Some souls believe in destiny and that everything happens for a reason. That if you were to bend time, some events would still be unavoidable. That if you were to divert a river, its destination would conclude the same result. To other individuals this is a silly speculation. There is no construct of measurement to confirm or deny any such control of the universe. Was there? Until a definite determination was proven there will always be those beings who believe they wield the hammer to forge their own path. One of these very individuals is an old man who transitioned from the Thirteenth to the Twelfth Division and eventually found his purpose in the Eighth Division. This man is none other than Gendai Nimaiya. The late grandson of Oetsu Nimaiya, the man who spawned all zanpakuto.
The Eighth Division was the first place Gendai felt like he belonged in a long time. Disowned by his elder lineage and the Twelfth Division, it was the only place left for him. His father and grandmother rarely communicate with him cause of his affiliation with the Gotei 13 and he was dismissed from the Twelfth division due to priority complications regarding his damaged zanpakuto. Gendai spiraled into an unhealthy obsession and combined it with an unhinged alcoholism causing him to become an unreliable officer. Stripped of his position and colleagues Gendai continued this way in despair for some time.
Taking shortly over a year for Gendai to pull himself together, along with discovering how to repair his zanpakuto, Chōkoku-fū. During this time, he realized no one had a predetermined destiny and anything can be accomplished if you set your heart to it. He also realized that time and death are the only guarantees in life. Regardless of whose injury, whose death, the destruction of whatever, time will always prevail the winner of the cosmic scheme. The reaper will always collect the debt that all life owes. The only thing that perhaps outlast time is legacy. And even then, lesser legends stories fade from memories until they are finally snuffed out by time. He swore to himself he will be better than that.
During his prolonged lifetime Gendai has experienced a strenuous amount of odd circumstances. However, he has recently been pondering how bizarre it has been in the Seireitei. Not only did he recently go a year without his zanpakuto or any connection to the spirit, a released prisoner rest on the throne. Shobatsu Murasaki, the very man who broke Gendai’s zanpakuto claimed the title Captain Commander for himself. Shinigami of high ranks such as captains and lieutenants protested and even drew their blades against the war criminal. All who tried failed against the monstrosity of a man. Even one of the mightiest shinigami Gendai fought alongside against became Shobatu’s lieutenant. After Shobatsu easily disarmed and left every shinigami who stood in his way obsolete, he decimated half of Hueco Mundo’s population. The Quincy must have been quivering underneath whatever rock that had gone unturned because they had not been seen for some time. The Seireitei truly thrived in the early years of Commander Shobatu’s reign. However, as we all have come to learn good things are not endless.
Even in a time of piece in the Soul Society complications still manage to arise. Few of these dilemmas require the attention of the Captain Commander. But from time to time an issue will come forth that demands the decisions making prowess of Shobatsu. For example, the Sōkyoku has been destroyed for a devastating duration. This complicated and disturbed the execution process of criminals with considerable power levels in the Muken. For safety issues the population within the Muken needed to be controlled. It was a necessity that needed to be handled quickly. The Commander released an order that was very situational and would probably never happen again. Some brave soul was to restore and command one of the greatest weapons in shinigami history, Ryūjin Jakka. The zanpakuto of the founding Captain Commander, the progenitor of the Gotei 13. The destructive force of this zanpakuto alone was enough to obliterate the entirety of the Seireitei. Too bad Ryūjin Jakka is shattered and is useless in its current state. Only a mad man would attempt to tame such a beast and fewer if any at all were able to repair the zanpakuto. A seemingly perfect opportunity for Gendai. There was no precedent for Gendai to attempt ruling the zanpakuto, no such feat has been accomplished. No, he needed not do that, he would soon attempt connecting and understanding the wild broken spirit. Confidence was prominent in the geezer; he had recently learned how to repair his own zanpakuto and has an innate connection with all zanpakuto spirits. This was his moment to restore his honor, his pride, his self-worth. The day Shobatsu rose Gendai’s zanpakuto above his head and snapped his war-hammer over his knee, Gendai became worthless. Or so that is how he felt as he searched for an opportunity to regain his dignity….his sense of worth…...a way to leave his legacy in the cosmic scheme.
The sky was painted with beautiful shades of red and purple as Gendai exited the northern gates of the First Division. As the last rays of the day’s warmth descended from the sun and washed over his bronzed face, his oceanic eyes took in the view with awe. After taking a mental picture of the beautiful sky with the sun half hidden behind the Seretei Gendai closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nostrils. As he exhaled in the same manner, he envisioned himself on the roof of the Eighth Division barracks with a stiff drink and his two best friends, enjoying the sunset.
………..help………me……….
His daydream was interrupted from a whispering plea that echoed through only his head. His eyes shot open and he immediately looked left and right over both shoulders and the area around him. Nothing other than a First Division guard standing at his post behind Gendai at the gate caught his attention. The guard did not seem to hear the faint call for help. Where did it come from? This lead Gendai to suspect his suspicion was correct. The message was one only he and his lineage could detect. It was a haunting and frightening feeling. Chills followed by goose bumps raced across Gendai’s forearms beneath his shihakusho. His head shifted so his vision was looking downwards to the right. It was as if he knew exactly where the cry for help was originating. Curled beneath his right arm like a football Gendai held a lavender wooden container no bigger than a shoe box. The sense of despair radiating from the box, made Gendai’s own heart ache. This urged him to return to his division, he had an urgent assignment. He had a broken soul which he needed to attempt to mend.
BANG!
A deafening noise rushed Gendai’s ears as the gates of the First Division slammed closed behind him. Gendai’s entire body jutted in startlement from the harsh noise. His teeth clenched and his mouth opened at the sides as his snowy brows raced north. His grip around the lavender container tightened beneath his right arm. After a short second or two his grip loosened, a deep sigh released from deep within him, and his posture returned to a relax manner. He took his first steps away from the leading division’s barracks and thought to himself
how fucking rude that was. Even though he was very displeased and longed to tell whomever the gate keeper was off, it just was not of importance right now.
Gendai’s eyes aimed straight forward showing the determination on his face as his feet carried him north from the First Division Barracks. This focus was odd for Gendai, any normal day he was the life of the party. Or so he thought, but he was more like the drunk old man who thought he was funny. But to be sober and this serious after hours, this mission must mean a great deal to Gendai. It was unusual for him to take anything seriously. But now his seriousness showed as his light African toned digits clung to the wooden box. This man’s grip and demeaner were no joke. If any were to pass Gendai in his journey home, they were sure to indulge in the intensity radiating off him. A random bead of sweat dripped from his bare cranium, catching on his snowy brow. His palms grew clammy and moist with more perspiration. Gendai was sweating from his ability to sense what was within the lavender container. When using his lineages unique trait to detect the spiritual presence of the contents, a fire nature radiated through Gendai, this was a first for the Nimaiyan. A frightening thought that lead to the serious facial gesture that Gendai displayed while returning to the Eighth Division.
Due to the proximity of the First and Eighth Division barracks Gendai arrived at his destination within a half hour. Once entering the barracks, he immediately moved deeper with in the division until he reached his new favorite place in all of existence, the smithery. Approaching the closest of the two entrances to the smithery, Gendai entered through the thick barn style double doors from the east. The set of doors were made of wood and are in rough shape. Clearly in the need of a sanding and painting, they hung side by side. Each door was hung an inch off the ground by their tops with a bracket that was attached to a wheel system, that allowed the doors to glide away from each other to open. Since his right half was still occupied with the lavender box underneath his armpit his left hand stretched forward and wedged its fingers between the two doors. While prying at the left door he could hear the squeaking of the metal wheels turning on the track as it slid into its hiding spot in the hollow wall. Attempting to close the door behind him he remembered how horrible this door set up was. Using only his left hand that is still sweating he attempted to pinch onto the eighth of an inch of the door that was exposed and not tucked in the hollow wall. Having a difficult time Gendai waved off his attempt with his left hand and thought to himself
fuck that. He turned away from the door and took his first step in the smithery today. He could feel the gravel bedding beneath his sandal wrapped feet adjust to the pressure from his body. That odd crunching sound of rocks rubbing against each other protruded Gendai’s ears with each step as his vision filled with the Soul Forge. He thought to himself how astonishing the addition of the soul forge to the Eighth Division has been. It gave the Division as a whole purpose. Gendai aided in creating the great forge. The magnificent ability the soul forge wields is absorbing reiryoku and purifying it of the donator’s effects and diversities. Not ending there, the Soul Forge disperses the purified and malleable reiryoku into the metal it heats. The Soul Forge itself is a round gargantuan eight mouth hearth in the heart of the barracks. Occupying a quarter of the enormous smithery that stretched 80x80 foot, the Soul Forge possesses a thirty-foot diameter. It reminded Gendai of a giant round table which knights would gather. Except at this round mechanism only the top seven seated members of the Eighth Division and its Captain claimed a seat. Only those of the finest craftsmen ship could use the Soul Forge. Rewarding the eight talented smiths, each mouth of the stone oven is lavished with high end smithing tools, work benches and each its own anvil.
As he left the doorway and closed the sixteen-foot distance to the soul forge he took in how big the machine truly was. Of course, he had seen it before, but it was truly something special to the man as it easily stood three times his height. Raising his left hand and placing it against the room temperature metal dome that enclosed the upper half of the forge, he slowly began walking to the right of the soul forge. His fingers trailed across the smooth outer shell as he examined the machine from top to bottom. His eye fell on to switch that made him realize he should preheat the oven. Gendai turned on the magnificent mechanism with a flick of a switch as he walked by it. He needed to focus on the task that was literally in his hands. Heading towards the far wall that held the west door to free his hands, Gendai placed the box on a distant counter. The countertop was cluttered with hammers, chisels, and large hardy metal tongs of various sizes and shapes, bent and tarnished blades, blueprints for new tech, a pad of paper with scribbled thoughts of new metal ideas, a three quarter emptied whiskey bottle, and an ashtray protruding of leftovers. As he departed, Gendai could not help but feel a knot of shame in his stomach now that he noticed the layer of soot that blanketed everything around the artifact. He shook his head horizontally freeing his mind of the thought and focused on the more pressing matters. Returning to his task Gendai moved with purpose as he bobbed and weaved through island workbenches; every step brought him closer to his goal. He was not quite in a frenzy as he gathered his smithing supplies, but a rush was certainly being displayed. He had not even taken notice to the jet black, teal eyed, four-legged creature following behind in a loyal fashion as he raced around.
Finishing his scramble and acquiring his mise en place Gendai believed himself ready to journey down this slippery slope. With a pile of tools placed on a work bench closer to the soul forge and now dawning the Denreishinki GV3 on his forehead Gendai weaved his way back to his cluttered counter. Arriving at the lavender box, Gendai’s vision never left the first division symbol that was embellished on its lid. Gendai’s lungs filled with an intake of air that slightly puffed his chest beneath his shihakusho, only to be deflated with a deep sigh. His hands rose from his side and lifted the lavender lid, exposing a crimson velvet cushion, fit to display the largest of jewelry embellishments. A pristine diamond pattern was stitched into the cushion's velvet material. True talent Gendai thought to himself as he admired the craftsmanship. Gendai was further impressed with a matching lavender satchel that shielded the shards of the legendary Ryūjin Jakka from direct view. Unlike the satchel, the dark purple hilt of the zanpakuto with a circular guard was exposed to view as it lays to the right of the pouch on the cushion. Adding to the quality of this box’s shock factor and sentiment, a photograph of the founding Captain Commander was secured in the underneath of the lid .
As Gendai stared in the eyes of the man who sat in the commanding throne when he was just a young buck in the academy, a massive ball of never-ending weight built in his chest. His vision grew cloudy as flashes of the past raced through his mind. Slaying hollows with the Thirteenth Division, getting fucked up by hollows with the Thirteenth Division, Yamamoto wielding Ryūjin Jakka, his own father telling him to never speak to him again, images of walls, no seas of endless fire and more all rushed Gendai’s mind. But these were not just his thoughts or feelings. His Nimaiyan Sensory was exceeding it limits not because of his prowess but because of Ryūjin Jakka’s cries of despair. Building the might to shift his eyes from the man who died for everything he believed in felt like more then he could muster through. Taking in the view of the satchel and hilt once again, every few seconds a teary bead of liquid fell on the velvet and the items it held. Little spots of each color darkened with each splash before slowly drying back to its original tone. These tears are falling from the eyes of Gendai. He now had his right palm press flat against the wall behind the bench. His head now directly above the saddening memento looking down on to it, hiding his face. His left hand swung recklessly back and forth till his digits wrapped around the glass neck of the whiskey bottle and fumbled for a grip. Pinching his eye lids close he arched his neck back, so his snowy beard aimed towards the ceiling as he took a haul off the bottle. As the bottom came down from his partaking, his chest began to feel warm as the liquor flows through him. Bending his right elbow in order to build the force to push himself off the wall standing himself upright. Gendai returned the bottle to its position on the counter and slammed the box back closed all in one swift motion with his left hand. What was going on with him? He was feeling strong emotion and they weren’t all his. Ryūjin Jakka was perhaps the saddest thing ever right now. Not only was the zanpakuto’s partner deceased the zanpakuto’s physical form was shattered. The spirit within the rubble screamed in agony and could only be heard by those with the gift. Gendai could not bring Yamamoto back from the grave but perhaps he could restore the spirits physical form all while attempting to resolve the Seireitei’s criminal issue. With the box in hand Gendai headed toward the way he entered, back to the Soul Forge knowing what he had to do.
Since the moment Gendai had activated the Soul Forge it began to increase in temperature. The stones composing the innards of the enclosed circular hearth with eight mouths went from a cold darkness to an increasingly fiery glow. The stones started with a low deep red but began to brighten in shade as the temperature rose, eventually growing to an annoyingly bright yellow. Thankfully, there was an established rule of the Soul Forge, when being used all in the immediate vicinity must wear protective tinted eye wear. There are signs plastered all around the Soul Forge reading the same facts in hopes to aid those with a less then appreciated memory. Reminded by these dummy proof tactics, Gendai reached for his goggles and pulled them down to their appropriate spot on his face just as he approached the Soul Forge. While he did this, he realized how quiet it was except for the low humming of the forge. It was late in the night, and Gendai was not surprised to be alone at this hour. But he was not alone, was he. His senses were out of proper order due to the daunting spiritual power of foreign zanpakuto, that also messed with his emotions and clouded his head. As if able to read the shinigami’s mind the canine companion of Gendai that had been lurking step by step behind him released a squeaky little
ARF in a plea for attention. A warming smile stretched across Gendai’s face as he turned in a 180% motion placing the zanpakuto’s casket on the same island work bench he placed the pile of tools earlier. His view filled with the pup begging for his admiration.
The geezer shinigami stretched down and lifted the little creature and curled the fur ball into his chest. Retrieving the dog to his level Gendai tilted his head forward in an awkward attempt with his goggles on to brush his cheek against the dog’s soft fur. In return of his nudging gesture Gendai was greeted with a frenzy of wild lashings of gross slobbery licks. Releasing a soft chuckle from his core Gendai reared his bald cranium back up and attempted to wipe it off with his right shoulder. His opposite hand abandoned the other with the weight of the small creature so it could begin to pet the good boy.
”
You know this is fucking weird, right Kyuban? You’re are a sentient being who appreciates being treated like a pet.”An even louder arf escaped Kuban and beckoned a bark of warning at Gendai. The bearded man chuckled again.
I am in the middle of something beyond serious though buddy and need to get to work. Why don’t you go curl up in your bed and relax awhile?. Kyuban has seen everything that has transpired since Gendai had entered the Eighth Division barracks and knew he was telling no tale. Not putting up and argument the pup leaped from the average height shinigami and was on his way to catch some z’s in the south east corner.
Returning his focus to his project Gendai stood in front of a work bench that sat five feet vertically and four feet horizontally from this mouth of the Soul Forge. While he organized his thoughts, he starred off in a daze for a moment. His eyes slowly moved as ideas began exploding into his mind. He knew he needed to somehow match the spiritual energy of Ryūjin Jakka. On top of this, a ridiculous amount of heat was needed. And was Ryūjin Jakka’s fire nature going to complicate this whole process, he wondered. But when these two requirements are met, he could then get the shards of the shattered zanpakuto to melt and become malleable. But he was still missing one key ingredient. He needed a refining tool. In later years Nimaiyan’s will come to learn their zanpakuto’s are hammers for a reason but today he did not plan to use his zanpakuto. To summon his hammer zanpakuto, Chōkoku-fū to aid him right now would be problematic. Since the restoration of Chōkoku-fū the duo has only been able to freely speak in shikai state, proving how fragile she was. Concluding this thought and not wanting to push the limits of Chōkoku-fū or apply any more stress then absolute necessary to her, Gendai elected to use a Soul Hammer. A Soul Hammer is a tool created by Gendai to repair his own zanpakuto that will eventually become a tool for smiths who are not of Nimaiyan lineage. A soul hammer can take and purify a shinigami’s spiritual energy just like the soul forge and can transfer waves of energy into a zanpakuto. Thankfully Gendai thought ahead and grabbed the Soul Hammer earlier and it lays in the piles of tools next to the lavender box.
Ready to continue the re-forging process of the sacred weapon Gendai retrieved and opened the satchel and pored the silvery shards into the long-handled bowl that is used during the smelting process. Moving the smelting tool filled with the shards, Gendai lifted and carried it over to the Soul Forge five feet away. Gendai knew simply placing the shards in the heat was not going to be enough to get the shards to melt, he was going to need to feed his spiritual power into the Soul Forge to match Ryūjin Jakka’s energy. And so that is what he would do. With his goggles shielding his eyes, he inserted the bowl end of the long-handled tool and began concentrating on dispersing his spiritual energy. All his focus was centered to this task. And when the Soul Forge purified his energy and began applying the energy, the glowing yellow innards of the Soul Forge began to shift to a blue shade. This indicated the flow of spiritual energy and temperature increase. Leaving the shards over the heat for a solid thirty minutes, Gendai retracted the shards to check their progress. Unfortunately, there had been none. Gendai needed to constantly feed spiritual energy into the Soul Forge to build enough energy to rival Ryūjin Jakka. It was going to take him hours to complete such a task.
During the first hour Gendai repeatedly raised his reiryoku in a similar fashion like he did when he was amplifying his reserves. Allowing his spiritual energy to build and build like a covered pot of boiling water waiting to erupt into reiatsu . But unlike in his training sessions Gendai did not cease this progression, in return Gendai displayed his masterful reiatsu dispersion and fed his powerful waves of reiatsu into a giant crystal gem. This gem was positioned at the peak of the domed top of the forge and right beneath the ceiling, next to the brick chimney of the Soul Forge. With each wave of energy, the gem illuminated a light blue, this must be where the purifying of spiritual energy takes place.
Closing the end of the second hour Gendai had eaten one of his three portions of enhanced foods and restored his spiritual energy. Gendai was the furthest thing from slacking when it came to reiryoku level, so how had he diminished his reservoir so quickly? Gendai was pouring large portions of his energy in each dispersion into the Soul Forge. He aimed to match Ryūjin Jakka’s spiritual power by draining himself of all spiritual power and then rapidly replenish his reservoir with his enhanced foods. And he would repeat the process, a couple times over till he was able repair the zanpakuto. From here things take an unexpected turn. Ryūjin Jakka was beginning to react to the growing spiritual pressure that was beginning to rival its own. As a natural defense the shards began emitting a flame of their own, increasing the internal heat of the hearth. This was unsettling for the geezer; he had never experienced and outside source of heat entangling with the Soul Forge’s. This raised an alarm within the mind of Gendai. He needed to know what was going on with the zanpakuto within the forge. His eyes lids descended removing everything but darkness from his view as he drew in a deep slow breath through his nostrils. The image of the founding Captain Commander faded into view through the darkness in his mind as he reached out with his spiritual awareness towards the deceased man’s zanpakuto. The image of Ryūjin Jakka’s wielder faded from Gendai’s mental image, leaving his mental chamber to cascade into darkness. This did not last for long, Gendai felt as though his consciousness was being drawn into a void of nothingness. When Gendai opened his eyes, he was surrounded by flames in every direction. He was within world composed solely of fire. He stood in a circle stretching roughly twenty-four inches in radius. This was the only place in the surrounding area that was not engulfed in the inferno. Gazing up at one of the walls of fire that seemed to stretch for eternity Gendai knew it was time for action.
As he gazed onward Gendai began to speak in his gentle raspy tone. It appeared as if Gendai was speaking to himself as there was no one around except for the flames that made up this odd place.
Ryūjin Jakka, I am assuming this is your inner spiritual plane? Since the old man’s death, I bet it has been hard to survive without a genuine inner world to reside? Gendai asked a question he was nearly sure to be true. His head shifted back and forth taking in his surroundings. This place was no true inner world, it was more like a zanpakuto’s purgatory. Neither alive nor dead the spirit had nowhere to reside of its own. Ryūjin Jakka has been alone for over a thousand years. Gendai’s face sank with this realization, he knew the feeling all to well himself.
”
Who are you to speak of the late, the great Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto? Perhaps the deepest voice to ever plague the ears of Gendai echoed from every direction. It was as if all four surrounding walls of flames questioned the shinigami. It was certainly a peculiar situation Gendai thought to himself once again. He was unsure to how to respond to the ominous voice. Gendai did not personally know Yamamoto and was just a peon during his elder’s tenure. Gendai elected to end the conversation concerning Yamato in attempt to deter Ryūjin Jakka.
”
He was a god of a man, a mountain of force. But I am not here to speak of the past or a man I did not personally know. I am Gendai Nimaiya the grandson of the progenitor of all zanpakuto, Oetsu Nimaiya.” Gendai may be one to boast, but this was a reach of common ground between the two. ”
We are of the same lineage, pieces of a man whose only purpose was creation but nothing further, you are my brethren, I feel your agony and I wish only to give you some form of comfort.” This statement might have been lacking a key component but it wasn’t a lie either. Gendai sought to bring peace to the spirit. He genuinely suffered from tremendous anguish sharing these feelings with Ryūjin Jakka. ”
Allow me to repair your physical form and show you I mean you no harm. I may even to aid you in finding a new purpose, allowing your fires to rip and scorch those with criminal intent from this world.” As these words flowed from the mouth of the geezer shinigami the surrounding inferno began to
HSSSSSSS at the man.
”
I do not care for your pleasantries, boy. Make me whole so I can allow my flames to feast and reduce all creation to ash.” The circle of which Gendai stood began to grow smaller and smaller as the flames grew closer to Gendai’s feet. The slithering embers grew closer and closer until they began to scale Gendai and encase his body. There was no show of pain or any harm as the flames snared around him, he assumed this meant Ryūjin Jakka held no ill intentions for him. As the flames reached his face, his eye lids pinched shut out of instinct. He felt an embracing warmth completely shrouding him until suddenly it was gone all together. With an instant his consciousness was restored and when he opened his eyes he was back. With little disbelief Gendai was standing before the mouth of the soul forge once again. He was beyond curious what had happened and if he would ever be able to return to the place once he had been. Feeling the weight of the smelting tool that cupped the metal shards of the broken zanpakuto, Gendai remembered the process he was in the middle of. His gaze shifted downward toward the hearths mouth as he withdrew the smelting cup from the forge. And what he saw made his eye pop with excitement, the metal had finally and was ready to be repaired.
Matching the same five feet of the workbench fitted to this station but going to the right opposed to the left, you will find one the finest anvils to ever been crafted. Imbued with an absurd amount spiritual energy these anvils of the Soul Forge have been deemed nearly indestructible. Resting on top of this anvil was the cast Gendai intended to use for the repairing of Ryūjin Jakka. Pouring the molten metal into the cast, he knew it would take a short bit of time for the metal to harden with in the cast
A short time later Gendai had pried the rough draft of a repair from the cast. The mold made from the cast clashed with the anvil as it finally was wedged free. Gendai peared through his dark tinted goggles and stared at the thin and silver blade that was far from perfect with jagged edges and wavy form. This draft of the zanpakuto needs many revisions. The Soul Forge’s inferno still ripped with intensity; however, it was not as much as earlier with the flames from Ryūjin Jakka active. Gendai thought to himself perhaps this zanpakuto could have a second purpose besides searing the souls of criminals away from existence. This was neither here nor there, he needed to finish his project. Grabbing a pair of the heavy-duty tongs, Gendai used them to handle Ryūjin Jakka and placed the zanpakuto back in the forge. The blade grew hotter and hotter and began to glow a bright red and that this moment Gendai retracted the blade from the forge. The blade would soon find itself positioned flat on the anvil and from there Gendai would allow his restored spiritual energy from eating his second portion of enhanced foods to flow into the Soul Hammer. The hammer as previously stated takes any spiritual energy channeled into it and imbues it into a zanpakuto. Raising the hammer above his head Gendai swung the hammer with a considerable amount of force towards the partially repaired Ryūjin Jakka. With each swing Gendai adjusted his position moving up and down the edge, aiming to flatten the ripples in it. This beating of the restored zanpakuto continued until Ryūjin Jakka physical form lowered in temperature and needed to be reheated. Placing the blade back in the forge and pounding on it again Gendai repeated this process for a couple hours till the blade was refined to a useable but imperfect state.
Once again, a deep sigh escaped the geezer but this time it was a signal of relief. He could not believe he was able to do it. Ignorant to his imperfection Gendai became blinded and believed he deserved an award. Leaving the blade on the anvil Gendai moved to the opposing work bench where he left the lavender box. His fingers flowed smoothly over the shinning polished box as he gripped the top and revealed the matching lavender hilt resting on the crimson cushion. Before equipping the hilt from the box Gendai’s left hand dove in to the inner layers of his shihakusho above his right pec. After withdrawing a shimmering silver flask Gendai removed its screw on cap with his right hand. The metal flask that was room temperature found itself pressed against Gendai’s lips. As the very same whiskey from before flowed through him a familiar warming sensation returned. While lowering the flask from his mouth and returning its lid Gendai began to ponder if his drinking issue was worsening again. Justifying his casual drinking habits with the fact he gets up every morning and does his job, he felt little if any remorse. “
How proud dad would be” he thought to himself “
A functioning alcoholic and blacksmith just like granddad”. Gendai probably could not get any worse in the eyes of his father. His father despised the Gotei 13 and would probably faint if he were aware Gendai was repairing the weapon of the founder of it all. But Gendai swore a duty to protect the seireitei and uphold the balance of all souls in any means he could assist. He had no time to be worrying about his father’s opinion of him and his career path.
Returning his attention to the hilt after returning the flask to its previous home Gendai wrapped his right hand around the lavender hilt. Lifting it from its resting place his fingers quickly went to work on opening the hilt in order to place the repaired blade with in. After using a screwdriver and hammer to remove the mekugi pins in the middle of the sheath Gendai removed the tsuka(handle). With the tsuka off the furniture of the hilt like the guard easily slid off and was ready for reassembly. For the first time in, only the soul king knows how long, the blade of Ryūjin Jakka was reconnected with its hilt. Repeating the same process of dismantling but in reverse order the legendary zanpakuto was finally restored.
This was perhaps the biggest accomplishment next to restoring his own zanpakuto of Gendai’s life. Would it be enough though? Would he be one of the legends to eclipse time? He sure felt like he was. But what he truly wondered would it be enough to restore the honor which he had lost. Believing it would be, Gendai experienced an overflowing sense of worthiness. Wrapping the sun kissed digits of his right hand around the lavender handle he raised his arm that wielded the legendary zanpakuto out straight so that the back of his hand faced the ground. Twisting the same wrist in a ninety-degree motion to the left Gendai examined both sides of the weapon. Once concluding his evaluation, a shine from the sword reflected against his onyx tinted goggles as he raised the sword straight above his head in a vertical motion as if it was an extension of his arm. Words that would soon be regretted by Gendai flowed from his horse vocal cords “
Reduce all creation to ash”. And to the geezer’s surprise nothing seemed to happen. Lowering the blade from above his head Gendai began his examining once again. Befuddled Gendai moved closer to the work bench to place Ryūjin Jakka down. By the time he had progressed these couple steps he had begun perspiring once again. Beads of moisture protruded from his bronzed forehead and pooled into droplets. These droplets swelled and swelled with bodily content until they could no longer bare their own weight and rolled down Gendai’s face. Along with this, his right palm that was still filled with Ryūjin Jakka’s handle was beginning to sweat from a heat emitting from the zanpakuto. It was more than his face and single hand; his entire body was sweating uncontrollably. Before Gendai had time to react to this, the heat grew so intense in his right hand that he dropped Ryūjin Jakka in shock and pain. His palm was undoubtedly scorn with second degree burns and was sure to blister any moment. Paying little attention to his injury, Gendai’s attention was elsewhere as he fell into a deep adrenaline rush. His eyes widened as Ryūjin Jakka met the gravel with a
ting as the metal rattled to a settling point.
Any zanpakuto, but particularly this zanpakuto falling to the ground was a dishonor in all its own. This was not a common thought process but one tailored by a Nimaiyan descendent. And due to that, Gendai’s heart sank as he watched one of the greatest masterpieces in all existence fall to the ground. It was as if the blade was falling in slow motion as he stood frozen. A blank stare of disbelief took control of Gendai’s face as he witnessed blasphemy.
The fall to the ground was enough to ruin the sealing of Ryūjin Jakka, allowing the wild zanpakuto to create a ruckus of his own. Gendai stood only a couple steps from Ryūjin Jakka as the fissure in the zanpakuto began to shine and with every bit of brightness Ryūjin Jakka’s spiritual pressure followed. The light grew stronger as if all hopes of survival came from fighting its way out of the darkness within Ryūjin Jakka. The light grew brighter and just as it seemed as if it could not get any more hinderingly bright a release of spiritual energy consumed the area. Thankfully, the tinted goggles wrapped around Gendai’s face shielded his eyes. Unfortunately, they had no feature to aid against the spiritual pressure. Ripples of power flowed from Ryūjin Jakka through the air carrying a frightening essence, a heavy weight, and a terrorizing heat that traumatized all within the vicinity of the Eight Division barracks, including Gendai. Invisible waves of force rippled through the air and launched Gendai off his feet, sending him backwards. His body crashed hard into the cemented anvil and caused him to fall to the ground. His body banged and crunched as he ended up on his bottom with his back pressed against the anvil. As he was slouched like a rag doll that had been thrown against a wall a loud oof followed by a barely audible mutter sounding like shit escaped Gendai. The sharp gravel bed rocks stabbed through the cloth covering his bottom making it extremely uncomfortable as the pressure from Ryūjin continued to poor onto him. The weight of Ryūjin Jakka’s spiritual pressure was paralyzing to most but Gendai trained and raised his reiryoku to a substantial Level. Yeah, he may have been tossed by the might of Ryūjin Jakka, but he was still able to move under the pressure.
With Ryūjin Jakka lacking a wielder Gendai hoped he could stand his ground against the solo zanpakuto. But one thing his training did not condition him for was the incredible dry heat. The air became heavy and thick. The heat made breathing more than unenjoyable; Gendai would not be surprised if his clothes burst into flames at any moment. On the other hand, he was not sure how possible that would be with how much sweat he was producing. He could feel the dampness in the cloth around his right wrist as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was soaking his clothes in sweat. GROSS! But he could not focus on that or the pain that was throbbing from his blistered palm. He needed to focus on his surroundings. Gendai knew even though he was alone in the smithery the barracks are riddled with sleeping members at this hour, with a handful on patrol duty. No matter how much he wanted to help these members there was not much he could do at this exact moment besides handle what was in front of him.
Within in a moment of the light reaching its peak brightness and Gendai gathering his thoughts, a second eruption of spiritual energy was displayed. Spiritual energy manifesting as a concentrated column of fire escaped from the fissure, racing for the ceiling of the smithery. With a demonstration of might and intensity the flames took the place of the shining light and rapidly ate away the ceiling. Once breaking through the ceiling, which did not take more than a second or two, the column of fire began to spread and consume the roof. Flaming chunks of scorched and blackened debris crumbled from the ceiling and aimed straight for Gendai. With adrenaline flowing through his veins, a spectacle of energy emitted from Gendai as he easily saw the entire ceiling was coming down around him. He knew it was only a matter of time before the entire building was on fire. He had to do something but first he needed to escape the increasing heat and the projectiles from above. Unfortunately, he had no time or the ability to retrieve Ryūjin Jakka, so the blade had to stay put as he acted.
The energy Gendai emitted from his body cloaked his entire being. This is a technique Gendai often uses when reaching his limits in hand to hand combat. But today it acts as a defensive buffer from the collapsing building as the geezer attempted to escape. And with these defensive measures taken Gendai’s body quickly disappeared. Utilizing the shunpo technique, Gendai moved with incredible speed and raced in the opposite direction of any exit. What was he doing? He headed to the southern end of the smithery until his vision filled with a full-grown version of Kyuban. Behind him the ceiling continued to burn and collapse to the ground.
“
Yes!” an audible sign of joy escaped Gendai as his suspicion of creating a creature that did not so easily become immobilized was confirmed. Bearing witness to a fully formed Kyuban, Gendai knew his canine companion must have released a large portion if not all the reiatsu he had stored in him. It was the only possible way the mod soul was not collapsing from the crazy power of elder zanpakuto. “
Follow me!” Gendai shouted to Kyuban that stood snarling in the direction of Ryūjin Jakka. Gendai dropped his shoulder like a running back barreling through a defensive line and built the spiritual energy which he dedicated to cloaking his body. With a loud burst and explosion of dust a debris Gendai hurled himself through the southern wall of the smithery. Overestimating the strength of the wall Gendai hurled himself into a grassy courtyard. As he stumbled and regained his balance, he hoped to himself that this was not the alcohol and was just a miscalculation of power required to get through the wall. Another incident with alcohol was the last thing he needed right now he thought to himself as he turned back to gaze at his favorite place set a flame by his own hands.
As he stood a mere one hundred and eighty feet from the hole in the wall, his fists clenched in anger as he starred at the fire that snaped crackled and popped. As the fire consumed more and more of Eighth Division the night sky grew brighter and brighter. Even at this distance the heat was beginning to eat at the cloak surrounding him. This situation was growing worse by the moment. Frustration took over as his nails dug into his skin, even into the blistered sweaty right palm. It surely was causing some serious pain but between the alcohol and adrenaline flowing through his veins he paid it little attention. What did capture his focus was the shadowy silhouettes lingering in the inferno of the smithery. Had some Eighth Division members on parole spot the fire and investigate this fast? Were there poor souls burning away before his eyes? Unable to detect any spiritual presence besides that of Ryūjin Jakka within the smithery he decided it would be best to act from outside until he acquired further information.
Looking at Kyuban standing loyal by his side, he noticed the dog was panting and growing weary from fighting off such a spiritually powerful advisory. Despite how much he wanted to push himself at this moment and rush in and defend his companion from this powerful advisory, the heat was becoming overwhelming from this distance for him too. And was still increasing. They needed to get further away. With a flick of his neck, his head moved in a motion which indicated for Kyuban to move further away from the smithery. The pair moved with haste as they doubled their distance from the smithery. As they moved Gendai began to ask a favor of Kyuban. “
Hey buddy, I uhm need you to……...get who you can out of here and save as many as you can”. This was the moment Gendai realized that a serious issue was developing. This was not just any zanpakuto foolishly let loose. No, this was a miscalculation of ignorance on Gendai’s behalf. He honestly believed he would have been able to understand Ryūjin Jakka. What a fucking big head. “
Tell all you encounter to evacuate the Eighth Division and the central district. Get those who cannot move, this distance from the building if you have any reiatsu left. I am going to attempt to stop the growth of the fire some and hopefully calm this fucker down.”
Kyuban’s teal eyes gazed up at Gendai with visible worry coming from them. Gendai looked at Kyuban and simply nodded for assurance. He was again being overly optimistic and Kyuban was picking up on that. But what else could Gendai do? He had to do something. There was no one here to fix his mistake. A young man’s voice flowed from Kyuban which didn’t catch Gendai by surprise at all, “
Jee(G)
please come back safe, If I don’t hear from you by the time I get everyone out I’m coming back. I will not le……...”
"
Kyuban get out of here now and if you see any of our little friends here do not engage. I have faith you can outmaneuver them if you don’t get corned by a fuck ton of them.". Gendai’s raspy voice interrupted Kyuban. The shinigami’s eyes widened as his body moved with one quick step placing himself in-between Kyuban and the smithery. What caught Gendai’s eye was a wall of decrepit obsidian skeletons approaching them. These mangled remains made of coal and fire limped and hobbled from the hole he created in the smithery wall. From their menacing look and fire nature the geezer assumed these reanimated figures traversed with malice attentions. Shifting his glance to appear behind him, he looked over his right shoulder and shot a look at Kyuban of frustration. “
GO! Gendai shouted this time at his canine companion who hadn’t moved due to starring at fire zombies heading their way. Gendai watched as his words snap Kyuban from his stare and for just another moment they held eye contact before Kyuban darted off. Wishes of success flowed through Gendai’s mind as the trailing tails on Kyuban disappeared.
Gendai’s blue eyes shifted back to the growing platoon that was aggressing towards him.
1…2…4….6...8 Gendai counted to himself as he analyzed the approaching monstrosities. “
So what are you ugly bastards?I can only imagine what your mommas looks like.” Gendai antagonized the skeletons as he took note of one in the foreground, three following behind him, and another wave of four beyond that. He kept his eyes roaming but constantly bouncing back to these shady figures, not wanting to miss any spot of behavioral detail. Their approach was rather slow and broken as they hobbled, but they left trails of flames that burned away the grass and spread across the courtyard. “
Hmmmmm no answer huh?” Gendai shrugged at the approaching fire zombies that were roughly about three quarters of the way to him. “
In that case, I’d like to introduce you all to a friend of mine.”
A sudden wind began to stir in the courtyard. The arrival of this breeze caused the flames composing the skeletons to dance and flicker. Wisps of Gendai’s royal blue spiritual energy flashed in the wind as the wind was drawn to his left hand. The streaking of blue around his hand became more and more prominent until they dominated the winds and manifested into the sealed physical form of Chōkoku-fū. The handle of old style Japanese tantō formed perfectly in Gendai’s hand. But before the zanpakuto manifestation had to long to settle Gendai was anxious to proceed. A command of release soon escaped his lips. He raised his left hand, so the handle of the short sword was in front of his face and the tip of the blade was located near his elbow.
Gendai normally prided himself on his ability to release his shikai absent of any audible command. With Chōkoku-fū so fragile, he decided not to risk it. A poof of white cloud erupted from thin air, eclipsing Gendai’s entire body. Within the cloud Gendai felt the rush of wind rushing over his bald head, flapping his lips and eyelids as Cho mutated from a tanto to a war hammer. When the cloud dissipated Gendai could be seen hold the war hammer in his left hand with the bandages of the shikai wrapped tightly around his forearm.
Now with his shikai released, Gendai and Chōkoku-fū had a job to do. Gendai peered at the zombies that were now roughly fifteen feet from him. Observing past them he saw that there was more coming from the smithery that was nearly grumbled to nothing. These things were clearly being produced by Ryūjin Jakka but did not physically have to come from the blade. Gendai deduced this as he watched the embers in the courtyard come together and begin forming a single arm, into a torso and skull, until an entirely new coal and fire skeleton was composed. These things were being produced by the fire by an extension of Ryūjin Jakka. There was a lot of fire, there was surely a lot of these fuckers roaming around by now. He needs to seal this area off now and reduce the expansion because there was no way he was getting to Ryūjin Jakka’s physical form alone. “
And how do you plan to do that?” A petite voice that sound like it was normally very sweet, came off as rather harsh at this exact moment with in Gendai’s head. “
You suck at barrier kido………………….. I mean you know don’t suck but we both know, that no barrier kido you know is sealing away the power of the founding Captain Commander’s zanpakuto.”
Gendai’s face scrunched in disgruntlement as he bickered with the voice of Chōkoku-fū with in his head. “
Well thanks for the vote of confidence Cho!” A light sigh escaped him as he continued. “
I have a plan, but I need you to lend me your strength. I know you want to joke and play but please Cho, we have probably lost squad mates already.”
“
You know you really fucked up big this time?” The feminine voice in his head continue like a worried mother but then continued with her support. “
You know I will always help you Jee, we will do what we must.” She knew Gendai was serious as ever. He never asked for help in such a formal manner unless things were getting to hairy for him to handle.
Receiving his partners blessing to combine their strength, Gendai could now begin. He had formed a plan; it was not anything flashy or grandiose. As the skeletons were now a measly five feet from him Gendai stood the war hammer on its handle so the axe head was suspended in the air. He placed his blistered hand on the center of the war hammers head, making sure to apply enough pressure to maintain this position. As his left hand left the handle, Gendai closed his eyes. His left hand raised and rested in front of his chest in a position with the pinky, ring, and thumb collapsed, while his middle and index finger remaining erect and parallel. As he did this the spiritual energy that he dedicated to shielding his body faded. At the same time Gendai began the process of what would normally be the routine of executing one of his signature ZanKijutsu. What was different this time, when Gendai began channeling spiritual energy from Chōkoku-fū he did not stop, nor did he perform any such technique. Just as the lingering zombies got just couple feet away, a royal blue eruption of energy protruded from Gendai and Cho. A shield, no more of a transparent wall of pure reiryoku rapidly spread in height and width. As the wall grew it began to wrap into a curved dome. It was clear within seconds Gendai was attempting to encase the smithery by far with his ability to give form and physical tangibility to reiryoku.
The manifesting enclosure grew quickly but in return ate away nearly all Gendai’s reiryoku reserve. He knew making a physical structure of this size would be taxing but on top of that he was trying to enclose the energy of Ryūjin Jakka. Besides simply constructing, there is a negative force trying to destroy as he creates. This was caused from spiritual force and physical trauma from skeletons beating their obsidian limbs and skulls off the manifested wall. Having no choice but to pause and watch his construction begin to slowly regress, his left hand raced for a button located on his Denreishinki GV3. In an instant of the button being pressed a small portion of bread poofed into existence from within the depths of the denreishinki. Gendai consumed the last portion of his enhanced foods with haste as he peered through the transparent wall of spiritual energy. As his reiryoku reserves began to replenish he noticed the platoon he was trapping had grown more then double in size, at least twenty of them now. He knew he needed to keep them secured and quickly complete the rest of the barrier he was erecting, who knew how many had escaped from the north.
Returning his attention on completing the barrier, Gendai’s eye lids began to collapse once again. The opposite motion applied to his left arm as it raised to its previous position. With his reiryoku fully replenished to its bountiful capacity, he began dedicating his energy to the barrier once again. Spiritual energy began to flow from Gendai and Cho, outward, into the barrier. The previously depleting barrier began to come back to life and continue its curvature. Several of these fiery zombies escaped the grips of Gendai’s makeshift barrier from the north. Gendai knew this was bound to happen but proceeded with the process and held faith in the shinigami who would encounter these beings.
Completing the barrier that stretches three hundred and sixty feet in every direction with the smithery at the epicenter, Gendai became painfully aware of the power he was attempting to trap. With the barrier fully erected, Gendai can feel the raging power of Ryūjin Jakka with in the dome. Gendai could feel how badly the power wants to spread and consume everything. But why? Hadn’t Gendai come to an understanding with the zanpakuto spirit? Aid him in finding new purpose? Why would Ryūjin Jakka seek to destroy the Eighth Division barracks or Gendai? The geezer did not understand, but he needed to. As he stood with his eyes closed, he formulated a plan, at the same time his face pinched as he winced in pain. Nothing that could be seen was happening to his physical being. So, what was harming him? Upon closer inspection the barrier which Gendai erected had been fractured. Spider-web like cracks crept their way through the makeshift barrier. Between Ryūjin Jakka’s flaming output of energy and slamming thuds and cracks of obsidian bones being slammed away, the barriers integrity was deteriorating rapidly. Gendai was pouring his everything into this barrier to slow down progression of this disaster he created. His very essence was being used to fix his mistake, and he was willing to give all of it. But this was only a tourniquet to his problem and not a good one at that. He needed to cauterize the wound and stop the bleeding.
With a deep sigh Gendai drowned out the repeating sounds of bones pounding against his barricade and the crackling of the lingering fire. The only sound protruding his ear drums is the slamming of his heart in his chest. He has certainly been on edge for some time now, adrenaline still flowed strongly through his veins and sweat still poured from his body. That was till Gendai accomplished what he called zeroing his thoughts. He pushed all thoughts and worries from his mind, even the pounding of his heart drifted away in the distance. This allowed Gendai to free his mind to become clear. Gendai’s consciousness seemed to slip from his physical being and peered at the atrocity displayed before him. The smithery, or what was left of the smithery was swallowed by the fires of Ryūjin Jakka. A gut-wrenching twist contorted in his stomach, his fuck up was sickening. He turned back and looked at himself with disgust. He knew his physical body was defenseless and just as he realized this plan was to risky his consciousness was whisked away. Sucked through his own barrier his consciousness was being pulled toward the blazing smithery. It did not stop there, once being pulled into the smithery the suction only grew stronger. His thoughts were sucked into and swallowed by Ryūjin Jakka and his spiritual energy.
Just like on his last traverse to this place he was submerged into darkness, nothingness. But that all changed when crazed infernos suddenly ignited and consumed the area. Suddenly, his consciousness now stood before the flames of Ryūjin Jakka. A replica and place holder for his being in this inner spiritual plane, gandered at the giant walls of fire surrounding him again. And what does he do in the presence of the very being setting a blaze to his sanctuary? A proud middle finger stood erect upon a puffy blistered hand. His frame spun in a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree motion as his right arm arched at a ninety-degree elbow with his hand dawning the unpleasant gesture. As he did so his raspy voice beckoned at Ryūjin Jakka “
So what the fuck man?” Gendai questioned the ancient zanpakuto but gave him no time to answer. “
I thought we had an understanding? This was more of a rhetorical question from the geezer, clearly this was
some misunderstandings.
Gendai had stopped his spinning, lowered his arm and starred at the fiery wall ahead of him awaiting an answer. It surely wasn’t but it felt like eternity to Gendai before he heard the deepest voice to pierce his ears once again “
An agreement?You and I?” A deep ominous chuckle flooded the area.”
HAHAHAHA! Only to be overwhelmed by the deep voice beginning to yell.“
THERE WAS NO ARANGEMANT! Ignorance is all you show me nephew. The only thing which was promised is that you fix me, and I shall reduce all creation to ash.” With this the flames seemed to grow in brightness and intensity. Gendai wondered what this emotional outburst translated to in the Soul Society and if his barrier would from such an outburst. If it were broken while he was in here, he would have skeletons swarming his physical form.
Clearly this has not happened yet due to the fact he is still witnessing the great fire before him. As Gendai looked up at these great walls of fire he thought about great many things. But one thing kept coming to attention more than anything else, the progenitor of the Gotei 13, Captain Commander Yamamoto. Gendai’s head hung low, aiming towards the direction of his feet when he began to speak “
Ryūjin Jakka, this is what you believe? This what you think he would want? When the second sentence began to flow from Gendai’s mouth his head raised looking back up at the wall. Pools of liquid could be seen accumulating mass on the edge of his bottom eye lid. His Nimaiyan awareness was at his full strength as he sensed Ryūjin Jakka’s emotions. This zanpakuto was still alone in misery and seeking revenge and was willing to take it any where it could get it. As he realized this, a slight gag caught in his throat and caught him off guard. He wasn’t ready to be stern with such a tortured spirit, but he knew he must “
This is how you honor his name? The legacy you two built together, the foundation of what has lasted for eternity. Full fledged tears streamed down the cheeks sun kissed cheeks of Gendai as continue to bellow out Ryūjin Jakka’s emotions to himself “
Does none of that mean nothing to you? You would turn everything you two built to ash as if it was nothing? Honor his name, his legacy, your time together Ryūjin Jakka, savor those moments. Begin again on your path of greatness and extend the great duo’s legacy to eclipse that of time, do it so he’d be proud of what he left behind.
These were the last words Gendai shared with Ryūjin Jakka in this moment and perhaps they would be his last all together. If his attempts to sway the crazed zanpakuto’s intentions failed at least he have stalled long enough for most of his division to escape and perhaps for backup to arrive. Even if they did though who would know if his consciousness could leave this place with his spiritual energy dedicated to the barrier and Ryūjin Jakka’s being so powerful. On the other hand, if he did succeed maybe just maybe he developed a relationship with a new zanpakuto and completed the task assigned to him by the Captain Commander. Either way if he succeeds or failed or his name would live on as the drunken fool who burned the Soul Society or as a living legend the Drunken Smith who fought against Ryūjin Jakka.
