Beginning of the End, Pt. 3 [Myza]

[Schultz Silverhult]

This will be the most dangerous assignment yet…

Schultz knew his place in the Espada. He was weak comparatively, and many of them thought his lack of physical strength and fortitude to be a crippling flaw. But the one thing he excelled in was his intellect; he was smart enough to deal with the recruitment for the rebellion he had quietly started. Oh sure, there were only a few members so far, but after getting Kuroi to agree to this uprising against Kouhai, things had seemed more positive and less suicidal. Though the Segunda had insisted on leadership, refusing to serve an “inferior” Espada, Schultz had not felt any threat from the man. If anything, Schultz found the idea of leadership to be more troublesome than he wanted to deal with anyway; let the others bicker over who would rule after Kouhai’s fall, what did the scholar care?

But recruitment had remained in Schultz’s hands, and now he was going to approach the Primera Espada, one of the other big players in the upcoming rebellion. Having him for or against the allied Espada could be a major game-changer, one that Schultz did not leave to chance. So he had to find out directly whether or not the Primera would join in the rebellion. If he chose to do so, then all would be well, but if Adalo decided that he didn’t like the idea of the rebellion, he could crush Schultz in a heartbeat. This made approaching him a gamble, and one that worried the Septima for a while as he tried to determine the best way to approach, to find out the best way to draw the Primera over to their side.

And then it hit him; Adalo had acquired a Fraccion recently, a female by the name of Myzaraphiston Synderfell. Schultz had not had a chance to meet the woman, but he had heard about the encounter in which she had been taken as the Primera’s Fraccion. She would be an ideal target; with her cooperation, Schultz would have a better chance of convincing Adalo to join in the rebellion. Even better, he wouldn’t have to deliver the news himself. Instead, the Septima could simply convey his message through Myza. The Fraccion’s fate was no concern to Schultz, only that his message be conveyed, and that he could determine Adalo’s disposition to the rebellion’s cause.

But Schultz decide to play things safe. Activating his Primera Etapa, Schultz shrouded himself in a pair of illusions. The first changed his appearance, wrapping him in a shadowy black cloak that fell to the ground, brushing against it without a whisper. The cloak seemed to shift and flutter in a nonexistent wind, and looking into its depths, one never seemed to see the same appearance twice. A mask like a crow’s was wrapped around the scholar’s face, white and without markings aside from its shape, and the hollow eyes revealed nothing but black holes, empty and devoid of life. The second illusion would mask his voice, making it seem like low, soft whispers that somehow managed to be perfectly audible anyway.

Quickly moving towards the Primera’s quarters, where he expected to find Myza, Schultz kept quiet and began his search. The woman wouldn’t be hard to find; word had it that she had a rather… unique Hollow hole. Though lewd thoughts were typically the last thing in his mind, and as such his thinking was not drawn to them, the scholar had to wonder as to its origin. Was it a representation of how she had died, as his own Hollow hole was? Or was there some other meaning to it? Either way, it was a curiosity that would have to be satisfied at a later date. For now, Schultz intended to deal with Myza and pass his message on through her.

Finally, the Septima came upon a woman of the description he had gotten from “questioning” another Arrancar, approaching her with that same silence with which he had moved around. Part of his illusions allowed him to create a lack of sound, and that masked his slow footsteps. Instead he seemed to almost be floating along the ground as he approached Myza.

“Myza… I wish to speak with you.”

Resurrection: 1/12

[Myzaraphiston Synderfell]

Myzaraphiston was indeed in the Primera's portion of Hueco Mundo, and was apparently pre-occupied with setting up what appeared to be the basic workings of a scientific laboratory. She was finally getting around to transporting her belongings from the Forest of Menos to her new home, something that had been delayed slightly by her other attempts to gather test subjects. Naturally, she had already finished with re-locating her torture chamber, and that was prepped and ready to go whenever she needed it to be.

She was dressed in a simple black dress, which appeared to be styled to show off every possible curve in her figure, in addition to revealing quite a bit more skin than most people were at ease with. Her chain was wrapped around her waist, and seemed to be trying its best to be like an accessory rather than a weapon. However, the thing that would most likely catch the attention of the Septima would be her Hollow Hole. It was located exactly where the information he had acquired said it would be. When he spoke, the female Arrancar turned to look at the new arrival, finally revealing the remnants of her mask. She looked over Schultz for a moment, her left hand gently resting on her chain.

"You seem to have me at a disadvantage here, then. You seem to know who I am, but I'm at a loss as to who you are. However, I do know that you are one of the Chosen People, due to the fact that no alarm has been raised about intruders. You've certainly got quite a bit of power, moreso than most other members of the Chosen People. That level of power would suggest one of the Espada themselves, though I will admit I haven't quite heard of one that looks like you. But that's not necessarily a surprise, since my information sources may at times be wrong with the details thanks to their unsightly habit of screaming in pain beforehand. However, a disguise seems likely in this case. Your reiatsu feels slightly off, though. I'm getting two distinctly different impressions from it. As if something is trying to cover up something else. Also, there's a slight afterimage over your eyes, which by the way are red." Myzaraphiston would look over Schultz's illusionary disguise once more, her hand still not leaving her chain. She used this moment of quiet to focus enough to activate her Pesquis, so that she could get a better feel for the individual in front of her. "Regardless, you said you wish to speak with me, Espada that I don't yet know. So speak."

[Schultz Silverhult]

Schultz accepted Myza’s response calmly, though his eyes would narrow beneath the illusion. This woman was clearly more perceptive than he had given her credit for, despite being a Fraccion. Some of them were worth respect, admittedly, but Schultz had yet to hear of any major exploits from the Primera’s Fraccion; though she was new, the Septima expected to have at least heard something about Myza before she had become a Fraccion. But the woman was an unknown to him, and as a result Schultz had low standards for her. So far, she had raised the bar, and increased the scholar’s estimation of her, but nonetheless the Septima was still unsure of her potential.

“As for me, do not worry about my identity… as you surmise, I am above you in power…” It was difficult to keep up the slow, quiet whisper, as Schultz’s madness did little to temper his natural impatience, but he kept up the act for the sake of drama. He loved his drama. In fact, to emphasize it, the Espada created more illusions, that of dark shadows, of whispers in the night that would shroud the two of them. The dark mist that surrounded them would be hard to penetrate, even for Myza’s ability to resist illusions, and the whispers seemed to ring loudly in their ears, filling the air with promises of death and torment, of suffering and enslavement. In fact, Schultz had set the stage to accent his offer of rebellion against Kouhai, their slavemaster.

“I wish to speak to you, Myza, about events that are rapidly coming to a head within the walls of Las Noches. The Espada, they are restless, uneasy beneath the heel of a Shinigami, and they wish to be free. He is not one of the Chosen People—” Schultz had picked up that term from Myza’s speech, and he had inferred from her words that it referred to Arrancar, “—and as a result, he is unfit to rule us. He does so with an unnatural power. But as I said, the Espada are restless, and many look to turn against the master who grinds them down into the dust. I am but one representative, and so you understand my need for a disguise. For now, you may call me Kage.”

As he spoke, Schultz circled Myza, his Reiatsu’s presence fading away even as illusion cloaked his appearance, leaving the Fraccion seemingly alone in shadows. His voice came from the darkness, still whispering. “I came to extend an invitation, both to you and to your Espada. I do not choose to approach him, for I know of his power and know not his disposition. Thus I leave the task to those more suited for it. I invite you both to join in the rebellion that is to come.”

Resurrection: 2/12

[Myzaraphiston Synderfell]

Myzaraphiston began to frown under her mask as the Espada began to create a darkness around her. Granted, this did rule out the possibility of it being that weakling Cierro, since she had learned that he was only capable of shape-shifting, and this... was more than shape-shifting. But it was slightly irking to be literally left in the dark about things, especially by one of the Chosen People. Even worse, she could feel his reiatsu disappearing from her Pesquis, which meant if this confrontation took a turn towards violence, her ability to react and counter would be severely limited.

However, what he had to say was... Intriguing. She finished listening to the Unknown Espada talk, fiddling with the prayer beads she wore all the while. It would take a moment before she responded. "So, let me see if I understand here. You wish to challenge the man who is currently the King of Las Noches? And I would have to guess by the way you speak of this that you already have other Espada that agree with you on this position, no?"

She would pause at that, giving the prayer beads she wore a full rotation around her wrist before continuing. "Tell me then, Kage. Have you considered the fact that perhaps the Chosen People need someone who is not like them to lead them right now? Kouhai may not be one of the Chosen People, but only a fool would be willing to admit that he does not have a purpose at this point in time. Tell me, what do you think will happen amongst the Most Fit, the Espada if you succeed in your rebellion? Will all of them survive the fights that need to be won for it to succeed? And what will happen when the Shinigami learn of it? Do you think they would hesitate to descend upon Los Noches during our time of weakness? For that is what will result of this rebellion, regardless of the outcome. A loss of strength among the Chosen People."

She would sigh at that point, twisting the prayer beads once again. "To become strong, one must undergo many trials. Yes, a Shinigami leading the Chosen People isn't right, by any interpretation of how God's will works. However, it is merely another trial, one that will ultimately make us stronger. He is a source of information and insight into the workings of the Shinigami. He is a stabilizing factor to make us more hesitant to follow our natural inclinations towards one another. And, most importantly of all, he is fit to survive. If he wasn't, Most Fit Adalo would have already killed him."

[Schultz Silverhult]

Though Myza couldn’t see it, Schultz’s smile grew beneath the mask he “wore.” So, this woman had a religious aspect to her mindset? The information was filed aside, especially noting the seemingly fanatical connection that the Fraccion had to it. It was a lever, one that could be used in this argument to win her over. But of course, such slips were to be expected of inferior intelligence; someone who did not properly understand themselves to discover their flaws was someone who was asking to be manipulated. Schultz knew his flaws, both in terms of his madness, his pride, and his weak physical ability; he knew how he could be used, how he could be manipulated and guided into destruction. He could avoid the worst of it.

Myza’s own words would echo back to her, sounding hollow and empty, their tone distorted and mocking as they reverberated in the darkness. Behind them came more from the mysterious “Kage.” “You say that Kouhai’s current leadership is the will of God? Maybe it was in the past. I agree that at the time, we probably needed a strong ruler to bind us together. But God doesn’t work through inaction; He works through our choices and decisions. If you choose to act, to follow in this rebellion, God will make His will known; if He is not pleased with the decision, He will stop us from completing this act. Should He be angry, we will be struck down by His wrath.”

A mask appeared from the shadows, the one that “Kage” wore. “I won’t lie; I don’t know if we will win. We, the Chosen People, may end up divided against one another, with one serving God and the others rebelling against Him. We may be the ones turning against His will, but isn’t that for Him to decide, and not us? We may be Chosen, but we are also mortal, and our free will is what defines us.” The robed figure formed from the shadows, striding towards Myza, parting the mist behind him to reveal the white of Las Noches’ halls. Schultz approached Myza, reaching a hand up to cup her chin, to have her stare deep into the intense crimson eyes beneath the mask that only she could see.

“What God has chosen for you may be a mystery, but the path you take is only one you can choose. What you must do is determine whether or not that path is His plan, be able to determine whether it is His will. I urge you to action, not for the sake of our aims, but for the sake of discovering whether or not it is His plan. Inaction will garner no information, no insight into the plans of God. For all you know, I may be a catalyst sent by Him to guide you into his path. I could also be a catalyst to pull you from his will. Once more, it is hard to know the will of God unless you act.”

Releasing Myza’s face, “Kage” strode away from the woman, his cloak billowing about in an unfelt wind, the feeling of his old Reiatsu beginning to reappear. This was tinged by something terrifying, however, as Schultz let the Hellish side of his memories begin to take over his aura, and the feeling of fire and brimstone began to fill the room. Fear, shear terror without any discernible source, would begin to well up. It wasn’t Myza’s fear, but Schultz’s as his memories of Hell stolen from Kurosaki began to pour out into the air. It was infectious, suffocating; visions of flame, of pain, of suffering began to become more vivid, the air seemed to heat with the flickering images of flame, searing the lungs and suffocating both Arrancar. Schultz held himself up, though; such madness escaped on a fairly regular basis, and he was used to holding himself together throughout it. Myza, unless she had been through or experienced Hell herself, might not be as lucky.

Soon the madness was contained again, and everything but the illusions surrounding Schultz directly faded away. It was like sunlight breaking through the dark mist, revealing the pure white walls around them. “My apologies… Hell does not appreciate my efforts some days, and chooses to try and cripple me and my resolve. Maybe this is a sign that I am following God’s will after all?”

Resurrection: 3/12

[Myzaraphiston Synderfell]

Schultz would be able to quickly tell that he had probably ventured into verbal territory he shouldn't have. The female Arrancar was visibly bristling as he continued to talk, grasping her chain tighter and tighter. Clearly Schultz had never dealt with a fanatic before, otherwise he would have known that one of the best ways to get a rather heated reaction from them was to question their beliefs.

While her mask certainly hid most of her face, it would be obvious that Myza was absolutely livid right now. When "Kage" appeared and attempted to reach for her face, Myza would slap aside his forearm, her strength easily over-powering the weaker Espada. "Get out of my lab, Espada. You would DARE to inform ME on how God works?! To try and use my faith against me to support your fool's errand?! You come into the Primera's chambers, using your parlour tricks, your disguises, seeking to use me to approach Most Fit Adalo, to speak to him of overthrowing the man who is stabilizing us, giving us more strength?! You know NOTHING of how this world works, or what God's will for it is!!"

Myza's chain would be off by this point, and whirling through the air, not yet attacking the illusionist. He would be able to easily feel her reiatsu altering itself, folding in and reinforcing its nature so that the Fraccion could cut him if necessary. Inside Myza's head, the wheels were turning, piecing together what she knew about this Espada. Her eyes once again had that look in them, the look that showed a desire for bloodshed, for pain, for un-ending agony. "Get out. I will speak to Most Fit Adalo about this, but only because it is not my place to decide for him. He is strong, he is fit. He has control over his own fate and the fate of those weaker than him. That is God's will, Espada. The strong determine the fate of the weak."

She would allow Schultz to walk away at that point, eager to just have this conversation end. However, this would also be the time that the Espada released his last illusion for the conversation: A vision of Hell itself. Schultz was able to mostly take it in stride. Myza, however, was not. Unlike Schultz (Or really, anyone in the multiverse), she could tell exactly what each torture being inflicted was, based off the general timbre of the screams, the motions of the torturers, the glint of the tools.

On the plus side, it at least gave her something to focus on as her mind went through what was best described as a total re-boot after the illusion ended. She was barely managing to hold herself up on her table, her chain limp in one hand. She seemed to be mumbling something to herself under her breath. If the Espada cared to listen closely, he would be able to actually hear it. "T-third f-f-from the r-r-r-right needs tuh-tuh-to work on h-h-h-his technique. Sl-sl-sl-sloppy. V-v-v-very sl-sl-sl-sloppy."

[Schultz Silverhult]

“Testy, testy…”

Schultz was amused as his arm was slapped aside, Myza’s anger showing visibly through her body language and the antagonized way in which she whirled her chain. The scholar thought for a moment, deciding which course of action he should take. One would be to mollify the woman, smooth the ruffled feathers, so to speak; the Septima had been noted for having a honeyed tongue when he wanted to. He could also gamble by further increasing that anger, trying to manipulate and twist her while she was too angry or distracted to notice the noose drawing tighter around her. And finally, Schultz could call back Hell at any time, to intimidate and coerce Myza into joining them, but that had the unfortunate effect of weakening her loyalty to the cause, since she could simply make a break for it at the first opportunity provided.

And it was with that in mind that Schultz went with his second option. Smirking beneath his own mask, the Septima suddenly darted forward in a Sonido, his hand grasping Myza’s throat even as he suddenly pinned her to the wall. Though he was weaker than her in terms of comparative strength, he had the absolute advantage as soon as he made contact with the woman. An illusion of his hand grasping her was all that was needed as he stepped away; the hand remained for Myza, and the power of his Sense technique would have her firmly bound, the muscles of her neck believing that they were fully held in place. If she struck at the hand, the Fraccion would discover that it was insubstantial; it was only the illusion placed on her mind and muscles that prevented her from moving.

As he stepped back, Schultz shook his head. “You would do well to control your temper around your superior, child. Though you have my respect in earning the position of Fraccion under the Primera himself, none of the Espada who can enforce their edicts will allow such slights to pass. Aside from that fool Cierro, whose only use is in infiltration, we are all too powerful for someone like you. Right now I could kill you; I choose not to, because I need you. We need you. Plus, I don’t care to give those wretched Shinigami another victory as we fight among ourselves, one that we are sorely in need of!”

Myza would notice her captor becoming more agitated, Schultz’s mercurial attitude suddenly kicking in as anger flooded the Septima’s mind. The madness within him was the cause of such shifts; he could go from cheerful to angry to sadistic in seconds, though the last was a common result of his natural personality anyway. The fingers on her throat would tighten, and her muscles would reflexively constrict themselves as her body believed that her throat was being compressed. Myza would find herself gasping for air, not because she was unable to breathe, but because her body believed it was unable to breathe, and the throat could not expand enough to allow more than faint breaths of air as she tried to fill her lungs.

A sudden Bala would explode against Myza’s chest, and though the power had been held in check to an extent, Schultz’s massive Reiatsu Strength would leave burns across the woman’s torso, right across the stomach where she had been hit. And that was when the next illusion would come into effect, as the Bala had been loaded with Schultz’s Believe virus, which would allow him to use his Reiatsu to fully alter Myza’s thoughts and beliefs as to the effects of the illusions on her body. If he created the illusion of her arm missing, numbness would fill it and she would be unable to sense the limb or move the fingers on her hand. If he created the physical illusion of her heart stopping, it would do so and the blood would stop pumping through her body, causing her to quickly die.

But Schultz enjoyed suffering, and he wanted to make this torment last. The illusion of flames appeared where the Bala had hit, the searing fire burning into Myza’s belly. She would feel pain, or at least think she had felt it, as it started to spread up and down her body. But the flames moved with an unusual precision, thanks to Schultz’s guidance; they traveled in lines up her body, searing away skin and muscle without burning anything vital that would cause a fatal reaction in the victim. Instead they circled around Myza’s neck like a collar, burning into the skin there. Then one tongue of flame would simply move up her face, burning a line on her cheek, moving slowly towards her eye.

“I will offer you one last chance. I don’t just want you to speak to the Primera; I want you to ensure his cooperation in our plans. Are we in agreement?”

[Myzaraphiston Synderfell]

Myza's mind was just beginning to piece itself back together when Schultz physically assaulted her. The female Arrancar was forced back a few steps by the unexpected impact. However, even in her somewhat incoherent state, she would try to resist the Septima's attempt, easily overpowering him once again. The impact was also enough to bring her back into a somewhat composed state.

Unfortunately for Schultz, however, this impact also completely broke his minor illusion about his appearance. The Fraccion was already a powerhouse when it came to reiatsu in most cases, and had more than enough capability to partially resist illusions. Myza was quickly able to put two and two together about the nature of the "hand" trying to hold her in place, thanks to her prior two encounters with brushing aside the Espada's attempts to get physical with her. She knew that he couldn't exert the force necessary to hold her in place himself, not without using some sort of technique. She hadn't felt a buildup in reiatsu that would signify that sort of technique, which suggested that he hadn't truly altered his strength in any way.

Even more damning was the fact that the Septima was no longer masking his spiritual energy, meaning between Myza's own natural capabilities and her active Pesquis, she knew that the Espada was not actually standing right in front of her. He was actually a few steps away, out of range of being able to grab hold of her. That, combined with her knowledge about the strange reiatsu signature from before and the attempts to cover up the color of his eyes, was what fully shattered the illusion of "Kage", revealing the true identity of Myza's attacker.

However, she still wasn't able to break about the stronger illusion the Septima had placed on her by his touch. She felt as if her windpipe was compressing some under a force that she knew to be false. However, all it did was create the feeling of pressure. Since it was mostly confined to her throat area thanks to the effect of the illusion itself, the rest of her body wouldn't be highly effected by the attack. Furthermore, the illusion only affected her senses, meaning that her body itself wouldn't actually be suffocating. In the end, it just made the instinctual part of her brain extremely confused, and that was about it.

She also was able to see two images at this point: One of the "Kage" choking her out, and another of Schultz, chraging and firing a Bala. Schultz would see Myza's hand intercept the energy-based projectile, energy built up around the appendage. The two would connect before the Bala hit her torso, sending the energy attack up into the ceiling. This meant that there would be no fire spreading over her body, no real choking going on.

She would then look at the Septima, looking him directly in the eyes in his real position. "Very well then. I shall handle this in a more polite manner. After all, it does fit your position, does it not, Mr. Silverhult? If you would kindly just settle down, I'm sure we can talk about this like rational individuals. After all, from what I've heard, you're one of the more intelligent Espada. However, if you truly want to continue this, I will gladly begin exchanging blows with you. I'm sure Most Fit Adalo would be back in time to see you defeat me, and then you'll have the opportunity to speak with him yourself about your rebellion. However, if you cease this brute-force method, I can speak with him instead. However, I can not guarantee his co-operation. Merely his knowledge. Are we at an agreement?" The anger from before was gone now, replaced by a calm, measured tone that still suggested a mild anger behind it.

Reiatsu: 1975/2000 (-25 for Redirection)

[Schultz Silverhult]

“Most intriguing.”

At this point, Schultz let the illusion surrounding his person drop; his identity had already been surmised, and he saw no purpose in continuing his game, even for amusement. Myza had accurately pierced his illusions—illusions which he had admittedly let become increasingly haphazard and transparent in his mixed anger and thrill of power, much to his hidden chagrin—and had identified him with appropriate calm and logic, something that Schultz envied in the woman. Once, long before, he had been able to make such leaps without batting an eyebrow, been able to stump even the most brilliant minds with simple, cold clarity; now, being past life and consumed with the madness that had accompanied the transformation into an Arrancar, Schultz’s mind had been shattered past calmness, past icy confidence. Now there was only a burning anger, a madness that threatened to consume him, and a lust for the Truth that continued to elude him.

“Most… infuriating.”

The game over after his Bala was redirected, Schultz released the illusion that bound Myza to the wall, dropping her roughly to the ground. Whether she caught herself or simply fell, the scholar didn’t care; the amusement had been taken out of his tone, and suddenly the anger came roaring back, an inferno that threatened to swallow his calm, his logic, his reason. Briefly Myza would see that fire burning through his crimson eyes, devouring the ice inside his soul as anger surged to the surface. Those eyes would widen, the Septima’s lips would tighten briefly, and his lithe muscles would tighten briefly in a sign of tension. But that moment passed quickly, and suddenly the mask that clamped down tight over Schultz’s emotions was replaced, drawing back the scholar’s collected attitude, one of being in control over the darkness that filled every inch of his being.

Once all of the illusions were shattered, Schultz simply released his Resurrection, letting his skin tone return to its normal shade, letting his white robes appear rather than the bare blood-colored skin of his torso. Though he was aware that he would not be able to restore his Resurrection without significant rest first, the scholar had no other reason to remain within it. His game was over, and now negotiations would have to become far more serious, far more deadly. Myza had increased the stakes, and was waiting on Schultz to call or fold. This was an absurd method of treatment, coming from a Fraccion, and it angered the scholar even more; he was an Espada, and though he had earned it from one that most considered almost as unworthy as Cierro, it was rightfully his.

But the curtains were drawn closed, and the fire that raged within his very being was hidden behind an illusion that required no techniques, no powers; the illusion of utter calm. Instead Schultz simply adjusted his scarf and his glasses, positioning them properly once more before he turned away, ready to leave. His message had been left, and Myza had agreed to deliver it to Adalo at a later point. The scholar could walk away now, and salvage what was left of his dignity; his delivery had been poorly executed, and he had made himself look like a fool among the Espada. Maybe it was why he didn’t leave quite yet; there was something to be salvaged from this battle yet.

“…You have proven yourself to be both intriguing and infuriating, Myzaraphiston Synderfell. You forget your place, yet you may have the right to do so yet. I do not know what the future holds for us, whether we will find ourselves allied in a common cause or staring at each other from across a battle line. But I believe—and this is no mockery, this time—that if there is some God out there, a God who has chosen the Arrancar to be His promised ones, then He would smile upon my endeavor. I seek to right a wrong that has been far too long in the making, healing a wound that has festered for too long. I believe this is the ‘right’ path, should anything be worthy of that description.”

Schultz turned and smiled over his shoulder, but it was a cold expression filled with a sardonic, sarcastic venom. “Of course, I would have to believe that there is a God out there. In the meantime, however, I ask only one more thing; should you and the Primera choose not to aid this rebellion, then I ask that you also not interfere. I would rather not weaken the ‘Chosen People,’ as you call us, after this war. What will happen will change the world for us, and I will not let this effort be in vain. Do not cross us. That is all.”

With that, Schultz turned to leave, walking quietly along the corridors, wondering if his words would have any lasting effect on Myza. He had no doubt that he had weakened her opinion of him, and that it would reflect in the form of disdain from Adalo, but nonetheless he had made his case in the best way he was able. The Septima simply lacked the pure strength that the high-tier Espada possessed, and so he had to use his guile to attempt to lure in the stray members and attempt to bind them to his cause. Whether or not this would work would remain to be seen, but for now, he had to leave. Schultz had other Espada to speak with in due course, and could not let one potential failure slip him up—if it was indeed a failure.