's listening on every word spoken here..."

Once again, a number of alarmed looks and reactions could be seen among the Captaincy. The name of Brina McTavish brought Yukiakari out of her faked stupor, causing her to sweatdrop that the name was mentioned aloud, especially in the Captains Meeting. Especially when...

"WHAT?!" 

...Onmitsukidō Corps Commander, Sazuke Tensai, could hear it. 

The said Sazuke emanated a sudden shift from her cool, collected self into a seething and dangerous bloodlust. With almost red eyes, she locked her gaze at Asuka, as she tightened her hands with a handful of audible snaps, clenching into fists, "Where and When did you hear that voice?!"

Divide and Conquer! Begin, the War of Four, Has!

"The 43rd's armored airships are en route and approaching the Soul Society's airspace..."

Within the space of the Horseman's personal meeting room, Tsukishima folded his hands within his lap and looked towards the other three of his colleagues with a small smile. "Aerial bombardment will begin within, E.T.A. three minutes." He reported. "Once it does, our forces will assault the Seireitei and take it within the hour. The Gotei 13 will be powerless as their power is destroyed from both the inside and the outside. It'll be one step closer to complete and total dominion..."

"I expect to see a great deal of war out there, my friends..." Suna said, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Our Dragons will march, burn a path straight through the Shinigami's homeland, and come back with the heads of their leaders on a platter. There will be nothing left but acres of ash and blood once we are done demonstrating the extent of our power."

"And we won't even need to step foot on the battlefield," Kyōaku spoke with a revelling tone, his sing-song voice dropping an octave only due to a regretful sigh, "its a little unfortunate. I wanted to squash some of those Nobles with my bare hands, but I guess I can always collect data from their mangled bodies. Who knows? If any of them are alive I can take them apart in one of my laboratories..."

"I'll make sure that my subordinates will keep some alive, just for your sake..." Tsukishima said smoothly, reaching into his pants pocket in order to pull out his phone. He flipped it open, dialing a number combination before pressing it to his ear. "Is everything ready over there?"

"Ground forces set up and ready to go over here, Tsukishima-sama..." The voice of Brina was quick to answer him, just as pleased as they all were. "The airships are set within their airspace, and cannons are prepped for an artillery barrage to soften up their defenses. All we need now is your word..."

"Hehehe, it will be fun to take the gloves off," Yashin spoke on another line to Tsukishima, his pleased tone could be heard over the speaker, "my own subordinates should be quite capable of stopping any if not all of the Seireitei's Military forces from retreating. I'll make sure to take care of the Kidō Corps so they don't aid the Gotei 13's fracturing forces..."

This was where Shikyo would pull out her own cell phone in order to call her own subordinate. "Kunō, Tsukishima has his Dragons fully prepared and equipped. He's ready to give the green light. Are you all set on your end?" She asked.

"I'm ready to deliver some pain to the enemy, Shikyo-sama," Kunō spoke with a guttural tone, obviously alive with Dark Energy and ready to descend into the battlefield, "and I'll be capable of intervening in any battle that you see fit."

"Hmmmm," Kyōaku rubbed his chin thoughtfully with his black glove, looking over at Tsukishima with curioisity, "I just realized I didn't see Meikurai's report as being active. What is he up to right now? Is he planning to partake in this battle, or not face his comrades when they're being slaughtered like this?!"

Here was where Tsukishima was tempted to roll his eyes. "He's in a undisclosed location, currently in courting the Yūrei-Seireitei liason Rukia Kuchiki." He said, a slight deadpan in his voice. "Considering his role in allowing us to learn more about Yūrei and its system, I decided to allow him a bit of vacation time from his work."

This caused Shikyo to cock an eyebrow at him. "That... is awfully nice of you, Shūkurō." She said, a bit of suspicion within her voice. "To give your own subordinates a bit of peace time during an event like this? I would have expected sentiments from Suna..." She ignored the light and somewhat pouting scoff from Suna himself.

Tsukishima gave a light shrug. "I'm quite capable of being nice, regardless of what you've heard..." He stated calmly. "It's all a matter of opinion." He placed the phone back up to his ear. "All right, Brina. I want you begin with a nice, warm introduction. Give Kuno and Yashin a chance to say their piece, as well. I want them to fully understand the situation they're in right now."

"We'll drive the fear right into their souls, sir..." Brina said darkly, and the smile could be heard within her voice. "They'll understand..."

"Good hunting, Dragons. Out."

---

"Captain Tensai."

Noriko's voice was immediate to keep the surprised Asuka from speaking any further, stern and firm. "Stand down. This isn't the time or place to allow the emotions to get the best of you." She ordered. "It doesn't matter what kind of personal vendetta you have with the enemy."

"You have no idea," Sazuke snarled back at Noriko, her reddening eyes glaring at her, "no idea what that psychopathic bitch is capable of! We need to know where she is, right, n-"

"Stand. Down. Commander Tensai," Furuidenshō's voice suddenly penetrated the air, causing Sazuke to be knocked out of her current fit of rage. As she looked over, a smooth stare was fixated upon her with a hidden tone of menace laced within his voice, "I don't want you speaking in that tone in front of me, do you hear me?"

"..." Sazuke curled her lips, stepping back into her designated spot before bowing her head in apology, muttering, "Yes...Head Captain..."

"Better," Furuidenshō smiled, his tone immediately picking up as he directed his sincerely intrigued eyes to Asuka, waving his hand to her, "can you please tell us what she was informing you about? It might give us a clue for her intentions and what they're planning to do next."

"Yes, Commander..." Asuka gave a respectful bow, thankful that he had managed to subdue Sazuke's rage. "Brina was kind enough, for lack of a better word, to inform us of what was happening. As of now, Aether's being ransacked by their forces and possibly reduced to rubble by artillery fire. With what she told me, I fear that the Soul Society may be next to fol--"

What would cut her off was what would also shock the entirety of them even more.

"To the protectors and the backbone of the Soul Society! To the self-preserved and overestimated whores that are the V-14! The Inner Circle bids you greeting, and hopes that you will enjoy the show as your world is torn apart piece by piece before your very eyes. Throughout your history, you have shown yourselves to be honorable, fearsome, and formidable foes. But as of this minute, you will be known as the entire civilization dogs and pigs who died drowning in their own filth. There is no escape, and there will be no compromise. Today, death comes for you!"

It was Brina.

"A Tenteikūra spell broadcasted to every living mind within the Seireitei..." Gina muttered, a bead of sweat falling down her face. "How did she--?"

"Wow, incredibly bad timing for someone who just cooled off-"

"You bitch!" Sazuke snarled out, slamming her left foot down with enough force to make an indentation within the floor she stepped upon, "where the Hell are you?! You make a declaration of war, I intend to end you! Once and for all!"

"Calm down, Sazuke-"

"Don't even!" The Stealth Force Commander snarled at Yukiakari, as the latter attempted to calm her down, but was ignored by the renewed fury filling within the rival of the one broadcasting.

"Are we too late?!" Mōka exclaimed with widened eyes, realizing what this could only mean if Brina was the one giving the message.

"It certainly seems that way," Shinshin spoke lowly, his eyes narrowing as he fastens his katana back within the sash of his kosode, "I just hope we're prepared enough to take them on this time..."

"Hahahahahaha!" The irrefutable laughter of none other than Yashin Shiyōnin also filled the minds of everyone within the Captains Meeting Hall, sending chills down every living thing that heard his voice whisper in the back of their minds, "we're not messing around like before. We're intending to crush the life out of all you insects! V-14...its a shame I couldn't use you anymore. Had you joined us willingly, you wouldn't be on the receiving end of this slaughter..."

"Oh, it's on now, boss..." Oliver muttered, rising himself up and checked his submachine gun to see if it was fully ready. Yashin's voice was enough to rattle even the likes of his foundation. But that wouldn't mean he would sit back and allow himself to do nothing in what would seem like a mass invasion. He, as well as the rest of his comrades, would see this through to the very end.

A bead of sweat fell down Kaitlyn's face as she raised her head up. "This is it..." She muttered to herself. "Another war's starting, and we're in the middle of it..." Subconsciously, she moved herself closer to her father. The last time a scenario like this happened, she had been separated for so many years from her family. This time, she wanted to ensure that wouldn't happen again. She checked her sniper rifle, switching the round type to a more lethal setting.

"Commander Setsuko," Hachiro was quick to radio in to the leader of the Dragonbird air forces. "We have reports of potential enemy contact within your sector. Recommend you maintain a defensive position and report when--"

"THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!"

He had not expected an alarmed scream in response. Hachiro's eyes widened in shock, his heart tensing up within his chest. "Say again, Setsuko, repeat!" He said, a bit of surprise and dread within his own voice.

"I'm seeing enemy aircraft sweeping over the Senzaikyū and Sōkyoku Hill!! A full fleet of ATG Wasps and Mantas sweeping through the Sekiseki barrier!! HOW THE HELL ARE THEY GETTING THROUGH?!"

"That's a good question!" Sazuke snarled out, her body already taking off in a blurring wind across any observers, disappearing into the air, her Haori flourishing, "I'm going to silence the connection between them and us! I'll summon all available Stealth Forces immediately!" 

"Sazuke, wait!" Yukiakari shouted after her friend and comrade, watching her rush out and into the fray without a second thought. Lowering her hand, she hissed, "dammit! Head Captain, what should we-"

She too, was cut off short as she saw the Head Captain immediately stride across the walkway, bypassing the V-14 members with ease as he walked with purposeful steps to the exit, "Captain Kūshinsai. I want you to prep your Division immediately. I will contact my Lieutenant to deploy the 1st Division to contain the situation from leaving the Seireitei. If those bombers get into the Rukonagi, it will be a mass slaughter..."

"Yes, sir," She replied without question, nodding to the other Captains as she walked in step just behind the Head Captain, "what are you going to do? And the rest of us?"

"Let me get out there and contain the chaos to the Seireitei," Furuidenshō, spoke as he stopped at the front, seeing what would be dozens of Air Ships in a chaotic, nightmarish dogfight with what few Dragonbirds Avaron had within the Soul Society, "you will be aiding me in the effort on the groundside. This chaos will be a good mask for any enemies infiltrating on the groundside. As for the rest of you,"

Furuidenshō spoke in a commanding tone, his Haori flourished in sync with his hair, as the raging sounds of battle could be heard throughout the meeting Hall, "I want all Captains and Lieutenants to be in a standby here. I don't know the extent of what's happening, but if we all rush out at once, we could be causing more chaos and leaning the battle into their favor. V-14," he turned to the three leaders at the far grouping of the mass collective of the V-14 mercenaries, "feel free to do as you see fit. From your record, I've seen enough to know how to get results and do things with the least minimal collateral damage. Use any means to destroy the enemy and engage upon your own discretion. Now if you excuse me..."

TAP-BWHOOSH!

"...I got some asses to kick!" Furuidenshō spoke in a battle-fueled tone, slamming one foot onto the ground before propulsing himself like a rocket, sending a gust of wind behind him as Yukiakari herself rushed off to organize her own Division to secure the Seireitei from extending its collateral damage zone into the Rukon Districts. Shortly after, a series of explosions could be seen in the air, as the Head Captain began his assault upon the airborne squadrons, relieving Avaron from the immense disadvantage she possessed within the air...

Kaze, in the meantime, used the distraction and confusion between all of his colleagues to walk back into the shadows, disappearing from sensation and sight, "This isn't good. If the Inner Circle has penetrated the Sekiseki barrier, who knows how many places of security they have compromised and penetrated. I must secure my laboratory and secure the Department. I don't have much time, by my estimates..."

"So?" Mōka smiled grimly, looking over at her two companion leaders of V-14, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking her head to the exit, "how shall we do this? Should we wait it out and come when things get messy, or just run with it? We'll need some sort of strategy to engage these bastards..."

Angelika closed her eye, her mind working to calculate. "The enemy is moving in a blitzkrieg formation. Air support and artillery will be used to soften up any fortified defense. While there are openings, both troops and equipment will be deployed on the ground in order to break through what survives of the opposition. We have to beware of any aircraft or other forms of vehicular support once we're out there."

"Where exactly will we be headed?" Anton questioned.

"We'll be going after the Dragons themselves." Angelika opened her eye slightly, looking over at all of them. "Captain Tensai has Brina covered for the time being. We'll go and focus on the other three. If we can take them out of the picture, their Dogs will have no one to pull their leash and the Gotei 13 will have a much easier time dealing with them. Not one of them is to be left alive. Destroy any who oppose you."

Oliver chuckled darkly, a gleaming smile crossing his face. "I've been waiting a long time for this... far too long..." He said lowly, raising his submachine gun to point in the air. In turn, this caused Angelika to gain a smirk of her own, as well as elicit a slight chuckle from her.

"Haven't we all?"

"Those airships are going to wreak havoc on our ground forces." Asuka said, looking towards her own subordinates. "Yusuke, take Shinji and Rika and head to the 12th Division HQ. Don't think their Captain or Lieutenant would mind if a helpful hacker came to their side. You're in charge of them, so make sure you all get there safe and sound. I'd send Rika to the Dragonbird, but considering what's going on, I don't think she'd be up in the air for very long."

"Yes, ma'am!" Yusuke said, his hand jerking in a respectable salute.

"Y-you aren't coming with us?" Rika asked hesitantly.

"Consider this a test..." Asuka gave a gentle smile. "Since you've always shown yourselves as very good subordinates, I want to see how well you'll cope without me for once. I have full and utter confidence in you all."

Rika's eyes widened briefly in surprise. But once the moment ended, she gave a bow of the head in respect and humility. "Yes, ma'am. We will not disappoint you..."

"Don't worry, Angelika," Kenja spoke with resolve, placing a reassuring armored hand on Rika's petite shoulder, winking at her superior, "I'll go along as additional security. With how unpredictable things are, its a good idea to have some muscle go along to make sure things go right..."

"I'll take the guys and we can go airborne," Mōka said with a smile, looking to Karitori with a nod, "we've done a few operations that have been considered battlefields, and this isn't any different. We can help the Head Captain anyways, as well as provide aerial support..."

"Hell yeah!" Zaii shouted in affirmation, raising his fist up in emphasis of his excitement.

"Sounds wicked," Karitori said with a feral grin, licking her lips in emphasis as she pulled out what looked like an archaic Kidō shotgun, "time to use this baby for some good ass-kicking..."

On the Captain's side of things, Hachiro couldn't help but smirk a little. "Aren't they just spry and youthful today...?" He joked lightly. However, he was quick to turn into a more serious. He turned his attention towards the rest of the Captains. "You heard the man. Keep your earpieces and radios on and keep constant contact with your subordinates. The last thing we want is for them to get overwhelmed without us knowing it..."

"Yes, Captain," Daisuke nodded in affirmation, looking to Sakura nervously, reaching his hand to place it on her shoulder, "we'll get through this. I promise..."

As he continued talking, however, he would be unaware that some of them would block him out... in exchange for a completely different voice.

"It is time, my little children... time to remember who it was that opened your minds."

It was the devil within the back of their heads, the demon on the opposite of the angel that sat on the affected's shoulders.

"I have granted you the opportunity to sleep. But now is an opportunity. Show me what you have learned. Show me your loyalty, your comradeship and the extent of your abilities. Your enemy is in front of you, unaware and ignorant of your intentions."

But in this instant, there would be no defiance.

"Show them no mercy. Death to the ones who oppose you."

It was during that moment, the pupils contracted on all of the affected. A faint smile came onto Ryōken's face, Taiyō narrowed her eyes, and Shindō glowered at V-14 as they strategized. And...within an instant...

Shindō moved with immense speed, releasing his Zanpakutō automatically upon unsheathing it, releasing a sudden discharge of Spiritual Power and lightning, intending on striking down the unaware clustered V-14 members within an instant, using his mass spreading blast of electricity to catch them all. 

Ryōken unsheathed his blade within an instaneous maneuver to Kukkyōna's backside, slashing outwards in an expert Iaijutsu swing, discharging his own burst of imbued Spiritual Power and innate pressurized water within the swift blast of his sword stroke.

Taiyō rushed over to Hachiro via Flash Step overhead, having raised her clog-sandled right leg, before descending with a vicious axe kick, imbued with a masterfully weaved Sōkatsui spell, surely to cause an incredible blast below her and into the thick ceilinged floor below. 

Tōshi Yūhi, Taiyō's Lieutenant, rushed over to Gina's blindspot, unsheathing her blade with swift position, aiming for her left leg's hamstrings to impede her efforts from escaping. Within the same sword stroke, she masterfully weaved into a figure eight slash towards her left arm as well, aiming to further disarm her target...

Senshi Fiaresu, Ryōken's Lieutenant, unsheathed his blade as he rushed towards the 11th Division Captain, aiming to cut her off from below her waistline and crouched below. With a swift rising thrust, Senshi aimed to deliver a powerful upheaval in sync with all the other attackers. 

All of these attacks would be swift, and unexpected. Precision and movement were parallel, as if they had always trained and fought together within an instant. It was uncanny...and devious for the enemy to utillize against the currently dormant warriors...

Time stopped.

Angelika and Asuka's eyes widened as they heard the unsheathing of the sword and the crackling of the lightning. They turned just in time to see the bolt of lightning rush towards their position. Out of the corner of their eye, they could see the Captains attacking their own allies, with the victims holding shocked and surprised expressions on their faces. Asuka herself only had time to open her mouth, but couldn't bring herself to say anything in time. The ambush was perfect, and they had let their guard down at the worst time.

"LOOK OUT!!!"

Within an instant, instinct took over for the V-14 mercenaries. 

Kenja moved within an instant via Bringer Light, raising his arms out and utilizing his metalic avarice to catch the stray lightning bolts heading towards Rika, Yusuke, and Sakura Keikai. The soles within his boots instinctively grounded the electrical energies, allowing them to sizzle around him with vibrant affects and little to no damage to himself and his Fullbring.

Shito raised his forearms up, pumping the inside of his muscles and reinforce his bones to absorb the incoming force. While his feet skidded a meter back, he managed to deflect the majority of the dangerous volts, only surface scarrring marred his muscular limbs, wincing in sync with the shocked look on his face. "I knew it! The Inner Circle already got to the Gotei 13!" 

Shinshin also acted upon instinct, happening to feel it much quicker than the battle borne instincts. The sudden, intoxicating feel of malevolence and hatred made his spine crawl, just before all of the Captains and Lieutenants began to attack. Knowing he couldn't intercept or take on the brunt of the attack, he did the only thing he could do. 

"Kaitlyn!" Shinshin shouted out, using a Flash Step to move with unprecedented speed before placing his back and arms in front of her, taking on the brunt of the attack sent by the Zanpakutō. While his body writhed and screamed in pain, Shinshin just grit his teeth and bore it, locking his eyes onto Kaitlyn when the majority of the attack was over, "are you...alright?"

Mōka's side of things were a bit baffled themselves. While Mōka reached out and utilized her own body to protect her two leader comrades, Karitori and Zaii got hit by the initial blast of lightning, sending them a couple meters while crying out in shock and anger. 

Shadō, on the other hand, held out his hands and absorbed his own side of the Spiritual Energy within the electrical energies, causing him to growl at seeing the volatile Captain strike at them, now of all times. But, seeing the other Captains and Lieutenants combat, he realized it was more than just personal vendetta. 

But on the Captain's side of things, things had been a little bit quicker.

Hachiro instinctively swung a hand up to meet her leg, gritting his teeth as he felt the full weight of her kick against him. The added energy within the kick forced him to utilize his own energy. He executed a Sokatsui of his own, counteracting her energy and creating a brilliant burst of light and power between himself and his foe. Then, he thrust his hand out in order to hurl her back with his own tremendous strength. Throughout all of it, he had a dumbfounded expression on his face. It wasn't the fact that he had been attacked by one of his own comrades - but rather, it was who he was being attacked by.

"What the hell?! Taiyō, what's gotten into you?!"

For Noriko, she didn't have to lift a finger - although she had been just as ready.

Her eyes widened when she saw blue wires move around the Lieutenant's body and secure him in a tight hold, effectively stopping the cutting edge from reaching her. Off to the side, she could see Masahiro himself standing with his side to his target, his blue eyes glowering at the one who had dared to attack his Captain. His hand was outstretched, holding the culprit strings. But he made no move to pull on them and slice the man into pieces. Either he didn't have it in him to kill another member of the Gotei 13... or he understood that something was off.

Gina, however...

SLICE!

"TACHIBANA-TAICHOU!!" Tamiko yelled out in horror and disbelief when she saw the blade tear through her Captain's hamstring. Her hand was on the hilt of her sword, but she had been too late to intercept. She could only watch as Gina let out a shocked hiss, stumbling away in order to avoid the next strike. What she was witnessing was absolute madness. Why were the Captains attacking each other in such a manner? Were they all working for the Inner Circle all along? She couldn't believe it!

The only one who seemed to be the least undeterred were Qilin and Tetsuyo.

Although they had a cautious gait about themselves, they also held varying expressions of calmness on their faces. It was almost as if they had expected this to happen and were fully prepared to defend themselves in the case that it happened. How they predicted it was uncertain. Maybe they simply had the reflexes and could hold themselves better than anyone else. Either way, they were no novices to attacks from their own allies...

CLANG-SKID!

"?!?!" Kukkyōna could only widen his eyes in shock at seeing his partner and closest friend among the Captaincy strike out at him. Within raw instinct he managed to step forward before using an Iaijutsu counter slash to parry Ryōken's, causing a vibrant flash and shockwave to push the two combatants apart. Upon noticing the other interactions, he knew now what happened. The Inner Circle had already planned for the Gotei 13, using their own best members as pawns in their game. 

Taiyō managed to backflip away from Hachiro, but not before slapping both of her wrists together, palms outstretched. She aimed for the Captain, before letting loose a Sōren Sōkatsui, sending a screaming powerful gale of explosive, incinerative energy to cause some real damage towards her opponent. Her eyes showed a cold, emptiness she never displayed before. As if she willingly wanted to slaughter her supposed comrade, and upon her own initiative...

Senshi, while eyes narrowed upon being caught, simply allowed a rare and uncharacteristic smile don on his face. His body shimmered out of view, his body literally phasing through the wire cutting material as if he was a ghost, and moved directly above the Lieutenant, whispering as he slashed towards his shoulder, "Found you!" 

Tōshi backpedaled, leaving the wounded Captain behind before she turned to Tamiko, rushing towards her with the same tenacity as she did the the girl's superior. With several fast swings directed at the Lieutenant's joints, intending on disabling her, she spung around on her heel before launching her own roundhouse kick towards the Tamiko's chin, intending on sending her flying back before she reassumed her fighting stance. 

Nozomi's eyes widened with horror at what she was seeing. All of her friends were attacking each other, in the most brutal and unforgiving manner, while the true enemy was outside bombing and assaulting their citizens and subordinates. It wasn't right, it...

"Stop it!" Nozomi took a step forward while throwing out the golden chains of Sajo Sabaku to ensare Shindō, her eyes on the verge of tears as she begged the child prodigy before her, "stop it, Shindō-chan! Don't hurt any-"

SHRRRRK--SPLURCH!

"-one..." her eyes widened with horror, as she looked down and saw Shindō mercilessly swung his weapon around, discharigng a pike of elongated lightning energy, holding its solid form of a ten foot long blade while squewering her gut. 

"CAPTAIN KASUMIŌJI!" Suiren shouted out, her voice shaken with pain and her eyes widen with stricken horror of all the things happening around her. It was like a nightmare. She didn't know what to do or whom to fight. She unsheathed her blade and rushed to her Captain's side, cutting the blade that held her adrift before grasping her superior's limp form, "please, Nozomi-sama...hang in there..."

"S-S-Shindō...kun...why...are...you...?" Sakura herself felt her body dropping to her knees. With wide, unbelieving eyes locking onto the unforgiving, previously attempting to kill her form of her superior and the one her heart adored, she couldn't function. With faint gasps, she felt herself choking...not being able to see clearly...and then falling into a spasming, gasping pile on the ground.

"Oh, no..."

Yusuke's pupils dilated in horror as he saw the Lieutenant fall over, the horror of the situation having taken a massive toll on her. Had it not been for that, he would have been immediate to thank Kenja for his actions in saving the three. But as it was, the first thing he did was run over towards the fallen body of Sakura. He kneeled over, placing his hands on her face and turning her towards him. Her lack of response was what cued him into the state she was in.

"No, no, no, damn it, no!" He shouted in desperation, spinning his head around to look back at the rest of his compatriots. Rika had instinctively crouched down into herself, holding the back of her head with her hands and keeping it low. Like Sakura, her breaths were unsteady and irregular. But he could tell that she wasn't as bad as Sakura was. "She's gone into shock! I need to move her out now!"

"I'll carry her." Shinji's voice was quick to answer him, his form quickly approaching. He seemed to have regained his stoic and unflappable attitude to an extent, as none of the fear that he had displayed before was in his voice. He reached over to scoop Sakura up in his arms, standing back up and looking down at Yusuke. "I trust in you to give me appropriate cover in order to preserve both our lives."

"Th...thank you, Kenja-san..." Rika managed to say, looking over at him with a wincing expression. She didn't have the speed to move out of the way as quickly as the others did, so she most definitely would have been caught in the attack had Kenja not intervened. "Are you all right...?" Despite her own fear, the concern for her teammates had not been lost.

The same would go for Kaitlyn.

"M-me?!" She asked in disbelief, lowering her arm away from her face in order to look at Shinshin. "You just got hit by a bolt of live lightning, and you're asking me if I'm all right?!" Because he had taken the brunt of the damage, she had come out virtually unscathed. Of course, she had been taken off guard by the sudden attack made by Shindō. But she wasn't as rattled as the rest of them might have been. She was someone used to ambushes and sudden attacks.

"What in the...?!" Oliver could only stare in disbelief, having leaped out of the way just in time. As he got out from the roll he performed, he turned his head to look over at Hyōryū and Anton. The Russian, like Shinshin, had placed himself in front of the woman and made himself a shield against the lightning. Fortunately, he used his own spiritual energy as a better so that less damage would come to him. It didn't protect him completely, though. "Hey, you two! You all right?! Talk to me!"

"Unnngh...." Anton let out a groan, staggering back a little from Hyōryū. His figure was hunched over a little, and singe markings were prominent on his clothing. "Fuck, no matter what I do, lightning's still going to hurt... you all right, Hyōryū? I tried not getting too badly damaged, considering we're going Dragon hunting..."

"This is bad..." Asuka murmured, peering at the Captains and Lieutenants as they began to fight amongst themselves. "I'm sensing a faint wave of someone else's spiritual pressure within the bodies of the 4th, 5th and 10th Divison Captains. The 4th and 5th's Lieutenants have also been infected. Whatever that's doing this has quite the control over their bodies. It's as if they're moving on their own will, and yet they're not at the same time..."

SLICE!

"Tch...!"

Masahiro let out a hiss as the blade slashed through his shoulder, barely being able to move in order to lessen the wound's impact on his performance. He skidded to a stop beside his Captain, standing back up in a slightly hunched position. "Not to worry, sir..." He said softly, a grin crossing his face. He narrowed his eyes at the one who had delivered the blow to him, summoning his wires to him. "I've suffered worse blows than this. If you would, grant me permission to fight this one alone."

"... you're sure...?" Noriko asked quietly, cocking an eyebrow. "You don't mind--"

"If it means that peace has to be kept..." Masahiro cut her off. "Then I shall do whatever it takes. Even if it means dirtying my hands with the blood of my comrades." In turn, this brought the Captain to breathe out a heavy sigh and look on with solemn eyes.

"Very well. Do what you need to, Lieutenant..."

"RRRRRRRGGGGGGH!!!!"

Once again, Hachiro found himself having to use a countering Soren Sokatsui in order to battle against her own. Because she had unleashed it so quickly, it had reached him just before he could summon his own. He gritted his teeth, digging in his feet as he fought against the power of the spell. But it took only a few seconds before both of them cancelled out, and he was left staring into those cold eyes. "That's not the look of our 4th Division Captain, that's for sure..." He thought to himself, his lips curling in a furious snarl. "Damn it... what did they do to you, Ikidori?!"

Tamiko quickly unsheathed her sword just in time to counter the swift assault delivered by Tōshi. Quickly, she found herself being forced on the defensive as she fought to hold her opponent back, alarm and confusion written on her face. "Tōshi, stop it!!" She tried to reach out to the other Lieutenant in an attempt to get her to cease her movement. "I'm not your enemy!! It's me, Tamiko--"

Then the roundhouse kick came.

"Gak--!!"

As she was sent flying into the walls, the Punisher watched all of this with a morbid fascination. She stared as Lieutenants went up against Lieutenanst, Captains went up against Captain, and the like. She was possibly the only one standing who had not been attacked, other than Daisuke. But, unlike him, she had been early to notice the anomaly within the affected Captains. Somehow, the enemy managed to pull them under a state of mental control where they would act under their own will, but have their perspectives switched entirely. She couldn't help but take admiration to that.

But now, she had to figure out what to do. In all honesty, she could've let them fight it out just for the sake of amusement. She could've let a good amount of them die right then and there. But Shin'en's words had struck a chord within her head, and now she was starting to feel conflict within herself. Staying out of it meant that Mōka would get in the crossfire. While normally this would've been a good thing for her, there was something about it now that made the notion seem so... wrong.

And how could she figure out what it was if her daughter was hurt or had died?

"They're being controlled!" Mōka declared aloud, catching on within the same moment as she saw the battles taking place around her, using the same senses that the Punisher had, "something re-written their consciousness. Whatever they're doing, they're not in their right minds..."

"Let's knock them into the pavement," Karitori announced, raising her gun to level it at Shindō, "that should bring 'em back to reality-"

"No, it might not work!" Shinshin winced as he turned around to face Shindō, watching him release his hold over the wounded Captain to gaze at them with a keen pair of eyes, "they're bound by whomever is controlling them. Its almost as if they themselves planned for this. I think either silencing the source of control or killing them is the only way to break their control..."

"What do we do then?!" Shito spoke aloud, his eyes wide with shock and horror at the situation they were presented with.

"We have to leave this to the Captains!" Kenja spoke aloud, standing up while turning to the others with a serious look in his eyes, "they know their comrades' weaknesses and strengths best. If anyone can stop them, it would be the Captains and Lieutenants here."

"Besides, we were given an order by the Head Captain to protect the Seireitei," Zaii replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "I don't feel right not pummeling the Dragons and beating on Captains instead..."

"Captain! Father! What's going on?!" Daisuke shouted out with panic, not sure of whom to go against and whom to support. 

"Get out of here, Daisuke!" Kukkyōna shouted out, holding his own against Ryōken with a single blade of his two, looking into the man's eyes of whom he known and trusted, "we can handle things here! You need to...protect...our Clan...and...the Soul Society!" 

"B-But I-"

However, before he could make up his mind...

"SHINDOOOOOO!!!!" Suiren flew out towards the 10th Division Captain in a blind rage, attempting to avenge her fallen and wounded superior. That was...until...

SHFT-BRACK!

"You should keep your guard up better," Taiyō spoke lowly, having quickly switched places from Hachiro's battle. Utilizing the fantastic explosion as cover, she moved with unrivaled speed in comparison to the Lieutenant, appearing behind her before slamming her fist into the young woman's backside. Within an ear-splitting shockwave, the Lieutenant was knocked into the floor and down into the next one, knocking her officially unconscious. She then returned her guard to face Hachiro, slowly and methodically walking back to her opponent's direction, while an unsettlingly cold, malicious Spiritual Pressure radiated from her. 

In fact, each one of them radiated a deadly aura of Spiritual Pressure, unlike what the others would've ever felt. Now, they will demonstrate the powers and skills they have learned in secret...from their master. 

"...you heard your father."

Hachiro's gaze slowly grew into a solemn one as he watched Taiyō approach. But he was sure to keep his tone directed towards Lieutenant, supporting Kukkyōna's order. "I expected the men under my command to point blades only at their enemies... not like this. Not at their own comrades..." He said lowly, a hint of bitterness heard within his tone. "Help get the wounded and incapacitated out of here. Don't worry about us..."

He balled up his fists, glaring straight into the 4th Division Captain's eyes.

"We'll... clean up here..."

"Nnngh..."

Weakly, Tamiko stood herself up and used a free hand to wipe away the blood dripping down the corner of her mouth. "Captain, with that injured hamstring, you won't be able to move as fast..." She said, pointing her blade at Tōshi. "Go, find a place to heal yourself. I'll handle Tōshi!"

The resolve and determination in her voice had effectively silenced any protests her Captain was about to say. She gave a hesitant nod, doing her best to stand on her affected leg. "Fight like a warrior, Tamiko-san..." She said softly. "I can only hope that you'll come out alive..."

A smile came across the Lieutenant's face. "Don't worry, Tachibana-taichou. I will."

WOOSH!

With a Flash Step, Tetsuyo quickly moved to the side of Suiren, lifting one of her arms around his shoulders and his arm around her waist for support. He lifted her up as he stood on his feet, looking towards Daisuke. "C'mon, Lieutenant Hayate." He said. "Help me with these two. These wounded aren't going to look after themselves here!"

"R-Right!" Daisuke hesitated only for a moment, rushing over with a Flash Step of his own to scoop up the wounded Captain into his own arms, looking to Qilin's Lieutenant with a nod of his head. He then looked to V-14, shouting out, "clear us a path, that way we can treat them!" 

"Well you heard the man!" Mōka spoke out, unsheathing a blade and pointed to the exit, "everyone head out the door! We'll let the professionals handle their own mess! Let's go, let's go!" 

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Shinshin spoke aloud, scooping Kaitlyn into his arms swiftly before rushing out via Flash Step, along with the others, in a clear attempt to leave. She let out a slight yelp of surprise, but did not protest against it.

Taiyō though narrowed her eyes, turning one hand to face the retreating band of V-14, charging what looked like a Hadō #88, without incantation or needed gesture, "I'm not letting you all get away from us..."

BLAAAAAAAAAAM!

And without hesitation, she discharged a large pillar of electrical, volatile energy, intending on catching them all within the blast and kill the weaker ones without resistance to the ammount of damage they'd recieve. Even those of higher caliber wouldn't be able to leave totally unscathed and would be easy prey for their associates...

"!!"

Hachiro's eyes widened at the sudden shift in targets. He turned his head towards the blast as it raced towards the group of V-14. The action had been unpredictable, and he could only bring himself to shout a warning at them. "WATCH YOUR SIX--!!"

However, it turned out that he didn't need to.

VOOM!

TZZZZZZZZZT!

The electric wall stopped inches from hitting the group, much to the surprise of some. Within the light, the silhouette of a figure could be seen by the V-14 and whoever else was behind it, its hands outstretched in a blocking motion. The blinding light only enveloped the room for a brief, tense moment before the lightning currents ran out and dissipated. When it all cleared, the figure could be seen within all its glory.

"You wanna kill them? You're going to have to get through me, you little bitch."

After she delivered that jeering statement to the hypnotized Captain, the Punisher looked over her shoulder at them. It was one of those instances where she would truly appear to be stern and commanding. "Go. I'll make sure no one tries to sneak past to follow you." She said firmly.

"Thank you, Sakura," Daisuke smiled, grateful that someone he admired and loved so much put herself out like that to save them, "I'll wait for you to come back," he then turned, and began running down the steps before leaping into the air, using Flash Step to disappear out of view. 

Mōka herself was to be the last one to see her mother place herself in harm's way for everyone else. Unlike herself, she was never ashamed or regretful of utilizing her natural god-like powers when she wanted to. Now, she could see why it would matter...especially those who would be harmed without her intervention...

"Thank you," she silently said to her mother, following her comrades down the Seireitei's steps from the 1st Division and down to a safer location, "now, I'll do my part in protecting everyone else..."

SLAM!

"Dam you, Hankami bitch!" With a blood-curtling growl and a vicious smashing stamp of her metal plated, wood tower clog left foot onto the ground, sending cracks and fissures around from the imprint she made. Her eyes gave off an unnatural anger and hatred towards the Punisher, standing in her way from destroying her enemies, "you're always in the way! Why can't you just stay in Hell where you belong?! It would be so much easier just managing the worst of humanity instead of meddling in the affairs of mortals, wouldn't it?!"

"V-14 bastards!" Shindō snarled, his red-black eyes traced back in a cold sideglance to where they exited, "I'll kill anyone who stands in my way! The price for slaying my comrades...is untold screams of agony I will wreak upon you! Not even the Hankami will stand in my way!" 

"Upstuck sympathizers," spoke in a cool, cold tone towards Masahiro, briefly gazing at his Captain, "think your high and mighty act can fool anyone? You are all fools. Wretches who are more than willing to kiss the feet of would-be gods and goddesses in exchange for their protection, when you can't even defend yourselves!"

Tōshi walked over to the fallen Tamiko, cemented partially in the wall she kicked her into, walking methodically with an angry vibe etching from her soul, "The poor cling to their lives bitterly as you all live bountifully! Wars break out in the Rukon Districts and you have no problem demolishing their homes! You are all guilty of hypocricy and ignorance!" 

"I can't believe what sorry lot you are," Ryōken smirked as he slide his blade across Kukkyōna's, seemingly enjoying his former partner's shock and emotional pain, "you have no idea what its like to be blacklisted from any Division of the Gotei 13. I fought with my soul, tears and blood to earn the title I've gotten. I've barely retained my family name because of one ambitious cousin, and you all stick me in the same shoes as him! Well guess what?! You were right after all!"

Return of the Prodigal Child...The Fated Battle of Rivals!

"It seems like the Head Captain's decided to get some action in. Our Wasps and Manta bombers are getting picked off cluster by cluster. So much for suppression tactics..."

Brina gave a heavy sigh as she stood on the edge of Sokyoku Hill, listening to the reports of a soldier and watching the air battle commence. At this rate, artillery fire from the airship seemed like less of an option and more of a necessity. She knew she should've given the order to bomb the entire area before sending troops in. But Tsukishima did say to leave some alive for his fellow Horseman. "We never get the easy jobs, do we, Corporal?"

A light chuckle. "No, ma'am, it seems like we don't."

"At the very least, the Head Captain is distracted with something. I want you and your men to move in and secure sections Two-Echo and Four-Alpha. Use indiscriminate targeting and disregard the locals. If you can, notify your Captain to call out targets for artillery. We may need them soon enough.

"Yes, Colonel."

With that, the transmission was cut off. Brina lowered her binoculars and placed them on the ground beside her, folding her hands behind her back and observing the spectacle above and below her. "Tick, tock, tick, tock..." She whispered, smiling. "Enjoy your last breaths while you can, residents of the Soul Society. Time is running out..."

SHFT!

"Time is running out..."

WHAP-POW!

"...for you to breathe!" The voice of Sazuke shouted out in sync with her murderous appearance suddenly hovering just above the crouched Brina. Within an instant of her declaration, she deployed a swift axe kick, deploying enough force to smash into the edge of the cliff toe to obliterate it with a popping sound. The pocket of air pressure being split caused the cliff to be blasted and shattered upon contact with her sandal-heel.

For a moment, it was unsure of whether or not Brina had been hit. The dusty smoke obscured everything, enveloping the spot where the cliff edge used to be. The massive piece of rock would collapse downward, descending towards the forest below. In that instant, it seemed that Brina had truly been taken off-guard and that the blow had crushed her skull in.

That is, until her voice was heard a distance behind Sazuke's location.

"Twelve seconds late..." She remarked coolly, her arms folded across her chest and her head tilted to the side. Despite the fury of the enemy that appeared before her, she didn't seem too phased. "You've gotten a bit slower in the time that we've been away, 3rd Seat. Did your reflexes really dull that much?"

"Way of the Onmitsukidō #5, Suturobo Hanten..."

Within an instant of Brina laying eyes on Sazuke, she seemingly disappeared upon finishing her kick...

SHFT-WHACK!

...only to reappear directly above Brina, throwing two fists to strike her opponent from either side of her head, intending on dealing some damage to her temples and to disorient her. Having purposely gave her position away to the former Stealth Force prodigy, Sazuke utilized a high-speed variant that hadn't ever been shown to the traitorous Dragon of the Inner Circle. She was determined to any or all skills at her disposal to eliminate her!

The pupils within those shimmering blue irises dilated - but not out of shock.

It was excitement.

With a motion of her own hands, she swiftly caught Sasuke's wrists before they could come within reach of her head. She drew her and her foe's arms inward while twisting her body around. She swung Sazuke into the ground with enough force to both leave an indent within the earth as well as make the body bounce off like a ball. With her arms coming out of their pendulum swing, she thrust out one of them with the palm outstretched in a Tesshō strike towards the forehead.

She wouldn't mind if Sazuke had no words for her. She wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Even though Sazuke indented the rock face, her body didn't spasm in pain as she tightened her muscles instinctively, causing her body to absorb and dispel the damage masterfully. Even so, when Sazuke's eyes opened with a murderous reddened glint, she merely growled as her own hand reached up and grasped the hand coming towards her face, stopping it mid-lunge...

"Is that all you got, bitch?!" With an unspoken gesture, Sazuke swung her own palm up towards her currently stationary opponent, letting loose a wide arc of yellow Ōkasen blast at point blank, making sure she increased its output and radius, intending on catching her off guard and mark her for daring to strike her down. 

It was at that split-second moment that Brina almost considered breaking out her Shunkō. It would have certainly broke the hold that Sazuke had on her, as well as provided a decent defense against the point-blank blast that would've certainly done some serious damage to her. But she knew that would've been the easy way out. That would've been too early and too soon. For the moment, she wanted to play around and see just how powerful this woman was.

And so, she acted in a different manner.

With her hand, she summoned up a variant of Enkōsen. The shield spawned just in time, coming up and completing itself a millisecond before the energy blast connected with it. As she felt the waves wash over her, a violent shudder went down her spine. Her grin seemed to widen even more, gleaming along with her blue eyes in the bright light. It made her expression seem just as murderous as Sazuke's was, with just a slight touch of insanity. It was a rather chilling sight to see.

When the lights cleared, the hand that had summoned the Enkōsen spell thrust out to grab Sazuke's other hand. Her fingers intertwined with her opponent's and pushed downward, intending on keeping the other woman pinned down. She knelt down a little, her knee a few inches above Sazuke's forehead. "Apparently," She said. "It's enough if it gets you on your back, just like a helpless turtle. It's clearly enough if it puts you beneath me, just like you should've been all those years before. If it's enough to put you in your place, it'll be more than enough to crush you until there's nothing left..."

Then, she took in a deep breath.

PWOOM!!!

When she blew outwards, the flames of a Nenshō spell were unleashed upon Sazuke's face. The flames would continue to spread outward, enveloping everything within a considerable radius.

However, even as she was pinned, Sazuke couldn't help but feel both a murderous intent flare out while inwardly feeling lucky. Within the inhalation, recognizeable of a certain deadly technique, the Stealth Force Commander knew what form of counterattack she would use. One that would counter the flames that were about to billow out of her adversary's mouth...

BWHOOOSH!!!

Sazuke's entire upper torso discharged a billowing, over-powering twister of pressurized wind, dissipating and blowing the flames back upon its user. The force would be tremendous enough, it would allow Sazuke to push her opponent high into the air, allowing her to free her hands...

SNIK-WHIZ-WHIZ-WHIZ!

...and throw a handful of precisely guided kunai knives into the arcing currents of the wind, aiming to hit her in a way she analytically calculated she would fly into their paths. She would show her, just how much power she attained...and how much stronger she was than the "Child Prodigy" student formerly under her own mentor. She would show her the true gaps in power between them both, once and for all!

"Ngh--!!!"

Brina had to grit her teeth and shut one eye as she was blown upwards. Her reflexes kicked in, and she swung her body backwards as it was flying. The result was a backflip flowing into a reverse cannon ball. As she was coming out of it, she channeled spiritual energy to land on the air with her feet. As she bent herself into a crouched position, she would see the kunai knives rushing towards her form. It would be a matter of seconds.

But she would make it.

With incredible speed, she had moved her hands to intercept and catch the kunai knives within her fingertips. It was a remarkable display of precision, timing, and accuracy displayed by the ex-Lieutenant. Without hesitation, she hurled them all back at their captor with incredible speed and force. Of course, she doubted that this was going to do anything.

But then again, she was very eager to play.

Sazuke smiled ferally, her eyes glowed red as she her adversary sought to utilize her own Kunai against her. Her eyes caught each projectile coming close to her, awaiting the perfect opportunity to show her powers to her rival and sworn enemy. As the projectiles drew closer, without even moving a finger...

BWHOOSH!

A fully frontal kintetic blast was shot from her body, repelling the projectiles with enough force to shatter a few of them upon impact. The shockwave rolled forward with enough momentum to send the rivetting and awe-shocking blast of force towards the one who threw the kunai back at her. The root of the power she mastered...was Shō, the most basic of all of Hadō. 

"If you think you're going to beat me with my own tools, think again!" Sazuke snarled out, walking methodically slow towards her target. Currently, her eyes were filled with a cold, merciless intent to kill. Her rage slowly building from its core, she will soon show her...why she is known as the Demon of the Gotei 13!

When Brina landed back on the ground with her feet, she looked up just in time to see the kunai being repelled and shattered. She couldn't help but give an impressed whistle. The most basic of the destructive spells had been utilized in such a dangerous manner. Another chill raced down her spine as she felt the murderous intent radiate off of her bitter rival. Her tongue escaped her mouth, tracing her upper lip in sensual, anticipatory manner.

"Yes..." She whispered, standing tall with her hands folded behind her back. "Think of Lady Yoruichi, who rests so peacefully in her grave. Think of our master, who fell so pitifully by the hands of her student right before your very eyes. We left as equals, you and I, and when we met once again, you would be superior. You would be stronger. That's what you told me, isn't it?"

She tilted her head to the side.

"Well then, show me that power. Drive your fists straight into my heart and tear it out for our precursors to see. Shout down upon my broken body that you have crushed me underneath your feet. Put an end to my dreams of destruction and pain... my beloved rival..."

Stopping for an instant, Sazuke narrowed her eyes dangerously. She raised her hands up to the collar of her Haori, her form radiating a foreboding aura as she spoke, "Do you really want me to crush you? Obliterate that puny body of yours? Well, let me show you something that will disgrace your fighting abilities. While you have been training and hiding in the dark, I aimed to strengthen my mind, body and spirit higher than Soifon-sama and even higher than the legendary Yoruichi-dono. I aimed..."

SHFT...

"...for the pinnacle of physical power!" Sazuke spoke aloud, unfastening her Haori entirely, allowing it to fall from her arms and down onto the ground. But instead of it falling gracefully as all Haori do, instead...

BOOOOOM!!!

...it crashed with such dense force into the cliff, it indented and caused a slab of the cliffside to fall off, sending an uproaring fissure of earth to fly up intinimidatingly behind her. Wearing nothing but a matte black body suit, showing off her generously sized chest underneath as well as well toned and honed physical muscles, Sazuke showed off her form to her rival, allowing her to witness the beauty of her strength before she crushed her with it.

It was here that Brina broke her predatory gaze. An eyebrow was cocked slightly as the weights collapsed, taking a portion of the cliff with it. She actually seemed to be looking at her opponent's physical form with genuine interest. For a moment, she didn't say anything. It was a rather abrupt mood change in comparison to her previous attitude.

Her next words didn't help.

"Huh. I'd tap that. I'd tap that real hard."

Sazuke felt herself blankly stare at Brina for saying the unprecedented comment. If there were a crow flying over the Soul Society, it'd be cawing very loudly at the awkwardness the scene presented. Unintentionally, Sazuke did bring it upon herself, but...

She chose to simply brush the comment off, rolling her neck side to side, allowing the painful popping sounds to be heard as she stretched her body around. She then lowered herself to the ground, much in the fashion a martial artist or a race track runner would. With her left knee tucked just underneath the cleavage of her chest, and her right propped back, she leaned forward on all ten of her fingertips. 

"I'm going to break you into small pieces..."

FZZZZZZT!

"...BRINAAAAAA!!!!" Sazuke shouted out in a loud KIAI, with so much pressurized air within her lungs, that it visibly distorted the air around her. Within that instant, she moved, causing her body to disappear before Brina's eyes, with only a blast of earth from where her body was to uproar after her form's rapidly speeding...

CRACK-WHOOSH!

...before reappearing beside her archrival, launching a Lariat style attack to Brina's abdomen, intending to carry her across the cliffside, before launching her down towards the forest far below the high heights of the execution mountain they did battle.

As much as Brina regarded Sazuke to be one of the most dangerous threats she would ever encounter, a bit of underestimation had been dealt. It was a simple and straightforward move, after all. So when her opponent appeared beside her, she expected to recover quickly and deliver a counter-attack of her own.

Imagine her surprise when she realized that the blow was much more powerful than she guessed it to be.

The air had been forced out of Brina's lungs once Sazuke's arm connected with her stomach. It might as well have been the equivalent of getting hit by a freight train, sending waves of pain through her body. Her pupils dilated, and she found herself struggling to regain breath as she was swept off her feet. In the few seconds that she was hauled along by Sazuke, she found herself unable to regain herself in time.

Then, she was plunged into the forest.

Her body slammed into the ground and skidded through the dirt, leaving behind a massive ditch. Trees unfortunate enough to be in her path were knocked over, their weight causing the ground to shake in brief bursts. She would go for a total of three miles before she finally stopped, buried underneath a pile of pushed-up dirt and rocks.

Needless to say, it wasn't a pleasant experience.

"Look who's looking down on you now, loser," Sazuke snarled as she looked down from the cliffside from which she threw her foe down towards the forest far below. The large uproar of earth and cracking of trees below confirmed that she made direct impact into the earth below. But she wanted to make sure...

SHFT!

...utilizing a deft Flash Step, she moved from the top of the cliffside to nearly right ontop of the large pile of debris, her sandals clapping with near soundless qualities. Observing the pile of which Brina had laid into, she sneered as she brought her foot back...

BWHOOSH!

...and sent enough force to shatter the earthen pile on Brina, as well as aim to send her tumbling a good few meters away. 

"Stand up, you coward!" Sazuke growled as she began to stalk her way, wanding to beat the woman she called her rival and equal for so many years rather than kick her on the ground, "I want you to fight me like your life is depending on it! You were willing to slaughter tens of thousands of innocents for your own satisfaction just a few minutes ago, but you had no fear for your life! Show me your will to fight, Brina McTavish, so I might tear it from you utterly!" 

"Hey, 3rd Seat!"

Fortunately for Brina, and much to the possible chagrin of her enemy, she had not been within the dirt pile when Sazuke had made her appearance. Instead, she was standing on the trunk of a tree with her head tilted towards Sazuke. She had performed a Flash Step in order to evade just in time and position herself accordingly. She regarded her enemy with a mock look of surprise, her eyes widened and her mouth contorted into an innocent frown. After the jeer, she remained silent for a few moments in order to make sure she had the Captain's attention. Then...

"You-missed!"

Then, she broke into a high-speed run deeper into the forest, laughing in a comically manic manner as she did so.

"Has she lost her mind...?"

Sazuke narrowed her eyes as Brina tried to escape, rushing with impressive speed as she cackled in a taunting manner. What her rival would fail to see, however, despite being able to narrowly dodge a surface attack, she wouldn't be able to keep distance from her for long. For, as soon as Sazuke took a step froward...

BWHOOSH-SHFT!

...a blast of earth and wind uproosted from her original footing, before a blinding blurring form raced towards Brina, catching up with her within an instant, appearing directly in front of her racing form. And once again, she took a step forward, while slamming her palm towards her racing abdomen...

BWOOM!

...causing a blast of concussive and directed force, intending on knocking Brina back onto her haunched once more, with a cool, collected yet murderous glazed look within her eyes. 

The physical strength that Sazuke was displaying had become one of the factors that would serve as advantage. Although Brina herself was no scrawny lightweight when it came to physical strength, Sazuke was showing herself to be the stronger one. Had it not been for the concentration of her spiritual energy upon the first impact, there was no doubt that the bones in her body would've been shattered to pieces.

But of course, strength was something she learned long ago not to rely on.

As the attack came towards her, she used her wrist to parry and batter away the offending arm. Any impact the concussive force had was indirect, the wind blowing in her face pointless to worry about. She was quick to get under her enemy's guard with her other hand, starting up what would be an aggressive assault. A flurry of chops, slices and kicks would come Sazuke's way. But they would not aim at random parts of the body. Instead, they would aim at pressure points that happened to be exposed at the time. Any counter-attacks delivered by Sazuke would be either parried away or blocked with her forearm.

"She's adapted her fighting style well. She's using a variant of Ninjitsu to aim for my pressure points and physically disable me, while using Jujitsu counters to divert my blows," Sazuke analyzed as she began to backpedal, using her own swift movements to counter the series of assaults sent by her prodigious rival, "however...her moves are sporadic and have no focus, just aiming for openings. If I allow an opening to arrive for her..."

SNAP!

Within an instant as she allowed Brina to slam a pair of knife-handed fingers into her left shoulder, she had instinctively tightened her muscles to allow a dense cushion over her pressure point being aimed. Within that moment, Sazuke used her daunting speed to grasp her arm, twisting it to the side while swinging her elbow with incredible pivotal precision and power, aiming to smash into Brina's right eye socket as she passed by...

"Ah--!"

In the twist of her arm, Brina allowed a sharp gasp of pain to escape her lips. But it didn't stop her from providing an effective counter.

With her free arm, she swung upwards and blocked the oncoming elbow with her forearm. Within that instant, she found herself being pushed back against Sazuke's momentum and strength, having to dig her feet in against what might as well have been a raging bull. Yet still, she smiled serenely as she defended against herself. Unlike the red and murderous eyes of Sazuke, her own eyes told nothing to her enemy. She could have been hiding any emotion within herself and no one could've realized what it was.

Then, her eyes widened briefly.

A pulse of spiritual energy, courtesy of a very brief release of her Shunkō, would shoot through her opponent's body and cause the muscles within the dominant form to spasm in a painful manner.

"NNNNGH!" Sazuke couldn't deny the sudden blast of Shunkō, the very same variant that had incapacitated her mentor. The painful waves spasmed through her muscles, raging pain receptors felt ready to burst, and her body halted its momentum, if just a moment. But then...something unexepected happened...

"This painful sensation...is what my mentor experienced...what she went thrugh...because of her!!!" 

"HRRRRRRRRRRR!!!" Sazuke raised her eyes, now truly reddened with rage and no longer of focus, with teeth bared behind her Demon mask. Despite the pain radiating her body, she knew she had trained for this. The one thing that had been the undoing of her mentor, wouldn't be her own. As her muscles tightened and constricted, she forcefully closed her pain receptors, making her skin temporarily numb as she pushed back against Brina.

And then...

BOOOM!!!

Her body suddenly became alight, with a bright red aura before discharging a frontal shockwave in sync with another thrust of her elbow shouting out, "IS THIS ALL YOU GOT?!"

WOOSH!

Quickly, Brina pulled herself away from the oncoming attack with a Flash Step, skidding away. As she brought herself to a standing position, she stared in awe and anticipation at the energy released. She met the gaze of the enraged Captain with a delight and satisfaction that could've come only out of the heat of combat. The waves of energy being released by her foe sent shivers down her spine, bringing about a sense of nostalgia. It almost made the reality of her death seem closer and closer.

"The Soul Society is falling all around you. Your Captains are slaughtering each other as we speak, having fallen under my commander's spell. Yet you pushed yourself forward, determined to end my life. If there had to be anyone that I had to pick to kill me, it would have to be you, Demon of the Stealth Force. There's no other place I would be within this armaggeddon right now than with you, clawing your throat away..."

Slowly, she settled into a stance, and this time, her Shunkō flared up in full effect. "Hardly..." She said mockingly. "I would be disappointed if a mere pulse was all it took to bring you down. No, I promise much greater pain and agony upon you, dear 3rd Seat. Come, and experience it for yourself!"

"Your masters depend on it..."

"Finally...this is the moment I've been waiting for, Psychic Flash of the Stealth Force," Sazuke narrowed her eyes at the flaring Shunkō of her adversary's creation. The vibrant light in contrast to the usual silver transparent energy surrounding one's back and limbs was no more than a psychic attack to her enemies, lacking in fire power and speed what the original incomplete Shunkōs. 

But, this is when that demon look of rage finally bore a malicious grin of her own. Laughing aloud, Sazuke let her hatred filter the air, causing the red aura to dissipate as electrical energies from her own Shunkō began to disperse from her very pores.

"Pain? You think because you can cause pain to others you know something about it? I had to watch my mentor struggle through life, knowing that her prodigious successor turned her back and tried to kill her. I had to endure the knowing that the Stealth Force's reputation had been tarnished and ended up forcing her to reassign her position as Commander. I had to keep my rage at bay every waking moment, for allowing you the one small piece of mercye within me to keep something precious alive for my mentor. But, NO MORE!" 

BRRRAAAAAACK-VROAAAAR!

A magnanimous projection of the chaotic, crackling and destructive energies of her Shunkō flared about wildly, nearly as large as an exertion of her own Spiritual Power. Her eyes glowed vibrantly red as she smiled with a potent hate and bloodlust. Stretching out her arms to either side, she spoke through the roaring currents with a surprising audible tone, "I've done what you, nor any Stealth Force Commander has done in over a thousand years, Brina. While you and my mentor had powerful Shunkōs, they were never complete. Now, witness..."

SSSSSRRRRK-FZZZZZT!

Pulling her arms into herself, drawing int all the projected, chaotic energy that caused frighteningly powerful winds and an initial shockwave at her core, blasting a good ten meters of landscape from the sheer pressure of its release. The rain itself began to come down in earnest, as the thunder rumbled ominously in sync as the energy drew directly into Sazuke's pores and body. With only distinct electrical currents running vaguely around her body, Sazuke directed her nearly permanent red-eyed gaze behind her demon mask, "...my Perfect Shunkō."

Those Who Cannot Remember The Past; The Punishment for Ignorance

For the first time in the battle, Brina's serene expression changed to that from a calm euphoria to complete shock. Her pupils dilated, and she took a step back as she felt the shockwave wash over her. The fact that the landscape was breaking under the stress of it did not help her matters. She did not even notice the rain that continued to pour down so heavily, so surprised by the power that was Sazuke's Shunkō. She didn't even remember her master's being this strong.

"You are really taking this a bit too personally, 3rd Seat!" She called over the intense winds. "Have you forgotten what it means to be a true assassin? Have you forsaken the shadows for the sake of nothing but pure power and strength? This is nothing but a shame to our predecessors, expelling so much power for the need of terminating only one individual!"

Sazule stared stoically, even as the rain pelted the surface of her skin, leaving her body suit drenched as were hair. Her eyes glowed deep, bright red-white, with almost no signs of her backing down from her opponent now. But as the words emanated from Brina, chastizing her as if she would know the arts of assassination, Sazuke did something unexpected...

Tap...

"But you forget," Sazuke spoke, placing a hand on her shoulder from behind, with such speed that she still looked as if she was still standing a few meters away from her, before fading away from sight. Her whisper bore a malicious, reprimanding tone, "I'm in your shadow right now...striking you..."

WHA-BOOM!!!!

"...from your blind spots!" Sazuke then disappeared from behind her, reappearing in her front, slamming three snap kicks of incredible force. This action began causing thundercrack projections as a wave of pressurized air ripped apart the ground beneath them to a severe degree. She intended to be the one with her foot on her adversary's skull...and split it when she would mock her for her own weakness.

From the moment that Sazuke laid a hand on her shoulder, Brina felt her heart stop.

The fact that she was able to touch her at all meant that the pulse waves were having little to no effect. She could only look over her shoulder at her enemy, for she was too shocked to move any other part. Sazuke had not been joking when she said she had been training to surpass even the likes of Yoruichi herself. In that instant, she found herself paralyzed and unable to move.

That is, until Sazuke started up her attack.

She threw her head back in order to avoid getting kicked, the force rattling her balance. Stubbornly, she held on until the third kick before moving in. With both of her hands, she caught the offending leg and secured her fingers around tightly. Then, she twisted her body around and lifted Sazuke over her head. As she was doing this, she pushed her spiritual energy towards her own Shunkō and focused power into her offense. Considering the worthlessness of the pulse waves, it was useless trying to use them now.

CRACK!

She slammed her opponent's body into the ground, causing the earth to collapse partially inward onto itself in a massive crater. The trees would continue to fall, their roots loosened by the broken soil.

If Brina would've payed attention to how Sazuke landed, she would see she outstretched her right hand to the ground below, absorbing and dispelling the force that Brina was projecting in her swing. Even as the blast leveled a good portion of the forest, Sazuke's body remained unaffected. She looked up with cool, red eyes back towards Brina, easily spinning her captured leg to the side to knock her off balance before throwing another kick to her chest, sending another air popping kick, intending on shattering her Shunkō and send her archrival sprawling through the air.

Within this move, she would backflip and propel herself after her with immense blinding speed, the same that took her off guard beforehand, to appear directly underneath her. It was here she began an unbelievably swift series of air cracking punches, intending on overwhelming her defenses and batter any offense away from her as she would crush her in midair.

This time, Brina pumped herself accordingly.

With her reflexes on high and instinct rising up to the surface, she moved to evade the punches delivered by her enemy. Every punch felt as if she was narrowly missing a shot cannon ball, feeling the wake of the wind every time she swung herself out of the way of a punch. It still shocked her to know that her foe had improved so much, already carrying a tremendous amount of physical power. But she refused to allow herself to falter in the face of such power. She refused to bow down to her enemy, as long as she had breath within her body.

"Perfect, hm? Let's test that out for ourselves, shall we...?"

A swing, and Brina found the perfect opportunity to get underneath Sazuke's guard. She got in close, thrusting a palm in and concentrating her sensory pulses into the attack. She was going to push her enemy's shielding to its limit, if that's what it took to win. As long as it was up, injury to Sazuke would be next to impossible.

But something once again happened that would defy comprehension.

Once Brina's hand moved under one of her swings, Sazuke narrowed her eyes as she watched it approach, not seeming to evade it even as she saw it approach...

BOOM-SSSSSSZZRRK!

...allowing the palm to connect, causing a rivetting blast that split the air as well. The special properties of her bodysuit dispelled a majority of it, but the concentrated projection managed to sear through and touch the skin of her abdomen. But when it touched...nothing happened.

"That's it?" Sazuke narrowed her eyes, her voice dispassionate and unimpressed, "did you really think you could hurt me with that punch?"

SNAP-CRRRRRK!!!

Moving one hand to grasp the Shunkō-enraptured hand and began to employ such crushing pressure that it caused Brina's arm to spaz and contort wildly as she began to penetrate the barrier, lifting it away from her body and into an opposing angle. 

"My Shunkō doesn't have a barrier," Sazuke explained with a cool tone, a cold mist exited her mouth to reflexct the atmosphere from the rainstorm that pelted and raged around them. Her red eyes narrowed upon her adversary, "my Shunkō is a part of every fiber of my being, both within and without. There isn't a way a cheap imitation of your creation could ever..."

SSSSSSRRK!!!

"...BEAT MIIIIIIINE!!!!!!" she shouted out, her voice screaming out in a ear-piercing kiai that caused an immense sonic blast in of itself, swinging her own fist from the right hand. The one Hakuda technique that employed all of one's physical power into a powerful punch. Its name...is...

"IKKOTSU!!!"

CRRAACK-BOOOM!!!!

And within a single punch, she employed the maximum amount of physical power into a single punch towards Brina's mid-section, aiming to send her rocketing into the side of the Sōkyoku Hill, with enough force to cause an electrical event and sear the flesh in sync with the bone-crushing pressure aiming to throw her opponent across the air. 

The pulses had failed.

The physical strength that been put into attack had not so much as moved Sazuke.

The shock that overwhelmed her overrode what would've been the horrendous pain of the bones snapping within her arm. It was enough to push away the sensation of several ribs snapping and organs rupturing upon the fist's collision with her stomach. As she sailed through the air, all she could do was reel in horror over what had just transpired. Not only had Sazuke become stronger, but she had risen to the point that it looked like she really had surpassed Yoruichi.

Her perception was cruelly shaken back into when she slammed into the cliff of Sōkyoku Hill.

BOOM!

As she felt the electric currents briefly sear her flesh, she gritted her teeth and shut her eyes. Her body writhed in that brief period, the pain seeming to last longer than it was. But it was nothing compared to the humiliation that was beginning to seep in. Despite her own efforts to push herself, her enemy had pushed for higher goals and succeeded. She had intended for this fight to be that of equals. But this just showed them just how far apart from each other they really were.

That was the reason why she screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH~!!!!!!!!!!!"

She shut her eyes, grasped the sides of her head with both of her hands and let out a scream of her own. It was a sound filled with frustration, anger, grief, self-loathing, and rage for Sazuke. She slammed her fists into the cliff-edge, seething tears flowing from her eyes in mixture of the rain. "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!" She bellowed, keeping her eyes shut in a vain effort to keep the tears from pouring down. "THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!! I WAS SUPPOSED TO KILL YOU!! I WAS THE SUPERIOR, NOT YOU!! I WAS SUPPOSED TO AVENGE HER HONOR, DESTROY THE EMBODIMENT OF THEIR CORRUPT IDEALS!! YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE WRITHING AND SCREAMING WITHIN THIS CLIFF, NOT ME!! YOU COULDN'T EVEN DO THAT RIGHT, COULD YOU?!"

SHFT-WHAM!

Within an Instaneous-Flash Step, Sazuke angrily struck out her fist directly next to Brina's head, causing a rippling blast to cause a perfect circular funneling tunnel next to her, showing her how close she could be from being annihilated. That, and Sazuke's glare indicated she wanted her to stop screaming. 

"You. Are. Pathetic!" Sazuke spatted out, being nearly eye-to-eye as she hovered a good three meters away from the trembling adversary she trained her whole life to beat. Now, seeing her scream in protest, made her stomach turn and couldn't believe this was the one she wanted to beat and belittle, "you crushed the spirit of my sensei and THAT's your excuse?! Look the in the mirror, Brina! LOOK at what's happening around you!" She pointed her right hand towards the horizon, showing bombs and explosions, the inevitable cries of death and fighting already beginning, "you say that you were fighting for honor, but all I see is a coward who watches the weak get slaughtered by the forces of corruption and evil! I would kill you now if you weren't already so broken inside," she spat at Brina, snarling at her with the red eyes projecting her demon-like aura surrounding her, "you didn't deserve my mentor's sympathy nor her pity. I should've killed you that night so you wouldn't have humiliated yourself today, Brina..."

What happened next would be unexpected for both of them.

"Aaaaand...."

WIR-CRRACK!!!!!!!

A bone shattering kick from what would feel like a metal laced boot slammed into the side of Sazuke's head with such force that wind blew beyond both of the women. 

"BOOM!!!!!" said the voice of a man that both of the girls would recognize all too well. To one, he would appear as a savior, one that she had known on a personal level for years. But to the other, it would possibly be the worst thing that could happen to her today.

It was Rushifa Sureiya, the Black Wolf of the Inner Circle.

It would've been true, had he not struck any other woman...

But due to the preoccupied attention she had over her screaming rival, the boot making contact with her head made enough surprising force that she had no time to initially defend herself. She only had her immense endurance synched with her Perfect Shunkō, causing her form to stumble a few meters back as her vision blurred for a second, as her hearing even screamed for a few moments. 

But when she saw the man whom had come to the "rescue" of the woman she had been fighting, her teeth gritted and her red gaze renewed with hatred. A man whom she personally attempted to hunt down and execute on sight, stood before him. And he chose now of all times to intervene...because right now...Sazuke was in the worst mood of all time.

"Stay out of this, Rushifa Sureiya, if you value your life!" Sazuke snarled, her reddened eyes glared at him, throwing an arm out in emphasis as she refocused her senses and attention solely on the standing opponent before her, "this is between me, and the Inner Circle's Dragon, Brina McTavish! I'm here to put an end to her treachery before I execute you for your own crimes, Black Wolf of the Grey!" 

The reception was much different on Brina's end.

"R-Rushifa..."

Brina could only stare in shock at the form of her savior, having not detected him at all. She had not been aware that he would've shown up on the grid and help within the invasion. It had to be a stroke of luck that he appeared just at the right time. Otherwise, Sazuke would've killed her right then and there. Anyone could have dismissed it as divine intervention. But Brina should've known that he wouldn't have let her go so easily.

She let out a light scoff, closing her eyes in good humor. "I should've known... you'd come here making a dramatic entrance..." She remarked weakly, holding her stomach with her free arm. She did as best as she could to sit herself in the crater within the cliff-side, gritting her teeth at the pain each and every movement brought. "When did you get here...?"

"Oh, i've been here." he remarked in a nonchalant manner, crossing his arms and turning his silver eyed gaze over to the brown headed woman. "In fact, before you guys attacked. Me and some of the boys have been taking a few precautionary steps before the invasion started. You'd be surprised..."

He then turned that half-lidded, smooth and yet menacing glare accompanied by a wry smile towards the enraged Sazuke. "...at just how easy the little forts these kids make can be infiltrated."

"That's just fine,"

SMACK-WHOOSH!!!

Sazuke announced, striking her fist against her own palm with such force that a crackling wind blew out, sending the pelting rain and wind to blow out in all directions with maganimous force, her eyes renewed with anger and rage through the constantly burning red gleam within her eyes, "I'll just beat the truth out of you too. I'll round up each and every of your subordiantes and kill them in the most painful way possible. Its nothing less your ilk deserves!"

"Uh, what?" Rushifa said back aloud to her, leaning towards the woman and holding his hand next to his ear, mockingly acting as if he couldn't hear the Captain's declaration. Using his other hand, he quickly whipped out a black cell phone and opened it, pressing on a button before finishing. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over the explosion that i'm about to make."

click....

BOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!

Suddenley, and in the distance, almost exactly where the 2nd Division headquarters and barracks, with their respective troops and operatives, a massive red explosion shot out into the skies before clearing after a few seconds. The precautionary measures...were bombs being planted in the Stealth Force's HQ!

Within his speech, however, the Black Wolf would fall prey to his cocky confidence...

SHFT-WHAM!

...as Sazuke moved with undeniable speed, defying the comprehension of those who would even be within the Elite Class of Soul Repaers. Her fist would garner enough force to corkscrew the provocative Soul Reaper traitor through the air, as pressurized winds would break along with his form and spin him across the horizon towards the decimated treeline from which she formerly battled her archrival a few minutes ago.

Her eyes bore a renewed light of hatred for this man. Like that woman, he bore nothing but delight in the silencing of lives without fighitng them personally. Like her...he was nothing more than a murderer!

"Whoa now..."

SCRRIIIIIIIING!!!!!!!

However, her fist was not connected with the man's body, but rather, a massive, hexagonal shaped barrier that was projected right before his hand, enlarging to reach nearly two story's in the air. The energy that was projected from her Shunkou enraptured fist swirled around the massive barrier, before going inside of it's center, and finally being projected right back out towards and around her harmlessly. It was luckily for Rushifa that he had activated that spell just a few seconds before putting his hand to his ear. Otherwise, more damage would have been done to him than even Sazuke would have predicted. Such was the spell's nature, to be utterly unsensible before being hit with an attack of any sort. Rather handy, when it boiled down to it.

However, as the energy and barrier began to deteriorate...

FRWOOOOOM!!!!!

A powerful black slash tore through the barrier itself, making it fade away quicker than it normally would have. The source of the slash was Rushifa himself, of course, now wielding his widely feared Zanpakuto that slashed across Sazuke's chest with force equal to that of a freight train. It likely wouldn't pierce her perfected Shunkou, but it would likely do the next best thing.

But Sazuke wouldn't be outdone by the likes of Rushifa...

SNATCH!

As she quickly utilized her augmented senses to "see" the blade coming towards her chest, she used her free hand to grasp it, letting the pressurized force by the physical yield the swing possessed flow past her. With no harm done to her limb or body as she stared at him with a stoic anger.

CRACK!

Pulling the blade to the side to cause off balance, she swings a vicious roundhouse kick to his chest, intending on causing an imminent concussive blast behind him as the focused point of impact would surely cave in his chest cavity. 

Rushifa was never one to underestimate his foes, especially one of Sazuke's calibur. However, in this case, he seemed to have taken a little less precaution than he should against her. Apparently, her senses had become incredibly acute thanks to this otuburst of Shunkou, something he would have expected, but not to this degree. 

It could be said that he was taken by surprise.

But what Sazuke didn't know, was that Rushifa's senses were just as acute, if not more. Almost like that of a real wolf's...

wooosh...scrrrrrr.....

He willingly released hold of his blade, thanks to her glare, he had enough time to use a quick Flash Step to avoid the blow. However, it wasn't perfect. The power of the Shunkou behind the strike was so fast and efficient, it stung at parts of his chest concealed with his coat and vest on the inside. It wasn't anything troubling, but still enough for him to know that chances couldn't be taken here.

But, it was unfortunate for her, and fortunate for him, that she had fallen into his ploy.

"Screech, Mangetsu." he said plainly as she still held onto his blade. From the beginning, his Zanpakuto was something that was never meant to be touched by the flesh of others lest he intended to kill them then and their. A weapon of fear, primal instinct, the touch of it's cold metal was like an infection, as it reaches into the very mind of the foe, and pulls their darkest fears out of them, and into the open for them to see.

Since she had only touched it, it would be a slow process normally. However, Rushifa's command would do something far more devestating, something that not even her perfected Shunkou could defend against.

SCRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The weapon released an unholy, loud, demonic sounding scream that would stretch for miles, tearing into the ears of any and all who were unfortunate enough to hear it. Hopefully, Brina had taken appropriate measures before hand, as he always told her to before seeing him fight, otherwise...

Fortunately, Brina was not the foolish type.

As she sat in the cliff face, she made sure that her eyes took in everything. Most people had overlooked in, and she knew they were successful when even Tenshi had assumed that his illusions had worked on her. What was in her head was not the natural eyes she had been born with. They were artificial eyes, designed and created by the scientists of the Inner Circle. They served as a failsafe against mental intrusions, attacks, and mists that the enemy could utilize on her. For this particular type, they assumed direct control over her auditory perception and suppressed it so that she couldn't hear the noise. So she could simply look on and not worry about being afflicted.

She could not say the same for Sazuke, however...

Within hearing the scream, Sazuke's eyes widened a fraction, before she shut down her auditory impulses to lessen the horrifying sound the Zanpakutō made. Even as it did so, she gritted her teeth that Rushifa was capable of dodging her kick, regardless of his acute senses. The fact he could hold his own for the time he has against her Perfect Shunkō made her wary of his true fighting prowess being shown now.

Raising one hand in front of the other, both in open palm stances, she then stretched her upper body down towards her extended leg and crouched her leg perpindicularly to her right side, showing off her martial artist stance to her opponent. Should he decide to take the initiative, he'd be in a rude awakening by Sazuke's prowess in Hakuda combat...

Here, Rushifa's wry smile changed into something more along the lines of the look that Brina would often give Sazuke; a manic grin, revealing wolf like teeth in his maw as his eyes narrowed in joy.

As far as he was concerned, and since Sazuke had heard the screeching sound at all, victory had been assured.

"Now..." he began as his coat and hair began to flourish, his form beginning to bristle with a violet colored spiritual energy and forced his eyes to glow with a bright violet aura. He slowly lifted his hand up to his face, and in turn, the hand began to bristle with a strange, green tinted electricity, his eyes now becoming more...Hollow like?!

"...let's see how long you last!"

FRWOOOOOM!!!!!

His palm released a contained torrent of black spiritual energy, outlined with a dark violet color that surrounded his entire head. This was also surrounded by green strands of electricity. It all began to shrink down towards his head, and finally took form...

...the form of a black Hollow mask, with two thick white lines running down past it's glowing violet eyes. The mask itself was more of a helmet, covering all but the hair that was just a little bit on his neck. Sharp teeth was aligned along it's mouth area, and two forward facing horns protruded out from the top of it's head above it's eyes.

It was a Hollow mask, but it was unlike any other Hollow mask that the two women would have ever seen. Something about it just seemed...hellish, and unnatural. But whatever it's origins, one thing was clear: Whatever his power was before donning the mask, it was safe to say that it had now been augmented to frightening heights.

A Vizard from Hell itself, it seemed!

"So, that's the mask you used to escape from Yuhei Matashi and Seigi Takuji," Sazuke calmly responded, analyzing the dense amount of Spiritual Pressure he now exuded. However, she didn't need to rely on such petty tactics such as power projection. With her Perfect Shunkō active, she is virtually indestructible, with only the most terrifying of destructive abilities to pose a threat to her, "if you think something as petty as needing the power of a Hollow will claim your victory, then come! I'll crush you and that fragile mask of yours to the ground, Rushifa Sureiya!" 

"I want my sword back..."

It sounded at first as if the voice was coming from Rushifa himself, from across her. Clearly, he was standing right there, so naturally it seemed like he was the one who spoke from that direction.

SNATCH!!!!!

But none could have been more mistaken. It was within the fraction of an instant that Rushifa was right next to the Captain, grasping ahold of the sword in her hand. The speed he used was the stuff of nightmares, the original Rushifa that was standing across from her then faded into the wind, a mere afterimage that had remained for more than a few seconds, a true testimony to the speed used, speed that felt neither Hollow nor Soul Reaper..

FRWOOOOM!!!!!!

Using that same speed as soon as his hand touched the sword, he threw the Shunkō laced Captain into the side of the Sōkyoku hill, releasing his black blade from her grasp as she was sent flying. However, not only would the Captain fly into it's side, but the force used was so tremendous that she would fly deep within it's form, far further than the crater that Brina sat in. It was all but confirmed, Rushifa was on an entirely different level than the foe that Sazuke had faced just earlier.

Within the instant he grasped his sword's hilt, Sazuke released it from her grip. The speed he displayed surprised her. While normally she could tolerate even a Captain-class entity Hollowfying, she couldn't believe the level of power this man projected. It was as if, the expected limits in which one's Hollowfication would have were broken by one Soul Reaper. She was reminded...that's how she felt...in the presence of Sōdai Takuji when he revealed his own mask!

WHOOSH-BLAM!!!

She narrowly ducked out of the way of the sword swing, seeing it cause such a gouging blast within the side of Sōkyoku Hill, she realized he possessed enough physical strength to possibly damage her, even within her form. She didn't let the movement go to waste however, as she saw his movement as he unintentionally did, with her own vast augmented senses and perception...

SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-SHFT!

...as she began moving with incredible speed of her own, enough to visually distort into a series of afterimages in front of Rushifa's Hollowfied vision and senses. To Brina, it would look like a whirlwind of movement, in sync with a series of kicks and punches, intending on overwhelming the so-called legendary Black Wolf with immense speed entwined with superior strength that would reduce his body to blood and ash. 

Enhanced eyes or not, Brina knew that this was a sign that her condition was growing worse.

With a shaking hand, she clicked on her earpiece and switched to a private channel. There was a squad of the 43rd Sherman Regiment that she had stationed on standby in the event that she would be wounded. Considering that she was part of the backbone that was the Inner Circle's leadership, she could not allow herself to die. She would not waste Sazuke's second brand of "mercy" by dying on the cliff-face of Sokyoku Hill. The act of humiliation could not go unavenged.

"Oxide to Disciple..." She choked.

"Disciple here-- ma'am...?" The voice on the other end abruptly switched from a formal and officer-like tone to a slightly concerned one once she heard the pain within her commander's tone. This caused Brina to chuckle slightly.

"I'm incapacitated... and I think my vitals might be reaching critical status... think you and your squad can give me a ride out of here?"

"What's your location?"

"I'm... within the cliff-face of the Sokyoku... be advised that there are two superpowers in the middle of an engagement. Recommend you keep your guns ready, over..."

"Roger that. Hang tight, Oxide, and try to stay awake. An A.T.G.'s on its way. Out."

With that, the transmission cut off, and Brina was once again left to her own devices. She grit her teeth, glaring through her hazy vision at the fighters as they continued to duke it out. If Rushifa didn't kill her, Brina would make sure to pick up where he left off the next time that they met.

It wasn't enough to take the Hollowfied being off guard, however.

SIF-SIF-SIF-SIF-SIF-SIF!!!!!!

Rushifa then moved against her with his own display of high speed. It was truly a distortive sight, the two of them moving at such high speeds. So much to the point it was almost painful to anyone else's vision. There was a difference, though. Rushifa's after shadows seemed to be more...numerous than Sazuke's. For each after image that she created, two more of Rushifa appeared around her own. Was he...faster than she was?

Fwoof-SLASH!!!

Rushifa then seemingly appeared behind the real Sazuke from what his heightened senses could feel, and swung down upon her back with his weapon. However, mid slash, and hopefully during any reaction that she would normally have used, the Rushifa behind her was actually another after image.

FRWOO-SLASH!!!!!

While the real Rushifa appeared behind her, having used the other after image as a distraction as he slashed across her rib cage with the same force that she had witnessed before.

"Something's wrong..." Sazuke observed as she battled Rushifa, her body weaving and swerving within each and every attack Rushifa utilized against her, "my Shunkō has a near endless capacity in battle. I could fight for nearly three days at this form. So why does it seem he's getting faster...or...I'm getting slower?!" 

Within this split observation she saw the two blinding Flash Steps. Knowing she didn't have enough time to block both blows, she swung her arms in both directions, slightly increasing the density of the Shunkō's properties into both of her forearms to catch the force of either one. Luckily she did so...

CRACK-SSSSSST!

...as a single cut managed to cause a searing burn, but not a cut, onto her skin from the left arm she used to block the real attacker from behind. From here, she utilized Cicada, moving at such speeds imbued with her Perfect Shunkō's augmentation that she was able to move directly behind Rushifa with even greater speeds. Within just a moment, she struck out a powerful thrusting punch, the Ikkotsu, with just as much strength as she used against Brina that had dealt a near fatal blow to her archrival. 

"This is the end...Rushifa...!"

But then...

SIFT-SNATCH!!!!!

The Hollowfied being whirled around and parried her wrist aside with the flat end of his sword, letting the wave of her punch fly out into the distance, before grasping her other extended wrist with a terrifyingly bone crushing vice grip, speaking in that eery, hollow like voice.

"So tell me..." he said in a low his, his hollow teeth forming into a menacing grin with narrowed eyes. "...what is it you fear most?"

"He caught it...?!"

Sazuke felt herself beginning to lose comprehension of what she was witnessing. Obviously he had done something to her, as he shouldn't be at this level of coordination and reaction, let alone being capable of anticipating her attack. Despite the fact his vice grip kept her from moving, yet not really crushing her due to her immense endurability granted by her Perfect Shunkō, she couldn't believe he possessed this level of power. 

When he asked the question, however, her eyes glinted of anger, wrenching her hand with incredible force before throwing around a powerful kick to his side, intending on beating his unprotected form with as much force and versatility as she could muster.

"You shouldn't be asking questions," Sazuke uttered out, continuing her kick to hit base, "when you should be worrying about your life!" 

TAAANG!!!!

However, with the augmented endurance that his Hollow mask granted, a simple raise of his arm was all it took to prevent the man from budging. Truly, something had been done before hand, as even Rushifa knew that that kick would have done some damage.

But as far as he was concerned, this was all the more reassuring.

"You're slipping, bad." he replied in a calm manner as a violet sphere of energy began to gather at the front of his two horns. "Now, answer my question."

FRWOOOOOOOM!!!!!

From that sphere, shot out a massive violet Cero upon Sazuke's form. It wouldn't do any damage thanks to that wretched Shunkou of hers, but it would hopefully push her a little further than she was used to going.

The gravest mistake that Rushifa would've made was discharging the Cero...

SHINK-CRACK!

...as it created a blind-spot for him to be attacked. While the energies passed over her skin, not even feeling the burning sensation as she sent a blinding spear-handed attack towards the forehead of the Hollow mask, with enough penetrative force that it would shatter the mask and hopefully cut his forehead open from the other side. 

"I don't fear anything that is of your mundane concern!" Sazuke finished, her eyes glaring and her breath prespirating vapor into the air to emanate her anger and determination, "my fears are far more important than that of a lowly piece of scumbag cowardice like yours, Rushifa Sureiya!!!" 

"Oh, I think they are..."

Her hand smashed into his helmet, but the helmet didn't shatter. There was a crack on it, sure, and it certainly would have taken more damage before the screech. But it was here, Rushifa went for the kill.

Grasping her arm with his free hand and pulling her down to eye level, his sword dissipated and both of his hands grabbed hold of the sides of her face. But what happened next was horrifying. Rushifa spoke in a voice that was far more monstrous than his hollowfied one, sounding more like an unholy demon that would defy even the most horrible of things that any would have heard. "...BECAUSE THEY ARE PART OF ME!!!!!!!!"

SCRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

His gaping maw then opened wide, blood pooring from the bottom of his mouth, as he released a demonic roar right in front of her. In her field of vision, the skies would change into blood red. The Soul Society would be ablaze, with bodies of her comrades and subordinates stuck high on spikes while still being alive, struggling and suffering eternally. Within his still roaring maw, Sazuke would witness her deepest and most with-held fears come to the surface, for the first time in years.

"No...!" Sazuke gasped as she looked around, seeing the Soul Society suddenly ridden in flames. It was as if she felt all of her comrades and the citizens within the Seireitei vanish within an instant. With her standing within the epicenter, she felt her whole resolve vanish within an instant...causing the energies within her to dissipate and her Shunkō to vanish within a flash of light.

But...

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

VRRRROAAAAAR!!!

A bright column of ungodly Spiritual Power enveloped her being, wrenching her arm from the monsterous entity, her vision distorting slightly in a sea of red entwined within the unknown fear-based world that he created within her perception and mind nearly shattered. With her eyes glazed with a blinding red light, she throws out a powerful Ikkotsu punch towards enemy, intending on reducing him to a bloody pile for daring to shatter her hope and dreams. 

"FIGHT IT ALL YOU WANT!!!!!" the being, now turning into more of a shadowy version of Rushifa, his coat's edges were like black fire, his red eyes gleaming with bloodlust and menace as the horrid images continued. Her fist flew into his gut, but upon doing so, his form shattered into thick pieces of solid black glass, before they all reformed to her left, appearing unharmed. "BUT YOU CANNOT FIGHT YOUR FEARS!!!!!"

SCRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!!!!

It then released another horrid screeching noise. This time, from the skies above them, fell down a creature of nightmarish proportions. He landed just below them in the middle of a group of Sazuke's subordinates, her Vice Captain, her third seat, and others. It was a being that had been infamous in Soul Society's history, standing up fully and releasing a load roar, before brutally attacking the younger Soul Reapers around him. 

It was the Gran Vasto Lorde, the one who had nearly destroyed Soul Society three-hundred years ago!

"RRRRAAAAH!" Sazuke turned her head to follow the voice, determined to crush it before her very eyes and hear it scream, "I WILL NOT-"

And then, she saw the newest entity standing before her.

"...I..." Sazuke felt herself stopping her fist short when she saw the towering entity before her. The one who singlehandedly slain Yoruichi, her mentor's teacher and friend, and had defeated her shortly beforehand, stood directly in front of her eyes. Slowly, her eyes faded from red to brown, her aura dimmed and her fighting resolve halted as her body began to shake in the presence of the entity, "I...won't...bow...to...anyone...!" 

The monster, the horrid Hollow King that was seemingly slain centuries ago, turned his six eyes to her, grinning with that wide, horrid grin that he always gave. Turning his body towards her, he began to walk towards her shaking form, towering nearly four feet higher than she was, dragging her Vice Captain with his tail stabbed into their chest as they struggled to keep from dying. Once he came close enough, his grin widened, and with a snarl, opened his mouth and came down upon her head, turning her vision into darkness.

In the real world however...

Rushifa's back was actually turned to the screaming Sazuke. Holding up his left fingers in front of him, black and violet energy began to form at their tip, sparking like lightning.

"Hadō #90..." he began in a calm, stoic voice. "Kurohitsugi."

FOOOOOOOOOOM.......

Sazuke was enveloped in a giant black box outlined with violet energy. It grew to nearly four story's high, symbolizing that the powerful Kidō spell was being used at 1/2 it's power. 

"Game over."

Move Out! Everyone's Last Stand Strategies!

"I think here's a good place to stop for now," Mōka spoke aloud as the collective of V-14 and Gotei 13 officers stopped to rest just outside of the 1st Division's shadows. Within nearly a good couple city blocks away, they hid within an abandoned alleway near an abandoned establishment, as the roaring explosions and gunfire could be heard throughout the air of the Seireitei. Mōka knew for certain now: This was real War for the Soul Society.

As they stopped within the alleyway, Yusuke was quick to turn towards Gina. However, he only managed to take two steps forward before she abruptly raised a hand towards her. Her expression was pained, but resolute. "Nnngh... I'm fine!" She grunted, holding on to the wound she had been forced to move on. "Check the Lieutenant!" The blow to her hamstring was nothing compared to the shock that Sakura had underwent. As such, she was top priority for the medic.

Yusuke understood immediately. With a quick nod, he turned towards Shinji, who had taken to setting her down against a building wall. He moved quickly to her side, a worried look on his face. He reached out to touch her cheek with one of her hands. "Sakura...? C'mon, it's me, Yusuke. You've got to snap out of it..." Hopefully, the shock would wear off soon enough, considering the time duration of their trek.

"Head Captain...?" Gina clicked her earpiece on, leaning against the wall. "This is Tachibana. The 1st Division HQ has been compromised. The V-14, Lieutenant Miyagi and Lieutenant Keikai and I have managed to escape. Over." Her tone, although calm and controlled, held a faint trace of bitterness.

"I thought something...HAH...there was wrong when I felt conflicting Spiritual Pressures...gah...within...the Meetings Hall!" Furuidenshō spoke aloud, simultaneously evading a series of air-ship squadrons strafing runs in an attempt to dogfight him, while also retaliating with a series of calculated explosions courteousy of his Bunkatsu, "how are you holding up? You sound wounded...!" 

"Uhhhhh," Sakura began to stir, having been moved and the sounds of the explosions rocking her out of her shock-induced stupor, "Y-Yusuke? W-Where am I...?"

"Are you alright?" Shinshin asked Kaitlyn herself, hoping she wasn't harmed as they escaped. Despite recieving a series of scalding burns from the searing electricity, his body felt no impeding inhibitations in his duties as a warrior. He did feel pain, however, and it was becoming annoying...

"Want me to take a look at that leg?" Shito spoke to the injured Captain, getting on one knee as he placed neon green glowing hands over her damaged hamstring, "I think I might be able to mend this...I wouldn't suggest any Bankai fighting, but you should be able to move with ease when I'm done..."

Gina's eyes furrowed in suspicion, looking down on him briefly as he placed his hands on the afflicted injury. "I hope you're not using this as an excuse to stare at my butt."

Without waiting for a response, she turned back to her conversation with the Head Captain. "Yeah, well, that tends to happen when you get one of your hammies sliced open." She said bluntly, rolling her eyes at his statement of the obvious. "It's not a problem. I'm getting patched up as we speak. How's Captain Setsuko and her air squadron holding up?"

"I'm fine..."

Thanks to Shinshin's protective measures, Kaitlyn had managed to escape being harmed by the electricity, aside from a few minor shocks here and there. As she kept an arm wrapped around his shoulders, she looked his form over with concern. "You, on the other hand, look like you just ran through a full-out lightning storm..." She commented, a slight bit of humor in her tone. "Think it'd be best if you put me down now, for the sake of less stress on your arms..."

"We're a few blocks outside of the 1st Division's Barracks..." Yusuke said softly, keeping his concerned gaze within her own. Occasionally, he would shift his attention towards the sky in order to catch a passing Manta or Wasp ahead before turning his gaze back to her. "Are you all right? Can you walk?"

"M-My Captain!" Sakura gasped aloud, trying to stand and head towards the place they narrowly escaped without casualties, "I must protect him! He's in danger!" 

Setting her down onto her feet, Shinshin dripped slightly in sweat from the pain his body protested in, despite his insistance. But his voice's tone spoke differently, as his eyes narrowed to her with a promise, "I can assure you, whatever they do to this body...will be minimal in comparison to the horrors I'll inflict upon those perpretrators!"

Shito began to quickly mend the severed hamstring, trying to make sure there wouldn't be any fissures or cracks in which the muscle would break back easily. His eyes narrowed and a few beads of sweat went down his own scalp from the pain running along his forearms, "Believe me, Tachibana-dono, if I wanted to increase the amount of pain rushing through my nervous system, I'd be looking at it right now," he tried to joke, but his tone was dry and hollow. 

"I managed to clear a path for them to focus protection on the two most important Divisions in the Seireitei: the 4th Division's Medical Headquarters, and the Department of Research & Development," He spoke with assurance, shortly before a series of explosions rushed through the sky like lightning-induced flames, causing half a dozen aircraft to spiral out of control before crashing into uninhabited establishments within the Seireitei, "these squadrons aren't making it easy on me! They're making sure to keep focused on me while doing strafing runs too close to the Seireitei. One wrong move and I can accidentally demolish a city block!"

"It's too late!" Immediately, Yusuke placed a hand on her shoulder in order to hold her in her place. His eyes had a bit of alarm flashing within them, but his body remained firm. "The Inner Circle has already gotten to him! I'm sorry, but... if you go back there, you're just going to get yourself killed!"

Kaitlyn's joking expression was quick to fade into a more sullen one, his tone making the reality of the situation more prominent to her. "Yeah..." She muttered, looking towards the flashing sky. Both the lightning and the fire from the airships seemed to light up clouds over and over again in a brilliant, frightening display. "My god..." She said wearily, placing a palm up to her face. "All of those people down here..."

Gina breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Good. Four of their teammates are going to make their way there. Those airships are going to raze the entire place soon enough, seeing that the gunships are being annihilated down here. Their hacker might be able to find a way to get into those systems and take them out of the air. So once you get a chance, tell Captain Setsuko to contact them once she has a visual. From there, she can provide close air support and help clear the way."

"V-14 with you?!" Furuidenshō asked his fellow Captain, screeching through the sky as he began to swing his blade in a series of fast arcs, cutting apart a few airships into infetestimally sized pieces before evading enemy fire, "put me on with Angelika Hartmann! I need to give her specific requests!" 

"Its happening again," Zaii spoke aloud with a stoic look in his eyes, standing at his full height as he looked into the skies above him, "war has come to even this peaceful land. I knew this place was too good to be true..."

"This war will be a scar onto this land, just like all of its prior conflicts in the past," Shinshin spoke solemnly, looking towards the burning sky, the explosions and gunfire could be heard succinctly and disturbingly loud, "but if this land is to survive, they will find strength from this tragedy and triumph once more. That I know is for certain..."

"B-But I...my...Captain," Sakura felt tears roll down her face, her hand stretching out uselessly as she felt her Captain attacked unwarrantingly his own comrades within, "...why is my Captain...in so much pain?! Why is his heart in pain?! CAPTAIN!!!!" 

It just tore at his heart to hear her voice yell like that.

As he saw the tears slide down her face, he could only stare with a saddened gaze of his own. He knew that he couldn't answer her question, despite the fact that she clearly was looking for one. He bit his lip for a moment, finding himself unable to do much in order to help her. But when she yelled out for her Captain, he could not help but act by instinct.

Within an instant, he had reached out, pulled her close, and embraced her tightly. "I...I'm sorry..." He whispered, his own misery finally beginning to show. "Really, I am..." His hands slowly balled up into fists as they rested on her back. For what felt like the longest time, he didn't let go of her. It was all he could do to tell her that she had a shoulder to cry on if she wanted to, that he was still here to comfort her - even if he wasn't Shindō.

As they watched the display, Gina and even Angelika couldn't help but feel a little weary.

Gina complied with the command, taking off her comm-link and handing it over to Angelika, who wordlessly took it. She hooked it to her own ear, making sure it was on before speaking. "Hartmann here, Commander." She said, slipping a hand into her pocket. "What do you have for us?"

"I can feel the presence of those Four Dragons you mentioned wanting to hunt in the Seireitei. One is heading to the Research Division and the other the Medical Facility. The other two I'm not entirely sure where they're going, but they must have objectives to cripple the other factions of the Sereitei's Military," Furuidenshō spoke lowly, having found some time to catch his breath from the constant conversation and battling of the Airship squadrons, "I want you to stop them at all costs! That is the request the Gotei 13, no, the Soul Society asks of you, Angelika Hartmann and V-14!"

Sakura couldn't help but cry into Yusuke's shoulder, hugging him tightly as she relished the genuine empathy the young man contained. She felt herself sniffle and weep into his shoulder, even with all the chaos and suffering.

"You should be fine now," Shito reported to Gina, sighing with relief as he stroked his forehead clean of his sweat, "I mended it enough so that you should be fit for combat. But just remember, if you enter your Bankai state, I suggest not moving over 20 meters of space. Prolonged use of your muscles while releasing that much Spiritual Pressure will undoubdtedly rip it back open..."

A weary grin crossed Gina's face. "Then I have nothing to worry about. Even in the event that I do release it, I'll doubt I'll have to get up much." She said coolly, slowly working out the affected leg in order to see if it was fully working. Thankfully, she felt little pain within its movements. She would be able to fight freely now, as long as she was careful with her Bankai. Other than that, she was perfectly fine.

"You needn't say anything, Commander..." Angelika said, a bit of conviction seeping into her tone. "We desire their heads as much as you do. We'll handle it. Out."

With that, she cut off the transmission and looked towards the rest of them. "All right, you heard the man. Captain Tensai has one of their Dragons covered. Who's up for reinforcing the Medical Facility and who's up for keeping a watch on other potential targets of opportunity?"

"I'm going," Shinshin spoke with a resolute tone, his eyes glimmering with resolve as he looked to Angelika, "it goes against all forms of Honor to attack one's place of non-combatants. I'm going to strike fear into the heart of whatever despicable creature that decided to target such a place!" 

"Count me in," Karitori nodded, lifting her shotgun to prop it against her shoulder she grinned, "I always wanted to fight one of the Inner Circle, and lately I felt like I was being held back on these missions of yours. Well this time, I'm going to do something about it..."

"I'll take Skirts, the Lieutenant, and Asuka-dono with me," Zaii proclaimed with a nod, waving his hand over, "that guy seems to be heading underground anyways, so it'll be better we head there quickly..."

"I know where Yashin is heading from his scent along the city," Kenja growled, his eyes glowing with an anticipatory hunger for blood as he reached for the hilt of his Fullbring sword, "anyone who wants to help me settle the score with that manipulative bastard, hop on board! I suggest we take the most, considering how he favors to bring lackeys with him to thin out his enemy's ranks..."

"Ahem!"

Asuka abruptly cleared her throat once she heard Kenja's and Zaii's statements. She folded her arms across her chest, regarding them both with a quirked eyebrow. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, Zaii. I'm still your boss." She said chidingly. "If anyone's taking anyone anywhere, I'd be taking you. And if you're going with them, you're heeding to Yusuke. I won't be coming along with them this time."

Had it not been for his current position of calming Sakura, Yusuke would've stuck his tongue out at Zaii. He let out a heavy sigh, giving a light nod towards Asuka before turning his tone towards the Lieutenant. "You have to have faith in him, as well as the rest of your friends..." He said gently. "They won't let the Inner Circle win like this. They'll find a way to push back. Moping about it won't do anyone any good. Please... you've got to help us... help him."

"Right," Sakura sniffled, nodding her head as she gained a sense of confidence as her friend reassured her. Wiping her eyes free of tears, her eyes regained the vigor it held when it first took on Yashin personally. The kind that would help them win this war, "I'm ready...whenever you are, Yu-chan."

"Sorry boss," Zaii hung his head, sighing aloud at having his chance to take the lead was knocked from his shoulder. Looking over to Yusuke and Sakura he smiled before outstretching an encouraging thumbs up, "don't worry you two. I'll make sure to protect you guys should this get rough!"

"With all due respect, maams," Kenja spoke with an apologetic tone to the three feminine leaders of V-14, before thumbing towards his chest, "but I'm not a part of your organization. I'm going to kill Yashin, whether you all help me or not. Not when I'm this close-"

"Easy there, cowboy," Mōka held out a hand to stop the man short, causing him to be derailed from his insistance of being solo, "we're all in this together. Fighting any one of these guys alone is the last thing we should do. After all, that's what the enemy is trying to accomplish right? Divide and Conquer? Don't run half-cocked when you haven't had a lick of luck beating him, as a group of us has had trouble in the past ourselves..."

"Besides," Yajū said with a feral, guttural grin, "its not like you're going to hog all the action for yourself. If the Inner Circle is good at one thing, is not leaving anything to chance. You'll get plenty of meatbags to slice up on the way anyways...or roast them...Burning Knight."

"Tch, fair enough," Kenja nodded to the two, raising his hands up in defeat, "sorry about that. I haven't worked in groups in awhile. It gets to me that I actually have people to depend on now..."

"So that's two of the Dragons sorted out so far." Oliver summarized, looking at the group in total with a slightly pensive expression. "The 2nd Division Captain's got one. Yusuke, Rika, Shinji, Kenja, Sakura and Zaii are hitting Research and Development. Where does that leave the rest of us?"

"I'll join in on the Research and Development squad." Angelika said, stuffing her hands within her pockets. "You're not the only one with a desire to see Yashin's last breath, after all, Kenja. No one raises their blade against V-14 so arrogantly and lives to tell about it..."

Gina took the chance to speak up. "I'll hit the 4th Division's HQ." She offered, placing a hand to her heart and looking at the leaders. "God knows that without their Captain there, targets within the proximity are going to be easy pickings." She gave a heavy sigh, frowning lopsidedly while averting her gaze for a moment. "I'm guessing you guys prefer to work within the company of your own teammates, so it's okay if I'm going in alone..."

"With respect, Captain Tachibana-dono, I don't plan on allowing you to fight alone," Shinshin proclaimed with a nod, "while I won't interrupt any fight you may have, I am going to at least be there to help should you require it. These entities of the Inner Circle aren't known for their straightforward tactics in combat and may use trickery against you, as they already have tried..."

"We're helping to defend the Soul Society." Kaitlyn added, raising her sniper rifle up to view for emphasis. "And that includes helping the personnel of the Gotei 13. We're not letting you fight alone against these monsters!" The conviction in her voice as well as Shinshin's made Gina's eyes widen slightly. But she knew that they wouldn't be swayed. A slight smile came over her face as she regarded them, and eventually she gave an acknowledging nod.

"All right, you two. I guess I could use the extra help..."

"Alright, whoever isn't going with the appointed groups are heading with me," Mōka raised her hand and spun it in a circle, signaling the remaining group to start following her as she began leading the team of her own to its designated area, "Angie! Asuka!" Mōka called out, she half-saluted with her forefingers as she smiled wryly, "I'll see you on the far side..."

"If you're still alive, that is..." Angelika remarked dryly, rolling her lone eye.

"Don't have too much fun without us!" Asuka added, giving the Hankami a wink.

With that being said, the groups began to separate and make their way towards their designated locations...

The War of Four: The Eye of the Storm Act II

Demented Reunion...Retribution of the Lost!

"What's going on?! Are we under attack?!"

"Relief Squads A-C, deploy to the Southwest Seireitei Districts! The rest of you, follow me!"

"Where's the Captain? Where's the Lieutenant?!"

"Someone get in contact with the Captains!"

"Its no good! They're being jammed!"

"Someone barricade the entrance! Enemies will be targeting us now we are without our leader!"

All the collective shouts, screams, and rushing feet within the 4th Division Barracks could be heard well outside of its perimeter. With ER Squads being deployed left and right to gather any wounded or those unlucky to have been caught in the crossfire of the Airship bombings or crashes, while they determine the status of the outlying Rukonagi Districts. While the Seated Officers from 3rd Seat and down managed to keep their calm and organize their subordinates appropiately, a faint edge of uneasiness could definitely be felt in the air.

Such was the feeling as a black, red-veined cloaked woman began to stalk towards them with a methodically purposeful stride. Her eyes with blazing yellow irises with red tinges along her sclera. She burned with a malevolence and purposeful hatred within herself. She'd destroy her targets and ultimately cripple any form of recovery the Soul Society's Military and Civilian populaces would have after they finished mopping up the Gotei 13...

"Halt!" A number of 4th Division Soul Reapers approached her, keeping their ground but not directly attacking. The woman analyzed their stances and noticed a stark difference from how the unseated men had changed from the past three centuries in comparison to the current age. Their bodies appeared to be toned and hardened from strenuous excercises and training, not to mention healthier than most Gotei 13 forces, "this is the Medical Facility of the 4th Division! Authoritzation is required before you proceed!"

"Amazing..."

"What?!"

"In just a short amount of time, one Captain has turned what used to be known as the most weakest fighting-based Division and into one of the most formidable forces of the Gotei 13," the woman remarked with a stoic, yet slightly genuine praise within her tone.

"That's right-"

"But..." the woman's eyes shifted from being restrained to an unrestrained malevolence, her body shimmering an unholy crimson-white aura, causing the air to crackle and distort around her, forcing the men who stood in her way to stumble backwards with fear and uncertainty, "it is also due to Doctors and Medicine that I have gained these abominable powers! Now, fair servants of healing and restoration, feel my unforgiving wrath!"

"Look out-!"

"What is she-!"

"Is that-?!"

All of the voices of the men standing before her wouldn't be able to speak...

SSSSRAAAAAACK-BOOM!

...as within a single outstretching thrust of her palm, a crimson electrical-appearing wave of distortive energy would rip them apart into oblivion, with no trace, while surging forward and cutting a large waft into the 4th Division Headquarters. A large explosion of flames and crackling energy proceeded afterwards, billowing the hooded woman's cloak and features, with an unforgiving dispassionate glare focused upon the large waft of destruction she created.

"Without your beloved Captain, destroying all of you will be too easy," Kunō muttered under her breath, as she began walking towards the now open pathway of flames and distortive fields to the 4th Division, "its almost a shame none of you will put up a decent fight..."

Although the 4th Division Captain was unavailable for the moment, there would always be someone to take her place.

BANG!

There was a loud noise of a high-power Kidō bolt being fired behind her. The projectile itself would cross the distance between Kunō and the culprit in a matter of milliseconds, aimed straight for the woman's head. The culprit in question had the gun aimed towards her target with one hand, her body crouched in a stable stance. A fiery look was in her blue eyes, one that would match the scowl on her face.

"Wanna bet that?" She growled in defiance, glaring daggers at the Dragon as she lined up her sights.

CRACK!

Within the instant the Kidō projectile was within a foot behind Kunō's head, a blinding light flashed out as a crimson tendril of Dark Energy nullified the attack within an instant. Stopping within the instant the shot was fired, Kunō turned her gaze around to lock her eyes onto the perpetrator. When she saw who else was standing with her, she narrowed her eyes and hissed aloud, "V-14...and Gotei 13...just as he suspected."

Sure enough, there were three others standing behind the blonde-haired sniper; Shinshin, Karitori and Gina. The Captain moved over to stand beside the gunner as she stood back up, her sword out and ready. She pointed it at the woman, the blade gleaming in what artificial light that remained. "What?" She quipped, cocking an eyebrow. "Were you expecting the Zero Division or something?"

"No, that comes after we wipe out the Seireitei's precious three branches of military power," Kunō spoke aloud, looking to each member that had assembled before her, going over what is known about them within her head and what threat levels they possess, "a Tamajutsu Artisan, a Markswoman, a Captain, and..." her teeth lightly grinded as she recognized the one next to them, Karitori herself, "and one whom bears enough power to be a threat to me, Karitori!"

"Do I know you, bitch?!" Karitori snarled, levelling her shotgun towards her, not evoking any immediate fear or response but did so none-the-less.

"You knew me...a lifetime ago, Kari," She spoke in a low whisper, almost being brought back into a bit of nostalgia as the thunder began to crackle overhead, and the rain began to pour down onto the Soul Society below, right onto the combatants and Kunō outside of the 4th Division's smoldering infrastructure. After a sense of eery silence, Kunō sighed as she saw the angry woman she once knew not have a sense of rememberence of her, "but obviously that's in the past. Apparently your Hankami lover has done something to your memories..."

BLAM-CRACK!

"I dare you to say another word, you piece of shit!" Karitori discharged her shotgun, having no effect other than creating a brighter flash of light as it was effortlessly dissipated without gesture by the Dragon. Kunō's glare however did no recede.

"Apparently you have no sense of self-preservation as always," the Dragon turned her gaze to the whole group that stood before her, raising her right black gloved hand towards them. With a beckoning gesture, she spoke aloud to all of them, "I think it would be interesting if you all attacked at once. I might have to utilize some effort that way, and you might live a bit longer..."

The Captain didn't need to be told twice.

"Sōkatsui!"

In pointing a finger and calling out the Kidō spell's name, Gina unleashed the blast of energy at Kunō. She made sure to restrain its power in order to minimize collateral damage, but kept it potent enough to do some serious damage to her target. Her eyes were narrowed as she unleashed the attack upon the Dragon, her teeth gritted in concentration.

"COME TO THIS, BITCH!" Karitori snarled out, firing off her shotgun in a rapid-pace manner that seemed similar to that of a automatic weapon, sending in a wave of energy-coated shrapnel with explosive-laced nanites attached to them. Needless to say, firing in sync with the destructive projection of Kidō of Gina's created a terrifying force towards the Dragon...

But something strange happened...

BZT!

...as the energy reached her location, instead of negating it, her presence was completely "vanished" from their eyes and senses. That is, until she reappeared within that very instant, just as the explosion detonated before their eyes, giving the opportunity to strike the Captain and Karitori from behind.

Hovering in midair, Kunō swung both of her legs in a pair of vicious snap kicks to both of the women's heads, her feet arcing with crimson tendrils of Dark Force energy...

SHFT!

"Tamajutsu Style..."

SHIIINK-CLANG-CLANG-CRAAAACK!

"...Yūhi Shinpuku!" Shinshin spoke out in a guttural tone, his body moving at an uncanny speed to predict the seemingly zero detectable maneuver she employed. Having stepped within the space in between the two women, he raised his sheathed katana over their heads and before his own, before unsheathing it in an semblence of an Iaijitsu-style stroke, making sure both his scabbard and his blade intercepted the two feet equally.

The effect surprisingly sent a spasm of arcing pain-induced empathic waves up Kunō's legs, causing her to widen her eyes with disbelief, leaping back and skidding a good distance away from them, grasping onto her thighs to check what happened.

"Nice save..." Gina muttered, turning the rest of her body around to face Kunō. As she raised her sword to a defensive position, she eyed her enemy with a bit of analysis. She was a bit confused. Both she and Karitori had seemingly failed to pick up the movements. Yet Shinshin had been able to perceive and counter them accordingly, inflicting apparent injury. She was glad he came along.

"Besides my Master, I am a fluent user of the sword style, Tamashī no Sonshitsu. But unlike her," Shinshin narrows his eyes at at Kunō, a single bead of sweat came down his forehead in unintentional emphasis to his comrades, "I am a powerful empath. I can feel the moods and emotions underlying people around me, as if its a form of Spiritual Pressure of its own. And just now...she was radiating enough murderous intent to allow me to track the flow of her movement!" 

"What an annoyance," Kunō sighed aloud, standing up after analyzing and hearing what had happened, "you have enough training within the Hohō Arts to move fast enough to lock into my trajectory. That sword style of yours was meant originally to combat the Hankami millenias ago, due to their empathic natured Shinsei. This will make it a little difficult," she then smiled cruelly towards Karitori, "it must have been awhile since you've fought one of your own kind, hasn't it?"

"You're not one of my kind, you psycho bitch!" Karitori snarled, her body pulsing to life with Dark Energy as she crushed her gun in her hands from the anger she felt, "and you're no one's kind! You're just a murderering piece of-"

"Kind of hypocritical of the Soul Society, don't you think?" Kunō looked over at Gina, nodding to each ally she had standing next to her, "you stand on a hill of providence and nobility, when you're willing to take the aid of murderers, psychopaths, and smugglers. Just exactly what makes you believe we are more different than you, Captain Tachibana?!"

Gina bristled slightly at the jab directed towards her. Had she been a more tempered woman, she would have been quick to be angry. But she knew that this was a question that she had seen coming from miles away. As she looked into her opponents eyes, the response had already bubbled up into her mind. All she had to do was form it into words.

"Oh, how wrong you are..." She shot back, turning her blade so that the tip pointed at Kunō. We're not so arrogant that we'd claim ourselves to be pure-blooded heroes. We're only doing what we believe is right, for the good of the people. What you call "murderers, psychopaths and smugglers" have the decency to see through to that preservation. But you and your Inner Circle are aiming to destroy that, and for what? Power? Dominance? The sake of being on top?"

"Anyone who's willing to exchange blood for power is nothing short of a monster." Kaitlyn added disgustedly, fixing her own glare at Kunō as she leveled the rifle at her head. "You know what you might as well be? A bully pushing around the weaker school-children just to make yourself look bigger, a coward stomping out the ones who can't fight back! We're nothing like you are!"

"Tch!" Kunō rolled her eyes, before she reared back her arms, her aura and body glowed vibrantly of red veined energy, "you're obviously not going to turn away now! Have it your way!"

Taking both of her fists, she slammed them onto the ground, surging a potent amount of Dark Energy into the earth...

BOOOOOOM!!!

...before a wide radius of energy ripped apart a good twenty meter stretch of earth, taking off most of the cobblestone highway with a roiling wave of shredding energy. Even as anyone and everyone moved to evade the attack, it exploded into a firebomb, levelling a good section of proximate buildings, as the tendrils of energy stretched out and whip-lashed the outlying areas that'd be used for cover. 

Karitori narrowly covered herself in a Dark Energized aura, but found herself thrown back with a vicious pinwheel movement, slamming through one of the buildings behind her that was collapsing. 

Shinshin, having predicted it the quickest, moved to Kaitlyn's side and used Flash Step to move to a good distance away from the Dragon's attack site, nearly ten meters outside the affected zone. 

"Ngh...!"

Kaitlyn shut one eye and winced at the pulses rippling off of the unleashed energy. As she was sent down, she looked towards Shinshin with urgency. "I'll just be in the way of you guys if I'm too close to her..." She said, a resentful frown on her face. "Go on. I'll find a good sniping position where I can continue engaging without any trouble."

"Snip and Snap, Muchi!"

From the cover that she had taken, Gina had released her Zanpakutō. It shifted from its standard katana form, the blade elongating and becoming more flexible. Within seconds, it had transformed to the likes of a whip with a blue glow enveloping the entirety of its body. When Gina swung it at Kunō, its killing edge seemed to tear through the very air as it raced towards its target.

"You people never learn, do you?" Kunō asked without turning, as her aura blazed out, deflecting the incredibly sharp whip with a shockwave, blasting the air and ground beneath her into a deep indentation, "Dark Energy is the raw potent form of channeling one's emotions into a weapon. It doesn't just channel the Spiritual Energy from within and without. It channels all Spacial Fabric's Energy within the same point as you are. Thus, your one-dimensional attack, will never reach-"

CRACK-BOOM!

"MRRGH?!" Kunō's eyes widened as she found herself struck physically, as her aura was melded into a crackling blast with the two warriors at its epicenter. Within this moment of surprise, the whip spun next to her face...

SLIT!

...and cut her cheek, with a look of disbelief striking her eyes before snarling as she swung out her leg and kicked Karitori across the jawline, sending her stumbling back. 

"You idiot! You could've killed everyone with that sloppy move!" Kunō growled at the inexperienced user of her prided form of abilities, "don't you know what happens when two opposing auras of Dark Energy collide?! Spacial Implosion, you fool-"

"Shut the F*** up!" Karitori snarled out, her arm forming a crackling blade elongated from her knuckles, "I've used my powers exceedingly throughout my life, but I've always had to hold back. Day in and day out, I have to worry if I'm going to blow up the building I'm sleeping in, or if I'm going to hurt somebody near me! Today, I'm fighting not just to sate my bloodthirst, but for my comrades of V-14!"

"You've still never changed!" Kunō snarled, her eyes glowed and her aura began to quake the air around her, crackling and sparking everything within a good perimeter, slicing it into pieces and burning it to ashes.

"Its no good," Shinshin grimaced at the battle that had unfolded before them, "even if I try to use my Tamajutsu, she'll use such a widespread of attack to negate it. That, and it appears this Dark Energy appears to have the ability to negate most attacks upon instinct..."

Gina regarded Kunō's back with a stern gaze as she moved out of her cover. In the face of the energy, she did not allow herself to falter. She gripped the hilt of her glowing whip tightly in one hand as she took a few steps forward to move into position. It was becoming clear that the aura around Kunō's person wasn't consistent or invincible. Shinshin's attack as well as her own guided by Karitori made that perfectly clear. There was a way to pierce through and get to the Dragon behind the veil of Dark Energy.

She was going to find it - one way or another.

"Sorry about this, Dragon... I don't usually attack from the back on purpose... but you've left me no choice!"

When she swung the whip at her adversary again, the remarkable would happen.

Her hand seemed to not be moving at all. But multiple whistles of the wind could easily identify multiple swings unleashed with the whip. The whip blade itself had seemed to turn invisible, and the only signs of its movement were brief and brilliant flashes. Even then, it was uncertain that the swings indicated by the flashes were the only ones in play. Throughout the whole thing, Gina kept a stern look of concentration, resolved and determined to rip through her enemy's most prized weapon.

Kunō's eyes widened as she felt the presence of the Captain behind her. When she saw the hand grasp the hilt of the blade, she noticed Karitori wisely shimmered away...before the onslaught of cutting ribbons arrived.

"NGH!" Kunō found herself using her hands to erect her barrier, the stress placed by the constant and multi-direction attacks actually caused her to focus solely on her attacker. Every one in awhile, the whip found a fissure or a crack within her defenses...

SLIT!

...and caused her to feel a shallow wound...

SLIT!

...one after another...

SLIT!

...after another. The barrage seemed to push the brink of what Kunō could handle, but then she chose a different tactic. Walking slowly forward, keeping her barrier raised with one hand she began walking towards her opponent, uncaring about the shallow wounds now sporadically placed across her body. The blood seeping from the wounds crackled from the energy so close to the veins enamoring her body and clothes, almost directly stemming from the force she controlled. Once she was within only five meters of the Captain, she reared her opposing free hand...

BOOM!!!!

...and thrusted out with a shockwave, intending sending her opponent backwards with tremendous force, focusing solely on repelling the constantly whipping blade. Her eyes narrowed as a slight smile worked up to her lips, "You can't win against me..."

SHFT-SLINK-SNATCH!

"...none of you have what it takes," Kunō spoke aloud, suddenly moving her upraised hand to catch the swinging blade of Shinshin's by the space of her forefingers with ease, causing him to open his eyes wide with shock. She then proceeded to move the blade to the side before she moved with a blur of crimson light...

CRACK-CRACK-FWHUMP-BAP-CRACK-BWHOOSH!

...before unleashing a nearly instaneous barrage of strikes upon Shinshin's person, the same power and precision she utilized upon Anton's form during that day, sending the dazed warrior sprawling across the air, tumbling across the ruined cobblestone street like a ragdoll. 

"YOU BIIIIIIII-"

"...especially you, Karitori..." Kunō moved around, anticipating her counterpart's movements, throwing a earthshattering punch that caugh the speeding Karitori in the gut. The aftershock was so great, it caused the entire block to be blasted upwards before crumbling around them, making Karitori's eyes roll back briefly as she coughed up a wad of saliva as she was sent sprawling herself across the air. 

"...to think I would be afraid of any of you...is laughable in of itself," she smiled cruelly as her aura crackled to life once more, making her appear more like a demon than a human being, "no...I'm going to have fun hearing you all scream for mercy...or for the mercy you desire for your loved ones!" 

"Ngh--!!"

The raise of the hand was what signaled Gina to pull out of her assault. With a Flash Step, she leaped out of the way and skidded off to the side. Her eyes were narrowed as she fell to a crouched position, her whip raised defensively. It whirled around her, moving like a snake that was circling its prey. If it had been a snake, it would've been hissing at Kunō angrily for attacking its master in such a manner. She brushed off the taunt that was delivered, glowering at the protective aura that made for a more frightening visage.

"You're going to have to do more than scare us, Dragon." She said in a challenging manner. "Now that we know that your barrier isn't invincible, this shouldn't be too tough..." Her whip coiled itself to a more defensive form, prepared to strike at its' master's will. She was going to hammer at her enemy's defenses until she was on her very knees, until she couldn't fight anymore. She made it a vow to crush that corrupt and warped power, to show just how powerful of a force she was dealing with.

There would be no taking Soul Society, if she had anything to say about it.

Shadow of the Past, A Traitor's True Motives!

BLAM-BLAM-BLAM!

"BLING, BLING, BLING! One after another they go!" Daigomi Bandai, former member of the Black Blood Sect and current true member of the Dragons, the Elite Lieuteants of the Four Horsemen of the Inner Circle. Currently armed with nothing more than a golden kidō handgun, Daigomi had breached the outer defenses and began open firing indescriminately on the very alert Kidō Corps guardsmen.

Firing in quick succession, she began to overtake the ill-equipped men and worked his way to the inner sanctum, towards where all the secrets and all the highest ranking members of the Kidō Corps resided. And where Daigomi would complete his objective.

"Of course the plan worked!" Daigomi cackled as he spun on his heels, firing more shots as he took out more Kidō Corpsmen, eventually being blocked off by a neon green barrier from reaching the next section, "no one can stop what has been planned for centuries! Nothing can stop us now! A few measly guards can't stop me! Daitenshi can't stop me! HA! I'm invincible!" 

"They won't know what's coming to them!" Asuka exclaimed, peeking out from behind him and giving him a wink. "Good work!"

"Thank you! I'm glad I have someone I can rela-" Daigomi stopped dead in his tracks when he suddenly realized whom he was speaking with. His neck slowly turned to see Asuka, sweatdrops crawled down his scalp, and then he suddenly became of his surroundings, "fuck..."

It was Asuka. Of the V-14. Not his partner.

Now that he realized who exactly he was talking to, her expression became slightly smug as she backed away. Behind her stood her reinforcements, which came in the form of Anton, Oliver, Hyōryū, Shadō, Mōka and Yajū. She herself stood with her hands folded behind her back, not yet drawing her weapon. But it was clear that all of them were fully ready to attack and kill at a moment's notice.

"Miss us, sweet cheeks?" Oliver quipped, lifting up his two pistols and lined his sights up with Daigomi.

"I should've known Shou would be too merciful..." Anton muttered coolly, raising two Kiriken blades and holding them threateningly. "But at the very least, he was generous enough to give us a turn at this mouthy turncoat. Prepare to die a very painful and humiliating death, Daigomi Bandai..."

"Maybe if you drop that shiny piece of yours we'll delay your death and only shoot your limbs off! How does that sound?!" Hyōryū shouted out as she leveled her two Jackals

"Your end is here, along with all of the other Dragons of the Inner Circle," Shadō narrowed his eyes, growling his next statement, "you'll all pay for the lives you've taken and the people you've betrayed!" 

"I almost feel bad for you. You're going to be cut apart while being blown to bits simultaneously, hehehehe!" Yajū chuckled with a feral grin, tapping his gnarled sycthe on his back in emphasis. 

"Yeah, I'd give up now, Daigomi," Mōka crossed her arms, smiled ruefully as she looked on at his nervous form, "considering I'm here along with these other line-up of badasses, do you honestly think you can take us all on? I'm not sure any force in the universe can hold us from ripping you limb from limb..."

"As expected of V-14," Daigomi chuckled, though still had a bead of sweat at how precarious the position he had been placed into, "I had been expecting some of you to follow me, but this is quite a challenge. And here I thought the arrangements I made to keep you from my objective was...overkill...but it appears, I'm mistaken, hehehe!" 

"Challenge?" Anton's lip curled in a slight sneer as he heard the word. "More like a slaughter. Don't pretend you have a chance of winning when you don't even have any back-up."

Unfortunately, his words would tempt fate against them.

Four signatures would be felt from behind them, and all of them would be recognizable by half of the V-14 members. There was the young male with brown hair who had spoken up to them, the black-haired woman who was following right behind him, the orange-haired man with glasses and the yellow-eyed male knight. They were the Inner Circle Dogs that the Captains had contended with before. But this time, there were no Captains to interfere. Now, their targets were the V-14 members they were approaching with varying degrees of a steady gait.

"...you had to open your big mouth, didn't you?" Oliver asked dryly, turning an eye towards them. "You just had to jinx us, didn't you?"

"...does that mean you owe me a soda?" Anton joked.

"How did they-?!" Mōka's eyes widened, looking behind her shoulder to see the four remarkably skilled beings behind her. The fact she could feel their individual Spiritual Pressures were comparable to some of the gathered V-14 members...was confounded to her, "...I couldn't sense them until just no-"

SHFT-CLAMP!

Daigomi moved with unprecedented speeds, slamming a rune-laced, left gloved-hand onto Mōka's arm. As a look of registered shock look crossed Mōka's eyes, she suddenly felt a painful, writhing series of runes crawl up her arms and begin to incapacitate her. The fact that she's endured more pain than what mortals, spirits and living, would experience in a lifetime, is what stunned her. As her body began to fall, with Daigomi in the midst of the V-14 group, he smiled a sickly white smile as he raised his gun into the air, shouting out, "Take 'em down, boys and girls!" 

BLAM!

And the Dogs moved...

CLANG-CRACK-FWHOOSH!

Causing all of the appropiate V-14 members to immediately scatter and spread out within the spacious scarred and various roomed Kidō Corps chambers. 

Muscle vs Muscle, Tempermence and Rage!

"The Hell did you come from?!" Yajū snarled out as he backpedaled away from the initial crossfiring chaos that was created by the Dragon. Having migrated through what looked like a testing chamber for new armanents and technology employed by the Research Department in sync with Kidō Arts. 

Hopping over some blown apart obstacles, the feral scythe-wielder of V-14 propped ontop of a tower of energy-like blocks that had been constructed awhile ago, looking down on the young man approaching him with a renewed excitement, "So...I'm guessing you're suppose to be the badass of your merry band of misfits, right?"

The man he was talking to landed in parallel to the cube that Yajū was on.

In one hand was a chokuto sword, which was lowered but readied at his side. At first, he regarded Yajū with an irritated gaze. He didn't like the toothy smile that his opponent was regarding him with. To him, it conveyed a sense of superiority and arrogance despite their fight not even having started. To him, it always told him that his enemy did not take the fight seriously enough. He had seen the grin a million times of the likes of his Dragon superiors well enough to know that.

But then, he remembered his own abilities. One of them had the potential of wiping the grin right off and washing away any morale that he had. All he had to do was make just the tiniest cut on his flesh, and that wish would come true. That was enough to make a smile crawl onto his face and give him the right words to reply with. He leveled the blade and held the tip pointed at Yajū. "Yeah..." He answered. "I'm so badass, all I need is one cut on you and you're done for. Or at the very least, you'd become my bitch..."

"Oh really..." Yajū growled out, standing tall as he swung his Shi Ryōtekama around in an arc as his body became enraptured in a thick, monsterous Spiritual Pressurized aura, with his eyes glowing with revelling in the challenge, "I'll take that bet! C'mon, wuss!-"

SHFT!

"Show me what you're made of!" He moved with incredible speed and versatility, his body disappearing within an instant before reappearing above the boasting man, slashing out his scythe in a vicious arc, releasing an unholy gale of shredding-crimson spiritual energy, intending on ripping a large gout of pressurized force into the barrier protected room. 

TSEW-SEET!

Once the first movement was made, Tenshina was quick to snap the smile off of his face. His eyes narrowed as Yajū appeared, and his body was quick to react. With a Bringer Light movement, he vanished from the blast's expanding path. But within that very same instant, he re-appeared behind Yajū with his side to the back and his sword arm pulled back across the chest. Without a moment's hesitation, he swung the blade. The killing edge was aimed towards the spinal chord in an attempt to cripple the man in one blow.

CLANG!

Within the instant Tenshina moved, Yajū followed the scent and sensation of where his opponent moved along with his Spiritual Awareness. Upon appearing behind himself, he swiftly spun his scythe's handle back to intercept the blade before it got within six inches of his flesh, causing the momentum to be derailed, and himself to pivot on his back right foot and swing around with an outstretched palm...

SHFT!

...with an inverted triangle appearing of crimson light, before Yajū uttered lowly, "Legione Falcem...!" 

SSSHINK-SHINK-SHINK-SHINK-SHINK...!

...sending a wide ten meter gait of crimson energy-crafted lances, all of them elongating and thrusting out in a repetive and endless barrage, intending on pinning the young man against the far wall as well as shred him to pieces...

"Too slow..."

TSEW-SEET!

Tenshina was taking delight at his successive chances against his enemy. Once again, he performed the same action of re-appearing behind his opponent just when the spell was unleashed. But this time, he had a speed advantage due to the "chant" and time it took to summon the energy for the spell. It was heavily pragmatic and possibly underhanded. But considering his and Kameyo's fight with Ryōken, he knew that his enemy would not give him a second chance. This time, he would be pulling out all of the stops.

Once again, he swung at his target for the same spot. But this time, he followed with several aggressive yet experienced strikes in case the first one failed.

But Yajū predicted a repeated attack, considering it was his blindspot. The very fact his enemy boasted to end the fight with one cut meant he only need to graze him, and due to him having literally next to no armor to protect himself against such an ability, he'd had to adjust. And when his enemy attacked again, he made sure not to turn around or back up, but rather move forward. 

SHFT-SHFT-SHFT...!

Using nothing but his senses to guide his body away from the attacker's swings, he then employed something unorthodox. Instead of swinging the staff or the killing edge of his Shi Ryōtekama, he pointed it towards the direction of his movement...

SHINK-WHACK!

...before swinging the backside, animal carved Hell-crafted amber towards his enemy's head or shoulders, intending on causing him to be pushed back or injured by the incredible swing and substance behind his weapon's attack. 

Tenshina's moderate enthusiasm faltered when he saw Yajū move forward. His small smile was quick to turn into a scowl, even as he saw the skull-shaped emblem swing his way. It was a mockery to him not to turn around and another act of arrogance - even though it might not have been. He would be quick to voice those thoughts, too.

CLAMP!

He caught the staff with his free hand. "Look at me..." He growled, pulling his leg back. "When I'm trying to kill you!"

TSEW!

Using Bringer Light to enhance the strength, he swung a kick towards his opponent's side. The force put into the attack would not only do some considerable blunt force trauma, but it would also knock his target back a considerable distance.

POW!

Yajū found himself narrowly evading injury, as he raised his left forearm out to protect himself from the incoming kick. The power caused him to do a double take, not realizing the human had enough force to project, causing him to stumble a dozen meters, but wrenching his scythe along the way. As a hissing layer of steam came from where the foot made impact, along with an obvious bruise, Yajū lowered his arm before grinning, 

"Did I hit a nerve, pretty boy? I guess you're usually used to taking people off guard with that little stabbing in the back dance you did there. But you obviously never fought someone like me, who's lived in Tendan nearly his whole life. For my life..." 

SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-VM-VM-VM-VM-VM-SHINK...!

"...was nothing BUT backstabs!" Yajū shouted out, his body moving faster than before, flickering in and out of view, swinging his scythe in a number of ways. Interchanging from pommel thrusts and strikes to scythe angled swings, he intended to press the pressure upon his opponent, not wanting to give him the advantage of getting into his backside, where his offense would be the least effective. 

"Tch--!!"

TSEW-SEET!

This was where Tenshina's training from the Inner Circle came in. When Yajū started moving fast, he did the same.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Yajū's scythe would meet Tenshina's sword as they moved against one another. Sparks flew as the opposing metal pieces clashed again and again. Tenshina avoided, blocked and parried as much as Yajū dished out against him. His mild annoyance was cast out in exchange for intense concentration as he attacked his opponent and defended himself. "Looks like someone needed a new place to move, then..." He thought to himself sardonically, albeit founding himself unable to voice the comment out loud due to the intensity of combat.

"Yeah?! Well, another one couldn't possibly hurt, then!!"

TSEW!

In the midst of one of his attacks, he used a Bringer Light to increase the power of a two-handed swing in order to break Yajū's defenses. Then, he followed up with a thrust towards the throat.

"This kid is good. Really good," Yajū thought to himself within the haze of ecstatic violence he felt between the two of their actions, smiling widely to decieve him of any cunning behind his gaze and the inner workings of his mind, "for a Fullbringer, this kid has enough strength to rival any Soul Reaper and Arrancar above Lieutenant level...this is probably one of the toughest opponents I've fought!" 

As Yajū found his scythe batted away during the midst of the strikes, he saw his scythe go awry, and the boy's thrust towards his own throat. Yelling out with glee, he bent his back to evade the strike entirely, as they engaged in combat in midair. As the blade passed by above him, he swiftly grasped onto the Fullbringer's two hands that held the hilt tightly, a mistake for his opponent. 

With two swift snap kicks to the boy's shins, trying to inhibit the timing of his Bringer Light technique, he simultaneously swung the bludgeon carving of his scythe towards the boy's joint where the neck met the shoulder, intending on producing incredible spasms of semi-paralytic-inducing pain as well as possibly rupture blood vessels from the force he'd employ within it...

"FUCK!"

Tenshina's eyes widened in shock when he felt the hand grasp the wrists of both of his. The guy certainly had huge hands if he could do it with just one. But as he felt the man's kicks connect with his shins, his surprised expression quickly changed into narrowed eyes and a scowl of irritation. He knew that if he didn't push Yajū off, he'd suffer some serious damage.

And he knew just the way to do it.

"RAUGH~!!"

With a yell, he brought his arms downward and used a Bringer Light to increase the strength of the throw. Not only did this allow him to break free of his restraints and prevent him from getting brutally injured, it also hurled his opponent downward with immense speed and power. Even as a pondering frown decorated his face, a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face.

He knew that he couldn't let down his guard, even for an instant.

Otherwise, this man would kill him.

BOOM!

"Hrrrrrrrrr," Yajū growled lowly, having had his back nearly take the full brunt of the throw as a shockwave radiated the barrier-lit room. With only the staff of his weapon and his free hand cushioning the impact, he knew if he wasn't replying to instincts, the breath would've gone out of his lungs.

Looking up at the Fullbringer, however, he could smell the sweat permeating from the once confident opponent of his. With a feral smile as he readied himself another bout, he knew in the end, one strike would decide this battle...and he aimed to be the one to deliver!

Bringing a Sword to a Gun Fight? A Bout of Intellect and Carnal Cunning!

SNATCH-SNATCH-FWHOOSH!

Upon entering the fray, Choku immediately grasped both gunslingers of the V-14 squad, and preformed a Jujitsu overhauling throw, aiming to send the two of them pinwheeling with the element of surprise and swift employment at his disposal. The glass was fragile at best, but the interior of the room they were to be in would be a decievingly spacious cube vault room.

With special barriers in place to withstand the most ferocious of Spiritual Pressurized blasts and Kidō spells, it would be the perfect place to have the duo cut loose against their newly assigned opponent.

At least one of those gunmen would find a means to counter the maneuver.

Planting a foot behind him, Oliver dug himself in and bore against Choku's push on his shoulder. His blue eyes narrowed coldly, an equally malicious smile boring into his face. Taking him by surprise would require a lot more than a simple jump and rush. There were many other soldiers who had attempted to employ similar means against him. But it was thanks to them he had found the right means to counter.

With a thrust of his opposing hand, he had the barrel lined up and aimed with the Fullbringer's head. "Who the fuck do you think I am, mutt?!"

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Choku's eyes narrowed with disappointment in himself for not being able to haul Oliver over. As he saw the man reach for his gun, all he had to do was pay attention to his weapon arm and shoulders...

Swish-Swish-Swish!

...allowing him to anticipate each and every discharge without any visible effort. Pushing the glasses up the bridge of his nose, he smiled as he spoke lowly, "Someone in my way..."

SHFT-TAP!

"...who's going to die!" He finished, as he used a instant transmission movement of Bringer Light, appearing directly below Oliver's waistline. Within a swift tapping motion by his right two forefingers, seemingly just poking Oliver's midsection, he moved back with another Bringer Light...

SNAP!

...before initiating a Fullbring transmutation upon Oliver's shirt, creating a vibrant orange light to appear upon the man's clothes. When the light started to spark up vibrantly...

BOOM!

...it let loose a miniature firebomb to detonate upon the man's clothing, stemming from its newly refined material he "Fullbrought" upon his person. But within this instant...

BLAM-BLAM-BLAM...!!!

...he had to preform a number of Bringer Light movements to evade the hailfire of rapid shots initiated by the rising Hyōryū.

"You're going to pay for touching me, you piece of F***ING SHIT!" Hyōryū shouted out in a near manically driven tone, her guns discharging a number of projectiles to impale, shred, and incinerate the enemy who dared to challenge the two infamous gunslingers. Well, one more infamous than the other, admittantly...

It had been only a matter of a millisecond.

When Choku had appeared before him, Oliver had intercepted him with the H1N0's barrel once more. Within that split second, he had the barrel at point-blank range to the younger man's head. It was because of that sudden and bizarre movement that made him hesitate. If he had completely lost his sense of self-preservation, he would've pulled the trigger and ended the fight within that one shot. The Fullbringer's movements expressed nothing more than arrogance, overconfidence, and the certainty that he would dominate the fight.

Oliver, right then and there, made it a point to take all of that confidence and find a way to physically shove it down Choku's throat.

Right now, however, he had to focus on matters at hand.

His eyes widened and the smile momentarily fell off of his face. Dropping one of his guns, he grasped the shirt by its shoulder and gave a violent pull, ripping the fabric off of him. He barely cast it aside before it exploded, engulfing his shirt within the flames that certainly would have scarred him. A network of tattoos could be seen on his physique, ones that had been inscribed within his skin by his ex-superiors. Although most of them were propaganda-like designs for military intimidation, they made him seem like he was marked by demonic possession.

In a way, he was.

As Hyōryū rained fire on his target, he reached downward and pick up the pistol he had dropped on the ground. As he rose up, he aimed at the spots where Choku was vanishing and re-appearing. He squinted his eyes, relaxing his body slightly as if waiting for something. He kept himself within that stance for a moment, his finger tightened on the trigger. Then...

BLAM!

He fired the shot - one which would intercept Choku in the midst of his next re-appearance.

As Choku reappeared, his eyes widened upon seeing the projectile aim his way. It looked like he couldn't evade the area as the yellow beam of deconstructive energy came towards his torso and...

SPLURCH!

...tore a grotesquely large hole through his body, with a stunned look on Choku's visage as it did so. But, within a moment or so...his body vanished from sight, proving to be nothing more than an afterimage.

"Firing a barrage of attacks and waiting to hit an opening from my blind side? Nice try," Choku half-heartedly complimented the pair of opponents, now appearing to be within the room in between Oliver and Hyōryū equally.

Grasping the pen within the crook of his right ear, he spoke lowly, "Iron Pen," and swung it out, causing emerald flame-like energy to burst to life, changing the pen from an ornate 17th Century heirloom into a English broadsword that stretched out into an immaculately rune-covered black blade and cross handle.

Choku looked at Oliver and Hyōryū cooly. With a sudden inhalation, he stroked his sword in Oliver's direction, with the Kanji words, "Imprison," on it, causing the words themselves to discharge at high speeds before forming a large Fullbrought cage out of the ground from which Oliver was standing within.

Hyōryū growled and renewed her attack, only to see Choku stroke his blade meticulously towards her direction, the letters striking the energy bolts and causing a mirror to form. Within that mirrored space, a number of her own Kidō projectiles, covered in a hue of emerald energy, were sent back in a ricocheting manner, causing Hyōryū to yelp in surprise as she started to evade with a series of somersaults and flips.

"The F**k is he doing...?!"

"A Fullbringer with the ability to create an after-image... wonder how many of those the Inner Circle have..."

Oliver threw himself forward, emitting a grunt as he sailed over the forming bars of the cage. When he came out of the roll, he pointed both of his guns at Choku. However, he didn't not fire right away. Instead, he took a visual on the assault on Hyōryū. It was becoming very clear that their opponent's abilities had a certain degree of diversity and versatility, increasing the chances of them getting caught off-guard. He had to be careful.

Still, that didn't stop him from taking a jab.

"Hey, sis! Didn't know you were trying out in cheerleader practice! Hahaha~!!"

"Sh-Shut up, asshole!" Hyōryū snarled out, stopping on the solid Kidō-barrier floor, her eyes glaring at the mirror-space that had finally stopped throwing her earlier shots back, "at least I still have my clothes on!"

"You two are close?" Choku asked with a blank expression, having seen the two of them fight together as well as wield trademark weapons nearly identical to each other, "should I leave you two alone in this room, or are you always like this?"

"...really?"

Oliver regarded the man with a raised eyebrow. Although his fingers were ready to start pulling once again, his expression was questioning in the way that one would regard another when faced with a less-than-intelligent question. "If I were you, I'd be concentrating on trying to breathe and not our personal affairs. Or at the very least, I'd be more interested in killing us..."

"I'm more curious as to why you're working with the Soul Society, instead of the Inner Circle?" Choku redirected the question back to Oliver, exclusively to him as he turned his gaze but kept his stance ready to engage either of them should things get nasty, "I've done my homework on all of you, but none are as peculiar as you are, Mr. Holmes. For someone who suffered at the hands of established law and order, you're willing to follow a leader who's leading you back into the Hell they narrowly rescued from. Aren't you sure...you're working for the wrong side?"

Hyōryū's eyes glared hotly at the man, becoming more and more pissed off as he heard the man talk. Despite this, however, she knew the man had a underlying point. Here they were, outlaws of society and killers for hire, working with the "good guys" to stop what they'd consider as "competition" within the Underworld. After they finish their deed, they'd be officially legitimate and lawful, but Hyōryū knew if anything got under Oliver's skin more than arrogant bastards, it was established order tying him down...

"Yeah..."

Although Oliver scowled at the retort, he was quite ready to fire back. This time, he wasn't dealing with an enemy who could probe his mind with a wave of the hand. This was someone he was fully capable of killing. So he was quite ready to shoot back, just as he had shot back to the Aethian superior. "I'm on the right side. Wanna know why? Because our boss doesn't see us as something so simple as chess pieces. You and the rest of you mercenary fucks, however, can get killed and not even bat an eyelash. None of them would go into the depths of Hell just to pull you out. All they care about is themselves and nothing more."

His scowl slowly turned into a thin smile. "So say what you think about me being on the "wrong side", as you put it. At least I won't die a sad little pawn like you will, whether we kill you or whether your bosses do."

Choku smiled lightly, pushing up his glasses with his left forefingers, chuckling as he heard the man's rebuff, "So that's your answer? Aren't you even curious on how we allowed your team to rescue you? Or the fact...that you would find it odd to find both your long-lost brother and one of our most esteemed superiors cracking your communique within the gap of a few hours?" He narrowed his eyes at Oliver, as a slightly menacing glimmer reflected off of his glasses when he looked back at Oliver, "its because, unlike the rest of your comrades, we value your abilities and talents far more so than the others. You're the only one we deem to be an asset rather than a liability, Oliver Holmes!"

"Enough with your bullshit!" Oliver growled, the scowl quickly returning. Now he was glaring daggers at the Inner Circle Dog, his fingers reaching their limit with their tightening. "I asked you before; who the fuck do you think I am? Do you think I'm some moron who's willing to give in just for the sake of showing himself off to the world? A depressed child who's willing to give into demand if someone promised him cookies and candy? I could care less what you deem me to be! In the end, you're all going to wish you hadn't lifted a finger towards the likes of my boss!!"

"She's damaged goods, Ollie-boy," Choku shrugged, speaking matter-of-factly, before brushing a single hand through his hair while smiling in a goading fashion, "if it was up to me, I'd make sure she would be the one to be stripped of her flesh in front of you. Perhaps you'd think twice before refusing generosity of the Inner Circle then, eh, Black Eagle?"

BRACK-BRACK-BRACK-BRACK!

"Shut your goddamned mouth, asshole!" Hyōryū suddenly snarled out, her eyes widened with incredulous and borderline insane anger as she unleashed another volley of shots towards Choku's area. Unfortunately, the words "Mirror" lit up once again, absorbing the shots and began once again reflecting back at Hyōryū, causing her to shout out a string of curses as she had to dance around her own haphazardly ricocheted shots again, "AH, C'MON!" 

Oliver decided that this was the perfect opportunity to push the offensive.

"HRAH~!!"

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

With a boost of his legs, Oliver threw himself off to the side and began running. He unleashed his own stream of fire while moving at what might as well have been the speed of a cheetah. He continued firing, expelling every single bullet from the clips.

"One, two, three," Choku spoke aloud as he began skidding his heels and pivoted his feet so his body moved in a fluid manner to evade the attacks strung by Oliver, "you honestly think your naturally imbued speed matters..."

SWIPE-SCRRK!

"...when the ground you're running on is slick?" Choku slashed out several repetitions of the kanji letters, "Butter," "Gloss" and "Floor Wax", sending a wide variety of Fullbrought pieces of ground in the path of Oliver, intending on sending him skidding across the ground, and ultimately leaving him vulnerable to attack.

"Oh, mother-- stop stop stop stop!"

Oliver's eyes widened in surprise, and he barely reacted in time.

He could only slow himself just enough to keep from falling on his backside. When he stopped, he found himself sliding across the ground in a manner similar to an ice-skater. He took this time to reload, swinging his exhausted clips away from his person. "You honestly think a little wet floor is enough to take me out?!" He taunted back. "You obviously don't know the Black Eagle as well as you think you do!!"

SWIPE-SWIPE-SWIPE!

"Gotcha!" Choku smiled widely, stringing along another series of Kanji letters that spoke "Tesla Coil", causing a trigram imbuement to Fullbrought three coils from the ground. Using the current buttery contents to suddenly melt and turn into a liquid, via Fullbringing energy, Choku activated the trap...

SPRAAAACK-FZZZZZT!

...causing the liquid coated ground of over ten meters to be electrified by the tesla coils he fullbrought within a mere few seconds of time. 

Step Through My Shadow, Porcelain Doll

As Chokū fought it out against Hyōryū and Oliver, Kameyo would chase after Shadō.

For the briefest of moment, she had seen the stoic man lose his demeanor when Mōka was struck down. She had seen the slightest tense of muscle before it contracted - a sign of near attack. So she could tell that the Hankami, despite her origins and nature, was still considered a comrade they cared deeply for. It almost made her feel regret; one comrade shouldn't have to see another suffer. But she knew better than to let her emotions get the best of her. She had a mission to carry out.

It wasn't long enough before the two found themselves within the midst of a library. The room itself had sturdy and wooden walls, which seemed to give off a more grimy and darker appearance without the lights on. The bookshelves were several meters in height, matching up to what would've been an enormous space. Each alley through the bookshelves might as well have been a street road, what with their massive width and all.

WOOSH!

Coming out of a Flash Step, Kameyo skidded to a stop and faced her opponent within one of those alleys. Her crimson eyes provided an eerie and unsettling glow within the darkness of the library. But once she did so, the lights above their heads would flash on one by one, as if someone was expecting their presence. It only took several seconds for the area to be lit up once again. But the Inner Circle Dog paid no heed to it.

"Wraith of the 8th Division." She whispered, an eery monotone etched into her voice. "Shadow Hunter of the V-14. Are thou hungry for my blood...?"

"Your blood isn't what I crave, little girl," Shadō spoke in a low, menacing tone as he began to walk towards her with a confident gait. His cloak flourished around his muscular form, his hat barely concealing the murder within his eyes that he wished for her. But above all, the way he spoke and moved held a distinct impression of control over his body and his actions, "your Spiritual Energy will suffice. Though, if you want me to spill blood, then you'll have to force me to unsheathe my blade to do that..."

He needn't ask again.

SWIPE!

Drawing the sword from her back holster, Kameyo unleashed a single swipe of the sword. It was a simple practice swing, nothing more. For the first few seconds, it appeared to be nothing more than pointless. But after that time passed...

BOOM!

Several corresponding bookshelves to the side she swung at collapsed, their middle sliced in two from top to bottom. They collapsed inward on themselves, their contents and foundations spilling onto the floor. All of it caused a dust cloud to envelop the nearby area, coating the floor in a dusty fog. Kameyo's eyes were on Shadō the whole time, as if she herself did not register the demonstration. "That shouldn't be too difficult." She noted, tilting her head to the side. "Considering how quickly Daigomi-sama took down a supposed god of existence, a mere shadow like you should be very easy quarry."

Then, she drew her other sword...

SWIPE!

But this time, her swing was in the direction of Shadō.

What happened next looked instinctive and out of reflex. Without halting his gait as the mighty discharge of pressurized force from the blade flew towards his body...

SWHOOP-SHINK-SHINK-SHINK!

...as black masses springing from the bookshelf alleyway, taking the form of tangible shadows to form a large net of solidified spiritual energy. Once the blast hit, the shadows cracked upon impact but didn't initially shatter all at once. In doing so, the shadows bent and dissipated as Shadō continued his stalwart gait towards Kameyo, his gaze unwavering.

"Where did your superior gain the information to place a Deity-Class Seal on a Hankami could work? I'd like to know," Shadō's body began to emanate a wrathful Killing Intent, with enough force that it collided with his Spiritual Pressure. When he took his seventh step forward...

BWHOOSH-CRRRRRK!

...a mighty exhale of Spiritual Pressure was released, causing the bookshelves next to him to be crushed inwardly, flying in opposing directions with incredible momentum, and a chilling, murderous sensation emanated from the cool and dispassionately appearing Demon hybrid walking towards Kameyo, "otherwise I'll make sure you will live past what I am going to do to you, Dog of the Inner Circle!" 

In response, Kameyo did not move.

In the face of the frightening spiritual pressure, the Dog did not flinch. With both of her swords out, she kept them lowered but readied at her sides. Yet she did not step away or attempt to retreat. Instead, she stood her ground and watched as her enemy approached her. "I am not afraid of you, Wraith." She said. "All shadows are capable of is hounding the physical forms of the surface walkers. Something as flimsy and weak as you are can't even begin to reach me."

TAP!

"What are you talking about?" Shadō's form instaneously disappeared before Kameyo's eyes, reappearing directly behind her, directly within her shadow. Placing a gloved hand directly on her shoulder with a painful iron grip, placed directly onto pressure points to hopefully incapacitate her as his voice whispered in a frightening tone, "my shadows are an embodiment of my power. I don't need them to..."

WHAM!

"...harm you!" Shadō spoke aloud, slamming his opposing free fist into her spine, intending on utilizing enough force to cause her organs to rupture from within. If he knew what he was sensing about her, her Soul Reaper form would require more force to kill than the others. 

In spite of the crushing grip, Kameyo did not feel the pain as she normally would have been. She could feel the pressure of his grip and his fingers digging into her skin. But the only reaction to it was the slight parting of her lips and the tilting of her head. Had it been anyone else, they would've been quick to buckle under the torturous feeling.

Then, the fist to her back.

She was forced forward a few steps, falling to one knee once she stopped stumbling forth. But not once did she utter a grunt or a yell of pain. Shado might as well have been punching a mannequin or a doll away from him, or at least a doll that was able to move on its own. Once she fell to one knee, she only held the pose for a second.

SWIPE-SWIPE-SWIPE-SWIPE--!!

Then, her body whirled around like a tornado - an irregular and unpredictable shift. Her blades flashed as they swung, aiming to dice Shadō into pieces.

Shadō moved accordingly, despite his own disdain at his attacks having no affect on her initially. Using Flash Step to narrowly evade the sudden whirling motion of the swordsmanship, he felt a nicks on his torso and shoulders from the force utilized. Skidding across the ground, he hopped backwards and propped himself ontop of one of the staggeringly high bookshelves, observing his opponent once more with a calm disposition.

"What is she made of? Is she really that endurable...or is she severed of any sensation of pain?" Shadō thought with surprise at what he felt when he touched her, "I also felt no output of Spiritual Pressure. When Soul Reapers are in battle, they should unconsciously leave even the smallest of exertions when in battle to increase their potential in combat. So why...is she feeling so dead when I cross paths with her?"

SLICE!

That particular shelf would be sliced in two, courtesy of the force unleashed by yet another one of Kameyo's swings.

"This isn't the time and place to zone out, Wraith..." She said, walking towards the ruins with a slow and deliberate gait. Her eyes kept a lock on him as she lowered her sword back down to her side. "Or are you so confident that you feel as you're able to not pay attention without consequence? Did the fight with Yashin-sama soften you up that much?"

Shadō narrowly leaped away from the bookshelf, his eyes locking onto the nearly dead expressionless ones of Kameyo's. She really appear as if she wasn't among the living, while wearing the flesh of one. She fought and spoke without emotion and with total detachment of any sense of self-preservation. She was truly a new kind of opponent for Shadō...

"Hardly..."

SHFT-SHFT-SHFT!

"...I'm just getting started!" Shadō shouted back, his form shimmering to and fro, utilizing Flash Step to employ a series of after-images as he closed in on his prey. The speed of which he used it from would even make a Captain do a double take in which he employed them so masterfully. 

And then...he struck!

"Sōkatsui!"

SSSPRACK-VOOM!!!

Shadō began his counterattack by moving in a good five meters away from Kameyo, discharging a powerful projection of incinerative neon-blue spirit energy, before turning around stabbing his blade into his shadow, hidden by the blinding light and presumably heavy laiden smoke...

SHINK!

...thrusting his blade into the shadow, thus, somehow connecting into Kameyo's, stretching up and intending on stabbing into her left tendon and straight through her knee cap, intending on limiting her mobility with one attack laced within another.

The combination of attacks were fast and overwhelming.

Kameyo shut her eyes and side-leaped out of the way of the Sokatsui blast as it raced past her. The brightness of the attack got to her vision, blinding her within that moment. As soon as she landed, she froze up in a defensive stance. Thanks to the first attack made by Shadō, she was fully aware of the paths that he could choose to strike with.

So when his blade made its way through her shadow, she was fully prepared.

WOOSH!

Within that instant, she re-appeared behind her enemy. Her leg was raised high over her head in an impressive display of dexterity and flexibility.

"Where do you think you're going...?"

Then, she swung her leg down upon his head.

BOOM!

The force would be enough to not only crush him to pieces, but cause considerable damage to the floor they were standing on.

Shadō looked up at the incoming kick, aiming to crush him to pieces. But instead, his body seemed to sink directly into the shadows beneath him, swallowing up into the darkness as if it was water, just as the landscape below Kameyo's foot crashed and crumbled for a good gait of ten meters and several meters deep. 

Through the smoke, however...

SHINK-SHINK-SHINK-SHINK-SHINK-SHINK!

...nearly a dozen lances formed out of the shadows, aiming to squewer her body cleanly, as well as slash at her defenses as he'd presume she would do so. But the true threat, lied directly underneath her feet, as the shadows simultaneously thrusted and slashed at her defenses. With a simple upraised hand beneath her spread feet, a sudden silent declaration from the void of which he was within...

BLAAAAAAM!

...before discharging another Sōkatsui with a large enough gait to enrapture her and scald her, if not send her hurtling into the ceiling with the amount of force he utilized into the Kidō from benath her. 

WOOSH!

Another Flash Step, and Kameyo got away from both attacks unharmed.

When she came out of it, she landed on a perching position at the top of a bookcase. So far, the major threat was her enemy's control of the shadows within the library. As long as she was on solid ground or near something that was, she would be open to his attack and he would have a stable defense. She needed something that would turn the tide against him.

So, she turned her next attack not towards the enemy - but the lights within the combat area.

SLICE!

With a single slice, she had demolished the nearby lighting above their heads. The area was shrouded in darkness now, and any shadows were "eliminated" for the time being. It would be a hindrance to her in terms of visual sighting of her opponent, but she could easily compensate for her other senses. Still, it didn't give any excuse to let down her guard. She was certain that there would be a counter-measure deployed against it.

She kept her swords at the ready, waiting patiently.

It was within the instant Kameyo aimed at the shadows, that Shadō's disposition of the battle had entirely changed. 

"Hahahahahahahaha!" Shadō laughed in a dark, smooth tone filled with both menace and certainty. Within the span of cutting off the lights and nullifying the shadows, a strange phenomena occured. Shadō's Spiritual Pressure, no, his mere presence seemed to smother Kameyo's and swallow the entire atmosphere within the room. The few remaining lights themselves seemed to shatter and dim within the presence of the overwhelming and foreign presence that stretched across the elongated library.  

"Let me guess," Shadō's voice resumed, as ominous and untraceable footsteps echoed the air as he approached her seemingly from anywhere, "you thought by eliminating the light and shadows, that I'd lose a major advantage? Poor plastic girl...you do not comprehend the true powers of the Ikiryō race. For it is within the darkness..."

SHFT-SLICE-FWHOOSH!

"...that my power is truly at its greatest!" He spoke in aftermath of his following actions. Within the span of a heartbeat, Shadō's untraceable presence appeared behind Kameyo with a pair of barely seen glowing red eyes, slashing down with a mighty geyser of Spiritually laced, pressurized force onto her backside. Combined with his enhanced senses and now complete dominance of the darkness, Shadō moved freely within the large confines of the library.

The battle itself, has become his territory!

It would've been something that would've killed anyone with the slightest bit of hesitation.

But Kameyo knew better.

At the release of the spiritual energy, Kameyo's senses detected and alerted her to him. For the majority of anyone else fighting him, it would have been far too late to evade the point-blank burst of energy unleashed upon them. But it was only thanks to Kameyo's reflexes and possibly a bit of luck that she reacted in time to save her own life.

WOOSH!

With a Flash Step, she had re-appeared into a spot where light dominated once again, consistently retreating from her foe.

Within the darkness, a number of blue bolts streaked across the area, penetrating through the bookshelves and aiming to squewer Kameyo within the barrage of nearly a dozen Byakurai-stemmed spells. One bolt streamed above her and destroyed the source of light, once again swallowing the portion of the battlefield within his domain.

Without her knowing, Shadō lifted and threw a fully intact bookshelf, intending on using the small pause between the Byakurai's and the submersion of darkenss once more to crush her succinctly. 

"I see that I won't be able to retreat back into the light..."

Now Kameyo understood completely. Her gamble had turned against her, and now she was the one pressed against the offensive. Retreating would not work, as he would simply keep destroying the light sources until there was none left. She could risk dragging it out and hope that he exhausted himself considerably due to his usage of his spiritual energy. But that would be assuming he didn't have plenty to exhaust. For now, she would have to fight within this enemy-controlled environment. She would have to be on her full alert.

A single slip-up meant death absolute.

SLICE!

With a flip and twist, she sliced through the bookcase after avoiding the multitude of Byakurai spells. She landed on her feet, shifting her movement speed to a calm walk backwards. "Greatest, is it?" She muttered. "It may be powerful. But is it good enough to kill me?"

"Only one way to find out," Shadō spoke ominously as he renewed the battle to her again. He would make sure he'd completely destroy the girl's body, limb for limb, so she wouldn't be able to be a threat to him or anyone of his comrades.

A Bout between Gentlemen, The Merit of Valor and Tenacity!

Valeur moved with determination and speed, swinging both of his sealed Zanpakutō spears in unison, intending on driving his opponent back. He could feel his heart pumping as he engaged his opponent, the one known throughout the ranks of the Inner Circle as Anton Semenov, the strongest warrior of body and steel within the organization they were pitted against. 

The location in which they were relocated to was a large expansive dome-ceiling room. The room was a series of walkways leading to a single circular paved stone floor, with a omnipresent light that made the whole room glow a neon blue light. With water flowing fluidly between each of the walkways towards the circular floor, it almost made the impression skywards as if it was a blazing star. The true purpose of the room itself appeared to have been meditation for those in need of concentrating and focusing their abilities within the most complex of Kidō Arts. 

Standing in the opposing walkway from Anton as they migrated there between their brief bout of crossing sealed spears against Kiriken blades, Valeur smiled with an anticipating spirit as he approached his opponent from his own respective side. 

"So you're the great Anton Semenov? I've heard nothing but great things of you, muscle of the original V-14 Alpha Group!" Valeur complimented nonchalantly, making sure to keep his passion laced within his voice as well as his sincerity he felt towards the opponent in whom he was about to face. 

"That's a first..."

Anton couldn't help but raise a slight eyebrow at the rather pleasant tone Valeur took with him. Considering that he was a soldier of the Inner Circle, he was expecting something more villainous and evil. Yet the tone the other man took with him was almost as if they were talking over a cup of tea or a glass of wine. It was somewhat jarring, to say the least.

He raised his Kiriken swords as the man approached, keeping his guard up. But his own tone was casual and conversational. "What do they happen to be saying about me?" He asked. "Are they cursing my very name, wishing that I burn in the hottest fires of Hell's dominion?"

"You were said to be one of the highest potentials should you decide to join us, but I doubted that," Valeur spoke honestly, sheathing his spears with ease before crossing his arms as he stopped at the thirty meter radius wide circular floor, regarding Anton as he held his weapons before his eyes, "you're a man of righteous zeal, with compassion for his fellow man. From the accounts in many circumstances...you resemble more of a gentleman and a knight, than a simple brute and monster as others might depict you. You are someone, I had aspired to be, Serah Semenov..."

"The more I hear you speak, the more I'm sure you were recruited for the wrong side..." Anton muttered. The sheathing of the spears caused him to lower his swords to his side for a moment. "Who are you, if I may ask?"

"My name is Valeur des Vents," the Inner Circle Dog spoke while preforming a gentleman's bow, before rising above, showing a slight menacing glare of the mere mentioning of his past, "in my past life, I was known as the Knight Lieutenant of the First Cohort, underneath the command of the manipulative monster that was known as Xavier Longstreak!" 

That made Anton's eyes widen slightly. His Kiriken swords were immediately dispelled on command. He had little reason to keep them out and readied, especially considering that the man seemed to be more sympathetic than his comrades. Even if he was suddenly attacked, all he could do was evade whatever was thrown at him before respawning his weapons. It wasn't much of a problem for him. For now, he would be patient.

He slipped his hands into his pockets, a slight smirk crossing his face. "So at least some of his men even think he's full of shit, huh?" He commented, a slight satisfaction overcoming him. "I take it you know everything, then. The Black Eagle incident, his recent capture and our recent rescue of him from Aether..."

"If I had my way, I would've gutted the bastard with a smile on my face," Valeur spoke frankly, spitting at the pool of water not too far from his walkway bordering the circular pad of ground before both of them. He then looked over to Anton, smirking himself, "one of my comrades informed of the situation of Shinhae, which was originally out of scope of our superiors' plans. However, after I initially requested one of my more sympathetic masters to confront my old former superior, she instead decided to launch a preemptive strike on Shinhae and launch it into disarray, not to mention allowed the Black Eagle's brother to aid him in his escape."

This was enough to throw out a number of theories.

Brina McTavish. She was the one that had contacted them and informed them of Shinhae's destruction ahead of time. Anton had assumed that this was nothing more than a simple case of invasion and conquest. But upon hearing this new stream of information, he realized that maybe it wasn't just that. Maybe there were those within the Inner Circle just like this man who sympathized for the V-14 as well as the Soul Society, those who questioned the actions of their superiors. Was she one of them, considering her potential role in a supposed enemy's escape...?

"I see..." He said, his eyebrows furrowing. "So she wasn't lying when she spoke of Aether's fall." He leveled his gaze back towards Valeur. "So you're telling me that the attack on Aether was something done out of sympathy? Were there any other Dragons involved?"

"We stepped up their destruction ahead of schedule," Valeur spoke in an admittant tone, shrugging as he spoke, "I did hear that they were going to lay waste to it anyways. They said that due to the strong ties Aether has with the Soul Society, it would've been inevitable that they would come to attack the Inner Circle's forces. Let's just say they've experienced even worst chaos than the Soul Society is witnessing right now," Valeur smiled in a menacing fashion, the first time as he did so, before lowering his arms to his hips, "but they won't be completely annihilated. Unlike the Captaincy here, they have some resilient members that have their own personal subordinates and orders of knighthood. It will take time to take care of them in comparison to the Soul Society..."

"What about you?" Anton questioned further. "You don't seem like the type eager for murder like some of your superiors and peers are. And you seem a bit too lenient when it comes to information. Why would you even bother helping the Inner Circle?"

"The World needs new Order," Valeur spoke readily, looking with a staunch face and a vivid gaze towards Anton, "and it isn't going to be from those firmly stuck in their damned ways for thousands of years! Some of these men and women may be crooked or criminals, but they don't lie about themselves being saints or on the side of good! They're being firm and forward about taking over society of the Living and the Spiritual Realms, and turning them into something better than what has been already! Don't you just find this world that we live in absolutely distasteful, Serah Semenov?!"

The strong declaration was enough to make Anton give pause. For what seemed like the longest of moments, a silence swept throughout the room. The fading words that were freshly spoken had made it clear that this was where whatever similarities they had ended. Anton understood that there would be no avoiding the fight, though he hadn't really intended to in the first place. He could guarantee that the next words he spoke would prompt his opponent to draw out his weapons in order to begin the fight anew.

But he didn't hold anything back.

"Yeah..." He said. "But you're willing to trust the Inner Circle to do that? You're telling me that you'd rather have the likes of Yashin, Daigomi, Kuno, and whatever other fucked up superiors within your ranks bring about this so-called new Order? I would rather die before I let that happen. If they were willing to manipulate V-14 and others for their own purposes, sacrifice another's society just to build their own over it, who knows what they may do once they're in power? You may have faith that they'll bring about something better... but I don't. And I certainly don't plan on thinking that right now."

"Then it seems as gentlemen of our word, we cannot back away from our resolved commitments," Valeur spoke declaratively, grasping his right spear and unsheathing it from the cross hilt on his back, before raising it towards Anton's direction, "this will be a test of our zealous beliefs then, Serah Semenov! Let us see if our courage to face each other in combat will achieve our hearts' desire!"

And with that, Valeur lunged...

SHFT-SHINK!

...appearing right before Anton up front, stepping just outside the range of his swords, before thrusting in sync of his arrival via Flash Step, increasing the damage and speed of his thrust, aiming to strike Anton directly into the heart. The Killing Intent within his eyes as well as the assurance of his blow to follow through, proved how committed he is to ensure his victory against his opponent. 

In the face of the attack, Anton did not move. His eyes squinted, not out of reflex, but out of concentration. The lack of shift from his current position made it seem like a pointless gesture. But as the spear approached his heart, it would become clear that notion to be a mistaken one.

CLANG!

The spear would connect with and ricochet off of the shield that was an Enkōsen spell. It would only last for a second before it disappeared, its bright light vanishing from existence. But when it cleared, Anton would be nowhere in sight - at least, not within Valeur's direct line of sight.

WOOSH!

He had re-appeared within the air, a slew of Kiriken blades between his fingers held like throwing knives. Pulling his arms back, he slung them and rained them down upon Valur's form with high accuracy, precision, speed and power.

Valeur felt the path of his opponent rather than saw it. Looking up briefly, he saw the large amount of Kidō blades within the man's hands. With only a handful of seconds to react, Valeur took a step back, grasping his spear with both hands with its tip pointing downwards, as he looked up. 

"Bleed and Shatter..."

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-BWHOOSH...!

"...Saeculum Ac Frangebatur Hastis!" Within sync of the first three words, his two spears became lit and glowed brightly, both on his back and the one in his hands. When the storm of Kiriken blades came towards him, he simply reared back his spear with incredible speed, before thrusting it forward, sending an enlarged spear-shaped pyre of energy that ripped and shattered all of the Kiriken blades in its path, aiming to char and hurtle the airborne Anton across the expansive room.

Woosh!

Bending himself back in the beginning of a flip, Anton evaded the elongated and enlarged spear. The energy that had enveloped the weapon barely grazed his skin as it passed by, and he couldn't help but note how close he had allow himself to cut it. But he didn't dwell on that thought for long. Gathering energy under his feet in the midst of his back-flip, he boosted himself towards the ground. A twist of the body allowed him to land back on his feet.

In an instant, several more Kiriken swords were between his fingers. He slung the second barrage at his opponent, but this time he spawned two more to actually grip within his hands.

"Good reflexes, Serah!"

Valeur called out as he sprinted towards his opponent, his body crouched low and his movements themselves blurred as he approached his prey. While the Kiriken swords were hurtled towards him, he simply sidestepped one and shattered the others with his spear with ease, using minimal force due to the current state of his Zanpakutō were in. Once shattered, it only took another bound to reach him, unsheathing his yellow spear in sync of his movement, slashing downwards...

FWHOOSH-SHINK!

...with enough force rivalling even a sword slash, intending on cutting a clean line down his torso's left side with his yellow spear while swinging his red spear upwards in an attempt to break his guard and rend his weapons within his hands useless in defense. The force generated by both simultaneous attacks was enough to detonate the ground beneath them and send a billowing shockwave that clapped around within the circular room. 

Falling into the usual blocking and counter-attacking pattern was out of the question.

From what he had managed to overhear in the bout between Valeur and Hachiro, he knew that simple defense with his Kiriken swords would prove to prove futile. His defenses would immediately be shattered, and it would only take a matter of seconds before he would be struck down by his opponent. Readjustment of the strategy was necessary. Fortunately, Anton was a man that was quite ready to adjust to sudden shifts within the situation.

So, his counter-attack was fully prepared.

When the spears were swung towards him, he performed a swift spin around his opponent. His swords moved aggressively as they normally would have, but his body made sure to stick mostly to evasive and acrobatic maneuvers. He kept making strikes that Valeur would be forced to dodge, not giving him the comfort of blocking or parrying. That would've proved to be very nasty with the red spear, as one hit from that would've shattered his swords.

"He's trying to utilize the advantage of his swordsmanship over the disadvantage of my spearmanship," Valeur analyzed as he began ducking and weaving in and out from the ferocious assault laid out by his opponent. Sticking to a mainly defensive posture, Valeur intended on studying every gesture and movement of his adversary. With every passing moment, he watched the twitch and movements of Anton's shoulders, legs and torso, ignoring the enemy's eyes all-together. And when he went in to strike once more...

SHFT-SHFT-SHFT!

Valeur preformed three high-speed employments of Flash Step, moving in an inverted triangle formation to keep his opponent from locking in one any one particular movement, to avoid Anton's attack entirely. When he arrived at his backside within the instant of preforming the three Flash Steps, he swung out his red spear in a horizontal slash while thrusting out his yellow spear, intending on harming him should he back away and if he moved side-to-side. The force of the swing and thrusts were proportionate to the earlier attack he preformed. 

Anton only had time to turn his gaze over his shoulder, his eyes widening slightly at the display of speed. But his body's reflexes were quick enough to save him.

WOOSH!

With a Flash Step, he pulled himself out of what would've been a critical blow and twisted around to meet his enemy. He thrust empty palms out, once again dissipating the Kiriken blades. An Ōkasen blast was emitted from them, illuminating the floor of the room with its light.

Within the flash of the Ōkasen projection, another flash came from within its hold. After what seemed like a complete collapse of the Kidō blast, with a high-speed crimson-enraptured spear coming directly towards Anton's direction, with a fiery concussive force that would rip up the stone floor and flourish the waters all around. 

But this would be a distraction, as within a deftly employed Flash Step, Valeur would appear within Anton's shadow, be he retreating or standing his ground, and swinging his yellow spear with a diagonal slash of immense force and speed, intending on creating a deep gash across his opponent as well as send him sprawling across the battlefield.

The tactful decision was retreat - for he was sure that the wake of the thrown spear would have done just as much damage to him as the spear itself would.

When he pulled his body back in order to avoid the path of the red spear, he found himself having to quickly turn around at the sudden reappearance of his opponent. His teeth were gritted, and he swung his arm up to meet the spear as he had done with Rosalina. But this time, instead of just his bare arm, a Seki orb would form at the point where the spear would make contact. Once it hit, it would parry and repulse the spear as well as Valeur away from his person.

This would be where he followed up with a point of the finger.

"Byakurai!"

He unleashed the concentrated lightning bolt at his target's chest, aiming straight for the heart.

Valeur saw the motion and the motion of his opponent's lips. He knew one assured way to counter effectively without injury. Swinging his free hand around, he also spoke in turn...

"Byakurai!" 

SSSSPRAAACK-CRACK!

...causing both spells to converge at each other, causing a miniaturized thunderclap to originate with the two fighters within its epicenter. While the wave of force would cause them both to be sent backwards, Valeur was thankful he managed to skid next to his spear, having been segmented into the domed wall, allowing him to grasp it and pull it out, flourishing it with a smile. 

"You're good, Serah! I haven't had such an liberating fight in a long time!" Valeur spoke aloud with sincere joy and happiness within the battle he's found against his enemy. Despite the circumstances, he was glad to find an equal to pit his powers against. 

As Anton himself skidded back in a crouched position to keep himself balanced, he looked back up at his opponent and put on an appreciative smirk of his own. "Right back at you, tovarishch." He answered, straightening himself and readying himself once more. He could consider himself very lucky that he had an opponent like this to deal with. He couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty because of it, considering that his allies were fighting possibly worse enemies. He could only hope that they pulled through.

He balled his fists up and settled into a stance, his eyes narrowed in concentration...

The Spirit of Emptiness, the Duel of Heart and Heartless!

Once everyone rushed to their designated, as well as preemptively planned opponents, Daigomi was left alone with Asuka. Standing in the midst of the corridor of smoldering, hole-filled bodies of the Kidō Corpsmen around the pock-marked walls and ceiling archways. Acting completely confident and casual, Daigomi curled his toothy grin into a malicious smile as he began unleashing a volley of Kidō shots from his HCA-50 handgun. 

He made sure to pressure her, knowing that the woman's primary strength was within her swordsmanship and the Tamajutsu Arts she mastered. He didn't dare fight her bare handed or with a sword unless he knew a good point of weakness to fight on even grounds with her. Even so, he couldn't pass up the chance of shooting her full of holes as he did with everyone else...

With an opponent that stuck to long range, Asuka knew she would have to be aggressive if she didn't want to drag it out.

So, without hesitation, she threw herself at Daigomi in a rapid run. She raised her sword up in order to block the shots that she couldn't deflect, her sword chopping each bolt in two. Throughout it all, she had her eyes squinted slightly in concentration and an equally contemplative look in her expression over all. Playing around with an enemy like this one would only serve to be detrimental in the end, and her allies were probably putting as much effort as possible within their own battles. She didn't want to be careless as she had done with Yashin...

It only took her a few seconds for her to get within range of Daigomi, and when she did, she swung her sword at his neck to chop off his head.

Daigomi was ready for her...

SHFT!

Ducking low, Daigomi narrowly escaped being beheaded, as a few of the top lines of his scalp were cut cleanly. But, he also had the perfect opportunity, as he reared his gun along in a blurring line towards Asuka's torso and legs, firing repeatedly in a machine-gun like affect. With the distance between them, while he'd be in a dangerous position from being cut by Asuka's sword, she also had equal disadvantage to evade the shots from his gun. 

And so, to minimize damage to herself, Asuka would have to abandon the immediate chance to deal injury to her foe, much to her inner chagrin.

She spun around in a pivot, whirling around his gunshots and the path where his gun was pointing. In the midst of the move, she swung her sword with an uppercut motion followed by a downward diagonal swipe. It was a rather beautiful and fluid execution of movement, despite not being as quick as her former attack would have been.

CLANG-CRACK!

Knowing he was limited in options of evasion at such close range, Daigomi decided to forgoe his option of using his armanent, using it as a parrying block in both instances of the sword swipes. However, the force of the diagonal downward stroke caused the gun to be rendered useless, sputtering in sparks and eventually crumbling into golden dust from the amount of precision utilized by the gifted swordsman. 

However, within that downward stroke, Daigomi outstretched his opposing palm, aiming for Asuka's feet, smiling widely as he did so...

BOOM!!!

...before he unleashed a powerful discharge of potent, raw Spiritual Energy into a column of destructive force, aiming into blowing out her lower half with enough force to crash through and penetrate the barrier separating them from the next series of corridors and rooms within the Kidō headquarters. 

This was where Asuka smiled, as well.

With her sword lowered to the ground, all it took was a flick of the wrist and another uppercut swing.

When the energy was unleashed, her cutting edge would stop at the palm and divide the massive release of energy into two waves. She dug her feet in, the intense radiation causing her hair and clothing to billow violently. The brightness made her squint her eyes in order to prevent herself from being blinded. Throughout the dividing of the energy, her blade would not reach him immediately. But despite this, Daigomi would experience the torturous feeling of several swords wrenching through his insides.

Then, her sword broke through the fading wave.

SPLURCH!

Although the blade would only slice through the hand, the effect was the complete obliteration of his arm and a good part of his torso. All of the affected exploded into a mass of blood and liquefied flesh, splashing onto the ground with a disturbing splash. This was where Asuka allowed herself to leap back, grimacing slightly at the result of the counter-attack.

"Oh, dear... I've made quite a mess..." She muttered, using her free hand in a vain attempt to wipe the blood stains off of the front of her shirt.

"That...was careless of me..." Daigomi spoke aloud as he took a step back, still standing despite the fact a deep gash was imbedded within his torso and his arm was torn nearly in half. However, he smiled as his body began to glow an emerald hue, causing the severed muscles and torn flesh to suddenly form hundreds of strands of blood tissue to pull it back together, instaneously healing his body. Within a matter of a handful of seconds, his shredded shirt sleeve produced a healthy arm and his chest healed to the point of where no scar was produced.

Making a few painful cracks while flexing his arm, Daigomi chuckled as he produced his cane from his opposing sleeve, looking towards Asuka inquisitively, "Surprised? This might be your first time seeing something of this nature, but I guess one of your Devil friends must've informed you of my special body," unsheathing the cane, he tossed the hilt aside as he flourished his new weapon of choice as he smiled confidently towards Asuka. 

"So it's true. He's capable of high-speed regeneration, just like Shou-san..."

Asuka's eyes narrowed, and she lowered both of her hands back down. She studied Daigomi's form for a moment. "He doesn't even seem to feel pain from that..." She thought to himself. "That would've been enough to make anyone else undergo shock. But I might as well have dealt him a papercut. I guess I really will have to do some serious damage if I want to get anywhere within this fight. Holding back will only cost me..."

Slowly, she reached with her free hand and wrapped it around her hilt. "They were courteous enough to inform me of your ability..." She said. "It must be pretty handy, being able to heal from any injury no matter how extensive or grievous it is. But I suppose this is a good thing for me, as well. I can pulverize you as much as possible and I won't have to worry about leaving a bloody husk in my wake. I can push you to your limit without fear of you breaking before you reach it."

"That proves to be the opposite in your case," Daigomi chuckled, raising his sword as he assumed a fencing stance, keeping his free hand on his hip and extending his blade towards her direction, "should I land even a single blow on you, you are at a complete disadvantage. No matter how skilled a warrior is, if inhibited by injuries, their potential is considerably limited. You will be no different, Asuka Sakamoto..."

"That's assuming you're capable of landing any blows on me." Asuka retorted, raising her sword up to a defensive Kendō stance. "At least, before I find the key to destroying you completely..."

"Here's something you should know about me, samurai," Daigomi chuckled as he used the term loosely, raising his blade up in sync with a sudden, vibrant display of Spiritual Pressure. A bright emerald bordering on black light shined as the air around him became thick and...empty...as if a black hole just appeared within the atmosphere and began to suck everything into it. With a menacing glow projecting out of Daigomi's eyes, he smiled widely as he spoke in an eery tone, "your techniques are worthless against me! I am not from this world, and your rules don't apply...TO ME!!!" 

SHFT-BLAM!

Within a vibrant use of a Fast-Movement technique, almost sounding like an echo within the clap of a sonic boom, Daigomi appeared above his opponent. With a cloak of wrathful Spiritual Power surrounding his body, he swung a powerful slash down upon her, with enough force to send her frame into the ground below and create a fissure of cracked tiles for a good ten meters, along with a vibrant crackling tendrils of spirit energy fizzing along the air. 

CLANG!

His energized blade would meet Asuka's as she swung her sword up to meet his attack.

Her eyes narrowed as she felt the force of his attack, her knees bending somewhat at the initial pressure. She gritted her teeth as she pushed against him, holding him and the force behind his strike. Then, when she was sure she had an appropriate chance, she turned her blade and pushed his down to the ground, pinning it for a brief second. Then, she slid his blade off of hers and swung for the neck once again.

With a slight adjustment of his feet, Daigomi pivoted gracefully out of reach from the blade's edge, spinning around and slashed out at Asuka's exposed waistline while he was at it. Knowing to stick to a more potent close-quarters style of swordsmanship rather than rely purely on strength and force, Daigomi's skill in Fencing more than aptly contended against Asuka's Kendō. 

Swipe!

His tip would barely miss the waistline of her clothing, courtesy of an inward lean of her side. As she twisted her body to face his, her legs pushed her towards his form. She unleashed two more strikes upon his person, starting with a downward swipe before following up with an uppercut.

Sidestepping rather than blocking or moving back from the strikes, Daigomi waited until the uppercut was launched...

SHINK!

...before preforming a blinding figure eight slash towards her currently exposed forearm, attempting on severing it into several pieces, if not disable it from the slashes initiated right arm of his adversary. Knowing that her special sword arts would be incredibly hampered if he landed even the slightest incapacitory wound, Daigomi intended to do the least amount of contact with her sword while aiming only for her body parts.

Swipe!

Taking her right hand off of her sword, Asuka moved it downward just before Daigomi's blade could hit it. It moved along the weapon's path with the cutting edge following straight after it. Just as it reached its point, she brought it around the falling blade and outwards to the side, completing a deft evasive maneuver. With a thrust of her legs, she leaped back from the second swing that would've hit her otherwise. As her sandals touched the ground, she held her blade across her chest with a smug smile, for she noticed his distance.

"Getting cautious, aren't we...?" She asked, not passing up the chance to take a verbal jab.

"Fighting you is a whole different game, Sakamoto,"  Daigomi spoke back with a shrug, scraping his blade across the floor as he began circling her around, his eyes staring into hers with an eery unsettling light, "your comrades, the two Devils...they didn't worry about their lives so they had no reason to keep from death's reach, like myself. But you...you mastered your abilities to their maximum potential so that you wouldn't have to be reckless as some of your other friends are. It makes it tricky fighting you like I normally do, so I guess I'll have to..."

SLAM!

"...IMPROVISE!!!!" Within the movement of slamming his left fist into the ground, just half a dozen meters away from her, a ominous pulse of energy flourished underneath Asuka's location. What looked like a column of bright energy, surrounding her from all sides, an enormous explosion flared up aiming to consume Asuka's body and scald her badly, if she survived at all.

"From underneath me?!"

Asuka's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden move made, diverting downward towards the ground. Knowing that she only had a split second to react, she stabbed her blade and fell on one knee. Her head was bowed, her bangs covering her expression. This stance would only be seen for a brief moment...

BOOM!

...before the pillar enveloped her within its burning light, the explosion resonating through a considerable radius. Smoke and dust made getting a visual confirmation on his target's demise next to impossible.

The Chessmaster vs the Rebels! A Devil's True Nature...!

Yashin began trekking to the Department of Research and Development, also known as the backdoor to the D.C.O headquarters. Despite the many Soul Reaper officers that tried to stop him, Yashin effortlessly cut them down without the need to draw out his trident. Within a wake of bodies and decimated buildings, Yashin finally stopped at the perimeter of the Department. 

Seeing as a transparent field of pylon barriers held it in place, Yashin could only crook a smile, as he reached into his coat and pulled out a special transmitter device, "If Meikurai-kun hadn't given me the codes to the Kidō Pylons, I might have to exert myself more than I should," Yashin muttered to himself, pressing in the codes and then transmitting them into the pylon network.

Within a series of flickering lights, the pylons deactivated and allowed Yashin to step within the perimeter without interruption...

SHINK-SHINK-SHINK...!

CLICK-CLICK-CLICK...!

...that is, until nearly two dozen 12th Division Reapers came out of a series of undetectable transparent barriers, aiming various Kidō weapons and drawing their Zanpakutōs appropiately. Yashin could only smile ruefully, as he raised his hands in mock surrender, "Alright, you got me! Just make sure not to take your eyes off my hands. They might..."

SCREEEEK!

"...blind you to the real threat!" Yashin cackled, as he unleashed a blinding Kidō-based light, causing all of the Soul Reapers who locked onto his position to be disoriented and caught off guard by the Dragon. Within that moment, Yashin disappeared from view and began to land a series of fatal Ninjitsu pulse strikes into each of the Soul Reapers, using minimal force as he ruptured both their organs and their spirit energy from within. What seemed like only a few seconds that had passed, nearly every one of the opposition suddenly exploded in a series of blue-light bombs and grotesque sprays of blood. 

"Amateurs," Yashin smiled with a toothy grin as he walked towards the entrance of the externally ungarded Deparmtment, knowing it'd be a treat to massacre the whole Division within, as well as the unsuspecting D.C.O. forces that were hidden from view...

Then, an ambush.

But it wouldn't be from any D.C.O. force.

WOOSH!

Within an instant, Angelika and Shinji had appeared before him, flanking both of his sides in a pincer movement. Angelika's blade was swung towards the throat, while Shinji's umbrella was swung towards the back of the head. It was a means of decapitation and sending the head flying away from its fleshy pedestal. As the attacks commenced, there could be faint flashes of blue seen around the room, as well.

V-14 had arrived to reinforce the area.

Yashin anticipated a possible sneak attack to penetrate through his defenses at one point. Thus, as the two entities flashed in front and behind him, he didn't bother changing his expression, even as he winked at Angelika in emphasis...

CRACK-CRACK-FZZZZT!

As two inverted triangle wards activated upon being a mere six inches from Yashin's neck, causing the force of both weapons to increase and generate enough force to grow the barriers to be man-sized, repelling the attacks entirely with vibrant, crackling sounds as they pushed both entities away from his position. 

"Ah! Angelika Hartmann and Shinji Konno," Yashin spoke in an enlightened tone, clapping his black gloved hands together as he observed both of them, "welcome. Have you come to entertain me, or join me? Mostly, because I seriously doubt the two of you could stop me, with the way as you are..."

WHIP-WHIP-WHIP-WHIP-WHIP...!

This would be answered by the sound of wires whistling through the air, followed by the actual wires coming into view. A multitude of them had descended upon Yashin's form, surrounding him in a web-like network and closing in. Their wielder was still within his hidden position, working his fingers and tightening the hold within a millisecond. For the rarest of times, he didn't wear the usual smile he did when killing his enemies. This time, his eyes were narrowed and a scowl was clear on his face.

He was furious at this man - as were the multitude of the reinforcements that had converged onto his position.

It was within the carefully concealed movements of his clapping, that he turned his gaze to see the convergence of the network of deadly Kidō blade-lines coming towards him. Had he been any other underling of the Inner Circle, he'd fought back against the strings and try to blow them away. However, within the last clap...

VMMM!

...a red field of binding energy lapsed around the entiriety of the strings, causing them to lie still within the air as if caught within a stasis. Then, he swung out each palm, sending a coursing series of vibrant black-violet shocking energy, ripping the strings apart and sending it directly back towards its user, intending on incapacitating him from the enormous wave of sensory and physical damage intended. 

"How many did you bring with you to stop me, Hartmann?" Yashin chuckled, looking over at the leader once more, "even if you brought the entiriety of your organization to bear against me, it wouldn't be enough to stop me-"

SHFT-SHFT!

It was within arrival of a descending Kenja, as he swung down with immense physical force, intending on cleaving his enemy down into the ground, while Sakura arrived just below his reach, swinging out her palms in an attempt to strike sensitive spots within his body to slow him down. It would be a fatal blow, and would surely wound the Dragon greatly, if not kill him absolutely.

Even within the series of attacks, they didn't reach him...

WHISH-CRACK!

As Sakura moved to hit his waistline, he bent his torso forward, and swung his foot back in a pivoting uppercut kick, taking her by surprise and swinging her up with enough momentum, that he perfectly aimed her to strike Kenja before he would converge on his form below. Grasping his palms onto the earth, he frontflipped forward in a graceful guesture, before landing directly in front of Angelika, as the two above into one of the high-rising pillars of the Deparment's building.

"...nor will it kill me," Yashin spoke an eerily gentle tone, his red eye alight with the Kanji symbol appearing in tandem with each other, almost as if he was having five of them simultaneously activated without thought or stress. Reaching out with his black right glove, just mere three meters before her, he spoke in a cool, ominous tone, "all your efforts and all of your victories up until now...were played out into the palm of my hand, Angelika Hartmann."

What he saw was the cold and malevolent gaze of Angelika's lone eye staring back at him. Because of his proximity, she had no time to focus on the plight of her comrades. Her sword was positioned with the tip pointing at his throat. She was tempted to thrust it into his neck, end the battle early. But with the carefree movement, it was clear that his blood would not be spilled so easily. So she kept it there, glaring into the eyes of the man she hated so much.

"I could care less if my entire existence was played out to your expectations." She said vehemently. "The biggest mistake you made was not killing us when you had the chance and choice to. I'm going to use that blunder to my advantage and make you regret ever thinking about making that choice."

Fortunately for her, Yusuke was quick to adjust.

He disconnected his fingers from the shattering wires before the energy could do him damage, leaping out into the open and glaring at Yashin as he prepared himself once more. "Kenja! Kei-chan! You guys all right?" He spoke into his earpiece, keeping his eyes on his target. The last thing he wanted was to take his eyes off of such an illusive enemy...

"Owwww...yeah, I'm fine," Kenja grumbled as he had managed to absorb most of the blow and keep Sakura from being harmed, his backside embedded into the enormous pillar above the other combatants, "I managed to take most of the blow anyways..."

"This isn't going to be easy," Sakura mumbled into the comm piece, as she carefully grasped onto Kenja's hand and pulled him out along with herself into the air above Yashin, "fighting him like this, despite any strategies or combos we utilize, might end up being predicted too easily. We'll have to think on our feet, I wager..."

"You don't understand," Yashin chuckled with a bemusing tone, moving his hand towards the blade's edge, grasping it with his forefingers, "I wanted you to lead me to the Black Blood Sect's chosen Meet location so I could gather intelligence on your members, and retrieve the mole within your ranks. I wanted you to meet with the Captaincy, so we could launch our attack so fluidly and without care for your interference. Because, despite how useful you proved to the Inner Circle before, you're nothing but a broken..."

VMMM!

"tool," Yashin spoke the last words while initializing a crimson field of binding energy along it and her arm, ceasing any attempt to hit him with it. While it would only last for handful of seconeds, it allowed him to move the blade away from him long enough to spin around and project a roundhouse kick to her torso, with enough force to launch her across the grey-matted courtyard of the Department.

POW!

WOOSH!

The kick was powerful enough to cause a massive amount of wind to violently blow away from Angelika and Yashin's forms. However, the German woman had provided a sufficient defense; her free hand had swung out to catch his ankle, holding it in a vice-grip. There would be the same sensation of pain within the limb that he had felt when he had been struck by Asuka's sword. "Let's see how broken this tool is..." She said venemously, clicking her sword in a foreboding manner. "...when it completely destroys you!"

Then, she swung.

THOOM!

In addition to the force of her own swing, she also had the force of Yashin's kick combined with it.

Unfortunately, the pain wouldn't even register within Yashin's limb, nor would the blade reach him. As she held his ankle, he charged a good concentration of spiritual energy at the sole of his boot. Then, when she reared her arm to swing, he simply discharged the energy...

CRACK-FWHOOSH!

...into the form of a blue-white pressurized wind-column of kinetic force, intending on driving her directly through the gate of the Department, and through whatever machinery or walls that'd be within the initial area of the Department.

"I may not have scarred your mentor's mind, Angelika-chan, but I did gain what information I desired from our encounter," Yashin spoke as he raised his hand, towards her direction, "the secrets of the Tamashī no Sonshitsu were all I desired. Your style is of no consequence to me anymore, student of Asuka Sakamoto, disciple of the Tamajutsu Arts..."

SHFT!

Moving in directly to Yashin's left, just a handful of meters away, Shito outstretched his hand and called out loudly, augmenting his chosen form of attack...

"SOKATSUI!"

VRRRBLAAAM!

...sending a column of blue-white flames of destructive Spiritual energy towards Yashin's location. The latter, however, merely raised his left, creating a inverted triangular barrier that rotated at high-speeds, dissipating the flowing current of volatile energy coming his way.

"I tire of this tedious game," Yashin sighed in a bored manner, raising his free hand in the air, snapping his forefingers as he deactivated the barrier, "I think its time to even the playing field..."

SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-SHFT!

Within snapping his fingers, five figures enraptured in dark black cloaks appeared, surrounding the cultivated forces of the gathered V-14 members. When they took off their cloaks, the forms of the distinguishable and unforgettable faces of the infamous group, having been responsible for a number of confrontations of the mercenary group: The Hantā, have arrived!

"NNNGH~!!"

The pressure unleashed threw Angelika back, with all of her shock and anger going with her. While flying through the air, she bent her body back into a flip while gathering spiritual energy underneath her feet for a brake. The soles of her feet would land on the wall that she would've crashed through, otherwise. She raised her head up, her lone and narrowed eye wavering in a subtle sign of frustration. The reality of the situation was quick to crash down on her when she heard those words. The technique that was Tamajutsu was all that she had, other than what she was hiding behind her eyepatch.

There was no way she was going to release that when her comrades were within the area, no matter how strong the enemy was. But her options were getting very, very slim - especially when the Hantā appeared before their very eyes. Her fingers clenched hard into her fists to the point of her nails digging into her palms.

"Gottverdammt..."

"Uh oh..."

Yusuke's eyes widened, and he took a slight step back upon seeing the new enemies appear. He readied his wires once again, a bead of sweat falling down his face. Although his attitude was less angry than Angelika's, their apprehension of the situation was still equal. With them within the area, it would be next to impossible to target the Dragon. "Guess this is going to be a real busy day, huh...?" He attempted to joke, though his tone leaked his tension.

All eyes drew to the cultivated group of Demon-affiliated individuals. All of them possessed a dark, menacing Spiritual Pressure, as well as a malicious intent to kill any within their reach. The one at the foremost of their group, stepped forward and looked to be their commander, none other than Ryūketsu Ōtamu, drawing his sword as he spoke aloud to his colleagues and subordinates, "Take them down!"

A Matter of Skill and Faith, Kidō vs the Dark Arts

SHFT!

"This will be a fine work out," Korosou spoke aloud as he appeared within a deft employment of a Death Step, appearing directly behind Yusuke while splaying out his own fingers, creating a star-lit pattern of cutting line energy across his body, restraining him finely as he arrived, "I've been itching to have something rip apart for being humiliated in Hell...a young boy will do nicely, hahahaha!"

"Tch--!!"

Naturally, Yusuke's eyes widened as he felt his arms abruptly fall into his sides without his will. He could feel the teeth of the energy bite into his skin, causing him to hiss a little at the touch. The man's elation at the chance to kill sent a slight chill down his spine. Although it was something that he had accepted, it always disturbed him that there were people who enjoyed taking another life. That, in combination of the Death Step he had just performed, signaled that this was going to be a very heavy fight.

It didn't stop him from making a rather snide and childish remark, though. Although Korosou wouldn't see it right away, he scrunched up his nose in disgust. "Ugh, a creepy old man at my six." He huffed, managing to look over his shoulder just so the Hantā could see it better. "Do not want."

SZZZZRK!

"Shut your mouth, brat!" Korosou snarled viciously, not taking kindly to the petty insult the younger spellcaster said to him. In emphasis, he charged up the lines with shocking energy, intending on causing as much pain as possible, before continuing to speak, "you have no bargaining position, so you have no place to insult me!" 

"Nnngh...!!!"

The first wave of energy that hit Yusuke's body was far from pleasant. He shut his eyes, clenching his teeth within his mouth as the shocks of electricity coursed through him. The majority of his nervous system was alight with pain, his body trembling with pain. This was a man very willing to torture someone far younger than him, just for the sake of his own personal gain. Truly, he could only come from the likes of Hell.

Thankfully, he was quick to suppress it.

He summoned his spiritual energy to his aid, coating the inner systems of his body with protection. He did so with careful subtlety, not wanting to tip Korosou off just yet. He started from the mind, then expanded further down to suppress the energies invading his body. Throughout it all, he kept up his trembling and shaking act in order to keep Korosou believing that he was still being tortured. It was one of his finest traits - the ability to control his own spiritual energy to the point of such amazing feats. And it was all courtesy of the 4th Division, as well as Shinji for teaching him.

When the session was over, he jerked his head down and let out a gasping breath, continuing the act of being in pain. He drew in another breath, speaking in a defiant tone. "I'm not afraid of you, you washed-up prune." He sniffed. "Go back to the nursing home you came from. I don't want to be responsible for making your arthritis kick in or something..."

A comical series of angry veins protruded from his forehead and jawline, as he smiled maliciously at Yusuke, "You nasty little punk! I'm not even old in appearance and you dare treat me like a gangly old man?! I'm going to show you, you little pussy," rearing his hand back, a culiminatingly growing fireball of violet-black energy over his right palm as he smiled maliciously, "let's work on that attitude of yours..."

VRRRROAAAAR!

"...little asshole!" He roared out, sending a violet-black column of flames from his palm, intending on incinerating Yusuke if not burn his body to a indistinguishable piece of scalded flesh. 

Of course, the immobilized Yusuke couldn't move. Or rather, he didn't bother to.

Within that brief instant, he summoned the blanket of energy that had encompassed his insides and brought it outwards just as the fireball connected with him. He could feel the intense heat of the flames as they attempted to burn him. But their tongues could not reach him, unable to penetrate the barrier that he had erected. The way that it was situated was so that the entirety of the flames had enveloped Yusuke, but the barrier itself was hidden behind them. That way, Korosou wouldn't see it.

It called for another brief moment of acting.

He shut his eyes and let out a loud and agonized scream with as much genuine effort as he could put into his voice. He thrashed around, appearing to struggle in the midst of the intense "agony" he was being put through. He let that scream hang for a few moments, just enough for Korosou to believe that he was truly being incinerated. He knew that potential allies in the area might have also been fooled, and he made it a reminder to apologize later.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaah--sike~!!"

A wide smile came across his face at the end of his scream, his tone changing abruptly from agony to taunt in fluid transition. That was where he began his counter-attack.

He expanded his energy outward, forcing the flames off of his person and disippating them into thin air. He focused the energy through the wires, using the very same maneuver that had been practiced on him courtesy of Daisuke and Yashin. Once the energy connected with Korosou's body, it would invade his nervous system and destroy every neuron within his body. The knowledge of a medic didn't just revolve around healing, after all - it involved extensive knowledge of someone's anatomy and where to strike in order to bring down a target as quickly as possible. In addition, even if it was countered, it was a clear message that Korosou wasn't dealing with simply a "little asshole".

"WHAT THE FU-AAAAAAGH!" Korosou shouted out incredulously as he felt a wave of destructive energy wash over his skin and body, ripping it apart at the smallest, finite proportions and working its way deep within his flesh, utilizing swiftness and ferocity matching his own attack had. Before Yusuke's eyes, a large proportion of Korosou's flesh and a portion of his white cloak were burnt to dust, exposing bone, cartilidge, and organs originally hidden from view.

Unfortunately, it also exposed finitely wrapped and previously transparent chains across his body and limbs. A small, violet colored veil of ghastly Spiritual Pressure wrapped along the most vital points of his body as well as the fine connection pieces of his limbs to keep them from falling apart. Despite Yusuke's efforts, Korosou remained very mutch alive...and very enraged.

"Now you've done it, punk!" Korosou snarled, his glasses cracked and shattered from the ordeal, now showing a pair of yellow-red eyes behind the destroyed black lenses.

"RRRRRRRAAAAAAH!"

With tightening snaps of his fists, a sudden pulsation of Dark Spiritual Power projected from his body in a very violent, destructive manner, projecting a violet pillar of Spirit Energy directly into the ground just outside of the Research Department's ifrastructure. The force utilized would be enough to send Yusuke flying away, not to mention scalded upon his skin if he stood too close upon its eruption.

"Ah--!!"

Yusuke went from satisfied to shocked right away. But he didn't have time to actually embrace the feeling.

The resounding shockwave was enough to blow him back, and he shut his eyes in the face of the incoming winds. With the pressure on him, he had to fight to maintain motor stability. Thanks to the broken concentration on his body, he could move freely now. So in mid-air, he bent his legs close to him as he flew back and used them as his own personal brake as he descended. The soles of his sandals skidded across the ground, kicking up dirt and debris as he skidded to a stop. He opened his eyes to stare into the enraged irises of his enemy.

"We haven't even started yet, and already I've made him mad. New record for me."

Slowly, he stood back up and clenched his fingers onto his hand into a fist. A smile once again started to cross his face. "Yeah..." He said in a challenging tone, punching that fist into his other palm. "And I'm about to do a lot more than that, old man. Are you ready?" The occasional blue flash could be seen within their vision - the subtle and eerie sign of his wires coming into play.

As wounds began to seal themselves back up, and Korosou once again regained his normal pale complexion, the Dark Magician smiled a toothy grin. Raising his own pair of hands as soon as the collosal pillar of Dark Spiritual Power dissipated, a few faint flashes of violet strings came into play, mimicking Yusuke's own style of weapon of choice. 

Within a few gestures, his weapons attacked....

SFT-SHINK-SFT-SHINK...!

...sending a series of numerous cutting lines into the air, cutting ribbons of air and earth around Yusuke as he combatted against the enemy's line whips. With the intention of outmaneuvering his cutting lines with both more cutting lines and more ferocious and relentless flurries.

"Oh... that's new..."

Although he found himself surprised by the mirror technique Korosou used, Yusuke didn't let it overwhelm him. However, he knew that this would complicate things. Transmission of energy from the starting point of the wires to a potential target was an ability they both possibly had. If he fought solely with that, it would be a matter of who pulled the trigger first. Even if Yusuke pulled it off, there was still the matter of his regeneration. The Hanta would just keep coming back unless that was somehow dealt with.

If he could find a way to keep Korosou from regenerating, then he'd have a much better chance at winning.

With that thought in mind, he decided to push his attack.

WOOSH!

With a running start, the boy threw himself at Korosou. His fingers and hands were bent and swung in accordance to the wires around him, fending off the opposing wires that Korosou wouldn't pay attention to right away with what few wires he could use. For the rest, he unleashed them upon Korosou himself. But instead of simply ripping him apart, he would do as he did with the Paladins. He would forcefully invade the nervous system and reroute it under his own control, pry into the man's mind, and find out any potential weaknesses to the supernatural anatomy he possessed.

Yashin wasn't the only one capable of mental intrusion...

Unfortunately for Yusuke, he'd find that the thin veil of violet energy enrapturing Korosou held around his body also protected his nervous system and body to a thorough extent. When the Hantā noticed something peculiar about the properties of his opponent's attack, he narrowed his eyes, shifting one of his hands around to change the nature of his attacks while using his other hand to fend off the newly arrived cutting wires. 

SHINK-WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH!

The normally thin dozen cutting ribbons of spirit energy would suddenly enlarge to the size of temple pillars, swinging them with just as much intensity and speed as he did before. Intending on hitting him with the vibrant display of immense firepower and much wider gait within the power in order to overwhelm his younger and less experienced opponent in the arts of spellcasting.

"?!" Yusuke's eyes widened in alarm, and he forcefully skidded to a stop. It was as if he had suddenly shrunk. The red ribbons that had been enough to compare to the likes of his own had suddenly expanded in width, fully capable of crushing him. He knew that in this state, his wires alone would not be able to defend against it. He only had seconds to react before they moved in to hit him.

Calling off his wires, he fell on one knee and slammed his fist into the ground. When the massive coils of power neared him, a half-spherical barrier formed around him and the area nearest to him. The opponent would see the silhouette of his form within, if he hadn't been blinded by the intense blue light coming from the barrier itself. He could feel the force of the red "wires" as they crashed into his defense, beads of sweat forming down his face. His head was bowed, his teeth were gritted, and his eyes were shut. He concentrated on preserving his own life, his senses also picked up the signature of energy within Korosou's body.

"Looks like I won't be able to get to him that way..." He thought grimly. "In that case, I'll just have to cut him up the old fashioned way!"

With an abrupt motion, he threw his arms towards the sky.

BOOSH!

The barrier erupted in a harmless but brilliant explosion, its light bright enough to momentarily blind anyone unfortunate enough to look at it. As for Yusuke himself, he would mask his spiritual pressure under the release of energy and light to complete his distraction. As soon as he was ready...

WOOSH!

...he re-appeared a few feet behind Korosou, swinging his hands back. A network of blue wires would surround him in a web-like fashion, closing in on him and threaten to cut him up into pieces.

"NGH!" Korosou felt himself raising his free hand to cover his eyes from the searing light created by the barrier. He felt inwardly stupid for losing his shades, now when they were most practical to use. Even as his enormous wires were decimated, he pulled back the other ones to focus on the eventual arrival of his opponent. With his senses disoriented, he had to trust his instinct to guide him through this ordeal. And how many times had he faced other spellcasters?

When he felt the slightest rush of wind behind his body, he knew he had to cover all angles against the simultaneous, 360 degree force of his young adversary's weaponized energy. Jutting out his arms in opposing directions as the wires closed in, a handful of transparent chains discharged from his tattered sleeves and coat. With the resilient force to parry away the "wires" as well as a pulse of violet energy in the form of a barrier to push them away.

"C'mere, kiddy!" Korosou yelled out with a manical, malicious grin, as he spinned around to face him with lightning speed. Grasping the two chains, he pulsated the links with his dark spiritual energy, and swung them around like flails. With the ending links bursting with volatile energy, he intended with every strike to blow apart Yusuke and any mettling barrier in his way, swinging them with the ferocity and tenacity of someone utilizing a whip.

"No!" Yusuke yelled back, leaping away for emphasis. If it was possible, his head would've briefly expanded in order to emphasize the rather comical position it held within the atmosphere.

WOOSH!

A series of Flash Steps would take him away from the path of Korosou's chains, allowing him to stick to a pattern of dodging. With each and every millisecond that past, he found himself having to constantly evade the chains swinging, lest he wanted to be subject to more of Korosou's energy. Sometimes, the metal would brush past his face. Other times, it would bang against the ground in a violent display of the force the chain was carrying. It was a constant rhythm of dodge and retreat, dancing around the chains like a fly with a swatter.

Korosou could only laugh manically as he chased the young boy, intending on using his much superior physical attributes over the other. It would only be a matter of time before one of them makes the next move...and decides the climax of this battle!

Clash of Abominations! Silent Madness and Stoic Resolve!

The mummified, leather-strapped-like being spun towards Shinji, the Mod Soul standing just next to Angelika as a strong opponent force her away from the battlefield as well. 

His movements were both blindingly fast and potently accurate, bearing the mark of someone who knew how to wield the unorthodox pair of weapons in both hands in sync with his bodily movements. Not only were each swing filled with potent power, but also a precise aim towards the Mod Soul's vitals. There was no mistaking the killing intent it was projecting, as strong as its monsterously sized partner not too far away. 

"There are no words from this one, hm? Fine by me."

WHUMPF!

From the first strike, Sensō's claws would meet with the abnormal fabric of Sensō's umbrella as the two clashed. For every move that the Hanta would make, the Mod Soul had a move to match and counter it. Against the furious assault of his opponent, Shinji moved with a quickness and agility that could only be seen in the likes of a swordsman. Every bit of his muscles tensed within his body as he fought, pushing against the strength and intent of Sensō with unflappable resilience. His narrowed eyes alone was enough to express a match of killing intent his foe was projecting, despite their differing fighting styles.

Sensō groaned out an inhuman, almost dead-like howl, before he pushed off from another clash against Shinji's umbrella. Bending his back until his body made a 90 degree angle, he began spinning his torso around like a pin-top, moving with such high-speeds that it would almost be suicidal to repel the attack as one would before. To make matters worse...

BZZT-BZZT-BZZT-BZZT!

...Sensō began employing rapidly utilized Sonidos, moving in and out of the Mod Soul's range, all the while spinning with unseen razor-speed, using his claws to slice apart and shred any form of defense the umbrella-donned warrior would use against him.

The next maneuver Shinji employed would've been on the borderline of suicidal and reckless. The Hanta's spinning speed made it virtually impossible for a parry without being knocked off balance, and the Sonido movements made it next to pointless to attempt a lock-on. But the constant shifting in and out of his range also provided for a weakness, something that would've been impossible for anyone else. The only thing that could've possibly hampered him was nerves, and he had those steeled long ago. Demonic acrobatics would not frighten him.

In the incredibly thin interval of Sensō's spinning as he came closer, he thrust a hand out. His palms managed to catch the demon by the top of the head, squeezing for a tighter grip as soon as he came close. It was something that not even a daredevil or a stuntman would have done, as it was the equivalent of catching a high-rotary fan and hope that the flesh of your hand was enough to stop the blades. Shinji, however, had enough strength in order to back up his own chance of protection.

POW!

With a leg to back, he performed a powerful kick that sent the demon up into the air. The force was enough to generate a small but potent shockwave.

Something unusual happened when Sensō's body made impact with the foot. Despite the force being utilized, and the definite distance was put between them, there was no defining cracking of bones or metal, no shattering of barrier. In fact, it would almost feel like striking something that had no defined defenses raised and recieved no real injury to speak of...!

As soon as the Hantā flew up a good dozen meters into the air, Sensō propped its foot up and propelled itself from a plane of Spiritual Pressure, spinning back with even greater speed than before. It was almost as if it absorbed the very force struck at his body to bolster his own attack, even as it rushed to crush him into the ground and shred him to pieces! 

This was something that Shinji picked up right away.

The increase within speed and power upon impact was somewhat jarring. With this in mind, Shinji might as well have triggered a harder stage in a boss fight. But it did not deter him from his ground. The force absorbed would have to be released, with any possible advantage within the enemy's favor temporary. His eyes narrowed as he watched Sensō rush him once again, bracing himself for the oncoming hit.

Then, at the last minute, he moved aside.

SMASH!

The result was a good portion of the ground collapsing underneath their feet, earth buckling inwards and creating a crater. Shinji stayed his ground, lifting his umbrella over his head and swinging it at what would be Sensō's crouched form for another crushing blow.

Sensō responded with a limber, and instinctive approach to halt the incoming weapon. While crouched, the Hantā sunk his blades into the shattered earth, while flipping his legs up and over in a show of inhuman flexibility, slapping the soles of his feet on either side of the umbrella's folded flaps, using unnatural strength to halt the force that waas intended on crushing him. 

Not wasting a moment, Sensō flipped himself up, moving up and towards Shinji's face as he rotated his blades in corkscrewing motions, intending on sending both blades to squewer gruessome holes in the man's chest cavity, ensuring that he'd die within one blow. 

"This one just won't quit..."

WHUMPF! WHACK! POW!

Shinji found himself stepping back under the furious strikes that his enemy unleashed, steadily retreating in order to keep himself from being struck. His umbrella took the brunt of the blades that slashed, the fabric acting like sandpaper to a knife. He twirled his wrist every which way, blocking and parrying the attacks in a steady rhythm. His eyes were narrowed, and he kept calm even under the intensity of the battle. As relentless as the attack was, it would not be enough to get past his stoic wall.

In the midst of a swing, he allowed himself to counter-attack.

WHOOM!

Upon his swung, he generated a forward shockwave, the winds strong enough to blow apart anything unfortunate enough to be near him... and Sensō happened to be the thing closest to him.

SKIIIIIIIIIID!

The shockwave struck Sensō full on, causing his upper torso to flail and dangle haplessly within the force of the tempestuous force thrown his way. However, his lower body managed to keep a fairly good hold of the earth beneath him. Even as he appeared to have been thrown away from Shinji's vicinity, the soles of his feet kept a firm grip, causing him only to skid a good half dozen meters. If one would watch carefully, one could see transparent chains pull themselves out of the earth and wrap back up his legs, showing that he utilized them as a form of anchor to keep him from being thrown away entirely. 

Sensō cocked his head side to side, as if observing Shinji with fascination. Leaning its back in an irregular stance, it pointed its left claw towards him, almost what would appear a threatening gesture. It would've been, if not when he swung his claws out...

BLAM-BLAM-BLAM!

...sending out a trio of condensed cannon balls of Spiritual Energy, the Balas, shooting them out as fast as a Kidō gun could manage. Sensō continued this pattern, using Sonido to appear from varying distances, while launching from trios to dozens of Balas, decimating the landscape around the Department as well as scorch a few good portions of the nearby wall, barely holding it in place against the relentless barrage of concussive blasts.

This was matched by Shinji's own aggression.

WOOSH!

With varying high-speed movements of his own, Shinji weaved in and out to avoid getting hit by the stream of Bala projected in his direction. He may not have had the luxury of Flash Step. But he did have enough leg strength to compensate for it. Every chance he got, he struck at Sensō when he was close enough for it before retreating back, refusing to allow his opponent ground. But even through this, he could not help but note the momentary pause of the creature beforehand. It was bizarre, considering that this seemed to be someone who relied purely on instinct like an animal.

Maybe there was some humanity within this Hantā, after all...

A Dance of Iron and Mettle, Returning Bout of the two Swordsmen!

In sync with Sensō's movmenets, so too were Ryūketsu's movements swift and unprecedented. 

As the dark red-interior, black cloaked Hantā stretched out his left hand, discharged a bright pulse of air-popping kinetic energy. The force would be enough to send Angelika flying back with enough velocity to send her head over heels, as the wave of Spiritual Pressurized force would kick up the earth in her wake, even as Ryūketsu would sprint next to Angelika's flying form.

Within midair, he kicked out...

POW-WHOOSH!

...intending on using incredible physical force against her, and send her reeling into the parallel aligned nearby wall of the Department's immense walls, hoping to pin her down and beat her before she had time to even react. Ryūketsu would skid to a halt, regardless if she would make impact to the wall, and keep both hands free as his hooded form gazed coldly at her form and spoke in a dispassionate tone,

"So we clash again, Angelika?"

Now, Angelika was usually a very patient person. Things like this would have been nothing more than minor inconveniences that she could shrug off and deal with at her leisure. But in those situations, she didn't have to deal with an enemy capable of reading minds with simple exertion of their spiritual pressure. She didn't have to face enemies capable of bending reality to their very whim. Most of all, she didn't have to worry about getting treated like a chew toy when a playing dog got its teeth around it.

BOOM!

So when she was slammed into the concrete and partially buried under broken pieces of it, it was safe to say the boiling anger within her was justified.

With a violent pull, she yanked herself out of the resulting debris. She straightened herself, her lone eye locking onto Ryūketsu's form as he spoke the words. Despite her having her own blade out, he had not even bothered to draw his even in his attack. The weapon in her own hand clenched to the point of where she could feel blood trickling down the palm. No longer did she half-lidded stare she was commonly known for wearing. Now, her lone eye had widened, her iris and pupil shrunk down to emphasize her fury.

"How dare you...?!" She seethed, venom lacing each and every one of her words. Her hair and clothing were practically billowing with the murderous intent she was exerting from her person.

"Dare I, what, Angelika?" Ryūketsu asked rhetorically in a mocking tone, closing his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest, "it is as Lord Shiyōnin said: Every battle, every conflict that you and I had in the past, was nothing but practice for this one moment. Today, Angelika Hartmann, former Shadow Dragon of the Inner Circle, you will die, as so will the rest of your pathetic comrades..."

This time, Angelika would not grace him with a verbal response.

One moment, she was standing in her spot. The next, she was in front of him.

POW!

When her uppercut connected with the Hanta's throat, it sounded like a gunshot going off. It was his turn to get sent flying into the walls with immense force, his collision causing to foundation to shake very briefly. It provoked somewhat of a larger response than Ryūketsu's attack on her had, possibly due to the concentration of energy she had put within the blow. Some of it was even due to the fury within her, magnifying the power of the attack. She did not restrain the snarl that was made out of her mouth, her eye narrowed in a cold glare towards the spot where her enemy crashed.

"You're so full of shit, it's not even hilarious!" She hissed, clenching her hands into fists. Within the movement she had made, she had also sheathed her weapon to leave her own hands free. She knew that as long as one had a blade and one didn't, it would be a constant matter of evasion and distance on Ryūketsu's part. "Closing your eyes, folding your arms as if you don't have an enemy right in front of you, speaking as if you have all the time in the world! You didn't even bother to pull out your sword as you did before! Admit it, Ryūketsu - because of the grace of your new lord, you've allowed yourself to lax and think this has become a game you can win at any time! Well, hear this - I am done playing your games!!"

To emphasize this, she settled into her own defensive stance. "Now get up and face me!! I'm going to finish what was started all those years ago, Ryūketsu Ōtamu!!"

What happened, however, was not a shattering of the neck nor the expected puking of blood. Ryūketsu's neckline manifested what appeared to be a inverted triangle shaped ward, magnifying in size and expanding in concentration according to the force used by Angelika. While Ryūketsu's eyes widened a fraction at seeing such a straight forward attack, he didn't falter in the face of the overwhelming rage. 

"You think I closed my eyes and relaxed my stance without being prepared, Angelika?" He asked in a cool, yet incredulous tone as the inverted triangle barrier finally cracked and dissipated upon command, showing an unharmed Ryūketsu with a focused glare at her, "do you actually think you can beat me, when you can't even harm Lord Shiyōnin? You're obviously overestimating your own abilities far too greatly..."

TK-SHIIIIINK!

"...if you think having been a Dragon of the Inner Circle means you're on a superior leage than I am, you're the one who is full of shit," Ryūketsu spoke lowly, his body emanating an eery calm aura, almost as if all sensation of killing intent or emotion ceased from his spirit and body utterly, as he scraped the edge of his blade out of its sheathe before pointing it levelly to her, "I'm going to kill you out of necessity rather than a meaningless vendetta. You cannot fathom the importance your organization's destruction, along with all of your allies, will have for the new world that will rise from the ashes. You singleminded, selfish entities will never understand what I've sacrified in order to have a place in this new era. Prepare yourself, Angelika Hartmann, for I promise you that I will not hold a single ounce of my power back from annihilating you."

It was one thing that baffled her. Despite the fact that they were about to fight, there was no malice that she could sense. There was no way that he could've hidden any of it from her. All she could find was a relaxed and meditative aura around his person. It was just like the latter stages of the previous fight with him. She could understand if he was simply fighting for her defeat, but if he was truly aiming to destroy her, then surely he would have been exuding at least a little malevolence. It wasn't natural.

But then again, she had a habit of running into a lot of unnatural things thus far.

She straightened up, grasping the hilt of her sword and drawing it from her sheath. She held the blade with one hand, pointing it in a slant towards the ground. Her other hand hovered inches from the bottom of her hilt. "I wouldn't have it any other way..." She said vehemently. "It will make it all the more satisfying once I tear you apart."

SHFT-SLASH!

"Then fight me with all of your anger, as I destroy you in this state of mind," Ryūketsu spoke aloud, his body moving swiftly towards her left, slashing his blade out in a horizontal arc with the intention of splitting her side open, just behind her elbow where she held her blade. With eyes cool as steel, and a body exuding an eery calm aura, Ryūketsu moved with both purpose and without faltering. While his blade intended to kill, his state of mind indicated a decieving calm aura to throw her off, making his movements all the less anticipated by his opponent.

WOOSH!

With a single Flash Step, Angelika moved just out of harm's way. It was a demonstration of masterful timing and perception, as she had re-appeared just as the man's sword had moved away from where her body had been. In her new stance, she had her sword pulled back in the manner of a batter preparing to knock a home run. She only held this stance for a millisecond before she swung it horizontally, aiming for her target's neck in an effort to decapitate him. Despite her own murderous aura that contrasted with his, she wasn't so blind to her anger as to allow herself to get caught off guard. Just because he was relaxed didn't mean that it was any safer for her. After all, he did say he would annihilate her...

BRACK-SWISH-SWISH-SWISH!

Turning around on the ball of his heel the moment Angelika reappeared from her Flash Step, he moved with blinding speed, swinging out his left arm to deflect the incoming blow. But instead of a transparent chain or flesh meeting the sword, it was a densely packed ball of Spiritual Energy, colliding with the weapon and causing it to be repelled away with substantial force. Within this opportunity created, Ryūketsu crouched low and began to thrust his blade out singlehandedly, sending a wall of incoming strikes towards his enemy with the intention of overwhelming her within an instant of time. 

If she had been using Tamajutsu, there would have been the chance to actually wound him.

But that was where another requirement for the sword style came in. In order for it to be used to its fullest potential, one had to let go of their emotions in order to fall into the natural state of mind required to use it. If it had been Asuka doing the fighting, that certainly would have been in effect. But Angelika wasn't in a very comfortable situation right as of this minute. One of V-14's mortal enemies had been right in front of her, and she couldn't get to him courtesy of her new challenger. Thus, her state of mind was far from natural at the moment.

WOOSH!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Throughout the defense she put up, her visible eye had resumed a narrowed position. Her pupil and iris had shrank down to dots, comparable to a setting sun on the horizon. Although her movements were easily controlled, they held a sense of aggression that she rarely allowed others, friend and foe alike, to see. Ryūketsu, however, would easily recognize it from all of those years before. It was the way she fought against him in their first encounter - a clear sign that even in her time of regret, that part of her had not been lost.

"You haven't changed," Ryūketsu spoke calmly, still maintaining his cool and composed style as he continued to thrust his blade at her with unparalleled speed, while keeping his other hand free, "even after all these years you still have the fiery look in your eyes. The Killing Intent that gave shivers up my younger self's spine hasn't dulled a single degree. You're still the fiercesome warrior I've known you for. But..."

SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-SHINK!

"...I'm not the same person you've fought all those years ago, either!" Ryūketsu spoke decisively, his body suddenly shimmering as he retracted his thrusts and his body seemed to split in several directions at once, shimmering in and out of view. It was here that he slashed and thrusted in multiple angles, intending on overwhelming her with his analytical accuracy and his cold, calculated ferocity. 

"Come back here..."

WOOSH!

When Ryūketsu kicked off into a series of Death Steps, Angelika was not too far behind him.

She met her enemy at every point possible, her sword clashing against his with a flash of sparks and light. Every clash created a brilliant flash of light due to the speed and intensity at which they were moving. None of it would hinder the German, however. Her eye was dead set on her enemy and nothing more. Anything less than that would be unacceptable.

Ryūketsu narrowed his eyes as he noticed how his adversary kept up with him. He knew at this rate they could be fighting for hours, knowing that they both possessed unnaturally high levels of stamina and Spiritual Pressure. Currently they were moving through a rythmitic flow, like a raging rapids they traversed and fought each other while anticipating each other's movements at every turn. He knew if he disrupted that flow...he'd be at the advantage. 

Within the last parrying blow of his blade, he reared his free hand around in sync with his thrust, with a bright blue pulse that he knew his adversary couldn't fend off at the same time as his strike. Whether she would attempt to evade or block the sword thrust or the incoming wave of energy, would ultimately leave her open to attack. And then, the energy was discharged in the form of a thunderous pillar that would be a maximized blast stemming from Sōkatsui, in sync with a violent slash from his own blade towards her shoulder line.

"!!"

It occurred to Angelika that she would be within a lose-lose situation if she stayed where she was. If she blocked the blade, she would be subject to being hit by the energy. If she tried to deflect the energy, she would get lacerated by his blade. The spark of energy within Ryūketsu's palm was only a brief tip-off, and she only had a millisecond to decide what she needed to do. Fortunately, she was a quick thinker.

WOOSH!

She pulled out entirely, re-appearing and skidding away on the ground as the destructive light enveloped the area with a brilliant blue. "Surprised?" She found it within herself to taunt him in the knowledge that he heard her clearly. "It may have been quite a while since the last time we've met. But my skills haven't worn down quite yet. They certainly won't fade away any time soon..." Her scowl deepened momentarily. "Not when I'm so close to my real enemy."

Ryūketsu's eyes widened with surprise for the first time since Angelika's enraged attack towards his neck earlier. It was just a glimpse, but he saw her move at speeds rivaling his own. Having evaded both his exhale of energy and the swipe, he knew at this rate, she'd eventually catch him off guard. Standing up straight, he allowed the calm aura to recede and his personality to reemerge once more.

"You never cease to amaze me, Angelika," Ryūketsu spoke in an enlightened tone, a small smile crossed his fair features as he locked his eyes onto her, "you really are telling me the truth. You haven't changed in the slightest in over these centuries. I guess this means I have no right to hold back myself anymore," Ryūketsu turned his blade around, making sure the edge of the weapon pointed at his gut, not breaking his eye contact with her for a moment, "even if it costs me..."

SHINK-SPLURCH!

"...MY LIFE!" Ryūketsu declared out, stabbing his Zanpakutō through his gut and out his back, causing a small burst of blood in a morbid display before Angelika. With a stream of blood oozing out of his mouth, Ryūketsu spoke with a rare, sadistically menacing tone as his teeth were stained red with his own essence,

"Bankai..."

SPLURCH-VRRRRRROAAAAAR!!!!

Within the word spoken, Ryūketsu became enraptured in a fiery blaze similar to what would be seen as a column of flames shooting from the depths of Hell and up into the sky itself. With the sky darkening a fraction more, thunderclouds crackling overhead and flashing brilliantly over the battlefield. It was almost as if all fighting between all parties has momentarily stopped to see dramatic rise of Hellish, menacing Spiritual Pressure burst forth for all to see. Once the pillar spread to a good fifty meters around where Ryūketsu was located, it suddenly disrupted as quickly as it came. 

What came out of the rolling clouds of black smoke was a horrifying sight indeed. What used to be Ryūketsu was now a completely different looking person, clad in blood red cloth with painful looking studded armor wrapped around each and every limb and vital area. With a eye-less mask over his head, Ryūketsu's voice came out as grated and darker than he had ever talked before to the infamous swordswoman, 

"...Fuhen Setsujoku!"

In all honesty, Angelika may or may not have forgotten the reason of her fury once she laid an eye upon Ryūketsu's new form.

The cold fury within her expression had subsided, her body relaxing under her surprise. Suddenly, she was reminded of the encounter with Daisuke, as his Zanpakuto had done the exact same thing upon its release. From here on out, there would truly be no more restraint, no more mercy and no more practice. What she saw before her was the one that she really needed to destroy in order to get to the final obstacle.

"...I'm getting the impression this is where I start to regret my life."

Unfortunately, she didn't seem to be too enthusiastic about it.

Fear within the Flames, Conjurer of Blood and Terror!

"We should be there in just a minute!" Daisuke spoke aloud as he lead the way to his Clan's Estate, with Captain Nozomi cradled safely in his arms. Throughout it all, Daisuke had to restrain himself from setting the wounded woman aside to protect his father, or find the ones responsible for his comrades' unnatural betraying spirits. But, if he knew his father, and the rest of his still sane comrades, this was the best call. 

In the distance, a pock-marked Estate that rivaled the size of the Kuchiki's fell into view. With a high wall surrounding the area, with a series of high-rising turrets and buildings aligned perfectly perpindicular to it, a series of smaller and more manageable buildings resided within the center of the Estate itself. Currently, the gate was latched and locked, being guarded by a company of red-black robed men bearing the Hayate Crest.

Under his fellow Lieutenant's notice, Tetsuyo remained silent. He was busy carrying a burden of his own. Suiren's body was lifted over his shoulders and he was doing his best to maintain a grip on her evenly. Although her condition was possibly less worse, he couldn't take chances and allow himself to lax. After all, who knew when the enemy would show its face? In a world where everything was being razed to the ground, he knew that he had to be extremely careful.

"I can't believe this..." He said in lament. "The Soul Society is falling apart around us and our commanders are fighting against each other! How did the Inner Circle compromise us so easily?!"

"They could've been planning this for centuries for all we know!" Daisuke growled out in frustration, biting down on his lip at the realization of it all, "if the Hankami could plan out our extinction and rebirth for thousands of years, who wouldn't be less capable of planning out the Soul Society's downfall in just a few centuries? With monsters like Yashin at their disposal, the real leaders of the Inner Circle must be nightmares beyond recognition!" 

After landing in front of the gate, Daisuke sighed in relief at seeing some men he recognized, "Gaten, Hiei! We need your help!" 

After a brief silence emitted from the guards, the two foremost ones whom were spoken to realized who was the arrival, "M-Master Hayate! You're safe!" After a brief cry of joy emitted by Hiei, Gaten rushed over to take the woman out of Daisuke's arms while Hiei went to do the same for Tetsuyo, "Captain Kasumiōji? And Lieutenant Aizen?! What happened-?!"

"No time to explain! You have to give them the medical attention they need while this place is untouched by the enemy!" Daisuke spoke in an urgent tone, waving his hand in emphasis with widened eyes of borderline panic, "time is of the essence! You must take them now-"

SHFT!

"I don't think they should, Daisuke-kun," the young, yet menacing voice of another unexpected arrival was heard. Within the span of a single Flash Step, the intoxicating Spiritual Pressure filled to the brim with Killing Intent, was coming from none other than Kōjaku Kuchiki, "in fact, if you killed them now for me, I might just let you and Lieutenant Miyagi live...if I'm in a good enough mood, of course."

Tetsuyo's heart almost stopped when he felt the energy.

"Oh, hell...!"

Immediately, he spun himself around to see the newcomer appear, recognizing him instantly. The killing intent was enough to cause multiple beads of sweat to fall down his face, his body shaking slightly under the pressure. His eyes were widened, with nothing but horror expressed from them. "C...Captain Kōjaku Kuchiki...!!" He stammered out, taking a few steps back from the man. With Daisuke's Captain occupied with other matters, he knew that hope of an insert-&-retreat had been ripped away from them. This wasn't just someone he knew that could kill them without a moment's hesitation.

This was an ally.

He turned his head towards Daisuke, his voice raised in a shout. "Lieutenant!! This is one of the possessed ones!!"

"N-No!" Daisuke took a step back, his eyes widened and felt sweat bead down hsi own browline as he reached for his Nodachi Zanpakutō, "not you too..."

"You're quite talented, Lieutenant Hayate, quite possibly Captain-class material should you live through this," Kōjaku chuckled as he mocked the trembling Lieutenants, looking from Daisuke to Tetsuyo as he reached for his long Zanpakutō hilt, unsheathing it with a grating, cold sound that penetrated the air, "sadly, I don't think either of you are going to live through this..."

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" The voice of one of the Hayate Clan's guards that was standing attentively at the gate, throwing himself at the Captain with a large naginata in hand. Swinging it with strength and speed, he intended on sending the insane man whom intended to kill the Noble House's heir in front of them. Sadly, the man wouldn't even be able to reach him...

SHINK-SPLURCH!

...as Kōjaku unsheathed his blade with such swiftness and speed, that it looked as if he had just took a step forward past the oncoming guard. What transpired behind him was a perfectly bifuricated Hayate Clansman, dying instanteously as he fell into pieces and into a pool of his own blood. 

"...you see?" Kōjaku spoke aloud with a stoic, unmoved tone as he aimed his aggression upon the two Lieutenants, with the guards barely able to walk back with the two wounded women in arms and into the Estate.

"Why are you doing this...?!"

Tetsuyo was grateful that the guards had managed to relieve him of his burden, allowing him to unsheathe his own blade. He held it in front of him in a defensive manner, trying his best to look defiant. But under the circumstances, he knew that simply acting tough would not get them anywhere. "We know you..." He said, his voice having a bit of pleading to mix with the apprehension. "You would never condone an act of violence such as what you're doing right now. Please, Captain, don't do this!!"

"What are you talking about, Lieutenant?" Kōjaku asked incredulously as an uncharacteristically sadistic smile came upon his face, "I've only gave you that impression so that you wouldn't be aware of my true self. Lies are what tie us together, and it is by those lies that you will cling to them as if they were a reality. I will kill you so that you can join that pathetic waste of a dream you call reality-"

"You're wrong!" Daisuke wordlessly activated his Zanpakutō, despite feeling himself tremble before such animosity from such a close colleague and peer, "you're the one who's delusional, Captain! And if you're not going to be 'suaded by words...then I'll just have to beat you back into it!" 

SHFT-SHINK-SHINK-BWHOOSH!

Daisuke moved with startling speeds, swinging his fiery-emblazoned Zanpakutō around to make his strikes even more intense and harder to counter. With every swing and every movement, Daisuke's fiery resolve matched the drive to kill coming from the deranged Captain. 

When their blades met once more, Kōjaku utilized his own Spiritual Pressure to keep the flames from touching his person, though a bead of sweat trickled down his browline from the intense heat projecting from Daisuke's aura nd Zanpakutō. "Your swordsmanship is incredible, Daisuke-kun! Truly worthy of pitting against a Captain, don't you think?!" 

"GRRRAAAAH!" Within a split moment, Daisuke discharged a mighty plume of flames towards Kōjakum intending on burning him to a crisp to halt his madness. 

Unfortunately...

SHFT-SHINK!

...Daisuke found his left shoulder slashed open, narrowly avoiding the vital organ a few inches below by his instinct, as he stumbled back aghast at seeing the Captain untouched by his Zanpakutō's flames. What he saw coming through, however, was an intricate field of hovering barriers around his uniform, protecting him flawlessly and without any seen effort by the Captain. 

"You're fighting against a Kidō Master as well as an accomplished swordsman, Daisuke-kun," Kōjaku chuckled in amusement as he walked towards them both, his body brimming with his violet-aura Spiritual Pressure as he disengaged the wards to allow his full body appearance to display towards them, "not even if you two fought me simultaneously would you be able to lay a single scratch on my Haori..."

That was when another voice cut through the air.

"And yet you're challenging them, anyway?"

But this one would be from their savior.

WOOSH!

Tetsuyo had to shield his eyes when he was hit with a small wind, courtesy of the Flash Step employed by the newcomer. But when he opened them, he found himself staring into the back of a familiar individual, feeling a sudden sense of protection from the spiritual pressure unleashed by Kōjaku. It was enough to push back the fear and allow relief to replace it. What remnants of his terror was pushed aside by the continuation of the words spoken.

"Honestly, this is starting to become a new-time low for nobility. Have you no shame, Kuchiki?"

It was Qilin, with his arms folded across his chest and his stare directed towards Kōjaku.

"Captain Qilin..." His Lieutenant gave a sigh of relief. "You have no idea how close you just cut it..."

"Captain Qilin...I...couldn't..." Daisuke bowed his head in shame, his grip on his Shikai tightened with frustration as he spoke, "I couldn't do it...I couldn't bring myself to unleash Resolve against him...!"

"Sorry if I disappoint a peasant such as yourself, Qilin," Kōjaku spoke with a detesting tone, his eyes glared at him for both interrupting his fight with the two Lieutenants, but also the remark towards him. He's quick to smirk, however, as he gestured his blade towards the two young men behind him, "but sometimes I believe its my role to wipe the mud off my boots, if you know what I mean?"

Qilin didn't respond to Kōjaku right away. His eyes drifted over his shoulder towards the Lieutenants, eyeing Daisuke in particular. But instead of a reprimand, his words came in the form of reassurance. "It's all right, Daisuke..." He said, following up with a small smile. "In times of war, it's natural for people to become apprehensive and terrified, especially faced with someone whom you consider an ally. Fortunately, I was one of the few who had nothing on his plate. And considering that a good majority of the Soul Society's infested by the enemy, I couldn't help but wonder if you two would get jumped on the way here."

Tetsuyo's eyes widened, the memory of the other Captains stirring up within his head. "T-the other Captains! What about them?! How are they--"

"They're fine, for the moment..." He was abruptly cut off by Qilin's statement. "You need to have more faith in the backbone of the Gotei 13, Tetsuyo. Just because it's momentarily splintered doesn't mean that recover isn't possible. I'm sure that particular situation will get resolved in due time."

The Captain turned his eyes towards the rogue Shinigami, the smile fading away once more. "You needn't worry about this one. I'll take care of him myself. I've been needing something to do ever since this mess started..."

Daisuke couldn't help but breathe out a exhale of relief upon hearing Qilin's empathetic words. He couldn't help but feel glad, of all the Captains to come to their rescue, it was this man. Having him on their side was a great bonus, and a grave mistake for the Inner Circle to make. "We should help you," Daisuke said firmly, his eyes glaring at Kōjaku's form as he took a step to be next to his fellow Captain's side, "if all three of us fought him, we should defeat him swiftly..."

"That Lieutenant has a point, Qilin-chan," Kōjaku spoke with a humored emphasis as he nodded to Daisuke, much to the latter's chagrin, as he smiled softly, "unless you all fought me at once, there would be no guarantee that you'll survive. I'm the man who succeeded Byakuya-san after all. The least you can do is remember who your fighting before making empty promises to them..."

"Oh, I know who I'm fighting." Qilin's eyes narrowed slightly. "It's a blowhard who has to spend time cutting down the weak just to look like a hard-ass. I'm sure you didn't spend your time sharpening that sword and mind of yours just to chop down weeds. Believe me, I know who I'm fighting. But obviously, you don't know me that well, do you?" Abruptly, he switched his tone to a more stern one, his voice directed towards the two Lieutenants. "Go, you two! This isn't a request. It's an order!"

At this particular moment, Tetsuyo couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. After all, their involvement in the war had just started and already they needed to be pulled out of the fire. But against Qilin's tone, he knew that the was no room for argument. He gave a heavy sigh, weakly nodding although he knew Qilin wouldn't see it. Inwardly, he hoped the normally stubborn Lieutenant would see that as well.

"Y-yes, sir..."

"Understood," Daisuke sighed, as he turned on his heels while grinding his teeth as he turned his attention to Tetsuyo, "we should go make sure Captain Kasumiōji and Lieutenant Aizen are safe. C'mon, I know where the medical facility is," Daisuke urged without hesitation to go into the Estate, allowing the guards to close the gate behind them and erect barriers to keep it from being knocked over easily.

"Poor Qilin," spoke in a placating, mocking tone as he smiled a thin grin at the other Captain, "has to fight all alone without the aid of his Lieutenant or his colleagues. Make no mistake that I am not your predecessor you dispatched by a thread..."

VRRROOOAR!!!

"...and I'll teach you that your arrogance will lead you to your downfall, Captain Qilin!" Kōjaku spoke with a stoic, cold tone as his eyes flashed a bright violet hue in sync with his body. The shockwave released by his Killing Intent-filled Spiritual Pressure was enough to smash the cobblestone street before the Hayate Estate gate, sending a tempest-filled wind all around as the thick, dark aura surrounded the Kuchiki Head as he faced off with the Clanless defender.

And then, he struck...

SHFT-SHINK-SHINK-SHINK!

...as he moved with a single Flash Step, his body already initiated three strikes in a simultaneous manner, diagonally slashing across Qilin's left shoulder to his abdomen, slashing his waistline horizontally across his midriff, and up diagonally his left abdomen to his right shoulder. All happening within an instant, filled with potent Spiritual Pressurized energy to enhance the cutting power of his Zanpakutō.

Time slowed down to a crawl, in the vision of Qilin.

Woosh...

Woosh...

With movements according to the swings Kōjaku unleashed upon his form, Qilin tilted himself in order to avoid the first two strikes. They barely missed him, but that was due to his minimal movement than anything else. Within that brief second, he still had his arms folded across his chest as he moved, occasionally eyeing each swing as he moved to a safe range. This wasn't done out to demonstrate arrogance or hubris. For minimizing his distance, he had a chance for a better and less obstructive counter-attack. In addition, he hadn't gotten a chance to draw out his own blade prior to Kōjaku's attack.

But it probably would not stop his enemy from getting rattled by it - and a past-time of Qilin was toying with his target until their composure broke.

As the last strike made its way towards him, a smug smile crossed his face.

BWOOM!

An unspoken Shō spell was unleashed, hurling Qilin's assailant away from him with immense force. Although it was only the simplest of the Hadō spells, it would be the equivalent of being hit by a flying jet. The power released was enough to create a small shockwave, expanding outward in the space between the two fighters. He waited for the moment when Kōjaku righted himself again for whatever predicament he was in before allowing himself to speak.

"Hold on, hold on, did Gina tell you about that?" He questioned, slowly lowering his arms to his sides. "Ryōken? Or maybe it was Noriko? Because when I hear you say that, I really can't take you as a witness to it very seriously. Because if you were there yourself, then I'm sure someone as intelligent and perceptive as you would've noticed it. I didn't win that fight by a thread."

One of his hands grasped the hilt of his sword, slowly unsheathing the blade and revealing it to existence. The hiss and shing of the metal when it finally came out would bring about a sense of foreboding. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he leveled the sword to his side.

"It was by a league."

"NGH?!?!" Kōjaku found himself under the assault of such masterfully woven and released Kidō that he had barely any time to react. With widened eyes, he found himself bristling in Spiritual Pressure, even as his feet skid across the ground and threatened to send his person flying over a hundred meters away. But then, he released the counter force...

BOOM!

...discharging a mighty gust of Spiritual Pressure from his backside, while swinging his left hand out, redirecting the current of the Hadō to disperse and scatter away from his person with effortless employment. As he landed on the wind-blasted ground below him with a clap of his sandles, he locked his gaze back to the unphased Qilin, and dropped into a soft silence. 

As rain began to fall down across the Seireitei, Kōjaku found himself smiling with anticipation instead of dread. The prospect of fighting such a powerful Captain, someone that rivaled his own strength, was something he hadn't expected when he left his other "comrades" to deal with the others. Now...he is facing a true warrior to match his skills.

"Well well well," Kōjaku spoke with an enlightened tone, waving his blade around in a casual arc in front of himself, his eyes never drawing away from the cool confident ones of Qilin's, "I guess I should've paid more attention, now shouldn't I? With such deft Kidō prowess, I shouldn't have left my guard down so easily in the presence of someone so skilled in such techniques," turning himself to a ready squatting stance, he held his Zanpakutō hilt in a neutral Kendō stance, holding his blade with a slightly lowered angle so it would point at the ground, "come then, Qilin. Show me what true power you possess, so I can be confident in showing you mine!"

"Have it your way, princess."

WOOSH!

With a Flash Step and a body full of anticipation, Qilin threw himself at Kōjaku with his sword readied in one of his hands. The Flash Step allowed him to close the gap between him and his target within less than a second, his blade going on the offensive. His wrists were twisted and moved in fluid but aggressive motions, his sword a ghost as it was swung. To the common observer, it would look as if he was blurring in and out of focus, for his movements carried immense speed as well as strength. Throughout this, a clear smirk was on his face.

"I'm going to enjoy this!"

But Kōjaku was no mere observer. Having been personally sparred and trained alongside of Byakuya, to one day fill the voided seat of Clan Head of the Noble Kuchiki House, he himself had no equal but Byakuya himself. And since that time, the day of the Ultharon Wars, he's never let a single entity be stronger than him. 

So, in his eyes, each of Qilin's ghost-like movements were as visible as if he were swinging them without enhancement. So in turn, Kōjaku moved with a series of defensive and aggressive gestures of his own. With each clash of incredible force and precision, Kōjaku wouldn't move an inch from his stance as he took on the attacks employed by his deftly skilled adversary. 

Then, Kōjaku saw an opening...!

Utilizing the reckless speed of his opponent against him, Kōjaku employed a deftly-timed grappel upon the exposed wrist of Qilin's sword arm, pivoting his body to the side as he used the momentum of his opponent to throw him off balance. Within sync of the grapple and throw, Kōjaku raised his Zanpakutō and swung down...

SSSSSNK-VOOM!

...sending enough force to send a thunderous geyser in excess of where the cutting ribbon and his blade would land upon Qilin's backside. He ensured that enough pressure was emitted by his swing that it would flow a good twenty meters beyond his position and cut the air a good twenty meters above his reach.

This was where adaptation was necessary.

In the movement of his involuntary spin, Qilin decided not to stop himself. Instead, he encouraged the movement. His reflexes were up to par with his wants, and his speed was enough to pull him through the pivot so that he would face Kōjaku upon its completion. His blade was thrust towards his enemy just as the force was unleashed on him. Under the initial pressure, he was forced to skid back a little. But he managed to dig his feet in and hold his ground, riding out the brief but powerful attack on his person.

When it passed over him, he straightened himself and held his blade close to him. "Kukkyōna would've complained about you not using the tool in your hand to the best of your abilities..." He commented lightly, chuckling softly afterwards.

"A Soul Reaper is supposed to embody all traits of death and employ them to the best of their abilities. Isolating yourself to one select skill not only hinders you, but makes you weak," Kōjaku spoke in a condenscending tone, raising his blade to point at Qilin's direction, "but I've barely started with my swordsmanship. I want to test the waters, as it were, when dealing with an unknown, if you understand..."

"Oh?" Qilin couldn't help but cock an eyebrow out of amusement, hearing the words of choice. "So even after all this time, I'm still considered an "unknown"? I'm hurt, Kōjaku..." He even emphasized this particular piece by pitting a falsely hurt tone within his words. "I know I haven't been in the Captain's seat for as long as you have, but does that really mean you know so little about me? Our time together hasn't been that short."

The smile slowly faded away from his face after that sentence. "But then again, I can't say I really know you more. Otherwise, I'd know why exactly you would allow yourself to get seduced by the very enemies you swore to destroy. I'd know why you didn't hesitate about killing that Hayate clan member, as well as nearly kill their heir and my personal subordinate."

"Preservation of my Clan is to be considered," Kōjaku spoke plainly, shrugging as he raised his blade to tap on his shoulder as he began to pace around Qilin's area, eyeing him with a cool and confidant gaze, "that, and I would hate to see the Soul Society continue to stagnate as it has been. Hundreds of Kuchiki Clansmen gave their lives up to fight war that shouldn't have been fought. Why? Because our so-called colleagues and peers can't cut it! We need a new order to fight the coming darkness...something that will make the Ultharon War abysmal in comparison. Sometimes cruelty is the assured way of surviving rather than blissful ignorance to the truth," Kōjaku stopped before Qiling once more, grasping his Zanpakutō with both hands as he readied himself once more, "I will sacrifice and destroy anything I have to achieve an assured peace and a strong order! Even if I have to kill my comrades in exchange, I will enact that goal by force!" 

"Release the Chains of Destiny..."

HMMMMMMMM!

"...Shukumei!" Within a single sentence, Kōjaku released the weapon within his hand into its truest form. While it only appeared to be a single pulse of light and a ominous thrum of Spiritual Pressure being released, it was assuredly transformed into its Shikai state. Sliding his feet to make his stance perpindicular to Qilin's passive stance, he raised the blade to have the cutting edge facing up and near his jawline, with both hands holding his sword parallel to his head and pointed to his enemy, "you want to see my best abilities with the tool in my hand? Come then, and see what true power lies within my Zanpakutō!"

"So we're moving on to that stage already?"

With the smirk returning to his face, Qilin held his blade out in a horizontal fashion. His eyes fell on the newly transformed sword, looking at it observantly. As he reached out with his senses, he could pick up the first dangerous anomaly right away. It was something that he himself worked to create, so he had personal experience with it. He could safely say that it would be a threat if he allowed himself to get too careless.

It was the supernatural sharpness of the blade. Any defense he put up would have to be toughened if he wanted to keep himself and his weapon in check against the Shikai of his enemy. But he also knew that he had to keep himself in check from his own enjoyment of the fight. This wasn't the regular enemy, after all. This was one of the Soul Society's greatest combatants and assets. It would mean that much should the decision of killing come to his head.

"All right, I'd hate to be the one to disappoint such an insistent opponent..." He said, pulling his sword arm back...

SH-WOOSH!

...and swung, unleashing his own force of cutting power. But his would not be aimed towards Kōjaku directly. Instead, it would cut a ditch right in front of his feet, with a massive wave of dust and wind erupting to loom above them both. It clouded their vision, but it would only serve as a momentary distraction for Kōjaku. In order to exploit that, Qilin lifted his free hand and pointed a finger at his target. It was a matter of using his senses to lock on and acquire the target.

TZEW!!

A Byakurai spell the width of a Cero blast was released from the tip, threatening to envelop the Kuchiki within its destructive light. Its power was also enough to blow away the smoke screen - something fortunate considering that it had no more purpose.

Kōjaku watched Qilin's positioning carefully as he observed him. From the way he could see his pupils retracting and dialating, he somehow could tell the quality of his blade. Kōjaku could already tell he wasn't dealing with an ordinary warrior, but a specialized smith as well. When he held his blade and the way his body suggested it, it didn't appear to be a lethal stance but rather...an incapacitating one!

As the slash came, he held his ground, while effectively blinding his vision and hearing momentarily, he still had his sesnes attuned to Qilin's location. Knowing that he would most likely retaliate with Kidō, Kōjaku waited for the gathering of Spirit Energy from his opponent and culminate at the point of discharge...

"Now!" Kōjaku thought, his eyes widening as the incoming fissure of Hadō Art Kidō came funneling towards him, blazing brightly with a thunderous roar. He moved with both precision and grace that he witholds as a master swordsman. While stepping forwarmd with his extended right foot, he pivoted his left foot around as he bent his blade accordingly, corkscrewing it with intense focus and speed. By the time of his thrust towards the electrical fissure, his left foot was now in front, but his torso was now facing his target rather than lying perpindicular with it. Within the exhale of his breath, it happened...

SIIIIING-SCRRRRRK!

Having been familiar with the force of the Kidō's structural integrity, Kōjaku knew that in order to fire such a powerful blast of electrically cutting energy, Qilin had to sacrifice the tightening of the bonds within the Kidō itself. It was almost the same principle of what all Hollows and Arrancars do with Ceros, as their loose structure is always malleable and easy to be torn apart by skilled thrusts of a blade. 

The force of his controlled thrust allowed him to push away the large funnel of electrical energies, sending them to pass him by with a good three meter gait to either side of his flanks, allowing it to slam with crackling glory into the Hayate barrier-reinforced gate behind him. The thrust didn't stop there, however, as a violet pressurized extension of his strike flowed towards Qilin's location, with enough concentrated force and pressure to shred a hole of a foot in diameter in the man's chest with ease. 

"Ryūrei Seitsuki!" (流麗精突き, ryuurei sei tsuki; Jap Lit Translation, "Flowing Heaven Thrust.")

"I need to stop doing that..."

WOOSH!

With a hint of chagrin, Qilin vanished out of the path of the attack before it could hit him, moving just in the brink of time. He moved off to the side, still keeping his finger pointed towards his target. A stream of normal Byakurai spells were unleashed, one right after the other in the manner similar to a machine gun.

Kōjaku effortlessly spun on the balls of his feet, parrying the lightning spells with blurring visual speed. Channeling Flash Step-like maneuvers within his limbs, Kōjaku was able to counter the stream of spells at an abnormal speed without moving an inch of his position. Keeping one hand free, Kōjaku primed a condensed sphere of spirit energy, and then...

BWHOOOOOSH!

...sent a spiraling, enormous twister towards Qilin's location, stemming from the spell of Tenran. Tearing up the landscape and howling in the atmosphere, the unspoken spell was easily twice the size of Qilin's unrestrained Hadō when they first began the fight, threatening to not only fling him helplessly through the air currents, but shred his skin apart from the speeding shrapnel held captive within the tempest-like air pressure. 

Qilin could safely say that by the end of this, property managers were going to be very unhappy. But that thought did nothing to hamper the excitement within him. For as long as the moment allowed him to, he stopped moving and simply watched as the Tenran spell was launched in his direction. He readied his sword, grinning in anticipation.

When the moment for pause was over, he tensed his legs and threw himself not out of harm's way... but into it.

With a concentration of spiritual energy to serve as a barrier for the surface of his body, he launched himself into the tornado and the deathly torrent waiting for him. At the same time, he hid his pressure to mask himself within the attack that was unleashed. It was a maneuver that took advantage of both Kōjaku's sense of direction while the attack was unleashed as well as the massiveness of the blast itself. When he neared the Kuchiki, he spread that concentration of defense to his sword to ensure its resistance against being broken.

Then, when he was close enough for attack, he took it.

Swipe!

Through the winds, a lone blade thrust itself towards Kōjaku's stomach.

Kōjaku's eyes widened as he saw Qilin dive into the storm head. Keeping his winds funneling, he realized that his Spiritual Pressure signature had dampened considerably. Had he not dove into his constantly flowing weaving of Spirit Energy within the half a mile wide he wouldn't have been able to predict Qilin's location at all. Despite the current amount of protection Kōjaku surmised his opponent was using to protect himself within the constantly swirling twister, he was still within his enemy's Kidō. A poor mistake on his part...

Just as the sword began to thrust out towards his gut, he could only smile with triumph. Extending his arm out a little further, knowing the margin for error would be indefinitely close, he pulsed out a magnanimously large plume of flames into the twister. These flames stemmed from the destructive Hadō known as Nensh'ō', and the flames exploded into a pyrotechnic wind-fueled pillar of fire. The force of the technique alone would send the blade away from his chest, and hopefully preform satisfying damage to his opponent. 

"Oh, cra--"

When he saw the smile on Kōjaku's face, Qilin knew that a mistake had been made on his part.

WOOSH!

Barely, he pulled himself out of there just before the flames could engulf and incinerate him. He would briefly appear within the air as a smoke cloud floating away from Kōjaku's position. But as it cleared, he was shown in the midst of a backflip. His clothes were covered in dust and ash, some of it creating a trail behind him as he made his landing back onto the ground. It was an indicator of just how close he had come to suffering severe burns.

As he straightened up, he briefly turned his head to spit out a cloud of smoke - something that would've looked a bit humorous. "I can see why exactly you'd feel like you'd be able to handle three combatants at once, now..." He commented. "Guess I'll have to take back what I said about you being nothing more than a blowhard..."

"And I take back what I said about you being insignificant," Kōjaku spoke with an admiring tone, knowing just how close that blade's edge was from piercing his gut, he raised his blade in an appropiate stance as he assumed what looked like a over-head Kendō stance, "the skill of which you utilize such destructive Hadō as well as maintain a barrier to protect yourself while minimalizing your Spiritual Pressure's signature to that degree, its no wonder you were able to kill your predecessor. So, in honor of your skills exceeding my expectations, allow me to present you a gift I recieved upon witnessing it during the final hours of the Legendary Substitute Soul Reaper..."

Breathing in through his nostrils, he exhaled with a concentrated breath, as the muscles forcefully contracted and relaxed. A luminous aura of violet-white Spiritual Pressure began enrapturing Kōjaku once more, his Haori glistening and his hair ruffling as a small ominous gust of spirit particle wind flew throughout the area. His eyes changing to a hue of pink-silver, he then uttered words never to be expected of this particular warrior...

"Getsuga..."

SHIIIINK-VRRRROAAAAR!

"...Tenshō!!!!" With one overhead swing of his Zanpakutō, he released a vivid pink-bordered-silver Getsuga Tenshō, towering to at least fifteen meters and a good five meters in gait. It gouged the earth at lightning speeds, leaving a steaming light exhaust plume in its wake. Approaching Qilin's form in a matter of a couple seconds, should it come into contact with the man should he counter it, it would explode a magnificent sphere of explosive energy that would rend him asunder. 

"What?!"

Needless to say, Qilin was surprised. Out of all the attacks that were expected upon his person, he didn't expect to see the infamous Getsuga Tensh'ō' unleashed by a Kuchiki. Had he really witnessed the attack himself and managed to replicate it as well as its power to such a degree? No, he couldn't have. No one could've replicated it so with such a powerful extent in such flawless execution. But it was happening right before his very eyes. Either he had exceptional memory...

"Or maybe that's his Zanpakutō ability..."

It was time to pull out his own weapon. He gripped his sword handle with both hands, swinging towards the massive blast with his own call. "Climax!"

BOOM!

Once the mass of volatile energy connected with his defense, the explosion seemed to envelop and swallow him. But as it expanded outward, the pink was shown not to be the only color existing within the blast. A brilliant white, blinding to the eye and illuminating over the entire area, seemed to blend in with the pink as their energies wreaked havoc on the area. Although it was relatively brief, it felt like an eternity seeing the energies clash against each other in such a ferocious fashion.

When it cleared up, Qilin could be seen within the fading light and smoke. His blade had now gained the distinct black color that marked its Shikai form, in addition to the circular guard. It was a simple design compared to other Shikai. But it clearly held a much more dangerous undertone within, considering what had just transpired.

"...Aijin."

During the explosion, Kōjaku didn't hesitate or waver at believing his opponent would be done in. Upon hearing and witnessing another explosion within his Getsuga Tenshō, he whispered another sentence as he used a Flash Step to appear behind his opponent a good ten meters...

"Scatter..."

WHOOSH-SHINK-SHINK-SHINK...!

"...Senbonzakura!" Kōjaku discharged an array of Spiritual Energy that manifested off of his blade's edge into a stream of sakura blossom razor blades, streaming at intense speeds and with the intension of overwhelming his opponent from all angles, pursuing him even as he would intend to dodge away from him. And it would appear just like Byauya Kuchiki's Zanpakutō's Shikai, Senbonzakura itself!

WOOSH!

Dodge, he did.

With a series of Flash Steps, he weaved in and out to avoid getting sliced up by the razor blades. He allowed himself to be pursued as he retreated, keeping his sword held outwards from his side as he moved. He couldn't help but stare in astonishment at the use of someone else's Zanpakutō power as if it were his very own. He could safely guess that there were a good majority of others ready to be unleashed on him. It was going to be a tough fight and a test of his own Zanpakutō's versatility.

But he didn't mind the challenge. In fact, he welcomed it.

WOOSH!

After a minute of what seemed like pointless retreat, he appeared in a spot where they would converge on him from the front. He extended his hand out, his palm and fingers crackling with electricity. It was a Tsuzuri Raiden spell. But unlike the original, his variant would appear in the form of ranged lightning bolts. It would not require contact with the target in order to have effect. That was clear the moment he launched it from his hand at the petals.

But it would also have a much deadlier premise behind it.

As it connected with the immediate group of blades, it spread from cluster to distant cluster like an actual electric current. The speed of transfer was almost instantaneous, and the majority of blades were diverted from their path if not incinerated by the intensity of the lightning's heat. The lightning bolts that coursed through would have one target in mind as they raced through the field of sakura blossoms.

Their wielder.

This is where Kōjaku would turn the tide against his versatile Kidō user.

With a bright look in his eyes, unphased by the tactic used by his opponent, he turned his sword to the right, causing all of the sakura petal blades to shimmer to life. Shifting from the ominous storm of blades, they suddenly surged with power and absorbed the yellow electricity like a sponge, turning into a wide field of violet-webbed violet lightning. 

"Scream..."

SSSSSRRRRK-BOOM!

"...Kirin!" Kōjaku called out in a triumphant tone, as he suddenly sent the culminating forked webs of electricity to fuse into a powerful pillar of lightning towards his opponent once more. The ferocity and incinerative-electrical properites would assure him a dangerous blow upon the adaptable Captain, proving that he himself had a wide array of wild cards at his own disposal.

"Clever dick!!"

Qilin's eyes widened in surprise once he saw the light produced by the magnified electric web racing his way. But with another Flash Step, he managed to throw himself down to the ground and land in a crouched position, kicking up a small amount of dust among impact. As he stood up back up, he twirled his sword around in a flourishing motion...

SLICE!

...before swinging it, unleashing a wave of his cutting force at his enemy. Its presence would be marked by the disruption of air as it passed through, and its power would be enough to cut through the width of an entire apartment complex.

RRRRIP-SPLURCH!

Within the instant that the attack was released, a look of supposed shock ran across Kōjaku's face as the cutting ribbon flew towards him. When it reached him, he found his arms and upper torso perfectly cut in half, along with a large slab of infrastructure of the Seireitei buildings behind him. What looked like a perfectly bifuricated halves were falling down, would be passing down to the ground before Qilin's eyes, as the real Kōjaku appeared behind his opponent while swinging in a perfect diagonal upper cut stream. But not before inwardly uttering another sentence of grave power...

"Blaze Eternally..."

RRRROAAAAAR!

"...Kyōi Abāta!" Kōjaku discharged a large pillar of flames in excess of the cutting stroke he aimed to catch Qilin's backside by surprise, intending on sending a large enough blast that it would mimic the powerful Jigoku Hashira technique with the exception of violet-white flames instead of orange tongues of its original practitioner. If Qilin wasn't bifuricated in two irregular halves or wounded by the blade itself, the voluminous proportions of superheated flames would incinerate or burn him severely. 

At first, it seemed like this particular attack would work.

Qilin had not turned around or moved when Kōjaku unleashed his attack, and thus the flames enveloped him completely. There was nothing but flames that stretched as high as one hundred meters, smoke becoming a much more dominant environmental distraction. The heat generated from the flames were indeed capable of incinerating whatever was unfortunate enough to be swallowed by them. But as the smoke faded away little by little and the flames settled down, the green light of a rectangular and flat barrier could be seen at the spot where Kōjaku's flames would've connected.

Thanks to that quick summon, he had come out alive and unharmed.

And for his first action, he twirled himself around to slash across the barrier he had created. It seemed like a rather pointless action, for the blade simply scraped across the hardened energy without effect. But that would change...

BOOM!

...when an explosion of equal size and power abruptly and swiftly enveloped Kōjaku, just barely grazing Qilin's face. As he leaped away from the blast area, a small smirk had once again graced his face. "Oh, I can guarantee Daisuke's going to be quite angry that someone else used his signature attack like that..." He commented casually.

It was only thanks to his sense of Qilin's Spiritual Pressure that he had felt the abnormality of Qilin's barrier preserving his life that tipped Kōjaku off. With quick timing as he saw Qilin thrust his blade out in what would normally be an assumed ineffective attack, he could tell by the sudden release of ominous Spiritual Energy that it was anything but harmless. 

While taking a step back, Kōjaku thrusted out his blade while summoning a transparent shield of condensed Spiritual Energy namely from the technique Danku, to protect himself from the incoming attack. And then, it occured. With a enormous shockwave and flames from the explosion bathing his transparent shield, Kōjaku could feel the unnatural energy signature within the explosion itself as his blade was exposed to the explosive element that was projected by his opponent.

With a confident smile, he deactivated his barrier and walked out casually from the explosion, with smoke curling at his form and showing he was unharmed by Qilin's attack, "I don't give a damn about what that boy will feel. His techniques are much better utilized by someone with a tactically superior warrior than himself, after all," stopping just short of Qilin's front at a mere three meters in distance, Kōjaku's eyes narrowed and his tone held a distinct ire within his voice, "you're a lot more stubborn than you lead me to believe, Qilin-san..."

"Hm...?"

At the comment, Qilin couldn't help but cock one of his eyebrows slightly. He lowered his sword to his side for a moment to regard Kōjaku's words with mild interest. "You sound as if that's something that isn't supposed to happen." He answered. "Did you expect me to just drop my blade and let you start a Hayate Clan massacre? Because if that's the case, you have very low standards..."

"Don't be barbaric, Qilin," Kōjaku narrowed his eyes, glaring at him, "I may have flexible allowances to arrive at my goal, but I am not a monster. Needless slaughter is irrelevent to my goal, and I will only kill those I see the need to die. But your stubborness is not linked to you giving it up," he allowed himself to smile once more, raising his blade towards in an angled emphasis, "tell me, have you ever had someone you cared about be placed in harm's way due to a battle you cannot retreat from? Have you ever lost anyone in that way or form?"

This was a clear sign for alarm. Qilin narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingers tightening a little on his blade. "What are you getting at?" He asked, getting the impression that this was meant for a little verbal intimidation. "I don't think that this is a proper time to discuss personal casualties..."

"Do you really believe your Lieutenant or the Hayate boy would willingly stand by as they know their superior would be most likely killed or wounded to the point of being easy prey for others? I am willing to bet that they are going to arrive at any moment, wanting to save you from your fate and fight alongside you," Kōjaku said with a smile, widening in a feral delight of the possibility of seeing the man before him be rendered in shock, "I bet you'd probably shield them yourself from whatever I might strike them with, now wouldn't you? In fact..."

A sudden, ominous pulse of Spiritual Pressure could be felt nearby within the smoke they created from their battle. It felt recognizeable, and closing in fast towards them. Within a matter of moments, the pair of Lieutenants were coming their way, out of a smoke cloud that had been created from their ferocious battle.

"Captain!"

"We're to help, Captain Qilin-"

"...it seems they're right on time!" Kōjaku spoke with a widened smile of maliciousness, as he turned around and swung a violent arc towards their vicinity. What was thrown out looked like a cutting fissure of enormous proportions, guiding a fiery Getsuga Tenshō that moved with blinding speeds towards the two of them, whom had appeared to have stopped in shock and couldn't move out of the way in time.

Time slowed down to a crawl, and Qilin's calm disposition immediately shattered. His widened eyes dilated, and he abruptly turned his head to see the Getsuga Tenshou race by. There was no time to prepare a proper defense, and he was too shell-shocked by the fact that they had disobeyed his order to stay out of the fight. His next choice of words vocalized his feelings perfectly.

"YOU FUCKING MORONS!!!"

WOOSH!

With a Flash Step, he had thrown himself between them and the fire-induced blast. As he shut his eyes and grit his teeth to brace himself, Tetsuyo's eyes dilated in a mix of shock and horror. In a vain attempt to stop it, he thrust a hand out and let out his own shout.

"NO!!"

But it was too late.

BOOM!

The blast connected with Qilin, once again enveloping him in a firey blaze. Tetsuyo was forced to shield his eyes against the intense light until it subsided on its own, taking a few steps back for safety measures. When he lowered his arms back down and turned his gaze to the fading smoke, he saw the Captain hunched over. His shirt had been burned to tatters, his skin covered with nasty burns. The entirety of his body was shaking in pain, but he only uttered grunts and groans of pain. He attempted to keep himself standing, to keep them protected.

But in the end, he lost the fight. He involuntarily released his sword and collapsed on his back, his eyes clenched shut and his lips pursed together. "Oh god, Captain, are you all right?!" He asked immediately - an instinctive question.

"This..." Qilin groaned. "This is so coming out of both of your paychecks..."

But all would not appear as it seemed. 

"Here, Captain Qilin," Daisuke spoke as he reached out in a supposed effort of empathy, "allow me to..."

SWING-SPLURCH!

"...punch out for you!" The Lieutenant spoke out with a sudden, unexpected snarl as he swung his sealed Zanpakutō in his other arm, aiming to cut a large gash across the man's chest. A look of uncharacteristic menace crossed Daisuke's features, that also mirrored his previously empathetic Lieutenant's as he walked over to Qilin...

WHAM!

...kicking him squarely into the gut, as "he" intended to send the Captain sprawling onto his backside, "There's mine, Captain!" 

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kōjaku couldn't help but break out in a menacing cackle, reaching up to grasp his face with his free hand before sliding it down as tears of hilarity began to form in his eyes, "I can't believe you fell for that! My my my, you are so gullible! Didn't you hear what I said to the two Lieutenants earlier? The only thing I have tied with you are lies, and by those lies you have a perception of reality that is entirely false! And its by that reality," Kōjaku allowed his tone to grow stoic and his eyes project a cold stare towards his opponent, "that you will die in that pathetic world you once knew as reality..."

For once, it was something that Qilin himself could've agreed with.

SLICE!

WHUMPF!

"AUGH!!" A yell escaped Qilin's lips as he was kicked over on his back and slashed on his chest. The pain was searing, and the burns that he had suffered didn't make things easier on him. But it was nothing compared to the mental beration he was giving himself. Of course the Lieutenants would have stayed behind still yet! Tetsuyo would've been stubborn due to his own faith within his Captain if Daisuke attempted to defy orders. But now, it seemed that faith had been horribly misplaced. He was going to die, and it was all his fault.

"That Zanpakutō of yours... doesn't just replicate abilities, does it...?" He breathed. "People... and maybe even locations... anything that you've seen personally for yourself can be materialized under your own will. I...I can see why that the Inner Circle would mark you as one of the greatest dangers they could face..."

"The Inner Circle selected me to become one of their Elite warriors to pave the way for the new age. Of course my Lord Tsukishima handpicked me and the others in order to fulfill our purpose," Kōjaku spoke in a revelling tone, as he walked over to Qilin's barely living body, raising his sword appropiately over his head as he prepared to execute him, "I said for all three of you to fight me at once for a reason, trash. You will die as your so-called superiority will be crumbled beneath my legacy!" 

And within that single moment, time seem to crawl as Kōjaku's Zanpakutō raced to bifuricate Qilin cleanly in two. Even as the blade arced with incredible versatility and speed, it couldn't outrun the incoming force that intended to halt it entirely. As it moved to its halfway point, it happened...

CLANG-BWHOOSH!

...as another blade swung upwards, a Ninja-to blade with a circular tsuba and an orange hilt, moving with its own inhuman speed and strength countering the force exerted by the master swordsman. When the two swings collided, Kōjaku could see the blurring form appear before him, causing his eyes to widen to utter shock and a trickle of fear run down his spine. The blast of force would buffet all around the two combatants, sending the two apparitions crafted by Kōjaku's Zanpakutō to the nearby debris field, causing them to shatter upon impact and into streams of spirit energy. 

"Sorry," Hana Yūgure spoke aloud, as her clad black bodysuit form stood spread just above Qilin, her Zanpakutō easily countering the downward slash that was aiming for the Captain beneath her, "but the Inner Circle will not take anymore lives today!"

That was enough to make Qilin's eyes shoot wide open to see the newcomer's form above him. The bodysuit was all that it took to confirm identity, and it had taken him off-guard for a moment. This wasn't just reinforcements. This was personnel from the Deep Cover Ops, the one headed by Captain Sayazaki himself. If this one in particular was here, he wouldn't be surprised if there were others that happened to be nearby and assisting in other combat areas.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes and chuckle, his body finding a moment to relax. "Of course... you guys always show up late and take all our credit..." He complained, shaking his head weakly.

"It couldn't be helped," Hana spoke aloud as she grated her blade against Kōjaku's two handed grip with only a single one of her own, "as per instructions from my superiors, all D.C.O. squads were to help evacuate the Seireitei non-combatants to safety before assisting in battle. Its been a little chaotic when our Captains are betraying each other, and the Takuji Clan starting a Civil War..."

"So," Kōjaku spoke with a grim smile as he leaned a little closer to his opponent, "I'm guessing Seigi made his move. Such a shame Sōdai isn't here to straighten things up, cause that would've been a big problem. With all the Clansmen of the highest elites on his side, we should be able to mop up any resistance made by the other less compliant Noble Houses and lesser Clans-"

SHINK-WHAM!

"Shut it, Kōjaku!" Hana snarled out, having twisted her blade around to allow her to throw out a palm heel to his chest, causing him to stumble back a good few meters away from Qilin and herself, "you may take the Seireitei today, but you will not defeat the Soul Society!"

"Nnngh..."

Qilin shut his eyes again and forced himself onto one knee. The burning sensation tortured him the entire time, and it was a struggle just to move himself into that position. He inhaled and exhaled deep breaths in order to keep himself steady, reaching over to grasp his sword. Thankfully, it had not reduced back to its sealed state against its will. That was an indication his wounds were not mortal.

"God, Tetsuyo's going to be so pissed at me..." He groaned, placing a free hand to his now-scarlet chest. "Getting messed up like that because of a boneheaded mistake..."

"So, the little girl is still playing the lap dog, eh?" Kōjaku taunted as he raised his blade towards her, having not been entirely affected by the punch that was delivered to his person, "so, are you going to fight me? I'll guaruntee that you won't survive this exchange, even if I am to be defeated by the likes of you!" 

"No," Hana spoke flatly, twirling her Zanpakutō in her right hand before sheathing it, turning around and grasping Qilin's free arm and wrapping it around her shoulders, "I must save what I can. As much as it tempts me to defeat a Noble, let alone a servant of the enemy's will, I will not engage in needless conflict," after lifting her comrade to his feet with her help, she gave one last glare to Kōjaku as she hissed, "but make no mistake, the next time we cross, you will be the one on your knees, Kōjaku Kuchiki!"

SHFT!

And just like that, she vanished, with Qilin in tow, leaving the traitorous Captain behind. En route, Hana made sure to utilize only long distance Flash Steps, covering as much ground as she could through pre-planned areas she would move in and out from. Once she arrived at a supposed ramshackled shack, she waved her hand in front of the door, and began moving into the hallway of the D.C.O. warehouse, "How're you doing, Qilin-san? Think you can make it?"

"I'll live..." Qilin gave an appreciative nod, allowing himself to be supported and led inside. He re-sealed his Zanpakutō, reverting it back to its original state before sticking it within its scabbard. "These wounds will be a big nuisance to fight with, though..." He exhaled another breath as he lowered his arm to his side, his mind drifting back to the two Lieutenants. At the very least, he could be relieved that they had managed to stay behind like he told them to.

But now, there was the rest of the Soul Society to worry about.

"Hope you guys are doing well without me there..."

The War of Four: The Eye of the Storm Act III

Commence Rescue Operations! The Retreat is Imminent!

Meanwhile within Angelika's group of V-14 volunteers, the battles weren't doing so well...

While Kenja rushed off to follow Yashin into the 12th Division's facility, no one has heard from him since a few vibrant explosions from within the decievingly larger than expected construct. Sakura Keikai, while initially having the upper hand against the large, bulky form of Kyōki, had began to take some beatings after her attacks showed no real affect despite how many wounds he bore of his own. Shito had been taking a few nasty cuts and bruises from his encounter by the powerful and swift Jaaku, finding himself slowly and surely being outmaneuvered by the vibrant and energy-infused combatant. 

As for the others...

Shinji had suffered the least... at least, compared to the rest of his teammates.

Although he had held himself evenly against what might as well have been the most twisted out of the Hanta, he was beginning to tire. His exhaustion was slowly starting to get the better of him, and he had suffered his own respective wounds for it. Slash marks now decorated the front of his torso, and scarlet stained the front of his shirt. At the very least, he was still standing in defiance. But he knew that he couldn't keep it up, and his continuous panting was enough to make that very clear.

Yusuke was having a worse time. His chase had taken a turn for the worst, and now all he could do was retreat. Despite his skilled control of energy, Korosou's continuous assault was wearing down his defenses. He was barely holding on, one of his arms having been snapped by the force of the chains as well as a few of his ribs. Even now, he was struggling to hold back the scientist with increasing fatique. In terms of stamina, the Hanta had them outnumbered.

And then there was Angelika.

Ever since Ryūketsu had unleashed his Bankai, she had been barely holding on. But that condition only worsened whenever she started fighting back. Whenever she managed to find the spot where she could strike him, he seemed to attack with even more ferocity and power than before. In just a short matter of time, she had fallen from struggling to survive to being turned into a living punching bag for the transformed Hanta.

BOOM!

One of her more recent treatment was being thrown into the wall - again.

A pitiful moan escaped her lips as she peeled herself off, collapsing onto the ground. Her sword had been shattered under his might, and her body had been reduced to a bleeding, battered mess. She lay there in a small pool of her own crimson fluid, unable to find the strength to get back up. The most of movement she could actually make were shivers of pain that raced through her person. It was a situation filled with pain and humiliation.

So naturally, there was a small part of her that really, really wanted her to die at that moment.

"You're done already?" Ryūketsu asked in an unimpressed, grated tone behind his faceless metal mask, standing over her fallen form with disappointment, "I thought you said that you were going to fight the real enemy? Did you honestly think you could actually defeat Lord Shiyōnin if you can barely do a thing against me? How laughable!" 

The Hanta leader reached down and wrapped his right hand around her throat, lifting her up from the wall, holding her in the air with an effortless, steel vice grip, "You were supposed to be one of the greatest threats we could encounter in this war. But look at you now, wasted and gasping for air. But you don't get to leave this world yet. When you see your comrades dead and the Soul Society in ashes, then, you have my permission to die...Angelika Hartmann..."

She could not find any means to free herself or even answer his declaration. Her body had been robbed of nearly all of her vitality, and she was fighting just to stay conscious. She hung limp from his grasp, her eyes overshadowed and blood trickling down the corners of her mouth. If he wanted to, he could crush her throat and she would be powerless to stop him. At this point, it might as well have been a mercy kill.

But before Ryūketsu could taunt her further, he felt something prickle at the periphery of his senses. Still holding his opponent he turned to see a series of incoming entities, having utilized the battles between him and his associates respectively to have sneaked up within range. But it was the origin of the Spiritual Pressures' signatures is what caught him off guard...

"Who-?"

SHFT-BWHOOSH!

"-GAH!?" Ryūketsu found himself suddenly seeing a bowl-haircut man in a long grey trenchcoat and a black hakama and Kosode residing underneath, having outstretched his hands and discharged a kinetic Kidō blast from an outstretched palm. While it only moved the Hanta a handful of meters, it allowed him to release his hold on Angelika, and allowed the stranger to catch her bloodied form.

"Man, look at what you did to this poor thing," Shinji spoke in a disapproving tone, yet had a chiding feel to it as he looked at her with a pair of sad eyes, "no one as pretty as she is deserves to be so brutalized in this fashion. No one..."

"If you knew what she was responsible for, you would change your tune," Ryūketsu responded in kind, his eyes glared unseen behind his metalic mask, though the ire within his tone was very apparent, "who the Hell are you?!"

"I'm Shinji Hirako, Watch Squad Captain and the guy who saves damsels in distress and that shit," Shinji cocked a uneven trademark smile, equivalent to that of a smirk, as he narrowed his eyes, "and I brought the calvary to bring these guys out of this fight of yours..."

That was the cue for their reinforcements to arrive.

WOOSH!

WOOSH!

WOOSH!

WOOSH!

Four more Flash Steps would be heard throughout the area, followed by the appearance of the said "cavalry". Braeburn McTavish would appear by Sakura's side, Rokotsu Hyōgen would appear to reinforce Shito's position, Yōki would arrive just in time to relieve Yusuke, and Takashi would take up a position beside Shinji. The latter of the two rescued regarded them all with their own varying expressions of surprise, not expecting reinforcements of their kind to come. The likes of the Gotei 13 would have been predicted, but the D.C.O.? It was quite convenient for them to make such an appearance...

Yusuke didn't allow himself to think much of it, however. He breathed a sigh of relief, holding his broken arm and regarding the situation with a relieved smile. "Well, if I knew there were more people that were gonna show up, I could've breathed a whole lot easier!" He exclaimed.

Shinji narrowed his eyes slightly as he regarded Takashi, though it wasn't something done out of hostility. "Your group has quite the timing." He remarked coolly in compliment, lowering his umbrella.

Although Braeburn's face was mostly masked, the distinct Australian accent would be familiar to Sakura's ears. "G'day, Lieutenant Keikai." He said casually, the smile being heard within his voice. "Long time no see... although it looks like you've seen better days..."

"B-Brae-san?!" Sakura's eyes lit up for the first time since before the day had started. With a wave of relief washing over her, she smiled despite being faced against the barbaric giant of an opponent, "how did you find us? And why do you look like a ninja?!"

"We're awesome like that," Takashi sniffed with a sense of pride, smiling toothily as he unsheathed his Zanpakutō methodiclaly slow as he looked on to his opponent, "the fuck am I looking at? Are we fighting a circus freak or a zombie? I'm pretty sure you two make a good match, mister mummy man, hehe!"

"You alright?" Yōki asked with a sincere kind, and concerned tone as she looked over at the young boy's broken arm in emphasis, "how bad is it? You still think you can move fast enough to make a get away?"

"Yeah..." Although Yusuke was wincing at the pain that his arm was causing, he still allowed himself to nod to Yōki's question. A slight and brief blush of embarrassment and humility crossed his face. "I'm fine enough to pull myself out. Thanks for asking, though." His eyes turned themselves towards the rest of his companions, the blush fading and his expression changing to curiosity. "Think everyone else is good enough, too..."

Then he turned his attention to the bloodied form of Angelika. "Hey, boss lady! Are you all right?!"

"...I look like I had... a period from every orifice in my body..." Angelika gasped, weakly passing a glare over at the young boy. "Does that sound fine to you?"

"Well, honestly..." Yusuke answered innocently. "I thought you were hiding packets of ketchup and they burst open. Did you do that?"

Silence. Angelika's eye was widened for the longest moment, her pupil dilated under the shock that the ridiculousness of the statement gave her. When her head bent back a little, there might as well have been the sound effect of a door creaking. It was probably enough to break what would've been a rather tense situation, if the other parts of conversation hadn't done it.

"A warrior of your caliber should not worry about what kind of enemy they are fighting..." Shinji said with a bit of a patronizing tone. "Besides, if I heard your superior correctly, you're supposed to be pulling us out, not join in. Or..." He spared a glance over his shoulder. "Are you the one out of the group that happens to be nothing more than muscle without a mind?"

Braeburn gave a casual shrug of the shoulders, turning himself to face Sakura completely. What he wore now was a balaclava that covered everything but the section of his eyes as well as a unique form of the shinobi shōzoku uniform commonly associated with ninja. It was fitted with wrist guards on top of purple violet gloves, as well as protective plates on the front of his tabi boots. "It's my uniform. Being part of the D.C.O. really has its benefits." He chuckled a little, showing himself off a little to her. "What do you think? Do I look awesome, or do I look like a badass?"

"Well I honestly think you look pretty great, Brae-san," Sakura smiled weakly, almost humored by the austrian trying to show himself off in attire, "I'm glad you found something you found a liking to...but I really think we should focus on the task at hand..."

"No need to be all huffy puffy, I was just asking a question!" Takashi asked with an angry vein protruding from his head, waving his hand in emphasis, "the least you can do is be grateful, mummy man!" 

"Don't worry," Yōki spoke softly to Yusuke, reaching out with a hand to clasp it on his shoulder while brightly smiling at him, "we're only here to pull your team out. You've done more than enough, Yusuke-chan..."

"We won't let you leave here!" Korosou snarled as he stopped only a handful of meters away from them, fists balled up and his body emblazoned with thick, dark Spiritual Power, "they're our prey!" 

"They're right," Ryūketsu spoke aloud as he reached for his currently sheathed Bankai replicant of his Shikai blade, breathing out a menacing mist from his helm, "we're not about to allow you to just waltz out of here. We're going to kill these men and women, and then we will kill you, and destroy the Soul Society's Research Department. That is our mission, and you cannot steer us away from it!"

Within that moment, the situation started to look even more dire...

BOOM!!!

...as a fire emblazoned Kenja is flung from one side of the Research Department and sent tumbling head over heels across the ground before skidding to a halt, only a dozen meters away from Shinji and the culminated group of DCO agents and V-14 members respectively.

"The Hell! Kenja!" Shito shouted out with alarm, his eyes widened with shock as he saw his friend flung from the inside of the building which he skidded across while facing his opponent, Jaaku. The only thing that kept him from rushing out was a firm grip on his arm by Rokotsu, as she kept her eyes on the man sadistically gleaming their direction.

"My my my," Yashin spoke out in a tsking tone, his body only singed slightly by the flames or energy-based attacks that Kenja used against him, his cloak flourishing in his wake as he walked onto the battlefield, "the things I have to do to get rid of thorns in my side. It seems that no matter how hard I pull, it always remains where it is. I'm aiming to do something about that, right about now..."

"Braeburn! Yōki! Rokotsu! Takashi! Bring everyone next to you to my location now!" Shinji yelled out to the respective DCO agents, laying Angelika down next to his feet as he reached for his Zanpakutō and began unsheathing it, "we're going to need to make a run for it, otherwise we're going to lose some people!" 

"Oh, right, there's that..."

After briefly rolling his eyes, Braeburn reached out to place a hand on Sakura's shoulder in order to urge her forward. "C'mon, Lieutenant..." He said, a bit of seriousness placed within his conversational tone. "Your job's done here. There's nothing more you can do..." After saying this, his eyes directed themselves towards Yashin and the fallen Kenja. If the Dragon was here, there was no doubt about it. Death for at least some of them would be imminent, and they had to retreat.

WOOSH!

With a Flash Step, he brought her within nearby proximity of Shinji as the other D.C.O. members would.

Yusuke's eyes widened right then, his memory flaring up. "Oh, wait a minute, that's right!!" He said, looking towards the direction where their non-combatant had went to. "Rika's not here yet!! Where is--"

Their answer would come in the form of a loud, low and mechanical groan right above their heads. If they were too look up, they would see the massive airship that housed the many gunships and bombers falling towards the ground. Its foundation was coated in flames, making it appear to be a flaming comet descending towards the Earth. It was both a display of artistic beauty and a sign of incoming doom for a good majority of those on the ground.

Braeburn's eyes widened in shock and horror as he saw the faraway airship come down. "Wait a minute, we didn't deploy any units to take down that airship..." He said in realization, blinking a few times as he watched. "What could've--"

"A-ahem..."

He was cut off by the sound of an unfamiliar and feminine voice clearing its throat. He swung his attention over towards what would've been an unfamiliar figure to him. But to the V-14 she would instantly be recognized as the one out of their team who had stayed out of the fight in order to work behind the scenes. She had her hands folded behind her back, a solemn look directed towards the group as she approached them with a calm and steady gait.

It was Rika. She only brought herself to say three words.

"Sorry I'm late..."

Then the airship collided with the ground.

BOOM!

When the monsterously sized aircraft of both stunning architecture and one of deadly menace struck one of the far off mountainsides the contortion of metal could be briefly seen. As the ice crust and natural mineral deposits began to give way, the whole of the air ship began to bend and unload its cargo and many parked aircraft. However, when the fuel core, at the heart of the ship was shattered and ignited an orange plume followed a brilliant flash, causing a mushroom cloud to form as a good portion of the mountain itself was destroyed in the process. 

The Soul Society wouldn't be entirely spared from the explosion itself.

"Everyone," Shinji spoke with a faint smile as a rolling shockwave-proportioned wind began to close in on their position, "say goodbye to the Soul Society and your playmates! You're going to be gone for a little while, but in the end," Shinji looked on at Yashin with a canine grin with a challenging gleam in his eyes, "the good guys will always win..."

C-CLICK!

Just as the shockwave reached them, a huge gust of wind and dust flew into the air, momentarily stunning their enemies. This allowed a cube shaped device to be activated with a click of Shinji's left hand, causing the whole group to be enraptured by a neon blue light. Within a matter of seconds, the light grew brighter and brighter...

WINK!

...before the entire group of the wounded and weary warriors went with the DCO members, out of sight and out of mind. 

It would be only a matter of time before the others would be regrouped and their units pulled away from the eventual, inevitable defeats they'd all suffer if they remained. The only thing that left everything not entirely satisfied was that Yashin's wide grin, as he held a small black box in his left hand and began to turn on his heels into his newly established headquarters. 

A Warrior's Retreat, The Only Viable Option Left! 

Asuka had fought it out to a stalemate with Daigomi thus far.

In the wake of the earlier blast, she had utilized Tamajutsu's defensive properties in order to shield her from damage. She had continued the sword duel between them with zeal in an attempt to defeat and destroy her enemy. But his regeneration abilities had defied each and every one of her attempts to kill him, and he still was going strong. She, however, was wearing down with each and every aggressive attack she was putting against him. She was shifting from being aggressive to half-and-half to being forced on the defensive. It had been a slow process... but eventually, Asuka couldn't hold out any more.

SLICE!

Daigomi's sword sliced a deep gash through her chest, and she let out a pained grunt as she staggered back. She kept a stable stance, breathing heavily as she retreated to a safe distance. There were the light splashes as the crimson fluid spilled onto the ground underneath them, the pain resonating throughout her torso. There was also blood trickling down from her forehead, courtesy of a "miss". She knew that other wounds inflicted would only get worse, and that she may end up dying. But what else could she do? She certainly wasn't one to run away from a fight at the tip of a table, knowing that her comrades were fighting it out against equally difficult odds. She had to keep going.

Taking a deep breath, she threw herself at Daigomi and swung her sword to begin the attack again.

"Your durability and grace is admirable," Daigomi spoke aloud, parrying off her next series of strikes effortlessly as he kept a toothy smile on his face, his eyes sparked vibrantly in sync with the sparks flashing from their violent swordplay, "your use of swordsmanship and the legendary Tamajutsu is superb and worthy of anyone within the Soul Society. But, against fighting the elites of the Inner Circle..."

SNATCH!

"...you're nothing!" 

WHAM!

Daigomi stretched out his arm and caught her wrist, perfectly avoiding another thrust, having been much slower than what was the beginning of their little engagement. Pulling her forward, using her own momentum against her, he slammed a palm heel of compressed force into her gut, before launching her across the corridor, intending on continuing to etch damage and pain onto her person. 

"Ah~!!"

Briefly, Asuka's eyes glossed over when Daigomi hit her, and she could not retain control of her body as she was sent flying backwards. When she hit the ground, her back skidded against it. She skidded back for a brief distance before stopping, a searing heat coursing through her back. But once she got her bearings, she gritted her teeth and forced herself up to the point she was sitting on one leg. She used her sword as a brace, breathing heavily. The wound on her torso didn't do much to help her situation.

"Keep going... you're still breathing, you can still fight..."

"You really are a stubborn one," Daigomi narrowed his eyes at Asuka, raising an extended palm as he readied to finish her off from a distance, "you really didn't need to place yourself and your people in danger. If you and your precious Sect just stayed in hiding we might not have seen you as a threat and spared you a little longer. But you just have to be unreasonable," with a cruel smile donned on his lips, he splayed his fingers out as he gathered the spirit energy necessary for the destructive yield he would produce, "any last words, Master of the Tamashī no Sonshitsu Arts?"

Asuka could've said anything at that point. She could have boasted that it wasn't over, even if he killed her. She could have begged him to spare her and let her retreat from the fight. She could have even remained silent in simple defiance. But as she regarded her enemy, with the blood spilling from her wounds, she didn't do any of those things. Instead, what seemed like the closing chapter of her life would be ended with a rather humorous statement.

"...your fly's undone..."

"Bitch..."

VRRROAAAR!

Within an instant of the retaliatory remark Daigomi gave to his opponent, he released a pillar of destructive Spiritual Energy towards Asuka. Racing with enough force to tear off some of the face of the Kidō Corps corridor walls and flooring as it moved to totally erase her, as well as damage the barrier behind her. 

But...something unexpected occurs within the moment it strikes at her position.

VRRRWHOOOSH!

A thunderous column of wind and kinetic force slam into the face of the raw discharge of Spirit Energy, causing it to dissipate within a flash of light and a thundercrack like affect. While Asuka would be knocked over, a pair of arms would grab her and hold her in a bridal style. The uniform would be similar to a Soul Reaper's with the standard Shikhakushō but with an additional kama skirt over his standard reaper slacks, a pair of tower clogs, and a black Haori-like coat with two swords crossing over its back. The face of Kaien Shiba, looking on with a challenging grin and a smirk, looked down to Asuka's form.

"You alright, sweetheart? You look pretty banged up," He asked in a comforting tone, as he tried to be empathetic to the wounded and weary woman.

Here was where Asuka's eyes widened in complete and utter surprise.

As she was scooped up into his arms, she immediately found herself staring into the facial features of someone they had all thought to be long dead. A faint and subtle blush tinted her face at the word "sweetheart", as well as the fact she was being held in such a manner. For the moment, she had abandoned the thought of her enemy as she looked at him. This wasn't just another ally. This was Kaien Shiba, a member of the Shiba clan and the ex-Lieutenant of the Gotei 13. He had died at the hands of a particularly nasty Hollow.

If that was the case, then how was here before her very eyes?

This was where she realized she might as well have been staring at him silently.

Innocently, she averted her gaze away from him. She closed her eyes and shook her head sagely, though she couldn't help but smile a little. "I'm very exhausted at the moment..." She said, pushing away her surprise for the time being. "But these wounds aren't mortal. I'll live..."

"You did well handling yourself against a foe such as him," Kaien said in an encouraging tone, setting her down onto her feet gently, placing a small capsule in her hand as he did so before he stood a meter of distance away from her, "but now I'm here, we stand a chance of holding him off," the supposedly dead, now alive warrior of the Soul Society spoke lowly, turning his steely gaze into Daigomi's as his left hand grasped the sheathe of his weapon readily, "and buy time for my other comrades to help your people..."

As he spoke, Asuka took the opportunity to take the pill after eyeing it for a brief moment. As she swallowed it, she felt the effects kick in almost immediately. The pain within her body began to subside, and the wounds inflicted on her person were slowly sealing. There was nothing but the blood that had exited her body, staining the blue of her shirt with a crimson red. She turned her gaze towards her enemy for a moment, keeping her sword lowered and readied. However, her tone was kept towards her momentary partner.

"What's the situation right now?" She asked, a bit apprehensive of the answer. Throughout the fight, she had felt the energy of several of her squadmates drop... and the most prominent was Angelika. The last time she had checked, the head leader of V-14 had been on the verge of death, and it almost rendered her heart frozen. "How bad are we looking?"

"Normally, D.C.O. is supposed to take direct initiative to protect the Soul Society before any of the Military Branches," Kaien spoke seriously, thumbing his Zanpakutō out of its sheathe but keeping it within, allowing for a quick draw, "but I did manage to get in contact with several of my colleagues around the Seireitei, the places of which you and a few select Gotei 13 members were located. We should be able to keep your teams alive, including Angelika Hartmann...-"

"Now isn't this interesting," Daigomi spoke aloud after analyzing the intruder and what his aim was, dragging the edge of his sword along the cracked corridor floor with a discomforting sound echoing the air, "and here I thought they were joking when they informed me who the special case of the Deep Cover Ops was, but I guess I was wrong. I guess they have no real morals about tampering with the dead, do they?!"

Kaien narrowed his eyes a faction, and audibly gritted his teeth as he stood fully to face the enemy before him, "Says the man who pretended to be a comrade when you were nothing more than a snake wearing the skin of a true friend. I know about you and what you've done, Daigomi Bandai, and..."

SHFT-SHIIINK-VOOM!!!

"...I won't forgive you for the atrocities you've committed today!" Kaien snarled out, after he moved. His body moved in a blinding Flash Step, arriving before his enemy in a crouched position, in a semblence to an Iaijutsu stance. Once he grasped the hilt of his Zanpakutō, a blinding light exited the sheathe as he exerted what could be referred to as an explosion of a hydrogen-fueled explosion, mingled with his cutting power and his Spiritual Power. The signs of one who's truly mastered one's Zanpakutō nature and its element, along with masterful swordsmanship prowess. 

Daigomi himself could barely exert enough Spiritual Pressure instinctively to protect himself from the blast, as he tumbled head over heels before skidding across the broken corridor flooring. With searing heat bubbling his skin, Daigomi glared wide-eyed at Kaien as he stood back up, regardless of the cells within his body already starting to regenerate, he didn't enjoy the pain of which he felt from the wounds inflicted. Readying himself, he lunged back to the offensive, intending to give them a taste of what his true power could bring upon their mortal forms...!

---

Anton's status transition to unstable had been abrupt, courtesy of a slip-up.

Throughout the course of the duel, he had managed to fight Valeur to a stand-still. But as skilled as he was, he didn't have the perfect defense. After what seemed like an eternity of battle, the Russian had made a small mistake in judgement upon a strike by the yellow spear. That was all it took for a blow to be landed upon his form and things to go downhill from there. All he could do was fight for a measly amount of time...

THUD!

...before his body collapsed onto the ground front-first.

That was the situation now. He was laying in a pool of his own blood, steadily bleeding out. Because of the nature of the spear, he couldn't even bring himself to stand. The effects from Shindō's lightning strike hadn't contributed much to his cause, either. He was officially at the mercy of his enemy.

"Ah, you're starting to feel the affects finally? You certainly are a sturdily built one, aren't you, Serah?" Valeur spoke thoughtfully, as he raised his Zanpakutō yellow spear in emphasis, "the power of my yellow spear, as you are now feeling, cuts through the natural bonds of the body's ability to heal properly. As long as you're within my area of sensory, or until my Zanpakutō is forcefully sealed or shattered...or if I am dead, you will continually to bleed out from the smallest of injuries, not matter what form of healing you preform as it will not be undone..."

Walking up to Anton's steadily bleeding out form, he twirled around and raised his red spear just above Anton's backside to where his heart would be, "But I'm not cold hearted. I will give you a painless death so you won't have to suffer much longer-"

SHFT!

"-what-"

SNATCH-SHFT!

"-is this?!" Valeur's eyes suddenly widened as the next moments flew by within slow motion. Before his eyes, he saw a blurring form of a young girl skidding directly over Anton's form. Grappling him within that same space of time, she blurred away, moving out of reach of his spears and direct contact of his attacks. Looking over, Valeur growled as he narrowed his eyes at the person who robbed him of his kill. 

She was a young girl, but the aura about her spoke bounds about her experience and her power hidden within her. As she looked down at Anton's form, she stroked her hands across his cheeks, trying to wake him up. However, after seeing no fruition coming to her from being empathetic...

SLAP-SLAP-SLAP...!

...she began to slap Anton back and forth across the face in a furious flurry in a comical effort to force him to be brought back into consciousness.

This time, she got a reaction.

"A-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!"

With the belief that Valeur wouldn't have done something as pointless as slapping him while in the midst of battle, Anton took it in mind that there was someone else slapping him. Instinctively, one of his hands reached out and grabbed her wrist in order to prevent her from delivering another painful blow. He glared at her in a comically psychotic rage, one of his eyes on a twitching storm. The absurdity of the situation overrode what would've been a terrible pain coursing through his system.

"What do you mean what's wrong with me?! What's wrong with you?!" Senna yelled back, her forehead protruding an angry vein as she wrenched her hand away from him, before pointing back to the pool of blood where he was laying back at formerly, "why were you allowing yourself to be defeated so easily?! Don't you have someone you're fighting to go see again?! HUH?!"

"Easy?!" Anton snapped, incredulous at her choice of words. "Of course you would call it easy!! You weren't even fighting the battle I just fought right now!! What, were you just hanging out in the background and munching on popcorn, waiting for the opportunity to just swoop in and--?!"

That was where he stopped his rant, his angry expression immediately regressing to one of complete surprise. "...wait a minute. Who are you, anyway?"

Senna face palmed herself, realizing she never met the man in person. Sliding her hand off her visage, she allowed herself to smile brightly, "My name is Senna. Senna Kasumiōji. I literally just got here when you fell flat on your face, so I wouldn't say I got a chance to witness your duel," looking down at his wound, she extended her left hand over the surface, lighting it up with a neon blue light as she examined it with a pair of furrowed brows, "and it seems you got cut by a constant bleeding wound. Normal methods won't work in healing won't work so..."

SFT-SFT-SFT-SFT-SFT-SFT-SFT!

"...this is probably going to hurt like hell, but I can't have you dying before we get you out of here," Senna spoke finally, after initiating a series of blindingly swift handsigns, before her hands glowed with a vibrant electrical flow. As she laid her hands down onto his wound, there was a slight tingling sensation, almost numbing...but then...

SSSSRRRRRRK!!!

...it lit all of his nerve endings interconnecting the wound, as she forcefully reconnected and healed the location of Anton's seemingly uncurable wound. The display would be both vibrant and would be painful, but it would be one of the only forms of Senna's known array of Healing Kidō she retained. For now, it will allow Anton to live...

The pain forced Anton to grit his teeth and let out a hiss, his body tensing under the unwelcome sensation. However, he refused to allow himself to scream. Although he hardly considered himself arrogant, he had his own limits and extent of pride. He did not want this girl to hear him vocalize weakness just so she could make fun of him later for it. It was simply beneath him.

But when it was over, he let out a light gasp and took in deep breaths. Beads of sweat had now formed on his face, and he was now looking at Senna with slight confusion. "Get out of here? I thought we were supposed to be holding enemy forces back! We have to keep pushing until we force them out of here!"

"Kidō Captain Hando is leaving the Kidō Archives and Library behind in exchange for evacuating the other personnel. We'll hold this guy off long enough so that we can confirm with my other comrades that your friends are able to withdraw," Senna explained as she helped Anton onto his feet, turning her head to see that Anton's opponent hadn't moved an inch to take advantage of the situation in the slightest, "and it seems you've chosen either the stupidest man to fight or one who takes nobility over opportunitism..."

This was where Anton saw an act of mercy.

Valeur had an opportunity to attack them both while they were distracted. But he hadn't, sticking to his code of honor rather than carrying out the orders of a soldier. It was something that could not be ignored, this act of battle-produced kindness. Sure, they would certainly have the advantage over him. But if he carried on with Senna at his side, it would break the respect that they had. Anton saw a worthy adversary in Valeur, despite their clear differences in belief. This was what would provoke him into saying his next words.

"Good... because I think this is the time to retreat." He said simply. "I'm done here..."

"Fine," Senna spoke with a nod, turning her head to look once more at the stoic gaze of Valeur for a form of confirmation. After seeing a nod from Valeur, Senna began running towards one of the exits, with Anton in tow as she would lead him to the reendevous point.

She could only hope the others were faring well enough to fight their way out, for she knew the other enemies would have less integrity than the likes of which they just dealt with...

______________________________________________________________________________________________

For Shadō, it had been only borrowed time that his enhanced senses and atmosphere of the battlefield that he had been able to push back the relentless, and seemingly eternal stamina driven enemy. While he had vastly used the dark to his advantage, as well as the unworldly power of the shadows to increase his effectiveness in combat, Shadō could only keep up with his target for so long at the intensity they've been battling.

It seemed her own senses had adapted within a short amount of time and had been fighting on even ground with him for the last few minutes, slowly but surely gaining ground, and pushing him back despite the layout of his battleground. It wasn't until she landed a few choice blows of slashes across his chest and back, as well as a kick to the jaw that he had been thrown clearly across the room and through a few of the towering bookshelves within the room they've been battling in.

Due to the unnatural non-output pores of her body, he had been unable to grab more than a "handful" of Spirit Energy from her in order to keep himself going. It felt like his body was burning up, starving from the need to empower himself further without any form of sustenance. Breathing heavily, he stood up on shaky legs as he raised his Zanpakutō once more and held it with both hands, though the blade itself rattled noisily because of it. 

It didn't help that Kameyo did not hold any shred of mercy within her, in contrast to Valeur.

WOOSH!

POW!

With another Flash Step and leg-supported kick, Kameyo sent her opponent crashing into the wall. The entirety of it nearly crumbled under the force of the collision, with several massive cracks forming within its foundation. As Kameyo lowered her leg and her swords, she slowly began to approach the spot where Shadō had crashed. Her stoic eyes showed no pleasure or disappointment, even as she watched him exhaust himself. There was no point in resenting how an enemy died or taking pleasure in their life being ripped away. Once she killed him, she would simply turn and walk away.

The dead always lost their charisma upon being born, after all...

Shadō could barely hold himself up on his knees, after with great exertion of pushing the slabs of the walls and splinters created by the bookshelves he careened through. With his eyesight darkening and his body shivering from exhaustion of physical and energy, he knew that death's door would be knocking soon. All he could see, between the flickering light, was the oncoming stoic and unmoved vision of a true errant of death. But he still held his eyes open for as long as he could, wanting to see the life he held so precious to himself flash before being taken away from him. 

But...

SHFT-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM!

...a blurring form, perfectly silent and moving with incredible speed interrupted Shadō's sight of the girl whom had relentlessly pounded away at his form. This entity moved with extreme precision and without hesitation, launching a one-handed three-prong barrage of fists towards her chest, intending on sending her spiraling away with the deft application of Hakuda he applied to her body. 

"You may not have this one, girl," A calm, menacing tone broke out as entity rose to his feet, draped in a long flowing black cloak over a black-blue-white jumpsuite with shoulder pauldrons and swords sheathed on either of his hips, "for he is my prey!"

And for the first time since the bout, Kameyo expressed surprise.

WOOSH!

A Flash Step took her from the reinforcement's blows and to safety. As she skidded away, her crimson eyes settled themselves onto the form of the new enemy that had arrived on scene. She took in everything she could about him, her mind analyzing her opponent. Already, she could safely assume that he had mastery in the arts of assassination, the demonstration of speed and power put within the movement a clear testament of Captain-class. In addition, the garb that he was wearing wasn't even that of the Gotei 13's uniform. Had she not known better, she would've assumed this to be an unknown element.

But she knew.

"So, the D.C.O. finally allow themselves to surface?" She questioned. "Only after their allies have suffered great casualties?"

"Don't misunderstand our intentions, little girl," Jōshōtsu spoke with cold, narrowed eyes that gleamed menacingly within what little light was left within the darkened Kidō Library, "this creature is not an ally of mine, and it isn't our concern who lives or dies while fighting for the betterment of the Soul Society. The only concern that you should have," the Shadow Captain spoke lowly, as his body began to walk slow and measured steps towards her he placed a hand on each side of his hips, grasping a pair of the four swords sheathed on his hips, "is how long can you live..."

SHIIIIIIINK!

"...under the prowess of a true Master of the Killing Arts!" He spoke aloud with a defined projection of incredibly focused Killing Intent, in sync with a pulsation of Spiritual Pressure wave that sent a disorienting blast across his front. Within that same projection, his body appear on either side of her, slicing with opposing pair of blades with masterfully employed sword strikes to her neck, arms, legs, and abdomen's flanks. 

CLANG!

His blades would clash against her own as she moved with him, sparks flying as the opposing metals collided. She flicked her wrists in order to parry what would've been two pairs of blades, using only two movements of her own. The distraction wave would not create a problem for her within either movement. In the short period of time that they clashed, she mentally marked off swordsmanship as another potential threat. At this point in time, it would've been right to assume that terminating him now was key.

But her orders were to take down the V-14 faction that had attacked Daigomi. No other targets had been selected. So as far as she was concerned, and despite her want to eliminate as much of the enemy as possible, she had no more reason to be here. The Gotei 13 were losing this fight, anyway. One person would not make a difference...

WOOSH!

As soon as she had parried, she performed another Flash Step to get herself away from him once more. Her form re-appeared briefly on a bookshelf nearby a hole in the wall before vanishing once more. This time, her spiritual pressure vanished from the area, as well. There was not a glance spared back or a word of reason to her opponents concerning her sudden retreat. She had left as quickly as she had come, leaving the two by themselves.

"So she left," Jōshōtsu spoke aloud, not from the two bodies that had been on either side of her former location, but from the smoke roiled area from which he flucuated his Spiritual Pressure. Jōshōtsu hadn't even moved a step, but allowed his illusion to play out before his enemy's senses so he could observe her movements. However, it appeared she had no desire to stay, allowing him to dispell the two bodies within a puff of violet-black mist as he sheathed his own swords as he returned to the barely living Shadō, "it doesn't matter. Within another hour, the true bulk of the Inner Circle's forces will raze this place if we continue to fight against them. And as much as I distaste this," Jōshōtsu hissed slightly as he bent his knees, and grasped Shadō's inert form, placing him over his shoulder with one arm without effort as a testament of his physical strength, looking back where his former opponent had momentarily appeared before leaving altogether, "we will need every warrior at our disposal, both of good and evil nature, before this is over..."

______________________________________________________________________________________________

"You know, it may be just me," Choku spoke with a casual sigh, leaning against the wall perpindicular to the room that the battle had migrated to, his Fullbring blade tapping the side of his shoes. Despite a few scratches and scuff marks here and there, Choku looked as if he hadn't suffered much damage from his encounter between the two dangerous entities of the infamous mercenary band, "but I think both of you bit off more than you could chew..."

"Fuck...you..." Hyōryū huffed out, as her body had scalding burns across her arms, legs and part of her chest, even her cheek showed it. The result of constant blasts being ricocheted or energy discharges being flailed towards her had eventually taken its toll and she fell victim to Choku's versatile employment of his Fullbring's energies. She knew she could always keep fighting, but at the rate she was going, she knew she will slip up sooner or later...

Oliver wasn't doing any better.

Although he hadn't dealt with the problem of exhaustion, he had suffered the brunt of the assault compared to his compatriot. His chest was a burned, bleeding mess, with several slash marks on whatever skin fortunate enough to escape being scalded. The extent of his injuries were severe enough that the hands carrying his pistols had started to shake against his will. It was his mere fury and willpower that was still holding him up... and even that didn't prove to be much worth to him at this point.

BANG!

A shot fired in response to Choku's jeer ended up missing by a mile due to his muddled vision, which was flickering in and out. His narrowed eyes were wavering, and his teeth were clenched to the point of where one could fear that they would shatter under the pressure.

"Oh?" Choku looked up, a glint of bemusing nature came across his glasses and eyes as he watched Oliver struggle to keep on his feet, "I'm imagining you're at the peak of your tolerance for your pain and the blood loss. Its sad that anyone considered you a threat, Oliver Holmes, the Black Eagle. Either the RAC was just plain stupid, or you were a completely different person back then..."

Getting up from where was leaning, he began to walk to Oliver's direction, scraping his blade against the floor...

SHFT-SLASH!

...before moving with a deft employment of Bringer Light, slashing across Hyōryū's chest, causing her eyes to widen suddenly and her mouth to gurgle. Within an instant, she fell down to her knees, with a splash of blood oozing out onto the ground before she fell onto her side, convulsing and coughing from the instanteous wound inflicted onto her person. 

"One down," Choku looked over casually to Oliver, scraping his blade once again onto the flooring as he approached him, a menacing reflection passed over his glasses as his body began to approach his target one step at a time, "don't worry, Mr. Holmes. I'll make sure you will feel every moment of your existence pass by as you lay bleeding and reflecting upon the horrors you've committed over your brief life..."

Time stopped.

Oliver's eyes dilated as he saw Choku divert his attention. In that one moment, the entire situation had fallen apart. He saw the man bring himself over to Hyōryū. He saw him raise the blade up over the hapless gunslinger. But even as he attempted to swing his pistol to shoot down his target, there was nothing that he could do. He could only stand and watch as the Dog struck her down like a cat killing a mouse. Soon enough, he would share that fate.

"No..."

He collapsed to his knees, all of his energy having been ripped away from him at the sight of Hyōryū laying on the ground. His two pistols clattered to the ground, his hands laying limp on the ground. If he had the senses of the empowered races, maybe he would have know. But now, all he could do was assume that she had died. He had failed to preserve her life, as well as his own.

Karitori and Mōka were right. All he would ever amount to being is a dog without bite.

"It wasn't supposed to end like this..." He whispered, bowing his head. "We were supposed to win... go back home and celebrate... I was supposed to look after the lives of my teammates... this wasn't supposed to happen..." He placed his hands on the sides of his head, fingers clutching at the scalp. "No, no, no, no, no...!!"

That was when the unexpected happened.

From Oliver's body, a light amount of spiritual pressure began to exert itself and fill the area. At first, it was something only to be lightly noticed. But as the seconds passed on, the pressure slowly began to build up. It seemed like Oliver himself hadn't noticed, having not moved from his position. But he had also stopped his rambling, showing that he had least taken notice of the new development to some extent.

That's when Choku stopped his approach just as suddenly. 

"What the Hell is going on?!" Choku thought as his modified glasses began to pick up a large abnormality growing within Oliver. What began as something as small and insignificant began to be projected at a slow inclining rate, with a slight silver aura building up around Oliver's body, "why is he exerting Spiritual Pressure?! He shouldn't have any Spirit Energy! What's going on?!"

What is it that you want?

Power began to overwhelm Oliver's senses, and it wasn't long before he found himself slowly rising to his feet. The energy had grown so powerful that it now was visible, rising as high as the level of Captain-class. By then, Oliver's body began to radiate a brilliant silver color of an aura, his hair billowing under the intensity of the winds.

Tell me what I need to do in order to soothe that violent pain of yours...

One of his free hands twitched slightly.

"I want... to annihilate this man. I want... to destroy him.... and the power that overrules him. I want... to protect... her... my fellow comrades... our allies... I don't want this to happen... please... help me take it away..."

As you have wanted, so it shall be... master...

As if guided by a second mind, Oliver swung that hand up so that the palm would be facing Choku. Then, a brief flash...

BOOM!

...before a violent release of energy was set upon Choku's location. It was an unfocused blast, causing heavy collateral damage to the area around them. However, it would still be enough to cripple, if not severely wound the target.

Choku's eyes could only widen as the Spiritual Pressure rose so high, he felt his body skid back on its heels and his muscles constrict to the point of paralysis. The lenses on his glasses cracked from the level of intensity Oliver's Spiritual Pressure rose, and the sick feeling of Killing Intent could be plainly felt from Choku's enemy. He could barely lift his Fullbring sword up to his enemy's direction as Oliver raised his hand, pulsating with raw potent Spiritual Power...

"NGGGGRAAAAH!" Before he felt himself be flung back from the enormous burst of Spiritual Energy, yelling out in pain as the silver aura burning away his clothes and shattering the blade of his Fullbring weapon, and sending him hurtling across the room and indenting him deep into the reinforced Kidō created wall. After coughing out a wad of blood and saliva, Choku's glasses fell off and his head bobbed down as his consciousness faded into blackness. Though he didn't feel death, his body certainly felt broken and scarred from the explosion...

This would suffice for the spirit.

Upon the release of the energy and the aftermath of the attack unleashed, the hand that had outstretched was now the hand that wielded a sword - one that had spawned within the attack's mist. To start it off, a black hilt decorated with diamond shapes going in a vertical pattern to the guard. The guard itself was similar to a double-edge three-prong, yellow in color. The blade was shaped similarly to a greatsword, with three slim and rectangular holes at the bottom. For a moment, he regarded the weapon with clear confusion.

Then, he recognized it.

It was the very blade he had carried in his Aethean days. It was the weapon that had been feared by his very enemies, alongside of his guns. Possibly, it was one of the reasons that the Inner Circle had claimed to notice him for their services, although he could chalk up that claim to be nothing more than a means for taunt and intimidation. He stared at it with wonder, momentarily forgetting his surroundings.

Then, it hit him.

"Hyōryū!"

He spun his head around in the direction of the fallen woman. As quickly as he could, he staggered his way towards her. Once he made his way to her side, he fell down to one knee and reached with his free hand to feel for a pulse. Inwardly, he was praying that Choku hadn't succeeded in making her another casualty, that the Inner Circle would not gloat about any casualties made towards their enemies.

Thankfully, luck would smile on him.

He could feel a pulse - faint, but present.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, the man reached under her form and scooped her up in her arms. "C'mon, sis..." He said, his tone weary but empathetic towards her plight. "Ruso would be pissed if he knew that I let you get killed..."

"Oliver!!"

His words seemed to have tempted fate, for the Russian's voice could be heard a distance away. He turned his head around to see the source of the voice a distance away. Anton was waving an arm in the air in a beckoning gesture, a look of relief on his face. But as the blonde came closer, it momentarily faded to alarm. It was only natural. As the distance was closed, he could also make out the figure of a smaller and feminine form dressed in an attire contrasting from what the Gotei 13 wore. He most certainly didn't recognize her, and he doubted Anton did, either. So who was she?

"So you're still in one piece..." Oliver summarized, attempting to put a casual tone within his voice. However, it was overshadowed by his weariness "Figured you would be." He spared a glance towards the girl. "Who's this?"

"Nice manners, Mister Charming," Senna rolled her eyes as she spoke sarcastically with initiative, she crossed her arms over her chest as she regarded Oliver, "my name is Senna Kasumiōji, Deputy Captain of the Sword Squad. I came to help your red blooded friend here from bleeding out on the floor like a weakling. However, we caught a break and happened to have some time to check on you guys on how you're doing," Senna answered casually, but couldn't help but to have difficulty averting her gaze from the Zanpakutō within his hand, "and since when did you have such an elegant weapon in your hands?"

Had it not been for the pointing out of the weapon, Anton would've gladly fired back a retort at the D.C.O. operator. He turned surprised eyes towards the said weapon. But what shocked him was not the fact that Oliver was holding it, but the fact that it was radiating a considerable amount of energy. More importantly, it was radiating the same signature coming from Oliver himself. But such traits only came from the likes of Zanpakuto and their owners. He blinked, his eyes widening out of realization.

Oliver's next words confirmed it.

"Just a relic from my past..." He stated bluntly. "Now as much time as I want to spend gabbing at the mouth with you, I'm very fucking tired and I've got someone who's about to bleed out at any second!"

"W-Why didn't you say so!" Senna's eyes went wide and her tone changed immediately, seeing the wounded woman in Oliver's arms she realized how much danger she really was in. Moving quickly to Oliver's side, she spread out her hands and created a neon blue glow from her palms, emanating a soothing and constant pulse of healing Spirit Energy. Within a matter of minutes, Hyōryū's wound would be closed and they would be able to move to safety. 

"I just hope that we can keep this rate up...and hope no one else might suffer a worse fate..." Senna thought as she felt a bead of sweat crawl down her scalp at the shivering fear of losing someone whom she would be trying to save.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Yajū may not admit it, but he knew he had been slowing done a fraction at a time. 

Throughout the battle with this Fullbringer, he knew that it was only a matter of time before he would feel the bite of an injury. While his ferocity and animal-like senses have allowed him to stay one step ahead of the talented warrior, he knew it was only a matter of time before the swift and skilled man would catch up with him.

Yajū often thrived off of his wounds, making his attacks stronger and his bloodthirst greater, so it was only inevitable...when he would be open to an incoming slash from the young man...and scathe his cheek as he attempted to dodge it. 

SHINK-SPLURCH!

"Fuck!" Yajū snarled out as he felt his jaw burn up, as the edge of the blade struck his flesh. While it didn't do much damage, Yajū knew that whatever this human had been up to for the entirety of the battle, he had finally achieved it. To repay the favor, he swung his leg as his enemy would pass by him, intending on hurtling his opponent across the room and cause some much desired damage to him. 

As much of a fatal move as it was for Yajū, it was the best moment that Tenshina had within the fight. With a Bringer Light movement, he brought himself away from his enemy with a zealous eagerness. This was the moment that he had been waiting for, the part where had been fighting so hard to reach. With that one slash, his enemy was now under his mercy. But unfortunately for Yajū, Tenshina wasn't feeling all too merciful right now.

The next words he would say would trigger it.

"Oh, that looks like a nasty mark I made on you..." He said casually. "And it was only a glancing blow, too. I wonder just what I could do when I actually chop something off?" These were not just words of taunt. They would trigger a reaction within Yajū's brain, provoking a fear response. It would be a fear of getting injured, the fear of death... and the fear of battle. It was the perfect counteraction.

"Wh-What is this...feeling...?" Yajū felt his brain suddenly do something to his nerves. A feeling that tingled throughout the recesses of his body, producing a copious amount of sweat to preforate from his pores. He felt himself, against his will, take a step back, and then another, "why am I...so afraid of this guy...all of a sudden?"

"You realize it, don't you?"

To feed the effect, Tenshina continued feeding the man. "I've been taking it easy on you..." He spoke, a bit of haughtiness within his conversational tone. "I wanted to see how far you could carry yourself before I got serious... but now I'm getting bored." He raised the blade, putting on a satisfied smirk as he looked at his target. "It's time to put an end to this game..."

Another Bringer Light, and he was behind his target. His arm pulled itself back, swinging down upon his shoulder with another slice.

SHINK-SPLURCH!

Unlike before, Yajū's senses were slightly muddled with the unusual sense of fear within him. It was as if that his "Fight or Flight" response turned into a sense of self preservation but couldn't find a way to enact it. In other words, all Yajū could do was turn his head back to look with horror as his back was slashed into deeply, causing him to stumble across the air before descending down onto the ground level, but still held his ground. To him, the injury was nothing, but the way the man talked about how he was toying with him and the unusual sense of fear...

Yajū clenched his jaw and snarled past his body's insistance of fear, his eyes glaring hotly at him, "What the fuck did you do to me?!"

"Oh, nothing much..." Tenshina's grin grew wide, and he gave a light shrug of his shoulders. "I took all of those years you had to harden yourself to the warfare you love so much, and I brought you down to the civilian's level. As far as you're concerned, you're nothing but a civilian who's just been given a gun and made to fight against special forces. Just like I said before, Yajū..."

His eyes narrowed.

"My bitch."

"HRRRRRRRR!!!!" Yajū couldn't help but feel an overwhelming rage take over. While his body refused to move and his instincts refused to operate at full capacity, his mind began to snap. The man's eyes began to glow a bright red and his scythe began to rattle, giving off an ominous and dark Spiritual Pressure as it did so, "you fucking insect! Using your powers to manipulate people like that...so cowardly! Instead of killing me, ripping me apart, or torturing me...THIS is your trump card?! YOU ABSOLUTE ASSHOLE!!!!!"

VRRRROAAAAAAR!!!!

His body consumed in a thick aura of violet-black Spiritual Power, his demonic scythe began to howl alongside him, as a shockwave of pure energy blasted the entirety of the room they stood in. The shockwave created deep recesses within the ceiling, walls and flooring below, as Yajū slowly but surely walked towards his opponent, despite the muscular contractions that were forcefully caused by his enemy. Even if it would kill him, he would fight him with his rage and overcome this foreign fear that wasn't his own creation.

TSEW!

SLICE-SLICE!

The said opponent would use another Bringer Light to take up a position behind Yajū and swing again. His blade would stab through the center of the chest and come out the other side before exiting forcefully out the flank. This would leave a deep gash, one that would stagger even the likes of Yajū.

"Your anger, and your fear. All of it is clouding your judgement, perception, and prediction..." Tenshina said, regressing to a smoother tone. "You cannot think, and you cannot perceive my moments clearly enough to defend yourself. You may attempt to treat this infection as it is... a foreign substance flowing through your body. But the fear and the phobia that grips you right now? It's yours, and it always will be. I am not your enemy anymore. I am your nightmare..."

SLICE!

With another cruel swipe, he cut through the section of Yajū's leg where the kneecap was, all the way to the very bone itself.

"GAK! HURK!" Yajū felt himself lose his sight on what was reality and what was illusion. The mindless rage, which had often induced fear into others, merely blinded himself to his enemy's true intentions. After landing the two staggering blows, Yajū felt himself fall to his other knee as he grasped his wound with his free hand, but still held his scythe with a shaking hand. Looking over he looked at his enemy with blood-stained baring teeth, feeling absolutely humiliated and angry for both himself and the unfortunate circumstance of being pitted against the likes of Bokujin, "damn...you..."

"Too late for that..." Tenshina whispered darkly, a momentary scowl crossing his face. Slowly, he raised his blade over his head, holding the hilt within both of his hands. He was going to perform a decapitation swing, hoping to make the man's death quick and painless. The additional wounds had only been applied due to the fact of the man's stubbornness. But now that he was down, he could end it. "And now, you die..."

He swung.

SNATCH!

"No," a voice came suddenly as the presence directly perpindicular to Tenshina's sword arm, along with a swift hand that grasped Bokujin's wrist with a nigh unbreakable grip. What he would see would a young man, with a cool gaze fixated upon him with both disdain and composure. His outstretched hand mimicked tattoos that were hidden behind a matte black head band wrapped around his forehead, showing off his widows-peak style crimson hair ponytail. All in all, he wore the trappings that appeared of a Soul Reaper, but in additional he wore what looked like a crimson coat that was equally proportionate to a Haori, with black borders shrouding over it, "I think you've done enough to him as it is, Fullbringer..."

"W-what the--?!"

Tenshina's expectations would be ruined once he felt the hand of what would be Yajū's savior and heard the words speak out to him. His eyes immediately directed themselves towards the one who held him, a mixture of confusion and bewilderment on his own face. He hadn't expected reinforcements to come, having fought the course of his battle alone. So it was natural that his heart skipped a beat at seeing the man standing beside him. Who exactly was this particular character...?

"L-let go of me..." He managed to regain his voice after a brief silence, a bit of anger mixed in with his shock.

"Sure," Renji spoke in a flat tone, but his grip tightened in contradiction to his verbal agreement. With a steely gaze that spoke bounds of his knowledge of what had occured throughout the battle Bokujin just had with Yajū, he merely blinked. 

And then...he moved.

WHOOSH!

Moving with a fluid, blinding speed while using the momentum of the grapple he had on Bokujin, he spun his hips around and threw the human directly across the room, intending on utilizing enough force to indent him into the wall nearby, while causing a buffeting wind in excess of his monsterous strength. When he returned to his upright postrue, his indifferent stare spoke volumes of how effortlessly he employed his martial art technique against his opponent. 

"There," Renji spoke in a clearly mocking tone, his hand raised out in a beckoning gesture to his opponent, "I let you go, just as you asked."

BOOM!

"GAK--!!"

Tenshina shut his eyes and grit his teeth as he slammed into the wall back first, collapsing onto his rear. Shaking his head violently in order to quickly force out what would've been a heavy daze, he scrambled back on to his feet. His back now had a severe and throbbing ache courtesy of the force unleashed, and his form was slightly hunched over because of it. But he had been taught to withstand such punishment. A throw wouldn't kill him. Still, that did nothing to appease his apprehension.

"This guy's strong, too..." He thought to himself. "I could fight against him if I had the room to, but if he managed to come here, then that means their forces are attempting to regroup. Who knows how many reinforcements are on their way right now, and who knows how strong they might be. I'm not about to risk my life trying to end someone else's..."

"No..."

With a twist of the sword, Tenshina shifted it back to its balisong form. He gave a heavy breath, glaring at Renji. "You have bigger problems to worry about now..." He said to the beckoning gesture. "That man used to be warrior, a hardened veteran of combat who embraced its nature to the fullest. Now, I wouldn't even be surprised if he was afraid of you right now, simply because you're participating in it. So consider this your grace period. My job's done here..."

"Then fix it," Renji spoke plainly, crossing his arms as he stared at him blankly, as if it was a simple matter for the Fullbringer to achieve, "you've proven your point to him and you've already beaten him to near death, it shouldn't be a problem for you to undo what's done. Otherwise, I'll have to kill you. After all," he then spoke in a dark tone, but kept his composure all the same as he glared daggers at him, "that's the only way to undo a Fullbringer's affects permanantly, right?" 

"And what makes you think I'll just undo it?" Tenshina sneered, glaring right back into those eyes with defiance. "Maybe you don't understand it, Shinigami. But this is war. I don't have obligations to appeal to the enemy. You're better off running to your medics and hope that they can fix the psychological damage done, if they're not too busy killing their own side." He turned on his heel, facing away from the two. "Farewell, and then die."

TSEW!

With that being said, he vanished from the area.

"Tch, what a hardass," Renji huffed, placing his pinky into his left ear as he idly cleaned it as he noticed he left, "chasing him now would be pointless, not when he knows where all his goons are hiding. Well, whatever, I still got my own issues," looking down at Yajū, he bent down on his knees and scooped the wounded man up and over his his shoulder, "got to get this guy back to HQ and quick, before he dies of blood loss..."

Tap-Click!

"Hey guys, this is Renji," the Deep Cover Ops agent spoke over his implanted communique tranciever, broadcasting to all of the agents deployed, "I got the last of 'em here. He appears to be pretty banged up, and from my guess, he may be the worst of the group. I'm gonna start heading on back and meet you back at the reendevous...Renji out..." 

______________________________________________________________________________________________

It was about this time when everyone had appeared to have picked up their respective assigned parties, that the focus had been returned to the V-14's Team Leader, Asuka. 

When Daigomi had decided to take on both the Master Swordsman, whom now had been revived back into fighting shape within moments, and now the Sword Squad Captain, Kaien Shiba, he now felt he was being pressured. Throughout the battle of synchronized and collesced attacks and counters, Daigomi could feel himself losing a little part of himself each encounter. Much as he hated to admit it, they made an incredible duo...and it was all the harder to fight them...

"HAAAAH!" Daigomi shouted out, as he unleashed yet another raw potent blast of Spiritual Energy towards the two, hoping to catch them both within its blast radius and end them right then and there. To make matters worse, Daigomi had ascended to the ceiling and widened the radius of affect to make sure evasion would be near impossible for them.

However, Kaien already formulated a plan in his mind for a scenario just as this...

"Asuka-san!" Kaien spoke aloud quickly, spreading his legs out and raised his sword in preparation, "preform a Tamajutsu counter! NOW!" 

He didn't need to tell her twice. She positioned herself, thrusting her sword at the focal point of the blast as soon as it came within reach. As it collided with her sword, she braced herself against the intense winds created. Once again, she unleashed the wrath of her sword style upon Daigomi's form and held nothing back. She was a little bit skeptical of Kaien's request, but she knew better than to question an ally. He knew what he was doing.

Daigomi found himself on the recieving end of an incredible lash of psychic pain running through his extended arm. However, he kept projecting the energy, even as it wafted down below and began billowing out to both directions of the corridor, sending an incredible blast to rip apart the faces of the Kidō Corps' rooms.

But...that is when, Kaien preformed his own swordsmanship technique...

Grasping the hilt of his sword with both hands, he thrust it in a straight vertical preformance, as if he offtered his blade to the heavens themselves. It was then what Asuka would notice in her peripherary vision that a blurring form of an immense Spiritual and Inner force would surge out of his blade, through his whole body up his arms, causing what would look like a geyser of destructive power to thrust into the constantly reflected energy Asuka created...

"Kanketsusen!" (間欠泉, kanketsusen; Jap Lit Translation, "Geyser.")

The result would be extranomical. 

SSSSSSCRACK-BOOM!!!

Combined with the searing Tamajutsu energy disorienting Daigomi with incredible pain and sudden rise of incredible swordsmanship power, Daigomi had nowhere to go. His eyes widened as the pillar of energy was split in half, and the geyser struck him fully on the chest, sending him spiraling up through the roof of the Kidō corridor. The sound of the blast would send a large neon colored shockwave of precipitated spirit energy, flowing down each partition of the ruined Kidō rooms, as well as creating a rainbow-like mist from the lights still intact of the Kidō base. 

Daigomi had been successfully driven back.

The end result caused Asuka to whistle, impressed by the display. She lowered her sword to her side, placing a free hand onto her hip. "Wouldn't want to be him right now, even with his regenerative abilities..." She commented, looking over to Kaien. She meant it too - flying through the air and a roof like that seemed rather painful. She was glad that Kaien was on her side.

"That'll stall him for awhile," Kaien sighed with relief, cleaning his sword on the edge of his coat, promptly sheathing his blade with a defined click as he turned to Asuka, "and it seems from the way of things, your team successfully made it out in one piece. I think our task here is done...for now, at the least."

"Angelika..."

The man's words brought back the memory of the one who had possibly suffered the worst injuries out of the entire group. With her senses, she had been able to feel each of the energies as they momentarily and chronically plummeted. That was a clear sign that they, as well as the rest of the Seireitei's forces, had been pushed back by the Inner Circle. The Dragons had not been lying when they said they weren't holding back anymore....

Her casual look changed to one of slight alarm and concern. "The D.C.O. is moving survivors to a safer location, right?" She asked, sheathing her sword and clasping her hands together out of worry. "Please, take me to them. I need to see if my colleagues are all right!"

"That's where I'm taking you, my darling," Kaien spoke flirtatiously, chuckling before nodding to her with a serious gaze, "you're going to come with me to world of shadows. The place where our organization resides, separate from the Spiritual Realms and the World of the living. That is where we will go," he finished declaratively, he extended his right hand for hers to take, "let us go, Asuka-san..."

"Right..." It was without hesitation that Asuka grasped the hand that she was given, a grateful smile on her face. "I'm right behind you..."

Old Wounds Unbound! Return of the Master!

SPLUUURCH!

It was at this moment that Sazuke fell to unconsciousness. The amount of wounds done to her body drove her to the brink of her tolerance, high as it was for even her, without any form of protection of her durable body. With cuts that slashed all over her form, her body suit became shredded and her form near bare, shy of her chest and waistline. Her hair undone and her mask shattered, Sazuke's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she fell to her knees and then crunched onto the ground. 

Sazuke, the Demon Flash of the Onmitsukidō, has been defeated. 

"Phew..."

Up in the sky, the still masked Rushifa popped his neck to the side and then back into place, the crack on his mask getting a bit bigger at a slow, and yet progressive rate. He still retained that calm and yet menacing tone that he always projected in times of violence and war, slinging his sword over his shoulder and walking away casually towards the remains of Seireitei.

"That's one down..." he said calmly, taking a few seconds to glance at his surroundings. "...and a few more to go."

Down, but not out.

Even with her muddled senses, Brina could feel the spiritual signature that had not yet faded from Sazuke's person. Fortunately, it didn't mean that she would have to give up her chance to kill her designated quarry. After all, Sazuke was a member of the Onmitsukidō and had been subject to intense training to harden the mind from such attacks. She could guarantee that this would not break her. But it also meant that she would have to prepare herself better the next time they faced.

She coughed, grimacing as she tried to force herself up into a sitting position. There was enough room made in the indent of the cliffside that she could sit or lay down freely without any worry of getting cramped. But it wasn't exactly the most comfortable - especially with her wounds. "You would think that medical aid would be faster than anything else..." She muttered to herself, holding her stomach as she searched around. It seemed that the ATG Wasp was taking its time getting here.

But, then...

"Oxide, this is Disciple, we're entering your airspace right now and we have a fix on you in the radar. Can you spot us?"

"Oh, thank god..."

As she took her eyes to the skies, she could see that an aircraft was indeed making its way to her position. She gave a weak nod, vocalizing her confirmations to the commanding officer "Oxide". "Yeah, I have a visual on you."

"Just sit tight. We'll come to you. Out."

"Well..." Rushifa said as he came closer to Brina, still in his same pose as he crouched down in front of her. "I'd say you're alright...but yeah, you look pretty bad. I told you you'd end up like this at your current level..."

The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes, taking her hand off of her earpiece and lowering her arm to her side. "You can make fun of me for this later..." She groaned. "You know, when my kidney, liver and stomach are back in their proper place..." It was an exaggerated comment, but not too far off from the actual extent of internal injury.

"Look on the bright side," he continued, briefly ruffling her hair. "Least this hunk of dirt is going to be your gang's turf soon."

However, their victory would be short lived.

"I wouldn't celebrate so soon," an ominous, guttural tone came from behind Rushifa. Having been able to sneak up on the two of them without sensation or feeling, the entity garbed in a long black trench coat and black bandana. With an elongated scar running up and down his jawline, he smiled wryly as he looked at the two of them, "because you won't have this place for long...scum!"

"!!!"

Brina abruptly snapped her head in the direction of the voice, surprise over taking her briefly. It could have been because of her dazed senses at the moment and the fact that she was trying to stay awake. But the man had appeared without warning or her being able to pick him out in time. At first, he was under the assumption that he would attack. But upon hearing his words, she relaxed a little. That alone told her he was only here to reinforce the area, not challenge them.

Well, Rushifa anyway...

"...oh... so there are still a few of you scurrying around, is there?" She murmured, putting on a mock tone of disappointment and an expression to match. "I guess our soldiers got a little bit too carefree..."

"That's cute...that's really cute." Rushifa said, turning around to fully face the being with his sword still on his shoulder. "I just happened to get through saying something about taking this place and then some shit pops up telling me otherwise. That's real adorable."

"Cute banter, mutt," Shijū smiled toothily as he regarded Rushifa fully, "I guess you really don't care what happens to that woman behind you, or what could happen to that transport just above us. It'd be a real problem if something stopped it from transporting your mortally injured lover from the battlefield, now wouldn't it?"

At that moment, Brina knew better than to let her surprise overwhelm her.

Although it was a possibility that he knew, there was also the fact that he could just be taking shots in the dark just to get reactions from the both of them. She didn't allow herself to be moved by his statement about the two being lovers in order to not give Shijū the satisfaction of having his statement confirmed. However, the notice of the aircraft did cause her to turn her gaze upwards.

Sure enough, there it was. She had rarely seen one of the things up close, so she was a bit interested in what she saw. It had the body similar to a fly, with what appeared to be hardened biomass in contrast to the exoskeleton actual insects possessed. A pair of rimmed rotary blades were on the sides were the legs would have been, steadily spinning in the air. At its back was a dorsal fin, apparently to help it maintain balance. It could be a rather frightening sight for those who saw it for the first time.

"Oxide, we're picking up foreign heat signatures within your area. Requesting permission to engage."

"No, hold your fire!" Knowing better than to risk her transport and the lives of those within, Brina refused the request. She knew that they wouldn't be able to acquire a lock-on if they attempted to attack. "Do not engage!"

Then, she turned her attention back towards Shijū. "Do not try and assume we would be intimidated by such bluffs. We both know that if you attack, all you'd be doing is starting a fight. If you wanted that, you would've attacked us instead of trying to make a grand entrance like any careless enemy would do. So why haven't you?"

"Sides'..." Rushifa added as he tilted his head up slightly, his black mask grinning slightly. "Even if you did shoot it down. It won't matter. It's pretty foolish of you to think that something like that would be considered a setback."

"The Captain," Shijū spoke pointedly, his eyes narrowed and his smile dropped, "I'm here to recover her. Allow me to do so and a fight won't break out. You can get your wounds tended and you can walk away from this without a fuss. That's my bargain."

"Five points for me..." Despite herself, Brina allowed a weak smirk to cross her face. "Oh, is that all?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "Go on and take her. At the very least, I hope she becomes dead weight to you..." Inwardly, she hoped that she really hadn't been crippled by Rushifa's mind attack. But she didn't discard that possibility completely.

SHINK!

"It pains me to hear you say that, even after all this time," an unmistakeably recognizeable voice would whisper aloud so Brina could hear. The nostalgic yellow-black stinger vambrace blade pressed up against Brina's jugular vein with the woman's other hand grasped onto Brina's hair, making sure she couldn't turn her head away nor move in a way to counter her. As she finished her words, they came out as both venomous and guttural as one would expect, "Brina..."

That was when Brina's smile was wiped off of her face, her expression abruptly changing to one of shock.

She let out a slight hiss as her hair was was pulled, the slight movement of her body sending another wave of pain through her. She let out a choked gasp, the reality of her situation once again hitting her like a flying brick. She didn't have much longer to live, true to Shijū's word. But it wasn't that she was concerned about. She had expected any other to restrain her like this. But she never would've assumed that old memories would come back to haunt her. A shaky smile came to her face, bittersweet.

"S-sensei... i-it's been a w-while, hasn't it...?"

Suì-Fēng had come to the rescue.

"Man...." Rushifa groaned as his right eye glanced over to the bluish lavender haired woman. "I was about to agree to these terms until you popped up. Couldn't you like, I dunno, back off maybe? You're not really helping me here."

"Consider it a wholehearted agreement on your part," Suì-Fēng spoke aloud, ignoring the words of her old pupil-turned-traitor, "we give something you want, and you allow us to take something we want. Fair trade?"

"Well, regardless if you think its fair or not, we're taking her," Shijū spoke, having a Flash Clone appear from his own shadow to scoop up the bleeding and prone Sazuke, allowing the prior to remain stationary as he nodded to them, "you can let her go now, Suì-Fēng."

Suì-Fēng nodded, letting go of Brina's scalp and releasing her Zanpakutō, but not until she left a distinct butterfly mark onto her neck. As Suì-Fēng Flash Stepped with ease to her superior's side, she turned her ponytailed head to Brina, giving her a cold stare as she explained, "Consider that my invitation to your demise. The next time we meet, Brina, you will die by that mark. As long as I live, I will always keep that there," reaching into the depths of her long-coat uniform, she upraised a cube into her left hand, clicking what looked like a button, causing a blinding light to emanate from it, "remember that, Brina McTavish...!"

SSSSSSSSHOOOM!

And with a thunderous echo of light and sound, the three disappeared. And thus the full scale retreat went into affect for all able bodied fighters of the Soul Society's Military. The Inner Circle had won the Soul Society...for now.

"Well...." Rushifa said in a lower tone, his mask now willingly beginning to disspate as he looked back at Brina with a slight bit of empathy in his gaze. "Her being here was convienient, huh?"

What he would see was a rather weary and saddened gaze within those artificial blue eyes. The girl in question reached up to place a hand onto the spot where the mark was left. "Yeah..." She muttered quietly. "I guess so..."

It hurt.

It wasn't the sensation she had felt when the stinger had been poked into her neck, but rather the fact that her former mentor had chosen to leave the mark there in the first place. Unlike Sazuke, she didn't hold a resentment or hatred towards her. In the recent events beforehand, they had seemed to warm up to one another and rekindle at least a little of their bond they had. But now, it had seemed like Suì-Fēng had disregarded her entirely, regarding her completely as an enemy. There was no more mercy, no more hesitation. There was nothing more than the mind of an assassin behind those eyes.

"I've really fallen out of your favor, haven't I?"

Then, the sound of rotating blades brought her out of her reverie.

She directed her weary gaze up just in time to see the the Wasp hover down to their level, the back hatch opening up to expose the passenger carrier within. It moved as close as possible to her, keeping a steady position in the air as it came mere inches away from actually touching the cliff face. She pulled herself up to her feet, having to grasp onto the rocks to steady herself. "G-guess that's my ride out of here..." She muttered, shutting her eyes tight in an effort to push out the pain.

"Yeah...." he replied as he came next to her, wrapping his arm around her back and holding his respective hand on her ribcage firmly, but not painfully, making sure he had a good grasp on it. At that same time, his other hand gently took hold of hers, speaking in a quiet and yet warm voice. "Don't worry about it, alright? We got alot ahead of us now..." he said to her as he helped her get closer to the approaching chopper.

"I have a lot of mistakes to correct, if I am to survive the next encounter..." Brina agreed grimly and inwardly, as their feet stepped on the metal flooring of the Wasp. She had messed up her chance to kill her longtime enemy and was now targeted by yet another high-ranking individual. However, because of this crushing loss, she doubted that Sazuke would feel the need to be cautious. Therefore, she probably wouldn't expect effective retaliation. That was one of the few good results of this outcome.

As the hatch closed behind them, they would hear the announcement welcomed by the Inner Circle and resented by the retreating Gotei 13 forces.

"All stations, be advised. The Seireitei's defenses have been neutralized and all opposing forces have been routed. I repeat, the Seireitei has been successfully taken..."

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