[BSD-RP] Soul Society: Rukongai

[Shinigami]

“ Now, now. You know me, but I don’t know you. Ain’t that something strange?”
With a reformed smile, despite the questioning manner of his tone clearly directed towards Arashi. His voice sails the air, rising to a volume that nearly matched the booming voices of his subordinates. Chaos ensues, but controlled, managed by high ranking members of the Fifth Division. The three, Yasu, Arashi, and Captain Itsuki are all engulfed in the raging winds, the echoes of pressure that shakes the land beneath them. Yet, neither one of them budges, twitchs, except for the obvious sneeze that Lieutenant Yugure lets out.
The trembling earth calms, the dust settles, and now Arashi can formulate a response to the questioning Captain. However, Lieutenant Yugure begins to understand that her assistance is not needed. Believed to have wasted her time, having pulled her from her own task, but how could he have known that things would have turned out like this? He understood her haste, her reasons for leaving. This was not her mission, but Arashi is forever grateful to her. The Ginger Giant stands to his fullest height after dropping from his perch. Towering over both Lieutenants with a sickening smile, and a blood stained face.
“ I must go. May our paths cross once more."
Arashi turned his head slightly, and nodded.
” Take care Lieutenant Yugure, and thank you again…”
Arashi stands alone, with this gigantus Captain, the smell of blood reaching his nostrils. A scent he knows all too well… Although he stands relaxed, the presence of a Captain is overwhelming, even without the exertion of spiritual pressure, but the characteristics that exist with Arashi holds him in place. Firm, and strong, he feels no intimidation, no worry, but he understands quite easily that this Captain wants answers. Answers he will soon receive. Captain Itsuki continues, holding another questioning tone, but less for Arashi, and more towards the success of his task.
“ I wonder… is this enough to quell something so… unique?”
Indeed, will it be enough? Arashi had planned to check for himself, once he was done here. Luckily, the Specialist of Squad Five are competent warriors. Capable of acting on their own, moving on their own judgement. They slide down the steep walls of the crater that was formed from their overbearing attack. Each one moving with the sole purpose of erasing any loose ends. Utilizing Hado 54, abolishing flame, to eradicate whatever is left of the Soul King’s blood.
Uncomfortably close the Captain becomes, but Arashi doesn't move. He doesn’t adjust and move away to regain his own personal space. For now, he remains utterly quiet, his expression remains completely the same. He’d see no change in demeanor, but a certain someone speaks… His words are completely inaudible to the Captain of Squad Seven. These words meant only for Arashi, and he alone.
“ Let me out…
I’ll tear out his throat. He won't even see it coming. It’ll be so easy! I’m sure he wouldn’t mind seeing his own blood. His own intestines. His own internal organs, ripped from his body. He seems like the kind of guy that would get off on that stuff. Look at those eyes! He wants to rip you to shreds! He is begging for a reason to! I know it!
Whether his inner-hollow speaks the truth or not, Arashi dares not to set him free. He dares not to speak back, and just like Captain Istuki, his Hollow Self is left with no response, no acknowledgement of his existence. Still, Captain Itsuki remains close, unimpeded.
“ What do you think?”
Ready to answer, but the Ginger Giant opens his mouth again. He wouldn’t give Arashi the chance. What is he trying to do? What motivated him to be this close to Arashi? Is he trying to intimidate him? With the eyes he had, it seemed to far-fetch to guess that he was examining him. Though these questions ran through his mind Arashi remained just as still, just as nonchalant, all with a smile upon his own face, even when the Ginger Giant had relinquished his own in order to further the intensity within the atmosphere around them.
“ There were more of ya scurrying around outside, now wasn’t there, Lieutenant?”
Surely, he can answer that question himself, he didn’t need a verbal response from Arashi to confirm the other spiritual signatures. As a Captain, a bloodhound, surely his sensory skills did not falter at all. The question becomes rhetorical, simply meant to gauge the man before him. Even now, he gets no response.
“ Gather yer flock, I don’t want nobody travelin’ too far from this nest right now.”
Questioning leads to a definitive order, one that would be followed by the narrowing of his eyes, and then finally the breath of space with a smile to top it off. Arashi figured that they would be locked in close proximity for a while until he finally chose to answer him. Having met this Captain, he found him to be quite, disturbing, but at the same time, interesting? Maybe? Arashi’s unchanging expression makes it impossible to discern what he thought of the Captain thus far. Whatever the cause for his unnatural behavior, he’d follow the orders.
Arashi removed a hand from the sleeve of his Shihakusho. Raising it above his head, beams of light fall from the sky, congregating in the palm of his hand before finally extending, melding, and forming a Zanpakuto, his Zanpakuto. Clenching his fingers around the scabbard, he brings it to his side, carrying his weapon. He looks on, opening his eyes somewhat, visualizing the Captain opening his Soul Phone to respond to a message or whatever the notification may be. Regardless, Arashi chose this moment to finally speak.
“ Arashi Suta, Lieutenant of Squad Five. Me and my team have come with the sole purpose of destroying the source of the Soul King’s blood. As it may seem that we have completed our task, it also seems that we have missed the action or what little of it. I will gather my subordinates as you have ordered. However, I strongly suggest that we coordinate our Squads in the future. Who knows what more is left, and judging by the absence of a great deal of people, I can guess that they knew we or you were coming… I will leave you to your investigations, Captain, and will report back to my Captain, Tenzen Oda. We will be gone shortly.”
Short and to the point, he’d like to believe. Concise in his response and reasoning. Arashi once again, extends to the Captain a bow before finally walking off towards the direction of the destruction that had transpired earlier, leaving Captain Itsuki to his own devices.

 

[Shinigami]

Within the bloody and barren camp, the Shinigami flocked, going about their duties. The situation could be summarized with a single word: unexpected. Xiaolin arrived, expecting to apprehend the criminals that slipped through his fingers. Kagewaki arrived, his thiefs in tow, expecting to find a rogue sect of Onmitsukidō. Captain Asakura arrived expecting answers to his year long investigation. Lieutenant Yugure and her Second Division arrived expecting to complete their mission. While Lieutenant Suta and his Fifth Division arrived expecting to put an end to the Red River. Yet every one of these souls would come to face a situation that they were not prepared for. A war camp, thriving in the middle of the Rukongai, and yet barren aside from its skeleton crew. A river of blood thought to be a secret, and yet somehow harvested by an unknown army. The conclusion to each of their journeys would only spawn more questions, the end of one threat acting as the precursor to another.
“Hyōga Seiran!”

A barrage of ice is casted by the masked masters of the Fifth Division’s Kido Corps, utilizing their powerful Hado technique. It is a spectacle to behold undoubtedly, as half of the encampment is rapidly encased within the crystalline kido. Mesmerized by the flashy nature, and devastating result, of the Hyōga Seiran, distracted by conversations and duties, it would take those present but a moment to realize that even the combined efforts of Fifth Division specialists would not suffice. Something was off, and after a moment of breathless anticipation, it became clear exactly what.
Gurggle Gurggle Gurggle
Steam rises from the center of the camp, where the concentration of ice should be its greatest. Instead, a bubbling miasma of crimson liquid rises to the surface, seemingly melting the ice upon contact, like a hot spring in the midst of a frozen tundra. The liquid continues to rise, as though responding to the sudden input of spiritual-based ice, its volume increases as it consumes the spell. Yet, well trained, the Fifth Division does not hesitate, they do not wait to see what happens, do not allow this anomaly to spread.
“Hadō #88. Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!”

A crackling blast of electric blue emanates from the hands of the Kido Corps Priests, firing out in a bolt of pure lightning. Unrelenting, this blast continues to grow in diameter as the various casters unite their spells. Forced to retreat from such close proximity, they are nearly subjected to their own attack, as the second stage of this spell intitates upon contact with the ominous red mass. At first the lake of blood crackles with electricity, sparks of neon blue dancing along its surface. This lasts for but an instant however, as immediately after an explosion of fire erupts from the source. Those present would be hard fetched to maintain their footing, as the flames rise into the air, turning the camp into a scene of a volcanic eruption. A mushroom cloud forms above their heads, visible even from the Seireitei, smoke and flame blinding the vision of those within distance. There was no subtlety here, their location, their task, their means, all exposed, all laid bare for any threat that might be watching. Perhaps the Shinigami had grown too comfortable within the isolation of the barren camp, perhaps their cautiousness gave way to complacency.
As the smoke clears, the Fifth Division likely looks on with hopeful eyes. After witnessing the sheer devastation caused by this master level Kido, there would be little room for doubt in the hearts of those present. Upon the smoke clearing however, a different story would be told. The pool of blood, which made its home at the base of the crater, now filled this basin to the top. Where as before, it was still as the surface of a lake, now it bubbles and thrashes about like the violent magma of an active volcano. The amount of spiritual energy exhausted by the Fifth Division should have been enough to completely eviscerate, no, to completely disintegrate, anything within sight. Yet, rather than destroy the Red River, they seemed to have activated it. They weren’t dealing with some body of Reiryoku restoring liquid. No, they were dealing with the very blood of the original Soul King, the life force of God itself. No meager Kido would ever succeed in destroying it, in fact, nothing composed of spiritual energy would be capable of doing anything but feed it. The Soul King’s Blood blessed even a dead soul with enough spiritual energy to reanimate. This was the same principle, as the Kido Corps assault of pure power blessed the dormant Blood of the Soul King with enough spiritual energy to reanimate itself, but to what end?

The atmosphere above ripples and cracks, as though being torn asunder by some unseen force. Strands of black streak against the impeccable blue of the Soul Society’s sky, until this too is ripped open. Above the encampment, a void of black takes the shape of a singular eye, which casts its gaze down upon those beneath it. A Garganta, one large enough to swallow the entire encampment if necessary. What foe possessed such force? As far as the Shinigami knew, there was no Hollow nor arrancar who currently possessed this power. The timing of it as well as its location were also troubling, as though whoever was behind it was capable of either sensing or watching this event play out. That is unless…unless this entire scenario had been planned from the start by some unknown force, some being in the shadows with enough influence, intelligence, and cunning to manipulate and predict the very actions of the Soul Society.
Gurggle Gurggle Gurggle POP
The crater ignites with activity, as though responding to the presence of the Garganta. The very ground begins to shake once more, further rupturing the surface of the blood, causing waves to wake and crest upon it. The miasmic crimson spirals, turning and churning until it forms a whirlpool, sucking in anything caught along its edges with a vacuum of force. This spiralling continues, lifting the blood from the ground, now forming into that of a hurricane. Anything composed of Reishi begins to steam, its surface starting to sizzle and melt as though exposed to some unseen acid, in truth being absorbed by the torrent of blood which rises from the center of the camp. Winds begin to shift, howling so loud as to prevent conversation, let alone coordination, between the Shinigami who would find themselves awe-struck at this sight. That is, until…

The torrent of blood coalesces into a pillar of pure red. This pillar launches into the sky, rising into the black mass of the Garganta. At the base, the once great pool of blood continues to drain upwards, individual droplets moving on their own to join the mass. Previously unphased by even the highest level destructive Kido, the Soul King’s Blood now moves with a mind of its own, as though under some imperceptible influence. It rises into the air, turning the previously blue sky red with blood, tainted by a corrupting energy. As the last of it is absorbed, not even a single speck of blood remains. Upon the final drop of blood passing through its threshold, the void-like portal collapses upon itself, disappearing as quickly as it had arrived. Though the world above remains clouded in a hue of red light, the crater below is left as barren as the valley that surrounds it, and despite the prior noise and spectacle, all is now silent, if only for a moment.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM
A pyroclastic explosion erupts from the center of the crater, clouding the entire mining facility with a screen of burning smoke. This cloud of death spreads rapidly, a tsunami of incinerating dust and heat. Within seconds it engulfs the entire encampment. Those capable of enduring the disintegrating heat and debris find themselves without oxygen and deprived of their senses completely. Devoid of its lifeblood, the land no longer has its foundation to rest upon. An earthquake ensues, causing the entire valley to collapse inwards on itself from the center. Those that have lasted until this point, will need to flee amidst the chaos of rubble and wreckage that now rains down upon them. The very ground concaving beneath their feet, robbing them of footholds while broken machinery entangles the earth around them, blocking their passageway with such devastation. They have only seconds to navigate this labyrinth of destruction and chaos. Should they fail, they would face a premature burial, submerged underground beneath the thousands of tons of wreckage, lost and forgotten in the furthest districts of the Rukongai, never to be recovered again. Their deaths here would remain a mystery, a memorial to the lost accounts of what has occurred here on this most unexpected day.

 

[Shinigami]

“KAKAKAKAKA! WHAT IS THIS?! A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL?!”
The towering of Captain Asakura causes Yasu to crane her neck up in order to come face-to-face with him. Yet it was clear while the two of them were familiar to an extent, he knew nothing of the one that stood to the side of her.
Now, now. You know me, but I don’t know you. Ain’t that something strange?”
A small breath escapes the lieutenant as she begins to leave the premises. The presence of Captain Asakura was a bit much on her, for reasons unknown. She hadn’t seen him for quite some time since ascending to her current rank, especially within the last five months. While their exchange was kept short, Yasu did have prior engagements. With the missing prisoners in mind, there was a possibility of those lingering back in the 64th District. Having lost Sakiko, there was the chance that they could have lingered anywhere between there and where they were now. As there were now no bodies alive within the premises left to question, perhaps she could retrace her steps. Having been sidetracked by that one who’d tried to kill her prior was an obstacle that she could’ve easily rid of.
“Hōi-tai.” (包囲体, "Enclosure")
From the palms of her hands, the elegant black diamonds that rest within the center bursts to life as the gooey substance of her shikai comes to bleed out and coat her skin in complete darkness. It was a sub-ability of her shikai that she used the most often outside of its immediate release. From her chin down to the soles of her feet, the lieutenant is blanketed by darkness and moves soundlessly just as she passes the entrance of the path of bodies where she had first made contact with the Fifth Division when the atmosphere around them ripples. Yasu feels as if her heart is threatening to explode right from her chest. The sudden wave of uneasiness causes Yasu to keel over and drop down to a knee. Slowly, she turns her head to see the Garganta looming above them in its grandeur, menacing and filled with ill-intent.
Something had gone terribly wrong with the Fifth Division. That feeling that she possessed earlier was not wrong, and it was fleshed out right above her.
It was a dire situation, and she needed everyone to know.
“Black and white net. Twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowns and belts.
The incantation begins and Yasu draws blood from her hands and it begins to drip down the length of her fingers and onto the dirt path. She manages to snap out of her fear-ridden stupor in order to perform accordingly as she moves swiftly to draw the marks on each hand and then trail a path up her arms.
Gurggle Gurggle
“Footprints, distant thunder, sharp peak, engulfing land, hidden in the night, sea of clouds, blue line.
Yasu’s attention falters slightly at the ominous gurgling but it does not stop her mouth as she resumes the incantation to the kido spell from where she left off. She begins running from the encampment site, and while she could have gone back, there was no telling as to what was to happen. Those still left inside were highly capable shinigami, she would at least hope so. A captain, a lieutenant -- albeit new, members of the Kidō Corps and a pair of upper-seats. The ground quakes beneath her feet and she has to hurry. With her hands out in front of her, a luminescent blue rectangle takes form before her and immediately begins to spread a series of multiple black root-like extensions from within it. It glows brightly. While she is far from it, the range of this particular kidō is entirely up to the caster. She knew that those within the Soul Society would see the events, but as to what, they would know soon enough.
Gurggle
“Form a circle and fly through the heavens."
Though she is not looking back, Yasu feels the darkness as it looms over her and blankets the horizon in red, casting her shadow and clashing against the light of her kido. The rushing of the air around her beckons her to turn back and answer to the garganta, but she’s moved far out of the rank of the garganta as she reaches the outskirts of District 77 and trailed into that of the 76th. Her movement comes to a stop and the branches glow with the same blue aura that the frame possessed.
"Bakudō #77. Tenteikūra!”
(天挺空羅, Heavenly Rickshaws in Silken Air; Viz "Heavenly Charged Sky Net")
POP
Behind her, the blood pillar rises to the skies and into the gaping maw of the Garganta, and she knows that the doomsday clock is only counting down with every moment that passes. Yasu inhales deeply… and recites her message that will reach every and each available Shinigami that resides within the Gotei Thirteen.
“All available Shinigami, heed this call. A Garganta has appeared in the 77th District of the Eastern Rukongai! Calling all available assets to respond. A Garganta has--”
The Second Division’s lieutenant turns her head at the absent space that the Garganta had once occupied. Terror runs her blood cold as the world around her goes silent for just an instance.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM
An explosion interrupts, and Yasu forces herself to stand her ground. She must, despite the way that her body shakes as if beginning to fall. Within her mental scape, Yasu’s inner peace is disrupted by the booming laughter of her inner hollow and its constant demand to be released. The quaking under her feet does not stop and even from where she stands, she feels the heat of that implosion as it spreads far and wide upon the valley’s caving. The area that she had once resided it in is surrounded in smoke and debris. The destruction had completely washed out the majority of a single district in one fell swoop, and those incapable of protecting themselves from its calamitous wake would too fall with it. If it hadn't been for her call, then surely the sight of its explosive force would cause every individual within the grounds of their respective divisions to answer to its inviting call.
The link to the kidō dissolves, and all who heard her call would be left the sound of destruction before it is cut away.
Yasu breathes heavily. Her vision is limited due to the dust that spreads across the horizon. She is reminded of the day of the Kōtotsu. She recalls the haunting presence of the Kuchiki Incident. The sound of pounding echoes in Yasu’s head, and she cradles it with her bloodied hands, smearing the red essence against her skin and hair. The voice of her inner hollow is persistent in making an appearance.
“LET
...
ME
...
OUT!”

 

[Shinigami]

The man's previous prediction about the situation had proven itself to be true, the entire ordeal, the lack of security, the allowance of uninterrupted meddling with the river of the soul king's blood – it had all been far too convenient, and indeed had been all part of a grander scheme of things which had been deeper than what meets the immediate eye. The high ranking synchronized kido techniques which had been utilized with the intention of destroying the "water" source had done nothing more than bring the once still and dormant crimson river to life in a sense. The intentions had backfired and seemingly activated the river if anything. The ineffectiveness of their assault upon the river had become rather obvious fairly quickly, even before the mist and debris from the previously cast spells had died down. Eizoku's eyes darted around the vicinity as he actively felt an underlying sense of danger beginning to present itself in the form of nothing more than worry and fear, deep within the confines of his own gut. His blades seemingly beginning to vibrate and react in tandem with sounds rippling throughout the atmosphere as it was seemingly torn open and asunder as a Gargantua presented itself directly above the encampment.
The sheer size and magnitude of the opening alone was seemingly large enough to swallow the entirety of the camp with relative ease. This entire ordeal had been far too much of a convenience for it to simply be a written off as a coincidence. Both of these acts were planned and responding in accord with each other. Nevertheless, a Garganta opening within the confines of soul society itself had been unheard of to Eizoku – and being that these were known as ways of travel and arrivals for hollows and arrancar as done in the past, this was nothing to be taken lightly. His studies and readings into the past and researches conducted in his spare time upon the subject had proven to be rather helpful in his life incidents quite often, this being such a case. To be so bold as to directly form a path into Soul Society meant the possibility of an enemy arrival or potential assault, meaning that more than likely anyone or anything coming out of the rip in the atmosphere would be far more than formidable – yet to Eizoku's knowledge, besides himself, the only ones present were two lieutenants, a handful of kido masters, and a seated member. Not the best line of defense, especially had it been a group arrival. As such, Eizoku's mind had immediately transitioned into the lines of retreating and regrouping for a stronger support – he had been more than prepared to begin his escape, not out of cowardice but out of efficiency for heightening chances of survival and success. However to his surprise, the garganta seemingly began directly interacting with the now active river of blood as the crimson pool of fluids began ascending directly into it, until it became synonymous with something akin to a pillar of blood.
No one or thing exited the blackened cavity, only acceptance, and as such was done the atmosphere began to actively change in feeling as if it were being charged, as the young shinigami's gut feeling began to swell until the point his attention which had prior been held by the happenings within the environment, was forcefully pulled away as he went into immediate self preservation releasing only a couple words of warning to his nearby companions before proceeding.
"This isn't good, RUN!"
The ground beginning to shake mildly and the charging of the atmosphere as the remainder of the blood was sucked into the void signaled to the man that a rather catastrophic geographical event was about to occur, and it would be anything but mild. As such he responded accordingly, immediately utilizing the time he had absorbed and stored from the previous explosion and shockwave released by the Kido specialist, applying it to himself, respectively allowing him the ability to significantly speed up himself for a specific period of time. Wasting no time, the man immediately turned away planting his right foot firmly against the trembling ground beneath his before using it as a springing source to initiate the use of his Shunpo in his attempts to escape impending danger. With the usage of the time he had absorbed, his shunpo despite him not being a master of the craft, allowed his own shunpo to achieve the speed equivalent or beyond that of a master, whilst the environment and actions of everyone around him continued to lag greatly from his viewpoint due to the effects of his active Shikai. So in reality, the man's speed was far beyond fathomable and the slowing of his surroundings allowed him to use such quite efficiently.
Within only a matter of seconds the man had scaled back to the lower portions of the district where he initially found clues to the whereabouts about the other parties, in the direction he had arrived from. From the perspective of his peers however, had they not still been in awe at the events occurring, his departure would have appeared as if he simply vanished from sight altogether without a trace of his own direction. Yet his own security was well off as at this point in time the sky itself had taken on the same crimson coloring that the river once had before the land fell silent. Only to be interrupted by the voice of the pink haired Lieutenant he had met prior notifying of the appearance of the garganta, the apparent terror in her voice causing Eizoku to instinctively look back, forcing him to take in the scene which had been unfolding behind him. A chill running through his body as trepidation and fear took ahold of him. Causing him to stop in his tracks for a period of time as chills and cold sweats began to run through his body and down his face.
Just what the hell is going o-"
"BOOOOOOOOOOOM"
His sentence violently cut short as the atmosphere seemingly collapsed upon itself sending a wave of incinerating heat and debris shooting out from the epicenter of the camp as the earth began to crumble and rise from the exuded force as it shot towards him. Frozen in fear he could do nothing but watch as the wave of heat and debris rapidly approached him as it appeared to be about to engulf him. the shinigami's attempts of forcing himself to snap back into reality and escape had been failing him, and the only thing which had prevented his own potential death, was his activated shikai which actively brought the shockwave, dust, and debris, along with the temperatures held within them to a sudden halt as it passively absorbed the time from them all refilling the nearly depleted gauge upon his zan. Leaving him staring face to face with a cloud of gray, black, brown, and red hues with what appeared to be an extremely large metallic object which appeared as if it could have been a part of the machinery from the camp they had recently raided. His eyes and body trembling as the surrounding blast continued around him, the sound of the structure falling to the ground snapping him back to his senses before he actively attempted to turn tail and continue fleeing. Only to his surprise, to see that the dust and debris that had been out of the reach of his shikai's ability had continued and completely surrounded him, eliminating his sense of vision, the temperatures around him quickly rising to the point in which his nose immediately began to bleed, his skin feeling as if it had began to singe, and his throat and eyes began to burn, despite being somewhat protected by his own ability.
Attempting to continue forward blindly would be nothing more than a death sentence by the heat and suffocation of the dust and debris, and the ground had actively been cratered and shattered, leaving him unable to continue forward smoothly without proper footholds or the vision to spot them. His only viable option, was to ascend. Immediately placing the index and middle fingers together of his right hand while still grasping his blade with the remaining three, and lifting his hand upward, would actively cause the formation of a translucent yellow hued barrier of kido to appear beneath him elevating him slightly – before creating another in front of him with the same actions and and leaping upward upon the surface top of the created structure – and actively repeating these steps until he completely ascended above the debris enough to regain his sense of stability, his sight, and once again breathe without complication. Wiping the blood which had spilled from his nose upon the back of his right hand before actively taking in the scene of the now destroyed district trying to sense the others whom had been involved while still remaining vigilant of his surroundings to the best of his ability. Awaiting to see the aftermath of everything atop of his created structure.

 

[Shinigami]

Itsuki watched intently as the wave of icy destruction heralded by the Spellcasters … failed. The Captain expected this failure, though from the response of the Lieutenant it seemed they hadn’t an inkling of what truly impregnated this land… Itsuki however knew all too well. This is the land whose earthen skin is afflicted with the saintly blight of the original Soul King; whose very essence he has seen breathed life into the lifeless… that which had emboldened heretics to take a stand against the world.
“Hrm…”
Itsuki hadn’t the time to pay much mind to the babbling of Arashi, and instead felt something off— the surrounding air stirred & the Bloodhound caught a ‘scent’ he hadn’t moments before. What was going on? He pivoted upon his heel and spun around, his eyes cautiously scanning the surrounding landscape. A deep animal fear resonated within the Captain’s every fiber… his every instinct screaming for the seasoned warrior to flee from the pooling crimson pond that the spell-casting had failed to even stagger. In the moments to come Itsuki had little time to react, instinctively grabbing his beloved Itobeni the Captain quickly & silently drew the stout blade of his tanto, preparing to potentially have to carve his way towards freedom.
“Wot in tarnation…?!”
Itsuki couldn’t help but bluster. The Captain looked to the sky, the splintering blackness of a quick forming Garganta rotted the otherwise blue above. The sheer size of the wound in the fabric of reality was enough to send shivers down the Captain’s spine; nothing he’d ever come across, in his studies or personal experience, could ever wrench a hole of this epic proportion. An awestruck Itsuki found an odd expression plastered across his sharp face… a genuine expression of fear laced with excitement and rage. The psychopathic Bloodhound whose duty was to guard these lands like a Hellhound trembled… his hands visibly shaking as an aura of unquestionable bloodlust washed the lands in ta pale coral mist-- those nearby the Captain would find the dichotomy of this bloodlust enthralling; even though it was born from a swelling rage, this was still his reiatsu… the very same reiatsu that brings forth an overwhelming sensation of elation to those who are infected by it.. Itsuki could only assume the vile existence of a Hollow lay beyond the obsidian curtains of this Garganta, and so the tactician readied the field for a slaughter.
“KAKAKAKAKA!”

He laughed. A maddening laugh the likes of which instilled a deep primal terror within the hearts of those around him. As the blood of the Soul King resonated with the blistering presence of the Garganta, Itsuki too responded, and he howled. He howled with such deranged but powerful bravado that it seemed like he was calling for the Soul King asleep so far above to hear his war-cry.
“Weave the Heavens and the Earth together, Itobeni!”
As he sang out, the short sliver of steel that was Itobeni’s blade glowed hotly as if rendered molten slag. In the moments to pass, the reddened blade mutated into a thicket of knotted vermillion thread almost as red as the very blood of their decrypted God. Itsuki had resolved himself to defend the Rukongai; Itsuki was easily an overzealous man, a crazed Bloodhound constantly sniffing out secrets regardless of the danger, but above all else he was a Soldier. This was his duty, and if his duty meant opposing the combined forces of Heaven and Hell… He’d gladly wage war with a smile on his face.
“KAKAKAKAKAKAKAKA! YER GON’ HAV’ TA’ BURY ME ‘ERE, ‘CAUSE I AIN’T ABOUT TA’ GIVE AN INCH OR A MILE!”
In the moments before the chaos had erupted, when the hole in the fabric of reality stood eerily still, Itsuki had assumed it was the gaping maw of an oncoming legion. The Captain readied himself to end his existence in a glorious and bloodied battle, and Itobeni too seemed to resolve themselves to share this fate.
Itsuki commanded his Zanpaktou held lazily at his side to puncture into the Earth; hundreds of wiry tendrils plunging deep into the land between them. If an army were to descend from this unholy blight upon the sky, he would greet them with the crimson threaded maw of Destiny. As the ground trembled the hungry threads beneath the surface had already devoured ten miles around the Captain in all directions. What happened next, though, Itsuki found, was far beyond what he could have ever expected.
“...Wha?!”
The Captain had spread his threaded influence far and wide… the underworld below and the Heavens above whispered the same impossible scenario to him… Nothing was coming from the pit. No, instead this doorway which the Captain had arrogantly mistaken to be a foothold for Hollows to lay siege through found quickly that instead an invisible hand of sorts… a great force of which Itsuki could not comprehend… was beckoning the very blood the Captain feared— this was madness. Quickly, the threads of Itobeni splintered from their spool and spiraled around Itsuki. Something wasn’t right… both with the world around him and himself.
“Wot…?”
Itsuki only a few times before felt such a deep spiral of despair, and so this anxiety that ran through him with a thunderous force was almost entirely foreign. He’d feign a smile for so long that he’d almost forgotten what it meant to frown; Itsuki grimaced as he quickly rationalized that the hungry maw of the Garganta was the least of their problems. When you remove the blood from a body it goes into shock… Itsuki with his damnably sharp wit realized the cruel reality of the situation just as a symphony of destruction erupted. The surrounding land was about to go into a cataclysmic shock. Itsuki grit his teeth hard, he clutched Itobeni harder, and the Bloodhound braced for one Hell of an impact.
“YEEEEEEEEEHAWWWWWWWWWW!”
A maddened cry. Itsuki sang once more with his salt-of-the-earth tone, as the sky turned red and the world around them fell into dysfunction, the ten-mile radius around the Captain had found itself stabilized by the grounding presence of Itobeni, which like the Soul King’s blood once had, now ran through the earth like veins— bringing to this storm an eye; a threaded sanctuary calmed and lulled. The threads that weaved and webbed the air above & around Itsuki thickened in the same moment the fiery death sought to incinerate the doomed souls so close to the center of this not-so-natural disaster; even as the flames licked desperately at the threads... they repaired themselves— constantly forging & reforging into a great red threaded cocoon that staved off the fast approaching destruction. Fibers latching together again and again like muscles under distress repairing. Itsuki refused to look away. His bloodied eyes ached, yearning to squeeze shut & forget the world, but Itsuki scrunched his nose and endured.
“Kaa….”
A solitary chuckle escaped his lips, but was it truly a laugh or Itsuki gasping under the sudden cataclysmic pressure? Even he couldn’t tell you, though Itsuki refused to relent his threads until the inferno and destruction was subdued. He couldn’t save the entire area… but at least he could keep afloat this haven with his strength. Itobeni would not yield. Be it the weight of machines, the trembling of a starved earth, or even a chorus of explosions… the rope of Itobeni would remain defiant to a destiny of destruction.
“Now…”
Itsuki grumbled between labored breath, being able to detect the receding destruction through his threads which no longer regenerated, he knew he outlasted the prophetic ruin. The threads, which protectively surrounded Itsuki & whoever remained within their swaddling embrace, would shrink. Smaller, and smaller until they were nearly invisible strands afloat in the still stirring air.
“So I’ma need y’all to follow some pretty strange orders, but don’t cha worry, ole Itsuki has got a plan”
Itsuki began bellowing to the potential Spellcasters who remained, and possibly even the Lieutenant had he stayed in the loving care & protection of Itobeni rather than flee in the face of destruction.
“Ye see this? I want’cha to blast this bad boy with yer Christmas special magic, ‘kay?.”
As the Captain spoke, suddenly, the earth before him became upturned, a massive root of thread crowning from the earth like a newborn during labor. Itsuki understood quite clearly that the Kido Corp. itself was outside the realm of his authority, but he hoped for cooperation in this moment. Itsuki continued to prattle on as the exposed vein of rope squirmed and throbbed in the exposed wound in the earth.
“Don’tcha worry tho', this ain’t my first rodeo, Kido Cowboys. Kakakakaka~”
Itsuki had a plan. At least some semblance of a plan. The tactician knew that the moment he released Itobeni that the world around them would collapse into the surrounding destruction that stained and smoldered beyond the ten-mile haven he forged with his ropy might. Itsuki wasn’t sure his idea would work… but that only made the Bloodhound of the Rukongai grin doggishly. God, he loved a good challenge and this would prove one hell of a challenge itself. A deep breath in— and now out. If they could freeze the rope labyrinth beneath their feet, even if Itsuki rescinded Itobeni the land for the moment would be held together. The Captain could only hope the cloaked Casters would believe in him; if not, the Captain would have to remain here until they evacuated the area.
While he heard the sudden spell of the departed Yasu blaring in his head, Itsuki hadn’t the time to submit his own update of the situation yet. The Captain would rather have a deeper understanding of what was afoot… and so with that the strands of Itobeni above the earth continued to stretch… seemingly endless, the threads were searching for something. Both the sky above & the ruins around him were explored by Itobeni. For what though? Itsuki wasn’t sure… but the Captain had to make sure nothing had entered his domain; to defile the Rukongai… to invade the Rukongai… to break the laws of the Rukongai is UNFORGIVABLE.