Ichigo sighed as he finished stretching in the room that he had been staying in, the one that the Shinigami had given him while he and his friends were still healing from their wounds, and used the nearby towel to wipe off the sweat that had gathered on his body. He was pleased to find that his body had healed back to the point it had been earlier, before he used his Bankai and put all that stress on his already wounded body, though at the same time he knew that the same thing wasn't true for Sombra, as his body hadn't suffered from the effects of using his Bankai. As he thought about that he realized that there were so many rules that the Arrancar broke, the ones that a Shinigami lived by, and yet he didn't seem to care about any of them, because he was usually focused on the mission or battle at hand, depending on what they were doing at any given moment. A few seconds later he put down the towel as he continued to think about his friend, as for the last couple of days he had found that Sombra, not to mention Yoruichi, went out and explored the Seireitei, only to return later in the afternoon and tell him nothing of what he had found, not that he actually cared. He had to think about the time they spent during their Bankai training, where he found an unusual expression on Yoruichi's face, one that he didn't think he'd find there at the moment, and wondered if he had been right in his earlier thoughts... that she, a former Shinigami, might be in love with an Arrancar, one of the sworn enemies of the Shinigami, merely because they were evolved Hollows that had gained new powers.
Of course he had next to nothing to base those thoughts on, as all he had seen was the odd look on Yoruichi's face from time to time, but what was strange was Sombra's reactions to their teacher, showing that they had some sort of relationship, a friendship if he was right, and it seemed more than just the teacher and student type. The way the two of them interacted with each other told him that they were definitely, without a doubt, more than teacher and student, as they were like him and Orihime, friends that had formed a bond over some event, and yet he was still thinking about why it was so strange. Even so he was sure that there was something more between the two of them, as the way the two of them spoke to each other and hung out seemed differently from friends, and, when he thought about the last couple of days, he realized that both Sombra and Yoruichi had both left the building they were staying in at the same time and came back at the same time, telling him that there was definitely something between them. He made the comment to Uryu on the third day and was told to mind his own business, because if something was happening between the pair they would have been notified at some point in time so the two of them and the others wouldn't get shocked when an announcement was made in the future.
Speaking of announcements, however, he had gotten some interesting news yesterday, after the duo got back from whatever they were going, that today would be the last day they would be spending in Soul Society, because sometime tomorrow the Shinigami would be opening the way back to the World of the Living and they'd be able to go home after a week of rest. That news was accompanied by the fact that today there was going to be a battle, overseen by the Captains and their Lieutenants, at Sokyoku Hill, where the Shinigami were planning on executing Rukia earlier, and both he and his friends were being invited to see the battle as well, even though they weren't being told who would be fighting. Because they weren't told who were fighting he was planning on bringing Zangetsu with him, just in case someone, or more like a specific Captain, tried to drag him into a fight while he was in the final stages of his recovery, especially since he wasn't sure if he could use Bankai again just yet, something that he'd have to test later on... though his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the door, to which he turned his head towards the door and called for whoever was on the other side that they could enter.
"Ichigo," a voice said, to which Ichigo turned towards the door of the room he was in and found Renji, now sporting his Zanpakuto despite the order for him and the other Shinigami to stop carrying them, revealing that the situation deemed that he and the others should carry their weapons as well, standing there staring at him, "Captain Byakuya and the rest of your friends are ready to go. We shouldn't be late for the start of the fight."
"O... Okay." Ichigo replied, to which he picked up Zangetsu and placed his Zanpakuto in the area of his back that he usually let it rest in, how he had no idea and wasn't about to question it, before he walked out of the room to join Renji, where he found that Uryu and the rest of his friends were already gathered together and were ready to go, with the pair he had been thinking about earlier missing once more, "Has anyone seen Sombra or Yoruichi since last night?"
"No, though it appears that they're clearly doing something together," Uryu stated, knowing that the Arrancar and former Shinigami, as they had learned Yoruichi's identity shortly after Aizen's betrayal, had to be spending their time exploring the Seireitei, before he turned to the side and started to follow after Captain Byakuya and Renji, both having healed completely since their ordeal, "though something tells me that we'll be in for quite the surprise when we reach Sokyoku Hill, mostly because no one wants to tell us who is fighting today... even though I have an idea who might be involved in the brawl, since we haven't seen them so far today."
Ichigo nodded his head and fell in line with the others, to which they exited the building that they had been staying in and started the short trek up to where the execution had been planning on being held earlier, but at the same time he noticed that there were several powerful reiatsu signatures gathered in the area that they were heading towards. The reason that they weren't having to walk across half the Seireitei to get there was because Byakuya, upon hearing of the fight, transferred all of them to a building that was close to the hill, meaning that they could be ready to leave at a moment's notice. He also knew that he didn't have that great of an ability to read or sense reiatsu, and he wasn't sure if it was something that he should work on or not, but he was able to tell that multiple Captains and multiple Lieutenants were gathered in the area once more, only this time there were more of them than the last time he had been in the area. Most of the time he let Sombra sense where something was happening or had Rukia's phone, and her own senses, inform him of a potential danger, but now he wondered if it was best to pick up a new skill or not... though his thoughts were immediately drowned out when they reached the area that they were heading to and found that Kenpachi Zaraki was in the area as well, with that sinister grin on his face.
In addition to the sinister and insane Captain, and Yachiru, his seemingly innocent Lieutenant that just so happened to be standing near him, Ichigo spotted Captain-Commander Yamamoto standing nearby with his Lieutenant, along with Captains Soi Fon, Unohana, Konamura, Shunsui, Hitsuguya, Mayuri, and Ukitake standing nearby. Not only were the nine remaining Captains present, not counting the three traitors and Zaraki, but so were the Lieutenants of each Division, some of them having to fill in for their Captains, though the Fifth Division wasn't represented because the Captain was a traitor, the Lieutenant was still recovering, and all the seated members, from the Third Seat to the Fifth Seat, were all dead. Of course both Ikkaku and Yumichika were present as well, telling Ichigo that one of the people partaking in this fight was definitely Zaraki, to which he felt sorry for whoever was being dragged into the fight, as most Shinigami didn't even have the power to resist the battle-crazed Captain possessed... unless it was Sombra, as his friend had an even greater reiatsu than he had and had the skill to hide it until he was ready to show his hand, and the evidence was how he kept all his power hidden until his first confrontation with Byakuya earlier. Even Rukia, who was still recovering from the time that she spent inside the Shrine of Penitence, was present, meaning that her Captain felt that this would be good for her and she actually seemed interested in the fight.
As they all gathered in the area near the Captains that would be viewing the fight, however, Ichigo stopped in his tracks as he noticed Sombra standing in the same open area that Zaraki was waiting in, with Yoruichi making sure that he was prepared for something... before he realized that Sombra was the one fighting Zaraki, just as his friends noticed that the Arrancar was up here.
"Ah, Ichigo, you're here." Zaraki commented, though at the same time he grinned, as the main person he wanted to have as an observer for the fight was present at last, even though he was more focused on the Arrancar, "Good. I was wondering if we were going to have to start without you. It would have been a pity if you missed what's about to happen between Sombra and I... and I am shaking in excitement."
"Yeah... I can see that." Ichigo said, though despite the fact that he had Bankai, and had beaten Byakuya with Sombra's assistance, that didn't change the fact that he was still terrified of Zaraki, because he had the feeling that if they were forced to cross blades again he might not walk away from the encounter.
"Hey, Yoruichi, is he ready yet?" Zaraki asked, though his tone revealed that he was itching to get the fight underway, now that all of the observers were present, despite the fact that many of them still had tasks they needed to accomplish in preparation for whatever Aizen had planned.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Sombra replied, to which he nodded his head and Yoruichi, with a smile on her face, moved out of the area to let the two of them have the area to themselves, which was when Sombra sighed as he pulled Shokyo from her scabbard and focused his attention on Zaraki, noting that his opponent was still grinning like a madman that was about to have the greatest day of his life, "Well then, Captain Zaraki, shall we get started on our battle?"
"Indeed we shall!" Zaraki shouted, drawing his nameless Zanpakuto from where he kept it as he charged forward, where he brought down his blade on where Sombra was standing and found his attack immediately blocked by one that was of equal power, but even then he was only getting started, as his power still wasn't near the highest it could be.
The force of their blades colliding, even with Sombra holding back a good portion of his own power, shook the ground around them and caused some of the Lieutenants to steady themselves, as they weren't expecting Zaraki to start off with the power that he was using, but, at the same time, they were prepared for anything. It was in the following moments that Zaraki went on the offensive, swinging his blade at his opponent from a number of angles, trying to catch him in one and cut him so he could see what he was dealing with, though the interesting thing to him was that the Arrancar was only parrying his attacks as he studied something. For a moment he felt that he was gaining ground, as he was pushing Sombra backwards, but after a few more swings Sombra moved to the side and let the next one pass by him, before moving to a new place to stand, where Zaraki realized that he had been drawn away from the others for a moment, though he was okay with it since it gave his opponent less to worry about and focused his attention more than it had been earlier. His next attack was parried by Sombra, who wasn't even shaking under the power of the attack, and he also parried the swing that came at him, but he knew that his opponent was testing his defenses, preparing some sort of plan for when an opening revealed itself.
One thing Sombra noticed, despite the fact that he was keeping Shokyo in her sealed form at the moment, was that Zaraki was already eager for the battle and he assumed that the grin was because he was the latest one to fight a Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar that had beaten Captain Byakuya earlier, but that didn't stop his Zanpakuto from parrying the next attack as he continued his defense.
A few seconds later Zaraki's eyes widened as Sombra dodged the entirety of the following attack, shaking the air for a moment, before he swung Shokyo through the air and cut a light gash into his shoulder, though as Zaraki grinned, as he had been expecting something like this, he swung again and Sombra avoided the attack entirely. The next instant the two of them clashed as their swords came into contact with each other, showing that their power was of equal levels despite the fact that they were both holding back at the moment, but Zaraki didn't mind, as he was testing the water before he revealed his hand to his opponent, just like Sombra was doing to him. Despite the fact that he hadn't wounded Sombra yet, and his reiatsu hadn't terrified him at all, he was already having fun and he knew that the fun would only increase the more they fought each other, especially since he intended to drag out all the power that was hiding inside his foe, before the eyes of the remaining Captains and their Lieutenants. His grin widened as he increased his own power and tried to push Sombra's blade back, to show that his reiatsu was stronger, and yet the Arrancar barely moved and simply stared at him as they struggled against each other, showing that he was paying attention to every move he made.
Zaraki decided to change up the pace and increased his own reiatsu even more, to the fullest it could be without removing his special eye patch that rested over his right eye, causing the air to shudder as he did so and he pushed Sombra backwards, to which he swung at his opponent's chest... only for his blade to hit the Arrancar's chest and do nothing, which surprised him for a moment, as it felt like he was hitting a hardened piece of metal, before his grin came back as he focused on his foe.
"Now this is interesting," Zaraki said, to which he took a few steps backwards and let the air around them shudder as he prepared for the next stage of the battle, as he was far from finished, because he intended to pull off the eye patch and pull out his full power once he pulled out his opponent's Bankai, "you're skin is harder than I was thinking, but there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that I cannot cut. Things are going to get even better er from this point forward, though if you don't release your Shikai soon I'll have to cut you down and end the battle."
"Is that what you think?" Sombra inquired, though at the same time he focused his mind and Shokyo's blade glowed for a few seconds, but as he did that he noticed that Byakuya was staring at him, as he understood what was coming next and knew that the other Captains were eager to see his transformed blade, "Shimmer, Shokyo."
The Captains and Lieutenants watched as his blade shifted into it's broadsword form, with the sun reflecting off the crystalline blade for a moment, before Sombra flashed through the air as he resumed the battle, where this time around he went on the offensive and started swinging at Zaraki, his own attacks now causing the air to shudder every now and then when their blades connected. This time around Sombra found that Zaraki's attacks were faster than they had been moments ago and, with the increase of his reiatsu to the max of what it could be without breaking his limits, the power of his swings was even stronger as well, as the air shuddered when their blades connected and his guard was broken several times, to which he was fortunate that his skin was hard enough to stop his opponent's blade from cutting him. Zaraki grabbed onto Shokyo's blade and pulled it towards him, along with Sombra for that matter, but as that happened Sombra moved himself out of the way and avoided the attack that was coming at him, before twisting his Zanpakuto out of his foe's hand before cutting another gash into Zaraki's chest... before the two of them separated from each other and landed on the ground once more, to which they stared at each other as they waited for the next one to make a move.
"You're reflexes are better than I thought they'd be," Zaraki commented, though that only made his grin widen even more than it already was, putting it back at the point that most Shinigami were familiar with when they realized that he was enjoying himself, and he could only imagine the fun he'd be having if he pushed the Arrancar to his limits, "and, if I'm being honest, I can't tell if you're taking advantage of the bells and my eye patch or if you're reflexes are so good that you don't have to take such an advantage. The thought of meeting an opponent who doesn't take advantage of either of those, and battles me with all their might, excites me more than you could possibly know, and right now I'm already having more fun than I was having with Ichigo during our earlier fight."
"You know, it's a shame that you don't know the name of your Zanpakuto and it's Shikai state," Sombra said, because Zaraki was an impressive opponent, as his strength was more than he was expecting to encounter, mostly because he didn't believe in determining an opponent's power based solely on their reiatsu, but unless he pulled out his full power he knew that he could win this with his Shikai, "I'm positive that you would have even more fun in battle if you were able to call upon a fraction of your Zanpakuto's power and abilities, like all of the Captains and Lieutenants that are standing near us... in fact, I'd be interested in seeing the power of your Zanpakuto, if you were able to gain that power."
"Speaking of power, show me your Bankai." Zaraki replied, showing that he had heard, from the other Captains, that the Arrancar had unlocked the ultimate power of a Zanpakuto some time ago, no doubt from Byakuya himself, while he and the other Captains were having a meeting in the last couple of days, "I want the pleasure of facing your Bankai in battle, like you used it against Byakuya earlier, and I will happily wear a grin on my face while I cut my way through your defenses and take you down!"
"In all honesty, I don't think that I need to use that just yet," Sombra stated, though as Zaraki raised his eyebrow, as he was clearly hoping for such a thing to happen, Sombra flashed through the air and went on the offensive, forcing Zaraki to block the incoming attack as he aimed at his chest.
"What, are you scared of your power that much?" Zaraki asked, though at the same time he pushed back and knocked Sombra's blade off of his, before swinging once more, only this time he swung several more times as he continued his assault, stopping Sombra's offensive in it's tracks, "You're a Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar, you shouldn't be scared of the power that is coursing through your body!"
"Oh, I'm not scared, or even terrified, of my power," Sombra said, to which he swung his blade and caught the next attack before it could even reach him, before taking a second to spin around and deliver a kick to Zaraki's chest, causing him to take a few steps back as they both settled down once more, all while he continued to study his opponent as he waited for what he felt when Ichigo fought him, "I'm just saving it for when I really need it. If you want me to break out my Bankai, and show it to the other Captains as well, then you'll have to show me the power that you used in the last couple of minutes of your fight with Ichigo, as that is the only thing that would be able to put you at a point where we'd be able to have an even fight without one destroying the other."
Zaraki stood there for a moment, pondering the words that Sombra had chosen to speak at that very moment, before his grin returned, as they were barely into their battle and he was having fun, which is what he expected from a Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar like Sombra. As he considered the words he knew what he had to do, because the one thing he wanted to see, and ultimately destroy like all of the others that came before it, was the seemingly powerful Bankai that Yachiru told him about when she and Ichigo's friends were trying to reach the execution area. Not even a few seconds later he started to laugh at the situation, as while he might not be as wounded as he had been when he fought Ichigo, as he had received many wounds before he did what he was about to do, he now knew the quickest way to get to the heart of the matter and tear it out, even though his laughter was making some of the other Captains nervous, which he considered a bonus to all the fun he was having. If his foe desired him fighting with all of his power, without holding anything back at all as a requirement for showing off his Bankai, than he was going to give Sombra exactly what he wanted, even though it was going to freak a number of the observers out in the process... but he was having too much fun already and decided that they weren't his problem at the moment, which was why he raised his right hand and gripped the eye patch.
A few seconds later Sombra watched as Zaraki tore off the eye patch he was wearing, revealing that his right eye was perfectly fine, before his opponent's reiatsu flared to the level that he had felt when Ichigo fought him earlier, along with the yellow coloration that shook the area around him... and, not even a second later, Zaraki swung his blade and a light gash appeared on Sombra's chest, a diagonal one, though he was more shocked by the speed and power than he was from the fact that he was wounded.
"This, Sombra, is my full power," Zaraki said, to which his reiatsu gathered around him like a vortex for a few seconds, breaking up parts of the ground in the process, while he stood there with a grin on his face, as this was what he had been waiting for and now it was time for his opponent to show him what he wanted, "You know, I was expecting you to dodge that swing and not get wounded... but this does tell me that our powers will be more equal to each other when you finally show me your Bankai."
"I see... that eye patch is designed to restrict your reiatsu to a certain point and taking it off reveals the true height of your terrible power," Sombra commented, though at the same time he touched the gash that had been cut into his chest, a first since he hadn't actually taken any damage in the time they had been in Soul Society, before he sighed as he faced his opponent once more, "though, as long as we're being honest with each other, I've been restricting a good portion of my own power as well, only I've been keeping myself at the level I was at when I was an Adjuchas ranked Arrancar. It's not unusual for me to start off small, to gauge the level of power that my opponent has, and then increase it accordingly, but, since you were so kind as to show me the height of your power, I shall oblige and show you my full power."
Zaraki watched for a few seconds as Sombra's own reiatsu, possessing a brilliant blue color that matched the blade he was carrying, started to wrap around the Arrancar as he pointed the tip of his blade towards the ground, along with it actually touching the ground, before his opponent's eyes opened once more.
"Bankai." Sombra said, to which the blue gemstone that rested on the guard of his blade glowed even brighter than anything else for a few seconds, though that was when his reiatsu kicked up a gust of wind, creating a curtain of dust, that shrouded him from the sight of everyone that was standing nearby, who could now feel the powerful reiatsu they had felt when he did this earlier, in his battle against Byakuya's Bankai.
The Captains and Lieutenants stood there for a moment, some of them sweating from the sheer pressure that they were feeling at the moment, while others, like both Mayuri and Zaraki, were excited for the possibility of seeing what this power was capable of doing, even though they had different reasons for their excitement. Byakuya, on the other hand, knew of the power that Sombra commanded in this form and already knew that it was over for Zaraki, even though the Arrancar was bound to show off a few of his powers before bringing an end to the battle, and Yoruichi, who had helped him reached this point, smiled as the wind and dust started to die down at last. When the dust cleared and the wind stopped they were all shocked and stunned by the sight in front of them, as they were taking in the armor that Sombra was now wearing, the lack of certain pieces that would have completed the set, and the immense reiatsu, that could only belong to a Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar, radiating from his body. Zaraki, on the other hand, grinned as he stared at his opponent, because this was something that he wasn't expecting, since the rules regarding a Bankai stated that a Bankai was some large construct, like the mass of flower petals from Byakuya's Bankai or Tosen's Bankai, which created a massive domed area that robbed the opponent of multiple senses... something that he had beaten when he was shown it, which was why he was planning on smashing this Bankai into pieces as well.
"Isamashii Hogosha Shoteikoku," Sombra stated, though at the same time he shifted his stance slightly, while also moving Shokyo up from the ground, as he was going to prepare for the first attack and knew that Zaraki was going to be keeping an eye on what he was doing, "or, if you prefer the translated version of my Bankai's name, it's 'Valiant Guardian of the Crystal Empire'."
"Crystal... Empire?" Mayuri asked, causing several heads to turn towards him for a moment, as most of them were expecting the one to ask the question to be Zaraki, since he was Sombra's opponent and Mayuri wasn't, but at the same time it didn't appear that Sombra was annoyed, "What is that supposed to be?"
"My inner world... Shokyo calls it the 'Crystal Empire'," Sombra replied, as he noticed several Captains and Lieutenants nod their heads in understanding, as they knew that, in order to get a Shikai for their Zanpakuto, they had to delve into their own inner worlds to get the name and Release Call, even if most of those worlds went unnamed, "It's where she had been residing before I learned that she actually existed, as we weren't sure if an Arrancar could imprint their soul on an Asauchi, and it took some meditation for me to go into that world and converse with her. The best way I can describe my inner world is to compare it to Soul Society, as it's pretty much shaped like Soul Society, though it's definitely smaller in size, the houses and buildings are all made of crystal, and there's a palace at the direct center of the empire... not to mention the fact that the sky is permanently stuck in the night position and there's a blood red colored sun in the sky."
"This is all terribly interesting, but I'm going to start the fight again." Zaraki stated, to which he held his sword to the side and his reiatsu flared, shaking the entire area around him as he prepared for what he was about to do, before he swung and loosed another powerful attack that was just like the last one that had wounded Sombra, a wound that Zaraki noticed had been healed by the transformation.
Sombra, on the other hand, barely glanced towards Zaraki as a dome snapped into existence around him, stopping the attack in it's tracks for a few moments, much to the surprise of those that were around them, before the attack exploded and kicked some dust up, where Sombra noticed something interesting.
"As I suspected, the power of your swing is more than enough to leave a few cracks in my Shukan," Sombra said, as he was taking a few seconds to stare at the cracks that had formed around the area that Zaraki's attack had struck, though while that gave him an idea on how to use the technique against stronger opponents he simply waved his hand and dismissed the barrier entirely as he focused on the fight, "Now then, let's continue our fight and see how well your full power holds up to my Bankai."
Zaraki kept the grin on his face as he charged at Sombra, who immediately moved through the space between them and reappeared on the other side, where Zaraki paused as another gash was cut into his chest, as he was caught off guard by the suddenness of it, but that only made him more excited as he turned around and swung at his opponent. Sombra struck the incoming attack with his own and knocked it away from him, before dropping down as a second one came at him and his reiatsu flared, to which Byakuya raised an eyebrow as the ground shook, as he recognized the attack that was being used at the moment. The Captains and Lieutenants watched as parts of the ground broke open and crystal spikes erupted from beneath their feet, only in the area that Sombra specified as he was sending them after Zaraki, who barely dodged them as a few of them actually cut into his arms and legs as he made it out of the area that Sombra had focused them in, only for the battle-crazed Captain to charge into battle once more. Of course Byakuya then noticed that Sombra had gathered some of his reiatsu into his broadsword and watched the familiar energy wave erupt from the blade when he swung at Zaraki, who was hit square in the chest by the attack and was knocked backwards... only for him to get back up, despite his slightly bleeding chest, and charged into battle again, prompting the Arrancar to attack once more.
As he stood there and watched he understood how he could have been beaten so badly by the Arrancar, as he, like most of the Captains and Lieutenants that knew that happened two hundred years ago, were familiar with the limited power of the last Adjuchas ranked Arrancar and none of them ever considered finding one that was even stronger than that one had been... and that wasn't taking into consideration that Sombra was, in fact, a Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar now, meaning he was even stronger than he was during their second fight.
"So his Bankai's ability is to summon crystals," Mayuri commented, as he was watching the fight with a calculated look in his eyes, as he was interested in the power that their friendly Arrancar possessed, though at the same time he was already trying to come up with a way to stop that ability from happening, just in case the Arrancar turned against them and so he could take him out if such a thing happened, "It's not the most interesting power in the world, as I can think of several other abilities that are more interesting, but it is fascinating to see that an Arrancar, if given the time and the proper tools, can awaken the spirit of a Zanpakuto and learn how to wield that blade's Bankai."
"Even if you were able to do that, and I'm not saying you can't, you'd still have to study and then block the reiatsu manipulating part of his power," Hitsuguya stated, because while he was certain that Mayuri could block a Bankai's powers if he so desired, not that he had tried and hoped that he wouldn't attempt that, he also knew that there was more to the Arrancar than what they were seeing, especially considering the power that they were feeling at the moment, "Even then you'd have to watch out for the immense reiatsu that he's giving off, because I'm sure that he could cut something with just his reiatsu if he so desired, without shaping it into crystals and energy attacks."
"And then you have to watch out for the Kido that he can use," Byakuya added, remembering how Sombra was able to use two of them to good effect during the battle that they had outside the Shrine of Penitence, though at the same time Sombra dodged the incoming attack and cut Zaraki's left arm in the process, showing that he was focused on the battle and not on what the Captains were talking about.
"Wait, he can use Kido as well?" Mayuri inquired, as that was information that he hadn't known before this point in time, though even as he considered that fact he realized just how hard it would be to restrict all the powers that the Arrancar had in the off chance that he turned against Soul Society, while at the same time both he and Zaraki met in the middle of the area in front of them and caused the air to shudder.
"Indeed, though he's likely not using them because Zaraki enjoys pure combat and doesn't care for Kido," Byakuya said, though at the same time he wondered if the Arrancar was going to use his Cero at some point, because as far as he knew the thing had only been fired once and that was when he unlocked it, but knowing his skill with Kido meant that his Cero would be even stronger than before, "If you battle Sombra, even with some knowledge of his abilities, you have to be careful when engaging him, as he is quicker than you can believe and he knows when it's a good time to use his powers to turn the tide of the battle... though against Zaraki he just needs to wear him down to the point where he gives up, instead of relying on Kido or anything to take him out."
"His speed and power are also a problem," Hitsuguya added, as this was the first time that he, not to mention the majority of the remaining Captains, had seen a Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar fight up close for the first time in many years, and the only one that might remember the last time one had shown up had to be the Captain-Commander, "the fact that he's able to keep up with your speed and Zaraki's power means that he could be trouble for us if he suddenly decided to change sides and join Aizen. We'd be doomed if Aizen, Gin, and Tosen have someone like Sombra on their side, or even Sombra himself if they managed to convince him to join them... can we really take the risk of letting him return to the World of the Living with Ichigo and his friends?"
"You don't have to worry about him turning on you guys, not unless you really piss him off," Yoruichi commented, her voice reminding the Captains that she was present, even though some of them would have preferred that she disappeared forever and never came back, but her eyes were focused on Sombra, who was parrying the next attack and cut Zaraki in the process once more, "All he cares about is protecting the innocent and learning what it means to be an Arrancar, even though he's been learning how to be more Human in the last couple of weeks... and of course he's fast, because I was the one training him in that regard before we came here. Though, if you ask me, it seems like Zaraki might be about to bring an end to this battle, though not in the way he's hoping."
Zaraki, grinning like the madman that everyone knew him to be, stopped where he was standing and his reiatsu flared once more, only this time he was focusing his power into one last swing, as he intended to do what he did to Ichigo once more and, in the process, deliver a powerful cut to Sombra that would make him realize that he wasn't without competition for who was the strongest. Sombra, seeing what his opponent was doing, sighed as he help Shokyo off to the right and left his power gather as well, to which his brilliant blue aura pulsed around him, just like he felt Ichigo and Zaraki do when they were battling each other before he fought Byakuya, while the ground shook under the intensity of their power gathering around them. Before long the immediate area around the two of them was filled with their individual reiatsu, gathering for what was going to be the final strike of the entire match, and the Captains prepared themselves for the clash that was about to happen in front of their eyes, just like Ichigo and his friends did, before Zaraki charged at Sombra without a care in the world and Sombra did the same as their energies followed after them. The inevitable clash of their powers consumed them in a blinding flash of energy as the ground around them was torn apart, blown backwards, and even sank a little... but when the smoke finally cleared and the wind died down the Captains, Lieutenants, and Ichigo's friends joined Yoruichi as they approached the edge of the crater and looked into the sunken area in front of them.
Both Sombra and Zaraki seemed to be just fine, with the fragments of their auras disappearing, but that was before Zaraki shuddered as a new gash, going from his right shoulder to his left hip, was cut into his body and he staggered for a few seconds, before collapsing on the ground. Sombra, on the other hand, simply sighed as he looked down at his right arm and stared at the crack that had been put into the metal gauntlet that he was wearing over his right hand, showing that his opponent was strong and that he wasn't one that anyone should underestimate. A few seconds later Sombra turned towards Zaraki and held his hand out, to which he focused on one of the other abilities he had unlocked during his Bankai training and sure enough the larger wound he had just dealt decreased in size and severity, allowing the Captain to open his eyes and get back onto his feet, surprising the other Captains in the process.
"You fought well, Captain Zaraki," Sombra said, though even if the Captain was annoyed that he didn't kill him he knew that he was an excellent fighter, one that would definitely give him a hard time in the future if he was able to push his power even higher than it already was, "I take it you had fun?"
"More than I had when I fought Ichigo," Zaraki stated, as he had been right in his earlier thoughts, because Sombra was stronger than Ichigo and the fight just now proved that he had more fun than the previous fight, but at the same time he noticed that the Arrancar was putting his Bankai away for now, "I'll beat you one day, and I'll get as strong as I possibly can to make that statement a reality."
"I had a feeling you'd say that." Sombra replied, though at the same time he smiled as well, because while it was a little strange to night fight with Kido, to respect the fighting style that Zaraki was familiar with, he knew that he had just set the bar for Zaraki and that he wouldn't stop until he reached it.
As Zaraki walked off, however, Sombra couldn't help but think that this fight made the other Captains and Lieutenants more worried about him, as he had just demonstrated that he could beat Zaraki if he used his Bankai and accessed all of his power, and even then he might not need that if he was serious about the fight, but he had no intentions of betraying Soul Society and making them his enemies. At the moment the only ones he wanted to take out were Aizen, Gin, and Tosen, but they were in Hueco Mundo and he wasn't about to head there, not yet anyway, until he had some decent rest and got the World of the Living back under control, once he and his friends returned anyway. As those thoughts ran through his mind Yoruichi approached him and informed the gang that they would be heading out to Kukaku's place, since tomorrow they would be heading back home and she did promise the fireworks maker that they'd swing by once they knew when they were leaving. The Captains left them to their own devices, Zaraki apparently going to train so he could beat both Ichigo and Sombra in the future while Mayuri focused on a way to seal powers, even though it would take some time to get something like that going... allowing Sombra and his friends, including Rukia, to head out of the Seireitei, which was no longer surrounded by the wall, and head to Kukaku's place.
Sombra had to admit that walking through the Seireitei was a nice change of pace and silently hoped that the peace would last, for them and the Shinigami, but with Aizen still out there they couldn't afford to get too relaxed... though he'd start being serious when they returned home, as for now he wanted to relax with his friends and the one person who opened his eyes to what was around him, which made him smile all the way to Kukaku's place.