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"First Dance, Tsukishiro."
The ground beneath the Arrancar FracciĂłn shimmered with white light, freezing upward in jagged pillars of ice. Faces twisted in shock, they shattered the bindings and flashed into the air. But the light surged higher, scattering snow like ash. One caught the strike too late; ice devoured him whole. A white blade swept once. The frozen body split clean in two, shattering to fragments as a petite figure landed lightly among the shards.
"Rukia!" Orihime gasped.
Kuchiki Rukia rose from the snow, expression solemn, eyes cold on the enemies above. "Orihime, are you unharmed?"
"I'm fineâbut Ichigo-sanâŠ" Orihime's voice broke, gaze trembling toward Ichigo's bloodied body.
"I told him not to rush in on his ownâŠ" Rukia's reproach carried the edge of worry as she looked upon her fallen comrade.
The Arrancar erupted in anger. "Damn it⊠Roy's dead! We were busy toying with that fool and never saw her coming!" Rage boiled in their voices as they drew blades, vowing revenge.
Grimmjow's own gaze shifted, narrowing on the Shinigami below. His fists clenched, joints cracking. "You dareâŠ"
The mustached FracciĂłn leapt forward, shouting, "Master Grimmjow! Leave it to us! We'll crush her and avenge Roy!"
Grimmjow paused, lips curling. "Fine. I don't waste effort on small fry."
Four blades unsheathed at once, reiatsu swelling violently.
Rukia's chest tightened. One-on-one, she could manageâbut against four, even with Sode no Shirayuki, her chances were slim. She remembered in that momentâshe wasn't here as a warrior, but as a liaison. She wasn't alone.
Footsteps echoed.
Every head turned. Grimmjow's pupils shrank. Orihime's voice trembled: "Su Li-san!"
The white haori caught the light, its hem stained by wind and dust.
"Captain Su Li, these ones are too strong!" Rukia said quickly, pulling out her Denreishinki. "I'll contact Seireiteiâhave the seal lifted so you can fight at full strength!"
Su Li's reply was faint, almost careless. "No need."
A heartbeat later, the mustached FracciĂłn burst apart into a cloud of blood.
"Kufang!" the others screamed, horror striking their faces. Even Grimmjow stiffened.
Rukia's breath hitched. He had struck down an Arrancar in one blowâwithout even lifting his seal. What was his true strength?
Su Li brushed blood from his fist with indifference, eyes narrowing on the survivors. "Unlucky for you. I'm in a foul mood today." His tone cut colder than the snow still drifting around Rukia.
Another blow, another eruption of crimson mist. Two remained, trembling as realization struck.
"LeonisâŠ!" They finally recognized himâthe boy whose plain uniform was now replaced by the white haori of a captain. That haori was no longer white, but painted scarlet with blood.
Their fear turned to pleading desperation. "M-Master Grimmjow!" they cried, but their voices were cut short.
Two more bursts of blood, raining down in scarlet streaks across the ruined street.
Orihime and Rukia could only stare as the gore fell upon their cheeks. Four FracciĂłn had been erased in the blink of an eye.
Reiatsu exploded upward, savage and volcanic. Grimmjow's voice broke into a roar. "You bastard! You bastard!!" Fury burned in his eyes as his body crouched low, muscles coiling. The ground cracked beneath him as he launched forward like a cannonball.
Su Li turned slowly to meet him, expression flat.
"I'll kill you!" Grimmjow bellowed, claws gleaming as he slashed for Su Li's chest. His speed was blinding, his ferocity absoluteâuntil a single unremarkable fist struck him first.
The blow sank deep into his torso, folding his body around it. Blood spewed from his mouth as his momentum reversed, his body blasted backward into the same crater he had created earlier. The impact deepened it into a vast pit.
Grimmjow gagged blood, eyes wide with disbelief. He was famed among the Espada for his speed, his sonido sharper than most blades, yet the boy's strike had landed before his claws could touch him. Not only fasterâdeadlier. His hierro, hardened by countless battles, had been crushed like brittle glass.
Before he could recover, pain flared. A foot pressed down on his wrist. Blood burst as his arm snapped off at the joint.
His scream split the night sky.
"Cut it now, so you won't have to later," Su Li said coldly, his tone almost clinical.
Orihime trembled, her voice shaking. "Su Li-san⊠s-so scaryâŠ" The gentle captain they had knownâthe easy smile, the lazy warmthâwas gone. What stood before them now was a figure soaked in blood, eyes devoid of mercy, as monstrous as the Arrancar he slaughtered.
Rukia's heart clenched. Last time, that back had felt like the very image of security. Now it chilled her to the bone. She finally understoodâSu Li had never been a lamb. He had only kept his fangs hidden. They had known his smile, but not his true nature.
Still, she reminded herself, he was on their side. That alone was fortune.
Grimmjow's howl broke through, feral and furious. Blood dripping from his mouth, he seized his ZanpakutĆ with his remaining hand. "I'll kill you!" His voice shook with madness as he raised the blade high. "Grind, Pantera!"
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