Canon KE-4: Fate Of The King

[Kimiko Shihoin]

Standing there in the wake of this powerful confrontation between two Shinigami that were far stronger than most Shinigami throughout the history of Soul Society ever got a chance of becoming. The princess of the Shihoin watched as she prepared herself for a single moment where she'd be able to engage once again and aid her former Master against her Uncle who she was now convinced would rather keep the family alive as slaves than as assassins and warriors alike. This was something that she couldn't accept and she knew she had to make the hardest choice so far in her life. She had to kill her Uncle.

She watched as Enma unleashed devastating kido one after another to attack Hiroshi along with the powerful golden reiatsu of his release. Her former Master's zanpakuto was pretty much the opposite of her own and while she couldn't risk unleashing her own once again that didn't mean she was just a spectator. As a golden circles appeared on Hiroshi Kimiko's eyes narrowed knowing the effects of the technique. It seemed that Hiroshi was finished and Kimiko would be saved from the hard actions of killing him. However, in the next instant Kimiko watched as spiders began to appear all around Hiroshi.

In that instant as the first one appeared Kimiko realized just what ploy Hiroshi was using and executed shunpo. The princess vanished from where she had been standing using all of her talent in Hoho to execute the technique seemingly without any movement or preparation. She had simply been there and then hadn't been there. The blade that had launched out towards Hiroshi's chest was stopped as it impaled a spider that appeared between the two of them. Just as Hiroshi's body was being hidden by the sudden appearance of the spiders Kimiko appeared.

The spiders were all being directed to attack the threat that was present right in front of Hiroshi. The former Head of the Shihoin family saw what Kimiko had revealed so far and believed her to be weak. Thus his main threat at the moment was Enma someone that he was seeking to eliminate immediately. That left him open as his spiders were positioned to attempt bites on Enma. Hiroshi was frozen in place and only able to see through his spiders which most if not all of them would be directed to look at Enma which is why in the next moment the battle turned sides to a new victor. In that instant that the spiders moved to Enma in order to claim victory over him Kimiko appeared on the opposite side.

Her skills in both the areas of Stealth and Hoho allowed for her to appear on the opposite side of Enma with a large spider between herself and Hiroshi blocking most if not all of the views that he had at the moment. Kimiko had learned something earlier Hiroshi had said that she wasn't the only one that could surveillance a city. That little bit of information was enough for her to go with the assumption that perhaps Hiroshi could see what his spiders could. So right now he was still virtually blind and if not he still had little options left open.

Kimiko had made virtually no noise as she appeared her Shunpo almost completely silent due to her skills working together which made her a dangerous assassin. What came next was what she had been waiting for the chance to aid Enma in defeating her Uncle. She was tired of being told that only the powerful Shinigami that knew high level kido were important or strong enough to make a difference. It was time to use her strength as a battering ram and make sure Saeki and all of those who learned of this battle found out just what she is capable of what the Shihoin could do when faced.

Her right arm was launched forwards breaking through the sound barrier as the speed that Kimiko accomplished was boosted through Shunpo Karin. Her arm moving so fast that actually seeing it and reacting in time would take Instincts comparable only to those of a God. 7000 speed was enough that the sound barrier itself wouldn't be enough to slow her strike down from its target as it struck the dead center of the spiders back. However, while many would have expected the spider to explode from her strength and some other circumstance to happen to Hiroshi the spider was unharmed.

Nothing happened to the spider that met the fate of being struck by Kimiko's fist instead every ounce of power that she had gathered in that punch which carried her full strength was funneled through the spider's body. Hyunnarda a technique that the Shihoin had crafted in the past that had fallen into disuse after direct combat as an assassin had been virtually found useless against those that could sense them. Kimiko was one of the Shihoin not only that knew of the technique, but could be considered a Master of it. By using Hyunnarda Kimiko was able to transfer the force of her punch to the other side of the spider. The technique had been created to attack through walls without ever being seen and this spider was Kimiko's wall between herself and Hiroshi.

Just as her fist struck the spider a massive shockwave would appear to suddenly blast forth from the front of the spider directly at Hiroshi who was basically leaning against the spider. This shockwave carried with it all of Kimiko's strength and the momentum of her arm that had been gathered through Shunpo Karin. It was on course to impact Hiroshi directly in his chest and when it did the damage that the Shihoin would suffer wouldn't be something that could easily be walked off. It'd crush his bones, rupture his organs and leave him in a state where combat was nothing, but another impossibility.

Remaining Reiatsu: 500/1000
Hyunnarda: {-250}
Shunpo Karin: {100}

[Kaijin"Harle"Quinn]

Her face burned, stinging with the taste of what seemed to be that of an infernal. She didn't know what her condition was concerning her face. It stung as though it was struck again by Jinbei's fist. What happened? From what she could recall was the instant of delivering the fatal blow to the elderly Kawada until she took note to the rise in spiritual pressure. The rise in power level was substantial enough to not truly notice as to what would have occurred should she remain. However, it wasn't just the increase in power, but the change in the atmosphere. Harle didn't have analytical senses, though she experienced quite enough about releases to know when one was coming. And although the reports did note that the man was incapable of releasing, Harle knew all too well to truly trust the information that was given. Or at least in the sense of believing what she was told. Aside from that, Jinbei's words foretold what was about to occur.

As close as she was there was no means to avoid it entirely. As though being slashed, the layers of fabric over her stomach were torn when the warmth of energy splashed across her face. The woman fell back away from when the tidal wave of reiatsu spouted forth from Jinbei's body. However, what came of shock wasn't the fact that he released, that was a wonder, it was the fact that her illusions from her bankai had no effect on his visual perceptions. The visuals ceased to exist when Jinbei released, and she came to that conclusion because she saw that her illusions torn apart by his reiatsu. Her eyes widen for the briefest of moments before she saw that he came for her.

His presence was overwhelming as he stood before her. Harle didn't hesitate knowing full well that she was in a bit of a shock. From his release, her illusions fading, and her numbing sensation that spread across her half marked face. It didn't take long for the woman to realize she had to retreat to better assess the situation. With an immediate escape in mind she blurred back in a single step from her stumbling, such was natural for when applying Shunpo. Using its sudden burst of speed did the Captain launch herself away from the laceration that soon followed his approach. That very action cut across her abdomen as she sent herself nearly crashing into the wall of the building behind her.

Before confronting the man she did take subtle notes as to where she was. Finding a means for a temporary retreat was necessary when taking on Black ops missions. The wound was small but too close for comfort for the woman. She couldn't allow herself to take a direct hit as she did the last time, which did serve as a reminder to remain on her toes when combating someone more stronger than herself. It was the sudden burst of speed that left behind an afterimage of herself, which will be what Jinbei will witness being dissected by his blade before moving on to the previous Segunda.

Jinbei's brief departure provided some temporary relief in catching her breath and witnessing the man's movements. Her eyes captivated by the exchange in blows with one another as she was trying to follow the two males. One by one did they exchanged actions, but she couldn't keep up. She damned herself for being unable to trace their movements. However, nothing was impossible. Her eyes keen on Jinbei's and Kuroi's movements. She wasn't going to be left out of the fight. She steeled herself, especially for what came next. His secondary release, Bankai.

Like before, the man was a marvel to behold. His very being became quite frightening to someone of her level. Despite losing an arm, to which she was surely pleased with seeing, it simply regrew itself once the form was completed. That auspicious aura was something that he found himself to be quite proud of, especially when she knowing very little to his Zanpakutou's abilities. The intelligence on the man proved to be very handy, though little did it aid her when actually facing the man. Life threatening didn't even match to what the situation became for her. She should have labeled the very scenario of facing such an individual as suicide. Yet, she couldn't be more happier. Risk taking was one of her habits, and something that wasn't going to change quickly either.

The sight was awe inspiring, yet thrilling enough to rattle her soul to the core. Within the stainless steel sleeves of her gauntlets her muscles twitched and fingers arched with excitement for what was to come. The show was at its climax and Harle was going to insure that she stood on top. Despite the difference in spiritual strength, it was her will that will prevail overall. She already knew what she had to do. The Squad 2 Captain was already on the move when the Kawada came down to meet her with his fist. A quick Shunpo down to her gave away his position along with his newly released strength. At this moment it was Predecessor against Successor, and Jinbei was going to find out first hand that Harle was more than capable of retaining the rank of Captain, and more. To surpass that of Kenryoku Kawada.

From what she saw before her illusions were torn apart at the seams. Did this mean that visuals wouldn't continue to work against him? Was it limited to that? She didn't know to be honest. Still in Bankai, Harle still retained much of her powers. With all of this in mind, Harle began. Before lifting her reiatsu imbued foot Harle's energy flowed fluidly throughout the course of her body. This portrayed the use of reiatsu obviously, but in the way that Harle went about it was sly. As her foot rose to blur once more into the slip stream that Jinbei's body had forge, his vision partook of the series of flashing lights. A sequence of pulsing lights strobe radically into the man's irises through enabling her 640 reiatsu strength grind against the air, thus creating the blinding effect.

That wasn't all as both dust and debris of the floor came to cloud the scene. Harle made use of her environment to shroud their surroundings with the use of Hado #1: Shō (Thrust). It's violent gust of wind crashing against the ground erupted into a thick dust cloud from when the French woman shot forward into her Shunpo. This was obviously meant to cover her motions away from the man's analytical abilities. Without the use of his eyes and dedicating himself into his frontal thrust Harle had the man where she required him to be. Though, it was from his senses did he find Harle coming around under his right side. Her presence was about to his flank to find a secondary burst of reiatsu charging toward his ribs.

The Squad Captain made use of the dust cloud to obscure her figure in his eyes to flee into his blind spot and away from his peripheral vision. From his calculations Harle made little use of her Shunpo to slip around the man. This positioned the woman to make use of a technique that she developed. It's primary use suited close encounters, and one that grew over time. A fact that Jinbei would come to know shortly. The beads of sweat and blood filled the man's nostrils, her defiant cry rang in the depths of his ear drums with sounds of her body advancing onto his. Even his ability to foretell her reiatsu rung with her shooting towards his rear. "Lunar Style : 24 Phazes" she cried out hoping to lay siege to Jinbei's lower right ribs. If he did nothing, then he will come to know the stinging pain of Harle's hand driving itself through the narrow spaces of the cage.

Fingers tugged in together to create a makeshift blade filled with charged reiatsu. Yet, where this strike would actually land wouldn't be toward the rear of his rib cage, instead, it would find itself being slashed down over where Jinbei's right shoulder tendon would be located, with the secondary strike being slashed into his left rib cage. Harle's Bankai was still in use, and being held within it enables absolute control over an individual's perceptions. This includes sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch, including the sensory abilities. If Jinbei truly believed that visual illusions were all she could muster up, then she was being underestimated. Jinbei is an individual that Harle must make use of every little detail, this meant breaking down her own Bankai and making use of every aspect.

What Jinbei would have been indicating were the phantoms in his mind that Harle inserted. This meant that his very senses were being turned against him. Despite not visually able to see them his mind would acknowledge their existence as well as feeling their presence. To where her blows would land would be located else where. For what truly happened was the use of Shunpo allowed Harle to match the man's speed, if not surpassing it. It was after emitting the pulsing light and Hakuda did the Jester enter into the man's personal space to deliver her technique. There was a moment's lapse for when Jinbei's sensory skills and analytical skills would pick up on the woman's false movements. In reality, Harle took the direct approach in the cover of the joint use of reiatsu.

Her Lunar Style technique made quick work as it was meant to, but at the same time issued some leniency should the man retaliate at a given moment. This technique was unique in it of itself. After initiating the first two strikes did the technique continue into its fullest potential. Harle's body entered into a rapid twist from the waist to slash across the top surface of his left knee cap, then across its side with her right hand. Each strike that landed was equivalent to having a blade driven across the flesh. With such a sensation being driven across a Boxer's foundation, the man's body was surely to topple over to have his head sulking over. That was where the next to strikes were to land, across the surface of his throat. "4". If that wasn't enough, then what came next would surely be that of a surprise to the man.

Bit by bit Harle would be dismantling the man from his foundation to the head. For a Boxer to perform at their fullest potential it was of great importance to insure that their footing is concrete. Like a structure, a weak foundation would cause the building to break down and break itself part at the seams. The same intuition was the same for a Boxer. For what came next Harle's technique reached its climax as her incoming sets increased her overall speed to 1500. Her overall speed was doubled due to the rushing surge of reiatsu flowing throughout the course of her body. Like adrenaline, her body was pushing itself beyond its norm, therefore, allowing the Squad 2 Captain to push her technique further. What came next were the eight combination strikes. Two more strikes were delivered to the right knee cap. Six more slashing across the man's spleen and left knee cap once more.

At any given time Harle could have made her escape, especially with her speed at 1500. Her specialty in Hoho gave her footing and solid foundation when cycling around Jinbei's body. Should a shockwave pulse from his body Harle would have sufficient time to escape, while offering full mobility to pivot into a more suitable position. The last two sets, both 16 and 24 strikes, came shortly if Jinbei didn't attempt to push the woman away. She would pivot once more to his right side to deliver the set of 16 strikes. From the knee cap up to the length of his right arm, she was going to dismantle the man entirely. Soon after, the last set would come into play. The twenty-four strike combo scathing the backside of the elder Kawada.

The technique alone would drastically due the woman harm, but not before she did him in. Jinbei was strong, stronger than any particular foe she ever came across. Though her Lunar Style technique was not meant to kill, the first strike alone was enough to carry the message into the man's mind. Yes, replicating the puncture wound through his rib cage, the same wound that Kagami gave her during her Captaincy exam, will surge into the man's cranium. All she required was that single touch to have that burst of pain spout forth in the man's mind. All Harle could do what see what came of it.

Remaining Reiatsu: 1125/2400 : - 50 Shunpo x2, -250 Lunar Style, -25 Class 7 Technique Sho..

Bankai: 3/7

Combat Posts: 5/8

[Kento Waffles]

Play this

Harle's attack was extremely well planned. Jinbei, striking toward her, missed. His eyes blinked and he flinched as he was blinded, and even more as he opened his eyes to dust being kicked around him. His field of vision had been erased, and his attack stopped. Harle's speed increase had also given her an advantage in being able to attack him head on. For a moment, she was faster than Jinbei himself was. Even Jinbei himself was surprised by the strategy, evident on his face. However, what did not dissipate was his confidence. And it was unfortunate that that was all that mattered when it came to Jinbei's power. Harle's attacks did strike. All of them did.

But, as soon as her blade clashed with Jinbei's body, it shattered. Furthermore, subsequent attacks would end in further broken weapons if more weapons were used, or else in Harle's broken hand if she struck with bare hands. Either way, Jinbei had recovered by the time the first attack failed, and by the time the next ones were coming, his eyes were open, focused on Harle, and he didn't even try to guard against any of them. Instead, he reached out with his own maximum speed and grabbed her by the neck, his hand clamping down around her throat. All attacks had failed to damage Jinbei in the slightest. Rather, he stood there, unharmed, his hand around Harle's neck.

"I see..." he said. "Not only do you strike me, but you create an illusion of pain elsewhere to disorient me... Quite clever, but useless against my power. A mere illusion is worthless. Only things that are real can harm me, and even then, those are now useless too. Nothing can harm me now." For that was the unfortunate truth of Jinbei's power. Now his body was exhibiting the same prowess that his sword in Shikai had. He was no longer susceptible to counters by either of them. That didn't mean there weren't creative ways to take him down, but it had just become that much harder. Jinbei was now strong enough to tank hits and still be okay, even if they came from a Captain or a former Espada.

Meanwhile, Kimiko met great resistance from Hiroshi, just as Enma had. The former Squad 7 Captain had been struggling tremendously, and so too now did the new. Despite her stealth, it was a miscalculation to assume one could simply appear next to one of Hiroshi's spiders and go undetected. After all, she had literally appeared right next to it, even shoved her hand against it. Not only could it see her, but it could detect her in other ways, such as the breeze generated by her appearance, her shadow on the ground, and the fact that she wasn't hiding. She was right there. Literally right there. Even if she hid behind a spider, Hiroshi had had many all around him to guard against the likes of Enma's attacks, and any one of them could have seen Kimiko, who had appeared in plain view to the spiders, particularly the one she tried to hide behind.

Either way, Hiroshi was more than capable of responding at that time. As Kimiko was attacking, Hiroshi too was attacking. By now, he had figured out that Enma had done something to his perception, evident by the discrepancy in what he saw as opposed to what the spiders saw. Still, he could react. By transferring the force of her attack through the spider, Kimiko had given Hiroshi an opening. As soon as her attack was going through the spider, it suddenly ruptured into a cloud of gas that rushed upon her. Hiroshi had also utilized highly precise timing on it, waiting for the instant when Kimiko would exhale into her hit. Any master combatant reflexively did this to enhance their strike and create proper breathing.

Anyone who failed to do this obviously wasn't a master of any sort of combat, and Kimiko, a master of this sort of attack, and particularly of this technique, would also reflexively exhale with the strike. She had no suspicions or reasons not to, given she did not know the full extent of Hiroshi's Zanpakuto ability. Asking directly for great detail from Okami would have been helpful. At that time, the gas was rushing around Kimiko, undisturbed by the shockwave, as it had appeared past the spider, closer to Hiroshi. The gas would wash over her as her breath was out, meaning she had no oxygen. She would be unable to stop and hold her breath because she was already out of air.

Thus, reflexively, her body should naturally force her to exhale, which would cause inhalation of the gas. At the same time, Hiroshi, who had anticipated the attack via his spider perception, now had reason to defend. Immediately, the shockwave dissipated as violet reiatsu in the form of tendrils exploded out around him, dispersing its force. Physical and spiritual attacks could be blocked by the technique called Violet Haze, which Kimiko had seen last time she'd encountered Hiroshi. Now, what looked like glowing violet tendrils were surrounding Hiroshi once again. Furthermore, Kimiko was almost guaranteed to have breathed in the gas. There was no plausible way for her to have anticipated or guarded, after all.

Martial arts, and its basic application, had just been used against her. Thus, should the gas be inhaled, Kimiko would suddenly experience the same exact feeling as before. Utter terror, unlike anything she had experienced before, given it was a psychological attack, rather than just a random disaster. Except, this feeling was ten times more potent than the original. She would be completely crippled or incapacitated by the fear toxin this time, if she had no counters. At that moment, in addition to that, Enma's perception freezing would wear off, leaving Hiroshi to look around at his surroundings. After a second of catching up with discrepancies, he smiled.

"Fascinating," he said. "So you can't freeze perception for the whole fight... Good to know."

---

Music

Saeki, meanwhile, was on all fours, gasping as she was crushed by sound. Souza's impressive Bankai was something else entirely. Even Sozen, who had struggled against Saeki, had to admit to the strength of his won. After all, Saeki was losing. And losing badly. Not to say that she hadn't been on her last legs against Sozen, but here she didn't have her ability to help her out. She had nothing. She was simply being crushed. Just a few more seconds, and Souza would be the clear winner. Saeki would likely be deafened, incapacitated, and unconscious, with several broken bones. And it would have been almost effortless, too, truth be told. If only things were that easy.

It was at that moment that Saeki grinned, blood falling from her ears and eyes, and not even able to stand. Her will should have snapped by now... Souza observed. And that was when he realized... It already had. He had already broken Saeki's willpower. She was now acting out of desperation, and lunacy. While normally this would be fine, in this case, a cold and calculated person like Saeki suddenly acting on lunacy rendered her unpredictable. It took a second before Souza realized what she might do in her desperation, but by then, he was too late. "Bankai..." Saeki said. But it was not her own. Suddenly, the entire tower was red.

This was Sozen's stolen Bankai. Akai Birido: Seken. With that single change, Souza realized his error, and knew that Saeki had just beaten his attack. Despite her currently being on the floor, she looked at the tower, and blades suddenly shot up from the floor, forcing Souza to rush, grab his father, and jump. Because he had to grab his weakened father first, Souza would be taking the brunt of the blades rushing from his floor. He felt a slash across his back and a stab into his leg. With a gasp and a curse, Souza knew that this was just the beginning. Immediately, he saw blades materialize throughout his entire tower, due to its having been turned red. Saeki was creating blades throughout the entire tower, even in the structural support.

It shouldn't have been possible with Sozen's reiatsu strength, but Saeki's was higher, and so now the entirety of Souza's Bankai tower crumbled. Gasping as his Bankai was destroyed, Souza performed a flash step off the air ground to gracefully descend to the ground level and the ruins of his Bankai, using his good leg. Saeki free fell, laughing maniacally. "I KNEW IT!" she proclaimed as she fell. "YOU CAN'T FOCUS ON MULTIPLE THINGS AT ONCE WITH YOUR POWER! AHAHAHA! I KNEW IT! AAHAHAHAHA!!!" From the blood all over her body, Saeki created blades that slammed into the ground and slowed her fall, then let herself down briefly.

She was descending just as Souza, rushing now, hid his father behind some rubble, and then gathered himself and crawled out toward Saeki, hiding his back from her, and taking care to tear his pant leg and tie it around his wound, in reverse, so that blood wouldn't show. The moment she saw his blood, it was over, now. Because she had the strongest Bankai out of all of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad Captains. A Bankai not even Souza was any match for. Saeki, grinning, gazed at Souza. "Youuu..." she said, her octaves completely off, insanity having come upon her. "You... underestimated meeee. DIDN'T YOU? AHAHAHA!" Souza, barely able to stand, gritted his teeth.

Hiroshi's Remaining Reiatsu: 1575/3000 Reiatsu

Shikai Post Count: 4/10

Okami Shikai Post Count: 4/10

Violet Haze: 1/10


Jinbei's Remaining Reiatsu: 2400/3000 Reiatsu

Bankai Post Count: 2/10

SPOILER: Click to show

Jinbei's Bankai is very similar to his Shikai. His body is now completely protected defensively. As long as he believes in his ability to guard, his body can no longer be harmed. The same applies to all of his attacks, whose impact strength and reiatsu burst are both equivalent to his reiatsu strength. His attacks are absolute as long as he believes that they are. Thus, Jinbei now possesses the ultimate attack and ultimate defense.

[Zou ۞]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play this}

This one... He had managed to evade that last attack and activate his Bankai. Not yet passable, but certainly mediocre. Still, he was no match for the might of the Envainar of Hope. This battle had been decided the moment that Jinbei Kawada had been brought to Bankai before an Arrancar's sealed state. Jinbei possessed no higher levels of power. Kuroi possessed several. Only a miracle of god would save that man now, but Kuroi was capable of destroying miracles as well. Such was the ability of the agent of Despair and destroyer of Hope. His eyes fixated on the mediocre Shinigami, observing the build-up of movement into his bodily attack. He was going to charge and punch, and without build-up of reiatsu, it looked as if it would be done without a step technique. He must be joking... Not even a step technique? The evasion would be all too easy. Perhaps he was even counting on it being too easy, but it did not matter.

A Sonido at the right timing took Kuroi out of the way of Jinbei's attack. A fiery explosion rocked where Kuroi had stood, alerting the Envainar of Hope to the fact that those punches now possessed similar destructive power to the sword strikes which Jinbei had utilized in Shikai. A further analysis of that black body and Kuroi was crafting a hypothesis. No offensive capabilities appeared to have changed in Bankai, which led Kuroi to the conclusion that perhaps what had changed was defense, or regeneration. Perhaps Jinbei could infinitely regenerate. Or perhaps he could guard against attacks now. Watching the brief exchange between the woman and Jinbei told Kuroi enough. Her attacks were useless, shattering against Jinbei's body. It was a powerful defense. If it was to follow the same rules as the Shikai Kuroi had observed previously, which had been enough to easily shatter any defense, then it was probable that the defense was just as strong.

However, Jinbei had made an error in distracting himself with the Shinigami Captain. Charging reiatsu in one hand, Kuroi used a Sonido to appear an arm's length above the Captain. Ordinarily, Kuroi would not have cared about killing them both, but he deemed the Captain to be no significant threat, and this was to the benefit of Las Noches. If Squad 2's Captain remained this woman, that made the inevitable war between Las Noches and the Gotei Thirteen easier, particularly for any Espada whose strength was lacking lately. If he killed her, who knew what or who might replace her? So, an arm's length above the Squad 2 Captain, Kuroi grabbed a hold of her robes. From his free hand that had been charging reiatsu, a black explosion emitted from it, and sent them over a mile into the air. The sudden and instantaneous force of it drove Kuroi, Captain in tow, into the sky, yanking her from Jinbei's grip and bringing them into the air.

It was then that if she looked below, she would see a black reiatsu blast the size of a city center or perhaps bigger. It would be enough that it would be seen everywhere. By luck, everyone else fighting in this town were in opposite corners. However, they would see it from where they were. An explosive blast which was large enough to carve open the sky. So enormous that an entire quarter of Karakura Town would be destroyed and all of the lives contained within wiped out completely. Looking down, Harle would be witness to an enormous height. Looking up, those on the ground would see it like a complex of many skyscrapers, all composed of black reiatsu. The size and scope was a larger attack than anything any of them would ever have seen. The technique that had been utilized was on an entirely different level, and its shockwaves would be felt all over the town, no matter where one was. Kuroi's ultimate Cero: Muerte Lanzar.

At point blank range, not even with Jinbei's speed could a Sonido carry him out on time to escape being struck. Assuming his Bankai's defense was so great, it did not matter. The part that Kuroi didn't know, that it was dependent on confidence, didn't matter. Jinbei's Bankai made him invincible to damage. But Kuroi's Muerte Lanzar was unblockable, and could destroy any defense. In that battle, it was a matter of caliber of attack, or class, and of offensive ability. Kuroi's reiatsu was stronger than Jinbei's, and his power vastly outclassed Jinbei's Bankai. In other words, Jinbei's defense could not withstand it, and it would shatter and he was likely to be reduced to ashes and killed. Even if he survived, by the very miracles Kuroi could defeat, he would be critically wounded. What Kuroi didn't know was that Jinbei's Bankai, based on confidence, would stop working at that point because of the fact that despite his absolute confidence, it had been broken.

"Shinigami..." Kuroi addressed of Harle, setting her down on air ground and standing on his own air ground. "I have lost interest in this battle. If Jinbei Kawada is somehow still living, I leave you to finish him." Instead, sensing another reiatsu elsewhere, Kuroi disappeared, moving toward that. Where he would arrive was the location of Alexander Kuma-Hebi and his new Quincy enemy. Kuroi would suddenly appear behind the Quincy, Zanpakuto in hand, driving his blade toward the Quincy's back. Muerte Lanzar took a lot of stamina, and a lot of reiatsu. Kuroi couldn't carelessly use any more techniques, or he would suffer the consequences. That was why he hadn't just used Pesquis and Sonido to get here. He needed to keep off of his reiatsu briefly, and regain some of his energy. It did not matter, though. Kuroi was strong. He would, even with only a sword, be capable of overwhelming this Quincy too.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play this}

"KIMIKO!" Enma exclaimed, seeing the outcome of her combination attack with him. Shit...! What was I thinking? Of course he has counters for physical combatants up his sleeve... He's a Shihoin. Enma wasn't entirely sure what the gas did, but he could make a guess. No. No more time to worry. Enma could not afford to be distracted. He would trust Kimiko to find a way to handle herself. He had to fight. This opponent was too dangerous for them to allow to live. He had demonstrated that time and time again. Enma's attacks had been blocked by the spiders, but those that had blocked had quickly been turned to stone and shattered. They were now dead, leaving an opening in Hiroshi's circle attack of spiders for Enma to take advantage of. Using that gap, Enma stepped forward used a Shunpo to appear inside of Hiroshi's own circle of spiders, and escape the ones that had been aiming to attack him with their fangs.

"Bankai..." Enma said. "Senjo Tomoshibi." Instantly, a column of gold reiatsu would blast away the spiders guarding Hiroshi, and knock Kimiko away too if she was still there, removing her from the danger of harm if Hiroshi decided to attack her while she was vulnerable from his gas. On Enma's arms now were two massive metal arm gauntlets with gold flames emitting from the shoulders. His staff was gone, but now his greatest power was on the table. The very instant that it formed, two huge magic circles appeared, one directly in front of Enma, another behind Hiroshi. What appeared behind and on Hiroshi's sides was a box. It was small, encasing Hiroshi on the sides, behind, underneath, and overhead. Hiroshi's hairs, any that touched the top of the box, would begin to petrify and shatter. His shoes, too, and those mechanical legs, would begin to petrify and shatter if he continued standing within the box. The only way out was forward, past Enma.

However, the circle that had appeared in front of Enma had turned into a gigantic elephant gun, and now it fired hundreds of rounds per minute. It blocked off dozens and dozens of yards in front of Hiroshi. If he was hit by anything, anywhere, then that body part would petrify and then shatter. There was literally no space at all for him. Enma boxed him in and led with a huge attack. And this wasn't even the end of it. Enma had a strategy planned for Hiroshi's inevitable counter. Thus, Enma, despite having already created his attack, began charging reiatsu throughout his body in preparation for what came next. Hiroshi would surely be surprised enough. Better yet, Enma had imbued his box with another technique, Dageki. If it really did contact Hiroshi at all, even just his feet, his thinking would be petrified for just a second. Long enough to get hit and die.

Enma's Remaining Reiatsu: 6750 Reiatsu

Bankai: 1/10

Kuroi's Remaining Reiatsu: 2050 Reiatsu

[Kaijin"Harle"Quinn]

*Crack* The sound was subtle, but easy to take notice with the rate of speed the Captain had been mustering with her technique. Each blow led into another series of piercing slashes and hacks with her talons, yet, all that it did was cause the metallic surface of her Bankai weapon to crack, then shatter. The steel casing around her index and middle finger broke apart before her eyes, as did sections that clung to her forearm and biceps. It didn't matter if her attacks were making contact against the Kawada's flesh. All that it did accomplish was push her into a corner that she didn't wish to be in. She managed to achieve so much against a foe who was superior to her. To be able to realize her weaknesses and how to push herself in terms of both physically and mentally. However, all for not when she realized that her muscles began to ache.

The use of such a technique applied strain to her muscles. To push her body beyond its natural limits caused her muscles to contract for an extended period of time with small amounts of reiatsu to help enable her to do so. For that reason Harle's body couldn't reach the same speed as she was capable previously. For that reason, she couldn't move to avoid the man's grasp as it coiled around her small neck. Harle became weightless as she felt her legs leave the surface of the Earth, and left to hang with hands grasping at her aggressor's fingers. Little use did they do against someone who's body was still without a scar, and who seemed invulnerable. "I see... Not only do you strike me, but you create an illusion of pain elsewhere to disorient me... Quite clever, but useless against my power. A mere illusion is worthless. Only things that are real can harm me, and even then, those are now useless too. Nothing can harm me now."

She hung loosely in his iron grip. What more could she do but surrender herself over to death. Her body throbbed in every area of her body. The pulsating sensation coursed through the lengths of her veins, almost setting them on fire. Even as she remained off the ground she still felt its full effects. She was tired. Yet, she couldn't give in. Even dangling about she was still in the fight. If Harle planned on leading others, then her will would have to be just as strong as Jinbei's, if not superior. There was still more that she could do. That is why she smiled at Jinbei, "Iz zat zo? Zen, why iz it zat you have trouble breathing Monsieur?" Before the indomitable spirit could even realize it, the oxygen that he thought he was taking in ceased. It was as though someone or something vacuumed the air out of his lungs and the area around him.

*Crack* Once more the material that her claws were made of began to fissure once more. For what reason? The answer could be no other than Harle restricting the area of effect of her Bankai. It's mile radius was forcibly being reduced to solely effect the man. Like before, to truly effect the man's mind with her power she was required to make physical contact with him. Jinbei fulfilled that requirement all on his own when he gripped Harle's neck. With this contact she can dominant his mind without much issue. While she didn't know about his abilities were connected to his confidence, this was a means to rattle that said "iron will" of his.

Based on the results that her assaults and previous attempts effected him, she knew at this point she couldn't take a direct or physically approach in eliminating her target. Visuals wouldn't do anything against him, as it didn't when he entered Shikai, and from the previous attempts with her techniques, he remain unharmed. As such, she had to dive further. Into his psyche. As to depriving the air from his lungs, Harle held her breath for an extended period of time. How long exactly? To the point of suffocation. That gasping sensation for air was plunged into the depths of the man's mind, surfacing back to his current reality. Harle was triggering Jinbei's brain responses to have his body enact suffocation. This meant his brain would slowly begin to shut down; rapid heart rate, confusion, sweating, wheezing, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, and changing of skin color. Harle was going to have the man drown in a invisible sea of nothingness.

The mere mention of the lack of air was primarily meant to draw attention to it. The moment that the man thought about such an idea of "lacking oxygen" was the trigger. That was the first step. The second step was what came after. Actually, this was all conspired based on evaluating the results of her previous actions. If one failed, Harle would continue with the next step. Each previous move built on top of the other to create a more superior illusion. An act that never ends in Harle's perspective. With that in mind a tremendous weight would consume them both... or at least it would have before the Arrancar took to the stage once more.

Even in the state she was in Harle still took notice to the foreign reiatsu signature that wasn't didn't belong to a Shinigami. Just as quickly as he appeared over her person did a black miasma appear beneath them. She didn't know what transpired after words. As quick as Jinbei emerged to hold her into the air did her world turn upside down. If what the Arrancar had planned came to fruition then Harle would find herself being set to the side of the Envainar of Hope. Possibly a mile high from the ground did the two reside off to the side as the black miasma quickly erupted into that of a skyscraper. And with its new form, more than likely to consume Jinbei in its black aura. Was this the power of an Arrancar?

Harle couldn't believe it. "Shinigami... I have lost interest in this battle. If Jinbei Kawada is somehow still living, I leave you to finish him." is what the Arrancar said before departing from the scene. But, who could truly survive something of that magnitude? Harle didn't use an Air Ground to keep herself levitated, so she simply hovered downward towards the ground as she took in her surroundings. From what she knew the battle was far from over.

Remaining Reiatsu: 1125/2400

Bankai: 4/7

Combat Posts: 6/8

50% Deduction in Speed Stat.

1/2 Posts Deduction.

New Speed Stat: 375

[Kimiko Shihoin]

Kimiko had managed to appear in front of one of the spiders that had appeared around Hiroshi that was intended to protect him the strike that Enma was planning to use in order to bring him down. When she had appeared she had followed through with her plan to use the spider as a medium to hit Hiroshi by using the Hyunnarda. As she hit the spiders body and the force of her attack was transferred through it she watched as it's body seemingly exploded. As it's body simply turned into gas Kimiko knew that something was wrong and in that instant only due the repetitive training and her instincts was Kimiko able to flex every muscle in her body within a fraction of a moment.

All of her agility and grace seemingly disappeared as every single muscle was flexed to the point that her body seemingly enlarged to the point that her arms and legs seemed more fitting on a man of extreme size. The veins of her body seemed to bulge out of her skin almost as if at any moment they'd explode. As this happened Kimiko closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall downwards towards the ground. There was no way for her to keep the gas from getting into her mouth, but for the moment at least it wouldn't get any further than that.

Kimiko's body after the training that she had placed upon it was virtually one giant muscle with some bone for support it was because of this that as she flexed her throat her wind pipe was virtually crushed by the muscle. She was choking herself for the time being giving the gas almost no room if any at all to pass through to the depths of her stomach and lungs. It would only take a moment or two though for Kimiko to fall to the ground and as she felt herself almost nearly it she relaxed every muscle in her body with the exception of her throat.

Kimiko made impact basically on her body with no cushion which upon impact caused a dust cloud to rise up around her. The impact to the ground was enough though to knock the little remaining air from Kimiko's lungs out and upwards into her throat. She gasped in pain and the air pushed the gas that had been able to sneak into her out. This was getting more and more frustrating. It seemed that no matter what type of advance she made on her uncle he always was going to be prepared and unless Enma and her figured something out they wouldn't be able to defeat him let alone kill him.

Kimiko was running low on her options though. She had to stop and think about what she could actually give to the table that would at least put some pressure on her uncle that Enma would be able to exploit. She couldn't activate her zanpakuto whether it be Shikai, Soulbind or even her Bankai. This wasn't something that Kimiko hadn't trained to be able to deal with since using her zanpakuto wasn't her actual strength. She was running low on reiatsu and pretty soon she wouldn't be able to help Enma at all so reaching down as she got back onto her feet Kimiko took the large reiatsu orb from her belt and crushed it.

Over the course of the next few seconds she'd feel the reiatsu flow inside her giving her enough that she'd be able to continue this battle for at least a bit longer. For the time being though she'd have to wait to see if Enma's new method of attack was going to work. She had to keep alter so that none of the spiders would get the jump on her as well. This was a battle that Kimiko in all truth wasn't ready to handle herself or even with Enma it seemed and the mere fact of that was making her angry.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Equipment}
Large Reiatsu Orb: 0/1
Medium Reiatsu Orb: 1/1

Remaining Reiatsu: 1000/1000
Large Reiatsu Orb: {+500}

[Kento Waffles]

The dark, seething, bellowing smoke started to dissipate. Kuroi’s Muerte Lanzar had been a triumphant success. Where an entire quarter of Karakura had stood, if not more, now only a crater and ashes remained. In order to defeat his opponent, he had been willing to massacre thousands of people and ravage the most spiritually powerful and populous town in the entirety of the human world. If the name Arrancar had not been feared before, now it again would be. This, only recently after the spirit of De-Mona had obliterated a town of millions, was by far the most terrifying act of an agent of Las Noches in many years. Kuroi, who preached self control, seemed not to care in this event.

And Jinbei Kawada? He lived, but barely. When the dust settled, he could be seen in the middle of this huge, barren crater left behind, covered in horrendous burns. He was on his knees, panting, gasping. There was no telling how Jinbei had done it. What specific ability he had used in order to survive Muerte Lanzar. Perhaps it was simply his final Bankai technique, perhaps it was just luck. There he was, his sealed Zanpakuto at his side, the blade snapped cleanly in half. Shock was in his eyes. “How… Can this be…?” he asked aloud to no one in particular. “Even with my power… I have sustained such damage…” It looked as if at this point, Jinbei Kawada was in such a position as to barely be able to move.

For those ignorant to Jinbei, this would be meaningless bragging, an overestimation of self. To those well acquainted with Jinbei Kawada and his abilities, they would see what had truly transpired. Jinbei’s ability functioned as an extension of his willpower. Provided he believed absolutely in his own ability to be absolute defending against attack or attacking others, then he could not be hurt nor could he be stopped. His ability protected him from all things as long as he believed that it could, and his ability obliterated all other attacks or defenses as long as he believed that it could. In this case, Kuroi’s Muerte Lanzar had simply been an attack so powerful that its very effect was being unblockable, and even Jinbei’s defense had totally faltered before it.

Now, he gazed up as the Arrancar left them, and saw only Harle floating in the sky. Jinbei had indeed felt the lack of oxygen before being blasted by Muerte Lanzar. If anything, this would make him all the more weary to that Soul Reaper Captain whom he claimed was a disgrace. Standing now, on shaky legs, and a broken body, Jinbei held his broken Zanpakuto and looked up, as if in defiant challenge. To indicate to Harle that it wasn’t over yet. Kuroi may have seen fit to simply leave, but Harle remained, and Jinbei was still alive. With that being the case, Jinbei Kawada could still fight in the name of his broken Kawada family, and in allegiance to the most powerful Kuchiki alive today.

Meanwhile, Kimiko would find that with her crushed throat, she was struggling to breathe. Well, rather, that had been her intention. Now that she had literally damaged her own windpipe and thus her ability to breathe, she had to figure out how to mend herself just enough to keep fighting. Even if she found a way to open an airway for her throat, the damage she had sustained would prevent any further speaking until she saw a Squad 4 medic. It would hurt, and it was proof of what Kimiko was starting to suspect. Even together, she and Enma did not seem powerful enough to deal with Hiroshi Shihoin. The former Shihoin Head was simply in a league above them right now.

More importantly however, Kimiko had managed to guard against the toxin which surely would have eliminated her from action as a Soul Reaper. Now, instead, the gas was all around her, but not in her throat yet. It had covered a massive area, and the effect of that was that she was now surrounded by clouds of the poisonous toxin. Whatever she did now, the first thing to do was to get out of those clouds. She couldn’t presently breathe, but when she could, it wouldn’t do to have crushed her own throat only to suck in more poison. For now, she was safe, and could play it safe by waiting for an opportunity to combo attack with Enma.

As for Enma, however, he was meeting no success at all. Just as before, Hiroshi simply utilized Okami’s Zanpakuto, a slight nick rendering him intangible. All of Enma’s powerful attacks would strike the area of their target and cause massive damage to what was around him, but to Hiroshi Shihoin, intangible as he was, it was a simple matter of waiting it out. This was why his strategy against Okami had been a reiatsu drain while under Circle of Evil. Okami wasn’t weak. His Zanpakuto was highly useful, and Hiroshi had had no intention of simply letting Okami phase through his attacks. So now, here it was, that Hiroshi could use a borrowed Shikai simply to evade the raw power of Enma’s Bankai.

“Is that the best you can do?” Hiroshi asked Kimiko and Enma. “I’m so disappointed…” At this point, he was simply wearing them down. Furthermore, what was worst of all for them was that Enma’s constant use of these attacks was likely gradually wearing him down. His stamina wasn’t infinite, and he was blowing reiatsu on spam after spam to no avail. Eventually he would just tire out and become an easy target for Hiroshi. Right now, the two Captains had to regroup. More likely, they should retreat now. They were obviously not a match for Hiroshi. It seemed that even after all those years in prison, Hiroshi was still on another level. That was why, even with his extremism, he had been so respected and feared. So able to lead the Shihoin. Because he was that strong.

And meanwhile, where Kuroi was... Suddenly, what he would find was that Petrov and his dolls... vanished.

Hiroshi's Remaining Reiatsu: 1475/3000 Reiatsu

Shikai Post Count: 5/10

Okami Shikai Post Count: 5/10

Violet Haze: 2/10


Jinbei's Remaining Reiatsu: 2400/3000 Reiatsu

[Kaijin"Harle"Quinn]

What was suppose to be a glamorous show turned into a nightmare. A bright lite sky with the forever blue as far as she could see vanished in the array of black light. That was all that could really be seen after she nudged back. Only moments before the tower of sheer reiatsu came forth to strike down the paralyzed Kawada. From what witnessed her play had succeeded in temporarily immobilizing the man, all for the moment so the Arrancar could initiate his technique. That column of black light was beyond anything she seen before, more so than what Jinbei was capable of producing. Seemingly as a massive spot light shining its beaming illumination on its target. Unfortunately, Jinbei had been the target of this spot light.

The Arrancar left the immediate shortly after speaking to the girl to "clean up" the situation. Harle had never been one to really side herself with the enemy, however, with Karakura town in a dire situation, including herself, there wasn't really much she can do. Despite such thoughts reality weighed on her mind and spirit. "How many humans died from that pillar of black light? With the amount of power that was supporting the technique she could only wonder. She felt sad, but more than that, angry. It swelled within her like reiatsu. Just how many people were killed by such a technique because she couldn't deal with Jinbei on her own. The scene revealed the difference between herself and Jinbei, and the Arrancar.

Her diligence was one thing that was meant for tedious situations. Was she wrong in restraining herself in the beginning? Would the situation differ if she had mustered all of her strength from the start of their battle? Could she have saved all those people? Quite possibly. None of the people had to die for something like this. And a lass, Jinbei appeared from the black light that consumed him earlier. His body waiver from side to side. He managed to survive such a power attack, but not unscathed. A broken Zanpakuto and a bloodied body. It may be possible that the man was barely conscious, yet Harle didn't hold her breath for such a thing. No. NO. So, she would confront him.

Each step taken drew the two closer together. And with each step taken toward the Kawada Harle felt something. No longer could she remain behind the mask, the facade that she put together. No longer did the mask remain. Her hair allowed to roam freely in the gust of wind that remained from the technique's aftermath. "It never needed to come to zhis. Zhese people did not need to die... Zhis iz all your fault." Upset was not a strong enough word to describe the anguish that she felt inside. At this moment, no word could describe what was transpiring within the French woman. "Zhis iZ ALL YOUR FAULT," she cried out.

It didn't take long to repeat the previous notion of restricting air from the Kawada's lungs. What was there would no longer be as Harle's Bankai remained in effect. Unable to draw in life into his lungs the symptoms would appear shortly, but that wasn't the goal. If she simply wanted to kill the man then she would simply wait him out until he suffocated. But no. She had something else in mind. "Monseiur Kawada, do tell Harle everything that you know. Ze secrets of ze Kawadas, what doez Soul Society keep in ze shadows? What doez it take to be strong?" She desired more. Though, she knew that the man wouldn't tell her, an outsider, someone who is weaker than he was.

A Captain bears much on their shoulders. The sanctity of Soul Society and its people, upholding the law, and service to those that serve alongside the cause. Harle and the new Captains had to take the oath to defend Soul Society at all costs. She knew of what it meant to do so and was more than willing to do so. From where she stood she didn't match to the expectation she had for herself. She had to push further than what she currently is. "Teach Harle what you know." This time she was demanding it. Her eyes were keen on the man. She didn't care who he was anymore, as she saw him merely as a resource, and if he wasn't willing to comply, then....

Was like a signal, a calling for what came next. Jinbei being torn open, exposed for who he truly was. Nothing of him remained hidden from the world around. A man who was truly operating for himself. No cause but being led solely on desire. All of those dirty little secrets held within now peeled forth from him despite his best efforts to keep them concealed. Only those who fell prey to it would know what it really was, something that Harle herself fell to. All thanks to Souza Kuichiki. She didn't know the facts or the finer details behind the technique, let alone know that it was an Eye technique. Still, from what she was able to endure from it, it had its uses. That is what Harle decided to bring upon the Kawada.

Harle was no longer that powerless girl that was forced to watch children die. No longer was she the Lieutenant that was solely meant to cover for others. She was more than what was at the beginning. "Tell me now Jinbei Kawada!"

Remaining Reiatsu: 1125/2400

Bankai: 5/7

Combat Posts: 7/8

50% Deduction in Speed Stat.

2/2 Posts Deduction.

New Speed Stat: 375

[Kento Waffles]

Here's sad as fuck music

Jinbei's hand reached out in a burst of speed far exceeding Harle's own reduced capacities, and he grabbed her small neck with his large, wrinkled hand, crushing her throat and choking her. And no matter the pain she inflicted upon him with her illusions, he refused to let go. Even as she suffocated him, he suffocated her. Together, they were suffocating in tandem. One too weak to overcome the patriarch that denied her everything... The other too weak to avenge himself against the one that had obliterated his entire family. This was a tragic sight indeed, Jinbei and Harle choking one another in the midst of this absolutely obliterated battlefield where thousands of lives had been lost.

And in between his rasping gasps for air, Jinbei chuckled, finding it in himself to have some sort of ragged voice even despite his severe injuries. "My fault...? Don't make me laugh. I offered you the chance to surrender to me and escape with your life. If you hadn't been so persistent on fighting an opponent that you couldn't handle, that Arrancar would never have stepped in like that and this destruction would never have happened... Those humans are dead because you're weak." Jinbei's pure strength of will was evident here. It was clear now that even with Harle's choking, Jinbei's lungs were damaged by the heat of Kuroi's attack. His ability to breathe was already severely limited, and his wounds were severe.

For Jinbei to keep moving, to even speak now, took an unimaginable dedication to his cause. "Monseiur Kawada, do tell Harle everything that you know. Ze secrets of ze Kawadas, what doez Soul Society keep in ze shadows? What doez it take to be strong? Teach Harle what you know. Tell me now Jinbei Kawada!" Jinbei continued squeezing Harle's throat while she continued inflicting pain upon him with her illusions. It was evident by his expression and his eyes that she was causing him pain, and that her illusions were working. Yet it was also evident that he was so far gone that it didn't even matter. He was so obsessed with his own cause of protecting his family that this was the result he ended up with.

If Harle continued her own obsession, might she also end up this way? "The truth of Soul Society is that it isn't the bastion of paradise we all claim it is. It's a haven for the strong. I can talk down to you because you're not strong enough to kill me. You can make demands of me right now because I'm not strong enough to fight after the wounds inflicted by the Arrancar. Power runs everything. It's the same as in Hueco Mundo, only the Hollows are more honest about it and don't hide behind politics and rhetoric..." Slowly, Jinbei's other arm started to move, too. In a second, it flashed up and also grabbed hold of Harle's neck, increasing Jinbei's choking strength.

"The Kawada Family has many secret techniques, weapons, and resources that only the line of descent knows about... The Seireitei hides many powerful abilities, options, and abominations in its shadows... From the scientific experiments of Squad 12 to the dungeons of Squad 6... Even up to the command center in Squad 1. There are secrets, lies, and killing everywhere! But none of that is what makes Soul Society strong. Or the Kawadas strong. Or me strong." Jinbei's hold around her neck was starting to get more and more terse. Soon she would have to find a way to get out of his grasp. But what she do it without hearing more of his words?

"What makes people strong is ruthlessness and cunning... You have to be aggressive, and without mercy. You need to seek victory as if it is the only thing that matters. Only then will you achieve success in your other goals. Sozen Kuchiki understands that, which is why his family will soon swallow the Kawadas whole if nothing is done. Kuroi understands it, which is why he took the lives of thousands to overcome me. I understand it, which is why I am now working with Saeki Kuchiki for the sake of my family... And she understands it too, being willing to kill her own brother for the sake of her cause. And you? You don't understand it... You aren't willing to kill everyone in your way for victory. You aren't willing to do whatever it takes to achieve success. And that's why if the Arrancar hadn't come along, you'd be dead."

"AND IF YOU WANT ME TO TEACH YOU, then you have to betray Soul Society too, in secret... You have to leave here with me, and become my apprentice. You're worthless now but I can change it... I can make you someone suitable to serve the Kawadas... But that's up to you, of course. You have power over me right now. You might even be able to kill me right now. Only... the way you're going now, you'll never be able to stop threats like this. Unless you align yourself with me, you'll never learn how to be strong. And when that Arrancar returns as your enemy next time, he'll do to you exactly what he did to me, and to my Kawada family... He'll erase you."

[Kaijin"Harle"Quinn]

Harle took part of a gamble by motioning towards the Kawada. With her current state the Captain couldn't compete with a man whose ability sparked fear into the hearts of the people during his time. A man whose very being was a tremendous threat without the help of the Rogue Kuichiki. A man who took on an Arrancar's technique and remains standing. The Elder Kawada remained strong as Harle grew weaker, tired, exhausted. These facts weighed the woman down the more the battle continued as she knew more than anyone that her strength was depleting rapid. Soon, she would be on her last thread if they faced off once more, which to no surprise it occurred. Harle expected much with her authority challenging his.

Without a moments hesitation Jinbei came at her and took her by the neck. Those massive hands that broke her nose and crushed her Tsunami were now coiled around her slender neck. The Captain's fingers gripping the folds in his palms out of natural instinct in an attempt to pry them open. For a moments worth of air. Surprisingly enough that both of the strength were nearly equaled, it was Jinbei who had the advantage overall. In terms of bodily condition Harle could sustain more damage. Mentally Jinbei was superior to her. Both parties have a cause, both giving their all, both driven to the breaking point. At this point in time it was a battle of attrition, to see who was going to surrender first.

At the point of the Arrancar's interference she had on the losing side. Without a means to properly analyze her opponent Harle had to struggle to piece the man together. Despite her understanding of Kenryoku Kawada she had difficulty in evaluating Jinbei. Yes, this was the man who taught her late Captain Kenryoku of everything that he knew. Just as proud as the man, and just as driven to insure that his family would stand on top. Only he knew of the darkness that plagued Soul Society, and he knew what it took to deliver a swift blow to it. The words that he spoke of, Harle knew they held truth to them. The weight those words carried could not be dismissed as falsehoods. Jinbei was simply more driven than Harle was, both her mind and body knew it.

Hacks of air came erupting out from her compressed air way. Her knees bulging and giving way to the man's advance. The Captains were growing weak and the light in her eyes were fading away. Jinbei's staggering strength continued to pile on top of her being as she continued to fade. She only had one choice, "Harle, Harle Monseiur Jinbei's truth. Harle iz weak. Harle wantz to be strong. Harle will be... Monseiur Jinbei's Apprentice." she gasps out.

It couldn't be helped. The strength she currently wielded was no where near enough to defy such threats like Jinbei. To defy such dangerous like him, she would have to become something more. Someone more than who she is now. The strength to push beyond her own limits. Which is why....

She will fight on.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play}

Harle's fingers dug into the man's grasp, pulling it back slowly away from throat. Her aching body creaking past the strain that begged her to stop. The man's strength being pushed back against him the more he drove himself onto her. Air finally being retrieved from the environment and filling her being once more while Jinbei remained unfortunate. Her cries of defiance filling the empty buildings around them as the small woman pushed against the man and slowly retaking her footing over him. "Harle.. w-won't... lose to you.. or ANYONE!" To the man's surprise, he would be overpowered.

But how? Where did this strength come from? Jinbei may ponder it as much as he wished, though the answer was much simpler than intended. This was indeed an illusion, but reality at the same time. The two perfectly fused into one reality, and it was Jinbei that made it all possible. Harle's strength was her own entirely, however it was being aided by Jinbei's own desire, his pursuit to accomplish his goal. His strength and physical prowess was being drawn into the woman while Harle subjected Jinbei to what her condition was. The feeling of being helpless, weak, exhausted, physically and mentally depleted. These were what Harle struggled with when she continued to persist against the Kawada. Those very emotions that plagued her mind and spirit were now being transferred into Jinbei with the physical contact he had with her, and she had with him. In other words, the French Captain was switching their mindsets and physical conditions.

While their personalities would not be altered or hindered, it would be their inner confidence, strengths, and weaknesses that would be shifting over to the other. In such a state Harle could not manage with her strength alone, she required more. Seeing how Jinbei continued to push himself over her, against his current condition, he remained strong. Harle on the other hand was the victim to such power, leaving the sensation of helplessness in her. Between the two of them it was definite that Jinbei had the superior desire and experience to overwhelm the French woman. If it was a battle of attrition, then Harle would lose. Not like this.

For the Shinigami Captain, she saw in her eyes the strength that it would take to win, but more than simply win, but to carry on. All the more reason why she subjugated herself in the illusion as well. Their physical conditions wouldn't change. Jinbei remained with air and was forcibly being willed to carry on Harle's weaknesses, both mental and spiritual. As for the Captain, she cast upon herself the ideal of what true strength was. That was Jinbei. An idea is merely an illusion itself. Something that can not be grasped by actions, but by the spirit and the will of an individual. Which was the reason why in the man's perspective Harle would be much stronger. That ideal was what made her stronger. The stronger that Jinbei became in her eyes would only fuel the woman's strength. "Harle... I willz not loze to ze likez of you."

One by one the illusion rid the woman of her pain as her will grew to parallel Jinbei's. From creating a moment's opening to breath Harle's grasp of the man's hands was released to have him regain his hold on the woman's throat. Yet, that very motion was traded to dig what remained of her talons into the man's throat like that of a drill as he would be pinned to the ground. "I do not blamez you Monseiur Jinbei, but myzelf. Fo being weak en ignorant. But notz no more. I zhall stand and protect ze family zat I have been entrusted with." Harle kept pushing forward into the man's throat, leaving the doubt, fear, and weakness the bestowed onto Jinbei. He would have no air to take in, his drive to fight stolen and replaced with the anxiety that the woman possessed, and an edged weapon being driven into his throat, a human's grip was sure to weaken if not release in order to struggle to breath in themselves. That would give the woman a clear air pipe once more.

Even if Jinbei had attempt to remove himself from her grip, then a pair of Shunpos into the man would forcibly drive her talon into the man's neck. Like a hammer being slammed into a nail, driving it into the plank of wood, so would her sudden bursts slam her talon into his neck. But more over, her legs at the ready to motion should the outcome vary. Harle was ready to kill, she was ready to move on.


Remaining Reiatsu: 1025/2400, -50 Shunpo x2

Bankai: 6/7

Combat Posts: 8/8

OOC: New stats will be posted next post for Shadow Type Drawback.

[Zou ۞]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play this}

Enma had to acknowledge the truth. Hiroshi Shihoin was strong. Right now he was probably stronger than Enma. And was stronger than Kimiko too. He was even strong enough to fight both of them. Somehow, he had been given enough power that he could fight two Captains. Even while using Bankai, Enma wasn't able to defeat him. Strange to think about when recalling how he had dealt with a mighty Stern Ritter in the past, or how he had brutally massacred the Bount Leader in a fight as well. Enma was no fool, and he wasn't weak. That wasn't the realization here. What he did realize was that he was probably weaker than Hiroshi, and if they kept fighting, it wouldn't do him any good. It didn't take a strategic genius such as Enma's to realize that Hiroshi was baiting him out and burning Enma's stamina away by using simple counters for powerful and complex attacks. Enma's attacks just lacked a certain bite now.

Is this the price to pay for being away for so long? Enma thought. I have been away a long time. It seems that while I was gone, the power tier shifted upward... I'm too weak, now. I haven't improved in a long time. I haven't trained in years. Enma had allowed himself to fall behind. Kimiko had managed not to die from the gas, but the bloody swelling around her throat told Enma all he needed to know. Her survival had come at a cost, and his would too when Hiroshi's trap finally set in. Kimiko and Enma were just outmatched right now. Hiroshi was stronger and smarter, and he was demonstrating why he was a feared tactician and why he had been trusted to lead an entire family into a rebellion. They had legitimately thought they could win if he was their leader. The thought worth reconsidering was what kind of monsters had been able to stop even Hiroshi Shihoin during that war. It wasn't anyone ordinary to say the least.

Suddenly, a huge black reiatsu lit up the sky. Enma looked back to see it towering above them. That explosion must have wiped out an entire section of town and taken thousands of lives... Who could create a blast that big? No, wait. Enma recognized whose attack that was. He knew that reiatsu. Kuroi... He thought. Then he looked back at Kimiko and then at Hiroshi. If that many lives had been wiped out, could this town still be converted into the King's Key? It didn't seem feasible anymore. Enma was no expert on it, but he knew that there was a minimum number of lives required, and that if thousands had died like that, then they were probably below the minimum now. Plus, he felt that other reiatsu approaching now too. Getting closer. Of course, Kouhai wouldn't want someone else to be able to make a King's Key, so he'd send his strongest enforcer. That made a lot of sense to Enma.

"Retreat for now." Enma told Kimiko. "He's right, we can't beat him right now. It doesn't mean we've lost. After all, that explosion just then means you can't create a King's Key, doesn't it, Hiroshi?" Enma didn't wait to find out, because he had more to say. "And even if we can't defeat him, there's someone coming who can and will..." It made Enma feel cowardly to rely on an Arrancar, but that was the best strategic decision. He was worried for the wounded Kimiko, he understood that he wasn't strong enough to fight Hiroshi, and he wanted to get them both away from what was about to happen between Kuroi and this guy. If Kuroi had been willing to kill thousands for whatever opponent he'd just had, then it meant he was willing to do the same and cause even more destruction here. He was probably systematically wiping out Saeki's enforcers. It was time to leave. Enma jumped up onto a rooftop, opening a Senkaimon.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play this}

That was when Kuroi first appeared on the scene. It had taken no power of deduction to evaluate that upon the sudden and unexpected disappearance of his previous foe, Kuroi should seek out the next one. If none were a match for him individually, then he would go around killing all of them. Kuroi could already sense that his first opponent was being killed by the Captain he had left behind. It was the only circumstance under which she was strong enough to operate on her own. Only after Kuroi had done the dirty work could she attack. As Kuroi appeared before the man that had been facing Enma and another woman, it became increasingly clear that all Captains were every bit as incompetent. To one end, the female Shinigami's throat was deep purple and appeared to have been crushed. To the other, a Captain that Kuroi recognized as Enma, AKA Setsuna Hirameki, was opening a Senkaimon to leave.

Typical. Even together, two Captains could not bring down an average level adversary such as this man here... Were all of the Shinigami so implicitly incompetent? Kuroi stood there, allowing his presence to fill the room before he next spoke. "Your weakness betrays you, Shinigami." Kuroi addressed to the woman and to Enma. "As does your cowardice." Enma's eyes were on Kuroi, but he said nothing. Rather, there was probably nothing of value to say. Kuroi was correct in his estimation of these two pitiful excuses for Captains. And Espada were supposed to be counter points to the Captains? It was a sick joke. The Captains had never been a match for the Espada. The very idea of one of those two in their white Haori fighting against one of the Espada as an equal was laughable. They were so dependent on help... This made three Captains in one day that Kuroi was saving. Kuroi looked at his new foe.

"Ignore the two of them. They are clumsy and incompetent. I will be your opponent now, and I will strike you down."

[Kimiko Shihoin]

Kimiko had been able to close the space between her mouth and her internal organs by crushing her wide pipe by simply flexing the muscles in her neck. While that had been enough to keep the poison gas from entering into her body now she faced just as grave if not a more pressing problem that she had caused for herself. Kimiko only a moment or so ago had slammed into the ground causing it to sink slightly in her form due to the height that she had dropped from along with her weight. The force of the impact would have been enough to severely damage anyone that didn't have a body as developed as Kimiko however while she wasn't severely damaged by the impact it still caused a brief delay in her actions due to the shock of it.

Right now she was running out of time and soon she'd be unable to breathe. She had very little oxygen in her lungs to begin with and now there was virtually no way to get any into her lungs. Blood was flowing out of her mouth down the sides of her chin as she fought off the instinctual drive to gasp for oxygen that wouldn't be able to enter into her. Her throat was already starting to turn purple on the surface due to the large amount of blood beneath the skin however Kimiko got to her knees and in the next few moments displayed one of the traits that often labeled her as less elegant or noble then others.

While Enma was coming to terms with the fact that neither him nor Kimiko or even the both of them together could apparently lead to Hiroshi's death Kimiko was placing her right hand into her mouth and then moving it further down. It would only take a few moments, but Kimiko would reach at least the majority of her throat and push with her index and middle fingers outwards just enough that her crushed throat would return to the normal position. While it would enable her to breathe she wouldn't be able to speak and blood loss wouldn't have ceased at all from this. In fact she probably would cause more damage for Division Four to fix upon her arrival.

Pulling her hand from her throat covered in blood Kimiko spat out a mouthful of blood onto the ground in front of her and then took in what felt like a very long overdue breathe of air. One wouldn't be able to call it fresh as all she could taste at this point would be her own blood. Kimiko had at least some considerable training in dealing with pain and this hadn't been the first time that her throat had been crushed while in combat. While it was painful and almost certainly a wound she wouldn't ever want to occur again it was nevertheless at least right now not going to be the nail in her coffin.

Kimiko finally got back onto her feet to see Enma looking down at her while Hiroshi seemed to be perfectly fine despite facing off against Enma while in Bankai. This was all going so wrong how could her Uncle be this powerful and yet still bow his head like a mere servant. Kimiko was starting to see the outcome of this battle if she and Enma continued and as much as it hurt her pride she knew that they'd have to withdraw from this battle. Like Enma she could see the destruction of Karakura at the hands of what felt like a Hollows reiatsu. More than likely one of the Espada had come to prevent Saeki Kaushik from taking away the pleasure of basking in Soul Society's defeat.

Enma shouted down to her that the both of them would need to leave confirming what she had been starting to piece together. As he appeared on the top of a building Kimiko would vanish appeared next to him after a brief moment had past. Kimiko while injured was still one of if not the most accomplished practitioners of Shunpo so executing one that would enable her to reach Enma's location even while in her current state wasn't anything difficult. What was more difficult for her was to see the arrival of the Arrancar who had just slaughtered thousands mocking both Enma and herself as they both stepped into the Senkaimon Gate back to Soul Society.

It didn't matter at least not right now that her former training had returned to a position of Captain and had come to aid her in attempting to defeat Hiroshi. As she moved through the dimension between the human world and Soul Society Kimiko would have a pained yet angry expression across her face. "I couldn't do anything again. I couldn't defeat the Segunda and now I've failed to bring Uncle to justice. Stronger I must get stronger it's the only way." Kimiko thought unable to speak in her current condition which she would go to Division Four in order to remedy and then her new training would begin.

Remaining Reiatsu: 950/1000
Shunpo: {-50}

[Kento Waffles]

Naruto music what?!

Jinbei Kawada's eyes went wide, but from shock alone. In the end, as Harle's blades penetrated him, the Kawada Patriarch's aura exploded outward from his body, obliterating Harle's illusory command. By the technical terms used in Squad 12's analysis of combatants, Jinbei was what was called a "class 0," which was a high enough level relative to Harle for him to simply blow away many of her abilities with the level of his reiatsu alone. This included her illusions. Their weakness was that because she could easily cast them on anyone without much need to touch or meet other conditions, things like reiatsu level allowed Jinbei to simply break through them. Still, he had been stabbed. No getting around that.

His bloody hand touched Harle's face, smearing off what was left of her makeup and replacing it with the stain of his dying soul. "You were never at the level to cause me harm..." Jinbei told Harle. If there were any emotions that could be sensed, they would be different from the expectation. Jinbei's eyes betrayed no anger at this betrayal. They expressed to Harle nothing but pity, resignation to death, and sadness. The old man's voice was cracked and his breaths were increasingly ragged. That he could even speak despite what Harle had done to him, with his blood dripping out, was a miracle. That he didn't die in seconds was a testament to his power and to his strength of character.

"My poor family... My poor Kawada family..." Jinbei lamented. "You're weak... Too weak to save them. Because of what you've done today, they'll die... Unless.. unless you..." Jinbei coughed, gagged, and gasped his final breaths, wheezing in agony as blood poured from his throat and out of his mouth. But, his eyes still did not leave Harle's. No matter how many times she stabbed him, he would not die. No matter how much damage he accumulated, he was able to live to impart his last words upon this Squad 2 Captain that had been trained by his very own grandson. He was struggling to get his final words out, but with a tremendous force of will, grabbing every remaining ounce of energy he would ever have left, he managed it.

At that moment, Jinbei's eyes lit up and he became so animated one might think he was again young, in his prime. And he grabbed Harle's shoulders, not in an attack, but out of a desperate plea, imploring for her to hear him. An enemy signing away his will to the one that had killed him. "You aren't strong enough to save the Kawada Family, and even if you were, you're alone right now, with no allies. But... There.... There is... a......" Jinbei's head began to slump. The light began to leave his eyes. Yet still, the Kawada Patriarch persevered, and, without falling to the ground, he gazed once more at Harle. "There is another. Of my bloodline. Of Kenryoku's bloodline."

And that was it. Jinbei's strength ran out, failing him. He fell back now, onto the ground in a puddle of his own blood with ever increasing size. His eyes lost their light and it was clear that though he looked up he could see nothing, only darkness, yet still he lived a few moments more. "I'll see my sons soon..." Jinbei said. "And my grandsons too..." Indeed, Jinbei Kawada had outlived all of his major heirs. He had outlived Kochikochi Kawada, Uezama Kawada, Shade Kawada, and Kenryoku Kawada. And now, he would see everyone again. His eyes closed, and the old man died on a lost battlefield surrounded by the ashes of the deaths of thousands. And he too would join his lost family members. His death was the end of an era.

---

MOAR music

Souza was panting. Tired. And he had lost a lot of blood. It's not like I can't come back from this, but... I'm not sure I can do it and protect my father at the same time... The situation was only looking more and more desperate now, with Saeki having been successful not only in completely defeating Sozen Kuchiki, but even driving his son into a corner. Souza now faced a situation wherein his ability to keep fighting was highly limited. His Bankai, which had been an ace in the hole, had been destroyed. The Tower of Babel right now was gone, and Souza didn't know how he was going to overcome Saeki's use of his father's incredibly powerful Bankai.

"What nowww, little boy?!" Saeki demanded of Souza. "WHAT NOW?" And Souza knew that he only had one option left. His Bankai's tower had been destroyed, but... His Bankai wasn't finished yet. He still had one more technique to showcase, and it was at this time that he chose to use it, slapping his hands together and producing a huge black aura which rushed out at amazing speed. Saeki too was too injured to evade it, and in seconds it enveloped her. She gasped, wondering at what this power which Souza might use was. His final, and greatest technique from Bankai... From No To Seseragi... What was it that he would use to defeat Saeki Kuchiki, his family's greatest enemy in generations? In history?

More music

The two were momentarily encased in blackness, and then suddenly stars appeared all around them. Stars...?! Saeki though to herself. And she noted that not only could she hear her own thoughts, but that she was vaguely aware that Souza too could hear her thoughts... And she could hear his. No, not stars, Souza corrected, and he smiled. It was clear that in this black space of many dazzling lights, they could see each other. They were traveling through a tunnel together, their bodies glowing gold and their clothes nowhere in sight. They were naked before the eyes of the universe, and that was when Saeki realized what this was.

It's... information?! she realized. Hundreds of trillions of voices speaking about every subject there is to speak of... Every question, answer, or piece that has ever been thought of or said... Every question ever posed and its answer... The answer to anything and everything. Every single secret ever to exist... It's all here, being fed into our brains.[/i] That was the true and final form of Souza's Zanpakuto. Information being fed to them both. But, for those unaccustomed to this Zanpakuto, the effects were harmful. Soon, Saeki realized that her mind was flooding with too much data... Too much knowledge. Any more and her head would burst! SHE WOULD EXPLODE.

And that was when Souza smiled, knowing he had won. But, alas, Saeki Kuchiki could not be defeated in this way. Her energy sensory ability, Six Degrees of Separation, allowed her already an incredible amount of knowledge. She was used to this, and Saeki in seconds used her prodigious talents to adapt her mind so that she could quickly funnel and analyze this information, speeding up the process. At the light at the end of the tunnel as the two emerged, the entire blackness suddenly tore into pieces, being dispersed, and the two were deposited down, shocked by what had just transpired. Souza could no longer move, but Saeki... Had regained sanity.

MUSIC!!

"Impossible..." Souza said aloud. "Absolutely impossible." Saeki stood now, having somehow... Gained knowledge that allowed her to overcome even Souza's greatest technique. Walking forwards, Sozen's Bankai still active on her behalf, Saeki grinned. "It's over now, little boy... For all of you." And, reaching Souza, she prepared to kill him and end Sozen's legacy. ...And she would have succeeded, too, if not for the meddling of another, even greater presence. With a blade poised and ready to strike down upon Souza, Saeki was certain in her victory. As certain as he had been of his own. And every bit as mistaken because of what was now coming.

Music

An impossibly heavy presence descended. "What now?!" Saeki demanded as the sky literally developed black clouds to blot out any remaining light, and a sickening reiatsu entered the area. It was so powerful, so putrid... And so malevolent that even Saeki Kuchiki actively shivered. She who had brought down the greatest of the Soul Society's mighty Captains and still had the ability to defeat his son afterward was about to meet her match. The one who descended wasn't tall, being shorter than Saeki, and yet possessed a far more powerful reiatsu, unlike anything that could be experienced in this world normally. Blonde hair and jealous gold eyes looked upon Saeki Kuchiki with disdain and contempt.

A black haori with white insignia marking "Zero" on the back was worn by this newcomer, Zanpakuto not even drawn yet. And Saeki Kuchiki now saw, for the first time in person, the one whom she should have known to fear most in this entire world. The mightiest member of the current Kuchiki Family, her sister-in-law and the wife of her defeated brother. The Supreme Commander of the Zero Division. Aoi Kuchiki. Saeki's knees buckled under the pressure, and she fell to one knee, cursing herself for that very weakness as Aoi appeared and descended. Looking from Aoi to Souza to Sozen, Saeki realized she had miscalculated, and Aoi, looking back, held in her eyes a cool disdain.

"Saeki Kuchiki," Aoi greeted. "A pleasure to at last meet you." Saeki tried to speak, but Aoi cut her off. "Rather, a pleasure for me. Not for you. For you, who have hurt my husband and my son... This will be a nightmare." Saeki scoffed haughtily. "You can't beat me..." she said. "I have the strongest Zanpakuto in the Thirteen Cour-" Suddenly, Aoi descended in front of Saeki, and with a glowing hand, ripped from Saeki something blue, and hurled it toward Sozen. This blue orb imbued itself within Sozen, and Saeki screamed from the pain as she fell to all fours, and noted at that moment that Sozen's Bankai now was receding. "What... What did you do...?!" Saeki demanded.

"Everyone in the Zero Division is the master of a facet of life. I am the master of all inner worlds," Aoi said. "That's why I'm the Supreme Commander. With my power, it is but a simple matter to take from you that power which wasn't yours and give it back to Sozen. And... furthermore... I have another secret technique for you." Saeki struggled back to her feet, drawing forth her own Zanpakuto. But, in an instant, it was too late already. That snapped in half with a simple movement of Aoi's own blade, and Saeki fell back. Aoi's eyes began to glow an ominous black, and Saeki trembled with anticipation and fear at what was coming. Aoi Kuchiki's wrath.

The activation of a technique Souza knew all too well. Jabberwalk Lane. "And I am also a master of love.." Aoi said to Saeki coldly. "With this Jabberwalk Lane technique of mine, I will own you provided you have experienced love... And you have, haven't you? Sato Hoshi... That man who was killed in the War of The Worst... That was your lover, wasn't it, Saeki Kuchiki? Good... I'm going to take more than just him from you. I'm going to take everything, and everyone, that you have ever held dear. I'm going to make you suffer for what you've done. I'm going to inflict so much pain onto you that you'll beg me for absolution for I will then be your God."

At this point, though Souza knew the names of techniques, he himself did not even know of their full effects or powers. Aoi was on a whole other, truly incomprehensible level. Someone whose Zanpakuto ability allowed her to control inner worlds. And someone who had a technique that controlled love. In this way, she must be the most terrifying woman ever to live. But, Saeki, to her credit, looked bold as she said, "Even if you kill me, my followers won't be stopped... I've set everything in motion." And Aoi looked down on Saeki, and smiled at her. "I'm not going to kill you, dear Saeki," Aoi said. "I'm going to burn you. Burn... the heart... out of you."

"Attachment, romance, greed... I own them all. If you have ever felt love, YOUR HEART ALREADY BELONGS TO ME..."

And Aoi's entire body glowed black as the world around her began to twist and distort like the air above and around a hot fire. As if space itself were too warped to obey the laws of physics any longer. As if cataclysm and the apocalypse had at last descended. And Saeki, on all fours before Aoi as if bowing, suddenly felt the pain of the technique being used against her. Love. For all of her machinations, Saeki knew it. She had felt it many times, and it had been very strong in her. It had inspired her to do many things. And because of that love, now she felt pain, a pain which replaced the love but amplified ten million times over, like the fire of a thousand suns incinerating her heart.

And so Saeki screamed, her voice so loud it literally broke in seconds, reducing to a mere crack of what it was, until she writhed in pain with no sound even able to come from her lips or her throat, even though it looked as if she was yelling. Misery. Agony. These belonged now to Saeki Kuchiki, and suddenly as the blackness around Aoi dissipated, Saeki went still, her mouth wide open and foaming. Her eyes lacked pupils now, indicating temporary or permanent blindness. And whatever pain she had felt, Souza knew... She would never be the same again now. He looked to his mother for guidance, and she looked back at him. "Stay here with your father," Aoi ordered.

"I have one more task to see to. Another war besides this one is raging nearby... And I need to end that one as well.."

And a simple flash step took her away.

---

Back where Hiroshi was, suddenly he perked up, his eyes widening. "Saeki is gone...!" he realized, having also felt the darkness that Aoi emanated. Just as Kuroi would have felt it. Just as Enma and Kimiko would also have felt it. Without speaking, Hiroshi suddenly vanished, disappearing with a flash step as he fled the scene. Wordlessly. No gloating at all. And that simple matter was the end of the War of the Worst. Jinbei Kawada dead. Saeki Kuchiki broken and captured by the Kuchiki Family. And of her forces, three of her generals lived and had escaped. The Quincy Einwelt Melody, the Bount Petrov, and the traitor Hiroshi Shihoin. ...But even despite that, her movement came to an uneventful close.

And with that, our canon concludes. Alexander's limited participation leads to +300 TP only. The rest is up to standard grading, but with a 30,000 Ryo bonus to Kimiko and Enma.

[Kimiko Shihoin]

Grading please.

[Zou ۞]

+2100 TP and 4200 Ryo for DM

+2400 TP and Ryo for participants