The Limit

As the black sphere retracted itself from around, Shen Yamamoto was observing this substance closely as it faded away back into the void which it came in. "Hmm. What a troublesome ability." Taking a step forward, Yamamoto sprinted towards Shen as Ryujin Jakka left a trail wherever he went. Lowering his right arm so that Ryujin Jakka was behind his body, Yamamoto proceeded to swing Ryujin Jakka upwards, all the while ensuring the intensity of its flames grew.

As Ryujin Jakka got closer to the ground, the stone itself began to melt as if creating a path for the blade's arc. From the outside, Shen seemed to be in a bad situation however, as Yamamoto looked at Shen, he was stunned to see Shen had a slight smirk on his face even in his position. Following through with the strike, Shen didn't block nor dodge instead, he extended his arm towards the incoming strike coating his hand in Haki.

A high pitch ping echoed out as Yamamoto and his arm was stuck in place. "What…" Looking down at Ryujin Jakka Yamamoto was dumbfounded. The entire blade of Ryujin Jakka, which was once covered in a blazing inferno, had been replaced with a black coat. With the fire out of the way, Shen could directly grab onto Ryujin Jakka without the fear of being burnt.

Looking at Yamamoto, Shen tightened his grip on both the blade itself and his handle of the Halberd in his other hand. Moving the Yamamoto's Zanpakuto out the way with a quick burst of strength, Shen swung the Halberd's head towards Yamamoto's head. With his Zanpakuto trapped in Shen's grasp, Yamamoto had to react quickly, leaning back so that the strike grazed past his face.

As he pulled Ryujin Jakka using the same momentum, he used to dodge to pull Ryujin Jakka's blade out of Shen's grasp. As he backed away from Shen he looked down at Ryujin Jakka. 'He extinguished the flames on Ryujin Jakka's blade?' Looking up, Yamamoto saw the dome he created using Ryujin Jakka still held firm. 'I see now. He did not extinguish Ryujin Jakka's flames. He suppressed them.'

Holding Ryujin Jakka in front of him, no matter how many times he tried, the flames emitted from Ryujin Jakka wouldn't come forth thanks to the void casing around it. Meanwhile, Shen couldn't believe his idea worked. 'Well, that takes off the weapon.' Referring to Ryujin Jakka, Shen's eyes moved from the blade to Yamamoto himself. 'Now, I need to take care of the monster.'

Even without Ryujin Jakka by his side Shen made sure to keep his excitement to a minimum. 'Overconfidence got me last time. I have to make sure he's down for good, or else he will just be more of a problem in the future.' Stating that in his head, Shen took a step back, letting go of the Halberd mid-air to reposition his hand. Like the time he threw a Void Spear towards Rukia Shen held the Halberd the same way.

'The original reason for buying this thing was for this purpose, after all.' Looking at Shen throwing his weapon straight at him, Yamamoto didn't know what he was planning, but he's instincts alone told him he had to evade this attack. Using his suppressed Ryujin Jakka Yamamoto proceeded to move to the side while parrying Shen's Halberd. Reacting from the force behind Yamamoto's strike, the Halberd was sent flying into the air as the crack on the handle expanded once again.

It was only after parrying this strike did Yamamoto notice something black like a rope attached to one end of the Halberd leading back to Shen. Just before he threw his Halberd, Shen created a line of sorts at the end of the handle connecting to his finger. Shen's Mangekyou ability was suited for these types of things. In situations where standard stuff won't cut it, Shen can use his ability as a substitute.

Of course, he cant do some things like making food or creating an atomic bomb since they require other elements to work. Even the creatures he created couldn't be considered alive due to them having programmed actions and responses. But weapons, shields, and even things like a thin line string were all within the realm of probability.

Using this connection, Shen didn't give Yamamoto any time to react, lowering his hand as quickly as he could. Reaction to the sudden tug Shen's Halberd that was still in the air began to make its way towards Yamamoto's direction, coming down on top of his head. It was only from noticing the string from before did Yamamoto started to move in position to block the attack from above. But before Yamamoto could even raise his guard, something strange happened.

The Halberd, along with Shen, disappeared, leaving Yamamoto blocking nothing but air. In a crouching position, Shen could be seen grasping the Halberd in hand, pointing spiked end at Yamamoto's back. Shen had made this a three-step plan as a way to throw Yamamoto off. Teleportation was instantaneous and used right. Even someone like Yamamoto would be caught off guard.

'Got him!' Looking at Yamamoto's open stance, Shen quickly thrust the pointed end of the halbert forward, aiming straight for his heart. Even though he wanted to capture Yamamoto in his current state, it was impossible, and the last thing Shen wanted was to make him use his Bankai at that point, it would indeed be over.

However, just as Shen was about to make contact, his vision blurred as a sharp pain shot through his eyes straight to his brain. "Gah!" The pain alone was sudden and unexpected, along with the sudden blurred vision Shen's attack began to veer off course. As this occurred, Yamamoto was in shock as he felt something pierce through his right shoulder, causing blood to fly into view.

As the pain continued to shoot through Shen's eye, a fiery glow could be seen penetrating the suppressed Ryujin Jakka as the void cover began to become unstable. It was only then Yamamoto's piercing gaze greeted Shen as he turned his head to look behind him.

"Interesting both Katakura Town and the Soul Society?" A smooth voice could be heard coming from a man dressed in a strange white jacket with black trims and a purple sash wrapped around his waist. Sitting in his throne, Aizen found what he had just heard, both surprising and intriguing. Not far from him, Gin could be seen smiling in the shadows as he listened in as well, paying close attention to every detail.

Thanks to Shen, his plans were delayed, but even with that, he never lost interest in Shen's abilities. "If that's the case, then we may not need to send Ulquiorra as I thought." Standing up, Aizen's steps echoed through the hall as he turned his gaze to Gin. "You have shown a lot of interest in this person since he first entered the Soul Society. Is there anything I should know?"

Listening to Aizen, Gin only continued to smile as he spoke. "No, it's nothing of importance, Lord Aizen."