CHAPTER 183: In the Heart of the Blaze

Isane felt her heart sink as she stepped through the Senkaimon. The sight of blood-stained grounds and the tumultuous waves of spiritual energy churning through the air repulsed her. She had prayed for everyone's safety when they traversed the Senkaimon, but that hope crumbled in mere moments — Rangiku and Nanao's Reiatsu had vanished from the face of the earth. Being so familiar with the two, she could've sensed her friends' Reiatsu for an upward of a dozen miles.

Sharing the same duties, she had expected this to happen eventually. But the actual loss, the possibility of never exchanging farewells, was a cruelty she had never prepared for.

"Nanao-chan…"

Turning her head, she saw Captain Shunsui Kyoraku carrying a gloomy expression. She may have lost her friends, but he lost his Vice-Captain — for the second time. Nanao Ise was the whole reason behind him volunteering for this mission.

Her attention was abruptly pulled above by a familiar Reiatsu. Kazuya hovered in the air, surrounded by bright, almost ethereal flames. The flames emerged from his Zanpakutō — a weapon carrying the essence of a whip and a sword. Seeing him safe and sound filled her with a sense of relief.

Her feelings evaporated the moment she saw his opponents — the Arrancars the 12th Squad had reported to the Captain Commander. With a multitude of eyes dotting his body, the Hollow was one of the freakiest monstrosities in the world. He was flanked by two Arrancars — a girl with a stab wound in forehead and a headless man. They should be dead, yet they lived through some twisted ability.

Even more sinister than the pair was the smirk playing on the dark-skinned Arrancar's face. The raw sadism behind the sinister smirk sent shivers down her spine.

"Amor."

Suddenly, every eye on his body glowed purple. Sensing a spike in Reiatsu, Isane drew her Zanpakutō to intercept the attack. So did Captain Isshin Shiba. However, Captain Kyoraku had a different plan in mind — he flashstepped out of their sight, his Reiatsu growing fainter with each passing moment.

—Shunsui departed to search for his Vice-Captain.

"Captain Kyoraku?!"

"Focus on the battle at hand, Vice-Captain Kotetsu." Isshin kicked the ground and leaped at the Arrancars. "Kazu boy, go rest. We'll take over."

"You pretenders," the black-skinned Arrancar declared solemnly. "Your body belongs to me, Zommari Rureaux, Espada #3."

Isshin froze right before his sword found its mark on Zommari's chest. He turned the sword on himself. His hands quivered, fighting against Espada's control, but it was futile.

"W-What the heck?"

Isane shuddered at the abnormal scene of Captain Shiba trying to stab himself — trying to stop his hands from killing him. She rushed to his side and spotted an ominous tattoo resembling a black sun on the back of Isshin's hands — and then, to her disbelief, on her own.

Before she could even process this bewildering development, a sinister force seized control of her limbs. Just like Isshin, her hands moved against her will and aimed the sword at her own heart.

A cold, numbing dread filled her as she realized the same grim fate had befallen every Shinigami who had accompanied her through the Senkaimon. Paralyzed and vulnerable, they stood frozen. Strangely, they didn't turn their sword on themselves or each other. It didn't stop them from panicking.

Amidst the discord, the headless Arrancar Ggio Vega moved explosively with his high-speed movement technique and appeared in the ranks of frozen Shinigami. His sword, glowing with an unnatural white light, delivered a brutal slash across a Shinigami's chest.

"Stop!" Isshin commanded, his entire being strained against the invisible force controlling him. "What is this?!"

Neither he nor Isane came prepared for an ability that controlled the body. As a matter of fact, they had never come across such an ability in their entire career or even heard about it.

"Arrghh," Isane roared, drawing out high-level Reiatsu and every fiber of her willpower to resist the control. But despite her efforts, the blade inched ever closer to her heart, piercing her Shihakushō and skin.

The pain, though sharp, was nothing compared to the terror she felt. The thought of having such a loathsome death terrified her. More terrifying was the thought of never seeing her Captain again. The image of Unohana, who was akin to her mother, crying at her grave twisted her heart.

'I can't. I can't die.'

She looked towards Kazuya for help, who happened to be aiming muskets at her and Captain Shiba for some odd reason. Even in this crisis, he seemed calm — almost too calm for an ungraduated Shinigami.

His confidence, however, sparked a tiny hope — that he might be able to save her.

Bang. Bang. Flames trailed the bullets, one hitting her chest, the other finding its mark in Captain Shiba. A blazing fire engulfed her, however, she felt no sensation from the fire itself, only its warmth. The agony in her chest disappeared, so did the black marks on her limbs. Regaining control of her limbs, she quickly withdrew her Zanpakutō from her chest.

Meanwhile, Kazuya swung his whip sword, and its blade coiled around Zommari's neck like a snake. Only the skull-shaped neck brace separated his sword and Zommari's neck.

Oddly enough, Zommari's reaction was far from fear. Throwing his hands in the air, he celebrated like a lunatic. "Banzai! Banzai!"

Kazuya could sense an anomaly in Zommari's behavior, but he couldn't let go of the opportunity. Pouring more and more Reiatsu into his flames, he empowered his flames. The flames began melting the neck brace and soon spread to his entire body.

Yet he continued his fanatic chants. "Las Noches, Banzai! Lord de Las Noches, Banzai!"

Kazuya glanced towards Isane. The injuries inflicted upon the Shinigami were serious but not fatal, something within the realm of healing through Kaido. Isane was already at work, applying her healing techniques to a Shinigami who kneeled before her. The worrying part was that every Shinigami attacked by Ggio showed similar symptoms. He was familiar with these symptoms.

Kazuya clenched his jaw. "Isane, get away from him."

Whether she didn't hear him or ignored his warning, Isane continued her healing efforts, as if she couldn't sense the pure Hollow Reiatsu emanating from the Shinigami.

'Fuck.'

His focus, however, remained unshaken as his whip sword burned through Zommari Rureaux's neck brace. The blade tightened and tightened until it severed Zommari's head from his body.

"The miracle of samsara, Banzai!" Zommari rejoiced as his head flew through the air, his hands eerily repeating the celebratory gesture. "I fulfilled my mission… Banzai…"

With a last cheer, Zommari dissolved into black ashes. His death killed Ggio and Loly for the second time, and freed the rest of the Shinigami.

...

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