(With Ichigo and Co.)
The hybrid stood atop the bow of the vessel, vigilant to anymore sea monsters that would've attacked them and become the crew's meal as a result. Esdeath stayed in perpetual jinzen, fighting her Zanpakuto spirit for the ability to summon her powers, while Akame continued to study the language of the Eastern continent within Rongo Rongo. She was also teaching Mine and Chelsea since they were to be the diplomatic envoys of the Empire, while Wave and Tatsumi failed to be any kind of fluent in the language. Ichigo figured he'd pick it up from the souls of the dead if that was possible. They were sailing for another day or so before finally seeing land again.
"Land ho!" Ichigo called out, getting everyone's attention. "It appears we've reached Jinwa... or whatever this place will be called now. We'll find out from the... locals." The hybrid stopped as the rest of the crew joined and saw and felt what he did. "It... it's actually worse than the Empire." Hollows, hundreds of millions of souls and Hollows could be felt. "Look alive people. Be ready for if this place is as depraved as Honest's Empire." It took Ichigo forever to deal with all the wandering souls when he first came to this world in the Empire's capital region alone. Sure he has some more Shinigami now, but they'd likely be far too busy with diplomacy.
"Looks like we're drawing a crowd." Mine said, looking through Pumpkin's scouter scope and seeing all the people gathering on the beach. For Ichigo it was like looking at an old time fishing town of Japan; straw and wood buildings and huts, people wearing fundoshi loinclothes, they may as well have gone to the Warring States era of Japan, especially with all the souls flooding the land and the smell of death that permeated the air. "That old guy off to the side might be able to tell us something." Ichigo squinted before taking a pair of binoculars and seeing the man in question with five teenagers, three boys and two girls.
The old man had a long pointed and white beard and mustache wearing light robes with a walking stick. The first teen was a girl that had chin length red hair in a blue headband and blue eyes, wearing a halter top and short shorts that were colored black, white, and blue and she held a single edge straight sword. Next was a young man with a black ponytail with brown eyes wearing a white shirt with a black vest and blue trousers with a brown sash, he also had a sword. The next boy had black hair and brown eyes as well with his hair tied in a pulled back ponytail topknot mohawk with shaved sides, wearing a black long sleeved shirt with a baggy white jacket and blue trousers and he had a bow with arrows. The last boy had dark hair and dark gray eyes and dressed like he worked in a temple shrine with a spear in hand. The last girl had knee length blonde hair in a ponytail and gray eyes wearing a small white tanktop and baggy black pants with two swords at her side.
"Those kids have spilled blood." Esdeath said, recognizing experienced hands but not true warriors. Probably experienced in fighting off bandits and pirates maybe, possibly with hopes of joining an army later. "Wave! I don't see a proper dock so let's stop as close to the beach as safely possible." Esdeath ordered with the naval officer getting to work on that.
"Mira! Come here!" Ichigo summoned the Arrancar who almost immediately appeared at his side. "Start rounding up the Hollows here. I don't wanna spend too much time distracted by all of them." She nodded and flashed toward the inland to do her given mission. They practically beached their vessel, pulling up the keep and Wave removing their propellers while Ichigo, Tatsumi, and Esdeath pulled it onto the sand. As they did, the old man and the children walked toward them with Akame, Mine, and Chelsea going to greet them.
"Greetings," Mine hopefully said in their language, "is this land Jinwa?" The people looked surprised, but the old man took it in stride.
"This land hasn't been called that in a very long time, hundreds of years in fact. Now it is known as the Soukai nation. Are... are your companions alright?" He asked as Tatsumi and Wave kept getting distracted by all of the souls.
"They are just on guard, our information of this area is over a thousand years old and it was limited knowledge at that." This sparked many of the adults to start talking in surprise while Mine continued. "We come from an empire far to the west." The teens with the old man looked shocked and excited while the adults were a bit more skeptical.
"You really expect us to believe a brat like you!?" Someone yelled out, getting a few more of the adults to join in. "There's nothing to the west but a massive storm and giant freaks! There's no way anyone could come through there!" Mine clenched her teeth but held her tongue while Chelsea turned to Esdeath and gave a single nod. Esdeath smiled and placed her hand on the sand before swiping it toward the ocean, generating a massive amount of ice for all to see.
"We come from the Grand Empire to the west, we have made great advancements in civilian living and in military prowess. We calmed the storm that barred our way to come here." Chelsea proudly announced to the assembled crowd. "Now, may we speak with your king about forming diplomatic relations?" After a few seconds some people started running, whether it was to find their king was unknown to the envoy. The old man offered the group his home while they wait for news from the king and the group gratefully accepted. Ichigo said he'd tour the island alone and disappeared to do his duty as a Soul Reaper, leaving the rest of the group to meet with the elder.
"I believe I should introduce myself," the man started as the kids began serving food and tea, "I'm simply called the elder and these are my students. Hinowa, Hisame, Yumehachi, Suzumaru, and Tobari." He said, pointing at the red haired girl, the boy with the sword, the boy with the mohawk, the boy in shrine garb, and the blonde girl. "Though, your country did pick a rather fortuitous time to seek relations."
"While your country is at war." Esdeath suddenly said, taking a sip of her tea and surprising her companions. Even Akame who was scarfing down her meal. "I studied the language while I rested from my training. Those children aren't training to fight bandits and pirates. They aim to eventually join the army and you're training them to do that."
"It is as you said," Hinowa admitted, "we are planning to eventually join the Soukai army."
"For the past hundred years, this entire continent has been in a state of perpetual war as countries fight for dominance." The elder continued. "This children are stubborn but have... mostly good intentions." Each one of the kids glared at Yumehachi, who was staring at Esdeath like he was in love. "Soukai is a small nation so they'd welcome a new ally. But I believe there's another reason why you're here." He said, looking over the group. "Something about you hints that there is more."
"There is." Akame admitted, after she finished her meal. "Our country is hunting a criminal group that threatens to topple our nation but is currently in hiding from us. We have reason to believe they went east and thus we followed. To forge diplomatic ties is killing two birds with one stone." The elder nodded in understanding.
"Someone went to send word to his majesty so he might send someone close to him to investigate. Let's hope this meeting serves to benefit both sides."
(The Next Day)
Morning came and the group went over what information they now had; Ichigo and Mira were still gone, the elder that housed them left early that morning to go about his day outside the village since he only came by once a week to teach the kids, the men of the village was looking down on the kids because of their age like a bunch of condescending fathers and Esdeath had a few words to share with them on that. Esdeath also punished the Yumehachi boy when he tried to peep on her and the rest of the girls while they bathed in a hotspring. Now the only things left was to go about hunting for any hint of the Quincy and wait for the diplomatic envoy from the Soukai king. Tatsumi and Chelsea went out scouting since they had greater stealth potential, Wave joined the fishermen with fishing since he had little else to do, Mine was reading some of the elder's scrolls, and Esdeath and Akame were watching the girls practice.
"These kids do have a lot of potential, but it's like staring at uncut and unpolished gemstones." Esdeath said, watching Hinowa and Tobari spar with Tobari winning their match by a quick blow to the head. "Hinowa has a lot of potential but almost everything about her style seems self-taught, same with the other kids." Akame nodded, analyzing what they saw. Hinowa had the speed and strength but was lacking in proper technique, Tobari seemed to have had some actual prior training but adopted her own dual sword style, and what little she saw of the boys showed that they were rather capable with their chosen weapon, even Yumehachi showed respectable expertise with his bow.
"They want to join the army when the time comes, but how far do you see them going?" Akame asked, making the general think critically about how she evaluated the teens.
"Hisame and Hinowa definitely have bright futures, probably military generals or commanders but I'd have to see them in action. The rest are squad leaders, at best." The pair then noticed Hisame coming by with a basket of vegetables and an idea sparked in Esdeath's head. "Akame, think you can train Hinowa in the sword? I'll play a few strategy games with that one." She said, pointing to Hisame.
"Promise not to take things too far." Akame pleaded as the two went about their tasks.
(Storm Region)
"We need to plan our attack." Enshin admitted as their cargo freighter came to the site of the endless storm, finding evidence of Esdeath's presence by the massive chunks of ice and making the waves much more treacherous by the ice in the waters and the wind's raging tempest. Syura brought out Shambala and teleported them beyond the range of the storm on the other side. "What do we have again?"
"About five chimera, fifty soldats, another fifty regular soldiers, and the two of us." The dark skinned man answered. "Did you get enough practice with your Schrift?"
"I doubt it. I've been experimenting, but I don't know if it'll be enough. I still have my Teigu Shamshir, so it'd be best to wait until the full moon for when we dock. If we meet then we'll be ready, if not then we'll have plenty of looting to do anyway. But what are the odds that we'll encounter them the moment we get there?"
(Timeskip)
Almost two weeks had passed since they came to Yaenami village, since a messenger left to inform the king of their arrival, since they started their investigation, since Esdeath and Akame took the teens under their wings, since Ichigo disappeared with Mira. Tatsumi and Chelsea came back with nothing useful to their hunt, the teens flourished under Esdeath and Akame's mentorship, and the king of Soukai arrived as the sun was setting. A well built barrel of a man with thick arms and a blunt wide face, hair that was wiry like it was still wet from a soak in the sea with a thick bushy mustache. The two groups once again met within the Elder's home.
"When I heard about the visitors from the west, I admit I was skeptical," the king heartily laughed to the gathered imperial envoy, "but the story itself was just too interesting to pass up! To think, a ship made of metal and a woman that could command ice. A beautiful woman I might add." He winked to Esdeath, who promptly ignored it. "I am Sotetsu, king of the Soukai nation. I heard you were on a diplomatic mission from the 'Grand Empire' to the west?" The king didn't dress like one would expect a royal to, wearing baggy leggings and a thin short robe that left his chest exposed and a bandana on his head. He looked like a regular fisherman, but his soldiers couldn't be mistaken for anything else. A deeply tanned man with a similar build to the king with a short beard stood out among his peers as a dangerous one.
"Yes, we are," Mine answered, "our Emperor wishes to eventually unite the world and end war or at least make it less common." This got the attention of the king and his entourage. "According to our history the nations of the world were at one time connected a thousand years ago. Jinwa, one of the former names of this place, was cited as the origin of one of our most dangerous weapons." At that Akame took out her Murasame and presented it to the king's group, some of whom gasped in surprise.
"Is this a Meihou from your land?!" Asked a more slender man with sharp pointed features and then saw the confused looks on the faces of the Empire party that could understand the language. "Meihou are weapons made using Freaks as a base to grant them enhanced abilities."
"That is similar to most of the Teigu." Esdeath said to her companions before turning to the king's party. "We call our weapons Teigu and they are the result of the greatest minds at the time coming together to create them. That sword is known as the 'One-hit killer, Murasame', due to it's ability to kill any living thing with a single cut." Everyone from Soukai edged away from Akame when they heard that. "That was but one example and the blade is said to have originated from this land. These two" Esdeath pointed to Wave and Tatsumi, "have swords that cloak them in armor that enhances their abilities. My own power," she created a ball of ice, "is in my very blood. Many of the techniques that created these weapons were unfortunately lost to us."
"Do you think you could make more if you had the proper experts?" Sotetsu asked, his mind already at work on trying to get the best out of the situation. "Soukai is a small nation but a prosperous one. My initial interest was in how could this meeting make my country more rich, but I'd be a poor king if I didn't think of how to defend my nation and people."
"Unfortunately your highness, I cannot speak of what my emperor is willing to give until I can get back to him with the results of our talks here." Mine said, making the king frown but give an understanding nod. "I'm sure he'll be happy to negotiate when he hears you accepted creating ties with us." When she finished that, there was a loud explosion and screams began to cry out. This made everyone rush out of the building to see the empire's patrol ship gutted and on fire with a leviathan vessel heading for the shore. Normal humans saw holes suddenly appear and people falling dead, but the spiritually aware saw glowing arrows of light.
"It's the Quincy! Move!" Esdeath shouted, making the group of Teigu users spring into action. The general immediately summoned a wall of ice that completely blocked the rest of the village from any further arrows while leaving a small gap on the bottom that was only wide enough for two people to get through. Mine ran off to the side, getting Pumpkin ready, and searched for a vantage point to snipe any target she could while Chelsea had to take over the evacuation and the unenviable task of explaining what just happened. Esdeath and the rest of the team gathered by the opening in the ice and planned for their next move.
"I'll create a bridge between us and that cargo freighter, after that I want Tatsumi to get up there and create as much havoc as possible while we keep their attention on us." Esdeath ordered, slipping into her leader role with ease in the absence of Ichigo. "On my mark. Ready?" Everyone tensed, Akame and Esdeath materializing their Zanpakuto as a result of their spiritual training. "Mark!" They all leaped into action, Esdeath using all of her leg strength to close the gap and dodge every bolt. The moment she touched the water it began to until the water between her and the ship was a massive chunk of ice and the freighter was stuck in place.
"Here we go!" Tatsumi said with urgency, turning invisible with Incursio while Esdeath, Wave, and Akame made themselves targets for the Quincy. Tatsumi reached the ship, summoning Incursio's auxiliary spear, and was ready to cut through the hull before a barbed stinger smashed through and just barely missed Tatsumi. "What the!?" He gasped as a long skeletal clawed hand and a thick scorpion pincer tore open a hole with a pale humanoid head releasing an ear piercing shriek. It had milky white eyes filled with black veins, a mouth full of tentacles and needle-like teeth, and sickly pale skin... which looked melted as it gave way to a shiny exoskeleton on the right side of its body. The creature soon fully emerged to reveal scorpion's body with three stinger tails moving with eel-like flexibility and it was staring directly at Tatsumi.
'What the hell is this thing!?' He thought in horror as his invisibility failed due to broken concentration. The tentacles in its mouth writhed hungrily as it quickly lashed out to grab the armored youth, only to miss as Wave tackled Tatsumi out of the way and Akame stabbed the abomination in the side with her Teigu which made it screech out in pain. The assassin waited for it to die by Murasame's power but was shocked when it didn't immediately die and instead grabbed onto her and slammed her against the hull. "Akame!" Tatsumi shouted as he got his spear and attacked the beast again only to have to dodge as one of the stingers sprayed acid at him and Wave had similar results.
"How could you hesitate Akame?" Esdeath asked, suddenly appearing and cutting the humanoid half off of the body and while surprised by both bodies still moving she didn't hesitate to cut them both to bits. "Those were similar to Stylish's experiments, only worse." She said, looking over the corpse before sensing another attack. "Move!" She ordered, making the others move just as another barrage of arrows came down on them along with a few bodies that had holes in their heads.
"Good going Mine." Tatsumi said as the arrows decreased again... because some were now being aimed at the dark skinned soldier that was one of Sotetsu's guard who was charging down the ice and roaring a battle cry with an ornate katana in hand. "That idiot will get himself killed!" Just as Tatsumi said that, another chimeric monster tore open the bow's hull to reveal a large ape-like frame covered in blue scales with a crocodile snout and scaly bat wings with its claws having hideously gnarled talons. A small flash of light precede a torrent of flame that raced toward the man, forcing him to roll to the side to dodge and he continued to charge.
"Let her do her thing." Esdeath quickly said, raising Wave and Tatsumi on pillars of ice. "Take care of the enemy topside, I'll take go inside and see if they have anymore of these creatures!" She turned back to the hole in the hull, hearing some more growls. "Entertain me." She smiled as she walked in.
(With Akame)
"Begone from this land monsters!" The warrior roared as he almost reached the chimera, the abomination raising its claw to attack. Akame saw an opportunity and rushed at the beast, retrieving Murasame in her run, and poised to strike. The monster's head twisted 180 degrees and fired another blast of flame at the assassin but Akame was far more nimble and jumped over, reaching her target and stabbing into its eye. As she did that the Soukai warrior reached the monster and swung with all his might into cutting open the stomach of the chimera, only to get his blade stuck just scratching the surface.
'No living creature can survive a single cut from my Murasame,' Akame thought while holding on and swiftly blinding the creature with another stab in the other eye, 'so how are these things immune?' She focused her hearing through the screams and sounds of battle and trying to feel a pulse in the monster's neck, soon getting her answer. 'Multiple hearts. Three more if I'm guessing.' The Sokai warrior abandoned his sword and went with knocking the beast off-balance, striking the knee and flipping it onto its side. Akame ripped Murasame out of its eye and aimed to impale the monster in the mouth, seeking to sever its brain-stem. Somehow the chimera sensed her coming to it and prepared to chomp down on her arm, forcing her to throw her Teigu instead of risking her arm. The blade stabbed into the back of the beast's throat and poke through the back of the neck, just as the monster snapped its jaws shut. The beast attempted to swing at Akame but found the warrior holding its arm and getting it into an arm bar, a grip that was failing when the monster began to fight against him.
"I'm borrowing this!" Akame said as she landed on the chimera's stomach and ripped out the sword from the creature's gut. It roared at Akame, trying to get to its feet and throwing the warrior aside, and Akame took the opportunity to cut the hinges of it jaws and made the lower jaw go slack. Akame reached for her Teigu but the beast released another torrent of flame and forcing her back. The warrior came back didn't shy away from the fire and grabbed onto the hilt of the sword, ripping it free and quickly decapitating the chimera the rest of the way. The heat became too unbearable for the warrior and he dropped the Teigu, looking at his badly charred and shaking hands, and was smacked aside by the still moving body that was flailing about blindly and smashing the ice.
'Persistent.' Akame thought as her Teigu still glowed with heat and melting the ice, finally smiling as an idea came to her. She picked up a few pieces of ice and threw it at the monster, getting its attention and making it charge at her. She continued to keep its attention on her and guiding it to the ice's edge, dodging on its last charge where it fell into the ocean and sank like a stone. Akame stayed to watched the bubbles slowly end as the monster failed to float in the waters until it finally drowned. With that done she made her way back to her Teigu to inspect the damage, finding the hilt and guard practically burned away. "You could've died." Akame stated as the warrior came to her, holding ice to his burned hands.
"Your companion told us about who these enemies of yours are and what soldier doesn't act when his nation is being invaded?" He returned as Akame rose to her feet and sheathed her Teigu. "My name is Waniba, a commander of the Soukai military."
"Akame... special forces and thanks for the assist."
(Tatsumi and Wave)
The pair shot up on a pillar of ice to the deck of the freighter, both armored youths dodging spirit arrows and falling bodies as they closed the distance. Within a second they were already on deck and moving as fast as their armor enhanced bodies would allow, Tatsumi throwing his spear at a soldat in the group that was shooting at Mine while Wave went to take care of the ones shooting at Akame. The Quincy were dangerous beings with their spirit bows and arrows but they were still humans, only as dangerous as their training and skill makes them. In other words, the soldats were no match for two trained Teigu users and their sniper back up as the pair quickly mowed down the enemy with a mix of martial arts and spear work as Incursio's auxiliary spear was passed between the two.
"That the last of them?" Wave asked while snapping a soldat's neck.
"Probably," Tatsumi replied while flinging the remaining blood of his spear, "but I didn't exactly count how many were up here first. Some may have run down into the ship." Wave started walking toward a door that would lead inside the vessel when the sound of metal groaning stopped him, making the pair look around before getting back to back and prepared to fight again. They waited and listened to the groaning of the the metal, silently hoping that it was Esdeath's fighting something despite her being oddly silent during this whole attack. The two boys saw a large, bulging and writhing tentacle slowly crawling toward them, slithering like it was blind and was trying to find them. As it got closer, Tatsumi raised his spear and cleaved cut through the worm-like appendage like a log. The base part retracted, oozing a black fluid, while the part Tatsumi cut off split open to reveal wicked looking teeth.
"What the hell?" Wave asked, dreading whatever abomination they would be fighting now. Soon the bridge and accommodation of the vessel exploded in a mass of writhing tentacles of differing sizes, many with barbed claws at the end and others that split open to reveal fanged mouths either along the body or at the very end of the tentacle. Soon a... shape rose up that seemed like the main root of the writhing mass, like a pillar made of tentacles. "What did these Quincy do?" Wave asked as more tentacles shot toward them.
"Heads up!" Tatsumi cried out as spun his spear around, cutting any of the slimy appendages that got too close to him. Wave had to rely on the enhanced speed and strength given to him by Grand Chariot to do as much damage as he could by chopping and kicking at the limbs so hard and fast that he cuts through them. The pair put up a valiant defense but there were too many tentacles coming at them all at once and they soon found their legs wrapped up in the slithery grip. The two were yanked off their feet and were soon hanging helplessly in the air as more tentacles wrapped around them, keeping them immobilized as two mouthed tentacles came for the pair. The one that came for Tatsumi opened its tip and began to swallow him whole, making the teen scream in horror and struggle as much as he could.
"Tatsumi!" Wave cried out as he watched his teammate get sucked into the massive limb while the one that came for him revealed the teeth and mouth along its body before latching on in a hug of fangs and claws, trying to bite through the armor. "I! AM NOT! YOUR FOOD!" Wave roared as adrenaline flooded his system and rage pushed him beyond any limit of the body, ripping his hands free of their confines and grabbing onto the jaws of the tentacle before ripping it in half. The tentacles let go of him and lashed about in pain from the action while the one that ate Tatsumi began to balloon and explode, revealing a new Incursio.
"That... was disgusting." Tatsumi said while gasping for air in his new armor, more reptilian in form with segmented plates with talons on his gauntlets and feet. "Is... did Incursio evolve again?" Wave tried to get to his partner while both were taking in the new appearance of the evolving Teigu, unaware of the monster growing and the giant tentacles rising behind them and helpless when they slammed into the pair. Heavy blows rained down on them from the massive limbs, bending the metal beneath them from the force of the attacks and the crushing grip of the tentacles as they wrapped around them and the ship's body and threatening to crush them under the weight of their power. The blunt force and pressure eventually forced their armor to dispel and render them defenseless.
"That's enough." They heard someone say as the tentacles suddenly disappeared and while they were trying to figure out what happened, Wave received a harsh kick to the head that sent him rolling away and Tatsumi was getting stomped on, forcing Tatsumi to clench his eyes in pain but unable to move thanks to the beating earlier. "I was pretty badly humiliated by your shitty Soul Reaper friend." He said while stepping on Tatsumi's neck with just enough pressure to choke him, letting the assassin see Syura smiling down on him sadistically. "Because of him, my dad was disappointed in me." He stomped on Tatsumi's face again before aiming for his gut, forcing him to curl into a ball to try and get some meager protection. "I've never disappointed the old man before and all my pain and humiliation is the fault of that DAMN SOUL REAPER!" He hit harder and harder, unaware of Wave coming up from behind. "But the boss called dibs on that bastard and I'd rather take my frustrations out on some bitch, but killing you two might make up for-"
"Shut up!" Wave roared as he punched Syura in the back, forcing him to his knees and gasp in pain before Wave wrapped an arm around Syura's neck and throwing him to the ground. "Don't... you dare... underestimate us!" Wave was hurting, fairly certain that the tentacle monster cracked a few ribs and bones, but he refused to let that slow him down. "No one cares about some whiny little brat like you!"
"Thinking that you're great because you got something else to fight your battle for you?" Tatsumi added as Wave helped him up and Syura rose to his feet. Incursio's evolution had an effect on the youth as Tatsumi's right eye now glowed crimson with a cross shaped pupil instead of his usual green. "That's pretty much admitting you're too weak to fight your own battles. But that's the prime... FORMER prime minister in a nutshell isn't it? All talk and no action. A pathetic and spineless coward."
"Congratulations, looks like you take after your shitty father after all. A filthy soul bound for hell." The three glared at each other until Tatsumi and Wave charged at the same time in a pincer maneuver, soon slowing down when they noticed Syura's veins glowing blue. "Blut vene, the Quincy defensive technique?"
"Looks like." The two shared a quick glance and nodded again, conveying a silent conversation. They reached Syura and began their attack on the two sides of him. Years of practice and training made itself evident in Syura as he began blocking and deflecting their attacks, though Tatsumi and Wave were managing to keep him on the defensive with their assault. After a minute Tatsumi winced and flinched, leaving an opening. Syura grinned savagely, pushing Wave back and taking the chance to land a punishing blow on Tatsumi but was quickly caught in a full nelson hold by Wave who already began applying plenty of pressure.
"You really are an arrogant little shit." Wave smirked as Tatsumi stood up and pulled out Incursio's blade. "We were given a warning about Quincy powers and that you might not have a full understanding of the power of the Quincy."
"As such, Blut Vene is a skin tight armor. But what about attacks where your armor doesn't help?" Incursio began sparking with electricity. "Hado #11, Tsuzuri Raiden." Tatsumi quickly chanted, placing his blade against Syura's stomach and electrocuting him with Wave releasing him just in time to avoid getting shock. Syura was screaming in pain as electrical energy pulsed throughout his body.
"This was the one spell Ichigo forced on all of us to learn." Wave added as Grand Chariot's blade also became charged. "But you deserve no pity from us. Hado #11, Tsuzuri Raiden." He added his own attack to Tatsumi's, making Syura scream louder in pain. Before they could continue their assault with their fists, the ship shook furiously and knocked them all off-balance. "What the... did... did that thing get bigger!?" Wave asked in horror as the tentacle monster rose from the waters.
(With Esdeath)
To say she fought would imply there was a struggle. To say she fought would imply she was challenged. To say she fought would imply some measure of fear. There was no fight, not for her. When she got inside of the ship's cargo bay she was attacked by two more chimeric beasts and two bloody piles of unrecognizable flesh was all that remained the instant the attack began. Her nodachi length Zanpakuto would have proved an obstacle but all of her fighting with her Zanpakuto spirit had long since taught her how to control the length of her blade. Now she was searching for more prey, her next target.
"I know you're in here," she called out, sensing the presence of her next target, "stop trying to hide or I'll sink this whole vessel." The threat did its job as Enshin appeared before her, bearing a confident smirk that said he believed he could beat her. "So... anything interesting I should know before I torture you for information?"
"Make all the threats you want general, you can't hurt me." He boasted, which Esdeath immediately put to the test with a powerful kick. The instant her foot connected she noticed something was off with the attack, it didn't feel like she was kicking him but some kind of armor or shell. That didn't change the fact that the force of the attack still sent him flying through the metal hull and onto the frozen waters of the beach. Esdeath went over everything Ichigo had told her since being his second in command of the new unit had him inform her of all she needed to know.
"Normal Quincy can control and manipulate ambient Reishi to their will, making it their weapons, armor, or a way to accelerate their movements to move at incredible speeds." His voice echoed in her mind as she walked toward her foe. "However, there are some Quincy called Sternritters that have letters carved into their souls that grant them incredible abilities in association to the letter and epitaph. For example, someone with the letter H with the epitaph of Heat could command fires more devastating than your ice Teigu."
"So... is that a Teigu that's protecting you or something else?" Esdeath demanded, allowing her Zanpakuto to grow to its nodachi length. Enshin smirked, not even injured from the powerful strike and gaining more confidence from being immune to the power of the 'Empire's Strongest', pulling out a curved sword and holding it to the full moon.
"This is my Teigu, Moonlight Sword Dance: Shamshir." Enshin answered. "The power of this sword is dependent on the lunar cycle but yes, there is something else that's going to be the reason you die to me." He gave a come hither gesture and Esdeath summoned some ice shards, shooting them at the man. The ice either shattered a foot from him or was deflected entirely. "My new power, the Defense. I can stop any attack with an impenetrable shield, meaning-" He didn't have the chance to continue as Esdeath immediately began a second assault, no Teigu, just her own physical power and all bouncing off a bubble shield harmlessly.
"You're failing," Esdeath heard her Zanpakuto spirit taunt, "again. Why don't... you rely on your Teigu to fight, ...again. After all..., when you start losing... in a fight that truly matters... you always rely on that Teigu. On borrowed power."
'Shut up.' She told the tired voice of the giant demon that was her spirit. 'I'm aware of what my reliance on that Teigu, what my own complacency as the strongest did to me. Kept me from improving and I've been fighting tooth and nail to undo that mistake. Not for you or anyone else except for me! I AM strong, I AM powerful, I am not weak! So either finally give me my power or shut up and let me kill him on my own!' She mentally roared as Enshin swung his Shamshir and sending out blades of wind, blades that she easily dodged. Every time she felt herself about to use the power of the Demon's Extract, she clenched her fist hard enough to pierce her skin and focused her frustrations on trying to find a weak spot. 'I will win and I will do so of my own power. I WILL match Ichigo in power. Because I DOMINATE!' She swung her blade with enough force that it generated a wind blade that cut through Enshin's own and surprising the pirate.
"...Finally. The old fire... returns." Esdeath's blade began to glow as an icy chill, colder than anything she ever felt, raced down her spine. "Now... win." Her frown twisted to a predatory grin as words suddenly fell from her lips.
"Conquer the frozen hells, Tsundora Akuma!" She roared out, swinging her blade down and firing a ball of ice that slammed into Enshin shield but the ice also spread out on his shield. He released his barrier and jumped away from the resulting collapse. In Esdeath's hand was her familiar massive rapier but with a skull for the guard and the blade an icy blue, knowledge on the basic power of her blade filling her mind but all she could do was swing her sword and attack with icy energy. The cold grip of death feeling was the chill of her own Reishi, it flooded her body, her senses, she felt intoxicated. Now to put it to the test.
"I told you," Enshin growled despite feeling the growing pressure and a sense of unease, "nothing you throw can even hurt me!" Esdeath actually stopped her assault, giving the pirate the opening to counterattack, while trying to think of a way around his defense. "Now DIE!" He unleashed another massive barrage of wind blades, his body coated in sweat and feeling the strain of using all that power he was using, while Esdeath quickly dodged the attack. She closed the distance and swung her blade at Enshin, smashing against the barrier and once again coating it in ice. As Enshin began to move again, Esdeath reached the opening that Enshin was escaping through and searched for a disturbance in the air, smiling as a new idea sparked in her mind.
"This fight is over!" She declared, jumping high into the air with her blade glowing. "Kottaiki!" She shouted, shooting a beam of energy that slammed against Enshin's barrier. The force of the attack shattered the ice beneath him and sent him under the water with the remaining energy freezing the water again. She landed gracefully and used what little skill in Reishi sense to find him trapped in an air pocket in the ice. Suddenly the ice began to crack and Esdeath quickly restored the damage, keeping the pirate trapped and smiling as her opponent slowly began to suffocate from the lack of clean air. The chill of her power, the rush of battle, the sadistic pleasure of tormenting her enemy with a slow and painful fate, now she felt... warm. Warm with a burning desire in her core that only one person could satisfy. That's when she noticed a massive tentacle monster rise from the water and attack the ship... and was soon vaporized in a blast of energy.
(Back on the ship)
"Did... did that thing get bigger!?" Wave asked as the monster they fought earlier returned, bigger than ever and terrifying Wave and Tatsumi. They couldn't even fight this thing when it was half its current size, now it was bigger and with more tentacles and the two had no idea how they were going to fight it. Syura took the chance to disappear with Shambala, teleporting away while Wave and Tatsumi were distracted by the monster. Then it suddenly froze and slowly split into two halves that were then engulfed in a red and black blast of energy. As the pair tried to process what they just saw, Ichigo appeared before them with one of his Zanpakuto in hand.
"So... what did I miss?"