Although Suì-Fēng made it look easy, in truth, her strength alone was nowhere near enough to contend with Tenken for long.
Against a power-type opponent like Tenken, Suì-Fēng, whose specialty was speed and agility, had never intended to fight him head-on in the first place.
After receiving word that Rukia Kuchiki had reclaimed her Zanpakutō, Suì-Fēng immediately thought of an important question.
If a Shinigami could reclaim their Zanpakutō by defeating it, what would happen if someone else killed a Zanpakutō that wasn't their own?
Would a destroyed Zanpakutō become impossible to restore?
To avoid that possibility, Suì-Fēng had immediately prepared anesthetic, hoping to capture the Zanpakutō without destroying them.
Although Suì-Fēng couldn't match Tenken's strength once he enlarged himself, his speed also dropped drastically as his body grew.
So Suì-Fēng had deliberately pretended to fight him head-on, baiting Tenken into enlarging himself to increase his strength. Then, once his speed had fallen, she would use her own superior speed to inject Kōten into his body.
The plan...
Suì-Fēng's figure flickered, pulling away just before her attack could land on Tenken. Her gaze swept around before finally locking onto a palm-sized figure.
"What a shame~" the tiny figure said in a shrill voice. "I almost got you a second time."
A burning pain spread across Suì-Fēng's back.
She didn't even need to look. On the bare skin of her back, a black butterfly-shaped Hōmonka had already bloomed.
If she hadn't retreated in time, Suzumebachi would have struck her a second time.
"You're..." Suì-Fēng stared at the tiny figure. "Suzumebachi?"
The palm-sized girl wore her hair in twin tails and was dressed in yellow-and-black patterned clothing. The small blade that had once covered the tip of Suì-Fēng's middle finger now encased the girl's entire right arm.
"Correct!" Suzumebachi happily waved her tiny hand, then appeared directly in front of Suì-Fēng the next instant. "So? What do you think of this form?"
Her cute voice suddenly dropped into a deeper register.
"It's way better than that old-fashioned outfit of yours, isn't it?"
A moment later, Suzumebachi's voice turned cute again.
"I've always thought that if I ever got my freedom, I'd completely reinvent myself. I'm so glad I managed to materialize~ Now I don't have to wear those ugly rags anymore."
"This is the Onmitsukidō uniform! It's a symbol of honor and status!" Suì-Fēng shot back loudly. "Even Yoruichi-sama..."
"Yoruichi! Yoruichi! All you ever talk about is Yoruichi! I'm sick of hearing it! That's exactly what I hate about you!" Suzumebachi looked thoroughly disgusted. "You never bother making yourself look good. All you do every day is go on and on about Yoruichi. Love is something you win through attraction, not something you beg for!"
Suì-Fēng stared at Suzumebachi in astonishment. "This... is my Zanpakutō?"
"I am a Zanpakutō." The blade covering Suzumebachi's right arm gleamed coldly. "But I'm not yours!"
The tiny figure lunged straight at her.
Suì-Fēng had barely finished dodging when Tenken's enormous blade cast a shadow over her.
"Damn it!"
Suì-Fēng knew she absolutely couldn't afford to clash head-on with Tenken now. With Suzumebachi's speed, even a momentary slowdown from contesting Tenken's strength would be enough for Suzumebachi to land two strikes.
Sure enough, the instant Suì-Fēng evaded Tenken's attack, Suzumebachi, who had used her tiny body to conceal herself behind the enormous blade, launched a surprise attack from Suì-Fēng's blind spot.
Suì-Fēng reversed her grip on her Zanpakutō and knocked Suzumebachi away, then used Shunpo to evade the rope Tenken hurled at her before landing steadily on a rooftop.
Suzumebachi's arrival had completely compensated for Tenken's lack of speed. Suì-Fēng no longer had the kind of opening she'd had before.
If she hadn't already dealt with Gonryōmaru, things would probably be even worse right now...
Crackle!
Suì-Fēng's pupils suddenly contracted.
"A surprise attack..." Gonryōmaru burst through the roof tiles and emerged. "Should look something like this."
Damn...
Purple lightning erupted, reflected in Suì-Fēng's widened eyes.
"Some no mai, Tsukishiro!"
White light flared.
A pillar of ice rose from earth to sky, sealing Suì-Fēng inside.
The purple lightning shattered the ice pillar but failed to harm Suì-Fēng within.
A cold gleam flashed through the air, streaking straight toward Gonryōmaru.
"Now that's more like it." Gonryōmaru easily dodged the strike and landed beside Tenken. "But you're a little slow, Muten Natsu."
"I haven't used an Asauchi in a long time." Muten Natsu slid his Zanpakutō back into its sheath. "I'm a little rusty."
With Myōki gone, Muten Natsu could no longer store his Zanpakutō inside his left arm as he had before.
The blade had also reverted to the outward-curving shape of an Asauchi, and Muten Natsu wasn't quite used to handling it.
"Captain Suì-Fēng!" Rukia Kuchiki asked anxiously. "Are you hurt?"
The situation had been too urgent for Rukia Kuchiki to consider much else. She had simply used the fastest method available to save her.
"You arrived just in time."
Suì-Fēng handed some of the anesthetic to the two of them.
"We still don't know what happens if someone other than a Zanpakutō's owner defeats it. Try to use Kōten to deal with them. If things get too dangerous, focus on protecting yourselves and buying time. Once I've dealt with Suzumebachi, I'll come help you."
"Hmph!" Suzumebachi snorted and charged forward. "You say that like you can actually do it!"
Suì-Fēng immediately moved to meet her.
In the span of a few moments, the Zanpakutō in Suì-Fēng's hand clashed with Suzumebachi several times, sending brilliant sparks flying.
Tenken shifted his massive body and swung his blade, catching both Rukia Kuchiki and Muten Natsu within its enormous arc.
Rukia Kuchiki leaped into the air and raised her blade as surging cold poured forth.
"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!"
An avalanche-like torrent of cold swept toward Tenken, carrying snow and ice with it.
Before it could reach him, Gonryōmaru unleashed a bolt of lightning, forcibly scattering the wind and snow.
Through the dispersing flurry, Muten Natsu appeared.
He moved so fast that his figure blurred, the Zanpakutō in his hand trailing a razor-sharp gleam.
"Huff!"
Flames erupted from Tenken's mouth. With a swing of his arm, he hurled a blazing rope with a ring attached to its end.
The instant Muten Natsu knocked the ring aside with his blade, Gonryōmaru's lightning was already upon him.
A towering pillar of ice formed in front of Muten Natsu just in time, blocking Gonryōmaru's attack.
Rukia Kuchiki raised one hand, six beams of light appearing around her.
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!"
Six beams of yellow light converged around Gonryōmaru, completely binding his movements.
After using Hakuren, Sode no Shirayuki had materialized beside Rukia Kuchiki. It was Sode no Shirayuki who had then used Tsukishiro to shield Muten Natsu from Gonryōmaru's attack.
Rukia Kuchiki, meanwhile, had used that time to complete the incantation for her Bakudō and cast Rikujōkōrō.
Muten Natsu kicked off the ice pillar to accelerate, swinging his blade as he charged toward Gonryōmaru.
Tenken took advantage of his enormous size. With barely a shift of his body, he completely shielded Gonryōmaru from Muten Natsu.
If Bokukō were still here, something like this wouldn't have blocked his view at all.
Muten Natsu dodged Tenken's sweeping blade and retreated to Rukia Kuchiki's side.
I wonder where Bokukō and Myōki are right now...
Wait!