Rebellion: Koga Kuchiki
Despite traveling by the informal Senkaimon, since the formal one was the massive one that Sombra and his friends had used when they were returning to the World of the Living after saving Rukia, it didn't take them long to reach the other side of the passage, allowing them to exit in an area near the lake that Captain-Commander Yamamoto had told them about just a few minutes ago. Sombra stepped out of the passage between worlds and looked around the area, finding that the place Koga Kuchiki was sealed away in was near their current position, though as he stepped forward the rest of his group came out after him, taking a look of their surroundings before doing anything else. Zangetsu and Haineko kept their eyes on Muramasa, since there was no telling what he was going to do, and both Byakuya and Senbonzakura remained silent as they stepped out as well, though out of all of them Ichigo was the last one that emerged from the passage, and he was the only one that didn't trust what was going on at the moment. Sombra was fine with that, because since he held the crystal containing the information Muramasa needed to undo the seal his partner was trapped behind, something he had been entrusted with, their foe was willing to follow his lead until he got what he wanted... even if he had no idea that he was walking into a trap, considering what Byakuya had revealed to Sombra earlier and that they would be acting upon that in the next few minutes.
When they were all outside the passage, and the Jigokucho departed from where they were standing, the Senkaimon closed behind them and left them to their own devices, though as Sombra and the others turned towards the island that was in the middle of the lake Muramasa coughed for a few moments, and they sounded painful.
"Are you feeling alright?" Sombra inquired, because while he knew that many Shinigami would be okay with some sort of illness or something claiming the existence that Muramasa was clinging to, which would result in his death, he wanted to make sure that he stuck around to see what happened when he broke the seal.
"I'm running out of time." Muramasa stated, though at the same time he stood up and moved the back of his hand towards his face, wiping away the blood trails that came from his coughing fit, before he stared at the island that was his destination, "I'm about to end a lone battle that has been going on for ages... I can hold out long enough to do what we came to do, and then I'll change the world!"
Sombra stared at him for a moment before nodding his head, to which the group flashed through the air and headed over to the island that a large tree was standing on, though when they landed in front of the tree they found a number of the Jigokucho resting on the trunk of the tree, including the ones that they had used to get here. As the group came to a stop the number of butterflies flew away from the tree, making Ichigo wonder if they knew what was going to happen in the next few moments, before Sombra handed the crystal over to Muramasa, who crushed it's surprisingly brittle structure and gained the information that had been copied into it. Once that had happened, and he knew exactly what he needed to do to break the seal, Sombra nodded his head and the rest of their group backed up a little as he did the same, allowing Muramasa to be the one standing in front of the tree when Koga came out of it, before Muramasa raised his right hand and pointed his palm towards the trunk.
"Gather round the supreme being with thy cleansing black souls, offering blood, a pact, and an alter." Muramasa recited, to which blue electricity danced along the entirety of the tree, showing that it had to contain the prison that his partner was sealed away in, though once that happened he focused on what he was doing and nothing else, "Fly hence from the blackened heavens, my beloved ebon sacrifice. Offer the holy chalice to the evil spirit residing behind the seal, lifting the six locks that have been passed down since antiquity. Now open, coffin once lost!"
The instant he finished the incantation the air in front of them cracked in every direction, as if a glass mirror or a window had cracked from his words, before the barrier shattered and the tree disappeared entirely, showing that there was never a tree to begin with and that it had been hiding an interesting looking coffin that had four golden headed halberds stuck in it, with the heads outside the coffin.
"As you might have guessed, inside this coffins rests my master, Koga Kuchiki." Muramasa said, though at the same time he smiled for a moment as he thought about what was going on, that he had finally accomplished what he had set out to do after his master had been sealed away, "He was a powerful Shinigami that sought to control Soul Society, but when he tried to do that Captain-Commander Yamamoto and Ginrei Kuchiki managed to seal him away and kept the location of his prison known only to the two of them, hence why I targeted the Captain-Commander. Everything I have done has been for this moment..."
As he said that Muramasa focused his reiatsu into making his eyes glow, as it was part of what he needed to do to break the seal, and the prison that his master was in pulsed with blue electricity, just like the barrier that had been hiding it had done when he started his incantation, before the chains that were tied to it snapped off and crumbled to the ground below it, where they turned to dust and vanished. Sombra and the others watched as the face of the coffin cracked and had a blue glow coming from the inside, showing that the coffin was going to break and that they were moments away from Koga being released into the world once more, before the surface of the coffin shattered and the halberds were forced into the ground near where they were standing. As the light faded away, and let them see what was going on, it wasn't hard to see what had happened, as Koga floated where the coffin used to rest, though while he must have been fit and youthful in the past his current appearance was malnourished and withered, showing that the passing of time had not been kind to him. It appeared that he was wearing a mouth guard and a pair of gauntlets, from the time before he was imprisoned, but the mouth piece was broken so it only covered his nose area and left his mouth open, though the chest part of his Shinigami attire had been destroyed and left him bare chested, even though he still wore a red scarf and a necklace from his previous life... and, as Sombra expected, Koga was carrying his version of Muramasa's blade, even if the upper half of it was missing, which explained all the pain that Muramasa had been in recently.
After a few moments of floating in the air Koga finally opened his eyes and touched the ground beneath him, where he stared at the group that was near him, though Sombra could tell that his gaze was mostly focused on Muramasa, who was overjoyed to see that his master was freed at last, before Koga took a breath and exerted his power, causing the group to stand their ground as his reiatsu passed by them... though once that was done, and everything returned to normal, Muramasa decided that it was time to make his move.
"Koga, you've awaken at long last!" Muramasa said, joy filling his voice as he held his arms out, showing that he was pleased with that had transpired in the last few minutes, so much so that he approached his master and hoped that he was also pleased with what he had done, "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment! Now, let's got make your dreams come true at last!"
"Mura... masa!" Koga replied, showing that the number of years he had been sealed away had taken their toll on his body, as it sounded like he was having some trouble talking, but at the same time just hearing his voice seemed to make Muramasa even happier than he already was.
It was in that moment that Koga stabbed Muramasa in the stomach with the remainder of his Zanpakuto, surprising the group the instant that it happened, while at the same time shock appeared on Muramasa's face as he looked down at where his stomach was located, as if he couldn't believe what was happening.
"Koga... why?" Muramasa asked, though at the same time he fell to his knees and stared up at his master, whose expression had warped into one of pure anger the moment after he was stabbed in the stomach, as if Muramasa had done something wrong and had angered his master, "Why did you...?"
"You didn't come, even though I called for you when I was about to be sealed away." Koga stated, to which Sombra immediately understood what was going on, as it was the same problem that Haineko and Matsumoto's bond had, only it was much worse than what Haineko had put behind.
"You... called for me?" Muramasa asked, because shortly after he freed Koga from his prison cell, as he had gone into custody and he had freed his master from his previous resting place, he had suffered a few bruises from Koga's anger and a few harsh words, but he never thought their bond had been strained to the point where he couldn't hear his master calling for his aid.
"You refused to lend me your power." Koga stated, showing that he was more than annoyed by what had happened all those years ago, though at the same time Sombra's group, understanding how an abusive relationship hurt the bond between a Shinigami and their Zanpakuto, watched and waited to see what happened next.
"I never heard you call for me, I swear." Muramasa replied, as he remembered countless days sitting in Koga's empty inner world, surrounded by nothing but water and stone pillars that were spread apart from each other, waiting for his master to call on him for something, only to receive silence, "I waited for you to call me for so long. I've always wanted to help you with all my body and soul, no matter how dire the situation, whenever you called for me... but I went for so long without ever hearing your voice. Eventually I found out that you had been sealed away. That's why I've been working so hard to release the seal..."
"What's the point if you're not there when I need you?!" Koga snapped, showing that the years of being sealed away must have messed with his mind, though at the same time Sombra had the feeling that he had been mentally unstable and that was what resulted in him being sealed away, and that the years inside that coffin had only messed with his insanity more than anything else he had experienced before that moment, though that was before Koga reached down and ripped the blade from Muramasa's stomach.
As Sombra held a hand out to stop anyone from getting involved, since this wasn't their fight and he knew that Byakuya was waiting for the perfect opening, Koga growled and kneed Muramasa in the chin, knocking him backwards onto the ground behind him, where he landed on his side and his blood started to seep out of the wound in his stomach, despite his efforts to stop it from happening.
"As your Shinigami, I am the one that created your powers!" Koga stated, as that was a fact that every Shinigami had to learn when they first took an Asauchi and started spending time with them, to mold them into the blades that would eventually become their Zanpakuto, including the spirits that resided inside the blade, "You're supposed to do everything that I tell you to do!"
"Weren't we... comrades?" Muramasa asked, though at he same time he had to wince for a moment, as he shifted his gaze and his body so he could stare at his master's face, all while putting additional pressure on his wound, which didn't seem to be getting any better.
"Comrades?" Koga inquired, almost making it sound like he had never thought of Muramasa that way, despite the fact that Muramasa was willing to do anything and everything for his Shinigami partner, "You're nothing more than a sword. You're just a tool... so don't get cocky, you worthless tool!"
As Koga raised his arm, so he could use what was left of his blade to strike out at his Zanpakuto spirit again and inflict even more damage on him, Sombra beckoned with his hand and most of the group backed up some more, though at the same time Byakuya flashed forward and drew his blade, stopping Koga's strike in it's tracks.
"I honestly cannot believe that you called your own Zanpakuto a tool and attacked him." Byakuya stated, to which he glared at his uncle, a man who sullied the name of the Kuchiki family with his mere existence, and he was thankful that Sombra was allowing him to uphold the mission that his grandfather had given him so long ago, "You don't deserve the title of 'Shinigami'."
The instant he said that both he and Koga raised their blades and jumped backwards, putting some distance between them for when the battle resumed, though when they landed Byakuya could see that Koga was staring at him, studying his choice of attire since he had returned his scarf to it's natural place around his neck.
"That silvery-white windflower scarf, and those kenseikan," Koga commented, referring to the hairpieces that Byakuya was wearing when he said kenseikan, while at the same time showing that he remembered a great deal about his time before he was sealed away, "You're from the Kuchiki Clan, aren't you?"
"I am Byakuya Kuchiki, the Twenty-eighth head of the Kuchiki Clan." Byakuya replied, showing Sombra and the others that his family was old since it had so many heads to lead it, but at the same time he focused his attention on Koga, since he was the person he had come to defeat.
"The Twenty-eighth head... I see, so a great deal of time has passed since I was imprisoned." Koga said, as if he was remembering the year it was in Soul Society before he was sealed away and had been making the calculations in his head, or he didn't care and just make the comment to show that he now knew how much time he had missed, "So, has Ginrei kicked the bucket yet?"
"I don't want to hear his name pass your lips again." Byakuya stated, as his grandfather had been a good man and was well respected by the Shinigami that still remembered him, including the Captain-Commander, and he wasn't about to let the one who disgraced his family name say the name of his grandfather in such a manner, "You have no right to speak his name after you soiled the Kuchiki Clan's honor."
"Is that so?" Koga asked, to which he shrugged for a moment, because personally he didn't want to talk about the man that had helped seal him away either, a man that he despised as much as every other Shinigami in existence, before he focused on his foe, "So what's your plan, Mr. Head of the Kuchiki Clan? Are you planning on sealing me away again, after giving me a few minutes of fresh air and some time with my worthless sword?"
"No. I cannot allow you to live any longer." Byakuya replied, though at the same time he was still annoyed that Koga was treating Muramasa like he was a tool, as that was a character trait of a Shinigami who had lost their harmony with their Zanpakuto, a state that Matsumoto had been dangerously close to reaching, "I will kill you for soiling the Kuchiki Clan's name and honor."
"Well, you're certainly arrogant enough to belong to the family." Koga stated, as he remembered how arrogant the members of the family that he had known had been, before he shifted his stance and readied his blade, "Whatever. I've got enough reason to fight you, if you really are the head of the Kuchiki Clan."
"K... Koga... use me." Muramasa spoke up, as he finally mustered the strength to stand once more, even if he kept his left hand on his stomach to slow the bleeding as best he could, all while noticing that both Byakuya and his master had turned their heads towards him once more, "My power is always with you..."
For a moment it actually seemed like Koga would listen to Muramasa and call him back to his inner world, restoring his actual blade as he turned and faced Muramasa with his blade held out, only for something shocking to happen as Koga brought his left hand down on the blade and shattered it, with two large fragments falling to the ground while what little of it remained was stuck to the handle, which Koga discarded as Muramasa fell to his knees once more.
"You'll just get in my way." Koga stated, to which he turned towards one of the halberds that was resting nearby and grinned as he grabbed onto it's handle, as it would be the perfect weapon for the battle that was going to start, before he glanced at his worthless Zanpakuto once more, "I don't have to use an unstable, and unreliable, sword like you. I can handle this on my own."
"Don't you understand what a Zanpakuto is?" Haineko asked, as she couldn't believe that another spirit was suffering the same thing that she had been through, that Muramasa's partner wouldn't forgive what happened in the past and even turned his back on Muramasa.
"A Zanpakuto is a tool, nothing more." Koga replied, where he noticed that a few of the observers looked like they were also the same as Muramasa, Zanpakuto spirits to be exact, though for the most part he had no desire to use any of them against his enemies, "I can always find a replacement, be it an existing Zanpakuto, another Asauchi to form a more reliable weapon, or even one of the blades that was used to seal me away all tho..."
Koga stopped for a moment as an unnatural darkness filled the air around them, as he had never seen anything like it before, and when he found the source of the power he noticed that it was the strange pony creature that had a faint dark aura around him, with a glare that would have stunned him where he stood... and before he could say anything the air was back to normal and so was the creature in question, but out of all of them Byakuya knew exactly what hadn't been said as he turned towards Koga.
"Sombra is very upset with how you are treating your Zanpakuto," Byakuya said, because if Sombra had been in the mood to actually fight Koga he was sure that his uncle would be sent to the Shadowlands, to suffer an eternity of torture alongside Aizen and whoever else was trapped inside that realm, "though you should count yourself lucky that he hasn't made a move toward you yet... otherwise you'd be dead on the ground before you had a chance to fight back."
Before Koga could say anything, however, Muramasa's body shook for a few seconds, no doubt from what he had just done, and that was immediately followed by strands of black-red colored reiatsu erupting from his body, before a scream ran out as everyone jumped into the air, leaving him in the center of a sea of black-red reiatsu. Sombra knew what it was the moment he saw it, as Muramasa's despair at being abandoned by his partner, someone who he had trusted and even risked his very existence for, had caused him to lose control of his reiatsu and the power he had absorbed from the number of Hollows that he had taken into his being to keep himself from falling apart until the seal was released. As the seconds ticked by a large number of Menos Grande, the foot soldiers that he and Ichigo fought in the beginning when they were just beginning to understand their powers, emerged from the sea of reiatsu, which was then followed by the sea vanishing as Muramasa was trapped inside a sphere of reiatsu. Of course there were some perks to being the Dios Hueco, as his mere presence stopped the group of Menos Grande from doing anything stupid, to which Byakuya nodded his head and chased after Koga, since he was the reason that everything was happening in the first place, leaving the others to watch what happened to the unfortunate Zanpakuto spirit that was now trapped in a sphere that floated high in the air, knowing that they couldn't do anything but watch and wait.
As Byakuya flew through the air the blade fragments of Senbonzakura followed after him, forming a blade in his right hand as they charged into battle with the person they had come to defeat, knowing that this was going to be a spectacle for those that were observing them.
Koga assumed a battle stance as Byakuya rushed at him, their weapons clashing against each other as they danced around in the air above the Menos Grande, who seemed to be watching them as well, though Byakuya blocked several of his foes attacks as Koga did the same thing. It was interesting, as Koga's movements showed that he was skilled enough to use whatever weapon he wanted, which confirmed his statement about finding a new weapon to use as his main weapon, but at the same time Byakuya focused on parrying the attacks that were aimed at his head and his organs, before pushing his foe's weapon back and swinging his Zanpakuto at Koga's face. Koga actually let the blade get close to taking off his head, like he was using this as an exercise to wake his muscles up, before he blocked his Zanpakuto and then spun around until he was behind his foe, so he could attack him from behind, to which Byakuya spun around and parried the attack that was aimed at his back, before they went back to attacking and parrying attacks that were aimed at them. That, of course, was before Koga did something different, as when he found Byakuya blocking his attack, so he could use his own in the next few seconds, he shifted his halberd and caught the head of his foe's blade, trapping it as he swung the bottom of his halberd at his foe.
Byakuya let it get close and then pulled his head back, letting the bottom of the halberd pass by his head as he pulled his blade free, to which he swung his blade again and Koga parried the attack with the handle of his halberd, showing that he remembered all the techniques and movements that he had been taught, meaning that this fight was going to take a while before one of them won.
"I must say, you do have the skills that are necessary to be the head of the clan." Koga commented, as he had been studying his opponent's movements and found that Byakuya was certainly correct in his statement, that he was the current head of the clan, but at the same time that only made him want to kill him even more than before, "But there's more to being the head of the clan than skill with a blade. How's your Kido?"
Byakuya watched as Koga pulled back and put some distance between them, though as he pointed the tip of his halberd at him as a fireball formed on it's head, to which Koga called out 'Adamantine Blast', or Kongobaku as it was more commonly called, and loosed the fireball at him. Byakuya jumped backwards as the fireball was launched and raised his hand at his target, to which he used Hado Number 33: Sokatsui and fired a torrent of blue energy, to which the two Kido spells raced through the aid and collided with each other, canceling each other out when they finally met. It made sense that a Kido spell in the Thirties would be cancelled by a second Kido spell that was also in the Thirties, though even as that happened Koga created a circle of green energy below him and started firing multiple blasts that seemed to form a cage of some sort, a spell called Raging Light Fang, or Gaki Rekko. This time around Byakuya dodged the beams that were coming his way and retreated to the ground level, where he raised his left hand and fired off four Hado Number 4: Bakurai at his target, where each of the four pale colored lightning missed their target as Koga dodged his attacks, though this time he appeared in the area behind Byakuya.
Not even a second passed before Koga swung his halberd at him and called out his next attack, which was Glacier Vapor Storm, or Hyoga Seiran, and loosed a massive wave of ice at him, to which Byakuya used Bakudo Number 81: Danku and formed a vertical glass-like barrier behind him, preventing him from taking damage while the wave of ice headed passed where he was standing, taking out a few of the Menos Grande in the process, before he had his Zanpakuto form a petal shield around him as the barrier cracked, protecting him from the ice as the barrier collapsed.
"Your Kido is nothing but a joke, when compared to my Zanpakuto, Senbonzakura." Byakuya stated, as the moment the attack ended he used the blade fragments to shatter the ice around him and then reformed his blade once more, as if nothing had happened to him.
"Don't overestimate yourself, kiddo." Koga replied, as so far he wasn't sure if he was impressed with his foe's power over Kido or if he should feel sorry by his lack of powerful spells, since one of the spells he had used was in the Fifties and the other had been in the Sixties.
When Koga attacked him again Byakuya jumped backwards into the air, only for Koga to use the same technique that Muramasa used when he was stopping his targets where they stood, showing that he could use his Zanpakuto's powers even though he had shattered Muramasa's blade. As Koga proclaimed that he got Byakuya, and that he couldn't even lift a finger anymore, Byakuya truly released his Shikai and used the large strands of blade fragments to shatter Koga's hold on him, allowing them to continue the battle once more, though when Koga used the halberd to defend himself his weapon finally shattered due to it's age and the power that Byakuya was using against him. He then used that opening to flash behind Koga and swung his blade at him, bifurcating his body in the process, but as that happened he discovered that the Koga he had been fighting was an illusion and that it disappeared a few seconds later as another Koga appeared some steps in front of him, before flashing behind him and cutting his shoulder just a bit. As he stumbled forward he slashed at his foe once more and cut him in half again, but that turned out to be another illusion as Koga appeared in the air above him, but when he swung the fragment of the halberd that he was holding another cut appeared on his right shoulder, to which he discovered that the one in the sky was an illusion and the real one was in front of him.
Byakuya, shocked by what was going on at the moment, and knowing that someone like Sombra wouldn't be caught off guard in such a manner, flashed backwards and put some distance between them, though this time he found that his foe wasn't following after him, giving him a chance to figure out what was going on.
"What did you do?" Byakuya inquired, because he was sure that his foe would mention what he had done and was going to take advantage of that, and if by some chance he died to Koga, or came close to it, getting Koga to talk would reveal his powers to Sombra, who would wreck Koga so badly it would be painful to watch.
"Muramasa can control other Zanpakuto." Koga stated, as right now he felt like talking, because his first fight since leaving his prison was going well and he was sure that whoever was watching the battle wouldn't be able to figure out what his fighting style or abilities were, "But that ability came from my own special power. I can send my reiatsu into whoever my enemies are and throw off all five of their senses. I have complete control over what my opponents perceive. You wouldn't be able to see me correctly, despite the fact that I could be standing right in front of you. Even your depth perception doesn't match the reach of your sword. You can't fight against me anymore... and the funny thing is that I wouldn't have been able to use this technique if you had closed your heart to me, like Ginrei and Yamamoto did when they sealed me away."
To prove his point Koga tossed the fragment of the halberd's handle, that he was still holding onto, at Byakuya, who swung at it and cut through an illusion as the real one hit his chest and fell to the ground, though it hadn't hurt him at all and caused him to look back up at his foe.
"You let down your guard because I broke Muramasa." Koga added, though at the same time he used his power and started making multiple illusions of himself, to prevent Byakuya from seeing his real movements as the illusions phased in and out of existence.
"You're wrong, because I challenged you without closing my heart so I could kill you." Byakuya replied, though he was fortunate that his foe had revealed his hand to him, since that gave Sombra the change to understand his powers in case he needed to be pulled out of the fight, but he'd cross that road if he reached that point, "If I had closed my heart to you, I could have sealed you away again, but doing so would have prevented me from killing you."
As he said that Byakuya prepared to release Senbonzakura once more, though Koga was annoyed with what he had said and grabbed one of the other halberds, as the other three went flying after Muramasa's episode, to which he threw it through the air and used his power to confuse Byakuya as to where it was going, only for it's disarming area behind the head to capture his hand and knock his Zanpakuto away from where he was standing. Byakuya attempted to move away as Koga sent the second halberd at him, only for it to pin his other arm as well since he couldn't figure out where they were coming from in time to dodge them, which was when Koga used Hyoga Seiran against him, but this time around when Byakuya used Bakudo Number 81: Danku to defend himself the attack came from his right side, freezing the lower part of his body and preventing him from moving.
"You're pathetic!" Koga stated, his tone taking on the type one would expect when they were winning a fight, even though the only person that Byakuya knew who didn't do that was Sombra, as he would normally gloat or proclaim his victory once the battle was over, if he bothered to do that anyway, "You're just a baby that can't do anything without his Zanpakuto! Truthfully, it doesn't matter how skilled or experienced my enemies are! Everyone will bow to me in the end! Yes, this is all my power! No one can beat me, even if I don't have my Zanpakuto! But enough of that, why don't we finish this now, head of the Kuchiki Clan!"
Koga readied the fourth and final halberd as he took on a new stance, showing that he was ready to end this, before he rushed forward and held the tip of the blade steady so it could pierce Byakuya's head and kill him instantly, but just before it could reach his target a surge of flowery blade fragments stopped the blade from hitting his target.
"Master, if you've lost control of your senses," a voice said, to which Koga watched as Byakuya's blade released itself and Senbonzakura formed behind Byakuya, with his right hand on his partner's shoulder while his left hand stopped the attack in it's tracks, "then I shall become your eyes and fight for you."
The moment he said that Senbonzakura pushed Koga's attack back and shattered both the ice and the halberds that were keeping Byakuya pinned to the ground, though as a blade formed in Byakuya's hand Koga declared that he would strip his Zanpakuto of his perception as well and pointed at Byakuya, who held his blade out and released it, activating his Bankai as the area around them went dark for a moment. As Koga's eyes widened in shock, since he had no idea that Byakuya could use Bankai, Byakuya did something he usually didn't do, instead of just releasing his Bankai he moved straight into the Senkei stage, forming a dome around them with four rows of blades circling them.
"Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." Byakuya stated, knowing that the only way for someone to see the end of this fight was if Sombra had activated his Resurreccion and had an eye on the inside, but at the same time he focused on his foe as he prepared to end their battle, "This is Senbonzakura's true form. In this form, he drops all pretense of defense and focuses everything into defeating whoever our enemy is. While we're in here it doesn't matter if you've thrown off my sensory perception or not, as my blades will find you, no matter where you are."
"No matter where I am, huh?" Koga inquired, though at the same time he took a new battle stance as he readied himself, to which his blue colored reiatsu formed a light aura around him, showing that he was preparing for what was to be the end of their battle, "The same goes for me as well!"
Byakuya stood there as he called one of the blades to his right hand and let his white aura form around him as he took his own battle stance, showing that he wasn't about to let someone else survive the Senkei stage of his Bankai, all while making sure to keep Koga within his sight. It wasn't long before Koga made the first move and Byakuya followed his steps, though this time around when their weapons clashed their reiatsu pushed against each other, trying to dominate the other for a few seconds, before they passed by their foes, which only caused them to turn around and clash with each other once more. When Koga used his immobilization trick, to keep Byakuya from moving, Senbonzakura briefly appeared as a phantom and used a number of the blades to pierce the strands that were holding his partner down, freeing him before he faded again, allowing Byakuya to attack a confused and shocked Koga, even though he nearly took his head off and forced his foe to back up a little. Instead of chasing after him, like he should be doing, he waited for Koga to come to a stop before even deciding what his next move should be, since he wanted to make sure his foe died while putting up a decent fight, just like he knew Sombra and his friends would have done in his stead.
"Damn it. Why are you so powerful?!" Koga asked, as right now he was surprised that Byakuya could even keep up with his movements and that he was able to free himself from his powers, even though he'd still have trouble if he took away his senses like he did before the Bankai was activated.
"Because both of us are fighting you." a voice said, to which the phantom of Senbonzakura appeared behind Byakuya once more, showing that they were doing exactly what he said they were doing, all while Byakuya kept his eyes on Koga in case he decided to try something while they were talking.
"Shinigami and Zanpakuto are two in one." Byakuya added, reminding Koga of what he had learned when he was first learning all of this back when he attended the academy, especially since he had forgotten all of this and had done one of the few things a Shinigami should never do to their partner, "We only reach our true potential when our souls begin to resonate with each other. You, who cast aside everything in your vanity, can never defeat us."
"Shut up! You're the ones that don't get it!" Koga snapped, as he remembered why he had been pushed to do what he had done and had been forced to suffer such a long imprisonment, especially since his sword was so useless and didn't help him when he was being sealed away, "No one acknowledged my greatness, no matter how many deeds I did. They branded me as a traitor and cast me aside, so I decided to create a place where I belonged and acted upon that plan. Those with power rule! I will become the King of a new world!"
"How foolish." Byakuya said, as he remembered what his grandfather had told him, that Soul Society had tried to lessen or even seal Muramasa's power, for fear of a Zanpakuto rebellion happening all those years ago, and Koga seemed to think it was about taking away his powers, causing him to believe that everyone was against him and sent him down the path that lead to his imprisonment, "The tragedy is that you failed to see where true power lies. The power you needed was the ability to communicate with others as well as your Zanpakuto."
"I never needed anyone and I never will!" Koga stated, to which he raised his weapon and prepared himself, because right now it appeared that talking was going to get them no where, meaning that it was time for them to end their battle and see who the winner really was, "My powers are unique. No one can come close to my ultimate power!"
"There there is nothing more for us to say." Byakuya replied, though at the same time he braced himself, as he knew that it was time for them to bring an end to both Koga and this fight, as there was no reasoning with someone who had spent so long with their own insanity and nothing else, "You can curse your own immaturity for preventing you from recognizing your own overconfidence. Koga, I shall now perform my duty as the head of the Kuchiki Clan, which has been handed down to me by my grandfather, Ginrei. Shukei: Hakuteiken."
As soon as he said that the four rings broke apart and pooled their power together, forming the majestic white wings and white halo of his final attack, the White Imperial Sword, though while it might have failed to defeat Ichigo in their previous battle, since he was more wounded at the time, this time he knew he'd hit his mark. Despite everything that had been said so far Koga admitted that this was a pretty impressive technique and that there weren't many heads of the clan that were as strong as Byakuya was, which struck Byakuya as odd considering what Koga had been saying up until he saw this attack. At the same time, however, Byakuya told Koga that he was only showing him this attack as a final act of respect, since Koga was once a member of his clan and hadn't been bad until something unfortunate happened, which only caused his foe to proclaim that he'd smash the attack and sever his ties to the Kuchiki Clan at last. When Koga was ready he charged forward and let his reiatsu gather around him, just like Byakuya was doing with his final attack, and soon the two of them collided in the middle of the dome, their reiatsu fighting against each other for a few moments as both of them fought for dominance... only for a large explosion to erupt where they were fighting as the dome disappeared, where Byakuya stood where Koga had been and Koga was standing where Byakuya had been moments ago.
As Byakuya stumbled Senbonzakura materialized and stopped him from hitting the ice they were standing on, though when they looked back at Koga they found that, despite being severely wounded, he was fighting on and was calling for Muramasa to come to him, as if he forgot what he had done to his partner... and when he called out Muramasa's name one last time his body gave out and his reiatsu collapsed on itself, allowing his lifeless body to fall into the lake and drift to the bottom, letting the two of them leave the area and flash over to where Sombra's group was standing.
"Lord Sombra, the deed is done... Koga is dead." Byakuya said, to which Senbonzakura nodded his head in agreement, showing some confirmation to what Sombra had felt while they were inside the Senkei dome, before he thought about something else to say, "And... thank you for allowing me to fulfill my duty as head of the Kuchiki Clan. I know you wanted a piece of him, though I hope you are pleased with the results."
Normally he would never act in such a way, since it was too out of character for him, but at the same time he was talking to the King of Hueco Mundo, the Dios Hueco, one of the strongest beings in the entirety of the four realms that made up this world, and if Sombra wanted he was sure that he could be killed without even seeing the attack coming, hence why he wanted to be on his good side.
"Since he got what he deserved, I'm happy to have stood by and let you fulfill your duty." Sombra stated, as while he would have liked to have torn Koga apart, for his arrogance and his vile treatment of Muramasa in the short time since he was released from his prison, he was pleased to see that Koga got what he deserved, before turning his head towards the sky once more.
"How is Muramasa doing?" Senbonzakura asked, as while he, and most of the Zanpakuto, might not like the spirit for what he had done to them, turning them against their partners and creating the chaos that he brought with him, he was still worried that being broken and abandoned might have some severe consequence for Muramasa.
"He was stable during your fight," Sombra replied, as he had been keeping an eye on the Zanpakuto spirit's condition as he remained trapped in a sphere of his own reiatsu that floated above the lake, though right now Muramasa was in pain, if the strands of pure black energy that were coming out of his body were any indication, which were now increasing in size and numbers, "though it seems that the death of Koga is having another effect on Muramasa. It seems that all the Hollows that he's absorbed over the years, to use their reiatsu to keep himself materialized as he sought a way to release the seal and free his partner, are starting to break out of his body and return to this world, and yet it seems that there might be something else happening at the moment."
As he said that the black strands branched outwards from where Muramasa was floating and dozens upon dozens of normal Hollows, ones that weren't even Gillian like the Menos Grande that were waiting for something to happen, started to pour out of his body, freeing themselves as they waited for the rest of their trapped kind to do the same as well. After a few more moments Sombra noticed that the sphere collapsed into a small black-red colored black hole, as it started to suck in all the Hollows that had been released from Muramasa's body, starting with all of the lesser Hollows that were hanging in the air around the lake. Once all of the lesser Hollow had been absorbed, however, the group watched as the force of the black hole started to pull the Menos Grande off their feet, as one of them had decided to try and walk through the forest behind them, to explore oddly enough, and it had been pulled into the air and had it's head facing the black hole as it flew towards the hole. The group watched in surprise as the Menos Grande flew towards the hole and slowly vanished into it's depths, as if they were being taken back into Muramasa's being, though when the last one disappeared the sphere enlarged until it was at Muramasa's height and pulsed like a heart a few moments, before exploding and loosing a torrent of dark blue reiatsu into the air for a few seconds.
When the torrent disappeared, and the smoke cleared, Sombra found that Muramasa had been transformed, as he had gained bone-like armor on his chest, complete with long shoulder-pads and a helmet-like mask with long horns, with large teeth on its lower edges, and a visor-shaped eyehole, through which his now glowing red eyes could be seen. He also had tufts of gray fur around his neck and collarbone, while his arms become long and slender, with long, curved blades sticking out from his elbows, allowing him to swing his arms and either attack or defend himself if he got in a fight with someone. The interesting part was that his Hollow hole was located where his heart would be, though what Sombra was really interested in was the dozens of fang-like, inward-pointing protrusions that rested around the hole, and he also had a large amount of purple fur hanging from his waist. Sombra could tell that Muramasa had undergone a Hollowfication, as he had the feeling of an Arrancar to him now, and he just floated there, in the middle of the air, showing that his new nature was causing him to pause as he felt the power of Hueco Mundo upon him, informing him of what Sombra was and confirming what he had been telling him the entire time.
At the same time, however, Sombra knew that it was only a matter of time until something snapped and Muramasa started attacking the area around him, to which he gathered his reiatsu once more as he brought his hands to his sides, showing the group that he was going to make his move as they gave him some space.
"Bakudo Number 99: Kin." Sombra said, to which he brought his hands, with his first two fingers intertwined while the second two fingers remained in a fist formation, together in front of him, all while his eyes remained focused on his target as the rest of the group waited to see what he was doing.
In the following seconds two black strands of spiritual fabric wrapped around Muramasa's arms, moving in such a way to bind his arms to his back before he was brought down to the ground, where the front of his body rested against the earth as the fabric was pinned to the ground with thin square iron shafts, which would help restrict Muramasa's movements for the foreseeable future.
"With you're power, I bet you could keep him here for hours without tiring," Senbonzakura commented, as that was one way to stop a fight from happening, though at the same time it wouldn't do anything in the long run, since Muramasa was still a threat, in whichever form he took, "but what are you going to do with him?"
"Zangetsu, Haineko," Sombra said, to which the two former Zanpakuto spirits stepped up for a moment, as they were curious as to what their Lord wanted of them this time around, before focusing on the spirit in front of them, "It appears that Muramasa has been consumed by his despair, but despite that happening it seems that he is still fighting to preserve himself in some manner, even after being betrayed by his partner like that. What I'm going to do is send the two of you inside his body, to his inner world, where you should try to convince him that there is still another road that he can walk that doesn't involve him dying, especially since his bond with Koga is starting to fade... and if he's still connected to his former partner when Koga's reiatsu fully disappears, well, I'm sure you can guess what will happen next."
Haineko knew what Sombra was talking about, that Zanpakuto were born with their Shinigami and died with their Shinigami, but in this moment they had a chance to break that bond between Muramasa and Koga, something that could only happen by Muramasa's hand, before she nodded her head in agreement. When Zangetsu did the same, since he knew what their Lord was doing, the two of them walked forward and sat down on opposite sides of Muramasa's bound body, to which they placed a hand on his shoulders and closed their eyes as Sombra worked his power over them. A few moments later, once the Kido spell was ready, Sombra uttered the name of the spell, 'Tanma Otoshi', before the two of them found themselves, or rather their mental avatars, being sent into the inner world that Muramasa was contained in, all while the world went dark for them seconds later.
The next thing Zangetsu and Haineko knew they were standing on top of what could be either a stone or marble column, which rested in the middle of what appeared to be either a never ending lake or an ocean based on all the water that rested in each direction they looked in. As they took in their new surroundings the duo noticed that there were a number of columns like the one that they happened to be standing on, though at the same time many of them seemed to be in the process of collapsing, reflecting the state of Koga's mindset before his death, meaning that they had a limited amount of time before the entire place collapsed on them and Muramasa was lost forever. Despite the time limit that they were facing Haineko noticed that this was the only cluster of columns around them, meaning that Muramasa had to be nearby, and when she beckoned to one of the cracked columns Zangetsu nodded his head, indicating that he was thinking the same thing that she was thinking, causing a light smile to appear on her face as they both looked around for the spirit that they had come to talk to.
Not even a few seconds later they heard the sound of someone walking on the water, near the column that they were standing on, to which they turned their heads and glanced down at the water in front of them, where they quickly found Muramasa standing still with his gaze pointed directly at them.
"Zangetsu? Haineko? I didn't expect to see either of you again, much less in this place." Muramasa commented, to which he kept his hands in his pockets, as he remembered the battle that Zangetsu had with the Old Man and knew that he didn't have nearly enough power to challenge him, and even if he fought Haineko one wrong move would cause her boyfriend to cut him down, "How did you get here?"
"Lord Sombra used a variation of the Tanma Otoshi Kido spell to send us here." Zangetsu replied, because he saw no reason to lie to the spirit in front of them, especially since they were here to convince him to cut the last bond that tied him to Koga and free himself, before he glanced around the area they were in once more, "I've got to say, you've got a nice inner world to live in. Mine was just a bunch of skyscrapers that rested sideways, like a partially inverted world, though whenever Ichigo let despair take hold of him it always rained nonstop... the Old Man hated the rain for some reason, one he never bothered to tell me about."
"That's weird, mine was a combination of a mall and a resort," Haineko said, though as soon as she said that she found that Muramasa was staring at her, like she had said something she shouldn't have, before she waved a hand as if she was dismissing the fact, "Look, my former partner liked to shop in a lot of stores and she loved to relax in the various resorts that Humans have made all over the World of the Living, and eventually I grew bored of it since Matsumoto stopped coming to see me after a time, leaving me alone with the same shops to visit day in and day out. But why are you lingering in a place like this? Koga's dead, which means..."
"I do not understand why I have been called here either." Muramasa replied, to which he jumped into the air and landed in front of the pair, as the column they were standing on had more than enough room for them, and to show that he didn't desire battle he summoned he blade and stuck it into the top of the column, out of his reach as he stood a couple of steps away from it, "I wonder, did my reunion with Koga summon me here, or is this merely an illusion that will eventually fall apart as I fade away? Regardless of the answer, it's going to break soon... but even so, I'm actually kind of glad that my fate has been intertwined with Sombra's, as it allows me to accept my fate and talk with someone for a few moments, before I meet my end."
"That's how you want to die? By talking?" Zangetsu asked, as that was a surprise, because he had figured that they would have to fight the spirit in front of them before they could even get to this stage, drastically reducing the time before they lost him, but at least this saved them some time.
"I am done fighting." Muramasa said, to which he glanced out at the columns that were around them, just as one of them cracked and fell into the water, causing ripples to form for a few moments, before he sighed, "I spent years fighting Hollows, consuming their reiatsu and beings to keep myself stable as I searched for clues as to how I could free Koga from the prison he had been sealed in... and yet it seems that he had called for me many times before he was sealed away by Ginrei and Yamamoto, though I never heard his voice when he did so."
"That's because the bond between you two had been damaged." Haineko stated, to which she sat down across from Muramasa and stared at him, while at the same time Zangetsu stood behind her as he made sure to keep an eye on the area they were standing in, though Muramasa looked surprised for a moment, "Communication is key between a Shinigami and their Zanpakuto, but when the Shinigami starts abusing their partner, be it calling them names or hurting either their physical or manifested forms, that bond is weakened and the Zanpakuto starts hearing their partner's voice less and less as time goes on. Out of all the Zanpakuto in Soul Society, and that includes Zangetsu and Lord Sombra's partners, I'm likely the only one that might even understand what you are going through, because I was also abused by my Shinigami for a number of years, and she never apologized for what she did to me."
"Haineko, you don't have to tell that tale again." Zangetsu commented, as he knew what story she was thinking of telling Muramasa, as it had to be the same one that both he and Sombra had heard after he saved her from Tobiume and Matsumoto, but at the same time he knew how much relieving this memory was and didn't want her to go down that path all over again.
"It's okay... it's heartbreaking, when you consider what I've been through, but it won't break me." Haineko said, though she appreciated Zangetsu saying that, showing that he was concerned about what would happen if she told the story again, especially after what happened the last time, before she sighed and turned towards Muramasa, "I guess, since we have some time, I might as well give you some information on what happened before our bond soured and caused me to consider joining your 'rebellion'."
Haineko described the days following her first awakening in Matsumoto's inner world, the same one she described to him earlier, and revealed that those early days had been wonderful and eventually turned into the greatest days of her life when her partner earned the right to know her name. She smiled as she recounted the days she spent with her partner, both of them training with each other and unlocking whatever powers she possessed, and that included the days that they spent relaxing and just enjoying each others company as they explored Matsumoto's inner world. Of course she faltered for a moment, as when they reached the point that she gave her partner her Shikai, because she earned the right to know it after besting her in combat, that was the beginning of their bond going downhill, since Matsumoto took to calling her names and disrespecting her in front of the other Shinigami, creating the first cracks in their bond. After that she found that Matsumoto stopped coming to meet with her and stayed out of her inner world, keeping Haineko trapped without being able to talk to her partner, and, in an effort to show Matsumoto what it felt like when her partner didn't listen to what she had said, she ignored her partner's summons one time.
"What happened when you did that?" Muramasa asked, because he had to admit that the tale Haineko wove was an interesting one, even if he wore the same expression he wore before this point in time, but seeing the pained look on Haineko's face told him that something horrible must have happened.
"Matsumoto took her anger out on Haineko's blade, shattering her physical form by hitting it against something else in the area she was in," Zangetsu replied, though at the same time he touched Haineko's shoulder and made sure that she knew that he was there for her, since this was a very painful memory for her to constantly relieve, before he faced the spirit in front of them once more, "The effects of that action nearly killed Haineko, as she felt like her body was breaking and it was only because of her determination and her will to live that she was able to survive long enough for Matsumoto to realize that she had done something wrong and take the fragments to Mayuri to reconstruct the blade. Fortunately Haineko survived that experience, with no negative consequences in regards to her body or her powers, but that event damaged their bond more than anything else before that point in time and it only soured Matsumoto's opinion of Haineko from that point forward."
"Why didn't you tell me and the others about that?" Muramasa inquired, as while now it was revealed that he hadn't been working to set the Zanpakuto free from their partners, or masters depending on which one someone asked, that didn't mean he couldn't be curious as to why Haineko didn't tell anyone the truth.
"Mostly because Matsumoto told the other Shinigami that I was worthless and stupid," Haineko answered, though she remembered some of the looks she had gotten when she first joined the other Zanpakuto spirits in their meeting area in the cave, where they damned her before even getting to see if the stories and rumors were true, "so there was a chance that they would think I was lying for attention, or, if they actually believed me, they would be out for blood and would have killed much more Shinigami, more than the number of them that have died so far. In the end my desire was real, I wanted to be free, and it was by discovering Zangetsu and what he had done, and talking with Lord Sombra, that I was able to finally break myself away from Matsumoto and pursue my own goals, without being chained to an abusive partner."
"I still don't understand how you were able to do that." Muramasa stated, as when he learned that Zangetsu had actually broken himself away from Ichigo, and had let the Old Man take his place, he was shocked and surprised, but just hearing that a second spirit did the same thing made him wonder if such a thing was truly possible.
"We left our lives as Zanpakuto behind," Haineko replied, to which she reached up and undid the part of her collar that she needed to undo, allowing her to pull her top down a little and show off her Hollow hole, while at the same time Zangetsu brushed off part of his jacket and did the same thing, "and, by breaking the strands that bind us to our partner and awakening our true hearts, we were able to separate our souls from our partners and truly become our own entities, meaning we are truly separated from our Shinigami. By awakening our true hearts we became Arrancar, giving us a power boost to our individual powers, and we serve Lord Sombra, who is both the King of Hueco Mundo and the Dios Hueco, or the Hollow God if you prefer."
"Muramasa, there is a way for you to survive this, without having to die." Zangetsu said, though as Haineko put her clothing back in position, hiding her Hollow hole again, he focused on the spirit in front of them, where a flickering white colored strand attached itself to Muramasa's chest, though it was linked to the center of the sky, "Your bond with Koga is weakened to the point where all you have to do is decide what is best for you, as in living your life to the fullest and making amends for the trouble you've caused, or just take the easy way out and let it all end. Before you make your final decision, however, allow me to tell you something that I have learned about Lord Sombra, something that I was only able to figure out thanks to what Ichigo learned, and that is our Lord started as an innocent child, eventually growing into a tyrant that ruled an entire kingdom, and then, through some odd circumstances that I still don't know about, he was able to become a force of good. You may think that you can't redeem yourself, Muramasa, but based on what little I know of Lord Sombra he did far more than what you did, and yet he was able to find a way to counter those odds, managed to prevent going to Hell for his actions, and then forged a new destiny that didn't reflect his past... so if he's able to do all of that, in the last couple of months, then I'm sure you can reverse your reputation as well."
He had known that Sombra was powerful, and even his transformed state in the World of the Living confirmed part of what Zangetsu had told him, but hearing that Sombra had once been evil, more so than him, and that he was able to make a good name for himself shocked Muramasa. At the same time he glanced at the pair in front of him, as both Zangetsu and Haineko seemed content with their new lives, where they appeared to be proud that they had been Zanpakuto for a time and were happy with what they had done to themselves, making him wonder if he could ever find a happiness like they had found, or at least one that was similar to what they had. As he thought about that he noticed that the remaining columns were starting to crack and pieces were falling into the water around them, while pieces of the sky seemed to be breaking down as his Hollow side started to show itself again, but this time he had to wonder what it would be like to live in a world where people understood him, even if those people were Arrancar. He considered living in a world without a master, especially since Koga was dead, but then he thought of something that he had not even thought to consider before that moment, as both Zangetsu and Haineko now served a new master, the King of Hueco Mundo, and realized what Zangetsu was telling him.
In the next moment, as the inner world continued to break down around them, Muramasa decided to do something that would surprise everyone on the other side, back in the World of the Living, to which he got up and walked over to his blade, something that he stared at for a few seconds before sighing. Without pausing for even a second he jerked his weapon free from the top of the column they were standing on and sliced right through the strand of reiatsu that kept him tied to whatever fragment of Koga's soul he had been tied to, allowing part of the strand to vanish as the other part raced into his chest. Zangetsu and Haineko smiled as that happened, before they closed their eyes and let the bright light that emitted from Muramasa's body carry them back to the World of the Living, and their own bodies, so they could show their Lord what they had been able to do with the time they had been given.
Sombra patiently kept his hands in the style that would keep the Bakudo in place, as there was no telling if Muramasa would rage while both Zangetsu and Haineko were inside his inner world, though he was pleased to find that the hollowfied Zanpakuto spirit was just resting on the ground, completely still. He soon found that there was no reason to worry, because after ten minutes both of the former Zanpakuto spirits stirred and moved once more, nodding their heads as they stood up and stretched their bodies, while also standing clear of Muramasa's body as Sombra undid the Bakudo that was keeping him down by pulling his hands apart. What happened next was a sphere of blue energy formed around Muramasa, completely different from anything that had happened so far, but Sombra was able to tell that Zangetsu and Haineko had done what he had asked of them, as the reiatsu that was coming from Muramasa felt the same as what happened to the duo when they became Arrancar. Everyone else backed up as they gave him some room, though based on the white strands that appeared in the sphere every now and then it was clear that he was changing, to which Sombra stood up and watched as the final stages of the transformation were finished.
When the sphere disappeared, and the smoke cleared, Muramasa, in his original Zanpakuto form, stood before them, though it wasn't long before Sombra found that part of him had changed, as his blade was laying nearby and part of the visor that had been in front of his right eye remained, as the remains of his Hollow mask, and he had the feeling that he knew where Muramasa's Hollow hole was located.
"Lord Sombra, I... I thank you for the chance to live in a world with a new master and a chance to atone for the events that I have caused in the last week." Muramasa said, because he felt much better than he had been recently, as he found that he no longer needed to absorb the reiatsu of anything to keep himself in a stable condition, and all the Hollows that he had absorbed no longer filled his head, as if they had been merged into one single being at last, before he grabbed his sword and knelt before his new master, "I promise to serve you to the best of my abilities."
"I look forward to seeing good things from you in the future," Sombra replied, as he knew that Muramasa had been like him once, starting out working for the greater good and then turning back because something happened, which was why he wanted to give the new Arrancar a chance to prove that his past didn't define who he was, before he stepped in front of him and helped Muramasa back onto his feet.
He knew that Soul Society wasn't going to like the fact that he had freed a third Zanpakuto from their partner, one that they likely felt should be executed for his crimes against them, but Sombra had a different opinion on the subject and was going to give Muramasa a chance to redeem himself, as he knew that Muramasa deserved a chance to make things right and to forge a new destiny, especially after what he had been through. For now he had a new follower to introduce to the others that were in Soul Society, as well as introducing him and Haineko to the ones that hadn't come with them, and he was sure that many of his followers, including the Shinigami, would be looking forward to some relaxation now that the rebellion was officially over... and maybe Muramasa could begin his trip down the path of redemption sooner, rather than later, and show the Shinigami that he was sorry for his actions, even though time would tell what happened next.
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9342207
Not sure what you mean about OP Bankais, considering we actually got 0 new Bankais so the start of the arc.
Huh.... not what I thought would happen. Time to see what happens next.
You know, that has to be my favorite part of your stories with the former villains. You have the epic fight scenes, the world building, the growth in their powers, but it's the acts of Chrysalis, The Siren's, and now Sombra, showing that, as Sunset Shimmer once put it, the past does not define us, that touches me the most. Maybe it's my own personal view that the freedom to choose one's own destiny is the most important thing in life, but it's always heartwarming to see it.
Don't really have to much to say other than this was perfect. Loved all the exposition, the fight between koga, Byakuya and senbonzakura was wonderful. the conversation between muramasa, Zangetsu and Haineko was great and very well done. all in all a really great chapter. Looking forward to the return to Equestria
9346034
Personally I hope we get something about Sombra cleaning house with the rest of the villains in the other arcs even if it's a one chapter each take down or something. Like Sombra asking Yamamoto if Soul Society has any other enemies ancient or otherwise that might need to be dealt with and him taking them down if they're starting something like the Bounts, those guys after that Princess, the Fullbringers and Ywach. Oh would I love to see Sombra tear into Ywach on the reasons why he sucks before banishing him or something.
After all they're still out there plotting from a villain perspective. Heck getting Lord Beerus or Sunset Shimmer to show up and deal with them would be neat. Ywach's plan for the universe alone is punishable by Hakai.
9346882
The thing is? The author didn't intend to bring in any of the "filler" arcs. Meaning that the Rebellion Arc was added purely for no reason other than Blackdrag needed to extend this story, because it is supposed to be the last story before the Universe 13 finale. So the original plan was that none of the other arcs happened/exist in this version of Karakura.
9346890
I see, still it would explain to them who exactly the old man is since they still don't know how important he is. Not to mention Zaraki wouldn't gain his shikai and bankai otherwise since it's heavily hinted that the shoulder loli (as some might call her) lieutenant and adoptive daughter I think of his is his actual Zanpakuto Spirit.
9348642
In the matter of Yamamoto vs. Aizen, I think the jury is out on that one. There is no telling if Aizen had an answer for Yamamoto's bankai if the situation with him would have escalated that far.
9346034
I was referring to TYBW arc. Bankais I was meaning were such as Yamamoto's Zanka no Tachi, Zaraki's unnamed bankai that gave him the power to cut a titanic opponent in half, or Ichibe's Shirafude Ichimonji that lets him manipulate reality with names.
9351552
To be fair Yamamoto is the Captain Commander if any of them were OP it would be him
Than