For a moment, Nibui believes himself successful, his blade finding purchase in the flesh of his opponent. But, the illusion of success is only momentary. In hopes of finding Jubokko decimating flesh and bone in two, Nibui instead finds his blade being guided by the hand of another. His charcoal-like orbs glancing over the situation with shock and awe in his expression.
Nibui is not one to shy away from a contest of strength in combat. Going so far as to consider himself one of the most physically capable of the Seireitei, but even so, one has to acknowledge their own limits. As his vision focuses upon the towering muscle-bound shinigami before him, Nibui it feels as though he was standing before a literal giant. Jinnosuke possessed the resolve and nature of a true member of the Eleventh. The battle field was his home it seemed. Alongside the mental and physical fortitude of his, Jinnosuke wields a herculean strength that only further proves this image of the man… Prying the blade free was not going to be such a simple task.
With an admirable quickness to his motions, Jinnosuke had not only trapped his opponent, but simultaneously begun his counter attack. The blade that once again collided with the floor is wrenched from the earth with ease and in that same motion, the unrefined mass, like an inverted pendulum, is brought down with an unmatched might
For the first time, in centuries, Nibui, who has always clung to his blade in the middle of battle is forced to abandon it. Both hands release the hilt of the blade, for that brief moment, his mind becomes overwhelmed with resounding doubt... Running through his mind was a single statement of his own.
”I shouldn’t have let go!” On repeat, these few words run through his mind, time itself almost seeming to slow within this brief instance. Bearing down on him was a weight unmatched. The strength of Jinnosuke, the weight of Ikari, all in combination with the man’s oppressive Reiatsu. A war on two fronts.
Putting aside the internal struggle he is faced with, as best he could, Nibui is forced to make a decision. With that, he was gone in a blur once more. Had he run off to one of Jinnosuke’s blindspots once more? Had he tried to retreat, in fear of what was to come? No... In what little time he was given, the gap between the two is closed, Nibui nearly pressing against Jinnosuke’s body. Now no longer positioned beneath Ikari’s path of destruction, but instead, underneath the swinging arm of the shinigami.
His right hand now cocked back, fingers drawn tightly into a fist. His nails digging into his own flesh as the fist seems to only tighten, blood beginning to seep from the palm and escaping between the fingers. The moment in which his image was clear once more, the clenched fist launches forward with what seems to be all of Nibui’s might. The strike however, is not aimed at the body of his opponent, no, instead it is aimed directly at the hilt of his own Zanpakuto. The very motion of the strike becomes a mystery, colliding with it’s target, but simultaneously remaining by Nibui’s side.
As this
strike meets the hilt of the blade, the vice grip of Jinnosuke fails and what once stopped the blade now itself becoming the target. With the monumental force impacting and driving forth the blade, the flesh splits with ease, with even Jinnosuke’s absurd muscle density failing him in this occasion. Piercings ribs as though they were paper, rending them in two. The heart of the shinigami too is left skewered. Where once it was filled with vigor, each pump of the muscle stronger than most, it now was driven to a slow halt. Each pump becoming slower as it continued… The counter-offensive mounted by Nibui was all over in an instant. Jubokko being left impaled through Jinnosuke’s chest, the majority of the blade finding itself either buried within the man, or protruding out through his back.
Yet, through all of this, there is no blood to be found. The only difference, being with Jubokko itself. The vein that runs along the length of the blade now mostly thrumming with a deep crimson glow. The pulse stolen from the heart it runs through.
In the heartbeat that Nibui’s strike makes contact, Jinnosuke’s Zanpakuto collides with the earth.
The ground beneath Ikari and onward is dismantled and launched outward as a wave of shrapnel and chunks of stone, only stopping once it meets the Captain’s barrier, shattering to shards and dust before settling down.
As this dust settles and Nibui is allowed a moment of respite, his mind clears only briefly. He remains standing, that much is clear, but his eyes soon catch a glimpse of what his actions had brought. Taking a step back, and then another, his usual bland stare turns into a grimace. The reality is simple, even if he has won the battle with Jinnosuke, he lost another to Jubokko.
As his eyes glance over the results of the exchange, he stands with his right arm limply hanging by his side. In that single instance, where Nibui had employed all the strength he could possibly muster at that moment, there was an audible,
rip that resonated from Nibui. The sound of tearing muscles. Along the better part of that arm, fibre by fibre, his muscles had been torn asunder. Agony spanned his entire body previously, but in such a state, this single arm becomes a source of immense suffering. While not something he can ignore completely, Nibui is left focusing heavily on doing so. Regardless of the outcome, his still functional arm crossing over his body, hand clasping at the limp arm, but not for long. Pulling away slowly, that same hand now holding something tightly between it’s fingers.
Finally, Nibui’s voice is heard once more. His tone, while slightly shaken from time to time, becomes boisterous and almost, proud...
”I know that won’t be enough to keep you down. So don’t bother falling, Lieutenant Jinnosuke!” All the while, the arm rises up toward Jinnosuke, Nibui’s hand turning to face toward Jinnosuke. Grasping between his fingers, Nibui reveals the badge of the Lieutenant of the Eleventh division. Slowly, his fingers loosen and open up completely, leaving the emblem simply resting in his palm as his final words leave his lips.
For someone who is known as a distant character, it comes as a surprise as Nibui once again allows himself to speak, his words carrying the same sentiment they had just before.
"Seeing you today, I know I can and should entrust you with the role of Lieutenant. You carry the soul of the division well. You live and breath it, so guide those idiots into the future. Also, could I have Jubokko back?"
