[BSD-RP] Soul Society: Central Seireitei

[BSD]

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Life within Fifth Division churns onward as they have reached a point of activity where they expect a new order at a moment's notice. The constant traffic to the Human World has kept them on edge since one particular Shinigami returned with a Hollow in tow. Since then they had started taking their Captain’s words to heart to be ready for a battle at all times and the next set of orders will put them to the test to see just how ready they are. A lone shinigami, detached from the Captain’s group heard to the Rukongai, returns to the barracks with orders in tow for the division.
”Listen up everyone! Captain Oda has given us approval to open the Keikaigi (繫界儀, World-Tying Rite) for Hibiki Maeda. He wants us all on standby when we open the gate and to destroy anything that comes out that doesn’t have a Shinigami’s Reiatsu. He gave us free reign to make use of high level Kido to ensure the foriegn entity is destroyed!”
The scramble began as a large portion of Fifth Division made their way to the Keikaigi, some of them already reciting incantations while others activated their Shikai to pair it with their spells. Two members of Kido Corps begin chanting the incantation for Keikaigi and their hushed whispers are the loudest sound in the barracks. Everyone was on edge, in truth they were scared. Some didn’t even heed the order and instead chose to distance themselves far from the Keikaigi as possible, even fewer chose to vacate the Barracks entirely. The fearful were a small number while those who are duty bound outnumber them three to one. The last time this was opened for Hibiki the Captain was present along with his Lt, Fourth Seat and Hibiki himself so the tension in the Barracks was minimal.
Nerves and fear ravage their minds but the silver lining of praise from their Captain pushes them onward. Prestige, rank, and pecking order are things they wish to obtain and rise in for many that's more than enough to risk life and limb. Others wish to carry out the Captain’s order without fail or even to prove to him that they are worthy of carrying out his dream of a combat ready Division. The hushed whispering comes to a halt, and the two Kido Corps gate keepers look over to the soldiers of Fifth Division who are primed and ready to obliterate any non Shinigami presence that comes through that gate.
”We will not be keeping this gate open for long. If Third Seat Maeda does not exit within five minutes we will close it. He will have to make contact again if he wishes for retrieval.”
The group nods, they aren’t sure why they nod but they do. They ingrain this info into their minds to ensure it is passed on to the Captain if Hibiki fails to return. They also ingrain this scene into their minds, the scene of a Garganta opening within Soul Society although this one is a controlled opening. The Garganta would link to Hueco Mundo and more specifically it links itself to Hibiki’s last known location. He has limited time to use this portal and if it closes he will have to make contact with the Fifth Division again if he wishes for escape.

 

[BSD]

“C-C .. Commander!!!!!!”

Within the very second that Shobatsu’s blood hits the floor, Captain Kagayaki arrives. The green haired man had always been dependable. It was his presence alone, on the day of the Kōtotsu event, that meant the Commander did not need to interfere. Now, with the gathering of Captains, each vying for the title of strongest, it was Higen who walked last from the Great Hall. This is no surprise, as he had served as the First Division Lieutenant not long ago. Upon Shobatsu claiming the title of Captain Commander, it was Higen who became Shobatsu’s very first Shinigami ally. In this sense, though the Commander has no room for sentiment, it can be said that Higen Kagayaki is Shobatsu’s oldest friend.
Now Higen stands, wide eyed and childish. Looking upon the man whom he respects, with fear and confusion. Captain Kagayaki had served under Shobatsu for centuries, and not once had he witnessed the Commander receive even a scratch. Even when the massive man was released from the Muken, and challenged the entirety of the Gotei Thirteen, he remained unscathed. On that day, devoid of any true harm, Shobatsu took it upon himself to inflict his own damage, and carved out his eyes. Was this then, what Higen was deducing? That the cause of all this, the source of Shobatsu’s wounds, had to be none other than the Commander’s own Zanpakutō. Yet, just as with the Kōtotsu, the Tenth Captain, greatest to don the Haori, chooses to think instead of act. He hesitates, or perhaps, he chokes.

Suddenly Shobatsu is surrounded by a spectacle of sprouting vines. Their source, none other than Captain Kagayaki’s own replacement, the current Head Lieutenant, Honoka Oki. Shobatsu’s right hand, she has stood by his side loyally for over one hundred and fifty years. Impeccable in her duties, she has never once failed an order of his, a feat which has permitted her such a high position. As the Lieutenant of the First Division, she is second only to Shobatsu himself, and her will is often considered synonymous to his own. In this sense, she may be considered Shobatsu’s closest friend.
Well trained, and disciplined by her millenium of experience, Higen’s elder acts without hesitation. Though she too is as shocked as her brother in blood, she knows well the consequence of a delay, and quickly sets about stabilizing her Captain without a word. In the past, Shobatsu would have refused any form of aid. His strength being such that he relies on no soul, not even that of his Lieutenant. Devoid of emotion, it would seem that stubbornness was not lost to the man during his time in the Muken.
Yet, this time, the Commander does not move. He does not appear to recognize the sudden appearance of his two closest allies, nor does he acknowledge the vines and petals that now surround him. Instead, his blind eyes look on towards darkness, his senses seek out nothing. His zanpakuto lies beneath him in a blanket of his own blood, but aside from the tensing of his muscles, he does not move.
Honoka’s shikai works its wicked ways into the Commander’s flesh, its healing properties working to replace the lost walls of his organs. However, even though the Head Lieutenant’s restorative power healed the wounds inflicted upon his body, it could do nothing to repair the damage to his soul. The moment Shihōken pierced his chest it was too late. The Commander’s body begins to rejuvenate, at first it seems due to Honoka’s secret ability, but the woman, in her elegance and intelligence, would perceive the subtle difference. She, like her Commander, would see the truth.
“There is no time.”

The Commander raises his arm above the blood and petals, a single hand outstretched before him. In an instant, his hand is clenched, forming a vacuum in his fist. The force of this causes the entirety of the air in the room to suddenly lurch towards Shobatsu’s grasp. Unable to compress in this mere instant, the air suddenly expands in a shockwave of pressure. A technique not unlike the Oni Dekopin, an explosion of force erupts from every direction of the Commander’s fist.
This blast bursts through the bubble of vines that surrounds him, sending flower blossoms flying through the air. Honoka and Higen, Shobatsu’s right and left hands, with all their experience and strength, would still need to brace themselves, experiencing a blast of force that hits harder than any foe they may have faced. Undoubtedly each a pillar of power in their own right, their well being was of no concern to the Commander, as he had long ago acknowledged their strength. Likely they remained standing, shocked as to what they witnessed. Should their attention remain undistracted upon their Commander, they would fail to notice the sunlight that now cascades upon the room. The walls behind them are reduced to rubble from the blast, the ceiling of the Central Forty Six compound is sent soaring as debris for miles through the skies above.
Shobatsu, devoid of obstruction, stands once more, towering over the two. Though the critical nature of his organs was successfully mended by Honoka, his wound remains open and gaping. Blood remains pouring from his chest like wine from a barrel. However, the Commander stands as though unfazed, truly unfeeling. His Reiatsu spikes around him, and his two trusted companions are capable of sensing that even now, with its depthlessness, it continues to dwindle.
“Lieutenant Oki…Honoka…
Send word to the central forty six districts surrounding the Seireitei. Inform them that they are to elect a single representative from among their people. These forty six representatives will form the new governing body of the Soul Society. They will fill the void that I have wrought upon this place.”

“Captain Kagaya-...Higen…
The humans are in danger. As we speak your men fight valiantly to protect them. Do not let their sacrifice be in vain. You will do what is necessary, I know this. That is why I entrust you with my command. I leave in your hands the scales of balance, so that you may stand between the precipice of peace, and the cusp of war. You feel you are not ready. You are wrong.”

Suddenly, the forty six corpses within the room begin to convulse. Black ethereal hands manifest from thin air. No, that is not quite right. They had been there since Shobatsu stood upright, and chose only now to become tangible. These black hands, now visible to Honoka and Higen, count a hundred in total. Forty six of them dig through the corpses of the Central Forty Six, their black ethereal fingers reaching into the chest cavities of the former judges. They dig through the corpses' hearts, until their fingering finds what they were searching for. While the remaining fifty four hands clasp tightly around Shobatsu and his Zanpakuto, utterly restricting his movement and Reiryoku. Of every soul in the Soul Society, it is only these two, exactly, who would recognize what this was. Shobatsu had casted a Kido spell, specifically, a bakudo, and one of his own making, Kurai Jōgiwa Nigi (闇い定規把の握, The Grip of the Dark Ruler, Viz. “Dark Sovereign Grasp”). Now, the forty six hands come together, forming but a single one. The items they clasped appear to merge too, what were once fragments form into something completely new.

A key. To many, this object is unrecognizable. To Honoka and Higen, who both stood at the side of the great Shobatsu Murasaki, and each served as the Head Lieutenant of the First Division, the item would be recognized by description alone. It is none other than the Key to the Central Great Underground Prison. This item, too dangerous to fall into the hands of a single man, was fragmented eons ago. Each fragment was split up, and then sealed into the bodies of the Central Forty Six. Now, unified for the first time since its creation, the Key hovers before Honoka and Higen, its length nearly a foot long. It rests upon the black hand that presents it to them in offering, before this disappears, leaving it upon them to catch the sacred artifact.

As they look upon the artifact, purple flame sparks to life around Shobatsu, engulfing him. To Honoka and Higen, it is utterly devoid of heat, each of them now lacking doubt in themselves. Higen with faith returned to his strength, no longer fearing his own Bankai, and Honoka without the burden of spying for the Central Forty Six. Each are now immune to the former Commander’s judgment. Yet, to Shobatsu himself, steam begins to rise from his skin. His wound bursts into black and purple fire, his open chest becoming a furnace. Smoke rises and fills the air with the scent of burning flesh, as the Great Judicator’s purging flames cauterize the wound of his Zanpakuto. Yet, even this is not the spectacle that demands the attention of Shobatsu’s companions. No, that would be the man’s physical appearance. Though he dons the scar of his self-inflicted wound, received long ago, Shobatsu Murasaki’s face appears to change. The wrinkles of time fade from him as he speaks.
“I am not above judgment. For my crimes, I must pay the price. I have slain those who released me, and as penance, must now return to fulfill the remainder of my sentence. Do not seek the obstruction of justice. With this wound inflicted upon me, I do not know what I am to become. Even now, I feel the experiences of my life fading from me. Memories, which I cherish, lost. The man I was once is not the man you know now. You must not seek to free me from the Muken.”
Shihōken, covered still in Shobatsu’s blood, suddenly appears within his grasp, unsheathed. When had he bent down to retrieve his blade? Had he truly moved faster than two of the strongest Shinigami are capable of seeing? Or had the blade moved of its own will once more? Was the former Commander, the former Prisoner, the former Warlord, to strike again?
“If this is to be our final meeting, then I am glad that it is you two who are here. My only regret is that I cannot look upon you with my own eyes...

“...to see your faces one last time.”
Then just like that, Shobatsu Murasaki is gone. Disappearing without a trace through the usage of his traitorous Zanpakuto. He returns to his cell in the Muken, a prisoner once more. Murasaki goes from Captain, to Criminal, and the Seireitei loses the greatest Commander to ever take the title. In his place, he leaves a legacy, two Souls burdened with fulfilling a future only ever seen by a single man, yet believed without a doubt to be achievable. Weakness, that is what his eyes saw, but not his heart. Beneath the emotionless veneer, the Commander’s heart saw only one thing, the reason for every action and judgement he ever committed.
What his heart saw, was Greatness.

 

[BSD]

Arriving at the Sekaimon did not relieve Omoni. Passing through it’s Ethereal gates gave her no sense of calm. At their backs they were leaving her Captain and one of the eleventh’s trusted squad members to go head to head with the Togabito that had already brought the city of Karakura to it’s knees. To say she was completely certain of their victory would have been an outright lie because she had been facing it for some time now. As far as she was concerned, they were worse off than she had been. As she passed Oyama who lingered near the frame of the gateway, she could see the familiar look of disappointment stained upon her small face. Surely the girl was not feeling too happy with herself and that was something Omoni could relate to even if the stoic woman didn't show it.
"Lt. Hageshi… could I… use one of your shoulders for support? It took everything I had left to negate the temperature alone of that Hell gate…your hollow I captured should be in division four by now. Not that it's my business as to why you needed it…"
Katsuo’s meek voice fell on tone deaf ears. Instead of offering her support in the way that it had been requested, without hesitation Hageshi yanked the boy off the ground by the belt around his waist and proceeded down the golden path with haste as if he were a bag or a suitcase. At least one thing had been gotten right...All together they trotted along disappearing into the glimmering void toward their destination.
"Don't fall behind Oyama!"
Traveling to the Fifth Division >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

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The scene that he had hoped for just some centuries ago, plagues, torments, and saddens him in present day. The Mighty Commander, the Prestigious Warlord, grovels as the air in his lungs is replaced with blood. The crimson liquid pours from his body in fervor, staining the floor of the illustrious C46 Hall. Frozen in his tracks, Higen fails to respond. He did not have the means to assist in the Commander’s recovery, or at the very least stall his eventual demise—what could he do? A blank expression of hopelessness consumes him, his eyes fade away into a distant land of thought, his body relaxed albeit a single twitch in his finger. This single twitch, soon becomes the balling of the Knight’s fist—the stubs of his nails grinding against the skin of his palm. It is in this hesitance, this reluctance, that Honoka acts.
Her arrival had fallen on Higen’s deafened senses. This sight alone was enough to lead him astray, he was vulnerable, exposed. A mass number of vines begin to sprout, twisting and contorting as they grew unnaturally. Per usual, Honoka’s reiryoku acts as a powerful fertilizer, as a massive brush is formed by the encroaching plants. The doorway in which they’d just entered finds any light that bled through it split and destroyed. The entire entryway becomes walled by Honoka’s vines, limiting both sight and physical access into the dark courtroom-like atrium. Vines continue to extend, flowers and leaves sprouting from the main collection of root. In a seemingly infinite process, there is growth—the plants form a cage surrounding the commander’s body, hunched over, pleading for help without a single word.
Honoka’s warm embrace envelops the commander, and so too does her extraordinary healing prowess. Yet still, the two of them would be able to only feel a.. partial success. Upon arrival, The Commander’s spiritual power had been diminished a considerable amount, and yet it continues to fade. Honoka’s healing does not postpone this process, and upon closer inspection, it is clear that the commander was truly being halved. Of course—his own blade the culprit, the only person, or thing, close enough to Shobatsu and his mind to successfully defeat him. But why? To inquire about the inner workings of one and their zanpakuto, even more so with a spirit as powerful as Shihoken, was to attempt a puzzle to never be completed.
“There is no time.”
The sound of the commander’s voice is alarming, and enough to free Higen from his trance. His gaze shifts to inspect the flower cage, and its inhabitant. The commander extends his arm forward, forming a single fist. The air in the room grows thick, a small vacuum pulling itself toward the trio as Higen’s ears began to pop. He brings both forearms to chest-level and forms them in an ‘X’ shape to shield against the oncoming blast. The cage erupts from a spell of force. The vines find themselves completely eradicated, while remnants of flower petals and blossoms rain down as they dance in a subtle draft. The Commander rises to his full titanic height, as if there was nothing wrong—yet everyone present knew this to be a façade.
“Lieutenant Oki…Honoka…
Send word to the central forty six districts surrounding the Seireitei. Inform them that they are to elect a single representative from among their people. These forty six representatives will form the new governing body of the Soul Society. They will fill the void that I have wrought upon this place.”
Was the commander truly at fault for this display? His words breathed life into its truth, yet his tone was the one of an innocent man. Every member of C46 had been murdered, and it appeared this was the only form of appeal to repair the damage that had been done. Perhaps It was for the best. The group long-thought to be corrupt, wiped completely clean, whatever the reason. He could only hope that their replacements were more just, and less afraid. Afraid of power, afraid of Shobatsu.
“Captain Kagaya-...Higen…
The humans are in danger. As we speak your men fight valiantly to protect them. Do not let their sacrifice be in vain. You will do what is necessary, I know this. That is why I entrust you with my command. I leave in your hands the scales of balance, so that you may stand between the precipice of peace, and the cusp of war. You feel you are not ready. You are wrong.”
To hear the commander say his name, perhaps the first time.. ever, was both comforting and bone chilling. There was no way to shake the feeling that was upon them. Every syllable pronounced combined to give the impression of a final goodbye. Every decree, every word of reassurance, felt like all of Shobatsu’s weight was being dumped on them at once—as if his burdens were now theirs to carry. Word that the humans were in danger takes Higen back to before his shock. Honoka’s words rise again to the surface, explaining the presence of the Togabito invasion within the Living World. The Commander was wrong about one thing, however. In this moment, Higen knew he was ready. Perhaps not ready to take up a mantle, fill impossible shoes, make impossible decisions. But he was ready to do his best, to lead valiantly, and to protect those that he’d come to love. There was no doubt in his mind, some of those few, were in danger at this very moment.
The three of them remain perfectly still, like statues, the air thick enough to split with Hitsumishi’s blade, and not a single word rolls out from Higen in response. His gaze—however—is determined. It is focused, intently listening to the Commander’s instructions, ingesting what may be his final order. The limp and lifeless bodies of the former C46 members begin to convulse, and near each of the bodies appears a black hand. It prods and probes their insides, searching diligently until successful. The many hands reel back from their extended positions all around the Judges’ bodies, and combine to manifest one singular relic. The key to Muken hovers before them, and Higen leaves it for Honoka to catch. It is this final act that confirms what had already been suspected. The man formerly sentenced to an eternity, had yet to carry it out in its entirety.
The Commander becomes enveloped in amethyst flame. Flame of which, does not emanate heat towards he doubtless Higen. The pyre eats away at his flesh in a way, steam rising from his skin as his former wound implodes with the same vibrant fire. Yet this is not the most shocking of all that transpires.
“I am not above judgment. For my crimes, I must pay the price. I have slain those who released me, and as penance, must now return to fulfill the remainder of my sentence. Do not seek the obstruction of justice. With this wound inflicted upon me, I do not know what I am to become. Even now, I feel the experiences of my life fading from me. Memories, which I cherish, lost. The man I was once is not the man you know now. You must not seek to free me from the Muken.”
With every word that leaks from The Commander, his appearance is altered. His hair extends to near-shoulder length. The hunch of his back loosened to give him more erect posture, every wrinkle and blemish fades away, revealing a Shobatsu Murosaki that neither Higen or Honoka had the opportunity to know.
“If this is to be our final meeting, then I am glad that it is you two who are here. My only regret is that I cannot look upon you with my own eyes...
...to see your faces one last time.”
“Command-!”
Higen reaches out to touch the Commander as he speaks his final words, yet it is only air that graces his skin. Shobatsu had vanished completely, without a trace, and it appeared he was not coming back. There is a moment of disbelief, and another of verity. Perhaps Shobatu’s final order, was the one Higen would prove to disobey. The absence of a Commander was a dangerous thing—even more so with war at their doorsteps. It pained him to think of it, yet he was well aware of the inevitable outcome. Was he ready to take on such a task? He turns solemnly, facing Honoka with his body yet, he does not look her in the eye. His left hand rises to land along her shoulder, appeasing the pain that the two of them had ultimately shared. He stands patiently at the barred door, yet does not say a word. With the permission of Honoka’s vines, he would pass.
What he now had to take care of, was just the start of the responsibilities he would soon be forced to hold. The moment he was free from the hall, he would make his way towards the Fifth Division Barracks with haste. He’d take no time to enjoy the sights, to stop in his pathing no matter what was said, or who stood before him. Until the light of the senkaimon enveloped his figure, he would not cease in his strides. Hitsumishi rested in his obi, hardly moving even with such brash and violent movement. The raw physical specimen that was Higen had foregone Shunpo, yet traversed with equal if not greater speeds than its practitioners. Crumbled earth and loosened shingles were what was left in his wake, every step like that of a giant, cratering the ground beneath his sandals. His topless torso still carries Kyomu’s mark, as Higen spent no time asking for some of Honoka or Akarui’s healing for himself. The pain was absent, for now, the adrenaline acting as a shield for what would surely hinder him later.
Central Seireitei | Fifth Division -------- > Naruki City

 

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She had been looking down at her feet for the duration of the walk to the soul society. allowing every negative thought to fester in the back of her mind. In her mind she could see herself drowning in doubt; sinking further and further as time passed by. It was then a pair of hands had gripped onto her ankles, in a split second she was pulled down into the imaginative ground beneath her. Though she did not fight this one bit, preferring to sink further into her mind for a bit, while Furia had emerged. Wicked smile and all, excitement coursed through her mind as she was finally in control once more. Again she could feel that cool air as the sun was setting upon the soul society.
Furia had been waiting patiently. She wasn’t just sitting idly by, she was actively watching and taking notes, before consulting with the blood Panda. The advice she was given was to stay away from that Togabito. It was bad enough that the Togabito had all those other abilities, it didn’t need Ketsuryū added to its already vast arsenal.
When she finally came too, she was still looking at the ground, slowly her eyes shifted upwards as she heard Katsuo speak.
"Lt. Hageshi… could I… use one of your shoulders for support? It took everything I had left to negate the temperature alone of that Hell gate…your hollow I captured should be in division four by now. Not that it's my business as to why you needed it…"
It would be Katsuo that would feel the shift in reiatsu. Omoni might have too but it would be more visual, as Furia had now lifted her head while her hands moved over her head. Laughing came out from her from the mad girl, before she would abroptely stop as she looked at the Noble and the Amazonian. It was amusing to see the noble boy picked up and carried like he was just a mere bag of rice, though she doubt that he was embarrassed by such a thing. Still she had a small laugh out.

“Wonderful Job Noble boy…”
She had to praise him, after all he was the only one to complete the task that was assigned to him. Though her tone was sarcastic in nature, if only to the watch dog that was Katsuo.
"Don't fall behind Oyama!"
“Understood!”
She had respect for the Amazonian, even admired her brutish nature. Hell, she wanted to almost replicate such a feat. She saw the lieutenant power as reachable, but for now she was stuck at the bottom of a mountain. The only thing she could do was climb, and climb she will. So for now she would quickly run behind the Amazonian before using shunpo to get atleast 6ft ahead of her, after all she knew she would have to guide the her and the lieutenant towards 5th then 4th divisions.

============== To 5th division =============>