Location: Atop Sōkyoku Hill
"Mukō Kōkei-sha,” the smooth voice proclaimed from behind him. In the same moment, Hiakarui leaned forwards, one foot sliding in that direction, and twisted his body to the left hard. The sound of metal hitting metal could be heard as the tip of the captain's sheath met the blade of his adversary, knocking it away. His hand already on the sheath, Hiakarui pulled it backwards even as he drew his blade out, his right foot, which had slid forwards, pushing him in the same direction.
He began to spin on his heel, but his eyes narrowed then, as he felt, rather than saw, a strike near his form.
Shunpo.
Hiakarui vanished, reappearing several meters from where he'd been, blade drawn before his form, eyes worried, stance taken.
"Zume?” He queried, sounding more than a little confused. He had been right in his presumption, as only one man had such a striking zanpakuto.
The black orb which Zume now stood within seemed to warp and shift ever so slightly as a thin strand of the material returned to the sphere. The captain did not respond, instead he took a single step forwards and as he did, Hiakarui's stance lost all sense of restraint. It was right to, for not a moment after, Zume had vanished, the orb divvying itself into thin strands of black material that shot forth in an attempt to pin Hiakarui from all sides 'cept one. He moved forwards, spun on his heel, and lowered his body down and as he did a blade slid through the air where he had just been. He pushed towards the man that had once been his fellow captain, and slashed upwards at him, his other foot striking ground, allowing him to turn as Zume vanished. Akarui had already spun, striking away the strands of void with his blade till they passed over him, then circled back to where Zume stood, gathering together once more.
"I...hate to do this, Zume, but...you have forced my hand,” he said, his tone hesitant and sad. Zume smiled, but made no move to strike.
Warily, Hiakarui brought his blade horizontally before his form and ran his palm above the sword,
"Set adrift the Moon's shadow. Impose upon the Sun...” and as the words left his mouth, his reiatsu was released. With its release the two circles were manifested behind him, and in response to their formation he finished the chant,
"...Nisshoku kōshin(日蝕行進 'Eclipse Procession').”With Hiakarui's blade released, Zume raised his own, slid into a stance, a smile upon his lips, before he pushed forth and was shot towards Hiakarui in a blur of movement. The captain managed to bring his blade up in preparation for the strike, only to realize it had been a feint. Thus, he lunged upwards instead, and again he felt a blade pass through the air in which he had just existed.
He spun, mid air, propelling himself with tiny thrusts of his reiatsu, till suddenly he was a like a human top, blade whirling about his form. It was then that Zume struck, but not from one direction, no, from all of them. The void closed in on the captain, but as it tried to envelop him, the man's blade continually struck it away.
His foot touched earth, and as it did his spin ceased and he brought his blade up. Zume's own struck it and before he could withdraw, Hiakarui slipped his blade to the side, slamming its hilt into Zume's zanpakuto. It careened to the side and as it did, Hiakarui's blade moved again, his manipulation of the weapon seamless and terrifying as the flat of the blade aligned against Zume's and then flicked to the side, pushing it the opposite direction. Finishing the maneuver, Akarui sliced downwards diagonally, parallel of Zume's katana, thus slicing through the man's clothes and drawing a light bloody line on his chest and wrist before he could flash step to gain distance.
This time however, Akarui was ready for it, and followed with the same movements, exiting the flashstep in the same moment that Zume did, his foot sliding against the ground, and his blade slicing up through the air where it nicked Zume's robes, drawing a tiny line through them. Nearly falling for the trap, Zume moved to strike at Akarui's exposed chest, only for him to retaliate, slamming the butt of his zanpakuto down into the edge of Zume's blade, reversing the grip of his hand in the same breath, and dashing forwards and at Zume's side, attempting to cut him as he passed.
Zume was already gone, having used flashstep once more.
The shadow grew steadily as time went by.
With Zume's retreat, Hiakarui whirled his blade about his form, spun once as if he were about to strike thin air, and then vanished, the air warping where he had been. Before the shinigami even reappeared, Zume drew his blade before him, and the void immediately responded, curling forwards into a shield. Barely a moment after, a condensed blade of air slammed into the shield, drawing a two inch deep line in the three inch thick formation.
It wouldn't be enough,
"Sora no atemi(空の当て身 'Empty strike'),” the voice came after the blade had already hit. No, it wasn't a blade, it was a shell of air, only after that had passed did the blade strike void, slicing clear through the shield. Zume's smile had disappeared.
Taking a step back, Zume avoided Hiakarui's blade, the void responding to his mental commands and rushing forwards to engulf the captain. Too late. Zume glanced to his side as a blade grazed it, never truly touching, before it was thrown aside, and Zume slashed once, sending a wave of void slamming into Hiakarui before he could even recover. Giving no time for response, Zume whipped his hand upwards through the air, sending his adversary flying in that direction, trails of void just behind him.
He used shunpo, arriving just above where Hiakarui was about to be, and sliced downwards through the air. The captain still managed to block, turning mid air, striking the blade away, then pushing off of the void itself to dodge. Turning once more in the air, Hiakarui blocked the oncoming wave of void, even as Zume struck from his side, thrusting his blade forwards in an attempt to pierce him through. To counter, Hiakarui brought his sheath out from his sash and struck Zume's blade forwards, giving him enough time to place his foot on the zanpakuto and lunge upwards into the air with a single leap.
He spun his body horizontally midair, slashing eight times in two seconds, a blade shell corresponding with each swift movement. Zume responded in kind, the void striking each shell in its center, and blasting the air in every direction on a plane, dispersing the blades. Whirling, Zume blocked a strike from the appearing Hiakarui, his eyes already darting to his left, head turning back, as void appeared to block the shell that had just sliced clean through eight feet of voidal material to reach Zume. It seemed his adversary had layered several of the blades so as to pierce right through one after another.
The void that had blocked was insufficient, even as its polarity slowed the blade, for it pierced through and nearly hit him in the back.
"Danku,” he stated as he pushed his blade forwards against Akarui's. The somber man's eyes widened slightly, he knew Zume wasn't stronger than him, how was he pushing him back!? Zume's eyes flashed as he suddenly retreated, tiny needles of void flying from where they'd been stored behind the edge of his blade. They then struck Hiakarui and pierced his arms, traveling clear through. The shinigami grunted, gritting his teeth from the pain before pushing forwards again to pursue. The pain had already vanished.
Not at all surprised, Zume continued to retreat...right into where Hiakarui reappeared. Having predicted the movement, Zume's now reverse grip blade slipped behind him, parallel to his back, to block Hiakarui's. However, without stance to stabilize him, the hit threw him forwards. Before Hiakarui could shunpo again, the void closed in around Zume, and formed hundreds of spikes, some tiny and needle-like, and others full blown spires, formed from the surface of the void. Hiakarui landed on the ground instead, where he stayed, watching Zume land as well, the void redistributing into tiny thin blades, which all began to whiz around Zume at frightening velocity.
Eyes unfocusing, Hiakarui watched the tiny blades as they weaved about Zume's body, drawing various patterns in the air before shifting to a new set entirely. Troublesome, was a word that well described the tactic. His eyes flickering down, Hiakarui noted that the shadow had progressed only 2.5 meters of distance. It had only been two minutes and thirty seconds and things were getting more and more difficult as time went on. It seemed with each exchange, no matter how small, Zume gained more ground, his offensive and defensive movements becoming increasingly effective even as his counterattacks grew closer to striking a deadly blow on his opponent.
While Hiakarui had heard much of Zume's prowess in combat, and seen him once or twice against a passing hollow or arrancar, this was something else altogether. This was what people talked about. This was why people respected the man.
He was frightening.
Grip tightening on his blade, Hiakarui began to weigh his options. There weren't many.
"How long do you think it will take, Hiakarui,” Zume asked rhetorically, a smile on his lips,
"...before I fully figure you out, and your head rolls at my feet.” The smile grew. Hiakarui's brow creased, this wasn't good.
"Worried, Tsukiumare-taichou?” Zume asked. He offered no reply. After several moments Zume sighed,
"If you're going to act like a mute, why not just die now. It will save us both the time. Particularly me, I have better things to do. More important things.” At this Hiakarui had had enough,
"Very well, Tatasuko-san, but I find you will come to regret your decision,” there was an edge to his words.
Zume raised an eyebrow,
"Why, I haven't the faintest idea why you'd think such a thing.”Hiakarui's frown only deepened as he opened his mouth and spoke,
"Bankai.” The circles behind him collapsed, the shadow expanding fully over their breadth in seconds. Zume attempted to raise the void to strike him, but the eruption of reiatsu that spread outwards from Akarui's form was too much, it drove the void back, keeping it at arm's length.
"How annoying,” Zume growled.
As if to increase his annoyance, Hiakarui emerged from the fierce light of his bankai, two blades in hand, and a circle with black center and white edges behind him. From his form emanated a gray light, touched only by color where it met with his blades, each which was wreathed in its own hue: One gold and the other a subtle blue, like moonlight and the rays of the sun.
Hiakarui's expression was serious, but then a smile turned the edges of his lips upwards, his eyes lit up, and he spoke, his voice brimming with enthusiasm,
"...Ten no sōretsu(天の葬列 'Celestial cortege')!” He stepped forwards and then he was in front of Zume, having bypassed his defenses completely to drive his blade forwards at the captain. Zume's eyes widened, as he slipped his blade against his enemy's, and angled it, striking away the second attack before jumping back, a portion of the void breaking away to slam into Hiakarui head on.
He took the blow, arms mirroring one another, elbows pointed outwards, the edges of each blade facing one another as he slammed them together, causing a shockwave to disperse the void in his vicinity—it didn't close in again. Slightly shocked, Zume changed tactics, drawing the void around his form in a thin layer, and letting it release thousands of tiny smoke-like wisps with even the most minute of movements.
Hiakarui closed in, striking once from below, his second blade lagging behind, ready to take advantage of any opening, block any attack. Zume was quick to respond, blade in his left hand, reverse grip, slicing through the air to strike Hiakarui's own blade away, even as the second one thrust forwards. Zume sidestepped, striking the blade with the pommel of his own and then driving the tip backwards at Hiakarui's chest. The shinigami's grin remained as the sword abruptly stopped moving, its tip a mere inch from his flesh. He struck again, slashing with both blades at once to strike Zume down, he retreated. What the hell was that, the Knight of Void pondered, eyes narrowed behind the shroud of void.
Hiakarui began to close in again, but before he could Zume made his decision.
"Mon no musei Tsuuro(Gate of Silent Passage),” he stated, activating the device immediately as he did so. Having vanished completely from Hiakarui's perception, he tilted his head to the side, a curious smirk on his face.
"Well that's certainly strange, Tatasuko-san, disappearing like that. You'd think one couldn't do such a thing.”Without preemble, a torrent of reiryoku slammed into Hiakarui's back, sending him flying forwards. Where had it come from.
Zume struck from the front, driving his now
changed blade towards the captain's chest. Hiakarui's grin widened as he caught the blade with his own, slipping it past his side and stepping closer.
“Sentō o sendan(尖塔をせん 'Shearing spires'),” Zume said in response, his body slipping aside to avoid Hiakarui's and using the newly gained leverage to slice his blade into the shinigami's side. Hiakarui managed to shunpo away, though the damage remained.
However he hadn't avoided the whole attack, for a white lance-like spire of reiryoku had already closed the distance. Attempting to hit it away, Hiakarui batted at it with his blade, only for the spire to erupt into a tremendous blast.
Zume didn't wait for it to let up, reappearing above and behind his opponent, the void piercing through the curtain of white to attack Hiakarui. The captain emerged just as he'd predicted, jumping back and upwards right into his field of attack.
Zume struck.
There was no time to dodge as Zume's blade pierced Hiakarui's flesh, puncturing through the other side of his abdomen. He had barely managed to slip to the side, thus forcing Zume to avoid his vitals. Lunging forwards, Hiakarui braved sliding forwards on the blade to remove himself from it. Zume tried to strike, but the blade would not move, the reiatsu surrounding his enemy stopping it in its tracks.
Hiakarui, having removed himself from the blade, had already reversed the grip of the sunlit blade and stabbed it backwards even as Zume vanished. He took a step back, shifted his body weight, and then swept his blade out before him, the moonlit blade ready to parry any oncoming blows.
A wave of light swept out from the sunlit blade, nearly striking Zume's void, before the moonlit blade was suddenly swung, followed by the sunlit blade once more. Zume's eyes narrowed as he noted the movement of reiryoku. Then the reishi blades slammed into Zume's void, piercing through it. Before it could recompose to fill the gap, the golden glow impeded it, followed by Hiakarui himself.
“Wha-” Hiakarui's blades slammed together and immediately there was no void between the two captains.
The blue-garbed captain thrust his zanpakuto forwards at Zume's chest, but the former captain's look of surprise suddenly vanished as three layers of orange reiryoku were pierced, only for the blade to stop at that point.
“Danku,” he stated, his hazel eyes gazing coldly into Hiakarui's own blue ones.
The shinigami hadn't even paused as his blade stopped, no, following up the blade was torn into two, both slashing out to each side, one seeming to curve back close at inhuman speed. A wave of intense heat swept over Zume and he gritted his teeth, protected only by the press of his own reiryoku.
The moment his eyes closed he saw it, all laid out around him. A wave of reiryoku, it was the golden glow, formatted as heat, but with no force. He could feel it
burning his reiatsu away even as it began to retract towards Hiakarui's blade.
The moonlit blade struck out, slashing the last Danku barrier where it would have struck Zume's chest, if the man had still been there.
Eyes darting to one side, Hiakarui jumped backwards into a flip, gliding right over Zume as the man slashed. Wrong move. Zume's void slashed at the man, but he leveraged his body with his blades slapping several away before slamming them into one, pushing Zume
hard towards the ground. He had managed to send the man flying, but he would hardly let up.
Landing, Hiakarui used shunpo, moving into a fall just over Zume's form, where his grin was present, his arm already sweeping downwards with the moonlit blade to strike. Zume's own zanpakuto raised to block, it managed to, but was struck from his grasp.
Or was it.
A second blade emerged from the weapon, gripped by Zume's hand in the same moment that it lost purchase of the first. He swept it up, striking Hiakarui's arm, then focusing his reiatsu and slamming himself sideways and out of the way as the second blade came down. He spun midair, his void grasping the second blade and bringing it back around behind Hiakarui in a surprise assault.
Zume whirled his blade once, white reiryoku forming between its twin edges, and slashed,
“Kagayaki o senkai(輝きを旋回 'Whirling resplendence').” A disk of white reiryoku spun forth from his blade, aimed where Hiakarui was falling even as his other blade stabbed at the man's back. He could only dodge one direction: right.
Zume vanished, and the void split, its tendrils hardening at their tips and stabbing to the right of Hiakarui. He was pinned...yet he did not falter for a moment. Spinning, both blades altering their angle and orientation as he dodged to the right, and so it was that a whirling column of burning light appeared to wrap itself around him even as moonlight did the same, though it appeared more solid. He appeared as a swirling cone of gold and blue light as his form cut and burned through the void, evading every strike through the sheer intensity of the maneuver. He emerged on the other side only to meet Zume's blade stabbing for his head. His grin still present, Hiakarui ducked down, struck up viciously with the sunlit blade, slamming the zanpakuto upwards, while his other arm brought the moonlit blade across Zume's chest, drawing a gash through his flesh even as the captain retreated.
His grin widening, Hiakarui shunpo'd forwards, but not to close the distance, instead he shunpo'd only a single meter, foot stopping him, body spinning to generate momentum, before both blades whipped forth, slicing the air. A wave of intertwined heat and moonlight swept forth and Zume's void only just regathered to shield him from it, though it was sheared and burned in the process.
The dark clad knight's feet struck ground and he slid back, glancing upwards to his opponent. Their eyes met and they could not have been more different. One was emptiness and chill, focus, analysis, and darkness while other was a brilliant light, drowning out all distractions with his mere presence. Imperious, intimidating, indomitable. He was movement and he was energy, where Zume was everything but.
Polar opposites.
“I didn't expect this,” Zume called across the distance between them, he was met only with a wider grin. His eyes narrowed, but he matched the smile with his own,
“I did not expect to be so disappointed.” Hiakarui tilted his head, a glint of mischief in his eyes before he vanished. Zume reacted immediately, whirling his blade and casting the disk downwards in the same moment that he condensed the void on the surface of his flesh.
Just as Hiakarui appeared an explosion of resplendent white reiryoku tore out from the ground in a pillar that engulfed them both, but affected only one. And yet, Hiakarui, through the reiryoku, trudged, emerging on one side whilst Zume allowed the energy to carry him into the sky like a geyser where he whirled his blades and swept them in a circle around him. Hiakarui's grin was gone, and there was only fiery anger in his eyes as they found Zume.
The knight grinned,
“Good, now perhaps you'll stop acting like this is some game.” Hiakarui moved, Zume moved faster, ducking down below a strike, shunpoing above it, slapping the blade down before he turned, knowing the shinigami would dodge.
He did.
Zume retaliated, lunging forwards even as he twisted his body and slashed, releasing another disk of reiryoku directly at his adversary's chest from point blank range.
It hit.
Once again Hiakarui was engulfed in white energy, the blast briefly removing his connection to his Zanpakuto. Zume took the moment of respite to retreat and plan.
Looking at the situation he decided that there was only one way to deal with Hiakarui. His eyes narrowed and he spoke,
“Ake mukō no uta(明け無効の歌 'Song of the dawning void').” As he said the words his voidal sphere split into eight smaller spheres, which began rotating around his person, each different distances from him, except one, which he drew inwards and expanded in size, surrounding himself with it. The grey reiryoku that remained began to slowly feed into the spheres and he took a stance, drawing in a deep breath.
He needed five minutes....
As the thought completed, Hiakarui recovered from the blast, his clothes singed, skin burned slightly, though he was otherwise unmarred. His eyes pierced the knight as he glared down at the man, eyes wide, face largely without emotion. He was all focus, all action. Zume acted first.
Pushing forth he altered the shape of the void that encapsulated him, spreading it out in wispy tendrils as he had before and so it was that one tendril felt Hiakarui's approach, allowing Zume to reverse his direction, stepping out of the path of the man's thrusting blade. However, it appeared he was not the only one who had adapted, as he still found small cuts forming as he dodged, as if he had been hit. He would have closed his eyes, but doing so would have meant being struck as Hiakarui's body blurred and a wave of heat struck him. Zume grit his teeth as the wave burned him, but rather than retreat he pressed forwards, and Hiakarui took his first step back. Zume smiled and the orbs of void that rotated his person shot a barrage of spikes at the man from behind.
Hiakarui however did not turn, instead Zume felt a wave of oppressive force spread from the man and in that instant all was still, the needles of void shattered, the wisps were crushed, and Zume could not move. The captain's grin grew just as Zume realized that he had fallen for a trap.
He felt the blade pierce his side even as he used the void's polarity to force himself out of the way, but Hiakarui didn't stop, swiping with the burning blade, to slash Zume as he tried to move. Zume turned his body in response, using the void to maneuver within the mire of dense reiatsu. As he did so two of the spheres closed the distance and offset the next strike of Hiakarui's sword.
Zume slashed and so it was that as they both shunpo'd away they had matching gashes in their chests. Yet only one of them had a smile on his face, and it was not Zume.
“Are you having fun yet Zume?” Hiakarui asked.
Zume scowled and spit some blood onto the ground beside him. Hiakarui chose that moment to close the distance and Zume wasn't ready. First there were the blades, air passing over both shoulders, not striking him, then the heat struck, burning at the void which surrounded him.
Finally their owner appeared, but he didn't strike even as Zume raised his blade to defend. Only after seeing the action did Hiakarui's moonlit blade press forth, its point aimed at the center of the blade. It struck, and as it did Zume's blade slid off. However there it caught on something else, a phantom blade, and as it did Zume swept his other blade before him, driving Hiakarui back even as the man spun. Zume met his spin, stopping the momentum as he appeared behind Hiakarui.
The clash caused sparks, and the follow up had them both sliding back, the force of their blows strong enough to make both blades sing—though Zume's sung louder. Only 30 seconds had passed.
This wasn't working. Hiakarui began walking towards him, smile unwavering, gaze a piercing, burning flame. Zume felt a shiver go through him.
He had met his match it seemed.
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