Naruki City

[GhoulBunny]

The sudden introduction of three of the top-seated officers of the Tenth Division was a weird one indeed. It has been a while since the city of Naruki has felt the amount of spiritual pressure that came with having three seated officers in its graces. And even though her comrades didn’t seem to think of this as anything out of the ordinary, the purple-haired brute wasn’t one to mistake this.



Sayuri stayed silent, her posture not showing her unease but also her utter excitement at the prospects of a chance of their presence piping the interest of the Arrancar, who liked the mundane.



It was an undersight on their squads' part. Mainly on her shoulders. The moment she met theArrancar, she should have taken action. But the way the Arrancar acted dazzled her. It scared her. From her studies at the academy and beyond her time there, it has always been shown that the Arrancar never shied away from showing their disdain for the Shinigami.



Flashes came back with her first meeting with the Arrancar Estarossa. He was way too casual for her liking. Not wanting to fight her? Same side, he said. For now, he said.





Tsk. She tightened the grip on the small ‘halt’ of her Zanpaktuo. She should have ripped his head off then.



And now her skin itches. And that was never a good sign. She glanced at the faces of her comrades again. All of them were talking, thinking this was all just a routine check.



Sayuri had an annoying feeling that it wouldn’t be the case. She really needed that drink now.



And just like that, like a switch, the sense of a familiar Reiatsu would flow around them, as if caught in a cloud of it suddenly. As if it were there the entire time. It was ironic how the Arrancar probably thought he was being coy, taking them by surprise.



But Sayuri had a feeling he would come. Arrancar liked to show himself. He liked to have an audience. So when the purple-haired Estarossa graced them with his appearance, Sayuri all but tsked again.



”Yo, blue head, beat it.”



As the words came out of his mouth, Sayuri noted the switch of tone from the Arrancar. The Estarossa ten months ago was almost carefree. Somewhat silly. He was serious here. And the fact that his words sent the girl Kuwashii away so easily pissed her off.



If this was the old Sayuri, the one who didn’t give two fucks about proving herself and being a blood thirsty bitch from the Rukongai, she would have already run in for the kill. But this new Sayuri...



”So, you lot are the ones who protect this city? Good, good. Strange crap has been going on lately around here and Karakura, so it’s nice I get a chance to meet you all.”



There it was. The strange worry about what’s happening in the world of the living. What the hell was his deal? As she thought this, he suddenly locked eyes with her and flashed a flirty smile her way. It instantly sent anger and disgust down Sayuri’s spine.



‘Annoying bastard. He’s literally insane. We have to stay on our toes’ she thought, her eyes not leaving the Arrancar for a second.



”I like the Living World, particularly Naruki, a great cheesecake spot in the area; you have to try it. Anyway, I want to make sure this place can stay safe without me having to come here and do it myself. So I propose a test of strength. I want to make sure you are all strong enough to protect my favorite city.”



And that was not what Sayuri was thinking the Arrancar was going to say. This wasn’t anywhere near how they taught her about Arrancars in the academy. Even though she didn’t really give two sh*ts about history then, it would have stood out if there was an Arrancar who showed interest in the world of the living like this.



This was beyond what they prepared her for, and all she wanted to do was have a damn drink.



”I’ll be fighting to kill; I hope you do the same, my ‘hated’ enemies! Ah! One condition: let's keep this fight in the sky. There is no sense in destroying buildings and getting humans killed for no reason. Ready? Go.”



And just like a child playing a park game, the Arrancar was in the air several feet away from them. His speed was impressive, something Sayuri knew an Arrancar would possess. One moment he was in front of them, the next he was gone. Sayuri couldn’t even see him. And she couldn’t even sense him either. It was as if he were literally gone.



But he was still there, of course.



Suddenly he was heading right towards Sazanami, a punch hurling right towards him.



But, impressively, Sazanami moved quickly, taking out his Zanpakuto with ease and knocking into the Arrancar. You could tell he was aiming to knock the Arrancar back, but Sayuri didn’t put too much hope in it.



Instinct surged through Sayuri like a hot blade, and she quickly reached for the halt of her Zanpakuto Kisode. She was silent, her body so desperately wanting to move forward and rush in. But if she was bloodthirsty, Kisode was wise. And something about holding the handle of the weapon was as if she heard the Zan spirit herself.



But that didn’t stop her from fully removing it from the hidden pocket in her Shihakusho. She was trying to be a little more calculating with her movements; she wasn’t stupid.



While she moved, she allowed her eyes to quickly move, like a serpent, to Sazanami as he used Shunpo to move away from Estarossa. smart move.



"BAKUDO NUMBER #8: SEKI!!!"



The third seat shouted, sending a blue orb of light towards Estarossa. Even though the fight was just starting... Sayuri had a weird feeling that a low-level Bakudo wouldn’t do a damn thing to the Arrancar.



This was an Arrancar that had been going two anda half hours from Naruki City for months. His presence was known but also gone so quickly that not one of the members of Squad 10 knew much about him. That spell probably wasn’t going to be anything but a bee sting.



But she admired the confidence of the third seat, even though she thought his choice of spell was a little mediocre at best. She still raised an eyebrow, which showed that she was impressed.



Sayuri’s grip tightened around the blue cloth of the halt of her Zanpakuto while also allowing some of her spiritual pressure to smoothly move from her soul itself, like a serpent hunting for its prey. It wasn’t enough to do the full effect, but the others would definitely feel the air itself start to feel heavy around them, as if their bodies were slightly getting sucked in¦.



She wouldn’t pounce, yet.

 

[Adonai]

---

Estarossa is indeed a strange Arrancar, everyone was able to deduce this. The frequent question of “why is he like this” must linger in their minds and the answer to that is simple, Freedom. He embodies all there is to be free, free from anyone’s rule but his own, free to do what he wants, go where he please, and grow his strength how he wants. If he wants to be friends with Shinigami then so be it, he will do that because he is free to do so. If he wants to teach Shinigami a valuable lesson about fighting Arrancar then he is free to do that as well.

Estarossa fully expected these Shinigami to bring down the wrath of heaven upon him the moment he attacked, so why didn’t they? Surely they could have done so without damaging the surrounding area too badly. Were they taking advantage of their numbers and the fact that they only could sense his power was equal to that of a Gillian? Why didn’t they strike back with more might against someone who just said he would be fighting to kill? Their hated enemy, a Hollow, seeks to do them harm and they respond with low level efforts.

Kazuki was wise to dodge the punch thrown at him, however in the same moment he dodged he sought to retaliate against Estarossa by using the pommel of his Zanpakuto. A resounding “BOOM” echoed out as the pommel did indeed make contact with Estarossa, specifically his left hand. Estarossa is no fool, he knows of the Onibi technique and was not blind to Kazuki’s extra movements. The Arrancar put out enough force to halt the pommel and to prevent him from unsheathing his blade any further. Estarossa stared down at the youngman, before his expression could fully change he was encapsulated in a red light, a Kido spell, a low level one at that. His eyes would soon shift to Jushiro who became an immediate blur as Estarossa was hit by Bakudo No. 8 Seki which sent him flying back. A good combo, a great strategy if Estarossa truly was only as strong as a Gillian.

He stops himself from flying away any further and breaks out of the low level Bakudo with ease, Jushiro will soon find out why he was able to do this. Before that revelation Estarossa looks towards Sayuri and shakes his head, she made no move to strike at him, perhaps if she had joined in to attack him while he was briefly paralyzed and flying away she could have wounded him, but she chose to sit idly by waiting for a chance that will never come.

”That it? Is THAT what is going to defend this city? Some low level spells, predictable movements and an idle hand waiting for an ‘opening’?”

It was clear that Estarossa was annoyed and disappointed in the Shinigami.

”Ah, maybe you lot are assuming I’m only as strong as a Gillian, welp, that was a lie. Hueco Mundo is stirring with monsters and you lot had better be ready to face them.”

Eater of Worlds

The air around them would begin to tremble, this trembling cascaded downward until the ground below started trembling in turn. Yellow Reiatsu began to swirl around Estarossa and in a moment's notice he was engulfed in it, revealing what he truly is to them, a Monster. His power was Immeasurable, a threat. He exhales slowly through his mouth, blowing out air as if he is finally relaxed after not holding back.

”Whew, I don’t get to do this very often, it feels nice not being all bottled up.”

Tenth Division will have new information to record after this day and Estarossa’s threat level will have definitely spiked and piqued the interest of the Gotei 13. He has remained docile and hidden, never showing his full power, so why now? Perhaps it’s just a gut feeling, a gut feeling that things are going to get real bad before they get real worse. This feeling is probably why he has finally fully revealed himself and is testing the mettle of Tenth Division.

”Now, let’s kick this off properly, yeah?”

Sayuri, the idle watcher, would continue said watch. Looking, staring, and gazing at Estarossa until she could no longer see Estarossa at all, he had not moved from his spot but instead her vision was blotted out by bright yellow Reiryoku, what she was face to face with was a Bala. For all that tension she was building during her watch she had better make use of it for this Bala’s intent was to leave her without her upper half.

It was clear she was being treated as an afterthought and as someone easily disposable since she made no effort to attack him, but maybe the other two would get off easier? Jushiro being behind Estarossa in no way impeded his movement, which would be forward, towards Kazuki. He appears before him by way of Sonido once again with Estarossa’s own Reiatsu crushing the pack of direwolves that had spawned from his target. He grins as he does not focus his Reiatsu on Kazuki but instead bounces playfully, throwing jabs that only equate to skin on skin contact like he was playing. His knuckle first scrapes his chin, then his jawline before finishing with another scrape to the chin. These jabs were faster than the first punch thrown and reasonably so as jabs are naturally faster punches. Estarossa laughs playfully before bouncing back and launching himself towards Jushiro with a half assed made fist throwing it right at his chest. The fist was swirling with Reiryoku, however, the way he was holding his hand there was no way that punch would hold any real impact or damage.

His grin and laugh were still present and as innocent as a child’s. Was he just playing with them or was he mocking them for their half hearted attempt to attack him earlier? At present it seems like Sayuri got the worst of it in the form of that Bala. Perhaps the next response from these three, now that they understand the threat and danger Estarossa represents, will be a proper one.

---

​

 

[Inkmasterru]

​

---

As Estarossa blocked the pommel strike, Kazuki nonchalantly stared at Estarossa directly in the face. He was never planning to fully draw his blade, he knew that it was not possible at this range. So when he would use his shunpo in that moment to resheath the blade and reel back his fist. Estarossa will lean forward slightly just as Jushiro's Geki will seize up his body, allowing Kazuki's Seki to hit that much harder. The tactical retreat to a more advantage distance going through and allow Kazuki to unleash his Reiatsu to boost his allies will and hopefully reduce his enemy's in exchange.

Like two vessels sharing the same mind, Jushiro moved to flank the arrancar after helping out Kazuki. Yet he had no idea what Sayuri was doing or why she wasn't engaging the enemy. He thought that if out of anyone, she will be the most eager to brawl with this foe. Yet she didn't and now allowed the opening that her two fellow shinigami created for her to go to waste. Instead of pressing the attack, the Arrancar was allowed to recover. Yet all of the sudden the arrancar's pride seeped out into his words, dripping with disappointment.

”That it? Is THAT what is going to defend this city? Some low level spells, predictable movements and an idle hand waiting for an ‘opening’?”

It seemed he expected some grand start to this spectacle he created on a whim. My my, impatient aren't we? Every great fighter knows that one's tricks aren't all revealed on the first exchange.

”Ah, maybe you lot are assuming I’m only as strong as a Gillian, welp, that was a lie. Hueco Mundo is stirring with monsters and you lot had better be ready to face them.”

Kazuki was about to respond to the arrancar, but then he felt it.

White Wolf of Rukongai

As Kazuki will feel the crushing weight of the arrancar's reiatsu, he will feel his hand tremble. Yet was it out of fear? No, it was out of excitment, eagerness and adrenaline. As the direwolves cowered and slightly whimpered, they started to merge and mix. Becoming a blob of wolf heads growling and roaring loudly. The white wolf of Rukongai has awakened thanks to the reiatsu of Estarossa. Who reminded him of the days he fought in similar odds against multiple foes whether it be animal, bandit or hollow. Surrounded and barely making it out with his life in those days. To think just one arrancar was making him feel this, a smirk will emerge out of Kazuki as he will softly cackle.

"You are quite presumptuous to throw around such baseless words. Petty insults born out of disappointment and irratation. We assumed nothing, you did."

As Kazuki spoke his words, he rested his blade in his palm. He didn't underestimate anyone, it was a testing move to get his enemy to either open up or react and it worked like a charm.
Then staring straight in the eyes of Estarossa as he grabbed tight as blood started to trickle down his wrist.

"Lament thy Night, Mourn thy Soul"

Then with a mightly yank, blood sprayed everyway in a thick mist. The blood rapidly crawling up the blade and the sword arm. Spreading from tip to pommel, from hand to shoulder. As the blood dripped away, it revealed a Dakondao and knifebreaker combination. The spikes on the back being longer in front, shortening as it got closer to the hilt. Then a chain wrapping around the arm, connecting to the pommel. Pure ichor seemed to drip from the tip, landing on the roof tops below. Slowly creating a pool as Kasuki pointed it towards Estarossa.

"Kyoki Chizuki"

He would watch as estarossa will blast Sayuri with a Bala. Yet Kazuki could follow his movement as now he had enough time to lock onto Estarossa's unique reiatsu signature. His head twisting and body pivoting within seconds of Estarossa speaking his last words and creating his bala. With a whisper and downward swing, he sent a reiatsu slash towards the bala to carve it in two. It will most likely still explode, but now Sayuri had more of a chance to survive.

"Chimamire Hansha! (血塗れ反射 Bloodstained Reflection)"

Right after he would imagine, Estarossa appearing before with Sonido, but Kazuki's eyes will already be locked at him before he gets there. The strong combination of reikaku and higher speed in his shunpo granting only seconds of advantage against what can be engulfed with his massive reiatsu. As Estarossa threw his jabs, Kazuki will dance between them, weaving and shifting slightly. A side step to avoid the chin scrape, hitting the elbow with pommel to knock it upwards, opening his guard. Since the sword will be in such a position from the previous downward slash. Then a regrip into a reverse grip as Kazuki crouched and dashed hugging close to Estarossa's hip. Slashing as the ribs as he dashed by, taking his back, avoiding the two other jabs. Then rapidly as he spun around to cross his sword arm over his chest and having his free arm rest upon it as he performed Oni Dekopin. The flick of the finger hopefully sending the arrancar back as Kazuki simutaneously pulled back. Yet as he did, will let the handle slip out of his hand as the chain slid into his palm. Then he will start spinning it, creating a windmill of the blade, ichor spraying everywhere: on the building walls, himself and even multiple rooftops. Before he would let go, letting the chain ride through his palm, the blade soaring towards the enemy back. Ready to pull at the chain, knowing that if out of all his attacks, this one may be the one not to land.​

 

[Jushiro Izanagi]

The bout was heating up for sure, with the initial exchanges and figurative jabs putting out the feelers. Kazuki was able to escape the Arrancar’s attacks at this time of asking. A good combination of binding spells, both from Kazuki and Jushiro was enough. Their efforts did provide a momentary opening, one which Sayuri did not capitalise on. To not exploit the opening provided to her was almost criminal. It was borderline frustrating and at the same time, Jushiro understood Sayuri’s position too. The fact of the matter is, Sayuri and Kuwashii only knew so much about their current opponent. Their interaction with the Arrancar was casual. Exercising caution or being hesitant seemed natural. However, Estarossa did boldly declare that this was to be a fight to the death.

The masked one was prepared to make his move, defending or attacking was all the same to him. As Estarossa regained his footing, Jushiro remained silent but poised. “He broke out of that kido spell relatively easy like it wasn’t there. Deceptive bastard for sure”. The third seat of the tenth division thought as things progressed further. As the Arrancar began to speak, the masked one had his hand on the hilt of his weapon. It was ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice for sure. The moment the Arrancar unshackled his Reiatsu, Jushiro knew that this wasn’t about to be your typical hollow verses Shinigami battle. Estarossa’s spiritual pressure should serve as a warning to them all. Now he hoped that Kazuki and Sayuri would be able to heed said warning. “It all makes sense now, all Arrancars are cunts for real”. Another thought flashed across his mind having grasped what the Arrancar was about.

Jushiro’s own Reiatsu flared in response to the Arrancar’s own, causing a ruckus all around them. He could only hope that there wasn’t too much collateral damage. Worrying about such things was pointless, the threat to them far outweighs anything else at this point. Recognizing this, Jushiro wasted no time in preparing for the eventuality of Estarossa stepping things up. A bala was sent flying at Sayuri as if it were some sort of wake-up call. His next target was Kazuki, and in more ways than one, Jushiro was concerned about his squad mates. He didn’t have time to falter, he had a duty to perform. As Estarossa attacked Kazuki in an almost mocking way. The masked one drew his blade and whispered the release phrase of his Zanpakuto before the completion of jabs on Kazuki.

His Shikai was revealed and showed itself to be one blade with two distinctive halves or sides to it. The blade itself is 32.2" inches long, some would say its the perfect length for someone over six feet tall. The right side of the blade is white, and carefully decorated on it, are blue waves rushing forth from the hilt to the tip of the blade. The shape of the cross guard remains the same as its sealed state. It's in the shape of a hexagram, this time though it is seemingly made up of blue and white fish scales. The hilt is also very similar to the cross guard. As it also has blue and white scales running along it on the right-hand side of the blade. The weapon also has a red tassel attached at the bottom of the hilt.

The left side of the blade is of a fiery red, appearing as though it’s been superheated. There are black flames running along the left side of the blade. These flames are carefully blended into the red of the blade. The left side of the cross guard looks to be charred. The charred appearance meets the blue and white fish scales from the right side perfectly in the middle. The left side of the hilt is red in colour, with orange and black flames running along it. The blade itself is one of the most aesthetically pleasing and intriguing Zanpakuto to behold. ‘Kisshouten’ is the name of his Zanpakuto which is held in his right hand.

It appears that Kazuki was thinking in a similar way to Jushiro. This. Was. Not. The. Time. To. Fuck. Around. Do that and you’ll surely wish you didn’t. Kazuki’s sword release was an interesting one, and as for Jushiro, his blade remained neutral, despite its aesthetics, there wasn’t anything done to reveal its abilities, not yet. Regardless of the exchange between Kazuki and Estarossa, the masked one was ready to make his move. If the Arrancar attacked Jushiro after dealing with Kazuki. Then coinciding with his so called ‘half assed’ punch at Jushiro’s chest was a sudden and rapid change in the temperature.

Estaross’a attack was met by Jushiro’s own, in which a combination of two things acting as one occurred. A precision cut of extreme force and speed which can slice through large, multi-story high opponents was used to attack the Arrancar. A slash that was so swift and precise that most aren’t aware of it until its too late. The attack was designed to cleave through the Arrancar. This was Hitotsume: Nadegiri The First: Killing Stroke.

Having swung his blade in unison to the purple haired male’s attack. Kisshouten took advantage of the environment and its inherent capabilities. The moisture around them was taken over by Kisshouten. In addition to this, the swing was directed towards the Arrancar in hopes of cleaving him in half. Meanwhile releasing air cold and violent enough to instantly freeze his opponent at the same time. Much like his attempt to relieve Sayuri of her upper half. It was Jushiro’s intention to see the man as two blocks of ice. All this being done at temperatures of −196 °C . Having launched his attack, the masked one was at the ready to follow up with either a defensive move or another attack if necessary. If all goes well then Jushiro may have at the very least created an opening for Sayuri and Kazuki.

Showing off Kisshouten like this overtime will affect the immediate area. The temperatures took a significant tumble, which in time will begin to affect the environment and those around him should things remain the same.

 

[GhoulBunny]

Snakes. They embodied Sayuri in every aspect, except when she was inebriated or engaged in a heated argument. Snakes, the epitome of adaptability, are cold-blooded creatures in perfect harmony with nature. Their bodies and lives are a testament to their ability to improvise for survival. Their flexibility is matched only by their stealth, as they can blend seamlessly into their surroundings, ready to strike their unsuspecting prey.





The same can be said about Sayuri's spiritual pressure.





Contrary to her usual fiery demeanor, Sayuri's lips curled into a rare smile as she observed the Arrancar. Even her fellow shinigami were oblivious to the subtle release of her Spiritual pressure, as if it were a second skin peeling away. Sayuri, often perceived as a brash and impulsive girl, harbored a hidden talent for stealth.





No one was noting it. Which means the Arrancar wouldn't realize it. That was answered as the Arrancar sent an attack straight at her. Whatever attack he threw at her would be slowed due to the pressure she placed on his body. He would only notice once it was too late.





At that very moment, the battle between Kazuki and Jushiro against Estarossa was reaching its peak. Kazuki's transformation into the White Wolf of Rukongai only heightened his resolve to take down the powerful Arrancar. With a swift and calculated strike, Kazuki unleashed his Zanpakuto, Kyoki Chizuki, enveloping the battlefield in a thick mist of blood and ichor.





Her comrade's swiftness and calculated movements gave her enough time to dodge the attack, giving her time to grab at the cloth halt of the sleeping serpent Zanpakuto herself.

"Consume, Kisode"​

And just like that, as if a bright flash was suddenly set off, her Shikai is released to her comrades for the first time. It's colorful and elongated, coiling around her hand like a python while stretching further before the light shatters like glass, revealing its new state. Surrounding her right hand like a suit of armor is a sizeable beak-like contraption, a long chain dangling from it ending in a weighted metal ball smaller in scale from the 'beak' itself.








Having her Shikai released felt like confronting an old friend. A silent python ready to strike.





With her anger and irritation finally expelled from her body, the chain-like form of her Zanpakuto uncoiled from her arm like a snake striking its prey. Unbeknownst to the Arrancar before her, once her Kisode was unleashed, their Spiritual pressures would converge, drawn together like magnets. In that moment, they were one. This secret detail, known only to Sayuri, ensured that all her strikes hit their mark, mirroring her target's every move like the serpent she embodied.

 

[Adonai]

---

Hopeful, filled with courage and determination, that's what these Shinigami before Estarossa are. He showed them his strength, his true potential and while brave and bold to stand their ground, they are foolish. They have underestimated Estarossa and grossly overestimated themselves. Each of their offensives have come at him independently of one another, never combined or united in any fashion, merely hoping what the first does can help the second while the third continues to watch. They are all fighting their own battle against the Arrancar and in doing so it is allowing him free reign to focus on each of them individually as opposed to them being a unified threat.

The jabs being thrown by Estarossa were just that, simple jabs. He can clearly sense Kazuki’s Reiatsu, he knows he can suppress the man with his own Reiatsu and ignore him. However, he wants to give him a fighting chance, see what he can do. Kazuki, as expected, dodges the jabs although if one had landed it would have been a different story being told. He strikes at Estarossa’s elbow with the pommel of his blade, a brilliant move if not for the fact that this Arrancar is physically stronger than Kazuki. With no guard opened up it telegraphs the next move clearly for the Arrancar as he uses Sonido to maneuver away from the bloody sword. He noticed the blood splattering everywhere and his eye twinges. He was clear on his rules not to cause collateral damage to the buildings or the ground below. Shifting himself out of the way of Kazuki’s rib slash subsequently put him out of the way of his follow up attacks as he would now shift his attention to the Third Seat sentinel, Jushiro.

Estarossa moved to deal with this spell weaving foe by moving in with a half assed punch that swirled with Reiryoku. Did the opponent fail to notice that or did he just not care about the energy swirling in this half made fist? He should have paid better attention as this half made fist was concealing the creation of a Cero. There may have been a rapid change in temperature but a slight chill is all Estarossa would feel from it as he unleashes his unique Cero, Anarquía Cero (Lit. Zero Anarchy/ Hollow Flash Anarchy). This Cero removes the beam and leaves only the devastating explosion, casting it forward and leaving the foe to deal with its destructive qualities. Committed to his attack Jushiro would certainly be caught off guard by the sudden explosion whose concussive force rips, bludgeons, and tears away at his flesh while sending him flying away. Cero is the only time Estarossa’s power is felt in earnest as it is a manifestation of his Reiryoku, naturally. Misjudging the intent of Estarossa’s attack has cost Jushiro, but what of Sayuri? Was she finally done being a spectator?

She had been releasing her Reiatsu, a sly move indeed given its effects… If not for the fact Estarossa had been exerting his Reiatsu before this. Her hopes of slowing down his body were thwarted before they even began. After dealing with Jushiro he turns his attention back to Sayuri while simultaneously catching Kazuki’s Zanpakuto by the hilt as he had thrown it at him. He would cast another Cero with his opposite hand but it seemingly failed to cast properly and only flew out in the form of a flimsy unstable orb in the Wolf’s direction.

”Oh well…”

KRUNCH

That's the only comment he has for his Cero as his eyes shift back to Sayuri, who has done nothing so far, only releasing her Zanpakuto. Once she does act her Zanpakuto is the thing to strike at him, he holds out his free palm and moves it in the way of the strike.

Belcebú
(Lit. Beelzebub)

KRUNCH

A swirling orb of Reiryoku is birthed from his palm. This swirling vortex has a slight pull to it and though it may not be a great pull it is enough to accelerate the speed of the serpent snapping at him. What Sayuri was looking at was the Arrancar’s unique ability, the thing that gave him the moniker of The Eater of Worlds. If she does not act fast and pull her Zanpakuto back it will be consumed in this orb as it is already being chewed at by the swirling vortex. Should she fail to act, the Arrancar will have effectively eaten her Zanpakuto.

KRUNCH

---

​

 

[Inkmasterru]

​

---

In a way Estarossa was right, all the shinigami of the tenth division we stumbling around with their own agenda's. Yet to say that they weren't unified was a gross understatement. By viewing each battle as a individual threat, the arrancar will fall to notice when It will all come crashing down on him from all sides. If they all just simply attacked all at once, they will simply get in each other's way. For now, the arrancar should really focus on the beast that he provoked. The wolf was brought out and will only be sated with the blood of his foe.

Kazuki tisks as Estarossa barely budges from his hilt strike and dodges his side swipe at the ribs. Yet after swinging his blade, blood has now drenched almost everywhere, the buildings and himself. The reiatsu emanated from the stains and pools of blood as it started to dissolve into blood-like vapor. There was no collateral damage to the buildings or the ground, as the reiatsu blood pools held no damaging properties. The only ones even able to see the blood were those on the battlefield. Yet the funny thing is, Estarossa only dodged his rib slash, but not the blood spatter. Whether he thought it insignificant or simply forgot about it, at least parts of his body will be covered in it. Kazuki, will notice that it was dissipating fast off his body, due to his immense reiatsu emitting from his body. In a single move as Estarossa will attempt to fire his cero at the 3rd seat, Kazuki will stab himself with his zanpakuto. Yet it will enter the blood staining his body and seconds later, a copy of it will shoot outwards from the blood staining Estarossa's chest. Piercing the wrist and wrenching the arm hopefully before the punch was even thrown. If Kazuki is lucky, it will sever the hand clean off from the wrist.

"Shukketsukyō (出血鏡 bleeding mirror)"

Flicking the blade out of his chest, the blood on both Estarossa and Kazuki will fully dissappate and the blade that pierced his wrist will vanish. And Estarossa will notice that his wound was healing slowly, very slowly. If it wasn't for his immense reiatsu, it would have not been healing at all. Of course we can imagine that the second cero will still fly towards him and Kazuki will easily use Shunpo to dodge it. Flicking across the battlefield as he rushes after Estarossa. And appears right behind him as he uses Belcebú on Sayuri and her Zanpakuto.

"Get off your high horse, arrancar!"

He will pretend to be the rash and angry shinigami, doing a massive downward slash. Yet it was only a speed clone. As the moment Estarossa will focus on the one above, it will disappear to be replaced. Replaced by three more that will appear all around doing the same diagional upward slash. One aimed at the chest, one at the shoulder and the last at the head. As the battle continues Kazuki will be able to read more of Estarossa's Reiatsu, his reikaku being able to predict more and more. It will still take time, but with each second he survives, the more can see the arrancar's intentions and attacks. A second of breath turns into two seconds and so on. Every second counts, the more the battle continues, the more it turns into his favor, no matter how small it is.

And as the speed clones swing their blades, all the blades start glowing red and together they unleash the same attack, which one is real? Then they all once more dissipate to reveal the real Kazuki above Sayuri, behind her. Who also be covered in his blood-like reiatsu, from his previous reiatsu slash that saved her from the cero from before. In mid swing of his reiatsu blast. And Estarossa will only notice last second as due being cut before, Kazuki was able to procure his reiatsu signature. So in a split second he disguised his signature with Estarossa's.

"Chimamire Hansha (血塗れ反射 Bloodstained Reflection)!!!"

The slashing flying forth to hit him square in the chest.​

 

[Jushiro Izanagi]

The battle between the three Shinigami and the purple haired Arrancar carried on as intended. Both parties chose to respond in kind to the others advances. During which time Jushiro was faced with a tough situation. To deal with his opponent as quickly as possible. He may have unintentionally made a gross miscalculation on his part. The third seat was at the ready, his blade aiming to slice through his opponent. However, not everything was as it seemed. If Jushiro was successful, then perhaps he could force the Arrancar into retreating. If not, then the best he could hope for was to be rather sore in the morning. And so there he was with Estrarossa bearing down on his position with a concealed weapon. Meanwhile his own Zanpakuto was brought forward with fury. At the same time, Kazuki was meddling with what the Arrancar had planned.

To the surprised of the masked one, Kazuki’s blade appeared from the chest area of the Arrancar. Its trajectory and emergence caused it to appear at an angle with intentions of piercing his opponent’s arm. Such a move wrenching the Arrancar’s arm away. This should create the desired opening that Jushiro was hoping for. The Arrancar and Jushiro were both committed to their own attacks. But there was a spanner in the works. This was a case of whoever struck first may yet win the contest. Everything was happening fast but for the experienced, it was manageable and easy to process. Kazuki’s actions assisted Jushiro by interrupting the cero being cast forwards towards him. This in turn caused Jushiro to make a slight alteration. By doing what he did, Kazuki revealed to Jushiro what was going on with the Arrancar.

Kisshouten was swung forth as intended releasing intense cold air, while the brutal cero collided with the third seat. However, his Zanpakuto’s own abilities came in handy, as Kisshouten went to work ceasing the function of the Cero, albeit not completely. He wasn’t fully prepared for it and so he could not completely stop it from landing. On the other hand, he was lucky enough to be able to reduce the damage that the cero may have normally caused. He was sent flying while enveloped in smoke, bouncing on the invisible floor in the skies above Naruki city. The third seat got a hold of himself, coming to a stop. The left side of his mask destroyed, revealing golden coloured eyes, his black haori ripped and burned. His upper left arm sustained burns, blood, trickled down his chest. Strands of his lush white mane was burned too. The man found himself on one knee, his Zanpakuto in his hand, huffing with a look of disdain towards Estrarossa.

He was lucky to still be alive, but he was also given a taste of the Arrancar’s power. There was no way they could keep this up in their current state. “It’s time to release those two things”. He said to himself while rising to his feet. He was keeping a close eye on Sayuri and Kazuki now. “I owe you one, Kazuki”. He was about to do two things that may yet piss off the powers that be residing in the Seireitei. Both things were necessary if they are to survive this bout with the Arrancar. The Shinigami inhaled and exhaled as he gathered himself. He couldn’t afford to waste time. Without any further hesitation, the symbol of the tenth division appeared on the chest of the masked one. “Gentei Kaijo” he whispered as the limiters placed upon his Reiatsu was lifted. If Sayuri and Kazuki ends up doing the same, he would gladly take the blame and punishment. Now wasn’t the time to think about the Soul Society’s politics.

His spiritual pressure now fully released, he was free from constraints, much like the Arrancar had done earlier. It was certainly refreshing for sure. All the while though, he kept a close eye on the battle at hand. It was time for him to get back into things. Pushing off from his position, Jushiro appeared six meters away from the Arrancar’s position. He was ready to get back into the battle, this time though, he would make sure to be extra careful.

 

[Adonai]

---

Estarossa was upset seeing the blood drenched everywhere as he made a point to not cause damage to human structures around them. This anger was short-lived as he saw it starting to evaporate with no damage done at all, his expression softened and he even put on a smile at the sight of this.

”Oh good! For a second there I-”

He was interrupted by the blood on his chest forming a blade that severed his fist from his body. It was certainly a shock since he wasn’t expecting to be attacked like that. It was a good move by the Shinigami however it created a new problem as that punch was holding a volatile Cero within it, well a problem for Jushiro to be exact. The explosion will go off as intended as there was still forward momentum carrying the severed hand forward. The thing about Estarossa’s Anarquía Cero is that it eliminates the need for a beam and all that remains is the destructive explosion. It is like removing the casing from a bomb and leaving only the fiery explosion. While there is no fire in the explosion of a Cero, just Spiritual Energy, meaning Jushiro’s attempts to neutralize it were in vain, although he will notice something upon the explosion overtaking him, it lacked killing power.

For all the power Estarossa has he could have caused serious damage with a Cero but it becomes apparent only now that he is pulling his punches. His earlier statement about fighting to kill was merely a lie, it would be counterproductive of him to kill the protectors of “his” city as he made it clear that he doesn’t want to do their job for them.

"Get off your high horse, arrancar!"

Estarossa heard these words shouted at him as he was busy looking at the stump where his hand used to be. He frowned as he felt himself unable to regenerate as fast as he would like to, furthermore he didn’t seem to react to Sazanami at all. He heard him but he wasn’t listening as he held his left hand over the stump and activated his Belcebú ability on it, engulfing everything up to his elbow.

”Weird ability… I probably should have eaten some of that blood while it was around.”

The Arrancar seemed to be acting arrogant, not responding to the speed clones zipping around, however he had no need to because of one thing that had been drenching the battlefield this entire time, his Reiatsu. Prolonged exposure to Estarossa’s Reiatsu incurs a penalty to those who fight in it carelessly, that penalty is Starvation. In the midst of his Speed Clone display Sazanami would feel his stomach clench in the most painful way which would throw him off his rhythm. Jushiro is not spared either as his stomach would twist as he is in the middle of releasing his limiter. These two Shinigami will have been crippled by hunger almost simultaneously, but the stomach pain is not the worst of it, it is the need to consume that makes matters even worse. If they are strong of mind they could potentially hold back the urge to cannibalize each other or themselves for a limited time but the longer they are around Estarossa the harder it will become.

The purple haired Arrancar deactivates his ability leaving only a stump where his elbow used to be. He waves it around for a moment then regenerates his arm in no time. He makes a fist a few times, adjusting to the newly grown segment of his arm and it is shamefully revealed to those who are observant that Estarossa does not have naturally black nails. He in fact paints them, using human brand nail polish.

”That took longer than I thought, my Reiatsu not the arm thing. I had to throttle myself to keep from affecting people down below. But with that said…”

He claps his hands together and he finally suppresses his Reiatsu. The effects of it should subside in time for the two Shinigami but they can at least breathe easy in more ways than one.

”And Time! You two did good, Gillian’s won’t stand a chance, Adjuchas might give you a little trouble and Arrancar… Well… You’ll need to coordinate better if one shows up stronger than you.”

He rubs his chin and looks around, the earlier explosion of his Cero only seemed to send a slight tremor to the ground below, no real damage only shocking the humans below to the sudden shaking, they assumed it was nothing more than an earthquake. He continues to look around and nods his head, happy to see there was no damage done to the city.

”If I didn’t give a damn about this city and fought for real I could have killed you both and you’ll have to expect that for the next enemy that shows up… Except for one Arrancar, his name is Armando, he goes on food runs for my group. He isn’t very strong, just let him get our snacks and he’ll be out of your hair in no time.”

An awkward silence falls over the three men since just minutes ago they were fighting to maim and kill one another and now Estarossa is speaking as if they were just playing a game of catch. Perhaps from his perspective that's all it was, however his warnings about stronger Arrancar should be taken seriously. He took this moment of silence to look at Jushiro then to Sazanami.

”You’re both strong, so take solace in that. Especially the masked guy, a true Curiosidad (Lit. Curiosity). Instincts kept telling me to play it safe against you for some reason and I haven’t lived this long not listening to them. Blood Zanpakuto dude, weird ability, but be careful. If you fight someone who truly doesn’t give a damn they will push past it and just kill you, you fight in a really rabid way which doesn’t mix well against beings who have hardened skin and regeneration. By the way, I’m sure you already know but my name is Estarossa Sangrados (Lit. This rose, Bleeds). As I said before, stuff in Hueco Mundo is getting weird and we may end up working together at some point. Don’t bother telling me your names, you only give your name to someone you’re willing to die against and I have no plan on killing any of you.”

A Descorrer opens up behind Estarossa, its toothy maw separating reality to reveal a pitch black darkness within it. Estarossa takes a step back into it and gives a casual wave to both Shinigami along with the blue haired Kuwashii who had been out on the fringes of the combat watching from a distance.

”Stay safe you two and get stronger. The one thing you truly own is the body you shape and perfect everyday. Never take that for granted.”

With those final words Estarossa returns to Hueco Mundo, upon returning home he will have some cryptic news awaiting him.

---

​

 

[Inkmasterru]

It worked... Kazuki watched as Estarossa's hand was severed at the wrist. True the Cero was still going off, but a severed hand is much easier to avoid than a attached one. Then the amount of reiatsu he gained from that one strike was shocking. Almost instantly 6 out of 7 spikes filled up with Estarossa's reiatsu. Kazuki felt reinvigorated and stronger than before, like taking a shot of smelling-salts straight to the system. And as Kazuki demonstrated his speed clones, he felt the hunger pang hit. It wasn't overpowering, it was... familiar, reminding him of his early days in the East Rukongai. The time before he was a shinigami, starving in the streets and scrounging for food. Though the need to cannibalize was... slightly nice... hmmm. The only thing that faltered was not his movement, but the facade of the arrogant shinigami. The eye squinted in pain, the teeth gritted and the expression changed to a focused one. Yet Estarossa's reiatsu's was not as widespread as he thought. As he was engulfing the battlefield in his reiatsu, Kazuki was doing the same. Sadly his stains and pools of reiatsu did not absorb reiatsu like his cuts did, but it held back. Even it was only a drop in the massive ocean, anything helped to disrupt it.

The speed blitz was cut short, but Kazuki was nowhere to be seen. His reiatsu not visible or seen anywhere, hidden away within Estarossa's massive reiatsu that dominated the field. Even when he suppressed his reiatsu, he will still not sense Kazuki at all, but I doubt he cared. Though as he turned to address Kazuki, he will finally notice that he is gone. And as the Descorrer opened up, Kakuki will pop up at the last minute and still send a Chimamire Hansha (血塗れ反射 Bloodstained Reflection). The sudden apperance being surprising as the whole time Kazuki was using one of his Shikai's abilities, which allowed him to disguise his reiatsu with the reiatsu of those he cut. The reiatsu slash will hit center mass just as the maw will close, making Kazuki's stotic expression the last thing Estarossa sees.

Then as the Descorrer closed and Estarossa's reiatsu fully vanished, Kazuki immediatly shifted focus. Using Reikaku as he closed his eyes to observe the aftermath of the short skirmish. There were multiple injuried as shinigami of weaker minds snapped out of their bloodlusts. So still rampaging on comrades, biting into throats to sate their crippling hunger. With a whistle, a white wolf will appear near Kazuki with the Sazanami mark on his forehead. Placing a hand on the forehead, the message was shared as Kazuki whispered to the wolf, making the mark glow and dim. Then the wolf will rush off, disappearing as a Senkaimon opened up for it. With that done, Kazuki flashed stepped towards Izanagi and knelt down next to him.

"Are you alright, Izanagi-sama? With your permission, if your injuries are not too severe, I must see to the others. I already sent a wolf to get a squad 4 unit here or at least ready on the other side of the Senkaimon. Jigokuchō will be too slow, so I can hope the answer is quickly recieved. Shinigami are still being effected by the Arrancar's reiatsu, but now that he is gone it is slightly subsiding. Yet we must hurry to reduce the casualties, a few have already died or are in critical condition."

Yet hearing the screams of his comrades, Kazuki immediately bowed and rushed off. He quickly assessed that the 3rd seat will be fine and will allow him to treat those more in need. If not, then he will apologize later, squad 10 could not afford to lose more good men and women. As he rushed from position to position, he was focus on the situation at head, but also the words that the arrancar spoke. With the adrenaline disappating, the words that muffled, slowly started to rise to the top.​

"You two did good, Gillian’s won’t stand a chance, Adjuchas might give you a little trouble and Arrancar… Well… You’ll need to coordinate better if one shows up stronger than you.”

​

Kazuki was not part of squad 5, so Arrancar was not a common concept to him. Yet he doubted that many were as strong as this one. The level of his reiatsu was unparalleled to even some captain in the seireitei. Yet he wasn't a prideful being, the arrancar's words ran true. They needed to be a little more coordinated, though him and Izanagi were pretty much on the same page.

”If I didn’t give a damn about this city and fought for real I could have killed you both and you’ll have to expect that for the next enemy that shows up… Except for one Arrancar, his name is Armando, he goes on food runs for my group. He isn’t very strong, just let him get our snacks and he’ll be out of your hair in no time.”

This is what troubled... no, irratated Kazuki. He didn't like how the Arrancar acted like their superior. Claiming that the city was his, giving them orders... what was his angle? Was this just a game till he got bored or was he planning something else?

"Blood Zanpakuto dude, weird ability, but be careful. If you fight someone who truly doesn’t give a damn they will push past it and just kill you, you fight in a really rabid way which doesn’t mix well against beings who have hardened skin and regeneration. ...... As I said before, stuff in Hueco Mundo is getting weird and we may end up working together at some point. Don’t bother telling me your names, you only give your name to someone you’re willing to die against and I have no plan on killing any of you.”

At least the arrancar had the wrong idea about Kazuki, revealed crutial information that Kazuki didn't know about the creatures of Huedo Munco. Not to mention established a false assumption of what Kazuki was like. As he zipped around knocking out frenzied squad mates, he thought of the future to come. If more enemies like this Arrancar appear, squad 10 is in trouble, he will have to grow stronger.

"Count the casualties! Secure the city and tend to the injuried. Start evaculating some of those who can survive through the senkaimon. Those who are not too injuried make sure there are no more arrancars in the area, now!"

The arrancar will pay for this, Kazuki refuses that someone who will cause chaos and death, be a ally or anything but a monster. He will deactivate his shikai, but not sheath his blade as he remain ever vigiliant.