Bleach Hereafter RPG

(A Fearsome Foe)

The battle hardly ceased or slowed down after Akira's statement. Hyakuji declared his indifference to Akira's story while charging at him and barraging him with a flurry of stabs from his summoned sword. Against it, the ancient Shinigami placed his Zanpakuto, moving it just as swiftly as the Captain. A few of the attacks slipped past, slashing at Akira's dark clothes, but the rest ended up blocked and deflected. What Hyakuji saw as a monster, nothing more. A murderer and a psychopath who toyed with the emotions of an innocent demoness, for whom he deserved nothing more than destruction.

And perhaps that was true.

Pushed back after a spirited blow, Akira merely stared at Hyakuji while he activated his final technique, an illusionary kido whose intent was to haunt the ancient Shinigami with the screams of the dead and the wailings of the Duchess. It was a distraction, used to keep the attention of the target until the lanterns approached and then detonated.

A brilliant burst of blackened energy rolled across the battlefield, spewing out a cloud of flame and ash. By now, several of the demons and shinigami were watching the battle, this fight for the fate of mankind proving far more important than their own meaningless squabbles. Having recovered her friend from near death, Captain Avasarala floated from below, watching Hyakuji with concerned eyes. She was the first to tell that he did not have a lot more fight left in him.

"Hadō #63. Raikōhō!" Captain-Commander Katsumoto yelled, unleashing a powerful blast of lightning from his fingertips which flung the Demon King away, sending him flying across the skies of Fake Tokyo with a long trail of energy. The old Shinigami used the brief window of time he had to turn his attention to the battle on the rooftop below.

Young Hyakuji... are you sure about this? This is nothing like the enemies you've faced before...

(Return of the Rightful Heir)

A faint gust rolled across the silenced battlefield.

The vestiges of Hyakuji's attack faded away, and, suddenly, a pulse of Reishi rolled throughout. This time, it was Hyakuji who would be targeted by an illusion. For a second, Ardata's death was shown first, followed by Irisa, then, flashing like brief lights, thousands upon thousands of others. Many innocent Pluses who strayed to Akira's path thousands of years ago and were felled. Warriors who joined the ranks of the first Shinigami under the wing of the young hero Rengoku Katsumoto and perished in battle for the fate of Soul Society. All of them with stories, aspirations and shattered dreams of their own.

The demoness was far from his first victim - and Akira did not show an ounce of regret for any one of them.

The illusion, if successful, would be shattered like glass by the ancient Shinigami's sudden charge - aiming to slam his knee into Hyakuji's gut. Next, grabbing the Captain by the neck, he'd throw him through a building or few for good measure and finish off the combination by sending forth a barrage of Reiatsu bolts from his Zanpakuto, aiming to pin his opponent in the air.

"Oh, I am not here to ask for your sympathy, or bore you with sappy tragic backstories."

Akira stood in a fighting stance, his Zanpakuto raised above his head - then, he'd suddenly lower his sword, and the Reiatsu pins would dissolve.

"But I can tell that all you've been told by Katsumoto is that I'm a heartless monster who needs to be stopped. He's not wrong, but that's not why he wants you to destroy me. This world holds many heartless monsters, I'm far from special - you're a heartless monster deep in your heart, too."

Speaking that, he bore a faint smirk, but suddenly, it faded away, leaving a stern, judgmental frown.

"Do you truly believe, kid, that your "Captain-Commander" rules Soul Society? Or... do you already know who stands above him? Who's been there since the beginning of time?"

Unfortunate Souls

As exhausted as he was, Hyakuji struggled to get up. The reishi particles in this battlefield were not enough to rejuvenate himself… he’d need to tap into the Hogyoku's power soon… as much as he hated the idea of using it, there was no other choice but to rely on the shard in the succeeding moments of the battle…

Before he could even reach into his pocket however, he noticed his illusion didn’t seem to stop. Or rather, he was seeing another kind of mirage… something that he did not cast.

It was Akira’s.

Looking in the direction of the white-haired devil, he saw Ardata, the Duchess demon he just fought with, seemingly disappointed. Next would appear the ghost of the ever-cheerful Irisa who, like Ardata, gave him a disgusted look. Many more souls would gradually emerge in front of him… shinigami, pluses… all who looked weary and full of regret. Perhaps they were people who have fallen into the hands of the ancient death god. Souls whose lives he had looked down upon and stepped on…

The captain would strengthen his grip on his odachi, motivated to avenge the apparitions he just saw. All the more reason to end the existence of this heartless monster….

However, the illusion shattered even before he could make a move; the Duchess, Irisa, and all other ghosts he had a glimpse of broke into brittle shards of glass. What followed was a painful sensation. It was only then that the death god realised his enemy was already right before him, kicking him in the gut.

“Ugh” Eyes widened in shock while his mouth spilled out some blood.

Still surprised by the attack, he was not able to defend himself as Akira grabbed him by the neck and threw him into the nearby building. The impact caused large cracks, some debris falling into the crimson sea below.

The demon was not done yet however, as he summoned reiatsu bolts in his zanpakuto and directed them towards the weakened shinigami.

Hyakuji would try to deflect them, yet, they were faster than he anticipated and so the bolts would connect to him; one would pierce right through his shoulder, the others to his legs and feet. Another punctured his left wrist, causing him to lose grip of his sword.

He was barely listening to the ancient death god’s monologue… as he resolved to not hear his reasons or pathetic explanation.

“I…” he’d whisper to himself… How come I am still this weak?

He’d recall the many times he thought he failed to protect the people he cared about. Not just his friend, or his master or his lover… but those he knew and have met along his journey… Diana… even Valentina who had succumbed to her insane dream and allowed herself to become a victim of her delusions… Irisa… and even all the shinigami who fought alongside him, Fudou, Nijikata, Hiro… Rekka and his friends…

Maria…

He’d take a glance in her direction. The tinted barrier was still intact. Good.

At least the other captains might come and finish where he left off before the barrier breaks…

“I’m sorry… Ma..ri..a”

As the reiatsu pins dissolved, gravity would pull him down, allowing the sea of blood to swallow the weary Captain.

Hyakuji would fall and plunge into it, trying his best to muster up any strength that was left of him.

To no avail...

“Is this..."

"... everything I’ve got?”

[583]

Akira couldn't lie, it was very disappointing. For a little bit, he was expecting this "Hyakuji" to be the challenge he was hoping for out of the new generation of Shinigami, and for some time, he pressured the ancient heir just a bit more than the two Captains, giving hope that he might fulfill these expectations. Yet, here he was, collapsing from such simple techniques, leaving Akira alone on the battlefield once again.

"So worthless."

There was no point in telling him the true nature of the world now. Not unless he proves himself to be more than a piece of trash thrown by the way's side. Akira briefly twirled the Zanpakuto in his hand, then pushed it back into its long sheath.

What was a pulse pounding battle between two titans mere seconds ago turned to pure silence. Hyakuji's body was falling towards the seas of blood that covered the surface of Fake Tokyo, none of the Captains made a move just yet. Those who were watching the battle were staring in disbelief. By now, Akira had three wins against zero losses, and against three of some of the strongest warriors of the Gotei 13, without hardly breaking a sweat.

You would have to be insane to recklessly charge against such a monster, no matter how furious, distraught, horrified, vengeful you were.

Akira's eyes glanced to the side.

The still in the air suddenly broke. Power pent up and hidden from everyone was suddenly unleashed.

"BANKAI!"

(Break Through the Limit)

An utterly enormous burst of power was unleashed within the cage created by Hyakuji, overwhelming even for a Bankai. Inside of the overflowing Reiatsu, Maria slowly lifted her giant Zanpakuto above her head, where a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and slammed straight into its tip, leaving a deep crack. The crack went further and further, until the weapon split into two, then reformed into two separate blades.

That was the cue for a final transformation burst, one which easily smashed through Maria's confines and then roared forth, saturating much of the sky of Fake Tokyo.



The unexpected change got even Akira to raise an eyebrow - more because he hadn't been expecting much of the girl that Hyakuji brought with him. She was clearly second rate compared to him, and the only Shinigami in the battle who was not one of the Captains or Vice-Captains - hell, he wasn't sure why she was even here.

Yet... she managed to surpass those pathetic expectations.

Reiatsu pressure continued to burst out of Maria at a constant rate, and her muscles massively expanded from their normal state, quite unladylike even at first glance. What was worse, however, was that the eyepatch she always had burned down in the transformation. It did not allow her to see any better, but it also no longer obscured her scars.

Letting out a mindless scream, accompanied with another release of Reiatsu, Maria suddenly lunged at Akira, with speed and power that got him to make a step back and draw his Zanpakuto again. Against two ferocious slams down, he used both his primary weapon and the Ken no Kagi, then made another step back to keep blocking the increasingly powerful blows.

A Bankai that puts the user in a berserker rage... That must be why the girl was so hesitant to use the full extent of her power before... Captain Avasarala thought to herself as she watched the beginning of the fight, then turned her attention back to Hyakuji. Tendrils of blood from the lake that her Bankai summoned extended out to catch the fallen Captain, immediately initiating healing to the best of their ability, while the woman herself floated down to meet her peer.

"Captain Hyakuji!" she called out. "It's not over yet. Please, she can't win this battle all by herself, neither can any one of us... we need your help."

Back from the Grave

There was a girl standing far away from where I was. Where was I again? I didn’t know. I was not sure. Everything was white all around. Strange…. But she was there, away….All I could see was her back… I wanted to call her, to shout her name but I… I couldn’t remember… I wanted to call out, but I seemed to have lost my voice until….

… she was swallowed by the pitch darkness. And so I wasn’t able to see her face…

“We meet again…” Said the voice that echoed in the void.

Somehow the voice seemed familiar… as if I’ve heard of it before… or rather… as if I have been with her before…

“Who’s there?”

“It’s been a while. Muimina Hyakuji. You no longer seem to remember your dreams as it is clear you have forgotten about me.”

Dreams… darkness… void.

"...Kuukyo-sa?”

The voice chuckled a bit, “Very perceptive as always…”

“But where are you? Why couldn’t I see you?”

“I am here.”

The mysterious voice replied, yet there was no one, not even plant or animal life in the vicinity. Only coldness and never ending darkness.

“You should know by now. What my true form is…”

“But… you said your true form is the void and so you manifest in the person I care about the most. You should take in the form of Ma—-”

“That was half truth. In the hope that you will be able to forgive yourself. But that… Ayame’s manifestation here in the past is merely your own illusion. Your own creation. As you hold onto guilt, sorrow… and regret. I can only reflect what you create in this void. “

“Then… what is your true form?”

Again, the voice merely chuckled… reverberating eerily in the dome of nothingness.

“You already bore witness to it. This is my true form. I am nothing. Here, you can create anything. Go beyond what your mind can perceive or comprehend, and I will make it a reality. That is my true power.”

---

“...Hyakuji! Captain Hyakuji!” a voice called out, the almost worn-out Captain opened his eyes and found himself in the arms of his fellow Captain, Avasarala.

That dream... it had been a while since his zanpakuto visited him in his subconscious... Or perhaps, Kuukyo-sa was right. And he was not able to remember the times the spirit of his sword came into contact with him.

“Avasarala-taichou…” The shinigami recognised the presence of his comrade. Hyakuji moved his hand, opening and closing his fingers, feeling rather... rejuvenated, as if he now possessed a newfound strength… and power. He got up, and realised there were still some tendrils creeping away from him.

“Arigatou, Avasarala-taichou…”

The intense reiatsu above made him turn towards the battle in the sky; and it was only this time that he noticed his barrier had already been broken. At first, it was Akira who did it, but examining further, he caught sight of Maria who had already gone berserk. There was no mistake, the strong and powerful spiritual signature was coming from her.

“Maria-san!” He leaped towards her as soon as he called out her name. Yet… the lady shinigami didn’t seem to budge… She was so focused on the fight that she could care less about her surroundings.

Hyakuji turned his attention to the enemy. If she couldn’t be bothered by his presence, then he should just do what they have always been doing. Fight together… even if she can’t see him. Right now, the goal is to put an end to Akira’s existence.

The captain would take the opportunity of the distraction. As Akira stepped back, he would appear behind him to kick him in the face. This time, with a rather stronger impact, pushing him away from his partner. He would summon a now-pitch black katana on his left hand.

“...You can create anything. Go beyond what your mind can perceive or comprehend, and I will turn it into a reality. That is my true power..”

The steel wings, composed of different weapons were now replaced by more refined, darker feather-like blades. With a single strike of his weapon in the air, a massive dark beam would come out and chase after the white-haired demon. Should Akira be able to avoid it, Hyakuji would again attempt to take advantage of it to come into close combat with his opponent at lightning speed, his sword striking with intense and powerful blows.

Iridescent blue eyes glaring in fury at the sinner in front of him.

The angel of death is back.

[772]

(Break Through the Limit)

Maria threw one swing after another, increasingly growing even more ferocious while being unable to break Akira's defense. For now, the ancient Shinigami was testing the limits of her abilities - something about her Bankai appeared unique, breaking her past the average limit of the release. It is usually five to ten times more powerful than your Shikai... but the Reiatsu pressure she's emitting is constantly pushing past that edge.

Suddenly, moving as fast as lightning, the ancient Shinigami slipped past Maria's defense, to the point where it appeared instantaneous to the berserker, and activated a similar one-inch punch as the one he used to cripple Kenpachi with. His finger was pointed to her chest, then the hand suddenly formed a fist and smashed between her ribs, swatting her away with a powerful impact.

"I suppose you are a bit too... blind for me to offer you any compliments, so let's cut to the chase."

Akira raised his Zanpakuto, aiming another atom-precise slash, this time towards the staggered Shinigami's neck. Before he could make a swing, however, Maria moved first. Overwhelmed by the flowing energy, she briefly let loose of her swords and clutched her head, grunting, then roared out with an enormous burst. Reishi stormed across the battlefield, forcing Akira to briefly shield his eyes and blasting several of the weaker Shinigami and Demons aside.

"Young Tokareva!" Yama yelled out, still weak and slumping away from the heat of battle, clutching onto the stump that was left of his arm. He finally recalled what the girl reminded him of - it was one of the low ranking members of his Division, a troublemaker who used to rough up other Shinigami in the Eleventh every once in a while - he hadn't even known that she could release so much power, yet, he had suspected that she must be a bit more than meets the eye for some time by now. "You're releasing your power too wildly... this is going to get someone hurt, if you don't hold back..."

It was unlikely that his words could get to her, though.

"Alright... I stand corrected," Akira muttered - just in time, as a furious Maria suddenly appeared right in front of him. She was unarmed, but she didn't need her swords - she grabbed the ancient Shinigami by the face and drove them both into the roof of the skyscraper below. A piledriver crashed into the building, toppling several floors from the sheep force of the impact.

Briefly letting go of the face, Maria went for another swing - this time, however, Akira was not going to be taken off-guard. Simply raising his hand, he stopped the blow with his palm. Powerful shockwaves rolled across the surroundings, breaking apart and blasting away falling concrete debris, but Akira was unmoved.

The struggle got him to flash a faint smirk. "Enough." A sudden spin-kick, faster than Maria could track, followed, striking across her face and sending her flying.

Right as he was about to finish her off, however, a strike just like his own came swinging from the side - it was Hyakuji, who had, apparently, made a miraculous recovery and returned to the fight. The kick was powerful enough to push Akira away - with a platform of Reishi under his feet, he slid across the air before making a full stop, and remained in the same, staggered position for a few painfully long seconds. Only then did his eyes turn away from Maria to Hyakuji.

The Captain he had dispatched of so easily before was back, and stronger than before.

"You again..."

Hyakuji lunged at him, firing off a beam of dark energy from the tip of his weapon - Akira did not run away, merely tracked it with his eyes, then sent forth a swipe across the air at the very last moment. Striking at the attack at the subatomic level, it instantly broke the integrity of the beam and split it before it could reach the ancient Shinigami. This, however, made him vulnerable to Hyakuji's next attack - a spirited barrage of strikes at close quarters range.

The first pierce across the air forced Akira to swiftly turn his head to the side, the blade of Hyakuji's Zanpakuto claiming a single piece of hair. That's the closest that Katsumoto's minions have gotten to dealing damage so far... With both his own Zanpakuto and the Ken no Kagi, he moved to a defense against the next blows, swinging his weapons just as quickly as Hyakuji attacked, until, finally, he caught the other Shinigami's blade in between both of his, holding his swords crossed in order to press his opponent's weapon in between them.

"So then, Shinigami, back to what we discussed - what do you know? Who rules Soul Society?"

...

Having received a painful blow from Akira, Maria took a few seconds to recover - and by now, the rapidly building up Reiatsu pressure within her body was urging to be let out again. From the destroyed roof of the skyscraper, she slowly floated up, then, with a scream, let forth another torrent of energy. This time, surrounded by a sphere of Reishi, she shot forth blasts and bursts in every direction, each one with enough power to level entire buildings.



The entire battlefield was being saturated with a destructive barrage.

Your lies, your truth

Somehow, Hyakuji managed to be at par with the ancient death god’s strength. At least, for now. Of course, he realised the enemy might still be toying with them and had not yet given his all in this fight… He could only hope he'd be able to keep up with him should he showed them what he's really capable of.

The training.... it should suffice right? After all, he had been gone away from Soul Society for this battle. Although, admittedly, he knew he wasn't prepared yet.

That was not the concern as of the moment, however.

The long-maned Captain briefly glanced in Maria’s direction. While she was exuding such powerful reiatsu and had been able to keep up with the battle so far, at the back of his mind, he wondered how long she could stay like this. It seemed she was not even aware of her current state. If this goes on, he worried she might suffer the consequences later… if not in this fight, in the near future probably. This was the first he had seen her like this, and while he commended her strength, he feared the dangers it might pose could be unbearable.

Well, that’s something to keep in mind. He'd need to find a way to turn her into her sane self. Meanwhile, he turned his attention back to Akira as he spoke, rather eager to tell his side of the story.

“If you truly are desperate to have your story be heard, then… be my guest,” the hero quipped, as he swung his blade to his side; the blade pointed down, yet the shinigami wore the same wary expression as the opponent might lunge forth at him any moment.

“Tell me, what excuse do you have to trample on the lives of others? You exterminated a whole clan. Invaded a peaceful city and killed hundreds of men in the process. You killed the only person who looked to you as if you were an angel, yet you are rotting like a heartless monster to the core."


As Hyakuji prepared to attack, barrage of powerful reishi bursts spread and exploded throughout the battle arena. He looked towards the source and found out it was the berserk death god.

As problematic as she was in this state, Hyakuji figured he could at least take advantage of her attacks to distract Akira again. Avoiding the blasts that came his way, he’d make his way towards his opponent, again striking with his pitch-black sword. After connecting with the enemy he would disengage quickly, his weapon dissipating into nothingness. A few blades would then appear, surrounding the white-haired demon to imprison him.

This was only the beginning, however, as Hyakuji summoned more weapons at his disposal, he’d command them to charge at the trapped demon, aiming to impale and pierce through the most vital organs of the enemy.

Now he needed to do something about the one-eyed death god…

[496]

(Desperate Assault)

Noting the sudden and unexpected release of Reiatsu further away, Tendo turned away from the overweight transformed demon Belxibis, currently restrained in a mesh and web of red threads, and shot a glare towards the battle between Akira, Maria and Hyakuji. For an instant, he flashed a smirk of pride - after all, it was his ingenious training method that allowed the young Shinigami to achieve such a level of power - before it returned back to a stern frown. There was not that much reason to be overjoyed. Maria was an overflowing cocktail of power, unable to control it bursting forth - sure, that made it seem impressive when first sensing her pressure, but it didn't allow her to defeat Akira all alone.

But, with Hyakuji, they should be able to keep him busy for a while...

"Here you are!" a scream reached Tendo from the side. It was Princess Zarzil, already transformed in her Partial Manifestation form - having finally pushed past the Vice-Captain of the Fifth Division, she lunged straight at her former employer.

Good luck, you two. Immediately pushing his thoughts aside, Tendo suddenly turned around, just in time to clash against Zarzil's claws. Yet another battle in the skies of Fake Tokyo began.

Hyakuji and Akira's blades were locked while utter annihilation was taking place around them. Several of Maria's blasts headed straight towards the ancient Shinigami, and though they slammed against him, leaving powerful explosions that rolled across the sky, none managed to budge him.

"I told you, I don't need your sympathy. I am not going to grovel, or cry about injustice. I do what I do because I have the power to - that is the only currency of our world. Not honor, or righteousness - power," Akira answered, calmly, while the lock of their blades suddenly ceased and Hyakuji went on the offensive again. With a sudden swing, he pushed the silver-haired warrior back, then summoned a prison of blades around him, sending them down to impale him from all sides. One pitch black weapon struck, then another, and another.

For a few seconds, the momentum of the fight ceased. Maria's ceaseless screams from the overflowing power were still in the background, and the barrage which saturated the city continued, explosions surrounding the two Shinigami from every side.

"Your Captain-Commander is nothing more than a custodian," Akira suddenly began to speak from within the entrapment. Even though his chest was impaled from several different directions, it did not impair his voice at all. "The real ruler of Soul Society... it is the ancient being known as the Soul King. He existed before either one of us and will exist after us. And he... at the very beginning of time, divided the realms to their rightful rulers. His son, the Emperor of the Quincy, was to rule mankind, and his daughter, the Queen of the Hollows, was to rule Hueco Mundo..."

A devilish smile crept on Akira's face.

"And I was to rule Soul Society. I was trained by the Soul King's guard, to become more powerful than the Soul King's children - and I came down to Soul Society to claim my birthright. Your Captain thought differently... he thought he could extend his time at the top by sending me to Hell. But... as you can see, that hasn't worked, has it?"

Behind the imprisoned Akira, Maria suddenly emerged. Having released the excess Reishi, she once again lunged at the ancient Shinigami, and held her weapons up, ready to stab down and skewer her opponent. Almost instantly, the blades impaling him and restraining him broke, pressured by suddenly tensed muscle, and just as swiftly, Akira vanished, leaving nothing but a whiff of air in his place.

Maria continued charging forward - straight to Hyakuji, but stopped at the very last moment, with her two swords mere inches away from the other Shinigami's nose. Right as she was about to cut him apart, she realized who she was about to attack - and so, her mind won over her berserk transformation.

"H-Hya!" she called out. The last time she saw him, he appeared almost certainly killed - and yet, here he was, back on his feet and fighting alongside her. Her surprised, yet joyful smile was then suddenly cut short.

The Ken no Kagi stabbed her in the chest, from the back.

Angel of Death
A few distance from the northern side of the battlefied, Altair need not turn his head to Hyakuji’s display of power. He was the one who trained him after all. The faint smirk suddenly turned serious as he recognised the half-demon form of his opponent.

“Ridiculous. Your friend could never beat his ancestor. Akira is so much stronger than your Captain Commander. How could a mere captain like him defeat him?,” Prince Ilvamal remarked, floating above the kraken-like formation of his bone outgrowths.

“Yeah, yeah… the mere captain who once defeated you,” the visored quipped back waving his hand as he dismissed the demon’s argument, “... and he was not even a captain then,” he further teased.

“Why you…”

The kraken-like bones suddenly clumped together, forming a gigantic skeleton, serving as a barrier and at the same time a weapon akin to a giant mecha.

“Now, I don’t have the budget for that. But at least I got this…”

“...bankai!”

---

One by one, the pitch black blades pierced through the ancient death god. None made him scream in pain, however. As it seems, the swords did not actually affect him at all.

Akira, as eager as he was, told Hyakuji his intentions, beginning with the history of the different spiritual realms, which Hyakuji himself had already read in the deep parts of the Archive. The succeeding moments however, left him in surprise, albeit not obvious in the stoic expression of his face.

Truthfully, there was no mention of a person, either in the records or by prophecy, who could rule the whole of Soul Society; and why would someone train him to become more powerful than the Soul King’s children? Who is this guard? And did the Soul King even know someone plotted against him? Maybe it was the reason why Rengoku sent this man to Hell in the first place?

“And what would you do if you were to rule all of Soul Society?”

The Captain’s question was left unanswered as the lady shinigami suddenly emerged from behind Akira. Before she could attack however, the ancient death god broke out of the dark stakes piercing him and vanished, leaving no trace of his existence.
Hyakuji looked to his left and to his right, his senses heightened as he tried to figure out his opponent’s whereabouts.

While distracted, Maria who was still in her berserk mode suddenly lunged straight at him, stopping herself last minute as she managed to recognise the person before him.

The gleeful expression on his face suddenly changed as Akira re-emerged from behind her, stabbing her with the Key sword that he used to erase the existence of his own lover.

Eyes widened in shock, Hyakuji realised what could happen the moment he twists the sword; thus quickly fading from the demon’s view. Only to re-appear beside him, gripping his hand holding the key sword to prevent the demon from twisting the key, kicking the demon on his chest with all his might at the same time, so Akira loses the grip on his sword and thus gaining enough distance to whisk Maria away from him as much as possible.

He’d strike the air with his blade, forming a tear in the atmosphere and thus, sending the stabbed shinigami to it, teleporting her to Captain Avasarala below.

He’d glance at the captain briefly as he implored her to look after Maria for a while.

Hyakuji would then turn his attention back to the white-haired demon.

“You have no place in Soul Society or in any realms…” the shinigami in white haori claimed, clenching his fist in fury.

“You do not even deserve to be in Hell…” a flare of powerful reiatsu, able to scare off the remaining lower-ranked demons.

The shards from his pocket, pulsed and glowed exceedingly, as he absorbed their power. Hyakuji’s eyes turned iridescent again, more glowing than ever. His pitch black wings, wider and more glorious. He would grow two massive horns on his temple, with fragments of black mask on his cheek. His sclera now turned dark while he maintained the iridescent colour of his irises.

“I will erase your very existence, right here. Right now.”

At that, the visored shinigami charged faster than the blink of an eye. His strikes, rather faster, more powerful and accurate. A diagonal slash across the man’s chest, another slash from below upwards to scar his face, a quick stab to the gut, to be concluded by a slit to the demon’s neck.

Brutal. Maybe. Yet this is not the end.

Once his strikes managed to wound the ancient death god, he'd make a brief escape, snapping his fingers. The wound would flare up with dark flames, with hellish intense heat that couldn't possibly be withstood by no ordinary means.

[806]

(Desperate Assault)

In truth, Akira could not care less about Maria. She displayed a considerable amount of power, but she was not a warrior, her soul was clearly not of one. When the need came, she jumped forth to try to become a hero, but the hesitation and self-hatred that he could sense in her during her first swings made it clear that she simply did not hold the necessary potential. Hyakuji, on the other hand...

When Hyakuji appeared right in front of him, Akira's first move was not to twist the Ken no Kagi or defend himself, but simply clutch onto his weapon tight - so, he was pushed back and Maria was set free, but the artifact remained firmly in the ancient Shinigami's grip.

The threat to his girlfriend's life was successful, and Hyakuji was invigorated for a second round of the fight. Maria merely managed to mutter out a yelp before the Captain tossed her through a rift in spacetime, dropping her almost straight in the arms of Captain Avasarala, and returned to the fight.

"Young Tokareva! Are you alright?" she immediately called out. Maria was wincing, and her heart was still pounding rapidly after having been pierced through and almost certainly on the precipice of death mere moments ago, but when she tapped the place in her chest where the Ken no Kagi had protruded from, she found no wound.

"God... damn it... Hya..." she muttered, ignoring the Captain's concern, and pulled herself out of Avasarala's grasp. Yet again, Hyakuji chose to bear the burden of the fight by himself, and implicitly sent Maria away so she would stay out. She wasn't worth much on the battlefield, sure - even now, after her training, she knew that she wasn't much of a hero, or a savior, or a leader at all. Yet... to see Hyakuji struggle all by himself, it was painful.

Akira watched Hyakuji's transformation in silence. Something... something was different. He had already activated his Bankai, and yet he was pushing himself even further. The release of Reiatsu from his body was powerful enough to alarm many spectators, while the transformation that followed... was shocking.

"What... what is that..?" Maria was the first to speak, muttering with a concerned, almost frightful tone. It was more than just another release of his weapon, Hyakuji turned more mutated, Hollow-like, the mask fragments now attached to his face giving him a very Arrancar look. She was not the only one who noticed this. Several of the Captains turned around, the Captain-Commander stopped in his tracks and easily flung Vilgrath aside to be able to get a good look at the new transformation, and Tendo, watching from above, struck a faint grin.

Watching next to Maria, Captain Avasarala, connecting the transformation to long suppressed memories from centuries ago, answered:

"He is... a Visored."

I thought Hollowification was impossible... Akira thought to himself, observing the form. Suddenly, the transformed Hyakuji struck. Moving at an unbelievable speed, faster than he had ever displayed even in his Bankai form, he sent a barrage of slashes at the ancient Shinigami and pushed him back - Akira followed by making a slide back himself, landing on the battered surface of the skyscraper below, and then was overtaken by a yet another burst of dark flames.

For a few seconds, the technique consumed him outright - then, however, a loud, ecstatic laugh rang out throughout the battlefield, echoing between the empty buildings and the lake of blood.

"Yes!"

Akira slammed both of his swords down on the ground, the force of impact sending a shockwave that rolled across the entire fake city. Buildings trembled, windows broke, and a torrent of wind rolled past, brushing aside the ferocious dark flames, at least for now.

"This... this is exactly what I was looking for," the ancient Shinigami announced. A wide smirk was plastered on his face - perhaps a surprising reaction to a man who declared that he will erase Akira from existence this battle. The power, the skill, the determination, all able to match him, perhaps even more... it was the perfect groundwork for a battle for generations. "Come on, then, Hyakuji! You wish to erase me from existence? I am wide open, and ready for your move!.."

With a faint, ominous snicker, Akira stepped forward, dragging the tips of his weapons' blades across the ground, then suddenly swung them forth, sending a powerful flurry of Reiatsu bolts at the transformed Shinigami. "Power is the only currency of this world - show me that you have enough of it, so you can purchase a chance to live another day!"

---

(Sent from Heaven)

The sheer power released by Hyakuji's transformation could be felt far, far further than just the limits of Fake Tokyo. On a hilltop somewhat to the distance from the empty blood-covered city, a portal opened, letting out two figures in pure white. Their Reiatsu was completely suppressed - although, even if they were letting any of it out, the sheer amount of unbelievably powerful energies being emitted in the battle would likely make it easy to stay hidden regardless.

"That is where the remaining shards of the Hogyoku are, and it seems they have just been put in use," one of the two, a woman, confirmed. "Yet, observing the situation, it will take us a miracle to fulfill either of our two objectives. Do you think we should continue?"

She turned her attention to the man - taller, and dark haired, next to him. Silver eyes turned back at her.

"Yeah."

Vengeful Judgment


Unlike the uncontrollable Maria who was overtaken by her bankai earlier, Hyakuji seemed to be doing well in controlling his sanity. Perhaps it was because he mastered the art of reigning over his emotions.

Yet, deep within his heart… some kind of darkness was brewing….

The almost matt-coloured flames reflected in the glowing azure eyes of the Shinigami. A faint smirk struck his face as he watched the ancient death god burn in his flames. There was so much satisfaction in witnessing an immortal being suffer in his hands.

This is what power must look like. Imagine if all souls bow down to such might… He could… rule Soul Society himself, and thus bring peace to all the realms. And anyone… anyone who gets in his way would… meet their own end.

His fantasy suddenly came to a halt when the demon who just got consumed by his flames laughed hysterically, as if he was not affected by the power that almost roasted him alive.

How irritating.

...And insulting.

The smirk that painted his face faded as swiftly as the gust of wind blew his already silver hair.
Yet he did not let it get to him. Hyakuji made no verbal response, instead, he quickly extended his arm down, pointing towards the red sea below.

The blood that flooded the whole city slowly turned black, several blood sprouts came out, headed towards the direction of Akira, aiming to pierce him yet again.

“I don’t intend to live another day at your mercy. You will beg for your life and bow down to me.”

The visored death god lifted up his hands, as his black angel-like wings took him higher in the heavens. The clouds turned angry and heavy, bit by bit… forming into a small vortex at first and then getting larger and larger that some debris got carried away and sucked by it. Several lightning would struck randomly in the battle-scarred city.

Sharp gusts of wind would strike the ancient demon as Hyakuji slashed through thin air. The hurricane, now closely following the attack, would again trap him while the random lightning would finally strike down one by one, making its way toward the imprisoned opponent, overwhelming him with an electric shock.


Surely, he would not be able to survive it. Would he?

[385]

(Battle of Legends)

Though it might not have been easy to perceive at times thanks to Akira's centuries of experience over his opponent, the scales of power were now tipped in Hyakuji's favor - already, powered up after being recovered by Avasarala's blood, he was able to match Akira at times, and now, with the Visored transformation, the advantage of raw power was in his hands.

Was raw power enough to win the fight? That was what time would tell.

The sudden outgrowths from the sea of blood below forced Akira into the defense - however, with his Zanpakuto, it was hardly impossible to cut down the incoming spearheads, rendering them asunder with strategic cuts across, turning them into no more than mist. As he expected, however, it was not the main attack which Hyakuji had prepared for him, and the precious time that Akira was forced to waste defending himself from attacks from below was enough to prepare something truly monumental above.

The storm clouds, the bolts of lightning, they all gave the ancient Shinigami distasteful memories of his last battle against Katsumoto. It seems his little pupil had some moving power over the weather and lightning as well. Pushing himself through the powerful, slashing winds, Akira landed on the floor of another skyscraper, bits and chunks of the concrete getting ripped off and picked up by the hurricane all around him, and locked his eyes straight at Hyakuji.

The bolts of thunder were coming closer and closer. and he anticipated where this was heading towards already. Akira's hair fluttered wildly and the slashes Hyakuji sent across the air tore into his clothing, managing to reach his skin, at last. All he needed to do was wait for the right moment and...

Electricity was now building up above him, ready to zap him with unbelievable force. Akira closed his eyes. He had to tap into a lot more of his reserves than he expected he'll need in this fight. If this continues, he might even be forced to make the next step forward... as much of an overkill as that would be, surely.

Suddenly, Akira launched himself forward, the counter-force of his sudden leap instantly crumbling the entire top of the skyscraper. The hurricane, though powerful and causing rumbles across the entire city, could not contain him, and bolts of lightning fired off from the clouds above followed after the flying Shinigami, forming a trail of shining light behind him that streaked across the sky.

Akira would reach Hyakuji and suddenly tap the Visored against the side with his blade - not slice, merely tap - and then suddenly get struck by the lightning bolts. The enormous surge of electricity was painful to the bone, giving him a sensation he hadn't felt for a very long time - yet, if everything went right, the electric surge should continue right into Hyakuji.

"If you think you have the power for that..."

Akira jumped back. This time, he did not go for a swing.

"Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi."



The sky began to darken, and, as if pixels on the fabric of reality popping into life one after the power, the walls of a pitch black coffin began to generate around Hyakuji - first, simply to seal him in a distortion of space and time, then, pierce him from every side, until he is finished off.

Eternal Darkness

Finally seeing Akira struggle to survive in the storm he caused, the hollowfied shinigami couldn’t help but feel rather content. At long last, he was now able to match his power somehow. Finally, he could somehow be treated as his equal. Although that was not his goal in this battle--- but to surpass him so that this sinner will bow down to a god like him.

Akira might be hiding some more tricks under his sleeves, but that will not deter him from reaching his objective.

The lightning struck, and while the silver-haired demon endured the overwhelming electric shock, he still managed to stay alive, albeit somewhat beaten. That did not surprise Hyakuji, however. He knew his opponent might have a slight chance of making it through.

He did not waste much time either, as soon as he recovered he lunged himself forward to the visored and tapped him on his shoulders, as he stepped back the lightning struck him. Little did Hyakuji know it was connected to him, and while he did his best to endure, it stunned him for a moment that he couldn’t respond to the assault.

Again, the ancient demon cast a spell, and this time, pixels of black fabric clouded Hyakuji’s surroundings, from his feet up to a few meters above his head, as if he was being caged into eternal darkness.

His iridescent blue irises were the last to be covered, locking into the ancient death god’s own eyes. There was no sense of fear in that stare… only cold-blooded hatred, which could make even a powerful shinigami freeze in terror as they gaze into it.


Hyakuji breathed. This darkness surrounding him was no match to the void that had been giving him his strength all this time. Even so, he had to wait for the right moment.

Until…

Several blades came out of nowhere, piercing the caged death god inside the coffin. There was no response from within… and everyone who witnessed it might assume the visored succumbed to his fate.

Altair in particular looked to Hyakuji’s direction. Out of concern, he hastened up, and tried to escape his fight with the demon prince.

“... And where do you think you’re going?” Ilvamal shouted, his colossal skeleton reached for the rebel death god, sending him flying to a skyscraper nearby.

“You won’t go anywhere. I am your enemy! HaaAAHH!”

The prince, insulted as he was, sent more bone outgrowths towards the Altair, stabbing him in the most delicate parts of his body. One pierced him to his right shoulder, the other to his knees. A stab to his gut, a shot to the heart.

“Argh!” the raven-haired man cried out in pain.

“This couldn’t be happening. If Hyakuji will not make it…. We’re all doomed.”

[470]

"Hya..." Maria whispered, staring at the pitch black coffin from the distance. She could see Altair struggle trying to reach Hyakuji, they both knew that him staying trapped there was... not good. Akira closed his eyes, smirked and raised his hand.

"Struggle all you want, Hyakuji. A torrent of gravity that distorts space and time in ways you cannot even comprehend... it is a bit tougher to punch and slash your way out of, don't you think?" Slowly, he raised his Zanpakuto, ready to deal the finishing blow. While Hyakuji was trapped here... it would be unfathomably easy to dice him apart with the unique ability of his weapon, in exactly the same way that Kenpachi was taken out of the fight in spite of his immense raw power.

Suddenly, Maria yelled:

"No!"

She lunged straight at Akira, with her Shikai at hand, hesitating to tap into her Bankai just this once, which proved to be her attack's undoing. The ancient Shinigami, seeing her charge from the corner, merely pointed his left hand at her, sending a flick which suddenly propelled her back into a nearby skyscraper, crashing through the concrete walls.



Using Maria's attack as the opportunity to charge as well, Captain Avasarala suddenly appeared behind him, already forming a rotating wheel of blood, the Karibarai, above her hand. Right as she sent it down, it clashed with Akira's Zanpakuto, and the ancient Shinigami followed with a painful kick straight into the woman's gut, flinging her away with just as much ease as her younger peer.

"Enough." Avasarala's blood ocean below them all has been rejuvenating and rescuing his opponents for far too long. While the elderly Captain was still falling through the air, Akira raised his weapon, aiming for another atomic slice to cleave her in half.

"-Huh?" Maria suddenly muttered. She sensed something move, faster than even she could track, speeding past the battlefield. Akira was about to slash forth, but stopped, briefly narrowing his eyes. Someone just picked up Avasarala and pulled her out of the way.

Behind him, ten or so meters away, a young man stood, putting a shocked Avasarala down on the ground. He was tall, with silver eyes and a pure white Quincy garb.

(Light of Willpower)

People all day today... was all Akira could think. The speed of this one was impressive, but not to the point where it would draw the ancient Shinigami's attention. He turned to face the Quincy - yet, before he could speak, asking for a name or a reason he was here, the new arrival suddenly tossed forth a small capsule of concentrated Reishi.

"Gritz!"

Reishi would instantly burst forth, channeled by the Quincy's hand movements, and form a seal around Akira, enclosing him entirely.



For a fraction of a second, the connection between Akira and the Kurohitsugi spell ceased, and so the coffin that surrounded Hyakuji would immediately vanish, dissolving into a small whiff of Reishi particles. "Hya!" Maria yelled immediately, leaping towards him, aiming to catch him if he was actually hurt by the technique.

After the Ginto's effect was activated, the Quincy pulled out his primary weapon - an Asauchi - and glanced over his shoulder, to Captain Avasarala, speaking:

"I am Hibano. Leave this man to me."