Arc 2: Canon 11: Patricide [PG13, DE, Medium]

[Deleted]

Kazuko had walked out of the crater, his eyes narrow with annoyance and disbelief. The Quincy had withstood his Reiatsu. It brought forth pangs in his heart; those of regret and anger. Months… I’ve spent months training, and yet my Reiatsu is still inferior… Their Blut was still too strong to be pierced so easily, but that did not make them unbeatable. He just needed to use his ability to plan and analyze to try and beat them. Regardless, the Quincy aimed their bows again, firing another massive barrage of arrows. If he used the same method of dealing with the arrows, then the Quincy would likely counter him, this time. The arrows came in all directions, but the boy already had a means of countering their assault. With a flick of his hand, mentally, Kazuko activated Surasorutoiera, a Hado that produced a Sho-like effect in all directions around his body. Instead of stopping the arrows cold, this time, the Vice-Captain’s Kido would deflect all the arrows off course by pushing at their shafts with an unseen force. But he could not be completely certain that the danger was gone; the other Vice-Captain had made the mistake of overestimating the effectiveness of his techniques' ability to protect him, and that had caused him to take damage. Kazuko on the other hand, would not make the same mistake of not moving.

With Surasorutoiera activated, his body would be shot upward faster than the speed of the arrows, thus dodging any arrows that may have been able to penetrate his defense. As an added bonus, the arrows, which had been deflected, would likely endanger some of the Quincy if they were not careful. In the air, Kazuko would create plates of Advanced Air-Ground at his hands and feet, slowing him down, and letting him stand in the air. It was at this time, that the boy overheard the other Vice-Captain in his monologue. Just who the hell promotes these Vice-Captains? Seriously, what did I ever say to that guy anyway? All for some suit, too. He questioned himself, in slight shock at the words of the man. Was he an idiot? These were enemies that would kill them in a second if they let their guards down, and he was venting his anger. Kazuko was a hypocrite, however. Not long ago, he had done the same thing, not with words, but with actions. His own emotions had taken control, and he had laid witness to horror, atrocities, and had spent months in recuperation for his actions. Things were different now. His anger may not have been gone, but his ability to cope was still effective for the time being. Plus, he was more experienced now.

My Reiatsu is ineffective to pierce their Blut, and if they activate Vollstandig, my chances of winning plummet as well. That Holy Form of theirs means that they can absorb any and all of my spells… including Hado #94. If I have a shot at winning, I need to use strategy instead of force, to overcome their advantage. Kazuko thought and analyzed, taking into note how dire the situation was for the Shinigami. Already, four Quincy had activated Vollstandig, which meant that the attacks made by that officer were likely ineffective against them. The same would be true for the boy if he let the fight continue on. Kazuko raised his palm directly above his head, a ball of lightning taking form; Raikoho. Without a word, he released the blast, sending it straight up toward the roof. It would impact the roof, blasting a hole through it, and also send debris cascading down for the Quincy below. The sound of leaves would drift through the air as the boy disappeared with a step of Shunpo, dodging his own distraction. Kazuko would reappear through the hole in the roof of the hall, landing on the edge of it. The Quincy would likely give chase, so he needed to be ready for them.

The Vice-Captain hammered his zanpakuto into the stone of the roof, preparing his trap. Outside of the hall, the night was dark, with the only light given off by the moon itself, high above, which served to hide him somewhate, despite his lack in the skill. The hole he had blasted open was a few meters open, with plenty of room to go through. Since the Quincy would be going after him, the boy imagined they would use the same method of getting outside as he had done, and go through the hole. Strategy is more effective than tactics, in this case. If I can’t efficiently pierce their skin, then I need to trap them, and attack the weaknesses in their skin defense. If I funnel them through here, it’ll make my plan all that more effective. He thought, as he waited for his pursuers, his was Reiatsu masked at the moment to hide his presence until he needed to spring the trap. Only when the Quincy moved to pass through the opening in the roof, would Kazuko release the hold on his spiritual pressure. That was because the trap that he had set would be sprung.

If the Quincy attempted to pass through the opening, Kazuko would shift the stone and material of the roof, causing chains and sharp barbs to shoot from the inner circumference of the opening. They would move to each side, at a stat speed of 800, completely outclassing their speed, wrapping around limbs and torsos, the barbs sticking themselves anywhere they could, including their eyes and mouths. The boy was relying on surprise and speed for this, as the bindings would not be enough to hold the Quincy. Next, he would manipulate more of the roof, causing the opening to shut violently, closing off the entrance effectively, and incasing the entire bodies of the Quincy in stone. Almost immediately, Kazuko would send blades of stone as well as stone itself into their bodies, through their nostrils, mouths, and eye sockets, and anywhere else he could. The blades that went through the nostrils and mouths would reach inside, bypassing their Blut, and destroy the insides of their skulls. The stone he sent in after them would simply fill their bodies, stopping their ability to move, and also destroy their internal structure as well. The attack would be completed quickly, fast enough to stop them from reasonably countering before it was too late. Instead of using powerful spells, the Vice-Captain would use Strategy, and a trap, to counter the Blut of the Quincy, since he knew that they were counting on that defense to fight him.


Remaining Reiatsu: 2450/4000 (-150 for Surasorutoiera, -25 for Advanced Air Ground, -50 for Shunpo, -150 for Raikoho, -300 for 3x Earth Manipulation)

Combat Posts: 3/8

Shikai Posts: 2/10

[Kento Waffles]

SPOILER: Click to show

{This song first}

Sozen's eyes and Kohler's eyes met for only a brief instant. Then, they disappeared into motion. It was fluidity incarnate, an epic battle to end all epic battles. While once, Sozen had been no match for Kohler, now things had changed. At maximum speed, Sozen blasted his arm forwards with a Shunpo Karin, stabbing toward Kohler, who only barely managed to move to the side on time to dodge it using not even Hirenkyaku, but the human world technique called Movement, which with a small flash of green reiatsu from his feet pushed him to the side. Whirling around on Sozen, who twisted on his foot, Kohler fired an instantaneous arrow of tremendous speed, only for Sozen to disappear with a flash step and dodge it.

Sozen appeared behind Kohler, who fired an arrow upwards just as this happened, as Sozen's slash was incoming. Kohler suddenly materialized with the arrow, above Sozen, with three more arrows notched on a crossbow fashioned from white reiatsu. Sozen's eyes glanced upward as he was in mid slash, and it would be noticeable that his blade was turning red even whilst he was in mid slash. As expected of a Captain, he was in fact capable of releasing his Zanpakuto wordlessly, and in mid fight. His sheathe was also turning red. Blades shot forth from Sozen's sheathe to intercept the arrows and continue toward the airborne Kohler, who twisted in mid air, and landed behind Sozen, more arrows notched.

Sozen turned and suddenly disappeared in a blur of speed, and reappeared deep within Kohler's guard, in front of the Stern Ritter. That had been an incredibly fast paced, blurred movement using the Hakuda step Shukuchi-Ho. Sozen's sheathe was held before his face and in between it and Kohler's. His blade still was not doing anything, but Sozen's sheathe was releasing blades toward Kohler's eyes. Kohler, on the other hand, had other plans. Sozen, as well, saw in his peripherals Himitsu's situation. It was at that time that Sozen used his blades to save Himitsu from demise by summoning them within the red smoke, and during that single moment of distraction that Kohler twisted on his foot and used not only Hirenkyaku, but some sort of custom version, which caused a blast of reiatsu which knocked him and Sozen back, and sent Sozen skidding back.

"You saved the fourth seat with your Shikai," Kohler observed. "Clever." Sozen landed with a skid, some distance away from the others, and smiled as Kohler reached him too. "So I did," Sozen said. "As you can see, I have more than enough remaining reiatsu to deal with you. I might even venture to say that I used up close to none against your comrade..." Kohler seemed genuinely surprised that Sozen had so much power left to spare, but said nothing, and only got himself ready for the next attack. Their battle was the most raging, ferocious one, as terrifying enemies to each other. They should of course hate one another's guts.

Kohler stopped speaking, and fired an arrow at Sozen, who deflected it with his blade. Kohler, however, was suddenly instantly airborne to Sozen's diagonal, having moved with seemingly some sort of property that allowed him to appear wherever his arrows were. He was before Sozen in an instant, more arrows notched and ready. On the other hand, Sozen, still using his maximum speed, exertion, and skill, was more than capable of whirling around, hacking the incoming arrows to bits, and then turning to shove his sheathe toward Kohler's face once again, with more blades extending out very quickly. Kohler, on the other hand, spun in the air to dodge, and landed with his feet in a twisting motion.

Sozen's blade suddenly dispersed into red sand around them, leaving him the hilt, which he slid inside of his robes, and created a cloud surrounding them. Blades began to shoot out everywhere from the cloud, but Kohler managed to use Hirenkyaku to get above the cloud, so as not even to be caught in it. Kohler back flipped while in mid air, too, landing two meters outside of the cloud. He fired more arrows into it, but blades from the cloud of sand instantly repelled them. But, Kohler had made a huge mistake, and he came to see it a second later, when Sozen dropped on him the smug smirk of the demon that had previously killed the likes of Zouma Santeku.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Then play this}

Later, those who spoke of the story of the Messy Feast, and had been present for it and witnessed all of the battles, would tell their children the same thing. Between the Crimson King and the White General, it was perfectly evenly matched... Sozen had managed, after all, to get red sand onto Kohler, and instantly used his red teleport technique to materialize in front of Kohler, who at the last second noticed the sand and blasted it off with an arrow that singed his own sleeve. Sozen, who appeared in front of Kohler, swung his sword handle, which he drew back out. The cloud descended upon them, and Kohler whirled around to try to Hirenkyaku away again.

It seemed as if their battle would never end... Kohler successfully escaped to ten yards away with another Hirenkyaku, and the two were starting to get farther and farther from the rest of the fights, though they were still possible to view for the other Soul Reapers. It could be a morale boost, after all, to see a Captain of Sozen's caliber fighting his hardest against this enemy. The fight continued as Sozen again appeared in front of Kohler, bringing with him the sand, and Kohler once again used Hirenkyaku. And then, at long last, Kohler made the first mistake of the entire fight. It seemed as if their battle would never end...And then suddenly, it did.

Finally, play this

Kohler stepped back onto a small patch of red sand, not even noticeable, which Sozen had abandoned from his cloud and left on the floor, and suddenly as his foot came down on it, blades erupted forth to knock his balance off. Kohler's eyes widened, and Sozen also suddenly used red teleport to materialize in front of the offbalance Kohler. The cloud of red sand appeared behind Kohler, who attempted to twist on his toes of one foot, the one still barely grounded, before he fell back into the cloud with blades just itching to stab into him. Sozen was also stabbing forth with his sheathe, which was covered in blades. Kohler seemed trapped.

Very suddenly, Kohler managed to twist in the air, touch his hand on the floor, and Hirenkyaku in this way, getting above it all, as above was the only realistic option, and was the first place to go toward. But, once again, Sozen had managed in that moment to get some red sand on Kohler, this time from the patch Kohler had stepped in, leaving red sand on his shoe. Sozen materialized right there, as Kohler was at long last in mid air, freshly offbalanced, and still not adjusted, and not able to dodge with Hirenkyaku. The red sand beneath suddenly burst into blue flames, as it did on Kohler's shoe, and Sozen's sheathe and blade hilt burst into blue flames, but from those blue flames, blades erupted forth and slammed into Kohler's chest, blasting him to the ground with great force.

"GAH!" Kohler exclaimed aloud as Sozen emerged from blue flames wearing a red phantom mask on his face, and with red metal claws about three or four inches long on his nails. The blades had erupted from the mask to strike Kohler, and had been extremely fast, so instantaneous that even Kohler would not have had the time, speed, or resources to do anything about them while he was so offbalanced by Sozen's previous attacks. Even faster than a Bala, the blades struck Kohler and knocked him out of the air and to the ground, and even turned his outfit red. But, the blades lacked sufficient reiatsu strength to push through Kohler's Blut, though it seemed the latter had expected this whole time that it was still best to dodge. Surprise was registered on his face not just from the blows, but lack of penetration.

"You can't penetrate my Blut...!" he realized with a gasp. Sozen landed as the blades returned to his mask, and he landed on his feet. "No," he said before Kohler could stand, in a bubbly voice not dissimilar from a Vizard undergone Hollowfication. "But observe." Blades materialized along Kohler's shirt to cut it open, and reveal that Sozen had turned the White General's entire torso red. Sozen smiled grimly. "You're finished," he said. Blades began to rise out of Kohler's torso. "You can't! My Blut extends to my insides as well!" Kohler declared. "I know," Sozen interrupted. "But Soulbind allows me to cast Kido." Kohler's eyes went wide.

Suddenly, water began to erupt forth from his mouth, ears, and nose, and some other holes in his body, and yet he could do nothing about it as his body began to balloon out, and he gasped as water overflowed from his orifices. "Hado #40: Gouzen Demizu," Sozen stated triumphantly as Kohler started drowning. His eyes were wide, and he was gasping, but to no avail. Sozen had just beaten him, and won their battle. If Kazuko was still around for this, or could see down the hole in the roof he had created, he might witness something he would forever treasure the memory of. The Vandenreich General who had so scarred him as B, The Boss, Baal had, was about to be killed by Sozen.

And, Baal wasn't the only one who was experiencing an extremely rough situation, and being defeated by the enemy. Suddenly, as Himitsu passed one of his enemies, his Senka succeeded in allowing him to rip out that one's soul chain, leaving one Quincy defeated, and another, who was approaching, was electrocuted by the field that Himitsu created. There was a gasp from the remaining two as they suddenly saw two of their allies go down before Himitsu's onslaught, leaving half the numbers remaining. This was not good for those Quincy facing off against Himitsu, that was for certain. He had succeeded in doing some damage and in winning.

Meanwhile, Kagami also experienced luck. Suddenly, both female Quincy gasped, as at the end of his speech, he succeeded in impaling and killing both of the male Quincy, leaving only the two females, who had appeared utterly disgusted by the notion of his suggestion. And when he appeared before them again with his same suggestion, the two females jumped apart, creating space between one another, and space between themselves and Kagami. Arrows notched once more on their bows as Kagami appeared forwards, and they readied themselves to attack and kill Kagami once more, this time with half the number of Quincy from before.

And, Kazuko managed to do the best of all. (OOC Note: I've heard it ruled once that Blut works on the interior as well. I'm gonna say for this thread that it doesn't, but doublecheck with Zou and other mods.) His trap ensnared all four of his incoming enemies and killed them in one fell swoop, leaving him without enemies, and perhaps with the opportunity to go and assist Kagami or Himitsu, though those two seemed to be doing well enough as to not need the help anyway. Instead, perhaps Kazuko would be given the chance to observe Sozen's triumph over Wilhelm Kohler, the cannibal that had so scarred Kazuko.

"You underestimated us," Sozen told Kohler. "You underestimated the rage a man would feel when you damage fine clothing such as a cashmere, even if it is relatively cheap. You underestimated the strength of an officer whom you had previously scarred, and one filled with determination. Whether you are a General of the Vandenreich or a Thirteen Court Guard Squads Captain, it matters not, Wilhelm. What matters ultimately is the strength behind our convictions, and ours were stronger than yours. You, who knew nothing of what it means to be a Soul Reaper, knew nothing of how to truly counter us."

And now, with the tides turned, it was time for the Soul Reapers to take offensive. At last, Himitsu and Kagami could initiate attacks instead of only defending, and Kazuko was free to do as he intended.

[Douma]

“Is that a no?” the Vice Captain asked with genuine disappointment. He didn’t mind the arrows at all, since they were just another annoyance that he would be forced to deal with. Kagami just set up two more mirrors between himself and each of the beautiful young ladies. Why couldn’t they just had accepted his offer and had the night of their lives? There’s no question that a good fight was always entertaining, but there were two things wrong with this scenario: it’s not fun if your opponents decide to reject the romantic notion of a threesome, and this was not a good fight. It was so one-sided that Kagami was no longer trying. What was the Vandenreich High Priest Monk Father person thinking if he was trying to take out the most dashing and brilliant Shinigami Soul Society had ever experienced with mere Quincy grunts.

And so Kagami got bored. Asuming that they managed to dodge all of the arrows that were returned to them by the mirrors, Kagami once again went on the offensive. The Shinigami first used Shunpo to appear in an instant beside one of the two women, the one on his right. It required little to no ease from there to used Shunpo Karin in order to speed up the backhand slash that split her body in two. With the fluid, back-to-back use of the Hoho, the woman would find it difficult to react in time, much less know what was going on exactly. But there was still one lucky soul left, and Kagami could never do her the dishonor about forgetting to take care of her. In case she decided to back up or gain some ground, the Vice Captain positioned a mirror directly behind her. Asuming that she did move backwards, the surprise of running into the mirror should distract her for a split second. However, even if she didn’t, Kagami raised his sword hand, keeping the tip of his blade parallel to the ground. He would then use Shunpo once again, ending the stepping technique with his sword through the woman’s chest. However, if she decided to shoot arrows at the Vice Captain, he wouldn’t commence with his flashstep. Instead, Kagami would have his jade sword shoot out of the mirror directly behind her as she fired arrows, stabbing her through the chest from behind. Either way, she’d look like an Arrancar by the end of it.

And now, Kagami was done. He surveyed the now evacuated wedding, finding Sozen victorious in his battle with the Vandenreich High Priest Monk Father person. Kazuko had also gotten rid of his enemies, and Himitsu was finishing up with the bunch that he had to handle. But one particular site caught Kagami’s eye quite well. There was a table full of untouched wine glasses. “I’m sure no one would mind if I grabbed a few…” The Lieutenant snuck his way to the wine table, and grabbed a glass, draining it in one large gulp. After all, there wasn’t too much in it in the first place. Those nobles don’t know proper servings. But as he drank, a few words from the Squad 6 Captain perked his ears. Two words, to be more specific. “cashmere … cheap …” Kagami didn’t need to here any more. He simply set back his glass of wine, glared at Sozen, and called out loud enough for everyone to hear, “Fuck you.” He grabbed another glass of wine and enjoyed.

Reiatsu Remaining: 7000/8000 (-75 for three mirrors, -50 for Shunpo, -100 for Shunpo Karin)

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

(( OOC: Short posts for the win ))

Himitsu’s assault was a success. He managed to eliminate both of his enemies and gain some space to plan out his next assault. It seemed like the Quincy weren’t willing to make the first move, so Himitsu didn’t waste much time before stepping in. The Shinigami first use Sekienton to conceal himself in the red cloud. He then used Bakudo #26: Kyakko to shroud himself so that his next attempt to bypass their blut would be difficult to see coming. With his free left arm, Himitsu launched two sets of three beams of light at each of the Quincy from inside the ruby fog through Bakudo #30: Shitotsu Sansen. Assuming that one of the beams for each set hit their target, the others would home in as well and carry and pin them to the far wall several meters behind them.

Even if they did evade, Himitsu would use Shunpo to appear between them, since he would be invisible to their eyes, and if they decided to still stick together, use Dendo Hoden once again, electrocuting both in the discharge of lightning. If one of them tried to retaliate with a physical strike in case they had somehow realized that he was nearby, Himitsu would protect himself with his large kite shield built into his blade. If all went well, the Quincy would be either dead or paralyzed by his feet. The Fourth Seat scanned the courtyard to find that none of his fellow Shinigami were still in battle, and the blood of the Quincy stained the floor. The battle was over, and they had won.

Reiatsu Remaining: 1480/2180 (-50 for Sekienton, -50 for Kyakko, -100 for two Shitotsu, -50 for Shunpo, -100 for Dendo)

Shikai: 2/10

[Deleted]

Kazuko sighed.

The boy walked forward, pulling his sword from the ground, and allowed a portion of the earth in front of him to fall through. I wonder how everyone else is doing? The Vice-Captain glanced down the hole, taking in the scenes of battle below. It seemed that everyone else was finishing up their battles as well. It brought a sense of relief to him. It seems everyone is doing alright. Looks like I can take a break for now. The boy sat down on the edge of the newly formed hole, laying his zanpakuto on his lap, and watched the Captain and the General fight. His brown eyes watched as the two collided, time and time again, with a keen fascination. Were all Captains this strong? The boy had only ever seen his own Captain combat, but never had he seen so much skill and power. Maybe…Maybe Captain Kuchiki doesn’t need another Captain to help him. The whole of his thoughts were focused on their battle, so he hoped the other two officers would be alright.

Eventually, the fascination that welled inside the boy turned into a growing sense of hope and wonder. It had looked as if Captain Kuchiki and General Baal were evenly matched, but then the boy saw the General make a mistake. Like an avalanche, every move after that began to build on that one mistake, until the Captain looked as if he had won the fight. Quite frankly, Kazuko was speechless. The boy had controlled his emotions as best as he could throughout the whole ordeal, but the scene before him was beginning to get to him. The Vice-Captain had bottled up so much rage and anger that for much of his time after the Invasion, he didn’t know what to do with it. He had told himself that he would get stronger so that he could rid himself of his anger, but now his wish was coming into fruition. Baal… Baal is going to die! He’s… actually going to die. The Vice-Captain was filled with what might have been a mixture of happiness and excitement.

Boy… Don’t lose yourself in the motions. A battle doesn’t truly end until someone dies. Remember that – be patient – and watch. The callous, and shrill sound of his zanpakuto’s voice reverberated through his mind. Kazuko was momentarily startled by the words of his zanpakuto, Gagoiru. The boy rarely ever heard his zanpakuto speak to him; whenever Gagoiru did chose to speak, it was usually to insult Kazuko, or just attack him. The Vice-Captain was startled by the words of his own blade. As much as the boy hated to admit it, the old man had a point. Kazuko was losing himself in the moment, leaving himself open to anything. It was not like him to become like this, despite what was happening around him. You’re right… Gagoiru. I need to be patient. T-thank you. He managed to stammer, unsure if whether there was some ulterior motive to his zanpakuto spirit. It was not every day that the spirit ever did anything nice for him… which had him worried.

Kazuko, thus, took a deep breath, calming his mind and his feelings; With his willpower, he stomped on the flames of anger that burned within him, giving a sense of comfort for the moment. He would wait and watch. If something went wrong, or the Captain needed help, the boy would be ready to lend a hand however way he could. At that moment, however, Kazuko remembered something else. The Quincy… now that I think about it. I never figured out why they attacked in the first place. Why did they come to all the trouble of coming here? It makes no sense. If they wanted to eliminate the Captains or the guests, they could have done so already or in an entirely different manner. Whatever mission they came here to complete… I’m not sure they completed it. Kazuko would scan around the area, form his new vantage point, with both his sensory and his sight, trying to make out if anything was out of place. There were too many unknowns in this scenario, and he did not enjoy not knowing.


Remaining Reiatsu: 2450

Combat Posts: 3/8 (1/2 Resting Posts)

Shikai Posts: 3/10

[Kento Waffles]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Some kinda music}

Kohler's body began to break apart after Kagami, Himitsu, and Kazuko had all killed their Quincy enemies, and Sozen stood over the Stern Ritter. It was like watching cheap porcelain start to crumble apart, until it shattered, and then started to dissolve into reiatsu. Soon, it was glowing white, and starting to dissolve. All of the water had completely dissipated from Wilhelm Kohler, who was no longer regurgitating it and drowning. Because that was not the real Wilhelm Kohler. The reiatsu in seconds changed to one that was different from his. It was no longer disguised. In fact, it could no longer even be truly sensed or comprehended. It was from a whole other world.

The dying Kohler looked up at Sozen, and spoke in a voice that did not belong to Wilhelm Kohler. "Sozen Kuchiki...We meet again,"\ the voice said. It was powerful, and loud, and when it spoke, all energy seemed to drain from the room into the voice, and there was a crushing weight to it which was like being pushed down on by an enemy of vastly superior gravitational pressure. The voice sounded in fact like a mix of many voices, pooled together into one voice. It sounded to the superstitious like God was speaking down to his mortal subjects, and lecturing them in how to live. "A long time, it has been..." the voice said, continuing to crush all other presences in the room.

Even Sozen was starting to have trouble keeping himself upright. His knees were shaking from the pressure being exerted as the form of Kohler started to dissolve into reishi. "I see...So Kohler was never truly here, was he?" Sozen asked. "No, he was not," the voice responded. The dread that had been felt earlier had been confirmed. All of this had only been a distraction to entertain a larger portion of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads while some other mission happened. And this voice...this voice could belong only to one entity. This had been reported about from another mission to. Living reiatsu, imbued with a personality, operating as an individual, but with a sinister purpose. An ability belonging only to the Vandenreich Emperor.

Sozen's eyes narrowed down on the body of reishi as it started to dissipate fully. In seconds it would be gone, but not before it gave its final goodbyes. "Do not oppose us further," the Holy Emperor of the mighty Vandenreich told all of the Soul Reapers gathered in the room. "For we are legion you cannot outnumber, and might you cannot overcome." It sounded like the doctrine that some kind of follower would spew out, but it was more than that. It was the absolute belief and creed of the entire Vandenreich. The Emperor was God. The Emperor was infallible and indestructible. And his word was absolute, and came with another threat too, just as the last pieces of the reishi body were gone.

"...And we have stolen the Sokkyokku."

Looks like canon is over! You'll get even more TP though if you post some kind of closing response. But until then, +2500 TP to all participants sounds fair, don't you think?

[Deleted]

What had been Kohler moments before fell, and with him, so did Kazuko’s perception of the Reiatsu that now enveloped the room. Could it even be called Reiatsu? The boy could not sense it, nor could he truly appreciate it, but he knew it was there. No one could ignore the feeling that soon overtook them. A voice filled the room, and siphoned all the energy from his small body. Kazuko gripped his chest, trying to remain calm, but found the action nearly impossible. This… this pressure… how can it come from just a voice? From his vantage point on the roof, the Vice-Captain was trying to keep his body up in his sitting position, but with every passing second, found himself leaning in lower and lower. Even from that distance, he could not even stand up anymore; that was how great it was. The voice that spoke to the Captain was a compilation of so many, but at the same time, it was also just one voice. From the manner in which the voice spoke, the boy had only one idea as to who this voice could belong to. If this power was greater than Baal’s then the voice could only belong to one other being. Never did he imagine that day that he would hear that voice. Now, he could understand why even the Captain-Commander had fallen. Who could stand up to a presence such as this?

The Emperor of the Vandenreich… Eventually, the body which the voice had originated from was almost gone. But not before it gave its final threat. “The…The Sokkyokku!?” The boy said incredulously. “That’s impossible… there's… no. It has to be a lie!" He stammered, unwilling to believe his ears. The weapon that had existed for as long as the Soul Society had… been stolen? How could that be possible? Kazuko had heard the stories around the weapon while in the Academy. It was said to be the strongest zanpakuto in existence… so powerful that almost no being existed that could release the sword with the exception of a handful of individuals. It scared the boy to accept the words of the Emperor as a truth. It really did. It scared him because it made him accept a fact about himself: that he was weak in the scheme of things. Eventually, along with the pressure that had been crushing him, his irrationalness disappeared. Suddenly, the boy realized that he had been sweating, so much so, that he felt cold and clammy. Was… was I really so scared? Kazuko had felt powerless. What could he do in the face of such power? Even Sozen had felt the strength of the voice. And that was what scared him more.

Slowly, and hesitantly, Kazuko stood up, his body unsteady as he did so; he sheathed his zanpakuto, sealing it as he did so. The battle had ended, and there was no one left to fight. With a jump, he fell down the hole in the roof, slowing himself down with Advanced Air-Ground right before he landed. The entire area was littered with scars from their battle along with bodies, but in comparison to how he felt, Kazuko did not mind it at all. The Nobles who owned the place could surely pay to repair the place, so that was of no importance to him. What was important was that Kazuko get a grip on his mind – his rational to be exact. If the Emperor is so powerful… how can the Gotei stand and fight against him – against them? What can I do? That was the question that gnawed at the boy. What could someone so small and weak like him do in the coming battles? Was he destined to die along with so many others? He shook his head. Kazuko had come too far to die like that… he needed to stay strong. If not for himself, then for his Squad. If one of their leaders lost confidence in himself, then how could they stand strong?

I need… I need power. He realized at that moment. The answer seemed simple, but it was anything but. How could he attain the power he needed? The war was at their doorstep, and he was only a Vice-Captain. Where could he gain the power he needed to be of use? Kazuko would not say anything to the Captain or the other members of the party of Shinigami of what he felt or anything else for that matter. He had somewhere to go, and preparations to make. The Vice-Captain knew what he had to do. If the Vice-Captain would be able to lend his strength in the coming battles, he needed to go beyond his current limitations, and turn himself into something else. The boy walked out of the ballroom, escaping through the hole in the door he had made earlier, his eyes set with a newfound determination. There was only so far he could go with his current strength, and he needed to go even further. The night was in full set, but on the horizon, the boy could see a glimmer of light from the rising sun. It seemed that they had been fighting for most of the night. I know what I have to do… He said to himself, watching the light rise, along with his determination.

I need Bankai…

[Kento Waffles]

+400 extra CTP to Kazuko for his commendable end post. Because it introduced good plot stuffs, and wasn't just "OMG SOKKYOKKU NOOOOOOO."

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

+2000 TP to Kento