Post by Izo Genzoku on Jun 13, 2020 19:47:19 GMT -5
As Izo descended onto the concrete earth, more dreaded white arrows flew towards him faster than he could fall. Growling in frustration, Izo curled up his arms and knees and flexed in his descent, feeling the familiar explosions blast against his massive frame…….The scene was indeed tragic. No joy was to be found anywhere; not in the rubble scattered across the dark terrain, not in the shadowy abyss of night the two men battled inside. Not even in Izo’s heart did any joy present itself, not at the moment. It was simply destruction.
Izo sighed as the Quincy began to wade through the rubble, disappointment seeping through every word he spoke… Izo just...listened...taking in all the sins he’d just committed. His head remained down during the soliloquy, choosing not to interrupt what were seemingly heartfelt questions. With knives in hand, Lucien stopped speaking. His coughs echoed against every grain of dirt, brick, and steel. Izo sat down slowly as his sword returned to its original length. Sheathing it, Izo looked up into the golden pools Lucien’s eyes held. The scene of night dissipated, making those pools glisten in the rediscovered rays of the sun. What the Quincy saw were the eyes of a fragmented man with a fragmented gaze. The broken giant spoke, his voice appearing to shake the earth…
“You’ve made no wrong judgement today, Quincy. I say what I’m about to say to you because your character has been revealed to me. I am not like my peers. I do recognize the failures of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. I indeed prioritize the people over a petty squabble...this was no petty squabble. You want to know why I fought you today, Quincy? Because inside my very soul lie many souls, very much like the ones you erased today. I fought you because you showed me my inadequacies as a man, a savior, and as a warrior. I fought you because you seemed to be another Quincy whose intentions would certainly not align with mine. I fought you for the sake of the future itself… I…I was wrong to assume you were another standard Quincy. You clearly are not. I do not excuse my actions here. However, in the moment, I assumed this would be a life or death ordeal, and I unfortunately do not possess the convenience of death…” Izo paused. What he was about to say was dangerous. All the work he’d done up to this point was at risk of being tarnished if Lucien was the wrong man to tell this to. But risks had to be taken, so he continued on, pointing at his sword.
“Inside me reside a sea of Hollows, Quincy. I use my zanpakuto to capture them so they reside in my spirit… I plan to use these Hollows, my zanpakuto spirits, my two friends, and any allies I can scrape up from this godforsaken hellscape to destroy the Seireitei from the inside. They’ve done nothing but fail time and time again at their job, to protect humanity and pass Hollows along...I’m not perfect. I strive to be, but I’m far from it. I wrongfully assumed that if I were to leave you alone today, you would take advantage of the chaos of my rebellion and prevent the dawn of a new era. This is why I went to such extreme lengths to defeat you- Ido hope that I've harmed no one, and that the people who resided here find there way to another home. I was wrong about you, I think. Depending on if I have a good gauge on your character. Those hollows you killed could’ve aided me- no, everyone, in the revolution of a millennia, had they been strong enough. If not, I could have at least given them a peaceful resolution. But I was late… Lucien, I ask one thing of you. When the time comes, and you’ll know when it arrives, for the Gotei 13 to fall, I don’t want to indoctrinate you. I simply ask that on that day you aid me and my comrades. You seem to sympathize with my disdain for the Gotei for similar reasons, you're intelligent, and obviously, you're strong... No word of this leaves this place. If you accept, you know the repercussions of echoing these words outside of this private domain. If you refuse...I will smite you where you stand, as no one I don’t trust can know of this and live…” There was nothing more to say. The secret was out. All he waited for was the response. Izo did not want to fight any longer. His opponent was strong, his body was tiring, and this was not a man who needed to die.
