Canon Z-4: Faith of the Fallen

[Zeich Yajuu]

Name: Arc 3: Canon Z-4: Faith of the Fallen

Participants: Up to 3 members from Canon Z-3, as specified.

Location: The Senzaikyu Prison System: Pillory of the Son

Difficulty Level: Extreme

Setting: DE

Plotline:
A small group has broken through; this is it. This is the chance to get to the individual at the center of this maddening chaos, the one who has turned the world upside-down with a religion that damns the current Soul King. It has gone too far, and it is time to correct it. Those who have broken past the initial vanguard have now made their way into the inner sanctum, into an area referred to as the Pillory of the Son. Who this name references is unclear, but all get the distinct possibility that this is a whole new level of enemy that they will be facing. There is no time to lose, though, and those involved must make their way forward before the two worlds are swamped with the converted.

However, another story unfolds at this time. As those involved fight their way past the initial guards and then make their way further into the Pillory of the Son, three individuals are meeting within the central chambers. One of them is the one who was confined to this room, while the other two are his relatives, come to visit him in his captivity. A talk unrecorded from the pages of history will occur, and in this talk, the world itself could change as the three scions to an immense legacy converse. This could decide everything, and overturn the very outcome that the invading group is driving for.

Indeed, the very world itself could end.

Estimated Time Until Completion: 4+ pages

Starts: Immediately. Participants will join later, however; see special conditions for more.

Special Conditions: The first portion of this thread is entirely cinematic in nature, with Kento and myself posting. When other participants join after transferring from Z-3, they will progress through the thread as normal, and the cinematics will continue on the side until they are completed or the invading group reaches the final room of the area.

[Zeich Yajuu]

”Father, I’m home—”

The sudden feeling of dread rolled over him, and he felt something wrap around his form. Something ethereal, yet eternally powerful. A crushing force that drew the breath from his lungs, and caused him to cry out in pain. There was anger in that force, a sense of rage, of displeasure and disappointment. He had disappointed his father, he knew it. He could feel the ire building. He could feel the sense of betrayal. It was as if the words were flowing through the grip holding him: How could you? What have you done? What unholy monster have you become? Why did you do this?

“But Father… I saved the humans and their world...”

The vision faded, and the room was silent, as it always was. A cocoon of empty space, a void of pure nothingness; to call it a room was only to define it in words that the simpler human minds could comprehend. There were no visible walls, nor was there a door; it was an area created by the Spirit King himself, one whose actions were so rare and so few that it was a marvel, and a demonstration of who or what the Spirit King was. This area was simply a void, with everything around it removed. Nothing but an empty gray expanse that was only broken when visitors came. Normally these were guards who came in to check on the status of the one contained within, those who had been watching over the prisoner for centuries upon centuries. But today, a new visitor had shown up. Two of them, in fact.

Iridescent blue eyes slowly lifted to a more horizontal plane, their hues shifting slightly as they rose. A deep ocean blue faded into something more azure, a hint of seafoam, and then back to a royal blue. That gaze didn’t even scan the world of gray; the eyes immediately locked onto the two figures who had entered the prison, and not through where the “door” was usually located. No, they simply appeared, as if they had always been there, fixtures in a world of undefined emptiness. But who could stop them, after all? They were scions of the very person who had created this prison, and naturally the barrier held no sway over them from the outside. It was meant to contain, not to keep out… but the prisoner highly doubted that they’d entered without intent to leave.

The man hovered there, chained between four bars of a spiritual steel variant, hardened to almost impenetrability. The one above his head and the one at his ankles floated horizontal, while the one behind either arm floated vertical, making it look as though he had been crucified on an invisible cross. Chains of the same metal bound his limbs to the various slabs, while another roped around his neck and torso to keep him tied to the remaining one. These chains were special; they drained out the Reiatsu of that which they bound, using the victim’s own power to contain him. This constant feedback loop of spiritual energy not only kept the victim drained and unable to break free, but also flowed back in a way that kept the body from recovering new spiritual reserves, instead trying to adapt to the returning flow only to fail as it left once more.

Long black hair that might have once been well-kept hung to the man’s back, ragged and worn-looking, while a thin, almost gaunt face stared out from between the strands hanging over it. Hollow cheeks, sunken eyes, and thin lips showed a man suffering, on the brink of death. A thin body, its bones visible and veins lightly spiderwebbed across the skin was garbed only in rags around the waist and hips as if some mocking sense of decency was being granted to the prisoner. The one trapped here looked like a miserable wretch, but in truth, it was all a deceit. A lie. Though his body may have appeared frail and weak, those eyes, those glowing, intense eyes, suggested that there was far more life in this prisoner than anyone might have imagined.

Neither of the visitors were fooled; they knew this man and his true nature, and the weak facade did nothing to sway them. They were two: a man and a woman, whose connection was tenuous, whose alliances were opposing, yet they were here for a common purpose. They were here to visit the man at the heart of all of the chaos enveloping the human world, a man who had converted billions of individuals with his message, and all from the heart of a prison that no one knew existed. It hadn’t taken them but moments to realize just who had been behind it, but neither had spoken to the parties in the World of the Living or Soul Society; they were here for personal reasons, and had not come to fight. At least, not yet.

The prisoner let out a slow, soft sigh, a gentle smile on his face as he looked over the two before him. These two were his family, if not necessarily directly, and his smile was at the irony of their timing. Family visitations were nice, but he knew they were here for a reason. They had to want to know what was going on in the world. They had to want to know why he had done this. Why had the prisoner taken control of so many? Why had he pushed a message to his converted, decrying the Spirit King and calling for his removal? Surely this man knew that the loss of the Spirit King would not only unbalance the worlds, but utterly destroy them. Was he seeking ultimate destruction? Was this an act of vengeance, rage at being imprisoned for so long?

No… it’s an act of mercy, and in the end, I will save mankind from the king that rules them from atop a throne of betrayal.

Mura smiled again, this time as he locked gazes with each of the others gathered there. A man and a woman, two scions of the same legacy that he shared: descendants from the Spirit King himself. Though their generations and connections may have varied, in the scope of the Spirit King’s seemingly eternal existence the three of them had always much considered themselves to be siblings, at least in a sense of each being heirs. Mura was technically older than the other two by a fair deal, after all; while the others were descendants, those who had claim to the Spirit King’s throne should something happen, Mura himself had a greater claim that only his imprisonment blocked.

He was the son of the Soul King himself.

Oh, the prison meant nothing to Mura; both of his “siblings” knew that their older brother could easily free himself from bindings that had absorbed much of his Reiatsu, causing them to fall under his influence. He could hardly say “control”; his Reiatsu was unique in that it infected people, planting ideas, suggestions of loyalty and obedience, into those who were near. Over the course of nearly a millennium, he had influenced all but two of the guards who rotated through to check on him, creating his first wave of “converted.” From there, their interactions with others had caused the “virus” to spread, the message of conversion growing stronger. Over the next two hundred years, his converted began to organize all on their own, and built up a small empire whose message proclaimed the removal of the Spirit King, a sentiment of Mura’s that had built up over the years alongside a sense of pity for those who still believed in the current king.

And now it had come to fruition, with his forces causing chaos and disruption in the worlds, and paving the way for Mura to meet with his father. With the worlds in so much disorganization and at the risk of imbalance, the Spirit King would find himself being weakened by trying to maintain them. It was then that they would meet… but that was then, and this was now. For now, Mura had two visitors to entertain, and he could banish thoughts of his paternal visit for later.

“Aoi. Satsujun. Welcome to my home. I’d offer you a seat, my siblings, but I’m afraid I lack much in the way of furniture. Do get yourselves comfortable, however...”

[Kento Waffles]

Play this first

Mura had been lost in his thoughts and his prison when the second child arrived. Even among God's children, this offspring was more special than most. The others had a hint of human in them. They had been born from flesh and blood. Not so for this newcomer, who had been forged from spirit particles and will alone. An artificial creation. God's handiwork in creating an artificial being, and the only attempt in history at creating one so perfect in cognition, power, and depth. Yet this one shared a goal with Mura, for if God is all powerful then he cannot be all good, and if God is all good then he cannot be all powerful. So, steps bringing him closer, here was an individual unlike any other.

The God of Murder, Satsujun. His legend had almost been lost, so terrible were his deeds and so tremendous his power. Soul Society had tried to wipe his name from history, and they had almost succeeded, too... Almost. Now, here he stood in a white tuxedo with black shawl lapel and a black shirt beneath, black dress pants, and a white bowtie along with a red corsage on his chest. In these days, most wouldn't have dared wear a color that could be made a weapon by a prominent adversary, but Satsujun was bold. Or, rather, uncaring. So great was his power that it hardly mattered what anyone else's was. So it was said in his aura, too. The greatest aura anyone would ever experience.

Yet also, paradoxically, he was so unassuming. His physical body looked so average and normal by athletic human standards that it could hardly be said whether that aura was even his. Some had mistaken the aura for coming from somewhere else, simply because of the presence given off by Satsujun. It was uncanny, but his contrast of god-like presence and overly average presentation made him a conundrum to gaze at or meet. Even for Mura, used to seeing power, Satsujun would be impossible to read. So too was this the truth of the greatest of God's angels: The one God himself created to one day succeed him, and cast out for sins even God could not prevent.

"You're cheerful," Satsujun observed. But it was more small talk than anything, evident in the uncaring mannerism of the one whom they called God of Murder with his gaudy black hair and those terrifying eyes... Black where there should exist his eye whites. Red irises. Even green pentgrams, upside down, in the middle of his pupils. No one could say that Satsujun wasn't a monstrosity. No, he was the monstrosity. When it came down to it, Satsujun was, above all else, the greatest monster ever to live. To have him in the room with another child of the Spirit King was impressive enough, but they weren't even alone. There was a third who would soon come.

Now this music

At that moment, the two of them would feel a huge surge of reiatsu elsewhere. It wasn't far off, only a few miles, but it was so strong that it might be felt as if it were right next to them. And, when they felt it, they would hear words... Words not directed at them, but audible because they shared a sibling link with the speaker, a bond that could not be broken and tethered them more than any other could. A bond of blood. A bond of the soul. And because of this bond of blood and soul they could hear a voice ever inhuman, and its threatening message. "Attachment, romance, greed... I own them all. If you have ever felt love, YOUR HEART ALREADY BELONGS TO ME..."

A powerful soul extinguished itself. Not the power of their sibling. No, after a few moments that began to draw ever closer. Rather, another war had been going on outside while all of this was coming to fruition, and having dealt with the first war, their sibling was now arriving for this one. It wouldn't be long now... WHOOM. A big black sliding door, feudal style, appeared in the room, next to Satsujun, and slid open to reveal a glaring red light. From out of it, there stepped a woman. She had fine features. A narrow body and face that in spite of being gaunt also seemed full. Rosy lips. Beautiful golden hair. Terrifying golden eyes.

The reiatsu pouring out from this one was unmistakable. Here was an aura of death and dread. She came in a white shihakusho and a black haori upon which Kanji on the back spelled out "Zero." (ゼロ) Her haughty gaze fell first on Satsujun, and then on Mura, whose greeting went ignored. The gate behind her closed, and then there were three of them. The immaculate tailoring of her outfit was a work of miracle. The indomitable spirit that had joined them was moreso than that. It was a once in a thousand lifetimes calamity.

"...Brother," she greeted coldly when assessing Satsujun. Then, she looked at Mura. "...And, you're my brother too," she said, almost disgustedly, almost disappointed in entirety. She spat the words, as if she didn't want to acknowledge vermin as her brother. It was made clear in her opening words that she considered these two beneath her. Outside, the sky would begin to tear because of three presences of this magnitude getting together. And so now here was the one that might jeopardize Mura's plan, or Satsujun's too. The Supreme Commander of the King's Royal Guard, the Zero Division. In all her infinite glory, Heir to the Royal Family itself. Aoi No Oshitsu. (王室の青い)

Around her, fire danced. Every step she took generated more fire, and there was always fire along the ground or floor, surrounding her as she walked. "Sister Aoi," Satsujun greeted. Aoi glanced at him. From the ceiling, miraculously, a white bolt of lightning fell dead upon Satsujun, who only by look guarded it with a reflexive use of his Fullbringer Aura technique: Ken. Yet, as Ken appeared, so too did four small meteors coated in varying elements fire, ice, lightning, acid, and these too descended upon Satsujun, whose Ken reflected those as well. Yet, Aoi's reiatsu didn't fluctuate once. She wasn't attacking. This... was her natural, unrestrained aura. When she let herself be free, she was a literal calamity.

"I would apologize for not suppressing my aura," Aoi said to Satsujun. "But that would be most insincere." Another bolt landed on Satsujun, who again guarded with Ken. Aoi's eyes came to Mura again, and with impatience in her voice, she spoke. "I'm not in a good mood," Aoi said. "Be quick about what you want." On cue, lightning descended from the sky on Mura. As soon as it struck something, the meteors would descend too. The lightning came every five seconds around Aoi, and the meteors after the lightning hit something. It wasn't intentional, or designed as an attack. It was an inconvenience. It was Aoi's aura. The youngest of them all, she had the least amount of patience.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Lightning flashed as he stood opposing his foe. The giant Hollow, greater than any the world had ever seen, stood looming over a city that spread further than the eye could see. Buildings that had once reached for the heavens now stood halved, their crests toppled and the ruins littering the ground below. Flames burned, spreading across the expanse behind him, and the skies themselves seemed as though they were willing to collapse under the sheer pressure of the two opponents standing opposite one another.

He knew that he couldn’t continue this for long; he could defeat the Hollow in extended combat, but in doing so, it would cause destruction on a scale that the remaining vestiges of humanity would no longer be able to recover from. Already more than three-fourths of their population had been wiped out in the ongoing war against a dark creature, the embodiment of pain, suffering, and sorrow on a scale that should not exist in this world. He didn’t know where it had come from, why it existed… but it did, and that was all that mattered. And he had to end this now.

Closing his eyes, he thought to himself, and in a moment, he came up with a plan. It would come at a cost, but in exchange, humanity would survive this war, and that was what mattered. He had always lived for humans, ever since the day that his Holy Father had shown these curious and short-lived individuals that lived in one of the many worlds. And so, he would die for them, that they would live and thrive, and they would know that somewhere out there, in a realm beyond their comprehension, someone loved them, enough that he would give all...

Mura opened his eyes once more, bringing his thoughts to the present and banishing the long history that had led to his imprisonment. He watched with amusement as his siblings “fought” in their own way, revealing dazzling displays of power that would have made most lesser men quake in fear. Oh, he knew all too well how impatient Aoi could be, but his smile was that of a patient older brother waiting for his younger sibling’s tantrum to end. It may have been her natural way, but the woman had every ability to control and suppress her natural aura; she simply chose not to. Was it out of anger at the effects of his chosen upon the world? Was it a condescending show of power that was meant to display her as far above them? No matter. Mura was as unbothered as Satsujin was, and didn’t even bother to defend.

Instead, the lightning, the meteors, all of it would be drawn into the chains and bars that held Mura in place. They absorbed and then released excess Reiatsu, causing them to glow faintly, keeping enough to channel through the Soul King’s son and keep him bound while discharging the rest into the air to disperse. The air would have felt heavy, oppressive with the latent spiritual energy in the air to most people, but none of the three gathered were “most people.” They were beings a magnitude above the worlds, above the individuals who inhabited them. Satsujun, the God of Murder. Aoi, Supreme Commander of the King’s Royal Guard. Mura, the immediate son of the Soul King, a deity in his own right. No, to them, this oppressive aura was nothing.

“Do try and restrain yourself, my dearest sister. Though you may not like either me Satsujun, and I can assure you that the feeling is likely mutual from our brother, my love for both of you, however, has been unchanging since the day you were born. Is this how you reciprocate your eldest brother’s affection?” Mura’s voice was quiet, his tone tired, his words spoken at a whisper. Yet they reverberated in the room, echoed, gave a sense of presence only fitting for the man who was held in chains. His expression remained cheerful, positive, and friendly; anyone who could sense his presence would realize that there wasn’t a hint of bloodlust, a scrap of desire to fight. This was a man who was truly passive, who chose not to act, but to speak.

A wave of oppressive energy swept throughout the room; it was much like Gravitational Pressure, but it was on a level unlike any other. Even Aoi and Satsujun would feel their knees tremble briefly, but only for a moment. They too were heirs to the Soul King’s legacy; if such a simple matter as Mura flexing the Reiatsu that had gathered in ambient form in the room was enough to bring them to their knees, they would not have come to the point they were at now. It would, however, temporarily dissipate both Aoi’s aura and Satsujun’s Ken for a few moments, causing both to flicker out briefly. The suppressive feeling filling the room disappeared as that latent Reiatsu, now used, began to fade away, and their power returned to them. In a show of power, Mura had used the energies that had been sealed within the room along with him to crush any and all opposition for a few moments. That energy was gone now, spent, and he wouldn’t be able to repeat his performance, but it was a message that he would not tolerate continued poor behavior.

“I am sure you are both busy and lack the time for a formal family visit, as much as I wish otherwise; I’d love to catch up on how the world outside is changing from another source besides my men who rarely leave the prison. But that being said, I will get straight to the point of why I have called you both here while both worlds are enveloped in a chaos of my own making, to a place where either of you could potentially destroy me and end this threat once and for all.”

“I wish to discuss the removal of my father, the Soul King, and the replacement of an heir onto the throne.” Those words would hang heavily, and their impact was profound; if Aoi jumped at those words, Mura couldn’t have blamed her. He had just made the suggestion of regicide… no, deicide. The death of a god, the spiritual lynchpin for all of the worlds. Mura had just placed out the notion of potentially destroying all of the worlds that the Soul King maintained by removing the man from the seat of power. Even if an heir was placed shortly after, all the worlds would feel its impact for a time to come. Mura waited quietly, letting his siblings react to the statement before he continued.

“I do not propose this lightly, but Father has reached a point where he no longer acts in the best interests of this world. Hollows and their evolved forms roam rampant, causing death and destruction as they unify within Las Noches before turning onto the other two worlds. Quincies create an imbalance in the world whenever they act to defend themselves, their granted powers destroying souls instead of saving them. The Shinigami have become a force for oppression and genocide, willing to destroy multiple races for their own goals, and the human world is becoming more and more hostile as more spiritual humans come into being. This world has become one of betrayal, death, and madness.”

Mura’s expression was no longer amused. It was serious, and both siblings could see it as they looked at him. His face was set in a cold mask, his jaw set, his gaze intense, but burning within those orbs was a fire, a passion that could set all the worlds ablaze. Both of them would remember Mura’s love of humankind, his desire to protect and nurture them even when the Soul King was willing to abandon them all those years ago. They would remember his anger, his pain, and the hatred of betrayal that had blossomed within his heart when the world was left to perish. And they would remember it as the last day they had ever seen their sibling.

“This needs to change, and balance needs to be struck anew. The Quincies must be altered, their powers no longer a threat to all of the worlds. The Hollows must be curbed or contained, the souls within soothed and freed. The humans must be saved from their growing numbers and the growing tide of spiritual warriors among them, and the Shinigami must learn humility and kindness to temper their power and sense of duty. Under the current regime, a rule of stagnation that is unchanging, and will remain unchanged until the end of time, this cannot happen. And so, I propose that there be a new Spirit King on the throne, one who is worthy of the title and will protect all of the realms with a love that Father lacks.”

The smile was back, but it was faint, almost sad. “And so, my siblings, I have called you here that we may agree on who is to be the new Soul King. I have already made my choice; what would you two say?”

[Kento Waffles]

Is this how you reciprocate your eldest brother’s affection? Aoi's terse response was quick to follow. "You know old blood has no impact on my affections." WHAT AOI REFERS TO IS THE INCIDENT FROM HER CHILDHOOD, WHEREIN HER JEALOUS YOUNGER SISTER, SUZUKI NO OSHITSU, CHALLENGED HER FOR THE POSITION OF HEIR TO THE FAMILY! WHAT TRANSPIRED WAS A MOMENT WHERE AOI, DISPOSSESSED BY THE FAMILY AND INCLINED TO A SINGLE SECOND OF TRUE INHUMANITY, FORCED HER SISTER INTO A FEUDAL BOW OVER A HOT IRON FLOOR, BURNING HER SISTER'S FACE INTO A A HIDEOUS ATROCITY. THE GRUDGE OF THIS HAS NEVER DISSIPATED, EVEN AFTER SUZUKI BECAME HEAD OF THE ROYAL FAMILY!


Another bolt of lightning on Mura, followed by those meteors. Every five seconds, without fail, one would drop on either Mura or Satsujun, at random. This was the power behind Aoi's aura. The Supreme Commander of the Zero Division truly was the strongest Soul Reaper alive today in any world. Such was her power. But, she had also only just given birth less than an hour before. The very fact that she was able to do all of this was testament to both the Zero Division's healing techniques and to her own fortitude and value. The Zero Division had never seen a Commander that was this powerful or determined. That was why... She was the King's greatest guard.

I am sure you are both busy and lack the time for a formal family visit, as much as I wish otherwise; I’d love to catch up on how the world outside is changing from another source besides my men who rarely leave the prison. But that being said, I will get straight to the point of why I have called you both here while both worlds are enveloped in a chaos of my own making, to a place where either of you could potentially destroy me and end this threat once and for all. "This really is a drag..." Satsujun complained, sitting down complacently in the nearest seating. His complaining was just a bit whiny, like a teenager. A sudden mood shift? Or merely inconsistency to his personality.

I wish to discuss the removal of my father, the Soul King, and the replacement of an heir onto the throne. Aoi made a noise like shock and disgust in the same exhale. As if she was so disgusted that it was surprising even to her. And who could blame her? She who had been raised from birth to be devoted to this idea of protecting and serving the lynchpin of all worlds was infinitely loyal to him, which was why she had chosen to take not the Head position of the Royal Family, but the position of his greatest protector. Satsujun, however, perked up, amused, interested. Indeed, with the three of them, or even with two of them in agreement, it could be done.

Aoi scoffed as lightning continued to fall. "You're kidding me," she said. "That's deicide. You would be so bold as to tell me this plan? You already know I'm stronger than either one of you. I could kill you right here, and end your entire plot." In fairness, good sensors knew that this was partially a bluff. Aoi was heavily weakened from giving birth. Her stamina, reiatsu, and ability to cope with stress and combat were below what they normally would be. If Mura and Satsujun teamed up, she wouldn't be able to defeat both simultaneously. Individually, however? There was no doubt that Aoi could destroy one of them. Thus, it relied on Satsujun being swayed.

I do not propose this lightly, but Father has reached a point where he no longer acts in the best interests of this world. Hollows and their evolved forms roam rampant, causing death and destruction as they unify within Las Noches before turning onto the other two worlds. Quincies create an imbalance in the world whenever they act to defend themselves, their granted powers destroying souls instead of saving them. The Shinigami have become a force for oppression and genocide, willing to destroy multiple races for their own goals, and the human world is becoming more and more hostile as more spiritual humans come into being. This world has become one of betrayal, death, and madness.

This needs to change, and balance needs to be struck anew. The Quincies must be altered, their powers no longer a threat to all of the worlds. The Hollows must be curbed or contained, the souls within soothed and freed. The humans must be saved from their growing numbers and the growing tide of spiritual warriors among them, and the Shinigami must learn humility and kindness to temper their power and sense of duty. Under the current regime, a rule of stagnation that is unchanging, and will remain unchanged until the end of time, this cannot happen. And so, I propose that there be a new Spirit King on the throne, one who is worthy of the title and will protect all of the realms with a love that Father lacks.

IT IS IN THIS MOMENT THAT SATSUJUN AND AOI ARE DEEP IN THOUGHT, PUZZLED BY WHAT THEY ARE HEARING! BOTH ACKNOWLEDGE THE STRENGTH TO MURA'S CLAIM, AND ITS VALIDITY. SATSUJUN, IN HIS HEART, HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO USURP THE THRONE FOR THIS VERY REASON! THE HATE FLOWING THROUGH HIS VEINS FOR THE SOUL KING IS UNQUENCHABLE, DEFYING EVEN THE EMPTINESS OF CAIN. THE GREATEST HATRED IN THE WORLD!!! THE BIGGEST!!!! THE WORST!!!! SATSUJUN HAS FELT SOMETHING NONE HAVE EVER FELT BEFORE!! PUZZLING MURA'S SUGGESTION OVER, HE KNOWS THAT IN TEAMING UP, HE MAY YET SUCCEED IN HIS GOAL!!!! AT LONG LAST, THE OPPORTUNITY THAT SATSUJUN HAS BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!

"You can access the palace without making the key?" Satsujun asked coyly. After all, Mura must surely have thought of some way to do it without sacrificing so many lives, else he might never have brought Aoi to the table, knowing how against this she would be. Then, a sneer from Aoi. "What makes you think I can't just call backup and have them put you back to where you both started?" Aoi asked, threatening to reduce Mura to nothingness and place Satsujun back at the bottom of the tower where he had lain imprisoned for over thirty thousand years. But, Satsujun too could see through her bluff. "You can't fight both of us, and they won't make it in time if we kill you," he said calmly, speaking casually.

Then, Mura had one more thing to say. And so, my siblings, I have called you here that we may agree on who is to be the new Soul King. I have already made my choice; what would you two say? Satsujun was quick to speak in response to this. "Of course I'll do it. I'll kill him and make the world right..." His hate could easily be seen. While in all other aspects he looked ordinary, it was in his eyes that he didn't. No one in the world had ever existed who could hate as much as Satsujun could. Even a fraction of his hate dwarfed all other humans combined together. It was the most god-like thing about his current form, and it was increasingly evident as he spoke of killing the king.

AND IT IS HERE THAT AOI'S ABILITY TO SENSE REIATSU COMES INTO PLAY. AS SHE PONDERS MURA'S WORDS AND HOW TO STOP HIM, HER ENERGY SENSORY ALSO ALLOWS HER TO READ THE INTENT OF HIS SOUL! SHE KNOWS HE IS TRUTHFUL, AND SHE CAN DETECT WHAT IS IN HIS HEART... GAZING INTO IT, SHE GAUGES HIM, SEEKING WHO HE BELIEVES SHOULD BE THE REPLACEMENT, UNTIL, "It's me..!" Aoi gasped with a start. AOI NO OSHITSU, OR RATHER, AOI KUCHIKI! THE ONLY ONE OF THESE THREE TO TRULY KNOW AND COMPREHEND LOVE AND ABSOLUTE DEVOTION TO A FAMILY. SHE WHO KNOWS THE GOOD IN THE WORLD BETTER THAN EITHER OF THEM. ONLY THIS ONE, A MOTHER BEARING A MOTHER'S LOVE, CAN REPLACE THE DECADENT FATHER.

"You...?" Satsujun asked, standing. "As if I'll let that happen..." But Aoi ignored him, and once again Satsujun was forced to guard against an automatic lightning bolt as Aoi's eyes fixated on Mura. Her reiatsu was growing increasingly more threatening, especially given that all she had worked to give herself.... This family and this love... was being threatened now. Her destiny had at last caught up to her, and now Aoi was standing before Mura, incredulous. Even as, in the background, she could sense her wounded son trying to approach this place to find her... She knew this would all end before he arrived. "What is the meaning of this, brother?" Aoi asked Mura.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Darkness. Pain. Voices. The screaming in his head wouldn’t stop, as though thousands and thousands of people were all crying out in pain, in fear, and in anguish around him. He felt as though he were drowning, buried in a sea of souls, and the pain surrounded him, wrapped him in bindings of misery. He felt so many people hurting, so many suffering, and he wanted to help them all. Almost unconsciously, his will reached out to envelop them all, figurative arms wrapping around the multitude of lost souls around him. He took them all into himself, brought them together as one… and awoke as he rose up from the sea of suffering.

He was… alive? What was going on? He remembered sacrificing himself, throwing his body into the Hollow’s maw as he released the full force of his power, only to be consumed. It had not come without price to the Hollow, he was sure, but to completely obliterate such a monstrous conglomeration of suffering and agony whose scope dwarfed that of the world it hoped to consume? He had not anticipated this, had not thought that he had possessed enough remaining strength to banish the darkness that had threatened to swallow them all…

“For the Son!”

An explosion of force enveloped him, burying him in light and sound as the spell burst into being, trying to consume him in fires hotter than any mankind had ever begun to imagine, let alone harness. Without thinking, he extended his will outwards, the flames scattering into embers and the heat blasted away from him in a moment. It was a reflexive move, born of a desire for self-preservation. Yet something felt wrong, made him uneasy; he recognized that powerful spell, a technique only known to his father’s guard. It made no sense; why would they be attacking him?

There was no time to think, however, as another attack came. How or why had to wait; for now, he had to survive.

“The meaning of this is obvious, Aoi.”

The warmth was gone from Mura’s tone now. The son of the Soul King, his eldest scion, began to bare the steel in his heart, the pain that he had suffered. Aoi’s energy sensory would pick it up in a moment, would feel the ache of his heart, the suffering he had endured from the moment that he had been cast into the prison. No, the pain existed even before then, a pain that had been born of the suffering of mankind, at his despair at the abandonment of humanity. His heart had screamed as the world was threatened with what his father had called “its natural end,” despite the unnatural nature of the monstrous Hollow that could not have come from this world.

That pain had blossomed into a defiant anger that had caused him to place himself in harm’s way, throwing himself at the Hollow’s maw to stop it in one last attempt. That pain had been set ablaze, a flame burning in his heart even as the hottest flames threatened to consume him. That burning pain was nurtured, and then rekindled by his father’s rejection. Mura had been cast down to the earth, his body broken, his soul torn to pieces, and he sank into the abject depths of Hell. Yet those flames didn’t burn as sharply as those within his heart, and even as he was consumed, his body twisted, his soul threatened with corruption, he stoked them all the more. He would burn himself alive with hatred, if he could.

That anger was something so fierce, so primal, and so betrayed that its scope could not be measured. Even Satsujun’s own fury would pale in comparison to it. The hurt, the anguish, the suffering. The selfless sacrifice, the fall, the imprisonment. All of it had been steps in a road paved with anger and sorrow, and now that fury was brought to bear, and Aoi’s senses would be overwhelmed with it. It was enough to send a normal man crazy, but she was no ordinary human. Even weakened as she was, she was one of the strongest spirits in existence. This would be suffering incarnate, but it would not break her. If it did, she could never have risen to where she was.

And then, that anger was gone, vanishing in a moment. “Do you see now, Aoi? This is the meaning of my gathering you both here. Would that I could justify my own ascension to the throne, then I would have simply acted. But I cannot. I am a being alive with fury, with hatred and vengeance. I am he who acts to betray that which he loves. I am a traitor, and a traitor cannot be king; he would only lead his people down a path of blood as his hatred seethes within them. Even now, see what my rage has wrought, the maddened masses of multiple worlds crashing against one another in a wave of living sacrifice to see our Father brought low. I cannot be the new King… but you can, Aoi.”

Those tired eyes turned to Satsujun, who was likely fuming in rage at this sudden reversal. The man who bore a searing hatred of his own, who had been given a taste of potential vengeance and then had it taken away from him; there was no doubt a new animosity boiling in this man’s heart, now directed at his elder brother. Mura’s gaze softened slightly, almost sympathetically. “It is for this same reason that I myself would not choose you, Satsujun. Our anger, our rage, our fury; all of these are tools that will lead to destruction and annihilation, not salvation for these worlds. But that does not mean that you are not vital to this new world either; as a scion of the Soul King, you are as instrumental as both our sister and myself. We need you, and though we can likely do it ourselves, the fact is that I’d rather have your support for us than against us. What will you say, brother?”

The words would echo in the space between them as the question was asked. Would he throw in his lot with them, or oppose them? It was obvious that the man’s fury would be difficult to quell, but at the same time, Mura’s eyes spoke of a purpose for him. Would curiosity compel him to hear it out, or would he rebel immediately?

[Kento Waffles]

The return of actual Bleach music?!

IN AOI'S MIND, THOUGHTS ARE RACING. IMAGES FLASH IN HER ACUTE MEMORY. MUSINGS OF HER OPTIONS. AT THIS TIME SHE RECALLS THE MOMENT WHEN THE ROYAL FAMILY DEEMED HER TO NO LONGER BE ITS HEIR. THAT POSITION HAS NOW FALLEN TO HER OWN SON, SOUZA, AT HIS OWN BEHEST AFTER HE DECLARED WAR ON THE ROYAL FAMILY AND ITS HEAD, SUZUKI NO OSHITSU. SHE FORESEES THE FUTURE. HOW LOSING A SON WOULD AFFECT HER HUSBAND AND HOW IT WOULD AFFECT HER. HOW TERRIBLE IT WOULD BE IF THE KING DIED AND SHE WAS NOT THE NEXT TO ASCEND. IN DISAGREEMENT WITH HER BROTHER'S MOTIVES, STILL AOI REALIZES THE ALTERNATIVE CANNOT BE STOPPED OTHERWISE. IT IS OUT A MOTHER'S LOVE THAT SHE MUST AGREE! SO SHE PONDERS!! SHE PONDERS!!!! SHE PONDERRRSSS!!!

"You're right," Aoi said. It was clear that the King was not going to live much longer as it was. He had chosen a role of only watching, not of interfering. It was because he was old, weary. Furthermore, his mistakes had led to hatred against him specifically. His eldest son, Mura. His first angel, Satsujun. These were but two of those that despised the Soul King as he was now. The Cero Espada, Cain... The King of Las Noches, Sonken Kouhai. Even the monster maker, Lord Callus. All of these were individuals that might one day have the potential to overthrow this Soul King. Indeed, if it weren't Mura, someone else would do it and destruction would reign supreme.

"It's as you say. If things don't change..." She dared not finish the thought. Aoi hardly considered herself worthy of taking the position. She had been raised for it from the start, and as the eldest of the Royal Family's line of descent, it was obvious that it should be her. But... She too had made many mistakes along the way. Furthermore, could she really bring herself to sever herself and her attachments from her family? From her children? ...From Sozen? No, it didn't matter. Mura had made another, even more true point. To ascend also required a tremendous amount of strength and a fortitude of soul. Without those, one trying to ascend would die. Mura, Satsujun, and Aoi all had the strength for it... But the rage of her brothers was too much. Too destructive.

Worse still, if they were left unchecked, eventually one of them or someone of similar power would inevitably create a King's Key anyway. Maybe Aoi wasn't the right person for all of this, but she was the best choice. In fact, there was no other choice. It couldn't be Mura, as acknowledged by the eldest son. And it certainly couldn't be a man as consumed by hate as Satsujun. "I'll do it," Aoi told Mura. "I'll take you there, and I'll let you kill the King. When that happens, I'll take the throne and... I'll fix this broken world, piece by piece, until a time comes when I need to be removed as well. In exchange, before I ascend, you as well must die. Is that agreeable?"

Mura would be given the chance to respond. Afterward, he and Aoi would be met by Satsujun's response. "Like Hell I'll let that happen..." Satsujun said. In his right hand, a flame burst into existence, a blazing orange color with an intensity even greater than the fire of Ryuujin Jakka. As if the Sokkyokku had been condensed into a small weapon. Ghostly white embers and smoke ran within Satsujun's grasp, as if forming the hilt of a sword of angelic fire. Satsujun's Fullbring in its sealed weapon form.. Flame of the Creator. Aoi thought. It's a fitting name for his power. In all my years, I've never seen such destructive power.

The glowing embers of that blade had struck down thousands of lives, and yet had also saved just as many. Satsujun, for what any said about him, was a man of inconsistent temperament. Sometimes he was all good. Sometimes he was twisted and evil. Either way, he was filled with hate. Such a man could not be allowed to take the throne. But Satsujun was fast. He was much faster than Aoi, and immediately was blasting toward Mura with a flash of light. That Fullbringer step... Bringer Light... It was something else entirely. However, Aoi was fast too, and more important than her speed was her ability to sense reiatsu. With it, she had already sensed the build-up of Satsujun's power, and begun moving just a moment before him.

As Satsujun reached Mura, intending to slash down on and kill the eldest, Aoi was suddenly between them, her metal Zanpakuto smacking into Satsujun's. There was a powerful clash, and sparks flew everywhere. As Satsujun's Fullbring was pressed against Aoi's weapon, her Zanpakuto started to heat up and literally melt. Of course, even with her power, Satsujun's offensive strength was almost unparalleled, and that heat of his was enough even to challenge the Supreme Commander of the Zero Division's Zanpakuto... Especially while Aoi was fatigued and weakened. "Step aside, sister," Satsujun said. "Or face the consequences."

Aoi glanced back at Mura. "I'll take care of him. You, prepare your reiatsu. You're going to have company not long from now, and you'll need to fight them before we advance." Meanwhile, her eyes fell upon Satsujun, and an ominous reiatsu started to leak from her as once again, meteors fell upon him, only to be blocked by Ken. "Don't make me kill you, brother..."

[Zeich Yajuu]

Mura’s patient smile suggested that he had already known Aoi’s terms before she had proposed them. In truth, they were the same terms that he himself had been willing to offer should she have been willing to negotiate rather than demand. There was no conflict in this decision: all was as it should be. All would be just. “The deal is struck, sister. We shall rise to our Father’s side, and there, I will strike him down. I will perform the ultimate act of patricide and deicide, offering myself as a living sacrifice once more. There, you shall smite me for my final sin. I do not expect to be absolved into the cycle of souls, nor do I expect to be cast back into the fires of Hell. I expect to simply cease to exist, the truest measure of punishment for the one who has willingly committed himself to an act of utmost wickedness.”

The eldest scion of the Soul King closed his eyes, as though searching for something, but a moment later they opened, a hint of weary impatience in his gaze. “Unfortunately, I am not yet able to ascend. The King’s Key has not yet been formed, and even you cannot take one so damned as myself to the King’s Palace willingly. There are too many precepts in place to allow such a thing, and we cannot let any black mark keep you from the necessary post. For the time being, we must wait; with the masses dying in both the World of the Living and Soul Society in large numbers, the spiritual energy from both will gather here, in the prison between worlds. The King’s Key will be born shortly, and then we shall depart.”

“For now… I think we shall have to restrain our youngest brother, and help him to see reason.” A fresh wave of Reiatsu, different in scope from the other two that were crashing through the room, swept over both of them. A sense of undeniable weight would descend upon both, a burden that was as much spiritual as it was physical. Aoi would feel it less, but even she would feel its pull on her, feel the weight of her body drag her towards the ground. She could keep to her feet, but that weight would refuse to lift, no matter what she attempted to do. Weakened as she was, she could not fight it off.

Satsujun had it far worse, however; unlike his sister, who would feel a lesser pull, the force exerted on him was almost immeasurable, and no matter his power, he would simply be thrown to the ground, his body feeling as though it were being crushed. Mura stood freely, unaffected by his own power as he watched over the two siblings who insisted on combat. His face had undergone a minor transformation, the lines of exhaustion washed away, his eyes now bearing crimson sclera and black irises. A set of horns emerged from his forehead just above his brow, and wrapped around the crest of his head as though it were a crown fit for a demon. It was a reminder that their brother was fallen, an Akki from the depths of Hell, no matter how refined and polite his manner was.

And this was his power: the power of Judgment. This power had two different sides to it in punishment and absolution, the former causing suffering as the weight of one’s sins bore down on them, while the latter was a forgiveness of these same grievances that granted lightness of spirit and body alike. That Aoi was the better of the two was what gave her some leeway, enabling her to remain standing; it was the nature of life to sin and to live imperfectly, no matter how hard one tried. She was not without the crime of sin on her soul, and as a result, she would be borne down by its weight. But comparatively, Satsujun had practically steeped his soul in sinful, evil acts for the sake of quenching his fury. That same weight bore him to the earth even now.

“Satsujun, can you not understand?” Mura’s tone was still patient, the eldest sibling’s long suffering giving him a sense of empathy for his brother’s rage. “It is not that you are weak. It is not that you are worthless. It is that you, as well as myself, are not what the worlds need. They need balance and stability. They need to be nurtured and protected. You and I are incapable of this; we both possess a deep, primal anger that will do naught but raze the worlds and leave nothing but death behind. What point is there to be a god, if you rule over a world of nothing but death?”

[Kento Waffles]

MORE Bleach Music?!?!?!?!

"No..."

Satsujun pondered on the meaning of Mura's words, but Mura had misunderstood him. Unknown to most, when created, Satsujun was made with imperfect spiritual creation. In the body that was given to him, the very epitome of what a body could become and a soul of a God, there was a strength which doubled as a fatal flaw. His heart was gifted with a limitless capacity to love. Indeed, Satsujun possessed the greatest potential for love ever to exist, one surpassing even the great Spirit King. In all other beings, there is in fact a limit to how much love can exist. A limit to the strength of one's feelings. In Satsujun, this did not exist in his heart in regards to the emotion of love. Upon feeling love, it would double every day.

Yet the drawback was this that love has an opposite.. and that is hatred. Upon being banished from the side of the Soul King, Satsujun's heart became engulfed by hatred which snuffed out his love. And since then, that hatred had doubled every day. Day after day, for 33,000 years. The amount of hate which filled Satsujun was indescribable. Nothing could truly comprehend or grasp it. Even Mura, upon sensing Satsujun's soul, would potentially realize that his brother could not be given sense when it came to the Soul King. In the face of his most hated enemy, Satsujun lost anything resembling compassion, morality, or care. His hate was too powerful. It was a force so putrid that it surpassed all of the negativity of Hell itself.

It was this hatred which allowed Satsujun to struggle to his feet and stand proudly against judgment. Aoi, with her energy sensory, was able to detect it as well. Reiatsu of an indescribable color and texture was flowing out of Satsujun as he stood, shaking off even the effects of Judgment. What Aoi saw was the most shocking thing she had ever seen in the entirety of her life. What is this feeling? Like he'll stand against anything, even the Judgment of Lucifer... How can anyone have this much hate?! Aoi shook in her shoes for a moment, letting a cold shiver run down her back. She took a step back in surprise. Even Mura would probably be stunned by this, something he had never seen before. Something unique to Satsujun alone. Hate so strong that it could even defy Judgment.

For the first time in years, Aoi was feeling fear of an individual. This was not collective fear for her family or for society or the world. It was the most basic, instinctive form of fear. Fear for one's own life. Fear of a predator. Satsujun was that predator. Rising and holding his powerful weapon, Satsujun walked back toward them as Aoi took another step back. Her elegant face was drenched in sweat already. The eyes that Satsujun looked at her and her brother with could not be described at all. They were eyes that looked past Mura and Aoi that only toward the source of Satsujun's undying hate. This was hate that had doubled every single day for thirty three thousand years.

Gaining back some of her nerve after an initial shock period, Aoi took a step forward again. Her holy meteors continued dropping on Satsujun, but his reiatsu alone now destroyed them. "You're a FOOL, brother. Why should I care about HIS world?" Satsujun asked. "When I can just remake it ALL into MY world? Even if everyone dies, I'll recreate it. Remake everything until not even the whisper of the old man's legacy remains." Aoi could only watch as Satsujun continued forward. He was strong. Strong enough to challenge even the Supreme Commander of the Zero Division. The King's Royal Guard's most powerful was Aoi No Oshitsu. Yet, in her weakened state from giving birth not an hour before, she was struggling. And so she did the only thing she could. She fought.

Now this song

"Bakudo #95: Tsumaimimo!" Aoi declared as she aimed one hand at Satsujun. Immediately, a huge clock tower exploded into existence around him, trapping him within it. "The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop at late or early hour." A new, even larger clock tower formed around the first of these Bakudo. It was a tower whose purpose was even to suppress release, weakening Satsujun greatly. However, this was not the end of Aoi's incantations. No, she had far more that needed to be said before she was finished with defeating the mighty Satsujun. And, as Supreme Commander of the Zero Division, she was less susceptible to the drawbacks of the technique. Pure will carried her to fight.

"To lose one's wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one's health is more,
To lose one's soul is such a loss
That no man can restore.

The present only is our own,
So Live, Love, toil with a will --
Place no faith in 'Tomorrow' --
For the clock may then be still.

If only it were so simple,
to cruise through life smelling roses;
but the obstacles blacken the countryside,
and we unwittingly crush them beneath our boots."

A second, third, and fourth set of towers appeared. Each in succession was larger than the one before it, and these stripped away spells, spiritual power, and physical power in that order. By now, surely Satsujun should be no more than an emptied rag doll within this chain of towers.

"Dreams sustain us through the madness;
goals give a finish line to our race.
Yet they change with every turn, around every wall,
and remain elusive throughout the quest.

Mistakes are made, and regrets are our luggage;
we will drag them with us to slow us down.
The victories are flashes of light, sudden and unlasting, which allow us
to glimpse the road ahead before darkness descends.

Love is bitter, yet it is the bread that keeps us.
Over and over it fills us up, only to starve us.
The people whom we love shape our destinies and our strengths,
yet leave us cold and alone in the darkness."

The fifth, sixth, and seventh towers formed. These would strip him of all senses save for sight, which would come when the eighth tower formed.

"There are others trying to race to the end;
occasionally, we bump into one or two.
The bonds we form help us down the path less lonely
but eventually, we lose each other in the darkness."

And, there was still yet another. The ninth tower, which would even take away Satsujun's movement absolutely.

"Alone is not a bad way to be;
it clears your head and focuses you on the journey.
Cherish the short intervals during the quest you have with others,
but be prepared to walk alone in the darkness."

At long last, Aoi's plan come to fruition. And just before the ninth tower formed, she called out the name of the Kido. "Bakudo #255: Gaara Jushin!" At last, Satsujun had been sealed. The ninth tower formed and he should now be immobilized and with no hint of spiritual powers. None at all. Aoi, in the meantime, was panting. She fell to one knee. She had used a lot of reiatsu for this, and now was forced even to deactivate her ordinarily automative attacks such as the holy meteor. There was in fact a tenth tower that she could have formed, but Aoi did not presently have the stamina, nor the reiatsu to waste. She needed to still be able to take on Satsujun if he escaped, and kill Mura if need be...

Until...

This song

"...Impossible!"

An eruption of fire gave way to all of the clock towers shattering and being obliterated, freeing Satsujun once more. What was more, they had been completely massacred from within. Satsujun now held his sword in one hand, yet fire connected it to a huge monstrosity up above. There was a phoenix made completely of fire there. It was huge, its wings already incinerating parts of the room. The towers had been testament to its might. It had already been far too powerful for what was likely the strongest Kido in Aoi's entire arsenal. Had she been less fatigued, perhaps she could have finished the spell, but now the opportunity was lost. Still, for Satsujun to overcome Gaara Jushin so easily...

"Impossible, you say?" Satsujun asked. "My Fullbring, Phoenix of The End, is produced by manipulating and drawing power from my soul itself... My soul, which is consumed by a hate that will never be sated. Nothing can suppress it and prevent me from releasing it. Not even a two hundred level Kido from the goody two shoes Aoi No Oshitsu." Aoi's eyes were wide with shock. How could she not have realized the true depths of the power of Satsujun's Fullbring?! Satsujun was strong. Stronger than Mura or Aoi had given him credit for. He was aptly named "the strongest man in the world." Now the bestial power of a monster let loose was going to prove difficult to handle...

"As expected of the second Captain Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads," Aoi acknowledged, standing tiredly, knees shaking. Reiatsu poured around her body as she prepared herself for the most difficult fight of her entire life... And the last one, either way, no matter who was the victor. "The universe is in dimensions and layers both, expanding infinitely up, down, left, and right," Now both Mura and Satsujun would feel a heavy weight descend as Aoi's Zanapkuto glowed and her reiatsu shot out from around her body. So majestic was her Shikai release alone that many might mistake it for a Bankai, or even a Soul Release. "Wouldn't you agree, Ryuki No Seinaru Hako?"

Aoi's Zanpakuto had transformed into a long, emerald green spear. Now she could face Satsujun on equal ground. Through all of the exhaustion, through all of the pain... This was the greatest challenge she would ever face, and that excited her. Despite what was at risk, Aoi smiled at Satsujun with cold eyes. "The fight begins now, brother. Let's see which of us is better. The King's fallen son, or the rightful Heir to the whole thing!" Satsujun curled his teeth back hatefully as his seemingly colorless reiatsu clashed with Aoi's golden aura. His bloodshot eyes drank her body in, checking for any possible place he could destroy to cause her the most damage. "Come.." he snarled.