“You will take nothing from us!”
“You will take nothing from us!”
The Oda and their exploits, their strengths, their methods—all of which were no secret. Perhaps the fact that Tenzen has forsaken many of the brutalist nature of his predecessors was the reason he was permitted to be Captain today and not exiled like his kin. However, if there was a time to revisit said nature, to allow it to encompass everything you are; every swing of the sword, or casting of a spell—it was now. It is for this very reason, that there was no surprise towards the unleashing of the Kido Corps Commander’s ferocity. In truth, it was welcomed; no it was
demanded. It was the very essence of what Higen had asked for. Why should they show remorse to perhaps the most dangerous foe to ever stand before them, when an enemy far less threatening would show no remorse to them. It is a learned behavior, not a skill; a learned behavior that he had taught for the past century. The dazzling Lieutenant Arashi Suta, a man of few words, and of deceiving smiles. A serpent in the grass that hides behind a luminous spotlight, and a friendly grin. The leaps he had taken in recent years had been boundless, finding the strength to ascend into the Heavens, not unlike Hoshizora—so that he may finally reach his goals. The new Captain of Ninth division, who may as well been the spawn of the Phantom himself, reluctantly fills the Dragon’s shoes. She evades Captain Kojima’s shadow, as well as the disappointment of her former Captain. It is Kyomu’s gaze, that haunts her sleep, his voice, that echoes in her ear—she may have passed the exam, but would she ever be good enough to truly garner his approval? The trio all had their doubts, their troubles, their flaws, but how many of them were put to rest to truly reach their fullest potential as warriors? Whichever strength they gathered, whichever ploys they attempted to use against the Commander, all of this meant nothing to Higen, just as he was sure his strengths and tactics meant nothing to them.
Tenzen, was masterful in the usage of his zanpakuto, but if not careful, he could be put in a predicament where he’d come close to erasing the very manifestation of one of his comrades. Arashi could call upon the heavens, yet the stars would show no mercy in their bombardment, raining down upon Tenzen and Yasu alike. And lastly, the master of the black marsh, chooses to cover the battlefield in her abyss. It is indiscriminate, able to consume whom and whatever is pulled down within it. The three masked had their own goals, and perhaps outside of the Oda clansman barking orders, their own plans. But most importantly, they had to ensure that they were performing cohesively. If each of them were not a cog in a functioning machine they would fail. Three masked; two Captains and a lieutenant no-less, and somehow.. it was
Higen who felt advantageous. Whilst the others had to make conscious efforts not to trip over each other, Higen was free of any and all tethers of the like. He did not have to look to his left, or right, to ensure his allies were out of harms way. He did not have to dial down on the scaling or usage of certain techniques with fear that a comrade would be hit in the crossfire.
No. The commander was free of all binds. The last time they looked a Head Captain in the eye with golden orbs they hardly remembered their consciousness; Higen would do his best to mimic the beating they’d received from his predecessor.
The commander would have to be savvy. He was no tactician, and yet, he was forced to combat three—no,
Six minds. Not a vizard himself, he was not ignorant to their inner workings, two souls fighting for—or in this case working together—in the same body. For some, these hollows would poke and prod at the weaknesses and insecurities of their host, for others, like these three, they offered an array of confidence and knowledge to not only cover the flaws of the trio, but to inherently enhance their strengths. Well.. this is what he asked for.
”Bakudo #76: Bonshō!” (梵鐘, Buddhist bells)
”Bakudo #76: Bonshō!”
It begins, a spell of which he was gravely unfamiliar with. While most would find room to be startled, or fear the unknown, Higen relishes in it. At his age, there is little he has not seen on the field of battle, so each new obstacle is a welcome sight. A massive bell-like construct hovers over the Commander. It hosts a golden luminescence, before an imminent darkness comes from its innards as they surround Higen. He does not think to attempt to move out of the way, it was definitely more his speed to face things head on as opposed to avoid them, but even if he had intentions on doing so—
” Bakudo number 61, Rikujōkōrō.”
“Hm?”
The commander was intrigued, he quickly looks down as the bars of light pierce his mid-section. And still, no motion. Just what exactly was he waiting for? Finally as the one fluid motion comes to a halt that had been initiated by the Fifth Division tandem, he is sealed beneath the bell. He gauges the strength of the lieutenant’s spell in the most infinitesimal of moments. Realizing that just by raising his reiryoku by a crumb, it becomes breakable by the Titan. He does not willingly raise his spiritual pressure himself, however. He instead insists of another method, a method concealed by the bell that has completely concealed him from those outside, unable to identify his actions within. Through two spells colliding with him, and the existing Reiatsu of the three beyond, his presence becomes muddied, lost in the stew of the many spiritual energies.
“Hitsumishi.”
Hushed and hurried, it is all that is needed from an individual who has spent almost one thousand years learning and mastering everything there is to know about his zanpakuto. In the instant the final syllable crosses his lips, his hands—still bound at the elbow around his mid-section, become clad in a shining cobalt. The light form the rikujokuro reflects against the spikes along the knuckles of the Commander’s Shikai. The moment he releases his blade a process ensues, with multiple steps. These steps, that happen a mere half second after each other follow as such: Higen’s reiatsu rises from the miniscule fraction that he had displayed to them earlier, naturally boasting more spiritual energy whilst in his shikai form. This allows him to use his oppressive reiatsu, physical strength, combined with the
Senren that hugs tightly against his skin, to easily make fragments of the lieutenant’s spell. The process continues, as Crystal begins to formulate around both of Higen’s fists, before coating his entire body in a crystalline armor. From the outside, Arashi’s light bombards the bell, perhaps if the Commander was coated in rock or stone, it would shatter from the vibrations present inside of Captain Oda’s spell. But no, it is Higen’s unbreakable crystal, which absorbs the waves of sound entirely, and would absorb any reiatsu that had made its way inside as well. The final step of the process ensues. The crystal spreads quickly, violently, from the surface of his foot onto the ground in which he stood. Like a plague it spreads, over the ground, into the ground, beneath the bell, inside of the bell, all over the bell. It violently creeps beneath the Fifth Division Captain’s spell, and stretches to coat the entire battlefield in an instant. Like a lake freezes over the winter, The marsh becomes victim to a bed of crystal. It is Higen, and no other, who shapes the battlefield to his liking when using his zanpakuto; In this he has no equal, no contest. The amount of Crystal is insurmountable, the entire chosen area for battle is enveloped in emerald. The sun itself causes a gleam to rise from the surface he created, reflecting against the verdant glow below.
What is to become of the lieutenant turned Captain? The entirety of her marsh had been left below the unbreakable crystal, with herself submerged beneath it, like a child stuck in water beneath a bed of ice. Would she suffocate? Or perish instantly? Would her bankai subside as the spreading crystal clips her flowers by the stem? On the other hand, the crystal spreading over the battlefield would encroach the fifth division duo, aiming to lock to them at the ankles and hold them still. From the base of the crystal bedding would also rise hundreds of spires, ready to impact the two individually, their trajectory would be followed, a mental lock on their reiatsu signature, which they would have to keep constant to keep up with the Commander’s. They aimed to pummel them both like an endless flurry of fists, shattering their bones to dust, evaporating their masks into nothingness; there was no angle in which the pillars and spires did not approach his adversaries, surrounding them completely in an endless web manifested by Higen’s shikai. The bell’s integrity was weakening by the second, the Crystal that encompassed its insides halting it from tolling, whilst Higen continued to fuel all that he created with his own reiryoku, sending a pulsating wave of green energy through the battlefield in one second intervals. The commander wasn’t even visible, and yet, caused so much destruction and devastation. Without having to go near them, their lives were all in imminent danger. How would the masked fare? Did they truly understand just what exactly they were up against?
