"No man's life is worth more than another! If you're gonna put your life on the line, you do it as equals! I don't care if you're brothers, or master and apprentice, or whatever! You should only die for a guy who'd die for you! There's nothing honorable about throwing your life away as though it's nothing! That's just showing off like a kid!" — Ikkaku Madarame.
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[The Research and Development Institute]
Kisuke and Mayuri stood in front of the big screen that was streaming along data points, Reishi levels, and other relevant information of what was currently happening in different parts of the Seireitei.
With the modifications done to the Shakonmaku barrier around the Seireitei, with the unrestricted access the Research Institute had to it, they were able to accurately monitor the state of things inside the Seireitei on a deeper spiritual level.
Right now the information they were seeing had put a pensive expression on Kisuke's face and one of intrigue on Mayuri's.
"Hmph. What an ugly creation." Mayuri sneered as he typed something on the screen pad. He inserted his elongated finger into a data stick port, making the screen change as it granted him access to a restricted channel. "A failed attempt at a weapon. How could it not fail when the idiot that created it lacked any depth of vision of what he wanted from it."
"It is still dangerous." Kisuke added.
"It is still a failure. A weapon that makes the user the victim: what else can such a weapon be called?" Mayuri's utter contempt was more palpable than the face paint he wore. He turned to Kisuke. "Why are you still here? Don't you have something better to do? Get out!"
Kisuke looked to the side of the room where, behind a barrier, was the body of a dead Shinigami who had been possessed by a Bakkoto.
"You work fast."
Mayuri scoffed. "They were lying around so I had Nemu grab one." He then looked at Kisuke suspiciously. "You're not touching that one. Go grab your own if you want."
He recalibrated the ear piece of his headwear with a frown. "It's amateurish work. It's so incomplete to an insulting level that it's no wonder they died so easily. Ambition without competence. What more can I expect from mongrels?"
Kisuke's eyes narrowed under his hat. "They died too easily. It's almost as if there was no point to it."
"That is the whole point." Mayuri snorted and paused, looking at Kisuke from the side of his eyes severely. "Don't take me for a fool, Urahara. The next play is so obvious it's unoriginal."
He turned his back to Kisuke as he walked towards the corpse. "Like I said; it's amateurish work." A thought struck him at that moment that made him more irritable and pissed off.
"The fact that we're both agreeing on something shows how grandly inept they are."
Kisuke chuckled, much to Mayuri's irritation. "C'mon, don't say that. Aren't we friends."
There was a calculating look in his eyes as he looked at the readings of what was happening in the Seireitei, and with the suspicion of what was about to happen he turned around and left the Research Institute for the one place he needed to be.
When he got to the Head Captain's office, he was mildly surprised to see that he wasn't there. The next place he went to was the Kidō Corps, not at all surprised when he was met with Tessai and Hachigen's absence.
"Well that's that. At least one problem is out of the way." He took off his hat, dusted it off and put it back on his head, and swiftly left.
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Ikkaku cursed as he mistakenly swallowed down a mouthful of blood but that was the least of his problems as he hastily rolled away to avoid Hōzukimaru's spear but the endeavor remained unsuccessful as the shaft of the weapon dug viciously into his side, sending him skidding roughly on the ground.
There were a lot of things going on but it was all a haze to Ikkaku as the only thing he could focus on was the most singular thing he felt in every instance of his clash with Hōzukimaru: spite.
Hōzukimaru's spite flowed into his hands every time his Zanpakutō manage to meet with the Zanpakutō spirit's spear. It was distracting.
He hacked and cough as he pushed himself off the ground and looked at the slowly approaching figure of his Zanpakutō spirit.
It wasn't just the strength behind the strikes, or the innate skills with which the spear was wielded. It wasn't even the spite. There was something else about the way Hōzukimaru fought that made him a hard opponent. Despite the ragdolling, never once in their fight had Hōzukimaru given Ikkaku the feeling that he was an opponent he couldn't triumph over. It had to be something else that was contributing to his prolonged ass whooping.
"Ack… Ack…. What's yer… heh… deal?" the moment the question left his mouth, Ikkaku got the feeling that he had done something grossly wrong.
Hōzukimaru's walk down slowed to a stop. The heavily muscled spirit looked at Ikkaku with the deadest expression Ikkaku had ever seen on someone. He hated that look.
"What?" He wasn't about to let his own Zanpakutō spirit intimidate him so he glared at him. "Bastard, if ya got something to say, say it."
The commotion around them had increased but he could hardly spare his attention to it. All he could do was read the general situation from all the rapidly increasing Reiatsu and the picture it painted wasn't great.
He tried to work out what was happening in his head but his mind kept falling back to the spite as if it was drawn to it, as if it was the most important thing he could focus on.
"Ain't got nothing to say?" He grinned and flourished his blade. "Better get it all outta your chest while you can 'cause I'm 'bout to come crashing through!"
He said fuck it all and rushed at the silently brooding spirit in a wild frenzy. Hōzukimaru saw this and sent a thrust at the first step Ikkaku took into range. Ikkaku saw it and deflected it wide with a wild grin and swapped his blade to his left hand just as the spear elongated and broke into three sections that, with a flick of Hōzukimaru's wrist, their momentum changed and started swerving back towards Ikkaku whose blade was just in the perfect position to defend against the sharp tip that was aiming for his neck.
The sections connected back together and the spear retracted its length as Hōzukimaru brought it low to block Ikkaku's right elbow strike and broke it again in a swift motion to stale the blade coming from his left side.
Ikkaku's grin didn't falter at all his blocked attacks as he simply drove a kick towards the irritating spirit's stomach only to have it blocked again as the shaft broke at the hilt for a swift reposition. The only thing he succeeded in was pushing his opponent back a few steps.
'What the hell is wrong?!' He screamed to himself in frustration. Nothing he did seemed to phase the spirit. Every attack he made, from any direction he tried, was blocked with ease by that annoying spear.
"What an eyesore." It was said in a murmur but Ikkaku heard it clearly, and for once his grin faltered.
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...….
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In other parts of the Seireitei, the chaos that was unfolding was quickly gaining an identity in both different and unsettling ways.
In Jūshirō Ukitake's case, the chaos was more mischievous than devastating… which possibly made it worse depending on who you asked.
The fact that he didn't instantly recognize them for what—who they were might have contributed to why they were angrily pouting at him. Their sad eyes and crestfallen faces did more damage to him than the toys(attacks) they threw at him in their games(assaults).
He tried to get them to talk but they weren't particularly interested in saying anything to the meanie(oof).
"Wait… wai—slow down, don't hurt yourselves!" He yelled loudly as he dodged a pair of threatening fans. That turned out to be a wrong decision as it seemed to make them more angry if they chants of 'Meanie! Master big meanie!' was anything to go by.
Even as he played their games(dodged their attacks) he kept his eyes on the other hooded figure – probably the Zanpakutō spirit of a Lieutenant or a Captain – that was also keeping an eye on them. The fact that they did not attack him gave him a generally positive impression of them.
"Sorry for bothering… you, but can you help me make sure they don't… hurt… themselves?" He asked the hooded figure as he dodged a particularly vicious barrage of lightning. Sweat dripped down his brows as Sōgyo no Kotowari appeared in front of him mid-Shunpo with an intensely displeased pout on their faces.
"Master doesn't want to play with us, wahh!!!"
He almost faltered at the sight of their tears, a reaction that wasn't missed as the mischievous twins that was Sōgyo no Kotowari took that chance to hurl fans made of their spiritual energy at him.
His lungs burned as he made a hasty retreat, a not so clean one as part of his coat was damaged. Still a weak smile was on his face when he saw them cheering happily.
Surely the other Captains were doing better than he was, because there was absolutely zero chance of him bringing himself to hurt them.
"Hahaha! You're it! You're it!" They jumped and clapped in their cheer, pointing at him and laughing in undisguised joy.
Yeah, absolutely zero chance.