The pointer of time dialed back slightly—Karakura Town. To be precise, the false Karakura Town. By now the city was already drowned in chaos, a battlefield painted in fire and blood. Raging flames roared across its streets, filling the air with acrid smoke, while the endless clamor of killing cries reverberated through the ruins. Shattered stones and shattered tiles clung with clotted blood, their crimson sheen a silent testament to the cruelty and ferocity of the fighting that had already unfolded. Yet the struggle had not ceased—in fact, it burned hotter than before.
"Omaeda!" Sui-Feng's sharp voice cut through the smoke.
Steel clashed with a thunderous crack, the echo scattering sparks as Omaeda staggered back and retreated to his captain's side. His breath came heavy, blood dripping from torn palms already ripped open during earlier clashes, but instead of recoiling in fear of the pain—as was his nature—he stood firm, waiting anxiously for her command.
"What's the matter, Miss?!" he asked, shaking blood from his hands.
"Chop off my hand." Sui-Feng's tone was flat, cold as steel.
"What?!" Omaeda's eyes widened. His pupils shrank to pinpoints as he followed her gaze and saw the horror overtaking her arm. Her left hand had already withered into exposed bone, the flesh devoured by a creeping pallid force that climbed relentlessly upward, corroding everything in its path.
"Quick." Her frown deepened, voice low but unwavering.
"Vice-Captain…" Omaeda's expression twisted, but hesitation here meant death. Clenching his teeth, he raised his blade. Steel flashed, and with a single strike her left arm was severed at the root. Blood sprayed; Sui-Feng's face blanched, lips biting down hard enough to draw more blood, yet not a sound escaped her throat. Weakness was waste.
"Oh? Straightforward action."
From the throne, Baraggan Louisenbairn, the Segunda Espada, spoke with faint amusement. His skeletal visage tilted, eyes gleaming with cruel admiration.
Sui-Feng slowly raised her pale face, her glare burning with murderous resolve. "Keep your praise… and let it be your epitaph."
Her reiatsu exploded skyward like a thunderclap.
"Bankai! Jakuhō Raikōben!!"
A colossal cannon materialized across her slender shoulder, the weight borne by sheer will as much as strength. Eyes blazing with venomous intent, she leveled the weapon and fired.
The shell tore through the air like a blazing star, its force shaking the heavens as it hurtled toward Baraggan. Yet the king of Hueco Mundo did not so much as flinch. The projectile slowed, its sheen corroding mid-flight as rust spread like a disease across its surface. Inches before impact, it crumbled to dust and vanished into nothingness.
"Damn…" Sui-Feng hissed, pale and trembling, teeth clenched in rage. She knew well the source—the power of decay that eroded all things.
"Captain Sui-Feng, allow this old man to assist!" Hachigen's steady voice rang out.
Her gaze flicked toward him, determination reigniting. Though the first shot had drained nearly all her spiritual reserves, she gripped the cannon once more, resolute even if collapse was the cost. Years ago, she had tested the limits of Suzumebachi by invoking it twice in one day; today, she would demand the same of her Bankai.
With a sharp click, Jakuhō Raikōben locked onto Baraggan's frame, while Hachigen's seals wove rapidly around the air. For the first time, Baraggan's expression shifted, a shadow of seriousness flickering across his skeletal mask.
Elsewhere among the towering buildings, a storm of explosions ripped through the night. The sky rained with spiritual bullets as Coyote Starrk, Espada Primera, stood with twin guns in hand, his face unreadable while endless ceros poured from the barrels.
Opposite him, Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō dodged desperately, their bodies slashed and bloodied. Their captain's coats were shredded, feathers torn apart, blood dripping down their frames. Even Shunsui's bamboo hat had long since disintegrated in the crossfire.
"Hey, Jūshirō, this can't keep up much longer. I might have to go Bankai…" Shunsui's lazy tone rang hollow against the grim set of his brow.
"No! Not here. Your Bankai can't be used in public!" Ukitake's refusal was sharp as he twisted aside from another hail of bullets.
"Then what do you suggest, hm?" Shunsui muttered irritably, hand reaching instinctively for a hat no longer on his head. That realization soured his mood even further.
"I'll think of something…" Jūshirō's frown deepened as his mind raced.
Meanwhile, Starrk's attention drifted, his calm broken by the nagging voice within.
"Why don't you just use a Cero already? These weak shots won't kill anyone! Ugh, your hands are sweaty—gross!"
The corners of Starrk's mouth twitched. Lilynette. The voice belonged to his other half, the girl who had become his twin guns after Resurrección.
"Lilynette, shut up. You're too noisy—I can't even aim properly like this."
"What? You can't beat them yourself?! Then shove the gun down your throat and fire, you idiot!"
"…Honestly, you really are a troll," Starrk sighed, unable to contain his exasperation. Yet his focus snapped back, body blurring forward with Sonído as he unleashed another barrage that pressed the two captains harder than ever.
"Hey, Jūshirō! Thought of a plan yet? I'm about to be swiss cheese here!" Shunsui shouted, sweat rolling down his face.
Ukitake's eyes hardened. "No choice. If it's come to this, then I'll—"
But before his words could finish, a shadow flickered behind him.
"Be careful!!" Shunsui's warning ripped out, pupils narrowing in alarm.
Too late.
A thin arm pierced straight through Ukitake's chest.
Blood burst out as Jūshirō coughed violently, vision collapsing into darkness as his body plummeted. The attacker's face was vacant, mindless—Wandawice.
"Jūshirō!!" Shunsui's scream tore out as his friend fell, but his line of sight was suddenly blocked by the black barrel of a gun.
"Sorry. I don't want to kill you, but…" Starrk's voice drifted cold.
The muzzle flared, and in the next instant a dark blue Cero roared forth, its brilliance splitting the heavens.
The sky itself was swallowed in light.
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