10 Chapter 10. Aaroniero Arruruerie

Rukia who released her Zanpakuto was starting at the Aaroniero who had the exact same appearance as her former mentor Kaien Shiba.

Soon a mist is formed around the area and Rukia used this to sneak attack Kaien. However, he dodged her first blow and appeared directly behind her. He then swung his Zanpakuto at her, but Rukia was able to dodge this. Kaien went after her and swung his Zanpakuto down at her, but this attack was blocked. She then swung her Zanpakuto at him, but Kaien overpowered her and cut part of her cloak. Rukia fell to the ground and Kaien began to thrust his Zanpakuto down at her. She rolled away successfully dodging. She then blocked his Zanpakuto yet again and moved away. She then swung her Zanpakuto at him, but was slowly overpowered and was forced to form a distance between them. She then charged at Kaien and the two clashed yet again, forcing Kaien to hide in the mist. He sneak-attacked her, but Rukia was able to block. They began clashing, but Kaien hid in the mist once again. As Kaien thrust his Zanpakuto down at her, Rukia decided to use Some no mai, Tsukishiro, her special attack but Aaroniero was able to dodge the huge pillar of ice that forms. After landing on the ground outside of the mist, Kaien explained to her that her two techniques, Some no mai, Tsukishiro, and Tsugi no mai, Hakuren, won't work on him since he knows about those moves very well. Kaien then released his Zanpakuto, Nejibana. He then told Rukia that this was going to be the end and warned her to prepare herself.

He swung his Zanpakuto at her and Rukia blocked the blow with her Zanpakuto. Kaien then swung his Zanpakuto down, conjuring up water and breaking part of the floor that Rukia is standing on. The part of the floor Rukia is on was then sent into the air and Kaien attacked which Rukia blocked the blow. However, after conjuring up more water, Rukia was overwhelmed and was forced to form a distance between the two of them. Kaien then swung his Zanpakuto at her, but Rukia blocked this as well. Then Rukia immediately used Hado #33. Sokatsui directly in front of Kaien's face. He dodged the attack though and congratulated Rukia on being able to use a Kido spell without incantation. However, this attack ended up destroying a part of the tower, letting the light in, which made Aaroniero jump to another side making Rukia confused by this, as he had the perfect opportunity to finish her off right there. She then recalled when Kaien decided to come into this tower because of the light outside, and then began to form a hypothesis. She then decided to test out her theory.

Rukia used Bakudo #4. Hainawa, holding Kaien down, but he told her that weak spells like that won't hold him down. However, Rukia used a double chant and cast Bakudo #61. Rikujokoro, holding Kaien down further, and then immediately cast Hado #63. Soren Sokatsui. The Kido spell hit the wall directly behind Kaien, causing sunlight to enter the tower. Kaien began to scream in pain, and his true face is revealed to be a glass cylindrical capsule filled with red liquid and two small, floating Hollow heads. Rukia was shocked by this and Kaien decided to reintroduce himself as the Espada number 9, Aaroniero Arruruerie. He told her that if she's shocked by their faces, then she should just keep it to herself since he got tired of hearing people's opinions on them a long time ago.

Aaroniero then stated that if she had hit him with that last attack, he would have been heavily wounded, but Rukia explained that killing him is secondary, as knowing whether or not he was Kaien was more important, and that by knowing that she would be able to cut him down without mercy. Aaroniero told Rukia she's foolish in thinking she could win against him and appears directly behind Rukia. He then stated that as long as there's shadows, he can always use his powers and goes back into the form of Kaien Shiba. He then complained about the fact that Aizen would decide to make sunlight in a place of total darkness, especially when there were people like him who can only use their powers in darkness. Aaroniero then changed the subject and started that his power is not shape-shifting, and began to explain that because he's the only Espada who is a Gillian, he should not have had enough power to join the Espada. However, he still did because his power allowed him to have infinite evolutionary potential, and that this power came from the Hollow who possessed Kaien, Metastacia, whom he devoured, meaning that his Zanpakuto's ability was the power to devour dead Hollows and gain their abilities. He then took off his glove, showing a deformed arm as his Zanpakuto. Aaroniero then stated that the nostalgia Rukia had been feeling wasn't just her imagination, because this body really was Kaien's and that he acted accordingly after gaining all of his memories.

Aaroniero decided to show Rukia what an Espada's Resurreccion is like and released his Zanpakuto, Glotoneria. He explained that this is the form of all the Hollows he had eaten and that his Resurreccion can use every single Hollows ability at the same time. He then stated that he had eaten 33,650 Hollows so far and that Rukia should think of this as fighting against an army of over 30,000 Hollows. Rukia then jumped up and attempted to stab Aaroniero but was sent flying back in the air. Aaroniero then used Kaien's Zanpakuto and attempted to stab her as well, but Rukia used what little strength she had left to block the attack with her own Zanpakuto. However, the Zanpakuto broke in half and Rukia was skewered through her stomach. Aaroniero began to laugh madly at the sight of this.

Aaroniero told her that no matter how hard she tried it won't change the fact that she will never cut him down. However, Rukia grabbed onto the Zanpakuto currently skewering her, and brought her broken Zanpakuto up to Aaroniero's face. He told her to give up, but Rukia used her special ability San no mai, Shirafune, and her Zanpakuto reformed, causing it to go straight through Aaroniero's face. Aaroniero's true face then appeared, and Rukia bid farewell to an Espada. She then swung her Zanpakuto up out of the cylindrical capsule, causing it to break, sealing the battle.