Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
September 2, x786.
While sitting in the living room of her suite, Irene, who was reading a copy of the book Brandish was reading, suddenly raised her head. And when she did, she smiled in a feral manner.
Feeling the change in atmosphere around Irene, Brandish also looked up from her book. However, when she did, she immediately lowered her head in fear. Seeing Irene's terrifying smile was a bit too much for her.
"I'm going to step out for a moment." Irene said calmly as she closed her book. "I might be a while. So, don't be surprised."
"Oh... Okay... Got it." Brandish replied without raising her head.
Then, Irene stood from her recliner, placed the book on the table next to the chair, and walked out of the suite. And despite the fact that she was releasing such a terrifying aura, she smiled brightly the whole way.
*Bang!*
Eventually, the door was closed behind Irene after she left the room. And with that sound, Brandish finally had the courage to once again raise her head. And after she saw that Irene really was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"*Sigh* She's scary." Brandish said while shaking her head before focusing on her book again. "Still, I hope she doesn't do anything reckless."
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Open Road.
At the same time, a motorcycle carrying two people was racing through the roads of Fiore. And just after getting several miles away from the Town of Magnolia, the two riders, Tsunade and Retsu, the motorcycle's driver, felt a change in the atmosphere.
"Master Retsu..." Tsunade, holding onto Retsu's waist, said in an attempt to get her former guild master's attention.
"I am aware, Tsuna." Retsu replied while continuing to drive. "But unless she does something, we won't do anything either."
Hearing that, Tsunade was surprised. From the way Retsu acted the day before, she was certain that Retsu would be ready, willing, and able to fight. A moment later, however, she could feel Retsu's blood lust leaking.
'I guess I was thinking too much.' Tsunade thought to herself while smiling wryly. 'Of course, she's gonna provoke her opponent to make the first move. Why would I think otherwise?'
And just as Tsunade thought, by releasing so much blood lust, Retsu was hoping to provoke their pursuer into making the first move.
A moment later, a tall, voluptuous female figure, with scarlet-red hair, appeared in the motorcycle's path. Luckily, Retsu had excellent reflexes. So, she was able to swerve around the figure. And just as they passed each other, Retsu's blue eyes met with Irene's brown ones.
*Screech!*
A moment later, after passing Irene, Retsu turned her motorcycle while pulling the brake, causing the vehicle to skid to a stop. Then, she dismounted before taking off her helmet.
"Master Retsu, are you really going to fight this woman?" Tsunade asked as she also dismounted from the motorcycle.
"It would seem she does not intend to give me a choice." Retsu said as she turned around. "And to be honest, I am not against it either."
Hearing that, Tsunade was not all that surprised. Despite Retsu's normally gentle demeanor, she knew that her former guild master was incredibly blood thirsty. Though, she had no idea where all that blood thirst came from. Either way, she knew better than to get between Retsu and a fight she wanted.
Meanwhile, Retsu handed the dumbfounded Tsunade the helmet she had been wearing. Then, she pulled the nodachi she usually carried off the rack Alfonzo had built into the side of her motorcycle.
"Tsuna, I want you to carry my motorcycle and return to Magnolia." Retsu said calmly as she held her sheath in her left hand. "Tell Fairy Tail what is going on here. And let them decide how to handle it."
"But… I can help." Tsunade replied with clenched fists after taking off her own helmet.
"No, you're not ready for a battle like this one." Retsu replied as she turned to face Irene, who gave them the chance to converse. "Just do as I say. Return to Fairy Tail."
"*Sigh* Fine." Tsunade replied in a frustrated tone. "But if you die, I'll never forgive you, Retsu."
In the next instant, Tsunade, using her monstrous strength, lifted Retsu's motorcycle and both helmets. Then, like a blur, she dashed off to the side. Her intension clear, Tsunade wanted to widely circle around the battlefield on her way back to Magnolia.
"Do you really think I'll let her go?" Irene asked as she materialized her staff. Then, after tapping its end on the ground, she pointed its other end in Tsunade's direction. "Allowing this information to reach Fairy Tail would be detrimental to my plans. [Enchantment Magic: Disa---]."
Before Irene could cast her spell, however, Retsu appeared in front of her with the use of [Flash Step]. And just as she appeared, Minazuki was already swinging down, aiming to remove Irene's right arm, the one holding er staff.
Irene, on the other hand, moved her staff swiftly, blocking Retsu's overhead slash. However, she was quite surprised by the power behind that swing. Still, she was not forced to take a step back, despite the power she just defended against.
"Hmm… So, my instincts were not wrong." Irene said with a smile. "You really are quite dangerous. And despite your meager amount of magic power, you could threaten my life."
"Fufufu! I appreciate your assessment." Retsu replied with a gentle laugh as she covered her mouth using the sleeve of her kimono on her free arm. "But I'm sure your assessment will change once this fight truly begins."
Intrigued by Retsu statement, Irene held eye contact while trying to understand the raven-haired woman's meaning. However, after a moment, she decided to simply wait until the "fight truly began" to get an answer.
In the next instant, Irene exerted more force on her staff, forcing Retsu backwards. Then she thrust her staff forward viciously, intending to crush Retsu's throat.
Thanks to her own experience and weapon mastery, Retsu calmly moved her Zanpakuto in a semi-circular motion, deflecting and redirecting the tip of Irene's staff towards the ground. Then, once she completed her defensive maneuver, she adjusted the grip on her hilt before swinging her sword up towards Irene's chin.
Reacting quickly, Irene tilted her head away from the upward slash. Then, just as she intended to whip her staff up towards Retsu's unprotected right shoulder, she was forced to defend with her right hand.
*Smack!*
A moment later, Irene caught Retsu's free, left fist in her own right palm. On impact, a small shockwave was created, causing the grass on either side of the road to sway.
"Your physical strength is quite impressive." Irene said, still maintaining her smile. "But I know you've got more in reserve. Otherwise, I wouldn't be having this feeling of danger. Now, show me everything. Otherwise, you'll die."
With that, Irene pulled Retsu closer before raising her foot and kicking her in the chest. However, just before the heal of her boot could land, Retsu raised her Zanpakuto to defend. Unfortunately, she was only able to block the heel of Irene's boot, allowing the rest of the boot to land between her breasts.
*Crack!*
In the next instant, with the sound of bones cracking, Retsu was blasted away by Irene's kick. However, with little difficulty, Retsu righted her posture midair. Then, before her feet touched the ground, she used the [Flash Step] once again, disappearing from her spot in a burst of speed.
*Clang!*
"Interesting." Irene muttered to herself as she moved her staff to block an incoming slash. "Using your magic power, you forced the ethernano in the air to move beneath you to create a foothold. Then, you used that strange movement spell before it dissipated."
*Clang!*
"You're quite observant." Retsu replied, the blood thirsty smile she had been wearing since Irene appeared widening with every one of her slashes that was defended against. "And it would seem you have quite the proficiency with your chosen weapon."
*Clang!*
Once again, using the flash step, Retsu vanished from where she stood. Then, she reappeared on Irene's opposite side, swinging her Zanpakuto once again. And like last time, Irene moved her staff to guard.
Instead of catching the sharp edge of the blade, however, Irene was surprised when she noticed that she had caught the flat of Retsu's Zanpakuto. Then, her eyes widened when Retsu began sliding her blade towards her fingers.
Forced to release her staff with her right hand, in order to avoid losing her fingers, Irene was once again surprised when Retsu stopped her blade before she violently forced her Zanpakuto downwards. As a result, Irene was forced to release her staff when her left wrist was twisted.
Now disarmed, Irene raised her now free hands to defend against Retsu, who quickly drew her sword back into a thrusting posture before piercing forward at lightning speed.
*Clap!*
In the next instant, Irene clapped her hands around Retsu's blade, stopping it less than an inch away from the spot between her eyebrows.
"You truly are dangerous." Irene said, not losing her smile. "Still, this is not enough.
As she spoke, Irene twisted her hands, intending to disarm Retsu as well. To her surprise, however, Retsu allowed her entire body to be pulled along with the movement of her Zanpakuto. Then, using the momentum, Retsu leaned into a kick that landed on Irene's side.
As a result, Irene, who did not take much damage from the kick, was sent flying after she released Minazuki. Then, before she could regain her balance in the air, she saw Retsu, with her left palm pointed at her, gathering crimson-red energy in front of her palm.
"[Hado Number 31: Shakkahō]." Retsu chanted.
In the next instant, the crimson-red energy, now in the form of a blazing red fireball, was fired towards Irene at high speed. In response, Irene raised her right hand toward the incoming fiery projectile.
"[Enchantment Magic: Disappear Enchantment]." Irene chanted.
*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
Then, before the crimson-red fireball could reach Irene, a purple spark of magic power appeared in its path. Then, it rapidly expanded, causing an explosion. However, before the explosion could subside, a second, then a third, a fourth, and finally, a fifth explosion was triggered. And with each subsequent explosion, the area of effect expanded.
As a result, Irene, who was closer to the epicenter of the explosions was blown away. Though, she escaped unharmed. Her hat was blown away, though.
Retsu, on the other hand, was seemingly engulfed by the explosions as they increased in range. However, Irene knew that was far from enough to defeat her foe. Especially since she had been tracking Retsu's movements from the time she was in Magnolia.
So, Irene recalled her staff into her hand. Then, she raised it above her head just as Retsu, with her Zanpakuto raised over head with both hands wrapped around the hilt, appeared in front of her and swung her weapon towards her with all the strength she could muster.
"[Concept Enchant: Defense]." Irene chanted.
*Clang~~~~~~~~~~~!*
In the next instant, as Irene's staff glowed momentarily, Retsu's Zanpakuto sliced down on the staff. As a result, a loud sound, resembling two pieces of metal being slammed into each other with great force, resounded through the area.
With Irene's [Enchantment], the hardness of her wooden staff was increased by a large amount. So, Retsu, having put so much strength into her slash, felt her hands get numb.
Irene, on the other hand, felt that her legs, up to her calves, had been buried into the ground thanks to the force behind Retsu's swing. Still, her knees did not bend in the slightest, thanks to her body that was much stronger than any human's and the magic power she was circulating through her body.
In the next instant, before Retsu could recover from her attack, Irene forced her staff upward, throwing Retsu's arms and Zanpakuto upwards, as well. Then, she pulled her staff back before thrusting it into Retsu's sternum.
"[Enchantment Magic: Disappear Enchantment]." Irene chanted with a killer instinct in her eyes.
*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
Then, as soon as the tip of Iren's staff impacted Retsu's chest, a purple spark of magic power lit up on the tip of the staff. Then, it quickly expanded, engulfing Retsu in the explosion before flinging her backwards at high speed.
Like before, there were four subsequent explosions that followed the first. However, instead of being a point in space, the epicenter of each explosion was set on Retsu's sternum. So, with each subsequent explosion, not only was Retsu hit by the full brunt of the explosion, but she was also sent flying backwards with ever increasing speed.
By the time the last explosion subsided, Retsu had flown for more than three thousand feet before slamming into the ground. On top of that, her condition could not be called good by any stretch of the imagination.
Currently, Retsu's Kimono was torn, nearly to shreds, exposing large amounts of her skin, she was covered in blood, cuts, bruises, and burns, and her hair was no longer in the braid that hung in front of her chest, revealing a large scar in the middle of her chest.
Despite all that, Retsu was still conscious. On top of that, using her Zanpakuto, Minazuki, as a crutch, she was climbing to her feet, albeit, quite slowly.
"My, my, aren't you the resilient one?" Irene asked as she walked towards Retsu. "While the fact that you are even conscious is a big enough surprise, the fact that you can still move is truly impressive."
As the last of Irene's words fell, Retsu was finally able to stand. Though, it was clear to anyone watching, she was no longer in any shape to fight. Despite that, her blood thirsty smile had not diminished in the slightest. Instead, it had only grown wider.
"If you think this is a sign of great resilience, then prepare to be amazed." Retsu replied as she gingerly raised her Zanpakuto wither right hand and rested her left palm against the edge of its blade. Then, while slicing the palm of her left hand with her blade, Retsu continued. "[Bankai: Minazuki]."