"Ah~ You were gone too soon, Reishukaku," I spoke with a sad smile as I knelt in front of what was left of the Reishukaku, which appeared to have been reduced to nothing but tiny shards after something sharp had sliced right through it.
'Gin or Aizen, I will never forgive those bastards for this.'
"Uh, if you want, I…could restore it for you, Mr. Kanonji," I turned my gaze towards Orihime before giving a sheepish smile as I remembered that she could do that.
"Uh…only if it would not be a bother."
"You are an idiot," Uryu spoke with a deadpan stare and I huffed before my eyes widened and I quickly stopped Orihime right as she made a barrier around the shards.
"Actually, would it be possible for you to combine two objects with it?"
"Uh…what?"
"You want us to reconstruct it along with two other objects into one? It's doable, but the three pieces would have to have been used by the same person and be in pieces to do so," The pixie with the blonde hair spoke up and Orihime blinked as I immediately snapped my cane into pieces while also tearing my necklace apart.
"Make the cane the base, but forge the Reishukaku into the necklace and make it into a smaller gem at the top."
"And the corrosive energy of the Hollows inside the necklace?"
"Condense it into the cane itself."
"Uh, what is going on?"
"Nothing you need to worry about, Orihime. Just give us your energy and we'll take care of the rest," The spirit with the large dress spoke and I took a step back as Orihime covered all three objects with her barrier before looking to Uryu as he spoke.
"What exactly do you plan to do with that once you get it?"
"Well, unlike you children, I wasn't born special so I need the extra advantages."
"Like I asked, what do you plan to do once you get it?"
"I know of a shorter path to Rukia so we need all the power we can get to rescue her."
"And this path requires this level of power?", Uryu asked with a raised eyebrow and I smirked before shrugging.
"There might be a few captains in our path and you've seen how much devastation one could do if we're not prepared."
"…Hah, very well. Then, I should prepare as well."
"Done!", Orihime exclaimed with a happy smile and both Uryu and I turned before my grin widened as I stared at the new cane lying on the floor.
The cane was now more of a sceptre as it had kept the winged head at the tip, but it was now that of a snarling Hollow instead of a skull with twin sapphires for eyes as well as the shards of the Reishukaku that had fused with the body of the sceptre itself.
'Nice,' I thought as I lifted my hand, pulling on the reishi in the air and surprising Orihime and Uryu as the sceptre flew to my hand before I turned it around and smirked at the red crane insignia on the bottom that was from the Reishukaku.
"You have outdone yourself, Orihime. You have outdone yourself indeed." I spoke with a smirk as I charged my Reiatsu into it, smirking as I felt the Hollow Reiatsu immediately leaking from it before nodding and pulling my energy back.
"Hehehe~ Oh, it's nothing," She spoke with a happy smile and I ruffled her hair before looking to Uryu as he raised an eyebrow.
"Can we go now? It's almost night and I want this to be over already."
"Sure, let's go."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So, where exactly is this 'shorter path'?", Uryu asked with a frown as we turned the corner, both him and Orihime now dressed in a pair of Shinigami uniforms that we stole from an unfortunate duo.
"It's something I found out when I was busy raiding the Kido Corps' archives. Apparently, they have their own secret routes that they use to move from the captains' offices and back. We just have to move through this Division's territory and then we're clear."
"Very well. Are you doing well so far, Orihime?", Orihime blinked at Uryu's question before nodding with a smile.
"Yep! I'm really enjoying sneaking around like this. We're like…ninjas on a secret mission~ Can't let the enemy find us," I just watched in amusement as the girl shuffled about, a serious look on her face while Uryu palmed his face.
"Am I the only one taking this serious?"
"Kind of. Now, let's keep-!"
"Oi! You three!", Quickly stopping our conversation, I plastered a happy smile on my face as I saw a Shinigami walking closer, his hair slicked backwards and a waterskin in his left hand as he walked towards us.
"What Division you guys from?"
"Hello, my good sir! We are from the 3rd Division!"
"That's strange. What's 3rd Division Shinigami doing in the 12th Division?"
'Wait, 12th? Night..Uryu and Orihime…Oh, son of a fucking bitch!', I cursed as I led Uryu take over the discussion, cursing every god I could think of as I remembered what happens tonight.
'Why the fuck do I always forget about the most important shit when I need to remember them clearly?! I hate my scatter-brained mind!', I thought before quickly snapping back as I heard a hard thump, watching as the Shinigami fell over while another group gave us happy smile.
"Sorry about him. The 11th Squad always tries to start fights with every Division."
"No, he was in the right, though. We claimed to be from the 3rd Division when we have our 12th Division uniforms on."
"Eh, you shouldn't worry about it. Newbies always forget to-!", With a thought, the sceptre in my hands glowed as a large barrier surrounded us three along with the unconscious Shinigami.
It was not a moment later that explosion after explosion rocked the barrier, Orihime gasping in horror while Uryu stared wide-eyed as I looked past the dismembered corpses to stare at the pale-faced man walking towards us.
"Were they not your subordinates?", I asked as I slowly cancelled my barrier, to which Mayuri tilted his head while his golden eyes stared at me with an amused and intrigued gaze.
"You are quite the specimen. I have not see such an ability be used. Was it perhaps your sceptre or your own abilities?", He asked, but I ignored him as I heard the Shinigami waking up, raising an arm as Uryu went to speak.
"Uryu, I know you want to talk smack, but I feel that we should not underestimate this guy."
"Hah, very well. You, Shinigami. Take the girl and go."
"H-Huh? Wha…Captain Mayuri?", The moment the Shinigami saw the captain, he paled considerably before Orihime squealed as he picked her up and took off as fast as he could.
"You go, too," Uryu spoke with a frown before he blinked as I smirked while shaking my head.
"You go after them. I can handle him."
"I seem to recall you bleeding out not too long ago."
"After I had to fight a battle. I can handle it this time. Go and make sure your crush doesn't get kidnapped."
"W-W-W-W-What are you even talking about?!", Uryu squeaked and I chuckled as I gestured for him to run, the embarrassment fading from his face as he looked between Mayuri and I before nodding.
"Ah, you wish to have me experiment on you alone. I must say I have never had a test subject this eager."
"Those guys you blew up. Weren't they your subordinates?", I asked once again as I cracked my neck and Mayuri smirked as I watched Nemu take a step back.
"They were."
"Then why blow them up?"
"Because they were expendable."
'Yeah, he's still the same,' I thought with a sigh as I shook my head, cracking my neck before spinning the sceptre in my grasp, watching as a look of anticipation gleamed in his eyes.
I was nervous and I had every right to be. After all, this was the man that prided himself to be on the same level of intelligence as Aizen and Urahara and despite the fact that both were indeed somewhat smarter than him, the guy was still a monster of prep-time.
'Except there's nothing to know about me. He may have had surveillance bugs on me so he most likely knows I can use Kido. No, if he had known I could use Kido, he wouldn't have been fascinated at my barriers. Hah, I can do this. Just look out for his Zanpakuto and about every single gadget he has.'
"Before we begin, may I ask if your lieutenant will interfere?"
"Nemuri, do not interfere."
"Yes, Lord Mayuri," The apathetic and beautiful organism known as Nemu spoke in a monotone and I smirked as I grasped onto my Reiryoku before beginning with my opening spell.
In an instant, the Reishukaku's barrier formed around my body like a skintight suit and I was surprised at just how little spiritual energy it took to both activate and maintain the spell.
'It feels like I'm casting a continuous Sho that doesn't even take a hundredth of my energy to maintain. Man, Orihime really knows her stuff.'
"Hmm, so you can manipulate not only the size but also the potency of the barrier itself?", I heard him speak and took a deep breath as I saw parts of my barrier sizzling, smirking as Mayuri frowned.
'Yeah, no poison or surveillance microbes for you.'
"Absolutely fascinating. You noticed, didn't you?", He spoke with a smirk that was widening ever so slightly, tilting his head as I smirked while spinning my sceptre.
"Notice what?", I asked and his eyes narrowed before he nodded.
"I see. I suppose I should be honored that you know of my tactics and who I am. However, knowing of me and surviving battle with me are two different things, boy," With a flick of his wrist, several metal spheres shot from his sleeves.
Each whistled as they flew through the air at blistering speeds and I slammed my sceptre on the ground, a barrier forming around each sphere right as they exploded and unleashed an iridescent gas.
The moment the gas touched my spiritual barriers, I frowned as I saw them melting away, quickly forming another barrier before sending all of them flying back at him.
"You can redirect foreign substances as well? Truly, your barriers are becoming quite the interesting experiment," The mad Shinigami spoke with an excited gleam in his eyes as he snapped his fingers.
The moment I dispelled my spherical barriers to give him his gas back, I watched as numerous mechanical insects shot up from the ground and quickly sucked up the gas.
"Nope, not happening," I grunted as they all rushed at me, reinforcing my barrier suit with another along with creating a triple-layered sphere barrier around me right as they all collided with it.
I frowned as none of them were destroyed by the impact and were instead gnawing at the first layer, sparks of reishi from my barrier cracking against their metallic exoskeletons before I twisted the sceptre in the ground.
The moment I did, the first layer shot out dozens of small spikes from its surface, exploding and turning into a spiralling vortex that not only destroyed the insects but also sent numerous spikes towards the captain.
Unfortunately, I was not surprised when he casually pulled out a trigger and pressed its button, watching as the fragments of the insects flew towards him and took each of the spikes aimed at him.
"Resourceful as well. I must admit that I expected this to be another dull skirmish against a brute," Mayuri spoke and I let out a soft exhale as I remembered what exactly I was worried about.
Mayuri was a guy that liked every bit about new experiments as that meant new things for him to figure out and right now…I was the new experiment he craved.
'Very well. If he loves my barriers, let's keep his attention on them,' I thought with a smirk as I pulled my sceptre from the ground before aiming the Hollow skull at the top of it at him.
The next moment, the second barrier rippled as I rapidly shot out numerous spikes, the Shinigami smirking as he pulled out part of his left ear before transforming it into a kusarigama.
I did not expect the level of skill he displayed next as the guy spun and whipped the scythe and chain around his body, easily and swiftly cutting through the spikes only to spin as I activated the third barrier.
With a burst of spiritual energy, the barrier shot from me and wrapped around him, Mayuri watching with an intrigued smile as I quickly grunted and shrunk it down immediately.
Yet, even as I did that, I blinked as he whistled, watching as the barrier exploded with a burst of flames and fell to the floor.
"Not bad, indeed. I must say you are beginning to make me wonder how many experiments I can truly do with you," Mayuri spoke with a smile as he walked out of the flames nonchalantly and I frowned as I spun my sceptre before nodding.
'Okay, he's getting used to it. Now for step 2.'
"Show me more. I wish to see what more you can d-!"
"Cero!" The orb of corrosive energy was charged up and fired within the same second, Mayuri's eyes widening as he quickly shot out his left arm like a grappling hook and pulled himself out of the way.
However, I kept the beam up while swinging it to the side, the Shinigami detaching his arm and flipping over it as the beam barely missed ripping his entire arm away.
"Haha~Ahahahaha~ Hahahahahahaha~! Fascinating~! Utterly fascinating! You are even able to use the abilities of Hollows!", Despite his excited tone and gleeful laughter, his face was stuck in a hate-filled glare as he reached for his sword and unsheathed it.
"Bankai…", The words made my eyes widen as they echoed throughout the hallway, with me watching in concern and awe as an immense pressure tried to push me down.
The air reeked as a suffocating miasma rippled throughout the pathways and as I watched the grotesque, caterpillar-human baby monstrosity forming behind Mayuri, I was ever so thankful for the fact that my barrier suit kept poison away as I did not want to deal with both that and them.
"Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo," The Shinigami growled as all pretence of excitement and glee was gone from his voice, leaving only rage and greed as he glared at me.
"I will gut you, cut you open and every little secret you possess shall be mine."
"Is that so?" ,I muttered as I lifted the sceptre before slamming the base of it down into the ground, a pulse of reiatsu shooting up into the air before it came down in a dome-like barrier around us.
Twisting the sceptre as I lifted it, the barrier glowed before going from blue to a faint shimmer, Mayuri frowning as I smirked before chanting.
"O Grand Heavenly Sentinel, encircle the earth, lock the sky and cease escape. Unyielding sphere, defy the touch of flame! Unbreakable law, repel the pain of blade! Bakudo #70: Kyumon (Nine Sphere Gates)!", The moment I finished my chant, eight more dome-like barriers formed around the one and Mayuri turned his gaze back at me as I smirked.
"We're sealed off. This is now a fight just between me and you two." I spoke with a grin and the giant baby behind him rattled as the captain's smirk turned twisted.
"Oh, how delightful. However, you have failed to taken into consideration one thing, dear test subject. Did you consider the fact that I am immune to my own poison?", He asked before raising an eyebrow as I chuckled.
"I did, which is why I am glad you let me study it for this long."
"What?", He asked as his smile waned slightly and I responded by covering my body in a layer of the Hollow Reiatsu before raising the sceptre and bringing it down.
'Here's to every guardian angel that this works.'
"Golden Embrace," I chanted as I activated my spell, waiting for the explosion only to smile brightly as a thin red mist radiated from my sceptre and mixed in with Mayuri's.
The Shinigami frowned before he looked at his hand, his frown turning to a smile as he watched the miasma actively eating away at his hand before shifting it away from him as he turned his gaze back to me.
"Using Sekienton and creating a poisonous gas variant by replacing the non-lethal smoke with the Hollow reiatsu. Quite the work of a person with above average intellect for an ape," He spoke with a look of mild irritation in his eyes that melted away as I frowned.
The next, my eyes widened as the Shinigami vanished while the caterpillar-baby charged forward, quickly creating a barrier right as he appeared behind me with a finger pointed.
"Hado #1: Sho!" The shockwave that erupted from his finger was far beyond the average power of a Sho as it cracked the barrier right as Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo crashed through it with a screech.
Quickly creating another few skin barriers around me right as the Zanpakuto crashed into me, I hissed as I still felt the impact before my eyes widened as the spirit opened his maw wide open…and exploded.
A shockwave of pure and potent reiatsu sent me soaring head over heels through the air and I grunted as I landed on the ground, rolling across it before quickly flipping to my feet and stumbling slightly as I tried to get my footing.
'Eight barriers, six gone', I thought with a frown as I quickly reinforced the last two barriers, keeping an eye out for Mayuri as Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo charged at me.
"Oh, would you shut up?" I grunted as I charged a Cero to the sceptre's top, but I made sure to overcharge it this time and watched as a colossal beam ripped right through the Zanpakuto's head.
However, my attention was on it too much and I gasped as I felt an impact on my back, gritting my teeth at the pain before my eyes widened as my limbs went slack and I ragdolled into a wall.
'H-How? D-Did he already s-study my reiatsu?', I thought with a frown as I laid in the rubble that was quickly blasted to the side to reveal a grinning Mayuri looming over me.
"Now then, let us get this experiment on the way, shall we?"
A/N: Cliffhanger~! Ooh, looks like the don has bitten off more than he can chew as Mayuri has him immobilized.
However, will he manage to get out or will he become test fodder?
We'll have to find out next chapter.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next chapter,
Ba-Bye~!