10 Chapter 10

- Ha-ah ... - I exhaled, finishing darn myself. It will take about a day for all the wounds to heal completely, but at least I will not bleed to death. Now you can look around a little. That's it! I have little of the clothes left. How do these ribbons cut into ribbons actually hold on to me? Throwing off this disgrace, I just cursed again: the scabbard was also holding on to its last breath, namely on a thin thread, which I rip, and both of my Zanpakuto would fall to the ground. Without risking it, I drew my daggers and placed them next to me, throwing away the now useless scabbard. But it cost me no small effort to find the scabbard, mounted horizontally, at the back of the waist. On the other hand, the money of the Society remained with me, so that I can not rob the merchants, but calmly buy new clothes and a scabbard. In the meantime, we need to adapt the remnants of my clothes into something that can close my hole in my chest. I don't think it is necessary to hide the mask: I spent enough time in Rukongai to realize that there are less educated people living there. I don't think they would suspect Hollow because of the bone strip on my forehead.

When I finished fiddling with my inventory, I sat down on the sand, put my zanpakuto on either side of me, and closed my eyes, thought. And there were many things to think about, but everything in order. First, the fight with Kensei. Could I have done it better? Sure! I could have done it a lot better. To begin with, the fight itself was a mistake! Let's say I won and killed both Kensei and Mashiro, what next? What do I get from this? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! And if so, then I should just get out of there as quickly as possible. Yes, Kensei would most likely try to stop me, but with the Flash active, I could easily retreat to Garganta, and don't be dashing! Even during the fight, there was a perfect chance to retreat: when I kicked him in the stomach, one second to open the Garganta while he was still in flight, one second to retreat into it, while he was getting to his feet, and then I didn't think that he would follow me inside Garganta, for such madness only Zaraki is capable of ...

Well, it was a mistake, I just wanted to assert my superiority, to show who is the first pepper in the village, so to speak ... Idiot! Lesson learned, let's move on. So, assuming that the battle was inevitable, could I have done something better? I could. My main mistake, which almost cost me my life, was that I hoped too much for the strength of "Flash", even after it became obvious that my opponent could break it if he tried. But given his Bankai, could I have played something differently? No I do not think so. Due to the fact that with the active "Flash" I have no analogue of sonido, which means that I could not quickly get close to the enemy after I was thrown away from him by the wind. The problem ... Of course, you could use your Zanpakuto, but the release of one or the other during a battle is practically useless, and a full Resurreccion ... No, a Resurreccion must be reserved for a standing enemy, it is from that category of forces that no one should know, otherwise their effectiveness will noticeably decrease. Well, I remember very well who lives there in the shadow of Soul Society and stares at what is happening, and I am not going to give them information about my Resurreccion. There will be a surprise!

So, to summarize: you don't have to be a narcissistic idiot, and even more so, you don't have to show off. Well, besides this, we must remember that "Tiger Flash" is not a god mode, but a technique that has a number of serious flaws that must always be remembered. And if possible, improve, compensate for these shortcomings. The whole question is how?

And here we move on to the second topic that I wanted to think about. Namely, Kensei's Bankai. The thing is, when he activated his Bankai, I did not notice an increase in his own reiatsu. No, it increased slightly, but it was more likely not a permanent increase, but something like a temporary increase in productivity, as it happens with adrenaline-pumped muscles. But his Bankai himself, or rather his Zanpakuto himself ... I knew that Zanpakutо are sentient beings, but I did not think that they have their own reiatsu! It was very similar to Kensei's reiatsu, and intertwined with his streams, giving the impression that the level of reiatsu shinigami had increased, but in fact it was the Zanpakuto that was making a new, his own reiatsu! Although I think it would be wrong to separate them, it was their common reiatsu, a single reiatsu. And yet the fact remained that the Zanpakuto had its own reiatsu. What does it give me? The feeling of being left out, that's what! We Arrancar have nothing even remotely like this! Yes, our Zanpakuto may look like shinigami Zanpakuto in appearance, but that couldn't be further from the truth! Our Zanpakuto are nothing more than containers of our own strength, seals, or rather batteries. I visited my inner world, and there were no intelligent beings, the same inner world as a hundred lifetimes ago. No, our Zanpakuto are parts of ourselves, parts of our body and soul. Yes, we become much stronger by releasing Resurreccion, but this is OUR power, our own! While Zanpakuto is a shinigami, it is a separate artifact. Having his own mind, his own strength, his own soul, although here I am not sure, and his own reiatsu! Yes, Zanpakuto and shinigami are inseparable, zanpakuto takes its power from the inner world and most likely from the soul of a shinigami, but these are just features of this artifact. Artifacts can be stronger or weaker, but they will always remain artifacts, and an artifact is an item that enhances its owner. I have nothing like this! And I want something like that for myself! Yes I want to! I want, and that's it!

So how can I get myself a Zanpakuto? Not these daggers, but the real Zanpakuto? Go to the Academy and steal the asauchi? No, it doesn't roll: they seem to only react to reiatsu shinigami. Well then, there is only one way out: go to the King's palace, report to Oetsu Nimaiya and ask him to come up with a Zanpakuto for Arrancar ... Yeah, I think such a visit will be very successful ... No, I know how to forge weapons, I know how create artifacts, but Zanpakuto ... Zanpakuto is too unique to take it like this and come up with something similar. I should at least have a more complete understanding of what a Zanpakutо is. I need to calmly take it, examine the blade itself, observe how the release works; shikai, bankai, what are the differences, how the release affects shinigami, and many other details.

- Ha ha ha ... I do not know how to live quietly and calmly in interesting worlds ... - I said, noticing that the idiotic smile had not left my face for several minutes. Well, yes, I have set a goal for myself. And the first step in its implementation is simple: find Hina. Or rather, find and take with me: I don't know a more suitable "assistant" to achieve my goal, and even if she has not yet reached Bankai, this is better than trying to capture the captain. Hmmm, capturing the captain ... And then making him activate Bankai many times ... And at the same time so that he doesn't kill me ... Sounds pretty suicidal, so it's better not to even think about it. So the plan is outlined: wait for the wounds to close and back to Soul Society. This time with a more reliable disguise. There, go to Seireitei, find out in which squad Hina serves, and there I will figure out how to meet her.

Hinata Mizuhaki.

- Captain! - I stretched out to line, as befits a subordinate.

- Ah, Hina-chan, come in, don't be shy ... - Captain Shunsui met me with his usual, slightly obscene smile.

- There is!

- And it is not necessary so officially, honestly ... - In his office, as always, it was clean and tidy, which, incidentally, was an achievement for the captain, and his lieutenant. Speaking of her: Liza was also here and was now sitting relaxed in an armchair near the entrance. The girl gave me a friendly wave, pointing to the second chair. Without disagreeing with the superior officers, I obediently sat down where they showed me.

"You and I are being sent on a mission. - said the lieutenant without much enthusiasm.

- Right, right. - nodded to Kyoraku. "It's pretty far this time. Seventy-third region of Rukongai.

- Seventy-third? - I knew for sure that this region was not under the jurisdiction of our squad, but to remember which squad it was assigned to, I had to strain my memory. "Doesn't he belong to the Fifth Division?

"That's true, but Captain Shinji asked me to help him with this task: he has too many worries lately, his squad is not able to cope with the load.

- Clear. I nodded. Quite a common practice: the squads often help each other for one reason or another. - What is our task?

- Destruction Hollow. - answered Lisa.

- And for this they send the second and third officer of the detachment? - I was surprised.

"A standard response squad has already been dispatched to destroy this Hollow. Who did not report at the appointed time. A detachment of liquidators was sent to the region, but they also disappeared. - Hmm ... A squad of liquidators, this is a squad of six or seven veteran shinigami, if they were destroyed, then the enemy is not an ordinary Hollow. Maybe ... No, the Master is not an idiot to hunt in the same place three times in a row.

- Clear. I nodded. - When are we leaving? - There are no more questions left: if the liquidators are destroyed, then sending a lieutenant with a third officer is a logical decision. Of course, we could have sent a detachment of four or five officers, with the exception of the lieutenant, but if Lisa is not busy now, such a decision will least of all burden the detachment's resources.

- Right now. - Liza got to her feet.

- The seventy-third region is quite far away, are we going to spend the night on the way?

"I think we can find suitable hotels. She shook her head. - I don't think the task will take more than a couple of days.

"Then I'm ready to go now.

- Perfectly! Follow me.

- Good luck girls! - The captain waved to us.

- I prefer not to rely on luck. - I answered him, leaving the office. He said nothing.

- I never thought that I would ever come back here ... - I muttered, going inside the painfully familiar settlement. Mining settlement. The one in which I "worked" for so long.

- You know this place? - Liza was surprised.

- I ... I lived in these places before I entered the Academy.

- Wait, so your brand ...

- From here. I nodded.

"If you want, we can find another place. - Seriously she said.

- I do not see the point in this. - I shook my head, approaching the owner of the settlement who was meeting us. - We are staying here overnight. - I just told my former "master".

"Yes, yes, lord shinigami, we will prepare everything you need.

- Thank you. - I nodded, and went to the guest house. The owner looked at me a little surprised, apparently did not expect that I knew where to go, but did not say anything. Didn't recognize me. Although it is not surprising: nothing remained of that helpless, worthless girl.

"According to the reports, our troops are missing somewhere here. - I nodded, lifting my eyes from the map and looking around the forest. - I do not feel anything. I shook my head and looked questioningly at Liza: she is still stronger than me. Until...

- Hmm ... - She drawled thoughtfully, looking around. - There seems to be something in that direction ... - She said uncertainly, pointing to the southwest.

- Forward?

- Come on. - She nodded, and went to shunpo. Several jumps, and I also felt an unclear reiatsu ahead. Except it wasn't Hollow Reiatsu ... Shinigami? A few more jumps, and we found ourselves in a clearing, on the other side of which stood an emaciated shinigami, leaning on a tree so as not to fall.

- What's the matter?! - Lisa immediately "jumped" to the victim, but instead of answering, the shinigami turned sharply and hit the lieutenant! Lisa at the very last moment managed to dodge, escaping with only a torn collar. - What are you doing? - At the same moment, shinigami began to come out of the forest around us. Nine shinigami, all with bared blades, and all without a drop of reiatsu! Not surprisingly, we did not feel them, but they will die if they continue to pull reiatsu out of the guys ... Hmm? They had no eyes. I mean, there were no pupils, only proteins.

- Someone controls them. - I said, dodging the rather slow and clumsy punches.

- Yes, I understood. - Lisa nodded. - Cover me, I'll try to trace the source.

- Got it. I nodded. Deflect the blow by kicking the shinigami in the stomach, throwing it away from Lisa, who, meanwhile, closed her eyes and whispered something under her breath. What I don't hear, but it's so clear that something is from Kido. Meanwhile, the shinigami continued to press, only ... Their movements are slow and clumsy. How was the first detachment able to deal with the liquidators? Unless they're bait! Without even checking my guess, I went to shunpo, and knocked Lisa, who had not completed the spell, to the ground.

- What are you doing? - She was indignant, but here the ground where the girl had just stood rose up, and Hollow climbed to the surface, resembling a hybrid of a spider and a larva.

"Not bad at all, shinigami. - He said. - How could you feel me?

- I could not. - I smiled. "You just revealed yourself. I was just acting on suspicion.

- Here ka ... - Hollow wanted to say something, more, but Lisa thought differently: the girl left the shunpo right in front of Hollow's nose and wanted to cut him, but her blow was blocked by one of the shinigami controlled. "Ha ha, you don't think I'll let myself be killed so easily?" Now that I don't need to hide my reiatsu, I can manage my toys much more efficiently!

- ... - Hmmm, it's noticeable: the four shinigami that were pressing on me were quite at the level of ... Shinigami. It's like I'm in the squad's training room now, practicing with four opponents ...

- Oh yes, I forgot to say: they are still alive, so be careful, you do not want to kill your own friends? Ha ha ha ha!

- ... - Eh, only I would have been here, and such a question would not have been raised, but Liza was clearly not fighting even at half her strength, obviously trying not to harm our opponents. She tried a couple of times to attack Hollow himself, but then he used shinigami as human shields. If this continues, we will be stuck here for a long time. - Pierce, Destreza.

At the same moment, the katana in my hands changed into a long familiar rapier. A thin, straight blade, a graceful guard that completely covers the hand, and an unusual design handle, which nevertheless lay in my hand as if I had owned it from birth. No, I know how to handle a katana, without that I would not have graduated from the Academy, but just like with hand-to-hand combat, it was not mine. I did not feel the weapon, and stupidly repeated the learned movements. Everything changed when I finally found out my name, or rather my Zanpakuto. Destreza turned out to be a very capricious and very strict Zanpakuto, but nevertheless, as soon as I took her in my hands, I immediately understood: here, my weapon ... Fortunately, there were rapier masters in Soul Society who taught me how to use it correctly, otherwise before I waved it as if I still had a katana in my hands.

- It's time to end this. - I muttered to myself, and rushed to the attack. Get away from the blow, with a fleeting movement deflect the blade of another shinigami, carry out three lightning strikes: one in each hand, and one in the leg. Three pricks, each cutting through a shinigami's tendons. The result is predictable: the shinigami dropped his Zanpakuto and fell to the ground as if knocked down. There are nine left. - Eight ... - Lisa's fighting style is not very suitable for such tricks: she prefers to wield lightning-fast, but relatively wide, chopping attacks, and her shikai is even more unsuitable for surgical-accurate cuts. - Three...

- Smash, Haguro Tonbo! - Lisa did not wait for me to immobilize the remaining opponents, and after kicking one of them to the side, she activated her shikai. Which I was not slow to use: a huge spear easily pierced Hollow's head through and through, after which the shinigami around us immediately stopped moving. - Well done, Hina. The lieutenant nodded to me as she pulled her Zanpakuto from Hollow's dead body. - Well, how can we deliver them to Seireitei? - She asked, examining the bodies lying on the grass. Good question. I'm definitely not going to drag them on my back!

- We can call for help, or recruit "volunteers" from the local population. - I suggested. Lisa had already returned her Zanpakuto to its scabbard, but I was in no hurry to do it: something was wrong ... This Hollow died too easily. He didn't even really resist when his puppets went out of order ...

- I think we'll ask someone from the nearest ...

- A-A-A-A-A-A !!! - She was interrupted by a cry of one of the shinigami lying on the ground, full of agony. And the poor fellow not only screamed, but also wriggled like a snake, so much so that he broke his own bones.

- Stop! - I grabbed Lisa's hand when she wanted to approach the shinigami. Just in time: another couple of seconds of screaming and crunching of bones, and the shinigami literally exploded, sprinkling the entire neighborhood with bloody porridge.

- Ha ha ha! - Where the shinigami just lay, there was the same Hollow, perhaps a little smaller. "Well, shinigami gentlemen? Did you enjoy killing your comrade? - He nodded at "his" corpse.

- You ... - With what anger Lisa looks at him! It's been a long time since I saw her so angry ...

- Well, you? Can we continue? Will you kill me one more time? What are you waiting for?

- Well, I see no other way out. - I shrugged, and using shunpo, I was next to the nearest shinigami. Without making unnecessary movements, I just pierced his head with Destreza, and again left for the shunpo.

- What are you doing?! - Hollow and Lisa shouted simultaneously, but it was too late: nine shunpo, less than a second for each ...

- I am doing my duty. I simply replied, pulling Destreza's blade from the skull of the last shinigami. Oh, how nice it is to kill them ... - I destroy Hollow. - Another shunpo, this time to Hollow. Yeah, he's not so indifferent now; staggered back, covered himself with his hands, trying to hit me with his paws ... - Hado number thirty-three, Sokatsui! - Throwing a ball of blue flame in his direction, I did not expect much effect, it was a distraction. The enemy, as expected, covered himself with his paws, voluntarily losing me out of sight. Shunpo, and I appear in the air behind his head. A blow, and the tip of Destreza protrudes from Hollow's forehead. I land on the ground, move a little away from the corpse, but nothing happened. It seems we killed him this time.

- Why did you do that? - Liza glared at me gloomily.

- What exactly? Killed Hollow?

- She killed our comrades!

- Because they were the seat of Hollow larvae and if I had not killed them, we could not have killed Hollow. - And I was just pleased to do it ...

- It was possible to resolve the situation somehow differently. Without killing them.

- Are you suggesting that I stand still and do nothing when Hollow tries to kill me? Did I understand you correctly, Lieutenant?

- Not! I propose to come up with something better than killing ...

- !!! - Our skirmish was stopped by a real wave of reiatsu! No, not even a wave, rather a tsunami! Only the captain is capable of such spiritual pressure, and even then not everyone. But most importantly, it was Hollow! Moreover, I am perfectly familiar! Master!

- What is it ... - Liza muttered dumbfounded.

- Hollow.

- Impossible! With such a reiatsu? Vaster Lord in Soul Society ?! - Here we were covered with a second wave. This one was slightly weaker and also familiar. She belonged to ...

- Captain Muguruma ... - I held out. "If I'm not mistaken, he just used his Bankai.

- Forward! - Without wasting a second, Liza and I left for the shunpo, heading for the battlefield. Not anything to myself: I had no idea how far we were from the battlefield: we got there in no less than fifteen minutes, continuously using shunpo to the limit of our capabilities, but when we arrived at the place, it was already too late: I was still on the way I felt how the captain's reiatsu first began to fade, and then the Master's reiatsu simply disappeared. But after that I was able to sense two other captains.

"Ha-ah-ah ..." I exhaled, coming out of the shunpo in the middle of a funnel hybrid and felling. The master, of course, was no longer there, captain Otoribashi's reiatsu was moving away at high speed towards Seireitei along with the barely perceptible reiatsu of Captain Muguruma, and here we were met by captain Aikawa, holding an unconscious Mashiro in his arms. A little off to the side, I noticed a lot of blood. - Captain! - I took on a more befitting look.

- Liz? Hinata? - What have you forgotten here?

"We had a mission nearby. - The lieutenant answered. - Then we felt a strong Hollow reiatsu and rushed here. What happened here?

- And I would like to know ... The captain held out. "Whoever this Hollow was, he almost killed Kensei, so you're lucky you were late.

- Hollow Captain Level in Soul Society? - Liz was surprised. - Is it possible?!

- It looks like it's possible. - The captain answered gloomily. "Go back to Seireitei, I don't think it's a good idea to stay in this region until we have checked everything.

- What about Mashiro? - Excitedly asked Liz, examining the girl.

"Nothing dangerous, but I think it's time for me to return to Seireitei. Keep up.

- Let's go to. - Liz nodded and went to the shunpo.

- ... - I was delayed for a second. Master ... So you can already defeat the captain ... I have a long road ahead, but I will definitely surpass you! You will see!