Northwest Seireitei

[Nobody]

The Kuchiki focuses on the spell, hands aimed towards the enemy, or rather the area the enemy occupied. His fallen Captain's image flashes in his mind, and he grits his teeth before continuing the chant.

"-ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium-"

Then the young, foolish yet jovial Keniro as he continues the chant, his heart beating louder. Next was Hyoroshi whom he had not known, but braved danger to aid them, causing his eyes to narrow. Even as the beastly soldier called out to him, it was as if his voice traveled through water muffled, distorted, distant.
​

"Gyoja! She must've figured out the threat that Captain Date poses, but I don't think he's going down that easily. If he wears her down and there's an opening, we have to collapse on her. If we can get in close, we can finish this!"​

"- the sea barrier surges-"
​

“The Espada have been cut off from their access to the Soul King parts, but this is only temporary, and the enemy lost use of Garganta as long as the 12th Division stands, so please make this count for all we have lost!”​

As he recites the incantation, the voice of the Twelfth Division's Lieutenant rings within their ears and minds, undoubtedly by way of Kidō. The message falls mostly on deaf ears as he attempts to focus his mind. Just then, one last face flashes before him, that of Ren. His eyes widen as his reiatsu rises.

"-march on to the south! Hadō #31. Shakkahō!!!"

Like a miniature crimson son, the red sphere is fired, hurtling through the air like a cannon ball. The details and results of the exchange between the Captain and the Espada largely unknown, due partially to distance and partially to focus. With the enemy focused on the Captain it gave him time to cast the spell at full power, as well as adding to it. There is an almost defeaning crash accompanied by a pillar of red light. He strains his eyes to see what had become of the enemy, only for his eyes to widen in both disbelief and, perhaps something else.

Peeking through the veil of crimson was a pillar of golden light, denying the crimson pillar any leeway beyond it. It is something not many have actually witnessed, perhaps only ever read about in books, heard about through stories. Those of the Fifth Division both past and present, as well as Gyōja himself, and perhaps Tomi knew what this was.

"Negación..."

He muttered the word like a curse. Seeing it he knew, his spell had failed to reach her, so long as she was bathed in that light she was untouchable, unreachable by them. While this also meant that she was separated from them, unable to torment them any further, he found no solace in this. For what reason had they fought so hard? For what reason did the Captain and Keniro fall, if they weren't even able to permanently injure the enemy let alone kill her. His eyes elevated as he watched on, powerless to do anything, something that has rung true throughout the battle.

"I'm still...so weak...so pathetically weak."
He clenched his fists tightly. Now wasn't the time for self deprecation. He searches for Ren, his body vanishing from the inverted pyramid to arrive near their new recruit, finding Hyoroshi also in her company, worse for wear.

"She got away...I'm sorry."

While he appeared the same by all accounts, there was a bitterness found in his voice. He moved to step past both Hyoroshi and Ren, pausing for a moment.

"You should get checked out Hyoroshi, get patched up. Ren, you should go with him, safety in numbers. I'm going to check on the Captain."

Rather than waiting for a response, or going back and forth on the matter he pressed forward, moving down towards the area Captain Date had been. Unaware of how he faired, or what state he would be in. Had he been injured by the enemy? Or worst still, had he been caught by Negación's light? All questions he had no answers to, but answers were what they needed right now.

 

[Hyoroshi Iwamura]

​

---

The rush Hyoroshi was feeling, that swelling of focus and fortitude from the sudden and rapid improvement of fortunes, a hallmark of instinctive arrogance that was starting to speckle even his mind wine-red in the inferno of the moment--that second wind, at seeing the chaos of the Date's Bankai unfurl as if to rebuke his exclamation to Gyoja, ebbed away. The announcement from the Twelfth rang in his ears the same as the others. But he remained in place, somewhat observing Gyoja's incantation, though mostly concentrating on Taro Date's flooded-earth obliteration of the Espada, particularly on the threat herself.

How she was reduced to a wounded and pitiful sop tossed around by an even more ruthless, even more savage predator...

"It's finally dawned on you, hasn't it, pup," his Zanpakuto seethed almost directly from his hands, taking Hyoroshi aback, "how feckless you are. You want to honor your friends and save the Seireitei. I want to rend that chick's flesh. We can't do either. You know what I'm about to say next."

A guttural growl sizzled from Hyoroshi's bared teeth.

"Enough with your yapping, I refuse to stoop so low as to accept your demonic offer. I am no beast!"

Silence. Under the weight of his prolonged, power-hungry Shikai, Iwamura's biceps were beginning to fatigue. His entire left shoulder was already begging for him to stop torturing its trapezius with its half-circle hole. Yet, with a defiant thrash, he threw an outstretched palm forward while taking a step forward. His own Reiatsu flared; almost concurrently with Gyōja, though without an incantation:

"Hadō Number 33: Sōkkatsui!"

A wild, raging blast of cyan flames sprouted from his open hand, cascading forth as a blast one story in height hurtling directly at the Arrancar, angled slightly inward against Gyōja's Shakkahō so as to properly meet their shared target. Beside the red pillar and partially merging with it, an explosion of cyan energy and debris kicked up--they were both on the mark.

Hyoroshi remained still, his hand still outstretched, for a second too long. Before even declaring the spell, before even discerning that exasperating beam of golden light, his very marrow had understood the futility of the act. For him, seeing that impenetrable barrier and the Arrancar rising up within it was part and parcel, always something to consider when facing a Hollow of any note, and something that, in hindsight, was all but guaranteed to trigger at some point following Captain Date's arrival.

Redemption, Stifled

Hyoroshi's gaze instead wandered to his surroundings as he straightened. The Thirteenth Division was almost entirely leveled, still submerged in the Date's pitch-black ink. It was likely that Ren and Gyōja were its only surviving members, if the former's continued energy output wasn't a mirage. His home, the Fifth, blinked into his mind's eye. A hard swallow squeezed through his constrained throat.

"I'm still...so weak...so pathetically weak."

Iwamura said nothing. He was searching for answers, too, even with the vat of other concerns on his mind. To resolve at least one, he turned and, with care, hopped and flitted away to regroup with Ren--thankfully spared from any significant injury. Gyōja appeared not an instant later.

He watched the Kuchiki speak, and his lips pursed slightly. In that moment, watching his comrade still able to steel himself and stand tall for his lone subordinate, he felt his heart surge with respect and empathetic sorrow.

Gyōja began to announce his next steps, but before he could finish, before he could walk off, a large hand suddenly smacked his back between the shoulder blades, just hard enough to try to jolt some of the brooding hurt out of his system.

It was Hyoroshi, striding forward, both of his still-white-hot blades in his other hand. He glanced back as he walked, staring at the Kuchiki until their eyes met.

"Don't carry this on your own, Gyōja Kuchiki. You and Ren may very well be all that remains of this Division. She needs you, and you need her."

Iwamura broke out into a jog and started to hop away towards where he had sensed Shizukana's Bankai. The sound of fabric shredding bisected his message; he had torn the sleeves of his Shiakusho off and was wrapping them around his wounded trapezius as a makeshift bandage.

"I'll be okay. Go to Captain Date together. I need to rendezvous with my own Captain, and my Lieutenant if he's with her."

Hyoroshi stopped just within earshot of Ren and Gyōja. Turning back a final time, his voice boomed with a sudden, strange passion.

"Fare well and stay alive, you two! And no matter what you're thinking now, you've earned a brother in me, Kuchiki!"

With that, a Shunpo carried Hyoroshi to the perimeter of the Thirteenth. Standing atop its ruined walls, he exhaled, sniffed the air with the twitch of his nose and journeyed forth.

[TO CENTRAL SEIREITEI]

​

---

 

[Adonai]

---

*Gulp*

A single solitary sound that echoes from Taro as the water invades him and in that moment something is ejected from his body, another body. A voice screams in agony, a voice that is not his own but that of a mod soul. It screams as the water tears through the body, the organs, and eventually the brain, which brings an end to the horrendous screaming. Before the body goes limp into the ink it is stopped by the other thing that was ejected, that thing being Taro. But how could this be? For him to have done this implies that Taro was using a Gigai this entire time. This implication, however, is the truth.

After his meeting with the Lieutenant of Twelfth Division he was given a suitcase with a biometric scanner that will only open for him, Shibuya or Michiya. Within was a Gigai specially designed to withstand the flames of the Sokyoku. When Taro arrived at Thirteenth Division he was empty handed, no case in sight and that is because he had decided to use the Gigai mid-travel to avoid holding onto the case the entire time. While he still has a hole in his stomach he was spared the devastation of the water that would have invaded him.

He takes his Zanpakuto back from the dead cadaver and watches Cordelia retreat via Negación. He watches her, curled up and appearing to sleep like some sort of innocent creature. He quietly deactivates his Bankai while watching, returning the solid ground to the Northwest Seireitei. Ink stains mark the ground and buildings, it will take many months of mopping and scrubbing but the stains will eventually come out.

”Pray, Hollow, pray to whatever it is you call a God. Pray that I do not find you again. Because if I do I will pull your organs out one by one until you are truly hollow.”

He sheaths his Zanpakuto and cracks his neck before looking over at the Kuchiki who was approaching him. He stood silently while waiting for him to get closer, once close enough he grabbed him by the collar of his Shihakushō, lifting him off of his feet.

”Low level Kido, is that all you are capable of? And your Zanpakuto, it looks water based, you didn’t think to use it to mitigate any of the water she was conjuring? Or were you too worried about your worthless Kuchiki pride? Were we not actively in a war I’d twist your head off and have it delivered to your clan’s doorstep.”

He tosses him to the ground with enough force to ensure he couldn’t stick the landing, but not hard enough to injure him further, physically at least. Taro looks down at him, a hated contempt towards his very existence. These noble families have caused so much trouble for the Soul Society and yet they act as if they have done nothing wrong. While thinking of every vile thing he could call Gyoja in this moment his head tilts up when noticing the wolf man leaving the area, no doubt to regroup with his Division.

He sighs, the Espada are being driven back one by one, which is good, it means that Zero Division won't have to get involved, although the casualties they have been suffering aren’t anything to ignore. A Captain and a seated member are dead here at Thirteenth Division, Kido Corps devastated, the Academy destroyed and a plethora of rank and file Shinigami slaughtered and are still being slaughtered to this very moment. The hole in his gut doesn’t even seem to be bothering him in the slightest, this man is a monster by every stretch of the imagination.

”Spread the word to whatever is left of the Thirteenth Division, reinforce other Divisions to help stave off the Arrancar that are left in the Seireitei or help tend to the injured. I don’t care which one you prioritize, just do something other than looking weak.”

He begins walking away, drawing his Zanpakuto slightly to have a single large ink fish flow out from the blade so that he may use it for transportation. Once on it he speaks to Gyoja one last time before leaving.

”I’m headed to the Southeast to assess the damage done there. I sensed a powerful Kido going off there earlier. Pray that the next time we meet you will be worth more than the air you needlessly breathe.”

With that Taro soars off towards the Kido Corps. A place known for its secrecy and the wealth of knowledge it holds cannot go unprotected for long. He has not forgotten about the Mother of Vizards that was freed from the Muken by a treacherous captain during the Civil War. For all he knows they are the reason these Arrancar even know about the Soul King fragments, further more this could all be a prelude to their return. But one thing he cannot decide on is a goal, what would their goal be if they were to return at this time? A question for later, for now Kido Corps must be properly secured, even if it is rubble.

[To Southeast Seireitei: Kido Corps]

---

​

 

[Frea]

She is staring at the screen, looking up at the updates of situations, overall, the condition of the Soul society? Bad. This was making Nanami doubt herself badly. Why is she even in the place if she can't save many reapers? All of those young Shinigami who had a future. All of a sudden, the twelfth's alarms were going off; it was the machinery which created panic amongst the members. Nanami was on it, looking to see what was going on. A force to be reckoned with was about to blow; if not careful, it would end the Soul society once and for all.

The force, the presence, it was the same one that they detected months ago in the Hueco Mundo they were observing. Nanami had decided to yell out to those who were panicking and get them to stop panicking and look up on their screens. Which they obeyed, of course. Even Nanami was scared of this presence, something eerie about it. She grabbed her Zanpakuto and stormed out of the twelfth division. Nanami had had enough of sitting behind the screen - or was it that? Perhaps it was an adrenaline rush - no, fear? No. Whatever it was that got Nanami to storm out of the twelfth Seireitei, leaving the nearest seated officer to take control of the situation. She grabbed her messaging device and sent a message towards Michiya, an important one at that.

"Michiya, the abnormal presence we detected months ago in the Hueco Mundo is here. And it's powerful presence where it will be destroying the Seireitei as a whole if we don't do something about it. It sounded like our alarms in the Twelfth. I'm going to go over there and check it out."

Nanami knew if it was to battle, her head? That's on the block - did she low-key care? Of course she did, though her duty is to protect the soul society. It wasn't a choice, it was an oath, an Oath to become a Shinigami. But naturally, she was curious about the presence. She ran towards the central seiretei to discover it. Of course, it wasn't too hard to detect as she travelled, she could see a grotesque monster that was taller than most buildings. Her nose clenched. What an ugly thing it was.


12th Division ----> Central Divison​

 

[Nobody]

Feet like lead struggle to carry him forward, weighted steps coming to a stop from the sudden smack from behind. Sensitive from the fight they had just struggled and fought tooth and nail just to survive, he pivots to face off a perceived threat stopping at the sight of an ally.
​

"Don't carry this on your own, Gyōja Kuchiki. You and Ren may very well be all that remains of this Division. She needs you, and you need her."​

His hand stays itself from the handle of his blade. He said nothing in response, merely staring at the towering beast of a man before he headed off towards his own destination. Gyōja turns, and continues his way towards Captain Date's area. He knew Hyoroshi's words were meant to comfort and held some truth to them. Unfortunately, it was a truth he couldn't afford right now. His Captain fallen, his Co-Lieutenant's whereabouts unknown, the deaths of his colleagues the vow to his parents all very vivid within his mind. As far as he could see, right now it was indeed up to him to carry things, it was up to him to protect Ren who had come here under the promise of a safe space to grow and learn under his protection, and by merely being here she was nearly killed.

Hyoroshi's parting words were lost to the Kuchiki, trapped in a tunnel of his own thoughts. His mind a chamber that echoed his anger, his doubts, his duty and responsibilities.
​

”Low level Kido, is that all you are capable of?"​

The Captain's words silence his thoughts, seizing command of the young man's attention. He stops his advance towards the Captain, as cutting as the words were, he couldn't refute them. Unfortunately, the Captain had more to say regarding his powerlessness.
​

"And your Zanpakuto, it looks water based, you didn’t think to use it to mitigate any of the water she was conjuring? Or were you too worried about your worthless Kuchiki pride? Were we not actively in a war I’d twist your head off and have it delivered to your clan’s doorstep.”​

"That's not-"

Gyōja's feeling of being powerless are only amplified as he is hoisted up nearly effortlessly by the Captain, who's every harsh word begins stabbing into him. He opens his mouth to protest the accusation only to be cut off as he is tossed to the ground. He lifted his head ready to defend himself, to tell how he didn't hold back due to any sort of pride, that there was no possible way Aojūkiri could do something like control the water of an Espada in their Resurrección, but all these thoughts, all the words he would have spoken find themselves stopped in his throat at the sight of the gaping hole within the Captain.

​

”Spread the word to whatever is left of the Thirteenth Division, reinforce other Divisions to help stave off the Arrancar that are left in the Seireitei or help tend to the injured. I don’t care which one you prioritize, just do something other than looking weak.”​

As The Captain conjures a fish that he moves to stand upon, Gyōja rises to his feet staring that the usage of the Captain's shikai before shooting a glance towards Aojūkiri. Regret, Doubt, Hesitation, all these things and more race through his thoughts in this fleeting moment.

​

”I’m headed to the Southeast to assess the damage done there. I sensed a powerful Kido going off there earlier. Pray that the next time we meet you will be worth more than the air you needlessly breathe.”​

'GRRrraaaaaa'

Watching Captain Date soar off atop the ink fish, a sudden growl and warm breath from behind him startles the young Kuchiki, whipping around to be faced with a massive open maw of sharp fangs. The mouth, large enough to clamp down on the entirety of his upper half remains open, panting as the beast it belongs to makes no move to attack or consume Gyōja who stands there, frozen in place. Slowly, the massive jaw closes shut as the blue beast stares him down, mist slowly creeping in around them until only the glow of the beasts eyes remained, until they too vanish. Gyōja blinks only to find the mist gone completely, and he is left standing as he had been during the Captain's departure.

A heavy, oppressive and nauseating reiatsu spreads across the Seireitei. Gyōja breaks out into a cold sweat, eyes widened and pupils dilated, hands shaking in response to this power. At a distance, from the area of the First Division, a monster can be seen. His mouth goes dry and he can't help but feel dread, to feel that it was over for them. The Gotei 13 was still in the stages of recovery, a house divided due to the Civil war. With this unexpected invasion there had been many losses, and now something like this?! What were they meant to do against this thing?! He hesitantly turns and looks around, seeing the scattered bodies of the injured and the dead, members of his Division. Then he looks towards Ren.

​

"If you would allow it, I would look after her, see that she is properly trained and learns our duties...so that perhaps when this happens again...we might have a better chance."​

His words to their late Captain echo in his mind. Despite his fear, the feeling of hoplessness he takes a breath. "Ren...gather the injured and escort them to the Fourth Division." He speaks while drawing his sword, turning his back on her. "Avoid all enemies. Focus all your efforts on getting them to medical help. Now"

He does not bother to give her time to respond, he has no intentions on going back and forth, debating the matter. He was their Lieutenant, Ren was capable enough to escape, there was no point in her risking her life foolishly. He mutters something under his breath, the blade of his zanpakuto undulating and growing clear before slowly fading, a heavy mist swallowing Gyōja whole, traveling its way towards Central.