*(Artoria vs 10th Captain Hitsugaya)*
Snowflakes began to fall everywhere, a stark contrast to the previously clear sky of early spring.
This made Artoria wonder if there were seasons in the Rukongai. Not that it really mattered, but it seemed as if this world, made up of spiritual particles, was trying to imitate the human world, but only halfway.
Artoria looked at the sky, a stormy gray emanating from Hitsugaya Toshiro's power.
"My sword is the most powerful ice sword; it can manipulate the weather at will..."
"I see..."
Hitsugaya was surprised to hear Artoria's voice. It was the voice of a woman who lacked the expected emotion for a battle where life and death hung by a thread.
Hitsugaya didn't blame her; he knew that if his opponent didn't feel threatened, it was due to his own weakness.
"Wait... I wasn't serious enough with you... I apologize..."
Artoria, who was about to leave, turned around once more, this time holding her sword with both hands, although she still showed no enthusiasm for the fight.
"One of the requirements to be a captain is having achieved a Bankai..."
"..."
"A Bankai, unlike a Shikai that is based on communicating with your Zanpakuto, is based on mastery over the other... it sounds somewhat barbaric, but in the end, only one can be king. If a Shinigami manages to subjugate their Zanpakuto, they can use the so-called Bankai."
"I don't understand your purpose in telling me all this; strategically, it's a poor decision..."
If Artoria were a ruthless enemy, she wouldn't give Hitsugaya the chance to finish his monologue or even activate his Bankai, but since her goal was to buy time, she could allow it.
Hitsugaya mocked himself. "You're right, it's not very smart, but since you show no intention of fighting, I just wanted to provoke you a little..."
"I see... it's not working."
"It seems so..." Hitsugaya's reiatsu began to rise. "Just let me say one more thing. A Bankai is not just a technique; it involves a five- to ten-fold increase in a Shinigami's power... in addition to being able to use the power of their Shikai continuously. Of course, there are more advantages and available powers, but you get my point..."
"Yes..." Artoria got into a guard stance for the first time.
"A total evolution in a Shinigami's power and abilities..." Hitsugaya closed his eyes. "Bankai..."
Hitsugaya's words caused the snow to stop falling, not because it ceased, but because it suspended in the air.
Artoria squinted as she watched Hitsugaya standing in the sky.
Hitsugaya's eyes slowly opened as his power multiplied. "Daiguren Hyorinmaru!" (Great Crimson Lotus Ice Ring or Great Frozen Roar of the Shining Moon)
The icy mist covered Hitsugaya for a moment, and when it cleared, he had changed.
An ice armor extended over Hitsugaya's body. His feet were covered in ice, resembling dragon claws. Parts of his body were covered with ice that looked like armor, icy wings stretched from his back, and a tail fell behind. His sword was also partially covered in ice at the base, and to finish, three red flowers floated behind him like an ornament.
"Here I come, Ryoka..."
Artoria felt as if the entire sky was lunging at her, while the temperature everywhere dropped rapidly.
...
(All my money to the Lion King 🍷🗿)
...
*(Makima vs Lieutenant Matsumoto)*
The overwhelming power quickly caught Makima's attention. She opened her eyes upon noticing the change in Captain Hitsugaya; as an expert in souls, she couldn't remain indifferent.
"This..."
Rangiku appeared using Shunpo. "Where are you looking?!"
Makima was distracted, allowing Rangiku to strike. The woman knew how dangerous Makima was and showed no mercy as she used her sword, slicing Makima's arm, which fell to the ground.
"I did it!" Rangiku rejoiced at landing a critical blow. Regardless of who or what you were, losing a limb meant a reduction in both offensive and defensive capabilities.
That was common sense... it had always been that way, and there was no reason for it to be different this time.
"Oh..." Makima looked at her silently.
"Huh?"
Rangiku felt an unusual shiver. Why did her opponent show no signs of pain? Why didn't her opponent attempt to defend herself? Why was her opponent reacting so simply despite such a severe wound?
Is this real?
Rangiku stared, stunned, at the arm, thinking perhaps she hadn't cut it, but yes, she had, and it was bleeding.
"What's wrong? Is this the first time you see blood?"
Makima smiled as Rangiku was overwhelmed by an extreme sense of discomfort and unidentifiable incongruity. There was something in the woman before her, something that wasn't right, and Rangiku felt that she should not exist.
"I was told not to kill you, but I can bother you a little, right?"
Rangiku felt the urge to get as far away as possible. Being a lieutenant, she shouldn't think like that, even if she were to die. But at that moment, her entire "body" told her to escape.
There was a grave conceptual error: a wound that might seem grotesque and deadly to others wouldn't be so for Makima. Even decapitated or with her heart destroyed, she wouldn't die. Of course, this is without even considering the immortality of a Doll. A demon doesn't die easily, especially one of her caliber.
But there was no way for Rangiku to know this, and she grew terrified upon seeing the absolute indifference Makima felt towards her own well-being after losing an arm. It was so unreal to see a living being so devoid of self-preservation that it left the woman stunned, and Makima didn't waste this chance.
"You got distracted, didn't you?" Makima smiled beneath her cloak as her chains were mere inches from Rangiku.
"What are you doing?!"
A tall woman with short, silver hair, wearing the distinctive lieutenant badge on her arm, appeared. She used her zanpakuto to push all the chains away. Looking at Makima, she didn't attack; instead, she grabbed Rangiku and walked away. Once they were a safe distance away, the woman let out a sigh of relief.
"Matsumoto-san, you—"
"Ah, Isane!"
"Don't 'ah!' me! What are you doing, Matsumoto?! Do you want to die?!"
"Sorry!"
Matsumoto snapped out of it after being scolded, which softened Isane's expression. Her anger stemmed from the danger Rangiku had put herself in for no reason.
"Well, another beautiful woman... that's a shame."
Makima knew her master was aware of this world, so he would notice if she killed someone, especially a beautiful woman. This saddened her. She had only tried to conquer a world, manipulate a few girls, and enslave a country in the past. Did Allen really need to keep her so restricted?
When would Makima be allowed to act like herself?
The demon woman sighed. "I guess I'll have to deal with both of you..."
"No! You just need to worry about my katana!"
A bald, wild man fell from the sky. His zanpakuto descended mercilessly, but a chain intercepted and stopped his sword, surprising him that it couldn't cut through.
"..." Makima showed no reaction.
"Tsk!"
"Madarame?!" Isane shouted. "Idiot! She's not someone you can handle!"
Another chain shot out from Makima's back, this one with a spear tip at the end. Ikkaku smiled as he sensed the danger. Unlike Rangiku and Isane, Makima intended to kill him directly.
"Idiot!"
The spear-tipped chain was deflected by another man. This Shinigami wielded a zanpakuto divided into three blades, resembling a claw.
The man grabbed the bald guy by the collar of his clothes and jumped backward, creating distance.
"What a dangerous woman..."
"Yumichika!" Ikkaku shouted, feeling humiliated but also glad to have such a loyal companion.
"Shut up, Ikkaku... she's not an opponent we can handle one-on-one."
"Then I'll just die!" Ikkaku said without fear.
"You're always like this," Yumichika sighed.
Ayasegawa Yumichika is a member of the Eleventh Division, holding the fifth seat. He wore the standard Shinigami uniform, with a few personal touches. An orange piece of cloth was draped over the top of his uniform around his neck, covering most of his chest, which would otherwise be exposed. Yumichika had colored feathers on his eyelashes and right eyebrow. His eyes were purple, and his black hair hung to his jawline; he put effort into his appearance.
"Ikkaku, you're too impulsive... that woman is very dangerous!"
"That's why we must fight her or die trying!" Ikkaku smiled with excitement and violence. "Dying to a powerful opponent is the motto of everyone in the Eleventh Division."
Madarame Ikkaku holds the third seat in the Eleventh Division. He's violent, a fight enthusiast, and rude. He's also quite stubborn and arrogant at times. He loves fighting so much that he's unwilling to go anywhere without a sword.
Physically, Ikkaku is a tall, lean man. He is bald, a fact many people tease him about, as his bald scalp is highly reflective in the sun, leading members of the 8th and 11th Divisions to mistake it for a full moon, much to his annoyance. Each of his eyes has a small red mark at the outer corner. He wears the standard Shinigami shihakusho, except he doesn't have tabi with his sandals.
"What are you doing here, acting like fools?!" Isane hit both men on the head with her hands. They both tried to complain, but Isane smiled "kindly" while an evil spirit appeared on her back. "I told you not to come, right?"
Yumichika and Ikkaku sweated as they pointed at each other.
"I just followed Ikkaku!"
"I just went where it felt most dangerous!"
Of all the women in the series, Kotetsu Isane, standing at 1.87 meters (6'2"), is one of the most striking. This seems to make her a bit self-conscious, though it makes no sense because she is still beautiful both inside and out.
She often wears a worried or melancholic expression, with large, sad, grayish eyes, which doesn't quite fit with the Eleventh Division. However, when the time comes, she is one of the most courageous and determined Shinigami, especially because she hates seeing her comrades die.
Isane wears her hair short, silver with a slight lavender tint, and two small braids fall over her chest on the right side of her head, adorned with round beads. Her attire is the standard Shinigami uniform, with no added standardization, except for the bandana specific to her rank, which she is required to wear on special occasions tied around her left arm.
Isane is the lieutenant of Unohana Yachiru; there's no apparent reason for this, as her personality doesn't quite match someone from the Eleventh Division, which can only be attributed to fate. Even though Unohana Retsu is Unohana Yachiru, Kotetsu Isane remains her lieutenant.
...
(Poor Isane is destined to follow Unomama everywhere... On the other hand, what a nice double award 🍷🗿)
...
Isane sighed upon seeing the two fools. Since her captain was involved, she had to step in. Though this might be a little rude for the Tenth Division.
Isane looked apologetically at Rangiku. "I'm sorry, Matsumoto-san, I didn't mean—"
"Isane!~"
Matsumoto hugged Isane while rubbing her cheek against her face.
"Matsumoto-san?!"
Isane, being the more reserved woman, immediately felt embarrassed, but Rangiku's happiness was uncontrollable. She didn't care about the rules of courtesy and honor; when facing such a dangerous opponent, she was simply overjoyed to be helped.
Yumichika and Ikkaku exchanged glances, seemingly having avoided being scolded by Isane, who hated the suicidal fighting style of the Eleventh Division and was determined to change it.
"Thank you for waiting, for us to have an emotional best friends reunion," said Matsumoto Rangiku, turning toward Makima, who simply observed the interaction.
"Matsumoto-san, who is she?" Isane wanted to retort that she didn't remember when they became best friends, but her attention was drawn to Makima.
"I don't know, but she gives me chills..."
"Tsk, I'll fight first..."
Yumichika, knowing his friend well, understood that Ikkaku wanted to fight for fun but also to figure out who this person was.
"Madarame, don't say nonsense..."
Yumichika interrupted, "Lieutenant Kotetsu, why not let Ikkaku go first? The opponent has unknown abilities, and it's better to leave it to someone who won't die easily, even if they're killed... Plus, we have our reliable field medic, Kotetsu Isane~"
Isane felt a vein pop from anger. She did her best to adapt to life as a lieutenant of the Eleventh Squad, but these fools kept trying to commit suicide every other moment.
"Do whatever you want!"
...
Ikkaku smiled and stepped forward. "Thanks for waiting, and I'm sorry that someone interrupted our fight..."
"Fight? Don't you mean she saved you?"
"We'll see about that!" Ikkaku took his stance, hand on his Zanpakuto, ready to unsheathe it.
"Ikkaku... you..." Yumichika was surprised to see Ikkaku, who always shouted and charged at the enemy, now serious and even taking a fighting stance before starting.
"Madarame Ikkaku, the third seat of the Eleventh Division..."
"..."
Even though Makima decided to speak more, she understood that she had to be discreet.
"Tsk... don't complain later, woman!!"
Ikkaku attacked...
But he and everyone present made a perception mistake: they identified Makima as an opponent, an enemy to defeat. However, both in method and action, Makima was not someone who followed a script.
She wasn't going to allow them to talk amongst themselves without a reason, nor let them fight in an orderly fashion. She wasn't a shonen character.
*Slash*
Isane's eyes widened as she felt the cold metal slash across her back. "Why?... Matsumoto-san..." Isane fell to the ground as blood poured from her back. She weakly looked at Matsumoto, whose eyes were dim, as if she had lost consciousness.
Makima smiled...
"Lieutenant!" Yumichika shouted, but at that moment, a chain emerged from the ground and impaled him. "Ah..." Yumichika vomited blood.
"Yumichika!!!"
Ikkaku shouted but didn't help them. Instead, he ran toward Makima while grabbing the scabbard of his katana and connecting it to his sword.
"Grow, Hozunimaru!!! (Demon Light)"
Ikkaku's Zanpakuto transformed into a naginata with a red tassel on one end, divided into three sections. Ikkaku could separate them at will, making it resemble a three-part nunchaku.
"You have a very noisy voice," Makima remained impassive before Ikkaku's Shikai, as several chains moved as if alive, heading in his direction.
"You will pay for this!!!"
Madarame Ikkaku had sharp instincts that told him that if he defeated Makima, control over Rangiku would be lost.
But he didn't stop to think any deeper…
Makima is the demon of control, an expert manipulator.
Did they think she wouldn't notice when Isane, Ikkaku, and Yumichika approached? She knew, and she let them.
While this happened, she needed to break Rangiku's concentration enough so that she wouldn't realize a thinner chain beneath her feet was about to stab her.
How would Makima achieve that? By allowing Rangiku to cut her arm, acting like a demon, because in the end, she had the absolute advantage: they had no idea what she was truly capable of.
Rangiku fell into the trap and froze midway. Isane got distracted by the chains designed to draw her attention, and Makima stabbed Rangiku in the foot, though Rangiku didn't notice.
Ikkaku and Yumichika arrived, and Makima only had to wait patiently…
They talked and even joked, while Makima just waited. This is how manipulative she is… she didn't need to do much to defeat her opponents.
Ikkaku drew attention to himself by challenging Makima to a duel. Since she allowed them to talk amongst themselves, it gave them the false impression that she was considerate.
They couldn't entirely blame them… no one could know what Makima had done in the past or what she was capable of...
Makima waited for the perfect moment to take control of Rangiku and knock Isane out of the fight with her. Due to the sudden appearance of another enemy, Yumichika, who was usually more analytical, got distracted for a moment, and against Makima, that was a fatal mistake.
...
"Die!"
Ikkaku attacked Makima, but he didn't understand the extent of her power… and as a result…
"Bloom… Fuji Kuyaku…"
Ikkaku, who had been about to reach Makima, turned around and was struck by an attack from Yumichika, who had been controlled by Makima.
"You have good instincts, don't you?"
Ikkaku couldn't react in time and was impaled in the abdomen by a chain that also impaled Yumichika.
Ikkaku, blood spilling from his mouth, looked at Makima. "Who the f*ck are you?!… Urgh!!"
"I am..."
Some time ago, Makima could have answered that question without hesitation, but at that moment, she didn't know what to say.
Makima looked off into the distance where Allen and Unohana were supposedly facing off in an isolated space, smiling slightly. "I am a maid... that's it, and nothing more..."
People often say that Makima's soft, feminine voice doesn't match her personality, because it's unsettling that the owner of such a voice can be so cruel. But when she softens her voice, it sounds too sweet, as you'd expect from a demon.
"Damn it!" Ikkaku fell to the ground, unmoving. Makima blinked for a moment, tempted to consume the powerful souls of Yumichika and Ikkaku, but decided against it. Allen had been kinder to her lately, and she didn't want to be humiliated again.
"I hope they don't die..." Makima approached Isane, who was a lieutenant and therefore had great resistance to damage, but Rangiku did as well.
Makima grabbed Rangiku's chin. "Even now, you try to free yourself. You really have strong souls..."
Makima snapped her fingers, and Rangiku collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"I hope those two finish quickly... because if I were orchestrating this scenario, I'd definitely be watching from somewhere..."
...
With Allen, it wasn't that simple. His opponent wasn't just one of the strongest Shinigami in history but a woman who wouldn't give up until death. Unohana Yachiru had remained the Kenpachi for reasons Allen didn't know.
Allen needed power, but using his cursed energy would raise too much of a commotion. He didn't know what effect cursed energy would have in a place like the Soul Society.
Allen chose to use local power.
But Allen would not be like the former Yhwach. He wouldn't kill those from whom he took power; he only took a portion of the Sternritters' power, but even a little was too much. Still, he could only manage to tie with Unohana in their first encounter.
Had this woman always been this powerful, or was it the fact that she had been a Kenpachi for much longer and hadn't focused on medical support that made her stronger?
Allen deflected Unohana's zanpakuto, then attacked, but she countered. Unohana smiled because no matter how much he raised his Reiatsu, his opponent was able to respond in kind.
"You're such an adorable child. đź–¤~"
Despite her words, her actions were aimed at cutting Allen in half.
"Have you ever considered becoming a doctor? Something tells me you'd be good at it..."
"Haha, if you win, I'll become a doctor..."
"But if I lose, you'll cut off my head and put it on a shelf, right?"
"I was really thinking of reviving you and killing you again, but I like your idea~"
Allen regretted speaking.
Unohana is a Kenpachi; she is the original Kenpachi, a lover of violence and bloody fighting. She doesn't care if she dies during a fight as long as it's fun enough.
Death, blood, and more death surrounded her... but she became too strong and couldn't find an opponent willing to fight her to the death—and, of course, one who could actually fight her.
Allen didn't know what to think. Unohana was intoxicated by the desire to kill him; it was a strange feeling to sense so much admiration and murderous intent coming from her.
'Poor woman...'
Allen felt bad for Unohana. He may not be a Kenpachi, but when it came to overwhelming someone, Allen was very good at it.
His expression became serious. He decided to bring Unohana Yachiru to her knees. (That didn't sound right).
...
Throughout the Wandenreich, the Sternritters felt part of their power being taken by their Majesty, but it didn't cause them pain like last time.
"Your Majesty..." Jugram tightened his grip on his sword. They intended to accompany His Majesty (Allen), but he was not capable of leaving the realm of shadows easily. So, he could only offer all his power if necessary.
'Still, it seems like he managed to modify the Auswählen so it wasn't fatal...'
Jugram knew deep down that his Majesty (Yhwach) didn't see the Quincies as his children. If he did, he would hesitate to abandon them and strip them of their power. His Majesty (Yhwach) intended to be the Spirit King, even if that meant sacrificing all the Quincies in the process.
"I don't know what fate you bring us, but maybe it's a better one now for our people..."
===
A/N: 🍷🗿
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