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| - Kenji took note of his surroundings with noticeable displeasure. One second he was walking down to the local bookie to pick up his winnings and the next he was whisked away to heaven-only-knows where! He stood in the heart of an expansive antechamber. The roof was set on multiple cylindrical pillars to his left and right and bore indentations on their faces that where consistent with early Human World architecture. Especially those in temples he had seen many years ago. He walked through the open expanse still in his Gigai. Today he wore a pair of blue chinos and a short-sleeved white shirt accompanied with sturdy shoes. The moment he heard laughing however his Gigai disappeared in a flash of electricity, revealing his spiritual body! He wore a sleeveless black Shihakushō tied at the waist with a delicate white belt from which hung a daishō pair. The katana was slightly longer than usual and more closely resembled a nodachi while the wakizashi was of average length. Both blades where simply in design and lacked any ornamentation at all, sporting simply circular guards and tightly wrapped hilts. On his left wrist and forearm was a full leather tekkou that exposed his palm and finger tips. With his right hand he removed his white haori which fell to the floor amongst his sandaled feat. ‘So nice of you to join us,’ a voice echoed. Kenji raised his eyebrow and sighed in response. Knowing his luck he had just been summoned here by the maddest loony-bin active within the spiritual realms. If someone was with him he would even put a bet on it. ‘I admit that bringing you here was harder than we expected.’ Another voice said. Both voices were male. But he said “we”? His luck wasn’t in. He was going to be ambushed by two of the maddest loony-bins in the spiritual realms. Could he assume that there were probably more than these two around? ‘But now you are in the heart of our power.’ A third voice boomed. Finally! One he recognized. The last speaker was Ichihara Kōhai: one of the illustrious four Kōhai brothers. Did that mean the first two voices where his brothers? Or merely lackeys? ‘Now, now, brothers,’ a fourth said with complete calm. ‘Is this any way to greet our guest?’ He should have taken that bet. Unless the fourth was talking through his arse then he was going to come face-to-face with Oda Kōhai’s four siblings. This was just what he needed. At least he’d taken his usual precautions when he woke up this morning. They wouldn’t find him so easily bested. ‘I don’t know about greetings,’ Kenji said aloud. ‘But I know that your ideas about ambush are lousy. Shouldn’t you be, you know, attacking me?’ Four figures entered the room from behind separate pillars and Kenji stole a glance at each briefly. He had been right. The third speaker was Ichihara Kōhai. He sported the classic black Shihakushō with red armour over the top, with his gunbai in-hand. The second he saw was much shorter in comparison. He was a lithe little man with spiked silver hair and striking red eyes. The way he carried no weapon, coupled with his posture and spiritual power, betrayed his status as a Quincy. His outfit was similar to TV depictions of Ninja. Standing behind Kenji was another he didn’t recognize. He bore dark curls which obscured his features and was on a height with Ichihara. He wore a jacket and a pair of black jeans. The final was the calm one. He wore a white overcoat befitting a scientist with glasses on his face, with pale violet eyes and light blond hair. ‘I take it you four are the so-called Kōhai brothers?’ Kenji asked of them. It was the intellectual looking one of the four who answered him. ‘I am Kitsui. The one behind you is Nakajima and the youngest is Kurokawa. I believe you and Ichihara are already acquainted?’ ‘You could say that.’ Kenji replied. ‘He pushed into my home without a plan and left with his tail tucked between his legs.’ ‘Watch your mouth.’ Kitsui warned. ‘Perhaps you do not fully understand your situation. We four do not believe in such trivial concepts as “honour” or “mercy”.’ He was pacing now. ‘We will attack you as one and pull you down. All for our brother,’ Kenji sighed as he drew his zanpakutō from their sheaths. ‘Then let’s dispense with the pleasantries and cut right to the heart of the matter. Do you honestly think that the four of you together stand any chance against me? Idiots! I’ve been trying to retire for years now, but have you any idea why I haven’t been able to? No? Let me enlighten you. No one in the Ryū Order is strong enough to replace me!’ He attacked the youngest first with a quick Zanjutsu flourish which sent him flying! Spinning on the balls of his right foot Kenji turned to intercept Nakajima, whom he quickly forced into one of the pillars with a brute-force swing that left him stunned. He then vanished via Shunpo and appeared in the sky to strike an incoming Ichihara. He matched the latter’s fierce blows with blows just as fierce, using nothing but his katana and right arm. With his wakizashi he struck out to the side to catch Kitsui’s zanpakutō on its lower third, where he then shunted it aside. Following the natural movement of his body from there Kenji performed a swift one-handed riposte and missed barely. Free of Ichihara the Ryū Order Head-Captain leapt above his swing and kicked off his back, using the momentum to push Kitsui into the ceiling! ‘Not bad,’ Kenji remarked. ‘But are you sure you four are brothers? Your teamwork stinks.’ He then dropped into an offensive stance with both zanpakutō held in a reverse grip. Giving himself over to the instinctual choreographed sequences of swordsmanship he mastered when practicing the Kyūshiki style of Zanjutsu, Kenji began his “dance”. His technique was comprised of rapid switches and feints from one side of the battleground to another. He rushed past his opponents at speed, striking and moving on before they could pin him down. His manoeuvres also prevented them banding together against him. If he didn’t keep each of them separate then his task would become a lot harder. ‘Whisper, Muhenshin.’ Ichihara declared. He was surrounded in a ribcage-like structure suspended in wisps of spiritual power with him at its heart. Kenji’s blade ricocheted off that defence without leaving so much as a scratch upon it, and in seconds the four brothers where on him! Kenji switched styles to his favoured stance of Sōtaiyō. Contrary to what many thought it was not offense in which Kenji excelled. He was always at his ease defending, employing a “wait-them-out” philosophy. He gave ground under the brother’s attacks despite their numerical advantage over him. The intricate pattern of his blocks and parries proved to be fast enough to interfere with their multiple strikes, while his slight dodges and shifts of stance, coupled with masterful footwork, enabled him to simply evade the rest. And it was clear they where beginning to get angry at his staunch resistance. ‘What’s wrong!?’ Kenji roared at them. ‘I’m only one man! You are four! Come on!’ Ichihara and Nakajima took the bait. Their blade work became increasingly erratic and their style began to develop holes. Ichihara was employing sweeping heavy blows that took time to deliver but where filled with power, while Nakajima employed delicate lunges to try and force an opening. They opened up for their respective strikes and Kenji performed a rapid Shunpo movement, which made him shimmer thrice. Before he completed his motion he had evaded their blades and cut both across the back with a rising slash from his daishō combination. Landing with poise Kenji turned swiftly and once again vanished! Kurokawa’s strike went right through his afterimage and from there Kenji cut a deep gash into the young Quincy’s shoulder. Returning his wakizashi to a reverse grip Kenji repelled Kitsui’s incoming attack delicately to open him up to a slash from his katana, which tore down through his torso! ‘You four won’t beat me at Zanjutsu.’ He told them as he backed away. ‘You can try all you want; you just won’t be good enough. Your skills are simply to immature to reach me.’ Kitsui was the first of the brothers to recover and his first act was to restrain Ichihara from a foolish assault. He was then joined by Nakajima and Kurokawa. So far he had dealt an injury to each of the brothers without receiving one himself. Not bad. If he could do that again then things would start to look up. ‘Now that you four seem more… amendable to my words, I’ll ask you something.’ Even as he spoke Kenji’s guard never dropped. ‘What are you hoping to accomplish by whisking me off to Hueco Mundo?’ That got a stunned reaction from all four. ‘What? Didn’t you think I’d notice? Kids these days! Listen, I’m going to give you all one chance to get out of my way, or believe me when I say, that I’ll go through you all for a shortcut. You have to the count of five. One,’ ‘Kill him.’ Kitsui said. ‘Two,’ Kenji echoed. ‘Bankai, Shūkikoukei Muhenshin!’ Nakajima cried. A massive warrior-like entity crushed the antechamber’s roof. It towered over the battlefield and wielded a colossal gunbai in its right hand, with a crossbow set on its left forearm. Nakajima himself was veiled in a thin layer of spiritual power and any motion he made was echoed by the ethereal warrior he had summoned. He was right. They where in Hueco Mundo! ‘Three,’ Kenji continued. ‘Eclipse, Jittoma!’ Kitsui roared. Black bat-like wings exploded from his back and armour plating formed in place of his white coat, completely covering his lean frame. In place of his zanpakutō was a long javelin with a pointed tip sheathed in spiritual energy. ‘Four,’ Kenji said with a sigh. ‘Fuck you!’ Ichihara swore. He brought his hand to his face and ripped down vertically, obscuring his position is wild spiritual power that caused Kenji to step back. He emerged with an orange swirl mask on his face with only a single eye socket. ‘Five. I warned you all.’ Kenji said with a regretful shake of his head. ‘But I guess you people just won’t learn! Bankai, Sanmiittai Seikatsu Shinsei!’ Kenji’s body was overcome in a multi-coloured hue of spiritual energy which suffused his limbs and the earth beneath his feet, causing the area in his immediate vicinity to glow brightly and beautifully. ‘Fulfilment,’ he whispered. The energy spread outward from his body while Kenji seemingly vanished; leaving his enemies to wonder where in blue blazes he had gone to. Even with this occurrence white rain was beginning to fall from on high, while the wind picked up in strength. The grains of sand were carried by the wind before all was stilled by the air shattering like glass to reveal Kenji dressed in a purple haori with several pieces of cloth dropping from his hakama, each of which ended with a metal charm that glowed faintly with his Bankai shroud. Around his neck was a piece of kitsune fur coloured the same purple as his cloak, while a nodachi with yellow hilt wrapping and a long, slender blade formed from ambient reishi particles in the air appeared in his right hand while in his left formed a wakiashi. Both weapons retained their sealed appearance. The silver tone of his hair was highlighted even more against his natural black, while the corners of his eyes possessed red facial markings. The transformation was immense! Kenji’s already impressive spiritual energy was increased even further and he was even more confident in his posture. ‘Well? Any time today would be nice.’ He jibed. His jibes ignited the powder keg. Here his enemies where in various stages of release and Kenji had barely registered them. Ichihara was the first to appear and also the first to be sent flying! Twisting around quickly with no wasted movement he proceeded to propel himself into the heavens and began spinning like a drill. He lunged forward with his nodachi and pierced right through Nakajima’s Bankai giant! On the other side he shrouded the blade in spiritual power and released a vibrant wave of energy into its back, knocking it down on top of the brother’s below! Diving down he accelerated with a powerful Shukuchi step. The momentum he gained was poured into a kick which shattered Ichihara’s Shikai completely along with his mask! From the throng however appeared the Quincy! Holding a medallion aloft Kenji felt him reaching to steal his Bankai but his enemy was left stunned in stead. ‘Do you honestly think that, after seeing me pick you four apart like you where nothing, that you could handle my Bankai!?’ Kenji sounded furious and insulted. ‘You fool!’ But it wasn’t Kenji who attacked. Chains wrapped themselves around Kenji’s wrists and he was pulled roughly to the floor. He tried to struggle against his bonds but more rose to ensnare him. Then he saw it: Ichihara and Kitsui where both charging their respective Cero, Kurokawa was readying what could only be a fully-charged arrow and Nakajima’s Bankai had raised its massive gunbai aloft for a strike! The Cero struck his first, followed by the arrow and finally by that gunbai! The brother’s looked down on their foe from above with triumphant grins as Nakajima’s Bankai raised its gunbai. Lying in a pile of pulverized stone that had once been the floor of the antechamber was Kenji. He was bruised, burned and in pain. All but his right sleeve had been blown off by the assault and blood poured from a wound on his left-hand side. He must’ve used his left arm at the last minute to block it, for it lay mangled against his chest. But he was still conscious! ‘Is that… is that all?’ He asked them in a pained tone. ‘Alright, time to knock this up a level then.’ The horrified expression on the brother’s faces was like music to Kenji’s ears. He raised his nodachi aloft and levelled the blade in the direction of the brothers. ‘Jitsugen,’ he whispered. An aura of blue spiritual power burst from the tip of Sanmiittai Seikatsu Shinsei! The blast obscured the brother’s, Nakajima’s Bankai giant, what was left of the antechamber and continued to grow in size and scope until the energy erupted in an explosion that left behind a mushroom-shaped cloud! As this happened Kenji made his escape via a space-time technique. He was dropped off in the confines of Hama Town in the Human World and immediately touched down on the top of a three-story building to tend to his arm and side. ‘I’m getting to old for this shit.’ He said to himself. Next Story > Plotting a War.
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