All According to Plan (2)

10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven

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Byakuya looked at the prone body of Gantenbainne emotionlessly. He recalled Senbonzakura from Gantenbainne's body and resealed it. The fight was not challenging, but he wouldn't say it was lackluster. Gantenbainne was unfortunate that he met someone above his caliber. However, Byakuya had to admit that he would have been bothered had Gantenbainne's Uno Dos Cientos hit him. How Renji could recover so quickly was beyond him.

'Most of those from the 11th Division also have a ridiculous recuperation rate. I guess having subpar intelligence has a merit.'

Byakuya cleared his throat, prompting Renji and Pesche to stop messing around. They straightened up—in Pesche's case, saluted—and followed after him when he moved. Dondonchakka, not wanting to accidentally get Pesche or Renji killed, pulled Pesche beside him and let Renji walk beside Byakuya undisturbed.

A few minutes later, an Arrancar stood in their way, stopping them. The Arrancar's face was covered in a human skull mask, allowing them to glimpse his eyes. Even then, they couldn't tell what his eye color was. The Arrancar looked at them calmly with his arms crossed behind his back. The sheer grace he possessed would make one think he was a noble.

"Are you here to stop us?" Byakuya intoned.

"While that is my job as part of the Exequias, I am here to retrieve the body of the failure you defeated," the Arrancar answered calmly. "I could have avoided you, but I think it is only proper to inform you about your companion's demise."

"Someone's dead," Renji widened his eyes in horror.

"Now, you may venture deeper into our fortress. I won't stop you, but please, don't stop me from doing my job."

The Arrancar walked toward them under the various gazes of the people. Renji couldn't believe the Arrancar's audacity. He was about to unsheathe his Zanpakutō when Byakuya extended his. The Arrancar stopped a few centimeters from the Zanpakutō. The blade was right in front of his neck.

"Who died?"

"Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri of the 12th Division," the Arrancar revealed casually.

"I see." Byakuya didn't believe the slippery captain could die easily. "Thank you for the information, but you don't think we will let you go, do you? After all, you might have been involved in his demise."

"I am but a messenger; a cleanup manager, most of the time. I can assure you I have—"

Swish!

The Arrancar's head dropped to the ground before he finished his sentence.

"I see."

Byakuya sheathed his Zanpakutō calmly.

"I know I can never reason with a Shinigami. I am glad to have sent another piece of me to do my job."

Byakuya stopped walking when the same Arrancar stepped out of the shadow. He glanced at the dead body and found it missing, only leaving a shattered cranial behind. Byakuya's thoughts raced; a conclusion formed. They couldn't waste time dealing with the Arrancar.

"Tell me your name, Arrancar."

"I have no name. I am but a fraction of the main body." The Arrancar bowed politely. "He goes by the name of Rudborn Chelute, Leader of the Exequias."

"Will you tell me where your main body is?" Byakuya inquired.

The Arrancar shook his head. Byakuya expected that. He Shunpō past the Arrancar, cutting the Arrancar's neck in the process. It was done so quickly that the onlookers only saw him sheathing his Zanpakutō. The group resumed their venture, not encountering another Rudborn's Exequias.

…

On the other side of the Tres Cifras, Retsu stood behind Shūhei, Ikkaku, and Yumichika while looking at a Gothic Arrancar sneering at them. The Arrancar was a sadist but tried too hard; Retsu could tell at a glance. From her disc-shaped Zanpakutō, Retsu could tell the Arrancar would use it like a whip. Retsu knew Ichigo would say something if he were here with her.

"You, pretender!" the Arrancar, Cirucci Sanderwicci, the 105th Arrancar, pointed at Retsu. "Why are you smiling behind your goons? I know you are itching to cut some people down. Come at me! We will have some fun."

"Ah, I can't stand this type. So unsightly and uncouth—you take care of this, Ikkaku. I am going to guard Captain Unohana," Yumichika commented while fanning himself.

"Ou! I am eager to beat the shit out of this bastard," Ikkaku grinned madly.

"Eh, have fun somewhere else, Baldie," Cirucci dismissed.

With a twitch of his lip, Ikkaku released his Zanpakutō, "Grow, Hōzukimaru!"

Ikkaku met the pommel of his katana with its sheath, causing it to glow and merge. When the light disappeared, he got a naginata in his hands. Cirucci quirked an eyebrow before sneering at Ikkaku. Irked, Ikkaku dashed at the Gothic Arrancar. In response, Cirucci lashed her Zanpakutō at Ikkaku. The whip-like Zanpakutō reached Ikkaku first.

Clank!

Sparks of fire flew off as Cirucci's blade met the chains connecting Ikkaku's naginata. Ikkaku was forced to separate it, lest the wooden shaft get cut, thus damaging his Zanpakutō. The force of the clash brought Ikkaku skidding across the floor. Shūhei noticed the blade wrapping around Ikkaku and cast a Hadō at Cirucci.

"Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"

Cirucci abruptly retracted her blade and stepped aside to dodge the Hadō. Ikkaku stopped skidding and immediately Shunpō in front of Cirucci. He swung his naginata down but hit the floor as Cirucci used Sonido to escape. The floor shattered, but Ikkaku was left unhappy.

Cirucci reappeared a distance from Retsu and the others, then flicked her Zanpakutō at them. The blade lashed out, forcing Shūhei and Yumichika to duck. Retsu remained standing, letting the blade pass over her head. She wasn't as tall as the two, after all.

"Get rid of the goons and let out your personality, lady. I know you can't hold it back any longer," Cirucci scoffed as she retracted her blade.

"Oi, oi, oi, are you going to forget me?" Ikkaku scowled as he dashed at Cirucci.

Cirucci clicked her tongue and flicked her Zanpakutō at Ikkaku. The blade met Ikkaku's naginata and got knocked out of its path. However, it didn't matter to Cirucci as she wrapped her blade around Ikkaku with another flick. Ikkaku's honed reflex saved him, fortunately. Cirucci retracted her blade before lashing at Ikkaku. The bald Shinigami took that as his cue to retreat.

"Someone needs to distract that annoying blade."

Swish!

The whip-like blade whizzed over their head. The Shinigami ducked, bar Retsu. Cirucci's blade kept swinging slightly above Retsu's height. They received the message. Cirucci wanted to have a one-on-one with Retsu.

"Oi, come on, you sadist bitch! I can see through your mask. May as well take it off!" Cirucci sneered.

At last, Cirucci lashed her blade below Retsu's height. The male Shinigami chose to jump overhead instead of ducking below, but Retsu stood still, much to their horror. Retsu merely stretched her hand and caught the whip-like blade. The blade that had been cutting through the massive stone pillars in the room like butter couldn't draw her blood.

Cirucci had a startled look as Retsu pulled her. Cirucci tried to pull her blade back, but Retsu's strength outclassed her. She was in front of Retsu before long. Retsu's fist met her cheek, sending her onto the floor. Retsu's punch broke Cirucci's jaw and teeth. She looked down at the bloodied Arrancar and smiled serenely, contrasting the look her eyes reflected.

"If you stare into the abyss, the abyss will stare back at you."

"G- Get away!"

The glimpse of madness reflected in Retsu's eyes—the one that Ichigo weirdly adored—was enough to freak the sadistic Arrancar. Cirucci shot a Cero at Retsu, prompting Retsu to let go of her blade, giving her a moment to escape. Retsu hummed contemplatively and gazed at her bleeding palm as Cirucci retreated.

"I have rusted. It seems another sparring session with Ichigo-kun is required," she mused.

Retsu's companions gulped dryly at her assessment. Cirucci's blade could cut them in half. They couldn't believe Retsu had caught it in her hand and only got a minor cut. They didn't want to know how it felt facing Retsu when she let the Demon in her loose. They wondered if Ichigo had a few screws loose spending his time sparring with the angelic demoness.

"I will make you pay, bitch!" Cirucci growled.

"Everyone knows the only one getting slapped like a bitch is you," Retsu's calmly returned.

"Damn," the trio properly reacted.

"Rip, Golondrina!"

A burst of Reiryoku covered Cirucci before revealing her in her Resurrección Form. Her head was covered with a beak-like headpiece and a mane that also covered most of her body. A pair of wings, each possessing ten crescent-shaped blades, sprouted out of her back and a prehensile tail emerged from the end of her spine. Her arms became scrawny and long.

Flapping her wings, Cirucci flew above the ground. She extended her wings and attacked Retsu with their blades.

"Captain Unohana!"

Shūhei wanted to protect her, but a look from Retsu stopped him. He watched as Retsu unsheathed her Zanpakutō and calmly blocked the wings. The force sent her skidding a few meters, but her stance remained firm. Retsu extended her hand and calmly fired a Sōkatsui at Cirucci, prompting the Privaron Espada to retract her wings and cross them before her.

Retsu's body blurred. She appeared before Cirucci as soon as Cirucci uncrossed her wings. A punch his Cirucci square in the face. As Cirucci was thrown away, she released the crescent blades on her wings. Each blade vibrated at 1,300,000 times per second. Retsu couldn't block the blades without wasting her Reiryoku like she did earlier. Therefore, she hit the flat side of the blades with her Zanpakutō's pommel to thwart them.

"Y- You!"

The shocked and enraged Cirucci released her armor, the attached arms, and the bladeless wings. The end of her tail split open, revealing a fan-like blade made out of Reishi.

"I will kill you!"

Retsu merely tilted her head and released her Zanpakutō, "Minazuki."

Her Zanpakutō morphed into a one-eyed, manta-ray-like creature. The creature flew to Cirucci, ignored her incoming fanned tail, and ate her like a snack.

"Minazuki usually heals people. But she also needs sustenance, contrary to popular belief."

Cirucci screamed inside Minazuki's stomach but went unheard. Her body melted as her life force seeped away. The male Shinigami trio looked at Retsu nervously. They realized how easy it was for her to kill them. Suddenly, her serene smile didn't feel so serene anymore.