Shunsui's pupils shrank. Some Cero were different colors, some even more powerful.
He used Shunpo to dodge. The blasts slammed into the ground with deafening thunder, explosions shaking the battlefield.
Sweat beaded on Shunsui's brow. "Hey, hey, isn't that cheating? What did you mix in those Cero?"
"It's the Black Cero—only Espada can use it in their released state," Starrk said. "So, Bankai now?"
"…." Shunsui frowned, holding Katen Kyōkotsu tighter. Before he could answer, a figure appeared beside him.
"Ukitake?" Shunsui was surprised to see him.
"Your Bankai isn't suited for this place," Ukitake said softly. "This guy isn't someone to face alone. I'll help you."
"…Indeed," Shunsui agreed. "But be careful. I feel like this guy isn't as simple as he looks."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Starrk frowned at the interruption and fired another Black Cero.
Ukitake blocked it with his Zanpakuto. The next moment, his blade's tag glowed black, transmitting the light to his other blade—and he released it back!
Starrk fired another Black Cero at once. The two blasts collided in midair, exploding in a clash of reishi.
Starrk instantly appeared beside them. Calmly, he said, "Just as Captain Yoshio said—your Zanpakuto can absorb Cero."
"Did Captain Yoshio say anything else?" Ukitake asked.
"…No."
"Then… that's excellent," Ukitake replied.
Starrk was about to speak when a blade slashed at his chest. He bent back, dodging as Shunsui's sword grazed him.
"Isn't that a bit unbecoming, Captain?" Starrk flashed away, reappearing at a distance. "Interrupting someone's conversation is impolite."
"You're right. But I'm not used to chatting with a man mid-fight." Shunsui advanced. "So, Mr. No. 0, could you switch with that shark girl? I'd be gentler."
He swung again.
"Halibel wouldn't care for your gentleness." Starrk dodged and fired another Cero.
Shunsui dodged as Ukitake caught and reflected it.
Boom!
The Cero pierced through Starrk's afterimage—the real Starrk appeared above, pulling both triggers.
"Infinite Cero!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Not just a few or dozens—this time, Starrk fired hundreds of Cero at once!
The Cero surged like a blue current, streaked with black and green.
"Captain, let's see you reflect all these," he called, clearly meaning Ukitake.
Ukitake blanched—there were simply too many. He dodged with Shunsui.
Boom! Boom!
Cero rained down like a tidal wave, destroying everything behind them.
"Hey, hey!" Shunsui exclaimed. "This power is unfair!"
"That's why I want to see your Bankai, Captain!" Starrk shouted, even through the explosions.
"Next time, it won't be so easy to dodge!"
He aimed one gun at the core of Karakura Town and the other at a distant location.
!?
Ukitake's eyes widened. "Oh no! Shunsui, we have to stop him!"
If they didn't, both the other Shinigami and Soul Society itself would be in danger.
Ukitake and Kyōraku split up—Ukitake intercepting one barrel's aim as Kyōraku charged Starrk.
"Kageoni!"
Shunsui appeared above Starrk and slashed down.
!
Starrk, aware of Kageoni's rules, leaped even higher, avoiding the attack but throwing off his own aim.
Both guns fired Cero, but missed their targets—though they still struck the battlefield, threatening everyone nearby.
Ukitake blocked the Cero with Sōgyo no Kotowari, absorbing and reflecting them back.
Starrk fired more Cero to intercept those reflected by Ukitake, the two forces clashing. But this time, Starrk's Cero gained the upper hand, swallowing Ukitake's counterattack and blasting toward him.
Meanwhile, the other Cero barreled toward Shunsui below.
After using Kageoni, Shunsui couldn't block these head-on—he could only dodge.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions left towering pillars of fire. Shunsui leaped free, only to notice—the twin pistols in Starrk's hands had vanished.
Vanished?
He saw blue, evil-looking wolves forming out of reishi, eyes glowing coldly.
"What now?"
"Los Lobos," Starrk replied. "If you don't use your Bankai now, Captain, you may not get another chance."
!
The wolves attacked Shunsui and Ukitake. Shunsui quickly hid with Kageoni, but Ukitake wasn't so lucky. He reflected a Cero—but the wolves, pierced and seemingly destroyed, simply reformed!
A wolf appeared beneath Ukitake and bit his leg. More wolves closed in, then exploded in a chain reaction of blue reishi flames.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ukitake's body was charred, bloodied, and he collapsed.
Starrk watched from above. "Did he hide?" he murmured, referring to Shunsui. As for Ukitake—he'd clearly been hit.
When the blue flames faded, Ukitake's battered body lay on the ground.
"I don't want to kill you two," Starrk said, descending. "If you won't use your Bankai, you must not wish to fight further. Leave while you can."
He approached Ukitake, who struggled to stand. "I won't… be defeated by such a petty trick."
Starrk almost admired him, but sighed. "All right. I don't like talking about finishing blows, but now… it's true."
A reishi sword—'Wolf Fang'—formed in Starrk's hand, created with his Quincy-enhanced power.
He landed—but suddenly, a blade struck from the shadows!
!?
Starrk's eyes widened as he dodged at the last second—Kyoraku Shunsui emerged from the shadows.
"You saw me hiding with Kageoni, so you were on guard," Shunsui said, breathing a sigh of relief. "But, thankfully, Kageokuri worked."
"Kageokuri…?"
"Oh, you wouldn't know. I never recorded it in the Seireitei archives," Shunsui explained. "But I should explain—my Zanpakuto is willful. It insists I reveal my abilities."
He continued, "Those who fight with reiryoku unconsciously use spiritual perception to sense opponents. In high-level battle, 'spiritual perception' is key."
Starrk said nothing, covering his fresh wound.
Shunsui continued, "Kageokuri projects a shadow's afterimage elsewhere. The stronger your perception, the more real the shadow. So if you focus on my reiatsu, you see the shadow—but the more you rely on it, the more you'll be fooled."
Starrk remained silent.
Shunsui gave a wry smile. "I wouldn't talk so much if I could help it, but my Zanpakuto insists."
"Thank you for the explanation. I understand now," Starrk said, slashing at Shunsui and seemingly cutting him in half!
"I don't think you understand at all," Shunsui's voice came from behind him.
"The stronger you are, the more you rely on spiritual perception. It's not so easy to change."
He attacked again. "Especially for someone at your level. Without spiritual perception, would you react so quickly to my attacks from behind?"
!?
"Irooni: Gray!"
Pfft!
Starrk sensed something wrong, but too late—a slash struck his back, blood spurting out.
Starrk endured, turning and slashing.
"White!"
!
Shunsui hadn't expected such resilience. He was struck on the arm, blood gushing, and his grip weakened.
"You really are a monster," Shunsui panted. "Won't you just fall down so I can rest?"
Starrk wiped sweat from his brow. "No wonder Captain Yoshio warned us to be careful of you. You're… different from the others."
"Ah, Yoshio evaluates me like that? I'm flattered," Shunsui said. "But I'd rather he ignored me. At least then I wouldn't have to face a monster like you."
"If we're talking monsters, you're one," Starrk replied, realizing his error—he shouldn't have used Los Lobos so soon. With Infinite Cero unavailable, he'd lost his range advantage, and Shunsui's tricks had cost him dearly.
But…
"I can't die yet," Starrk whispered. "Someone's waiting for me in Hueco Mundo." He meant Lilynette—left behind, because the Human World was too dangerous.
Shunsui eyed him, nervous. "Hey, don't tell me… you have another trick?"
"Segunda Etapa."
As Shunsui spoke, Starrk's body began to transform again.
His Hollow hole filled with light—a brilliant, cross-shaped glow. His wounds healed instantly—Kageoni, Irooni, all gone!
The twin pistols reappeared, glowing with strange patterns, as if bathed in moonlight.
"…."
Shunsui was stunned. Starrk had evolved further!
This… is this even fair?
"And after Resurrección, all my wounds vanish," Starrk explained. "This is a Super High Speed Regeneration that only happens twice. At first, I had it, but lost it after becoming Arrancar. Now, for some reason, it's back—maybe because of Lilynette, or the Hollow factor."
Simply put, after Segunda Etapa, all prior injuries disappear.
Starrk was back at full strength.
Shunsui sighed. "This is… troublesome."
He abruptly bolted into the distance!
Starrk chased after him, even faster than before.
Shunsui, anxious, realized Starrk was closing fast. He was near Ukitake—he looked back and met his friend's eyes.
He steeled himself and stopped.
Starrk halted as well.
"All right, No. 0… you wanted to see my Bankai so much, then…"
Shunsui gripped his Zanpakuto in his uninjured hand and plunged it into the earth.
The next moment, black patterns unfurled from the blade, dyeing the ground with dark tattoos.
"Bankai: Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū!"