Salvation for the Vile

10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven

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Mayuri stopped in his tracks as he found himself in an empty wide hall. His lieutenant Nemu followed suit, looking around vigilantly. A frown marred his already unpleasant face. Mayuri kissed his exposed teeth in annoyance. The silence aside, the subtle movements of the room were telltale signs of entrapment.

A harrumph escaped Mayuri. They had been going straight. Never did they encounter a turn. While it was not surprising, Mayuri didn't expect Aizen to be capable of such a feat. Las Noches was as big as Seireitei. It required a lot of power and advanced engineering.

"Aizen, or rather, his goons can control the whole building. We have been purposely led to this place. I seem to have underestimated Aizen's brain."

"Astute observation, Captain Kurotsuchi."

Mayuri's eyes narrowed as he glared at the dark instance. A figure gradually emerged from the shadow.

"Aizen's number one toe-sucker, Tōsen Kaname. Are you here to greet me?"

Kaname ignored Mayuri's taunt and kept walking. Wonderweiss Margela, the child-like unintelligent walking disaster, followed him closely. Mayuri observed the situation calmly. Wonderweiss attracted his attention. As a modified being himself, he could tell Wonderweiss was modified. He wondered what purpose Wonderweiss' modifications served.

Kaname and Wonderweiss stopped at one point. Mayuri took out his Zanpakutō from under his Shihakushō. Wonderweiss tilted his head and turned it to Kaname. Kaname could not see but nodded as if his blindness didn't stop him from knowing what Wonderweiss was doing. In the next instant, Wonderweiss appeared before Nemu and pierced through her with his hand.

"Wae…. Wae!"

Mayuri scowled as he turned to the side. "Nemu you useless doll! Why didn't you keep your vigilance?" he shouted.

"I— I am sorry, Mayuri-sama," Nemu whimpered as she coughed blood.

Mayuri's scowl deepened as he swung his Zanpakutō at Wonderweiss. He was not the most expert in Zanjutsu, unfortunately, therefore Wonderweiss got away unscathed. Mayuri kissed his teeth in annoyance as he looked at the dying Nemu. She didn't need his Mayuri Special but would remain useless for quite some time. At least, that would be the case if Kaname or Wonderweiss didn't destroy Nemu before she could regenerate.

"Rip, Ashisogi Jizō!"

In the end, Mayuri decided to prioritize fixing Nemu. A deformed trident with curved serpentine blades replaced his normal katana. The guard resembled the head of a baby with closed eyes. Mayuri stuck his finger into one of the closed eyes, causing it to bleed. The baby's head opened its mouth, letting out an ear-grating scream.

"Cry, Suzumushi."

Kaname drew his Zanpakutō, causing a high-pitched tone to reverberate throughout the room. The scream coming from Ashisogi Jizō was neutralized. Much to Mayuri's chagrin, it was even outclassed. A scowl marred his face as he took out a case full of syringes from under his Shihakushō.

"Your malformed Zanpakutō will never match my pure Zanpakutō, Captain Kurotsuchi."

"Pure?" Mayuri scoffed. "You seem obsessed with purity. Let's see how your pure Zanpakutō fares against my perfected one."

Kaname tilted his head as Mayuri injected the liquid in the syringe into his bloodstream. Ashisogi Jizō closed its mouth, letting Kaname's sound attack reach Mayuri. Kaname wasn't fazed when he didn't hear any sign of Mayuri passing out. He was well aware of the weird captain's penchants.

"Every Zanpakutō has a weakness. Purity doesn't matter if it causes imperfection. My Ashisogi Jizō will always triumph against people like you."

"I see."

Swish!

"Wha—"

Mayuri was forced to Shunpō before Nemu's static body to block Wonderweiss' attack. He was not surprised that the Arrancar could withstand Kaname's Shikai. However, he was surprised by Wonderweiss' strength. Nemu's easy defeat instantly made sense.

"You imperfect imp!"

Mayuri put more Reiatsu into his hands and forced Wonderweiss back. Wonderweiss tilted his head at Mayuri before dashing at Mayuri again. Mayuri grimaced but managed to trap Wonderweiss' sword between his blades. Mayuri tilted his Zanpakutō before sliding it across Wonderweiss' blade and nicking Wonderweiss' neck.

Wonderweiss immediately went immobile, prompting Mayuri to kick him back to Kaname who promptly caught him. Mayuri kissed his teeth in annoyance. He felt like he wouldn't like what he would see next. His premonition was proven correct in the next moment. Wonderweiss could still move albeit sluggishly.

"How did it withstand my poison?" Mayuri wondered aloud. He changed the composition of his poison every time; no one but him and Nemu should be immune to the poison or have the antidote.

"Aizen-sama can do a lot of things. While you are playing with people's lives in your lab for something vain, Aizen-sama works tirelessly for a better future. You can never understand or match his greatness," Kaname stated stoically.

"A clueless monkey like you doesn't know what you are talking about."

"I see."

Kaname's lack of expression irked Mayuri. He was used to winning in a barb joust. He liked to flaunt his superiority to others. Kaname didn't care about his superiority. Kaname dismissed his superiority as nonsense spouted by a senile man. The nerve of the toe-sucker; he was mad but not senile.

"I have given you enough time, Nemu. Stand up!"

"Yes, Mayuri-sama."

The immobile Nemu stood up pristinely. Any signs of injuries couldn't be found on her body. The serum Mayuri had sneakily thrown her way had done its job. Nemu could become Mayuri's sword again. Without waiting for Mayuri's command, Nemu launched at the sluggish Wonderweiss. Kaname blocked Nemu's strike but failed to deter her.

"Cry, Suzumushi."

The sound didn't do anything to Nemu. A frown marred Kaname's face. His Shikai failed and Nemu's strength kept increasing. It was bothersome. As he increased the power behind his Zanpakutō, Nemu flipped over him and snatched Wonderweiss. Kaname's face hardened and his Zanpakutō flashed to pierce Nemu's chest.

"Jabarakaina."

Kaname's effort to stop Nemu's kidnap attempt went in vain thanks to Mayuri's elongated arm that snatched Wonderweiss from Nemu. Kaname clicked his tongue before shooting a Shakkahō from the tip of his Zanpakutō. A red cannonball shot at Mayuri, carving a hole in Nemu's chest in its wake.

Mayuri calmly put Wonderweiss before him, letting the Arrancar take the cannon for him. While Mayuri didn't feel anything for Nemu, he felt it was only right for him to repay the person who broke his possession. Wonderweiss only made an incoherent noise. He didn't even look pained.

'Nemu, can you hear me?'

'…'

Mayuri clicked his tongue in annoyance at the silence he got from Nemu through their telepathy line. Nemu was out cold. She would require his Mayuri Special to be revived. How useless. Even though Nemu could turn off her hearings at will, Kaname still got her; a waste of time. He shouldn't have bothered with the modification.

"Bankai: Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō!"

The baby's head guard of Mayuri's Zanpakutō opened its mouth, producing a golden caterpillar-like monstrosity with a baby head. A red cape was draped around its neck, billowing menacingly in the air. The monstrosity opened its mouth, releasing purple poisonous gas. Kaname calmly tapped the floor with his Zanpakutō, causing a vent to appear. The gas was sucked into the vent before it could touch Kaname.

"Aizen-sama specially designed this room to take care of you, Captain Kurotsuchi. While I don't need its help to take you down, Aizen-sama thinks you need to be punished. I can't help but agree. You are too vile to be let alive."

"Cease your nonsense, monkey!"

Mayuri's snarl went ignored as Kaname made a circular motion with his Zanpakutō. In response, Mayuri pointed the sword in his hand at Kaname, prompting the caterpillar monstrosity to reveal the blades hidden in its chest and charge at Kaname.

"Devour him, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō!"

"Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihikō!"

Hundreds of blades materialized in front of Kaname and shot at the approaching giant caterpillar. The caterpillar stopped as the rain of blades hit it. It groaned before madly releasing poisonous gas into the air. Mayuri scowled at the scene. He knew his Zanpakutō was not the best once someone figured out how to render its poison useless but still felt bitter. Fortunately, he still had a way.

"I have to admit you are a brilliant person, Captain Kurotsuchi."

Mayuri froze right after he commanded Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō to self-destruct. Kaname had appeared behind him.

"Aizen-sama knows everything about you and how to defeat you. He even has a way to kill General Yamamoto."

"Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui!"

Kaname used Shunpō to avoid the Kidō sent his way. Mayuri jumped back to where Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō was and commanded it to cancel the self-destruction. Unfortunately, he hit a wall. He fired another Sōren Sōkatsui to the wall to destroy it. It didn't work.

"How does it feel when everything is against you, Captain Kurotsuchi?" Kaname intoned as he calmly walked toward the entrapped captain.

"I have yet to know as I have many ways to escape," Mayuri sneered as he commanded Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō to self-destruct.

Just as the behemoth self-destructed, the wall separating it from Mayuri disappeared. Mayuri got swept in the explosion whereas Kaname protected himself with Bakudō #81: Dankū. The explosion stopped abruptly, revealing the disheveled Mayuri who had lost an arm. Kaname calmly canceled his shield and moved his Zanpakutō in a circular motion.

"Suzumushi Nishiki—"

"Do you think you have got me?" Mayuri chuckled derisively. "Too bad, huh, Aizen's toe-sucker."

Kaname lowered his Zanpakutō as Mayuri stabbed himself with his sealed Zanpakutō and turned into liquid. Only his eyes remained solid. Kaname sheathed his Zanpakutō and calmly watched the gooey Mayuri running away. A tube appeared in his path and sucked him. Mayuri's colorful curses were music to Kaname's ears.

"Feel the agony of the weak—of those whose lives you have taken for amusement!"

Kaname stared at the liquid trapped in the tube.

"Kurotsuchi Mayuri the mad criminal ceases to exist today. Death is your only salvation. Be pure."

The tube lit up before compressing into a plate of glass that folded itself until it was gone. Kaname threw a glance at the immobile Nemu. The poor soul was a victim, equally as pure as him and Wonderweiss. He ignored her and left with Wonderweiss.