Choosing to restrain Itaku with Bakudo chose to be a mistake as he seemed to be the more alert and active of the three Vizards. Captain Nakazawa knew he had to change his game plan if he hoped to save the life of Itaku, himself and escape the confines of the Muken successfully. This was all a lot of wishful thinking at best, but it was the only silver lining he had to grasp onto in this void of relative darkness. He sets the other two infected Vizards down, casting a barrier around them to keep them contained and to keep them safe from the eventual outside combat that is about to ensue. Nakazawa stabs his blade into the ground as the shockwave from the roar rushes past him, had he not braced himself it could have most likely sent him flying off. He and the Hollowfied Itaku now stand off against each other, watching one another to determine who would make the first move.
The Clash
They both vanish at the same time reappearing in the form of a bright clash of blades in the air, light generated from the sparking of their Zanpakuto colliding against one another. The Captain takes the initiative by grabbing ahold of Itaku’s wrist, rotating himself along with the Hollowfied Shinigami to build momentum before launching it into the ground below. Itaku crashes into the ground, a plume of smoke billowing upward around the location of impact. Mere seconds later, as soon as Nakazawa touches the ground, Itaku rushes out of the smoke, tackling the Captain. He moved with such speed and force that the pair of them skipped off the ground multiple times. During this time as they skipped across the ground Itaku moved himself into a crouched position atop Nakazawa’s chest before using his legs to force the Captain’s body into the ground, bringing an immediate halt to their tumbling.
The Captain coughs up blood, while looking up into the orange eyes of the beast that just injured him. No longer was this the same Shinigami he had known from his Division but a twisted visage of what once was. He swings his blade from his grounded position, cutting deep into the chest of Itaku. The beast howls in pain and retreats giving the Captain respite from the weight it was bearing down on him. After performing a kickup to get back to his feet he is quick to notice the sword wound he just inflicted had healed and the beast was now charging a Cero. He rushes towards Itaku, there is no reason to think about what would happen if it hit him or if it was left to traverse the Muken and potentially release another convict from their bindings. Using Shunpo he moved low to the ground, reappeared below the Hollowfied Itaku and made him look downward. From a crouched stance he springs upward with a vicious uppercut forcing the Cero to be launched skyward.
Chunks of debris rained down towards the pair, with both of them naturally moving away to avoid being crushed. A thick cloud of dust and a mountain of debris separated the two, but this meant very little to them as they could clearly sense each other's positions as if they were looking right at each other.
“Hadō #57. Daichi Ten'yō!”
(大地転踊, Upturned Earth Dance; Viz "Ground Swell Dance")
The Mad Dance
The eyes of the beast widen as the once ignored debris rushes towards it. Using sword and claw it destroys the chunks of debris with ease but this proved to be a momentary distraction as the Captain came flying in with said debris to deliver a debilitating dropkick. Recoiling from the pain the beast stopped its deflection of the debris for a moment as it was sent flying backwards into the darkness and back towards the Kido barrier that housed the other two Vizards. Captain Nakazawa recasts Hadō #57 to propel the debris again causing it to pelt Itaku as his back was against the barrier. Buried under the debris for only a few moments he lets out a violent roar that shook the ground of Muken itself along with making the barrier behind him grow hairline fractures across it. Itaku’s regeneration was constantly a step ahead of the Captain’s damage output and with his goal being to save the Vizard the Captain purposely did not use Shikai nor Bankai.
”Damn it, Itaku. You’re really making me work for this aren’t you!”
Nakazawa shouts as he sheathes his blade and rushes the beast again, fist clenched tight so tight his knuckles are turning white. Itaku goes for a strike with his clawed hand but is punched square in the shoulder by the Captain, dislocating it and halting his clawed attack. It isn’t dislocated for long as his body begins to relocate it immediately only for him to be punched in the left side of his ribs, shattering five of them in one go. Regeneration begins on those next only for his collar bone, jaw, sternum, and right side of his ribs to be shattered seconds later in succession. Nakazawa is known to be the best pure striker in the Soul Society, his Hakuda style favoring boxing over all else. The speed of his punches are blinding, allowing him to strike an opponent multiple times in the span of a single second. If he wanted to outpace Itaku’s regeneration, keep him reeling, and subdue him he had to bring his all to bear in the form of Hakuda to do so.
Itaku makes use of Shunpo to move away from his cornered position, the Kido Barrier having been at his back which kept him cornered. The moment he thought he was clear he would notice only the forearms and fists of Captain Nakazawa, a traditional guard used in Boxing that fully protected his face. The Hollowfied monster begins to let out a roar only for its head to whip violently to the left then right, cutting the roar short. Nakazawa had struck with two blindingly fast hooks following them up with more strikes to the body. A burst of Reiatsu emanates from Itaku, it had increased in response to the constant damage he was taking trying to increase the speed of his Regeneration. Nakazawa was pushed back by the burst of Reiatsu and subsequently gave Itaku time to recover from the damage he was trying to build up against him. Having lost his sunglasses long ago in this battle, his eyes were in clear view as he narrowed them, blood trickling down from his forehead. He knew the exact Hakuda technique he needed to use to defeat Itaku, his only concern was if it would end up being too much and end up killing him.
”Alright kid, gonna hit you with the strongest technique I got in my bag. Don’t die on me now!”
Captain Nakazawa rushes forward as Itaku begins to fire off Cero to strike him from range before he gets too close. Luckily for the Captain these Cero hit the ground, it was clear the Hollowfied Shinigami was trying to utilize the explosion to either throw him off or injure him, or so he thought. Constantly dodging these attacks along with the explosions blinding him he became distracted and blinded to the ploy of the Hollow. Dodging the last Cero he did not sense nor see Itaku close the gap, already mid swing with his Zanpakuto the Captain did all he could to avoid the attack, but it wasn't enough. Blood flies into the air and landing with a solid thud in the darkness of the Muken was the Captain’s left arm, blood dripping from the stump on his body where it once was. Itaku let out a demonic chuckle, it was taunting in nature as he knew he had deprived the Captain of one of his two weapons. Nakazawa sighed, looking at the loss of his arm and grasping the shoulder it was once connected to.
”Damn, you would have been better off taking both of them, kid. Because even with one arm…”
A sense of primordial fear washes over the Hollowfied Itaku, as if he understood the meaning of the words being spoken to him.
”I’M STILL THE BEST STRIKER IN ALL OF SOUL SOCIETY!”
The Pummeling
Before Itaku could respond he is hit twice in succession. He slides back, regaining his senses only to be struck five times in succession that honestly felt like one single blow. He looks up and Captain Nakazawa’s arm is already tucked back and ready to fire off more strikes. Itaku tries to guard but is blasted by multiple strikes all at once, this time totaling up to 20 strikes all within a second. This happens again and again, the total number of strikes going up each time until he hears a single word being uttered in the darkness.
”Raiōken.”
(雷王拳, Thunder King Fist)
A singular explosion of concussive air erupts at the Captain’s location, flying out of a cloud of dust and dirt is Itaku himself, his body imprinted with the mark of Nakazawa’s fist. He slides across the ground, beastly groans of pain escaping from his maw, his body racked with pain and destruction. Staring up to the hole made in the ceiling from his Cero the beast begins to suddenly yearn for freedom. This visage of freedom is eclipsed by the form of Nakazawa falling down from above him.
”One more of those and it’s over! Like I said! Don’t die on me!”
Captain Nakazawa tightens his fist, ready to unleash the Raiōken technique again. Meanwhile Itaku lay on the ground motionless, a Cero charing within his mouth ready to meet the Captain head on, power vs power. The Captain neared his mark rapidly and in turn so too did the Cero charge at an accelerated speed and when they finally clashed all that could be seen was a violent explosion…
Top side, many Shinigami from various divisions stood at the entrance to Muken, waiting for Captain Nakazawa to return. All was silent, all waited with bated breath for the return of the Captain or the arrival of something worse. Footsteps are heard first, along with the sound of dragging. The imaginations of these Shinigami went wild who envisioned the form of a tailed monstrosity hidden and approaching closer in the darkness. Before they could respond prematurely to their inner fears a voice calls out to them.
”Cool it, I can sense you’re building Reiatsu from here.”
The voice of Captain Nakazawa reassured them that the one exiting the Muken was an ally at the very least. Cheers and expressions of joy were shared amongst the group but they quickly turned sour when they saw the Captain exiting the darkness in full. In tow he was dragging, the now unhollowfied, bodies of Itaku, Hachi, and Kasuka but this is not what caused the grim expressions, nor was it the sight of his missing arm.
Sorrow
”Make sure these boys get proper treatment it’s not their fault they got turned into monsters…”
Some Shinigami dropped to their knees, some fighting back tears while others let their tears run free overcome by emotion. It is revealed that the Captain had lost a large section of his left torso. That final Cero from Itaku had hit its mark, but despite the damage the Captain managed to not only subdue the Hollowfied Itaku but drag him and the other two back to the surface all while missing the majority of the organs on his left side, including his heart being irreparably damaged. His remaining Reiatsu and will to get the three Vizards to safety were all that kept him going.
”Guess it’s about time for me to clock out… Let my Division know, it's been real.”
He puts on a final grin as the light fades from his eyes. After an intense battle against the Vizards Captain Nakazawa dies standing on his feet, victorious…
Ten Months Later
The Seireitei finally had time to heal from the devastating Civil War that claimed the lives of many Shinigami, most notably the Captains. A void of power now exists within the military of the Gotei Thirteen that must be burdened by the Lieutenants and other Captain hopefuls. Funeral processions have also been underway for the Captains who passed on, many already having their funeral rites completed at the current time. The former Kenpachi had a funeral in ceremonial form only due to his entire body being eradicated by the Soul Membrane that surrounds the Seireitei. The turn out for it was rather small as his villainous acts during the war gave many a sour opinion about him.
Now the remaining Shinigami must step up and return to their roles as balancers of the world. Hopefully the Shinigami have trained themselves well and continue to do so as new dangers lurk on the horizon. Enemies from the distant past shall begin to emerge along with the revelation of another faction that has been silently hiding in the Shadows. Shall a united Gotei Thirteen prevail against these forces or will tensions built from the Civil War and underlying stress cause it to implode and topple in on itself? That remains to be seen as time now resumes and marches onward.