With a single cut, the temperature dropped below freezing, the snow turned into frozen frost that spread throughout the district.
True to his name, the shinigami (god of death) attacked with the cold blade of metal, as deadly and cruel as a scythe. However, this deadly weapon had its path stopped by a beautifully forged blade, enveloped in a golden aura.
The two attacks clashed, pushing the air in the atmosphere in all directions.
Hitsugaya couldn't contain his astonishment; he was using his Bankai, yet his opponent was able to face it.
"No..."
Hitsugaya Toshiro, with a bead of sweat on his cheek and a furrowed brow, realized after using his Bankai what kind of enemy he was facing. The amazing thing was not that she could take him on, but that Hitsugaya could barely match her enemy with that power.
"Excalibur..."
Hitsugaya used his wings to block the golden energy beam that shot from the blade.
"Urg!... Damn..."
Hitsugaya had underestimated his opponent, but it wasn't his fault. Bankai is the trump card of a captain. No one thinks of using it and losing.
One of the lotus flowers floating above Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro shattered.
Artoria did not stop; she vanished and, in the next second, soared into the sky, just like Hitsugaya, solidifying reishi beneath her feet.
Hitsugaya extended his wings.
"Hyorinmaru!!"
An ice dragon even larger than when he used his Shikai appeared, but Artoria cut through it with ease and continued on her way. Hitsugaya used his sword to stop the attack, but it wasn't enough, and he was pushed back, unable to lose concentration even for a single second or that sword would cut him in half.
"Ugh!" Hitsugaya knew he couldn't win in terms of strength, but battles are about more than just power.
"Tenso Jurin (Sovereign of the Heavens),"
This is a basic technique of Hyorinmaru, both in its Shikai and Bankai forms, which involves manipulating the weather and the environment.
Tired of being pressured, Hitsugaya created large ice stakes from all directions and hurled them at Artoria.
She stopped pushing Hitsugaya, allowing him to escape and attack with more ice stakes. Artoria didn't bother doing anything more than using her sword to shatter all the attacks without even flinching.
Hitsugaya gathered Reiatsu in his zanpakuto to strike once more.
"What?"
Another energy attack appeared from where Artoria was. Hitsugaya dodged, but another attack followed, a massive energy blast that pierced the sky; it was ridiculous.
"Doesn't that woman ever get tired?!"
Releasing Excalibur consumed a great amount of mana, and as a "Heroic spirit" in the past, she couldn't use it too much. However, this Goddess could do so using her divinity, but she didn't want to reveal too much of her power.
So Artoria used reishi, the reishi of this world is practically everywhere. The nearby houses, now frozen or destroyed by the battle, began to disappear or, rather, were turned into reishi particles and flew toward Artoria. Luckily, the system ensures this process goes unnoticed, or it would be easy to see that this method is used by the Quincies.
Artoria regained her power and attacked again with more blasts.
Hitsugaya felt frustrated, "I know she's strong... but..."
Needless to say again, Artoria was only waiting for Allen to leave, not intending to defeat Hitsugaya.
Hitsugaya could deduce it, and he thought to use his enemy's arrogance of not taking him seriously.
But soon, he realized it was not so.
'Every attack is meant to make me lose my guard, every swing of her sword is like a mountain and numbs my arms just by blocking it ... no openings, no weaknesses, no mistakes. Her elegance and precision in every movement she makes... a complete warrior in every sense of the word... It feels impossible, like I'm facing Captain Yamamoto!'
The world of the Soul Society is simple—Rukongai and Seireitei. If you have enough Reiryoku, you'll eventually catch the attention of Seireitei. Souls can't hide in Rukongai for long. Many Shinigamis were found this way, including Hitsugaya, whose power was so great that he started freezing his friends because he couldn't control it.
Where did a woman like this come from? Where did such a strong woman appear from?
Artoria had a look of concern as she glanced occasionally at Allen's location. She sensed a very powerful opponent with him, before being isolated by the system.
The first days for him are always dangerous because he is affected by the conditions of the world he's in. This made Artoria wonder if she should buy time or go to support Allen.
"Don't ignore me!!!"
Hitsugaya attacked once more; however, the second flower was about to break. Hitsugaya Toshiro's Bankai was incomplete because of his young age. He couldn't complete it and had a time limit, symbolized by the three flowers on his back.
"Do you still want to fight?" Artoria couldn't help but admire her opponent's spirit, though she also disapproved of his choice to fight to the death instead of fleeing.
There may be things like honor, pride, and duty involved, but there's nothing wrong with living to fight another day.
Artoria received Hitsugaya's attack. The impact tore up trees and houses. The captain couldn't accept this ridiculous power difference, so he didn't stop trying to defeat her.
Hitsugaya pressed hard with his sword, but it didn't move an inch closer to what Artoria allowed. Her hooded cloak covered part of her face, so only her indifferent mouth was visible.
"I would have liked to show respect to a brave warrior fighting until the end, but my master is in trouble..."
Hitsugaya's eyes went wide in shock—she just said, "My master."
'A woman like this is a servant?…'
Hitsugaya felt a chill coming from his stomach.
"Crystallized fragment of the promised victory... release your power once more..."
Hitsugaya's eyes widened at the feeling of danger. He tried to cover himself with ice, but deep down, he knew it wouldn't be enough.
"Daiguren Hyorinmaru!!!"
"Excalibur!"
This time, Artoria was serious. The Excalibur attack wasn't just an energy blast. After all, the Sword of Victory is not a regular sword—it is a crystallized fragment of the concept of victory. When released, it alters the rules of the world to grant the victory to its wielder, no matter the circumstances.
Or that's how it should be. But as with everything in existence, nothing is definitive, and it depends heavily on the opponent. Unfortunately for Hitsugaya Toshiro, this was not the case. From the beginning, the current Hitsugaya Toshiro was no match for the Goddess of Rhongomyniad. From start to finish, it was an inevitable outcome.
A huge explosion of Mana and Reiryoku disguised as just Reiryoku enveloped the entire district, Hitsugaya's figure was lost in the attack as the last flower broke...
...
A few seconds later, everything cleared, leaving a devastated landscape.
Hitsugaya leaned on his zanpakuto to avoid falling. His clothes were torn, and he had a chest wound. He had also lost his Bankai.
"It's not over yet..."
With a resolute look, Hitsugaya didn't give up.
Artoria's mind had already started to drift from the fight. She began to feel a bad premonition, so she decided to finish off Hitsugaya quickly and leave the Soul Society. "I have to leave."
"Wait!"
Artoria ignored him and disappeared. Hitsugaya Toshiro struck the ground in frustration.
"Shiro-kun, are you okay?"
Hinamori Momo ran up to Hitsugaya, worried, after all, they were childhood friends.
"Hinamori, what are you doing here?!" Hitsugaya wanted to scold her. There were captain-level enemies around, which was very dangerous.
"Don't blame her. I brought her here, Captain Hitsugaya..."
"You... Why?"
"The fact that a captain and two lieutenants weren't able to defeat the enemies is a cause for concern, don't you think, Captain Hitsugaya?"
"Huh?!"
Hitsugaya was so focused on the battle that he hadn't noticed that Matsumoto Rangiku's Reiatsu was weak.
"Ugh!"
Realizing his lieutenant was in danger, he tried to get up, but he couldn't.
"Don't get up, Shiro-kun!" Hinamori shouted, seeing Hitsugaya's actions. She had some medical knowledge and could see the severity of his injuries.
"I'll take responsibility!"
Hitsugaya let go of his enemies and was defeated. He even risked his lieutenant's life, something like that couldn't be ignored.
"Don't feel bad, Captain Hitsugaya. Next time, you can seek revenge..."
The calming voice of the 5th Division Captain had a great persuasive power. Hitsugaya knew his opponent was very strong, but his strict mindset wouldn't allow him to be at peace.
The 5th Division Captain smiled as he looked at Hitsugaya's back and then gazed into the distance.
...
...
...
Within the isolated space, the sky was red...
Allen wielded his sword with enough force to split a mountain, but it was met by a woman covered in the blood of her enemies, yet wearing a joyful smile.
Allen stepped on the blood-soaked ground. This wasn't real blood but the monstrous Reiatsu of Unohana, which acquired this appearance after killing tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of her enemies.
Allen stepped forward, eager to end the fight. As he had said earlier, he couldn't face Unohana properly at this moment.
Allen was new to using Reiatsu, but he was an expert in manipulating energy. Creating a Reiatsu projection wasn't difficult.
Unohana saw the power and smiled before exploding her Reiatsu, which looked like blood, and cutting Allen's attack in half.
By that point, Allen was already at zero distance, scorching the ground and landing a blow to Unohana's abdomen.
"Hehe~" She didn't bother to dodge and took the hit, causing a drop of blood to spill from her mouth, just as she lowered her sword to kill Allen.
Allen vanished to dodge, Unohana also disappeared, and the battle became a speed contest, with bursts of Reiatsu slashing through the ground and sky.
With each strike, the Reiatsu grew stronger, shaking and breaking the earth. Allen and Unohana exchanged thousands of blows before stopping in the middle of the field.
Unohana had lived for over a thousand years, and even after all that time, as a woman amid perpetual massacre, but her main goal wasn't to kill, but to fight, to kill, or to die.
Allen sighed and glanced at his sword for a moment, as Reiatsu spread across its surface.
The "Auswählen" was originally a technique of Yhwach to recover the fragments of his soul, along with the power, abilities, and even the lives of the Quincys who were his "descendants."
But Allen wasn't Yhwach, so this power was borrowed, a borrowed power. Allen frowned, not out of anger, but out of helplessness.
Unohana saw that troubled expression on Allen.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry..."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Because this power isn't mine… it feels wrong to fight you like this..."
Unohana opened her eyes in shock,"...!"
Allen had the necessary power to face Unohana, that was certain, but he was in a situation where he had to decide whether to use it because it was what he wanted or not to use it because it was what he had to do.
Allen's eyes widened as Unohana's battle-hungry expression faded and was replaced by a beautiful smile.
"Then let's fight another time.❤️~"
"Huh?!
....
*Unohana Yachiru's POV*
Boring...
The life of a Shinigami is very simple, just look around the world, and you'll see it's true. Decades or centuries pass, and the buildings look the same, the houses look the same.
The only things that change are the faces of those around us. I've seen many captains, geniuses, monsters, chosen ones... they appear, grow, shine with a great halo of light... and then disappear. I don't mean that they die, though that happens too. But when you become a captain, a Shinigami reaches the limit of their aspirations... from there, it's hundreds of years of a monotonous life...
I've seen all kinds of Shinigamis, but something was missing...
There was a time when I had hope... Yes, I was hoping that after all this time, someone would appear who would make me give it my all, but they never came.
Not because I'm invincible, but because of conviction. Captains are important to the world. Shigekuni wouldn't accept a senseless fight to the death, and many of the few captains of my caliber throughout the years wouldn't either.
I feel like everyone thinks I'm a crazy killer, but it's not like that. I just want that *something* to pierce my chest, whether it's a sword or a spear or whatever... but it never came...
I spent so much time waiting... that I forgot what that *something* was, and I started to think I simply wanted to die in battle...
...
Just when I thought my waiting was useless, that "something" appeared.
I was walking with Isane when I felt it. It was a moment, and it was hidden under layers of mystery, but I felt it...
At that moment, I ran. I didn't know who or what it was, but I felt it...
Isane called out to me in fright, but my soul was no longer there.
When I arrived my eyes were fixed on a figure covered by a cloak. The feeling of wanting to face him to test his power was controlled, and I landed not far away.
I can't describe that feeling. There was something different in every one of his steps, movements, and presence. It was an overwhelming sensation just by looking at him.
It was certainly hard to notice, but why had no one noticed?
My hair stood on end, and for the first time, I felt like I couldn't defeat my opponent.
I felt helpless...
I felt weak...
I felt anger...
I felt sadness...
I felt yearning...
I felt respect...
I even wondered if it was possible without people thinking I was crazy, but I think I felt love.
Maybe it was not a romantic love, but the love of something priceless and precious... I don't know, I've never loved someone...
...
I decided to put all those new emotions away and focus on fighting, fighting with all my heart.
It didn't take long for me to confirm my suspicions...
How long had it been since my heart raced, thinking the next move might be the last?
His movements were those of someone accustomed to fighting enemies of the highest caliber… each subtle move exerted overwhelming pressure.
Every attack could kill me if he was just a little faster and a little stronger, he was able to see my every move with frightening ease.
This was what it felt like to be overwhelmed. This was what it felt like to be on the weak side.
What a wonderful thing!❤️~
But something didn't add up, and it was his power. That Reiatsu... it seemed different, as though it didn't belong to him. At that moment, I felt fear... fear that all my assumptions might have been wrong.
I drew my katana and slashed his cloak, revealing his face, a face I would never forget, and his eyes.
At that moment, I understood... I saw something that wasn't even power; it was so immense that if it were Reiatsu, it could fill the entire world with ease.
He was holding back his power, not just with me, but with everyone in the world...
Who or what was this young-looking man, so captivating yet so powerful?
It was a pity, but I realized that he and I could never fight... I was too weak to have that honor.
At that moment, I simply laughed and thought to myself that I would rather die by his hand...
Kill me! Kill me and let me be part of your story!
Kill me and let me live as a memory!
"I'm sorry."
"Huh?!"
My mind froze. Why was he apologizing? His words made me shiver. Was he trying to give me a battle that would satisfy me?
How is that possible? To me, weak people should be nothing. I've encountered so many that I just cut down and forgot about. From your perspective, I should be like that too...
So why are you apologizing and worrying about me?!
I couldn't stop it. A smile formed on my face, my heart, which only moved for the thrill of battle and death, was now beating for other reasons.
I couldn't stop it... How could I stop something I didn't understand?
Something was controlling my actions. I tried to shake my head, but I couldn't. In the end, this was no longer a battle, so I lowered my sword and smiled.
"Then let's fight another time~"
"Huh?!..."
It's strange...
My words were hard to say because I had this feeling of wanting to make him stay or perhaps ask to go with him. But I couldn't... I couldn't. I was so immersed in battle that I forgot he had something important to do, or else he wouldn't be in such a hurry.
"But..."
"Don't worry..." I said with a smile.
"I promise to give you a fight that will satisfy you another time." His gaze turned serious, and his eyes made me shiver sweetly.
"Ara ara~ I've never heard of such a charming marriage proposal~"
I noticed his expression change when he heard me speak like that and say those words. I don't even know why I said that. But he looked so cute, it's such a contrast to the attractive man from earlier... both of them are appealing to me~...
He left, but I knew we would meet again soon...
This is bad... My feelings of wanting to fight to the death with him and wanting to have his children are clashing equally... is it possible to do both?
I think I'm losing my mind this time... ~ this is bad; I feel like I'm about to abandon my position and go after him right now... oh my death, come back soon, or I might end up going to the human world and probably destroy a city searching for you🖤~
I need to distract my mind. I'll find Isane. She should have a piece of advice or two for me...
*End of POV*
Unohana Yachiru went to look for Isane, she found her lying down but stable. Unohana sighed and carried her while other members of the 11th division carried Ikkaku and Yumichika.
Rangiku came out of the trance and got up without understanding very well what was happening. Then Hitsugaya arrived, and both returned as well.
In the soul society, the Shinigamis got out of Unohana's way; she looked terrifying. She had always looked terrifying, but today, she was even more so, to the point of sending shivers down their spines; ironically, today, her smile was more beautiful.
===
A/N: I made the effort to keep both Unohana and this was the result, I hope it is to your liking gentlemen 🍷🗿
Eight more chapters on patreon: Patreon.com/_Aizen