"Don't be reckless... Honestly." Reigai Yumichika Ayasegawa forced Rukia Kuchiki back, then extended a hand with an exasperated sigh. "Hadō #57, Daichi Ten'yō!"
As Reiatsu surged, the ground beneath Muten Natsu shattered.
His footing gave way, forcibly interrupting the power he had gathered for his katana-drawing technique.
Muten Natsu hurriedly swung his blade, but Reigai Yumichika Ayasegawa sent the shattered earth flying upward. It blocked Muten Natsu's vision, while fragments of stone struck the massive blade carried by the airborne Reigai Ikkaku Madarame.
The dragon markings on the huge axe across Reigai Ikkaku Madarame's back rapidly turned red. Gripping the door-sized shovel in his right hand, he brought it crashing down on Muten Natsu.
A spreading veil of ink barely blocked the shovel, but the broad cleaver that followed shattered the ink and slammed heavily against Myōki.
The tremendous force sent Muten Natsu flying. Reigai Ikkaku Madarame glanced at the cleaver, now broken apart, and let out a wild roar. He snapped the chain, hurled the massive shovel at Muten Natsu, then charged after it with the huge axe in hand.
The shovel tore through the air toward him. Muten Natsu manipulated his Spirit Ink to steady himself and disperse the force. The pitch-black armor on his left arm turned deathly white, pouring its stored power into his slash and cleaving the shovel in two.
The gap between the two halves widened, revealing Reigai Ikkaku Madarame closing in behind them.
"First Dance..." A cold light flared from the ground and surged upward. Rukia Kuchiki raised the hand holding Sode no Shirayuki. "Tsukishiro!"
A towering pillar of ice formed in an instant, sealing Reigai Ikkaku Madarame inside.
Muten Natsu swung Myōki at the Reigai trapped within the ice.
"Split and Deviate..." Reigai Yumichika Ayasegawa brought his palms together as brilliant light burst forth. "Ruri'iro Kujaku!"
The 11th Division was a combat division. To its members, the very purpose of life was battle, and a Zanpakutō should be used for direct attacks.
That was why Yumichika Ayasegawa had concealed both his talent for Kidō and his Zanpakutō's true Shikai.
His Reigai had no reason to maintain that pretense now. No one else was present, and both Rukia Kuchiki and Muten Natsu were enemies he intended to eliminate.
Lapis-blue vines grew with savage speed and wrapped around Muten Natsu in an instant. They restrained his movements while voraciously devouring his Reiatsu, steadily draining his strength.
Reigai Ikkaku Madarame had already seized the opportunity to break free from the ice. The dragon markings on the giant axe in his hand glowed crimson. Its fully awakened power had shattered the frozen pillar.
"Roam..." Muten Natsu's eyes opened slightly. "Bokukō!"
Spirit Ink erupted from him and spread along Ruri'iro Kujaku's vines until it covered Reigai Yumichika Ayasegawa's entire body in black.
Ruri'iro Kujaku's ability to absorb Reiatsu overlapped with the Spirit Ink's ability to absorb Reishi, both acting upon Reigai Yumichika Ayasegawa at once.
The winding vines twisted and trembled. Before the buds growing upon them could bloom, they burst apart one after another.
The vines shattered, and Reigai Yumichika Ayasegawa shattered with them.
Myōki swept through the air, absorbing every trace of Reishi from the disintegrating Reigai before releasing it with Muten Natsu's next swing.
The violent Reiatsu unleashed a fierce storm. The fractured ground crumbled layer by layer, rolling outward in waves beneath the raging wind.
Muten Natsu waved away the dust. The last traces of both Reigai had vanished completely in the attack.
"Muten!" Rukia Kuchiki hurried over to inspect him. Only after confirming that he was truly unharmed did she relax. "They seemed stronger than when we fought them in the World of the Living. Soul Society is rich in Reishi, so some increase in strength is understandable, but for them to improve this much..."
"Inaba has probably done something else to them." Muten Natsu steadied his breathing. "Coming here immediately was the right decision. Had we delayed any longer, the situation might have become even worse for us. But..."
Rukia Kuchiki asked nervously, "But what?"
"Compared to how much stronger they've become..." Muten Natsu blinked. "Your improvement surprised me even more."
"Did you think I spent every day in Soul Society doing nothing but paperwork?" Rukia Kuchiki proudly raised her fair chin. "I've been training extremely hard! You've seen how strong I am now, haven't you~"
All her effort had been for this moment.
She wanted to help Muten Natsu when it mattered most, just as he had helped her.
Rukia Kuchiki had played a major role in both of their recent battles. It made her feel that all her hard work had been worthwhile.
"I was feeling a little uneasy before." Muten Natsu picked Rukia Kuchiki up. "But with you here, my confidence has doubled."
"Don't double it. Put it back the way it was!" Rukia Kuchiki had already guessed his intentions when he reached for her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Soul Society isn't like it was before. Enemies are everywhere, so we need to be careful. That battle caused a huge commotion. We have to change locations immediately."
Holding Rukia Kuchiki in one arm, Muten Natsu manipulated Spirit Ink with the other to carry them forward at high speed. "The device Urahara gave me is inside my robe."
Rukia Kuchiki slipped a small hand inside, felt around, and pulled out a device resembling a cell phone. "East!"
Kisuke Urahara had made the detector using the Reishi Kagerōza Inaba had left behind, along with some Reishi provided by Nozomi Kujō. It could help Muten Natsu locate Kagerōza Inaba.
"East... So he really is at the Research and Development Institute." Muten Natsu's gaze sharpened, and he flashed aside with Rukia Kuchiki in his arms.
"Impressive reaction speed." Blood dripped from the golden blade on Reigai Suì-Fēng's fingertip. "Unfortunately, you still weren't fast enough."
A black Hōmonka bloomed across Muten Natsu's face. He placed Rukia Kuchiki behind him. "You got here quickly, Captain Suì-Fēng. And... who are you?"
Standing beside Reigai Suì-Fēng was an extraordinarily handsome man wearing a gold chain and gold bracelets, with a purple standing collar decorating his Shihakushō.
"I am Marechiyo Yoshiayamenosuke Nikkōtarōemon Ōmaeda , Lieutenant of the 2nd Division of the Gotei 13, Captain of the Patrol Corps of the 2nd Division of the Onmitsukidō, and Chief Corps Commander of the Gotei 13!" The handsome man winked as he introduced himself. "What's wrong? Shocked by my modest little transformation?"
"What shocks me more is that you consider this a modest transformation."
In Muten Natsu's memory, Marechiyo Ōmaeda should have been somewhat fatter than the Reigai before him, with less hair, a larger face, thicker lips, and smaller eyes...
"They were merely a few insignificant adjustments." Reigai Marechiyo Ōmaeda drew his Zanpakutō. "Now then, Muten Natsu, surrender quietly. Waaah!"
Before he could finish, Reigai Suì-Fēng kicked him away.
A howling wave of cold air engulfed the place where Reigai Marechiyo Ōmaeda had been standing and froze it solid.
"Idiot!" Reigai Suì-Fēng snapped. "Do you think the enemy cares what you look like? He was distracting you to conceal Rukia Kuchiki's attack!"
"Correct." Muten Natsu appeared beside Reigai Marechiyo Ōmaeda. "But not quite complete."
Muten Natsu had indeed been covering Rukia Kuchiki, but Rukia Kuchiki's attack had also been covering him.
"Crush..." Reigai Marechiyo Ōmaeda's eyes widened. "Gegetsuburi!"
The massive spiked mace had barely fallen into his hands when Muten Natsu shattered it with a single slash.
Muten Natsu took off Reigai Marechiyo Ōmaeda's head with a backhanded strike, then his pupils abruptly contracted.
A golden blade approached without a sound, stabbing directly toward the Hōmonka on his cheek.
Second Strike, Certain Death!
Suzumebachi's first strike left a Hōmonka at the point of impact. If the center of that black mark was struck a second time, the victim would die instantly.
Muten Natsu flashed aside, but Reigai Suì-Fēng followed him like a shadow. Her slender body flickered like a ghost, remaining within arm's reach no matter how he moved.
With a single motion, Reigai Suì-Fēng could pin down Muten Natsu's arm. Forget gathering power. He could barely complete a sword swing.
Unwilling to waste any more time, Muten Natsu unleashed the Hell Flames in a thunderous explosion.
Icy black fire spread outward, burning everything it touched.
"Shunkō!"
Kidō power erupted from Reigai Suì-Fēng's shoulders and back, tearing apart her Captain's haori. The resulting blast of wind forced back the approaching Hell Flames.
"You resorted to the Hell Flames this quickly..." Reigai Suì-Fēng flashed closer. "You must be in quite a hurry."
"If I don't deal with you quickly, the others will arrive at any moment." Spirit Ink poured from Muten Natsu's body to fuel the Hell Flames. Though he could no longer crush the Reigai as effortlessly as before, the power of the Hell Flames still caused his speed to surge. "Then things would get far too troublesome!"
Muten Natsu held Myōki in one hand while Spirit Ink flowed from the other and condensed into a blade. He swung both arms as his body spun, unleashing a relentless stream of attacks against Reigai Suì-Fēng.
"The others?" Reigai Suì-Fēng gave a soft laugh. "No. No one else is coming."
Muten Natsu swung his blades and released intersecting waves of ink that covered a wide area before him.
"We devised many ways to restrict your abilities, but we never expected you to come to Soul Society on your own. Once you arrived here..." Reigai Suì-Fēng's voice drifted unpredictably. She appeared behind him and kicked toward the back of his head. "The other Captains went to the World of the Living to capture Nozomi Kujō. By now, it should already be over."
...
World of the Living, Urahara's Shop.
Every trap and barrier Kisuke Urahara had prepared in advance had been destroyed. Urahara's Shop lay in ruins.
Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin lay gravely wounded on the ground. Tessai Tsukabishi had lost an arm.
Yasutora Sado was sealed inside ice, completely unable to move.
The ice covering Tōshirō Hitsugaya was stained with blood. The horrific wound across his chest had been forcibly sealed shut with ice.
Momo Hinamori stood beside Tōshirō Hitsugaya, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Although her injuries were not severe, she had no power to stop the numerous Reigai Captains.
Only Orihime Inoue could still barely maintain Santen Kesshun, shielding everyone who could no longer fight behind her.
"Hey!" Reigai Kenpachi Zaraki rested his Zanpakutō on his shoulder. "The fight's over. Hand that woman over!"
"You should understand the difference in our strength by now." Lightning flickered in Reigai Jūshirō Ukitake's eyes. "Stop resisting for no reason."
"A barrier this weak..." Reigai Gin Ichimaru raised his short blade. "It feels like I could break it in one strike."
What do I do... What do I do...
Orihime Inoue's gaze trembled. Muten Natsu was not here. What was she supposed to do?
Everyone had been gravely injured. Unohana-san had not yet recovered her strength.
The only person who could still fight was...
"I..." Nozomi Kujō stepped forward. "I'll go with you, but you can't hurt anyone else here."
"Nozomi..." Orihime Inoue could only watch as Nozomi Kujō walked toward the gathered Reigai.
"You are in no position to negotiate," Reigai Byakuya Kuchiki said coldly. "Whether you wish to come with us or not, the outcome will remain the same."
"Orihime." Retsu Unohana's gentle voice sounded beside her. "Look at them."
"Unohana-san?" Orihime Inoue did not understand, but Retsu Unohana's voice helped calm her chaotic thoughts.
Retsu Unohana placed a hand on Orihime Inoue's shoulder. "You lived in Soul Society for a time and interacted with their real counterparts. Do you believe they would ever behave this way?"
"No... They wouldn't..." Orihime Inoue stared at the familiar yet alien figures before her. Their faces were familiar, but their actions were not. "They would never do something like this."
"These Reigai differ not only from the real people they imitate, but also from Nozomi Kujō and Ririn." Retsu Unohana whispered into Orihime Inoue's ear. "They have no thoughts of their own, no will of their own, and no souls of their own. Kagerōza Inaba created them from Reishi solely to serve his selfish desires. They are pitiful tools."
"They're... pitiful tools?" Orihime Inoue murmured.
"That's right. Grafting the memories of their originals onto these Reigai is an insult to our former comrades." Retsu Unohana pointed toward Reigai Sajin Komamura, who had seized Nozomi Kujō by the wrist. "You should stop them. Stop those pitiful... tools."
"Tools..." Orihime Inoue's eyes lost focus for an instant.
Santen Kesshun vanished from before her, replaced by a graceful arc of golden light.
"Koten Zanshun. I reject!"
Reigai Kenpachi Zaraki was the first to notice the golden streak, but the Reiatsu it carried was so faint that he could not be bothered to stop it.
Reigai Jūshirō Ukitake's expression changed. "Watch out!"
He swung his Zanpakutō to intercept it, but his body suddenly swayed, and he coughed up a large mouthful of blood.
"Damn it..." Jūshirō Ukitake cursed. "Does this happen even to a Reigai?"
Reigai Byakuya Kuchiki raised a hand. Pink cherry blossoms swept toward the golden light, only for it to pass through them as though they were an illusion.
No. It was an illusion!
***
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