The second invasion II

(3rd Person POV)

"That pressure. It appears that Captain Soi Fon has been successful too. Captain, shall we go and assist the other captains?", Rangiku asked.

"Whoa Whoa. Don't give me the cold shoulder. (nice) You're going to leave me here while we're still feeling each other out? I haven't even begun to fight!", Bazz-B says and breaks the ice he was trapped in.

"It's too bad you don't have your Bankai right now. I could have shown you that one finger would be enough to defeat your Bankai ice.", Bazz-B continues. Toshiro unsheaths his Zanpakuto and fires a wave of ice towards Bazz-B. But before the ice can reach him his fire melts it.

"It's not going to reach me."

"Fall back, Matsumoto. We need to regroup and-"

"No, I am strong as well. I won't flee when you're fighting him.", Rangiku says. She has her pride it would seem. Toshiro creates a wall of ice for protection.

"A wall of woven ice, not bad. But nothing you do with your ice will work ... All I need is a finger ...", Bazz-B says and points his index finger at Toshiro. The finger begins to glow and he attacks with it.

"Burner Finger One!"

A stream of flames fires out of his finger and begins to melt the wall Toshiro has created. The wall doesn't manage to hold and Toshiro is impaled by the fire. Toshiro tries to create distance and uses ice walls to block Bazz-B. But that doesn't seem to work as Bazz-B just blasts through them.

"Oi oi. Don't run away! Aren't you a captain?!", Toshiro creates another wall of ice.

"I told you it won't work!", Bazz-B says and cleaves through the ice with his finger, slicing it in half and showing him what is on the other side. Strong mist begins to form all around him and blocks his sight. He doesn't care though and stomps on the ground with his fire, dispersing the mist.

"Burning Stomp!"

Toshiro set a trap.

"Huh? What the hell is this?", Bazz-B asks.

"Roki Hyoketsujin!", Toshiro says and activates the trap. A big pillar of ice encases Bazz-B seemingly trapping him inside it. But that only lasts for a moment as the Quincy melts right through the ice.

"You're kidding me ...?!", Toshiro can't believe it.

"Exactly what I was going to say! Are you trying to make me angry and use a second finger?!"

Toshiro slashes his Zanpakuto and sends a wave of ice towards Bazz-B. He retaliates with his second finger.

"Burner Finger Two!", Bazz-B swipes his two fingers and creates two fire slashes that cut through the ice and into Toshiro.

...

..

.

All over the Seireitei the Quincy were fighting against the Shinigami. But the hardest and most dangerous fight, was the one no one knew about. Inside the Muken Gremmy Thoumeaux was clashing swords with Sosuke Aizen.

[Picture]

Aizen had fused with his Zanpakuto and could form it anywhere, anytime he wished. Which explains the katana he is fighting with right now. Gremmy on the other hand was using a new katana he hadn't ever used before. He had taken inspiration from another manga he knew about, the Soul Splitting Katana from JJK. 

[Picture]

There was a big grin on Gremmy's face as he clashed with Aizen. After all these years, fighting someone as skilled and powerful as Aizen Sosuke was exhilarating. He hadn't done that for a few decades. He was trying out a new katana, just because he could and so far, it suited him. He was not using any fancy technique, just pure swordsmanship. And he was good, he was so good, that he was dominating this initial clash with Aizen. There was no comparing the two fighters. 

Aizen was a few hundred years old, maybe two. Gremmy was close to a millennia-old and had fought against hundreds of thousands of men, women, beasts ... too numerous to count. His battle experience and intuition were astronomical compared to Aizen. But Aizen was impressive nonetheless. It was not a fight but more of a show for Gremmy to see what Aizen was truly capable of. 

*Swoosh*

*BOOOOM*

*BANG*

*SHING*

They clashed hundreds, thousands of times in the span of a few seconds. Aizen was focused. More than he ever was. There was no way someone could outclass him to this extent ... Not Aizen Sosuke! He was the one who controlled the lives of many and could kill Captain Class Shinigami with his Reiatsu alone. So how was it possible that he was being pressured here? And the only thing he saw ... was that infuriating smile. 

.

.

(Aizen POV)

I strike again and again, trying to find holes in his defence. But he is like an ocean. As soon as I find one, more water rushes to close the opening, to never open again. He is using me to train, not that he needs it, I feel that he is holding back. And from the flow of the fight, it is a lot. 

How amusing. To think that someone could still surprise me to this extent ... very interesting. 

Aizen had fused with his Zanpakuto and could form it anywhere, anytime he wished. Which explains the katana he is fighting with right now. Gremmy on the other hand was using a new katana he hadn't ever used before. He had taken inspiration from another manga he knew about, the Soul Splitting Katana from JJK. 

[Picture]

There was a big grin on Gremmy's face as he clashed with Aizen. After all these years, fighting someone as skilled and powerful as Aizen Sosuke was exhilarating. He hadn't done that for a few decades. He was trying out a new katana, just because he could and so far, it suited him. He was not using any fancy technique, just pure swordsmanship. And he was good, he was so good, that he was dominating this initial clash with Aizen. There was no comparing the two fighters. 

Aizen was a few hundred years old, maybe two. Gremmy was close to a millennia-old and had fought against hundreds of thousands of men, women, beasts ... too numerous to count. His battle experience and intuition were astronomical compared to Aizen. But Aizen was impressive nonetheless. It was not a fight but more of a show for Gremmy to see what Aizen was truly capable of. 

*Swoosh*

*BOOOOM*

*BANG*

*SHING*

They clashed hundreds, thousands of times in the span of a few seconds. Aizen was focused. More than he ever was. There was no way someone could outclass him to this extent ... Not Aizen Sosuke! He was the one who controlled the lives of many and could kill Captain Class Shinigami with his Reiatsu alone. So how was it possible that he was being pressured here? And the only thing he saw ... was that infuriating smile. 

.

.

(Aizen POV)

I strike again and again, trying to find holes in his defence. But he is like an ocean. As soon as I find one, more water rushes to close the opening, to never open again. He is using me to train, not that he needs it, I feel that he is holding back. And from the flow of the fight, it is a lot. 

How amusing. To think that someone could still surprise me to this extent ... very interesting. 

'I'll just use- ... Wha... what is this?!' - "I'll just use- ... Wha... what is this?!"

'My voice ... it's ... I can hear my thoughts!!' - "My voice ... it's ... I can hear my thoughts!!"

"Hehe, well? Do you like it? I think that was funny.", the Quincy tells me. 

'So that was-' - "So that was-"

"It appears that thinking has no longer any meaning, does it? How are you doing this?"

"Call it a party trick. I like to have fun with my powers. Oh no~ ... now I told you that it was my power doing this ... ~how careless of me~. I should better-"

*Kkkackkk*

.

.

(3rd Person POV)

The image of Aizen breaks apart like glass and a Zanpakuto appears, impaled in Gremmy's heart. From the sword, Aizen becomes visible as well, holding the sword. 

"Don't use such strong words. It'll only make you look weak.", Aizen says with a gentle smile on his face.

"I *cough* ... also heard ... *cough cough* ... that one ... before.", Gremmy coughs blood. 

Aizen twists his Zanpakuto and then lets Gremmy fall to the ground, letting him slowly bleed to death. He looks down at Gremmy. The Quincy lies on the ground and slowly manages to lift his right hand, pointing two fingers at Aizen. 

Amused by this notion, Aizen observes the last actions of the Quincy. He expects a half-assed attack, but Gremmy suddenly turns his fingers and points them to his left, which is Aizen's right. Confused, Aizen looks to his right.

!!!!

There, sitting on a throne with his head resting on his fist, is Gremmy looking at Aizen with a questioning look. Aizen's eyes widen in real shock this time. He was prepared to use his powers and dodge any last attempt of Gremmy to attack him, but that wasn't the case at all. He was ... tricked. And what is worse, he was tricked with an illusion. Something that was considered his trademark. An affront of the highest order. This couldn't go unpunished. 

However, one question remained. How did Gremmy do it?

"Let me guess ... you're asking yourself how I did it. Well, too bad for you, I won't-"

"You can copy the powers of those you have seen before. It was what allowed you to use the powers of Katen Kyōkotsu, which is Kyoraku Shunsui's Zanpakuto. I am just unsure whether you can copy the powers of only Zanpakuto, or other Quincy as well. There are certainly limits to such a powerful ability. And Yhwach would never allow you to copy his powers.", Aizen says. 

"If that's what you believe, then what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing. I am going to continue fighting you until eventually, you run out of Reiatsu to use. I won't die, because I can't die, while you are mortal and will inevitably die."

"Is that so? And what do you base your reasoning on? If it is true that I can copy powers, then who is to say, that I can't copy the powers the Hogyoku grant you? Maybe I'm immortal as well.", Gremmy taunts, but Aizen only smiles gently. 

"If that were the case, you would have not chosen to fight me like this. Our fight wouldn't serve a purpose if you can't truly kill me. No, you miscalculated and now you are fishing for time. But there is no way out of this. You will die here."

"Is that so? Then how are you going to get out? I have no more keys.", Gremmy says and smiles. This time, Aizen doesn't smile. If he wants to escape the Muken, he will need the keys. So the only logical explanation has to be ...

"You are either lying or there is an alternative way out of here. Either way, I will have a way out.", Aizen says.

...

"You see Sosuke Aizen, your weakness is your towering arrogance. You can't imagine someone other than Kisuke Urahara being as smart as you. And especially not someone like me. A mere Quincy. A lowlife, that was about to be exterminated all those centuries ago. The thing is, you are completely wrong, concerning everything. I am not here to kill you. I was only here to find out what the Hogyoku granted you. And from what I saw, it is rather disappointing... at least in your hands. In more capable hands, that is another story entirely.", Gremmy says and starts to walk around Aizen. He has his hands behind his back and wears a thoughtful expression. 

"You see, I have long surpassed you in any way imaginable. There is only one thing that you could give me now."

"Oh? And what might that be?", Aizen asks. 

"The Hogyoku of course. I thought that much was obvious at this point. I will take away the Hogyoku and use it myself. I am far more suited to use it than you are.", Gremmy states. 

"That doesn't seem terribly like-.", Aizen says.

He stopps talking when he sees what Gremmy holds in his hands though. His eyes widen as they gaze upon the completed Hogyoku … his Hogyoku. His hand reaches to his chest unintentionally and them he feels it … his fading power. He feels his life and his entire power flash befor ehis eyes as he slowly falls to the ground.

"The joke is … we never fought. I took the Hogyoku out the moment I appeared here … or dis I?"