Soul Society: Execution Day
Rukia sat on the small ledge that rested by what would pass for a window in her prison, staring at the massive halberd that would be the instrument of her death when she was escorted out of her cell, and found that, after all the hours of reflection that she had been given, her heart was mostly at peace. When she had heard that the date of her execution had been moved once more, to noon of the day that followed when she had been told the news, she had been so shocked and surprised by the news that she had it repeated to her, just so she could understand that her life was coming to a end. Yet despite all that she returned to how she had been before Hanataro, Ganju, and Sombra had opened the door to her cell and claimed that they were going to save her, even though she would have willingly died to Ganju's blade just to let him have some peace for her killing his older brother, even if he didn't know the circumstances behind why she did it. She did feel sorry for Hanataro, as it was likely because of the fact that she told him about the World of the Living, and everything she had experienced, that had made him loose track of what he was supposed to be doing and caused him to meet up with Ichigo and the others, who were either mostly detained or still running around the Seireitei.
Just thinking about them made Rukia wonder why Ichigo and Sombra, who were strangers to her and were mostly her acquaintances when she was in Ichigo's world, were willing to risk their lives to come and save her, when there was no reason for them to do so. Even then just thinking about Sombra made her remember the beating he had given her brother, the shock that she had felt when she realized that he was even stronger than he had last seen him, and the sheer confusion she had felt when he used Kido for the first time, only for him to leave her, Hanataro, and Ganju behind. From what she could tell some of the other Captains had been on their way to the Shrine of Penitence and that had been the reason that Sombra had fled from the area, following some lady that Ganju had spotted off in the distance, though that didn't stop the Shinigami that arrived from arresting him and Hanataro before sealing the door to her cell once more. She was hoping that Sombra understood the danger that he and the others were in, so that he could convince them that they needed to leave before one of them ended up dead, but, considering what she knew about the Arrancar, he had to be doing something that was just as foolish as what Ichigo would come up with.
Even when night came around, in the hours following her hearing that her execution would be the following day, she had felt the slight vibrations of several reiatsu, meaning that people were still fighting each other for one reason or another, in battles to the death from what she was feeling, but, thanks to her stay in the Shrine of Penitence, she couldn't feel who the reiatsu belonged to. All she could tell was that more blood was being spilled because of her, in one way or another, and she hoped that it would all stop once the Sokyoku pierced her and vaporized her soul, or at least that was what the books taught when they talked about the few times the powerful execution weapon was used. Her death should stop the others from fighting and return peace to Soul Society, and hopefully Ichigo and the others were far enough away so they got the message and returned to their world, as she didn't want any more harm to befall them while they were in the Seireitei. She also knew, from reading the books, that it would take a few minutes to prepare the Sokyoku for the execution, as well as the stand that she would be attached to so the deed could be done, and yet, when she thought about all this, she found that her heart was still calm and that she was truly at peace with what she had done. She still believed that she had done what was right, both in her own past and what she had done to Ichigo, and she was okay with paying the price for her actions, and she knew that she wouldn't have to worry about it once she was escorted from her cell.
Despite the time she spent thinking about the others, and how she wondered if they were leaving like she wanted them to, she got little sleep that night and was up just as the sun rose, though when the door opened, and the Shinigami that oversaw the execution walked in, she offered them no resistance as she complied with the procedure. Soon the four red tubes were reconnected to her collar and her hands were tied once more, to which they started to escort her out of her cell and she followed along, making sure that she was in the middle of the group as they started to walk across the bridge and made their way over to where the Sokyoku rested. As they walked she let her eyes linger on the ruined part of the building that her brother had been knocked into during his fight with Sombra, as it was hard for her to forget about that, and she knew that, even if she asked for her friends, the 'Ryoka', to be sent back to the World of the Living, to return to their normal lives, Soul Society might not let Sombra go considering how powerful he was, meaning that he might need to fight his way out or die trying. Even as she stared at the ruined part of the building she caught most of her escorts looking at the mess as well, silently telling her that the news of her brother's defeat must have spread already, or at the very least a draw since he likely wanted to retain some of his reputation, before they started moving and she followed after them towards the bridge that connected the Shrine of Penitence to Sokyoku Hill.
It was partway across the bridge that she felt both her brother's reiatsu and Renji's reiatsu go head to head, making her wonder if Renji had lost his mind due to the defeat he had suffered some time ago, though that didn't stop her from moving off to the side a little as she tried in vain to pinpoint what had happened, as Renji's reiatsu vanished as they were walking across the bridge... though before she could say anything she felt a new reiatsu appear nearby and turned her head, where she found Captain Gin walking towards her with the same creepy smile on his face.
"Good morning." Gin said, speaking to the escorts for the most part, since they were the ones that had been called upon to fulfill this duty and knew that speaking to them, even if they might not reply to him, at least let them know that someone appreciated their work, before he turned towards Rukia, "And good morning to you, Rukia-chan. How are you feeling today?"
"Gin Ichimaru." Rukia said, though at the same time she felt some sweat rolling down the side of her face, as this was the one Captain, out of all thirteen of the current Captains that watched over Soul Society and commanded one of the Thirteen Divisions, that she didn't trust.
"That's no good. As usual, you have such a naughty mouth." Gin replied, as if he found something amusing about the situation that she was in, which was possible since next to no one had any idea what Gin's interests, hobbies, or other things like that were, as he kept to himself and interacted with the other Captains whenever they were called upon by the Captain-Commander, "You're supposed to say 'Captain Gin Ishimaru'. You'll get scolded by your big brother if you keep talking like that."
"Excuse me, Captain Gin." Rukia stated, as she knew that he could easily draw his Zanpakuto and kill her if he really wanted to, and there was the very real possibility that he could get away with it since she was a death row prisoner and the escorts might lie if something happened.
"Oh no! You took me seriously?" Gin asked, revealing that he was having fun with messing with her, just like all the other things they had crossed each other over the years, but, even though he found this amusing, Rukia still wondered what he was doing here, instead of gathering at the Sokyoku stand with the rest of the Captains, "You shouldn't use formal speech. Don't worry about it. We're comrades, aren't we?"
"Why did you come all the way out here?" Rukia asked, as she knew that if she got to the heart of the reason why he came out to see her, and figured it out by what he told her, that she might be able to drive him away and get on to where the Captain-Commander and the others were gathering.
"Yeah, it's not like I have anything important to do." Gin replied, as right now some of the Captains, from what he could tell, were currently fighting each other, as it appeared that Zaraki, despite his previous wounds, was currently engaged in a battle with both Tosen and Komamura, as well as both of Zaraki's underlings, Ikkaku and Yumichika, battling Iba and Hisagi, the Lieutenants of the Seventh and Ninth Divisions respectively, "I'm actually on a walk... so I can tease someone a little."
Rukia both hated and feared this Captain, as no matter how many times she had been in his presence, when he was talking with her brother, or had to personally talk with him, she always felt like she was in the presence of a snake, one that was trying to enchant her in some manner, and often she felt like she was being strangled when they were near each other... and, as she found out in that moment, the feelings that she had towards him and not changed.
"What's wrong?" Gin asked, snapping Rukia out of her thoughts once more, something that she'd rather focus on instead of talking with this one Captain, though it appeared that she was going to have to suffer a little more before she could arrive at her own execution, "You're in the mood for daydreaming, aren't you?"
"No." Rukia replied, as she didn't want to talk with Gin for longer than what was necessary and it appeared that the escorts might be getting eager to get underway, meaning that they were hoping that Gin would move aside and allow them to continue towards their destination.
"You should be happy... after all, Renji-kun's not dead yet." Gin stated, knowing that Renji would be the right button to press, and he liked the look of relief that appeared on her face as she realized that he was still alive, if just barely, "Though that'll change soon. Poor thing. All he wanted to do was to save you, Rukia. You know, I could save him and everyone else if you really wanted me to... I'd just have to be in the mood to do so."
"You lie." Rukia said, because while she did wonder if there was anything for him to gain from saving her and the others, which she highly doubted since that would put him at odds with Soul Society, she knew that he couldn't do what he claimed and called him out on it immediately.
"You're as smart as everyone says you are." Gin said, to which he stepped forward and patted her head for a moment, giving her one more chance to see the same smile that he flashed everyone else, before he moved to the side and walked right by her and her escorts, "Bye bye, Rukia-chan. Let's meet again at the Sokyoku."
Rukia hated Gin because, if she had been willing to listen to the hope that his voice offered, it would have completely shattered her resolve to die and installed a desire to live inside her, and he did put some cracks in her resolve, but she would not be so easily swayed, not when she knew that he was lying... and, as she put those thoughts behind her once more, both she and her escort continued the walk over to the Sokyoku and the stands that she would be attached to.
It didn't take them long to reach the stands that the Captains and their Lieutenants would be gathering in front of, as some of them were apparently running late, but from what she could tell the Captain-Commander and his Lieutenant, a man called Chojiro Sasakibe, were present, along with the Captain of the Second Division, Soi Fon, and her own Lieutenant Marechiyo Omaeda. Standing near them was the Captain of the Eighth Division, Shunshi Kyoraku, the Lieutenant of the same Division, Nanao Ise, and the Lieutenant of the Fourth Division, Isane Koketsu, making her wonder where the Captain of the Fourth Division, Retsu Unohana, was at the moment. From what she could tell the Captains of the Seventh, Ninth, and Eleventh Divisions were currently fighting, while the Captains of the Fifth, Sixth, Tenth, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Divisions were missing... and Gin, of course, was likely taking his 'walk' while he waited for preparations to be made so he could watch the show and then get back to his duties. The only Captain that Rukia knew would have been here was her brother, but, as if summoned by her thoughts, both she and Soi Fon noticed her brother approach the stand that she had been escorted onto, though he broke eye contact and took his position in the lineup.
Rukia caught the annoyed look in her brother's eyes as he turned, as that meant that Byakuya was fully expecting something to happen, but she decided not to get her hopes up this time around, as she had the feeling that she was going to be executed before anyone came running to save her this time around.
"I shall being the execution now." Yamamoto stated, to which he barely even opened his eyes as he stared at Rukia, who had known that this was coming long before she had been pulled out of her cell, and this time around she had accepted her fate and was ready for it, "Rukia Kuchiki, do you have anything you would like to say?"
"Yes, just one thing." Rukia replied, as it was something that she had recited in her mind several times over once she heard that her execution was imminent and that there would be no changing the date this time around, and it might actually be something they would grant considering that she belonged to a Noble Family, "The Ryoka... could you send them back to the World of the Living, after my execution?"
Yamamoto had been expecting something like this, as it was well known about those that had guarded Rukia, and the superior officers that they reported to, had made friends among some of the residents of the World of the Living, Humans that had come to rescue her, and he already knew the answer that he could give her, even if the reality of the situation was different than what she wanted.
"Very well." Yamamoto said, his voice and statement not even raising any eyebrows with the other Captains around him, as they knew what he was thinking and agreed with his statement, even if they personally felt that this was too harsh a punishment for what Rukia did, "Just as you asked, I shall send the Ryoka back, unharmed, to the World of the Living, the dawn after your execution. Just know that the Arrancar will be a different story than the Humans that came with him."
"I understand... thank you." Rukia said, as she had been expecting something like that, as Soul Society had some problems with the Arrancars of Hueco Mundo and knew that they would never let one as powerful as Sombra leave with his life intact, but she could be happy with this 'promise'.
As that happened the blue reiatsu of the Sokyoku, the starting stages of it's release, flared up and demanded the attention of those around it, telling everyone across Soul Society that the execution was underway, causing the Shinigami that were in charge of releasing the weapon to step forward and gathered around the halberd as they started to form the necessary hand signs to perform their duties. A few seconds later the ropes that were holding the weapon down started to snap and spin around the handle of the halberd, unwinding themselves as the execution got underway, before they reached the end point and separated from each other, piercing the ground around the hill that the stand was located on. That was followed by three cubes pulling themselves out of the stand around her and the rope that tied her hands together came undone, before two of the cubes, positioned with her hands out in a 't' formation, started to raise her into the air while the third one remained by her feet, keeping her from moving her feet. After that she found herself floating into the air, rising to the top of the execution stand that she would be resting against until the execution was done, before she finally came to a stop and was given a view of the area that she had never actually been to before, not that it mattered since this was the last time she was going to see anything before her body and soul were destroyed.
Once she came to a stop, and was firmly attached to the stand, flames erupted from the area around where the Sokyoku had been stuck in the ground and wrapped around the entire weapon, surprising the Captains and Lieutenants that were around them, since almost no one knew what happened when the weapon was released. Rukia's eyes widened as the Sokyoku rose out of the ground and leveled the tip with her, only for the flames to change shape until a large fiery phoenix appeared in the air in front of her, revealing that the true form of the Sokyoku was different from what anyone thought about it. Rukia was sure that this was what the textbooks referred to as Kikoo, or Blaze Fledgling King, but even as she thought about that she had never once associated that name with a phoenix, though it suddenly made sense as she reconsidered what happened to those that had been sentenced to this punishment. Kikoo, as Captain-Commander Yamamoto called it, was the true form of the Sokyoku halberd and the final enforcer of extreme punishment, whose power was said to be equal to a million Zanpakutos and that was increased by tenfold when it pierced it's target, telling her how she was going to die, and that the sentence would be over once her body had been pierced.
Rukia stared at the phoenix for a few seconds, finding that she wasn't afraid of her fate, that she had lived a good life up until this point, met Renji and his friends while also being picked up by her brother, and had encountered both Ichigo and Sombra, two people who defied her understanding of both Humans and Arrancar, before she closed her eyes and let the phoenix come at her. As the seconds ticked by, and she was sure that she should have been pierced by Kikoo, she opened her eyes to find a sight she never thought she'd see; Ichigo, wearing a cape over his Shinigami clothing that also happened to have the Shihoin crest attached to it, was standing in the air between her and the phoenix, with his Zanpakuto stopping the destructive beast in the process.
"Hey!" Ichigo said, though he was happy to have gotten here in time, as Zangetsu had insisted on taking their training to the point where he had to wrap bandages around his chest and arms, and bind them with something Yoruichi gave him in addition to the cape, just to complete his training.
"I... Ichigo?!" Rukia exclaimed, surprised to find Ichigo standing before her, especially when she had hoped that Sombra would have talked some sense into him earlier, but it appears that her hopes for them leaving Soul Society had been squished, because this was going to give the Captain-Commander a valid reason to terminate Ichigo, "You idiot! Why did you come back for me?! Sombra should have told you that it's impossible for you guys to save me, not with my brother and the rest of the Captains standing in your way! I've already decided that I'm ready to meet my end! Why can't you guys just go home and leave me to my fate?!"
"Because you're our friend." another voice said, to which Rukia turned her head and found Sombra standing on the beam that she was attached to, though he was standing to her left and was looking down at her with a smile on his face, as if he knew something that she didn't, "Rukia, we're going to save you from this, even if I have to beat the remaining Captains that are standing against us... and that shouldn't be a problem for the most part, not after what I did to Byakuya outside your cell."
"Nanao, could those be the guys that the Ryoka I fought mentioned?" Shunsui asked, looking up at the young man that was dressed up in Shinigami clothing, before turning his attention to the Arrancar that was standing near Rukia, as he heard rumors and stories about him.
"Yes, their characteristics match the reports from the other Divisions," Nanao replied, though at the same time she could tell that things were about to change, as the arrival of the Arrancar, who had bested Byakuya before he was able to release his Bankai, certainly changed the situation that they were in.
"Hey Sombra, they're talking about us." Ichigo commented, as he could tell, even over the noise of the flames from the phoenix, that they were being talked about, though he wasn't sure if it was in a good manner or a bad manner, since they might be upset about what he had just done to their powerful weapon... before the phoenix in question started to move back for what seemed like a second attack.
"Ichigo, you have to move out of the way. You won't be able to block the second attack!" Rukia stated, as there was no telling how powerful Kikoo had gotten from not being able to pierce his target, which worried her because neither of them were strong enough to challenge such a creature.
"Yeah, I might not be able to do that, but I know someone that can." Ichigo replied, to which he flipped backwards and landed on the stand as well, to the right of where Rukia was being held, though as that happened Sombra stepped forward and approached the area between the stand and the phoenix.
Rukia started to open her mouth, so she could tell the Arrancar to get out of the way as well, but that was when Kikoo flapped his wings and charged at him again, only for Sombra to do something that was even more shocking; he raised his right hand and caught the tip of Kikoo's beak, stopping him in his tracks before he could get near the stand, which really surprised the Shinigami that were watching them. Before she could do anything else something was thrown into the air and wrapped around Kikoo's neck, before falling back to the ground and pierced the stones beneath them, where she found her Captain, Ukitake, and his medical staff standing at the ready with another item with the Shihoin crest on it. As all this happened Captain Shunsui and his Lieutenant joined Ukitake, where they smiled at each other as the Captain-Commander turned and looked at them, before Soi Fon called for someone to stop them since they were planning on destroying the Sokyoku. Of course they happened to move before anyone else could, to which they pulled out their Zanpakutos and slipped them into one of the two slots that were on the device that Ukitake was carrying, before their reiatsu traveled up the ropes that were wrapped around Kikoo's neck... to which the phoenix shattered into a thousand fireballs as the two Captains brought ruin to it, which was what they had planned in case they couldn't talk anyone out of using the Sokyoku in the first place.
"You know, I have no idea what's going on down there anymore," Ichigo commented, though at the same time he raised Zangetsu into the air, as his eyes started to glow for a moment, before he started to spin his Zanpakuto above his head by the material that was wrapped around the handle and covered it when he wasn't using it, "Rukia, just hang tight for a moment, because I'm going to shatter the execution grounds and then we'll get out of here."
"Ichigo, stop being crazy!" Rukia insisted, as she had no idea what had gotten into both Ichigo and Sombra, as neither of them had acted like this in the World of the Living, before she stared at the beam that she was attached to, "Look, Ichigo, you can't do that. The Sokyoku stand is..."
"Rukia, I got this." Ichigo said, noticing that Rukia seemed utterly confused as to what was going on, but not a few seconds later he stopped spinning Zangetsu and pointed the tip down toward the beam, where he drove the top part of his Zanpakuto into the wooden beam and released the power he had been gathering.
Rukia had to close her eyes for a moment as the entire stand that she was attached to vibrated and was covered in dust a few seconds later, though when she opened her eyes again she found that Ichigo was now carrying her under his left arm, along with the fact that he had broken the middle of the stand and the platform she had been standing on earlier... and, before she could say anything else, she, Ichigo, and Sombra noticed a late arrival in the form of Renji, who was taking out the Shinigami that had broken the Sokyoku's seal.
"So you've arrived at last, Renji." Ichigo said, his voice carrying as he looked down in the Lieutenant's direction, even though his arrival shocked those that had felt his reiatsu disappear for a moment, save for one of the Captains anyway, while also finding that he was still in pain.
"Of course I'd be here." Renji commented, as at this point he didn't care who knew that he was working to save Rukia, as his life was already forfeit since he had fought his Captain and went against the orders he had been given, but that didn't stop him from smiling as he looked at Rukia, "If you and Sombra didn't come, then who would have saved Rukia?"
Ichigo smiled as he heaved Rukia up a little more, took aim at where Renji was standing, and threw Rukia through the air, where she went flying right into Renji's chest and knocked him to the ground, though he could already imagine the remarks that he'd get from them once this was all over, even though Sombra seemed to be deep in thought about what he had just done, as if it might have reminded him about something... only for him to recover once more, but since there were enemies nearby he decided that he'd ask about it later on and focus on the mission at hand.
"Renji, take her and get out of here." Ichigo stated, though at the same time both he and Sombra prepared for what was coming next, as at least one of the Captains would be coming after them in the near future, "That's your job right now. Don't let go of Rukia, even if you die!"
As Renji started to run from the stands, however, Sombra noticed that one of the Captains was commanding the three Lieutenants to rush forward and capture Renji, though as they did that Ichigo flashed through the air and landed between them and Renji, allowing him to take Rukia and flee from the area, all while he stepped the tip of his sword into the ground and faced his targets. It was in that moment that all three of the Lieutenants called out their Release Call and the name of their Zanpakuto, as Isane's was 'Run, Itegumo', Chojiro's was 'Drill, Gonryoumaru', and Omeada's was 'Crush them, Gegetsuburi', transforming their blades into one with two additional points near the base, a thin rapier, and a flail respectively. Ichigo, seeing several flaws immediately, rushed toward and threw his fist into Omeada's chest, crushing the head of his flail in the process as he knocked the Lieutenant out, before sidestepping the incoming attack from Chojiro and knocked him out with a decent uppercut of sorts with his palm, and then followed that up by knocking the stunned Isane in the chest and pushed her away from him. In the following moments he turned around and grabbed onto Zangetsu's handle as Byakuya ran towards him, their Zanpakuto's clashing between them as he parried the incoming attack, though he had to smile as that happened, as it appeared that he had caught up with Sombra in some aspects.
"I can keep up with you now, Byakuya Kuchiki." Ichigo stated, though at the same time he noticed that Byakuya was annoyed about something, along with the fact that Sombra had flashed down to where they were standing so he could observe and participate in the upcoming fight if Byakuya attacked him, which was why he had drawn Shokyo and was standing at the ready.
"Why?" Byakuya asked, surprising Ichigo for a moment, as that was not the response he was looking for when he told Byakuya that he could keep up with his speed, though at the same time Sombra raised an eyebrow as he wondered what the Captain was referring to, "Why are the two of you constantly trying to save Rukia?"
"You're her big brother, aren't you? So why don't you save her?" Ichigo replied in kind, because right now it appeared that, before Byakuya released his Shikai, they were evenly matched, but he was trying to figure something out before they got to the real battle.
"A pointless question." Byakuya replied, revealing that either the reason was poor and he didn't want to say anything or he felt that neither of them would understand what he was saying and only make the situation worse than it already was, for someone anyway, "Even if you knew the answer, it would be impossible for you to understand. It seems that any further discussion will be pointless. Here I come."
In the following instant Byakuya increased his power and started to press down on Ichigo's blade, trying to get the better of him, only for Ichigo's grin to remain as he redirected the blew to the ground and shattered the earth beneath their feet, causing the two of them to separate for a moment.
"There is only one path for me at the moment," Byakuya stated, staring at both Ichigo and Sombra for a few seconds, telling them that he was going to go after the both of them in some manner, before he held his Zanpakuto at the ready as he studied them both, "Ichigo Kurosaki, Sombra, today I will kill the two of you... and, once I'm done with you, Rukia will go through the execution again, only that time by my hand."
"Sorry, but we won't let you do that," Sombra said, though at the same time Ichigo raised his empty hand and undid the clasp that was keeping the cape wrapped around him, allowing it to blow off of him, before he sighed and knew that Yoruichi was going to have words with Ichigo later for discarding another treasure in such a silly manner.
As Ichigo and Byakuya started attacking each other, and moved away from the three knocked out Lieutenants, Sombra noticed that Soi Fon attacked one of Ukitake's medical staff and knocked him out, only for the Captain and Shunsui to be stopped by the Captain-Commander. It was in that moment that Yamamoto told them that he could not forgive what they had just done, in destroying the Sokyoku, and both Shunsui and Ukitake fled from the area before he could punish them, forcing Shunsui's Lieutenant to run after them as the other medical staff stayed behind and was punished by Soi Fon as Yamamoto left the area as well. Of course Sombra caught the familiar movements as Yoruichi flew into the area, grabbed onto Soi Fon before she even realized that someone was coming her way, flashed a smile at Sombra, and then flew off with her target as she moved into the forest area that happened to be near the hill... though, at the same time, Sombra had no idea why there was a miniature forest inside the Seireitei, and at the moment he had stopped caring about things like that, allowing him to turn back towards the fight. The only other thing that happened was the Captain of the Fourth Division called forth a creature that happened to be her Zanpakuto, which swallowed the wounded Shinigami and took off with the Captain on it's back, no doubt to heal them he suspected.
Sombra breathed a sigh of relief as it became only him, Ichigo, and Byakuya in the area near where Rukia was going to be executed, as now this meant that they could focus on their battle with each other instead of having to worry about someone else jumping in and catching them off guard... especially since battles were currently raging all over the Seireitei, from Captains that had been here moments ago and Shinigami that must have been fighting since that very morning.
Despite the fact that Byakuya likely had a burning desire to defeat him above everyone else, since he had beaten him so badly in front of the Shrine of Penitence, Sombra watched as the Captain lashed out at Ichigo with his Zanpakuto and let their reiatsu battle each other as they flashed around the area and collided with each other moments later. He wasn't even using the time provided to study Byakuya's movements, as he knew Byakuya's stances when his sword was sealed and when it was in it's Shikai form, because he was waiting to see what happened when his used his Bankai so he could find a way around it. At the same time he felt the fact that Yoruichi and Soi Fon were fighting at the moment, no doubt having a showoff of sorts to see who was the better user of Flash Steps and their chosen weapons, even though he also felt a change in Yoruichi's reiatsu and heard some lightning that caused some explosions in the area that they were in, meaning that she had a Kido that he didn't know about. He also knew that Soi Fon would be in for a rude awakening when she figured out that Yoruichi had spent some time training him, as she must have returned to what she had been before her exile, or whatever had happened to her since he didn't know the reason why she and Kisuke had been in the World of the Living, and he'd love to hear what happened afterwords... once he and Ichigo were done with Byakuya and they had resolved this entire mess.
Eventually Sombra was brought back to the actual fight when both Ichigo and Byakuya separated from each other and broke part of the ground around them, though this time around Sombra sighed, as he understood what Byakuya was doing and hoped that he understood that this battle was going to be different from whatever he had planned.
"I see, you've mastered the Flash Steps since we last fought." Byakuya commented, as he had been testing the speed that Ichigo was using and found that it was as great as Sombra's had been when they fought earlier, meaning that the Arrancar had to be even quicker than he had been during that fight, "But..."
"You're going easy on me after all." Ichigo stated, as that was annoying, because from what he could determine Byakuya had fought Sombra to the best of his ability and had failed to land a single blow on the Arrancar, so he was expecting something like that when they clashed, before he sighed and rested Zangetsu's blade across his shoulders, "It seems that, after having a terrible fight with Sombra earlier, you've decided to start this battle by leisurely analyzing the powers I have gained since our fight in my world, but is that really okay? Weren't you going to kill the two of us? I mean, if that was your plan, you're not doing a good job of accomplishing what you said you'd do, because I don't have a single scratch on me and you've been ignoring Sombra the entire time this battle has been going on. What's wrong, Byakuya, are you scared of my friend?"
"Afraid? Of an Adjuchas ranked Arrancar?" Byakuya replied, though at the same time he kept his usually look on his face, as he wasn't about to show them any emotions at the moment, especially when he was trying to finish off Ichigo without revealing his hand, since that would only increase his true target's chances of beating him, "No, I'm not afraid of him. I'm going to kill you and then focus on Sombra..."
"And then we'll repeat what happened earlier," Sombra stated, because he knew that, as long as he kept Byakuya in the Shikai state, he would be able to overcome him easily and move onto any other Captains that might come after him and Ichigo, "unless you want to repeat our earlier battle. Personally, I'd like to do something different than just overpower you and show you the error of your ways, by using both Shokyo and the Kido spells that I know."
"Sombra, I have a better idea." Ichigo said, though as he said that Sombra already knew what he was thinking about, as it was an interesting idea that might be able to change the course of the battle in a matter of seconds, before he turned his attention back toward Byakuya, who was staring at Sombra, "Byakuya, bring out your Bankai. You said that you were going to kill us, and execute Rukia with your own hands. I don't like you saying that. You're her older brother, you shouldn't be talking about killing your own sister, so I'm going to show you how an older sibling should act in front of their younger sibling. I want you to bring out all of your powers so Sombra and I, or just one of us if that's what you prefer, can destroy all of them and save Rukia."
"No matter how much you yell out, my heart will not change." Byakuya stated, to which he shifted his hand and moved Senbonzakura in front of his face, pointed towards the sky, as he was going to release his Shikai and this time it appeared that Sombra was going to allow him to do it, "Nor will the fate of yourself, your Arrancar friend, the other Ryoka that followed you to Soul Society, or even Rukia... you will all die before you have a chance to leave this place. Bankai? Don't get cocky, brat. Someone like you is a thousand years too early to die by my Bankai. Scatter, Senbonzakura."
Sombra watched as Senbonzakura's blade scattered into the numerous amount of pieces that resembled flower petals, though Byakuya's target was Ichigo as the blades started spinning around each other and they drew ever closer to where Ichigo was standing... though in the next few seconds Ichigo raised Zangetsu into the air, paused for a moment, and then swung in Byakuya's direction, to which he loosed a wave of energy that raced through the blades that were in front of him and barely missed Byakuya as it carved a gash into the ground. As the smoke cleared, however, Sombra smiled as he looked at the shocked look on Byakuya's face that was equal to the look that had been on his face when he was the one fighting him, and, at the same time, his left glove fell to the ground and had a few drops of his blood fall on it, as his arm had been cut in the process of Ichigo's attack, even if the cut itself was very light in comparison to what it could have been had the attack hit him.
"What was that light just now?" Byakuya asked, his voice somehow remaining calm in light of what was going on at the moment, which continued to impress Sombra since so much was against him at the moment, before his eyes focused on the blade that Ichigo was carrying, "Is that your Zanpakuto's ability, Ichigo Kurosaki?"
"Yeah, it is." Ichigo replied, because he slightly understood the ability of Senbonzakura and Shokyo, one that he had more experience with thanks to their training, and decided that he might as well tell Byakuya about the ability Zangetsu had taught him during their Bankai training, "At the instant of the slash Zangetsu absorbs and condenses my reiatsu, before releasing it at the tip of the blade, magnifying the slash attack, which flies forward in the form of a crescent moon or wave. That is Zangetsu's power. Truth be told, I had actually never aimed the slash before firing it, and until now I didn't even know how I was making it fire in the first place. Urahara-san told me that he could only teach me the stances, and it's not until now that I finally understood what he meant... only Zangetsu could teach me about himself, meaning that I could only learn how to form and fire this attack through training with him, just like Sombra did with Shokyo. This attack is known as Getsuga Tensho, or Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer, though I prefer it's actual name."
Sombra nodded his head, as he had seen this attack when Ichigo and Zangetsu had been training in the area that Yoruichi had been letting them train in, and was still impressed by the sheer power that this attack commanded, though at the same time he had his own surprises that he was going to keep hidden until it was time to show what he had learned during his own training.
"I'll say it again, Byakuya," Ichigo stated, to which he put Zangetsu's tip in the ground and glared at his opponent, who was studying the situation that he was in and was clearly weighing his options, especially since it appeared that Sombra hadn't done anything since they arrived, "Release your Bankai and fight us with all your power!"
"Heaven-Piercer... such an impudent name." Byakuya commented, though this just reflected on how bad this week was going, especially since his opponent seemed to think that he could slice through anything now, and that wasn't even considering the Arrancar at this point, before he pulled Senbonzakura out and turned it so it faced the ground, "Very well. Since you wish for my Bankai so strongly, and since I was planning on releasing it at my choosing, you may etch it deep into your eyes. Don't worry, I won't either of you regret this, because before you even have a chance to do that you will turn to dust and disappear from my sight."
Sombra and Ichigo watched as Byakuya let go of his Zanpakuto, though as it fell towards the ground it seemed to fall through the ground itself like the ground was made of water, only for ripples to vibrate out from where the blade fell as the area darkened, though that was when two lines of large blades emerged from the ground behind him and stretched backwards quite a ways.
"Bankai." Byakuya said, though at the same time the massive of blades behind him glowed in the similar fashion that his Zanpakuto did when he was releasing it's Shikai, and he found that, while Ichigo was shocked by what was happening at the moment, Sombra was still studying his movements, "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
This time around, instead of attacking just one of them, Sombra found that Byakuya was also targeting him as well, because half of the petals that formed from the numerous amount of blades went after Ichigo, who dodged the initial slow attack with ease, and the other half went after him. Despite the fact that Byakuya had to split his focus between the two of them it was clear that he was more than capable of tracking their movements, especially when Ichigo was forced to dodge the next attack and jumped into the air, where he released another Getsuga Tensho at their opponent, who used instantly used some of the leftover petals to forma shield of sorts that stopped the attack before it could hit him. The moment Sombra saw that, and noticed that Byakuya's attention was off of him for a moment, he raised his reiatsu a little and Shokyo transformed into her Shikai form, but since his opponent's attention was separated between two people he would assume that he had missed hearing the Release Call and not realize the danger he was in. Of course Byakuya kept him slightly distracted by the flowery tendrils of his Bankai so he could corner Ichigo in the air, before the massive of petals gathered together and pushed down on Ichigo, pushing him into the ground and creating a decent sized crater in the process. Once that was done, and he was sure that he had done enough damage to knock Ichigo out of the battle for now, Byakuya turned his attention towards Sombra and sent the entirety of his Bankai after him... though Sombra flashed around the area and observed how well Byakuya could control the petals with just his eyes, while also being slightly concerned that he might be able to do the same thing with his arms if he wanted to.
As Sombra did that he was glad to have completed his training, because if he had come here with the knowledge and power he possessed when he first fought Byakuya he had the feeling this fight would have been over, as a Shikai versus a Bankai seemed like a terrible idea, but his training eliminated part of that problem... though that didn't mean that he could lower his guard, as Byakuya was still a Captain of the Gotei 13 and might have some tricks up his sleeves, despite the fact that he stopped when he heard Ichigo getting back up.
"The essence of Senbonzakura is that it's several hundreds millions of blades have no angle that they cannot reach, creating the perfect attack from all directions." Byakuya commented, not caring if they knew some information about his Zanpakuto and his Bankai, as right now he still had the upper hand and could easily decimate them both, even if he was focused on finishing them one at a time, "Your Zanpakuto's ability is certainly great, but your extremely slow and unwieldy technique will never evade Senbonzakura. The fact that you are still alive and breathing is impressive, but that will not change the fact that you will die here."
"Damn, and here I thought I could go a bit further." Ichigo said, though at the same time Sombra took the opportunity that was presented to him and flashed through the air, where he appeared at the edge of the crater, between both Ichigo and Byakuya, as he waited to see what happened next, "It's no good after all. Of course it wasn't. I should have known that trying to win against a Bankai, with only my Shikai, wasn't a good idea at all, especially when I haven't released mine yet."
"Watch your words, brat." Byakuya stated, because seeing Renji pull off Bankai, which he had been training to reach for a long time since he learned of it's existence, was one thing, but hearing that this Ryoka, who regained his powers through some unknown method that he didn't want to think about, claim that he had unlocked that release as well only annoyed him more than he already was, "You make it sound like you have already achieved Bankai."
"That's because that's exactly what he's saying," Sombra said, though at the same time Ichigo grinned as he raised his head and looked at their opponent, despite the fact that his body was shaking from the wounds that Zangetsu had given him earlier and the new ones that Byakuya had given him, "and I know you have problems believing things unless you see them, so I think I'll let Ichigo explain things from here."
"Byakuya, even if you don't believe our words, your eyes will have to believe that we're saying the truth," Ichigo said, to which he watched as Sombra moved off to the side and that Byakuya, stunned by the fact that he was claiming to have achieved Bankai, wasn't moving to attack, which gave him the time he needed to prepare himself, before he pointed Zangetsu behind him, raised his left hand, and let his reiatsu gather around him as it pushed into the sky like a pillar of energy for a few seconds.
"A Bankai? Impossible." Byakuya stated, though as this happened, and he was caught off guard by the sheer volume of Ichigo's reiatsu, which in itself wasn't as great as the overwhelming power that Sombra had displayed outside the Shrine of Penitence, he glanced at the Arrancar, just to explain something as he waited for Ichigo to fail, "Bankai is the strongest level that a Shinigami can obtain with their Zanpakuto, or the ultimate level as it is more commonly referred to as. The Four Great Noble Families, of which the Kuchiki Clan belongs to, are all born with a reiatsu that is far above others, which distinguishes us from other Shinigami and other souls, and it is said that only one person in several generations is able to obtain their Bankai. Those that discover their Bankai have their names eternally engraved into Soul Society's history, with absolutely no exceptions... that is Bankai. But what's with your friend, Ichigo Kurosaki? He's the one that took Rukia's powers in the first place and used them to become a Shinigami in her place, but right now he isn't even a Shinigami, much less nobility. So why can he say Bankai so easily?! How is he able to release all of this reiatsu? It's almost as if..."
"Honestly, I have no idea, since Ichigo never talks about what he did inside his inner world to uncover Zangetsu's power and restore his Shinigami status," Sombra said, and that was the truth of the situation, even though he was starting to think that maybe one of Ichigo's parents had been a Shinigami, exiled like Kisuke and Yoruichi, and that was how he had such an intense reiatsu, not to mention his own powers that had laid dormant until Rukia's power entered him, "but I'd recommend watching what happens next, because this is where things get interesting."
Before Byakuya could say anything Ichigo stopped his reiatsu pillar and the wind blew away from where he was standing, though as their opponent turned towards him, however, Ichigo moved his right hand and positioned Zangetsu so that the blade was facing Byakuya. Once that happened he raised his left hand and rested it on his right arm, while at the same time the cloth that was hanging loose from the handle wrapped around his right arm a few times before the end piece fluttered in the wind behind his back, only for Ichigo's eyes to glow blue for a moment. After that Ichigo said the one word that Byakuya had said he wouldn't be able to perform, 'Bankai', and the entirety of Zangetsu's blade glowed with the same blue color as his eyes, only for a surge of reiatsu to race forward and nearly clip Byakuya once more, all while kicking up some dust into the air as it shrouded Ichigo from both Byakuya's view and Sombra's view, even though Sombra knew that their opponent was shocked by what was happening. When the smoke cleared a few moments later, and Byakuya unpeeled the petal shield that he had used to protect himself, both he and Sombra discovered that Ichigo's attire had changed, as he was now wearing a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat, similar to a Shinigami's shihakusho, with red lining, which closed at his chest and was left to flare out into ragged ends, much like the manifestation of Zangetsu when he was pulled into this world for Ichigo's Bankai training.
At the same time Sombra noticed that Zangetsu, the blade, had been changed from it's large butcher knife-like appearance and had become a daito, a Japanese long sword, with a black blade instead of normal colored steel, the cloth had been replaced with small black colored chains, and a cross guard that had four prongs that resembled the shape of manji, which actually translated to 'ban' and no doubt referenced that this was the full release of Ichigo's Zanpakuto, the Bankai... and, despite what Byakuya might think about the situation, Sombra had to admit that it was an impressive sight to see for the first time.
"Tensa Zangetsu." Ichigo stated, though he was pleased to find that Sombra seemed to approve of his Bankai, as he liked it already, and found that Byakuya was still staring at him with a shocked look on his face, as if he couldn't determine what was going on anymore.
"What is that? Are you saying that this small thing is a Bankai?!" Byakuya asked, though as he glared at Ichigo he found the Human turning towards him, as if he was planning on fighting him as he was, and that only annoyed him even more than he already was, "Isn't that just a Zanpakuto... oh, now I see. First the use of Flash Steps, and now the Bankai. I can see that you really enjoy stomping on our pride. Fine, then I shall carve into your body the type of retribution you shall receive for injuring our pride!"
It was in that moment, as he gathered the blades of his Bankai and sent them forward, that Ichigo made his move, as not a second later Sombra, his eyes used to watching fast movements thanks to training with Yoruichi, observed as Ichigo flashed through the air and appeared right in front of Byakuya, with his blade pressed against the edge of his neck, all while stunning Byakuya in the process.
"'Our pride'?" Ichigo commented, once more getting hung up on something that really wasn't important at the moment, but, at the same time, Sombra let him have his way since it was better than anything else he might have said to their opponent, before he decided to jump away and focus on their opponent, "It seems that this 'our pride' is connected to killing Rukia... then it's just as you said, I, personally, will stomp on that. And it's for that reason that I obtained this power... though, if you ask me, I'm still not sure what reason Sombra had for gaining this power as well."
"What's that... supposed to..." Byakuya started to ask, though at the same time he recalled what happened back at the entrance of the Shrine of Penitence, where the Arrancar revealed that his Zanpakuto was like one a Shinigami would wield, before his eyes widened as he realized what was going on, to which he quickly turned towards his true target and watched as a faint reiatsu aura appeared around him, brilliant blue colored like the crystal parts of his broadsword.
"I don't actually need to use it, but I guess I might as well show you the results of my training," Sombra said, to which he turned Shokyo so that the tip of her blade was pointed towards the ground, and unlike Byakuya he actually let the tip touch the stone beneath his hooves, before his reiatsu flared and he got things moving, since he knew that Byakuya would attack him soon, "Bankai."
The blue gemstone that rested on the guard of his blade glowed even brighter than anything else for a few seconds, before Sombra's reiatsu kicked up another gust of wind that shrouded him from the sight of both Ichigo and Byakuya, but as that happened Byakuya stood there and felt the incredible amount of reiatsu that was filling the air and knew that everyone, across the entirety of Soul Society, would be feeling this power soon enough.
Yoruichi and Soi Fon had been battling each other in the forest that surrounded Sokyoku Hill, mostly because there wasn't much reason for her to take both her and her opponent someplace else, considering that Soi Fon got quite emotional when she realized that her old mentor had come back to visit. What really annoyed her opponent, however, was the fact that she was able to avoid the majority of her attacks like they were nothing, while only really taking one or two simply because she was interested in hearing what her Zanpakuto Suzumebachi, or Hornet, could actually do in a fight, since she didn't have that when she was still a Shinigami. Even the super secret technique that Soi Fon had been working on, and claimed to have perfected a few days ago, was something that Yoruichi had been working on before her departure from Soul Society, something that annoyed her opponent and really pissed her off, especially when she revealed her own version of the technique, which she called 'Shunko', or Flash War Cry, as her version consisted of lightning and Soi Fon's seemed more centered around the wind itself.
Despite all of this, however, Yoruichi found that Soi Fon had matured into a fine young leader for the Division that she once led, even if she was still a bit emotional when talking with her old mentor, and still required some practice in order to get where she wanted in life.
"I don't get it. How can you be so strong, when a hundred years in exile should have made you weaker?" Soi Fon asked, because that was the problem she was facing, as Yoruichi was just as strong as she remembered her being when she was still her student, almost as if she had been practicing every single day since she left.
Before Yoruichi could reply to that comment, however, she felt a sudden reiatsu spike as Byakuya released his Bankai, which was to be expected considering who he was fighting, and that was followed by Ichigo showing off his own final technique to counter Byakuya's... and then, to top it all off, she also felt the familiar reiatsu that belonged to Sombra, only now it reached past the classification that everyone knew him by.
"Wh... What is this reiatsu?" Soi Fon asked, as she knew that it felt like a Hollow's, and she even remembered hearing about the Adjuchas ranked Arrancar that was running around, something she had felt before finding Captain Byakuya lying in the ruins of a building near the Shrine of Penitence, but this time it felt different.
"That, Soi Fon, is the reason why my skills haven't been lost over the last hundred years," Yoruichi replied, as she had given it her all to teach this one person and that, in turn, had only caused her to remember her old abilities at a frightening pace, just to show him who she used to be, before she smiled as she turned towards the area they came from, "This reiatsu belongs to Sombra, the Arrancar that you've no doubt heard about since his arrival in the World of the Living, but he's no longer an Adjuchas ranked Arrancar, rather he's a..."
"A Vasto Lorde!" Soi Fon finished, though that didn't stop her from sweating, as the reiatsu before hand had been extremely powerful, but now that his true power had been revealed she knew that, even if she got into a fight with the creature, she might not even have a chance at victory.
Yoruichi nodded as she focused on the reiatsu, knowing that it would get even stronger when Sombra found his true powers and unlocked them, but right now she knew that all of Soul Society would be feeling the first Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar in at least the last five hundred years, maybe even longer, and that many would be terrified of what they were feeling at the moment... yet she smiled as she turned her focus to Soi Fon once more, as it was clear that Sombra didn't need her help at the moment.
Ukitake and Shunsui were in trouble at the moment, as they generally were whenever they happened to be facing Captain-Commander Yamamoto, but this time, since they had both willingly taken part in destroying the Sokyoku, he insisted that their punishment would be fighting him to the death, for the justice of the world. Of course that was easier said than done, since the Captain-Commander's Zanpakuto was Ryujin Jakka, or Flowing Blade-like Flame, and it was considered to be the oldest and the strongest fire type Zanpakuto in all of Soul Society, so much so that those that knew of it's power dreaded battling against such a blade. Even then with Shunsui's Katen Kyokotsu, or Bones of Heavenly Blooming Madness, and Ukitake's Sogyo no Kotowari, or Truth of Pices, the only two Zanpakuto that created a pair of identical blades when they entered their Shikai forms, the two Captains knew that they were in trouble, as the Captain-Commander wasn't an opponent that one took lightly and they were no exception... even though he might be able to overpower them at some point and defeat them if they got distracted by something else that was happening in Soul Society.
Of course as they thought about that they felt the power of Captain Byakuya as he activated his Bankai, followed by the surge of a new reiatsu that had to belong to one of the Ryoka that had come into Soul Society to save Rukia, the one named Ichigo if Ukitake was right in his thinking... though that was before they felt an even stronger reiatsu radiate from the area that the other Captain was fighting in, one that made all three of them pause for a moment.
"Ukitake, that wouldn't happen to be that Arrancar's reiatsu, would it?" Shunsui asked, though he was sweating despite how far away they were from Sokyoku Hill, but whether it was from Ryujin Jakka's flames or from the power he was feeling he had no idea.
"It is, but it's stronger than it was when I first felt it." Ukitake replied, as he had felt the reiatsu of the Adjuchas ranked Arrancar when he had finished his fight with Byakuya, only now his reiatsu was so powerful and so potent that they were feeling it so far away from where the execution had been taking place, and he knew that they weren't the only ones that were feeling this power, "It's almost like he's a..."
"A Vasto Lorde." Yamamoto stated, finishing Ukitake's sentence and surprising the two of them for a moment, as he was staring off into the distance as well, because he was mentally debating between punishing these two for their actions, as in the destruction of the Sokyoku, and dealing with the threat that had shown up in the center of the Seireitei.
This was an odd thing to have happen, on the day of Rukia's execution, and he couldn't help but think that something else was going on at the moment, but for right now he had to decide what he was going to do and who he was going to punish first... all while making sure that both of his current opponents didn't get any funny ideas and left while he was thinking about all this.
Byakuya and Ichigo watched as the dust started to clear from Sombra activating his Bankai, though where Ichigo was interested in seeing what sort of power his friend had unlocked, since he and Shokyo insisted on keeping it all secret until he was ready, Byakuya was shocked by what was happening. At this point in time he was no longer thinking that it was impossible for Sombra to have a true Zanpakuto, as the evidence was sitting in front of his face, rather he was concerned with how he was going to finish the fight when his opponent's reiatsu was so strong, as it was well past what he would have expected it to be. When they were able to see Sombra again they found that he was still carrying Shokyo, in her released form, in his right hand, though that was before they found that his grey Shinigami clothing had been replaced with something new, as he was now wearing some silver gloves on his hands, a light looking chest piece to cover his chest and the matching lower body section to cover his waist and the top of his legs, and some silver greaves that had been modified to fit over his hooves and his legs. The insignia on the chest piece seemed to be a heart shaped crystal, colored brilliant blue like the crystals on Shokyo's blade, with what appeared to be two pink crystalline wings of some kind on the right and left sides of the heart, with a pink crystal point above and below it... and, in addition to all of that, Ichigo noticed that Sombra's skin had taken on the same transparent crystalline appearance that Shokyo had when she revealed herself for his Bankai training.
To Ichigo his friend looked like he was a knight of some kind that had stepped out of a fairy tale, the only things missing being the helmet, a shield, and maybe a cape, but right now he wasn't going to argue with the results of Sombra's training, not when he could see Byakuya shaking a little from the reiatsu that was coming from Sombra.
"Isamashii Hogosha Shoteikoku." Sombra said, revealing the name of his Bankai, one version of it anyway, while at the same time opening his eyes as he focused on his target once more, who he discovered was sweating a little from the power of his reiatsu.
Ichigo knew that the situation had changed, as their opponent was sweating from the fact that he had to fight two people who had unlocked Bankai recently and he was eager to show Byakuya the power of his Bankai... and, at the same time, he was curious to see what Sombra could do, especially with the power boost that came from accessing the full power of his Zanpakuto. He had the feeling that the next few minutes were going to be exciting, for them anyway, and it would allow them to show Byakuya the error of his ways, as well as tell him not to kill his own sister, and then they would reunite with the others and fight their way out of the Seireitei to head home. He still wasn't sure how they were planning on doing that, heading back to the World of the Living, but so far some of the things they had done hadn't been planned on until they needed to do something, so he was sure that Yoruichi might have a plan for them... but right now he and Sombra were going to focus on finishing the fight with Byakuya, and then they'd get to the aftermath of this venture.
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One version of it?
I sense imminent freakouts from all shinigami when they find out.
Ironic considering his past that his bankai is named such
Kind of a mouthful don't you think? I can't even pronounce it.
To be a bit of a smart a$$, so when do we think Sombra will hit Vasto Lords 2?
Moar!
Vasto Lorde achieved, to predictably epic results!
Isamashii Hogosha Shoteikoku, Valiant Guardian of the Crystal Empire... it's official. Sombra's become a True Hero. All that's left to see now is how much more powerful he can get, and what happens when he gets his Arrancar blade which, I suspect, will trigger his memories.
9135735
I say we call it Kinguhorou, King Hollow. And, if he gets yet another upgrade, Kōtei Chūkū. Emperor Hollow.
Same
The irony is killing me
has
begin
Everything is so far out of left field Discord must dance cackeling like a Mad God he is, from all this chaos
Sombra probably is the inspration of the future plot of building a Hollow army lead by Arrancar.