[A/N : just showing development people]
Uryuu and Pesche stood side by side in the dimly lit corridor of Las Noches, the endless white stone stretching into shadows behind them. Their opponent stood a short distance ahead, her purple hair falling over one eye and a long, thin whip-like weapon resting lazily over her shoulder.
Cirucci Sanderwicci. Arrancar No. 105. Her smirk was condescending, her golden eyes narrowing as she studied the odd pair before her.
"A Soul Reaper reject," she sneered, "and… whatever that thing is."
Pesche gasped dramatically, placing both hands over his chest. "You wound me, madam! I'll have you know, I'm a proud ex-Adjuchas with impeccable manners and a solid skincare routine!"
Uryuu adjusted his glasses with a sigh, eyes narrowing behind the glare. "You really don't have to respond to everything, you know."
"But I must, Uryuu!" Pesche said, striking a heroic pose. "My honor—my pride—demands it!"
"Your pride is wearing tights and a loincloth."
"Exactly! It's bold. Daring. Sensual—"
"Please stop talking," Uryuu muttered.
Cirucci tilted her head, visibly annoyed as she watched them banter like she wasn't even there. Her weapon twitched in her hand.
"Are you two quite finished?" she said coldly, tapping her foot.
"Almost," Uryuu said, raising a hand to silence her. "I'm still deciding whether this fight is even worth my time."
Cirucci's eye twitched.
Pesche leaned over to Uryuu, cupping his mouth. "She's gonna blow a gasket soon."
"I'm counting on it."
Without another word, Cirucci let out a sharp cry and spun her whip, which fanned out into a massive bladed ring, the ends sparking with crackling reishi. The hum of power filled the hall as her weapon rotated faster and faster, until it glowed with energy.
"You'll regret mocking me, you little fashion disasters!"
Cirucci Sanderwicci launched forward in a flash of sonido, her spinning ring screaming through the air as it carved up sparks along the ground. The hallway howled with raw energy, reishi-charged wind whipping through the corridor as her attack closed in on Uryū like a reaper's scythe.
Uryū moved calmly, stepping aside with elegant precision. The ring missed his head by inches, carving into the wall behind him with a high-pitched SKREEEEE! Pesche yelped and dove behind a column.
"I'll be right here if you need backup! Or dramatic applause!"
Uryū exhaled through his nose. "Just stay out of the way."
Cirucci grinned as her weapon returned to her in a deadly arc. "You dodge well, Quincy. Let's see how long that lasts."
She launched the ring again, this time from a different angle. Uryū raised his spirit bow and fired.
THWIP!
A single reishi arrow struck the spinning edge, knocking it off-course. The ring bounced off a pillar and rebounded toward Cirucci, who caught it with one hand.
She narrowed her golden eyes. "I don't recall Quincy being so fast. You weren't like this before."
"I wasn't at full power before," Uryū replied, already forming his next arrow. "Now I am."
Cirucci lunged again, her ring splitting into multiple spinning segments mid-flight. Uryū rolled under the volley, loosing several arrows upward as he did.
CRACK! BOOM!
Each impact knocked a segment from the air. She landed nearby, panting lightly, but smiling.
"Fine. Let's take things up a level. You've earned it."
She raised her hand above her head, spiritual pressure surging around her. Reishi whirled like a miniature storm, dark and violet.
"Snap, Golondrina!"
Her body glowed and transformed. The segmented ring collapsed into a new shape, reforming as long metallic whip-like extensions. Her arms gained sharp, blade-like wings, and energy surged around her in jagged bursts.
Pesche peeked from behind the rubble. "Ohhh no, she's doing the flashy evil thing!"
Uryū narrowed his gaze.
Cirucci's voice echoed, slightly distorted by the energy pulsing from her form. "This is my Resurrección. You should feel honored. Not many get to see it and live."
Without warning, she flew toward him, wings slicing through the air.
WHOOSH!
She swung the whip, which curved unnaturally, lashing at him from multiple angles. Uryū bent and twisted through each strike, minimal and smooth, his cloak rustling but untouched.
She spread her wings.
FWOOOOOM!
A barrage of glowing energy feathers launched from the wing-blades like a scattergun.
Uryū leapt upward, gliding along the wall before flipping down. He fired arrows in mid-air, detonating many of the feathers before they could reach him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Still, some slipped past his defense. He landed, raising his arm to block a cluster.
The explosion knocked dust into the air.
When it cleared, he stood unscathed.
Cirucci scowled. "What are you made of? That should've shredded you."
"Reishi control," he said coolly, stepping forward. "And you're wasting yours."
Her eyes burned with fury. She rushed in, whips spinning, wings glowing, launching a wild, relentless assault.
Blades clashed against reishi.
Sparks flew.
Then, Uryū parried one of the whips and moved close.
With a quick motion, he drew a silver tool from his side. It shimmered like an arrow-hilt.
"Seele Schneider."
A radiant blue blade of energy extended from the hilt with a sharp VRMMM, humming as it vibrated rapidly.
He slashed once. Her wing took the hit and recoiled with a flash of sparks.
She leapt back, glaring. "That's not a normal arrow..."
Uryū spun the Seele Schneider in his grip, the vibrating hum singing through the corridor. "It's not just an arrow. It absorbs reishi with each rotation."
He moved.
FWOOSH!
In an instant, he closed the gap. His blade flashed.
CZZZK!
Her whip-arm clanged as he slashed across it, knocking her back. She steadied herself, but he didn't stop.
He attacked again. One strike. Two. Three.
Each blow drained her energy, her weapon weakening slightly.
CLANG! CRACK! SHHHRING!
Cirucci flew up to avoid the next hit and unleashed a volley of energy feathers again.
Uryū darted through the barrage, Seele Schneider raised to absorb stray reishi as he moved. Then, just as she prepared to dive in again—he stopped.
He let go of the Seele Schneider.
It stuck into the ground beside her.
Then another landed. Then a third.
Cirucci blinked. "What are you—"
Two more Seele Schneider blades landed in a perfect star-shaped pattern around her.
Uryū raised one hand.
"Sprenger."
KA-THROOOOM!!!
The blades connected, igniting a web of reishi light that exploded in a brilliant column. The force blasted outward in every direction. Dust, wind, and debris rushed down the corridor like a storm.
When the light dimmed, Cirucci lay in the center of the scorched seal. Her wings were tattered, her weapon shredded. She groaned, trying to push herself up.
Uryū approached, calm and composed.
He pointed his bow at her chest.
"You can't win," he said simply.
Cirucci stared at him, rage and disbelief swimming in her eyes. Then slowly, she slumped forward.
Pesche emerged, clapping softly. "Such grace... such power... And not even a single hair out of place!"
Uryū turned. "Let's go."
"Yes, Captain Glasses, sir!"
They vanished into the shadows of Las Noches, leaving Cirucci broken behind them.
TO BE CONTINUED