At this time, Kurotsuki Renya was pressed against the underside of a jagged rock wall. He had used a layered strategy to survive: first unleashing a combined Kidō spell to distract Ramirez, then sliding down the cliffside in the chaos, boring a hole into the stone with Iwa-nami (Stone Wave) and concealing himself inside before cloaking the entrance with Kakushitsuijaku's concealment principle and Bakudō #26: Kyokko (Curved Light).
Renya could only hope that this camouflage would keep him safe from Ramirez's detection—but what truly terrified him was whether Aizen might be watching from above.
I can only pray…
Renya clenched his teeth, enduring the agony burning through his battered body. The medium-class Hollow before him was far too specialized against him. Ramirez could negate his Zanpakutō's powers entirely and neutralize all of his lightning-based Kidō, stripping away both his shikai and Raijin Shunpō.
Even discounting those counters, Renya still possessed combat strength near the seventh-level standard of a Vice-Captain. But the high-tier Kidō he mastered were overwhelmingly thunder-element, while his mid-tier Kidō lacked enough destructive force. Against an enemy whose raw speed and strength already surpassed his own, he was completely outmatched.
Curled in the darkness of the cave entrance, Renya's only thought was not to be discovered by Aizen.
⸻
Above the clouds, Ichimaru Gin's sly smile stretched wider.
"Captain Aizen, he ran. What are you planning to do?"
Aizen's calm eyes didn't waver. He shook his head lightly.
"No… he hasn't fled. He's merely concealed himself."
He extended a finger toward the cliffside, as though pointing directly at Renya's hidden spot.
Ichimaru's smile widened further. "Ara… do you intend for Ramirez to finish him off?"
"Of course," Aizen replied smoothly. "If Ramirez's dual abilities are allowed to become known, the Gotei 13 might grow suspicious. That would be… inconvenient. He must be eliminated here."
⸻
At that moment, Ramirez's hulking form shuddered, then twisted its massive head toward the cliff. Its lipless grin widened.
"So… there you are."
With a grotesque flutter of his wings, Ramirez dove toward the cliffside and slammed into the cave. The entire structure cracked and collapsed with a thunderous roar, rubble and dust burying him.
But from the chaos burst Renya—he had baited Ramirez inside, then darted past at the last moment. Using Iwa-nami again, he loosened the upper rock wall into cascading sand, buying precious seconds to escape.
Of course, Ramirez burst free of the debris almost immediately, his grotesque form surging back into the air in relentless pursuit.
The Hollow's speed was monstrous, nearly on par with Shunpo itself. Each beat of his jagged wings closed the gap rapidly.
Renya knew: Ramirez was no ordinary Menos-class creature. Like Metastacia before him, this Hollow had been artificially shaped by Aizen's hand, endowed with abilities far beyond natural evolution. His raw strength and speed were fearsome enough, and combined with his ability to nullify Renya's very element, Ramirez was an executioner tailor-made for him.
I can't outrun him forever…
⸻
Renya skidded to a halt, forcing himself to face the monster head-on.
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
Blue fire burst from his palm, engulfing Ramirez. But almost immediately, the Hollow burst through the flames, his armored hide barely scorched. The wide-range spell lacked the concentrated power to injure him.
Renya's hand snapped outward again, six bars of golden light exploding into the air.
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!"
Six beams slammed into Ramirez, freezing him midair.
Renya wasted no time—he turned and sprinted. But with a resounding crack, Ramirez shattered the spell's bindings, his laugh echoing.
Renya grimaced. Even at my best, without the incantation, high-level Kidō drops to barely a third of its true power… Even Aizen himself can't bypass that limitation. Against an opponent like this, my binds are useless.
Again Ramirez lunged. Renya, desperate, layered another spell.
"Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan!"
Dozens of light rods cascaded into the air, striking and pinning Ramirez briefly. But again, the restraint shattered almost instantly, and the monster was on him.
Suddenly Ramirez vanished.
"What—?!"
From below, that chilling rasp sounded.
"Found you…"
The Hollow's fist tore upward, slamming into Renya's leg. With a sickening crack, his right leg snapped, sending him spiraling into the dirt.
He tried to rise, but his body screamed in agony. Ramirez loomed above him, wings spread wide, shadow swallowing him whole.
"You can't run now…" Ramirez hissed, step by step closing in.
Renya's chest heaved. Is this where I die…?
⸻
But just as the Hollow's fist descended, a calm voice rang out:
"Spin, turn the waters of the world—Nejibana."
A surge of water erupted in spiraling torrents, forming a barrier around Renya. Ramirez's fist struck, breaking through the outer waves, but was stopped by the ceaselessly replenishing spiral.
Renya's eyes widened in relief. Standing ahead, trident gleaming, was Shiba Kaien.
⸻
Ramirez snarled, wings cracking the air as he lunged straight for Kaien.
"So fast—!" Renya thought, but Kaien had already faced foes of speed. His trident caught Ramirez's blow with precision, redirecting it effortlessly.
With a sweep, Nejibana unleashed a vortex of water, layers upon layers wrapping Ramirez and dragging him into a crushing spiral.
The Hollow roared, hammering the water barrier with his fists. For a moment, even Kaien seemed impressed.
"Strong brute force… but that's all."
The vortex constricted, collapsing into a massive sphere of water. Ramirez thrashed within, but the flow absorbed his strikes, dispersing them harmlessly.
"Had enough? Nejibana—Senjikaze!"
At Kaien's command, countless water blades whirled through the sphere, slicing in all directions at impossible speed. Ramirez's wings tore away first, his monstrous frame shredded piece by piece until nothing remained but mist and blood in the water.
⸻
Silence followed.
Renya let out a ragged breath. "Thank you, Lieutenant Kaien…"
Kaien glanced back with a soft smile. "No need for thanks. Didn't you save me once too? We're even."
He lifted Renya onto his shoulder. "Come on. You need Fourth Division treatment immediately."
As Kaien carried him toward Seireitei, Renya's mind refused to rest. His thoughts circled darkly.
Will Aizen silence me here? Will he kill Kaien to erase the evidence?
His nerves stayed taut, but the feared strike never came.
Only when they crossed into Seireitei's protective walls did Renya allow himself a shaky breath of relief. He was safe—for now.
But one truth gnawed at him: Aizen had specifically engineered Ramirez to counter him. That knowledge could shake the foundations of Soul Society. If Renya survived, the storm to come would be far greater than anything he had yet faced.
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