Swordsong over the wasteland

The sword sung on the barren heath. -- William Blake, Milton: A Poem (1804-1810)

Kyōraku and Ukitake moved at the same time.

When they were still students at the Shin'ō Academy, they were already the best partners who went everywhere together. Even though nearly a thousand years have passed between them, the tacit understanding that was engraved in their bones has not been worn away by time in the slightest.

Ukitake attacked from above, and the two Sōgyo no Kotowari slashed out in a cross pattern, their blades flashing coldly in the air; Kyōraku then attacked from below, his blade skimming the ground as he slashed towards Jiku'a's ankle.

One person attacks head-on, while the other strikes from below, so no matter which attack the opponent responds to, the other will deliver a fatal blow.

Against an ordinary enemy, this round would be enough to secure victory.

But Jiku'a was clearly no ordinary enemy.

He drew the sword from its sheath just as the blade was about to touch him, the blade slicing through the air and leaving a trail of pale blue light.

An invisible wave rippled out from in front of him, like a circle of ripples spreading on a calm lake. Wherever the ripple passed, the space became viscous and stagnant, as if it had solidified into a translucent gel.

Ukitake and Kyōraku simultaneously felt as if their bodies had been plunged into a viscous liquid. All their movements became extremely slow, their muscles screamed, their bones groaned, and the blade slowly advanced, yet it could not touch the Blue Coat even an inch.

"What's going on here!"

"My body... I can't move!?"

The two stood frozen in place like a videotape stuck in time, their Zanpakuto still poised to strike in mid-air, only their eyes reflecting the same terror.

Jiku'a simply raised his sword slowly, made a vertical slashing motion in front of the two of them, gathered his strength, and then slashed down fiercely.

A spatial rift exploded under his blade, like a torn piece of night, its edges jagged, carrying with it the power of the void to annihilate everything as it rushed towards the two of them.

"Captain!" Nanao shouted almost in anguish when she saw this scene from afar.

Boom--!

The moment the rift closed, everyone held their breath.

However, after the smoke cleared, the two people who had retreated several meters were completely unharmed.

Before them, a transparent light wall, already shattered in two, was slowly dissipating, turning into countless extremely fine Reishi particles that drifted into the night.

"Dankū?" Jiku'a tilted his head slightly, somewhat surprised. "When was it set up?"

Kyōraku let out a soft breath and pushed his straw hat up a little. "Who knows?"

He maintained his usual smile, speaking as if in conversation, "But I really didn't expect it—you can not only Dankū, but also time. The reason we were unable to move just now was because you severed time within a certain range in front of us, right? That's a deadly first encounter."

Ukitake gripped his Zanpakuto tightly, saying warily, "Kyōraku, it's best not to get too close to him."

Kyōraku nodded to him, and the two separated again, keeping their distance to each other on the left and right.

"Imperfect Rakugo."

Kyōraku swung his twin swords, unleashing two sharp whirlwinds that swept out from between the blades, carrying Reiatsu Jiku'a.

The whirlwind was swift and fierce, swirling up pebbles along its path and carrying countless fragments that completely engulfed Jiku'a.

But for Jiku'a, this was not a difficult tactic to counter.

Jiku'a stretched out a hand in the wind and waved it to the side to disperse the whirlwind, a figure suddenly appeared from the other side. Ukitake, Ukitake both swords, leaped out from behind Jiku'a and slashed at his waist.

Jiku'a reacted with lightning speed, clenching her other hand in mid-air, instantly forming Phantom Blade. The blue blade blocked Ukitake's sudden attack with twin swords. "You were just advising others not to approach easily, and now you're the one rushing in recklessly?"

"This is not recklessness."

Ukitake's expression was serious, and suddenly lightning flashed on the sword in his right hand.

The lightning came without warning, and the power of Hadō the blade erupted from it, surging out and carrying destructive the Heat as it slashed towards Jiku'a's face.

A hint of surprise flashed in Jiku'a's eyes, and then a red light appeared on the Phantom Blade, and an explosion erupted the moment the blades collided.

Boom--!

Both were blasted away at the same time.

Jiku'a flipped in mid-air, landing on one foot and gliding backward several steps before regaining his balance. Smoke from the explosion still lingered on his right hand, and the blue aura of the Phantom Blade flickered faintly in the smoke.

"It's Kidō again, and it's quite powerful. Could it be that the moment I was entangled by the whirlwind was enough for him to fully chant a high- Sequence Hadō?"

Ukitake steadied himself as he stumbled backward. "What was that red light his sword emitted just now? Its power was comparable to the Raikōhō!"

Just as the two were speculating, a dark figure silently appeared behind Jiku'a.

Kyōraku emerged from Jiku'a's own shadow, brandishing two swords that gleamed coldly in the moonlight, aiming straight for Jiku'a's back.

Jiku'a reacted extremely quickly, dispelling the Phantom Blade in his hand. With a clench of his left hand, the Phantom Beowulf's gauntlets instantly materialized, blocking the attack with a backhand.

The blade clashed with the gauntlets, sparks exploding between the two.

Kyōraku inexplicably said, "I've got you. Now it's your turn to be the ghost."

Confused, Jiku'a drew his sword and slashed, only to see Kyōraku lean back and disappear into his own shadow. The next second, he emerged from Ukitake's shadow, saw Jiku'a still in the same spot, and grinned. "Eh? Never played before?"

He held up one finger. "Hide and seek, a game of tag. One person is 'it' and tries to catch others, and the person who gets caught becomes 'it,' and then 'it' becomes human again. People can use their shadows to hide or escape 'it's' pursuit—it's very simple, isn't it?"

"Oh?" Jiku'a raised an eyebrow. "It does sound very simple."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already vanished. The next instant, he appeared in front of Kyōraku, his blade flashing like lightning as he swung it horizontally.

Kyōraku raised both swords, simultaneously blocking the attack. "No, you need to at least grab the hem of your clothes."

Jiku'a ignored his ravings and was about to strike again when he noticed a blade beneath his feet.

Suddenly, Ukitake plunged the knife in his right hand into his own shadow, the tip of the blade silently disappearing into the thick darkness.

At the same time, Jiku'a's own shadow suddenly rippled with a very faint light, and the tip of a knife emerged from it.

The light of the Hadō shone on the tip of the blade, and a blue flame burst forth from the shadow, heading straight for Jiku'a.

Jiku'a instinctively retreated, but his shadow followed him. Naturally, the blade that pierced out from the shadow also followed him, no matter where he retreated.

Blue flames burst forth, and the firelight soared into the sky, illuminating the entire ruins as if it were daytime.

"It's done!" A hint of joy flashed in Ukitake's eyes.

But the next second, his smile froze on his face.

Jiku'a stood in the center of the eruption of blue flames, his expression slightly somber. Apart from some dust on his clothes, he had no external injuries whatsoever.

"What?" Ukitake's pupils contracted sharply.

"The Sōren Sōkatsui couldn't even leave a decent wound? It seems I'll have to use a higher- Sequence Hadō..."

The thought had barely formed in his mind when he plunged the knife into the shadow again in his right hand, intending to repeat the same trick. But this time, Jiku'a did not give him another chance.

"That's enough of this little trick."

A flash of blue light appeared in Jiku'a's eyes, and blue Reishi rapidly condensed as if a lit fuse had been drawn. "May Rain!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a large number of Summoned Swords suddenly condensed in the sky, their tips pointing downwards, falling down like rain in May, drizzling but continuous.

Ukitake and Kyōraku both paled. Just as they were about to hide in the shadows, Jiku'a appeared beside Kyōraku in an instant, drew his blade, and slashed across him.

A flash of blood.

A gash was slashed across Kyōraku's chest, and blood gushed out, staining his open Shihakusho red.

"Gotcha." Beads of blood slid down the blade of Jiku'a's sword. "Next, you're the ghost."

With a flick of his wrist, he pushed Kyōraku into the rain of swords, then disappeared straight into the shadows.

"Oh no, Ukitake!" Kyōraku watched his blue figure disappear into the shadows, reaching out but failing to grab the other's clothes, his heart sinking.

In the game of tag, everyone has an independent identity. Now that his identity has been switched with Jiku'a's, he has become the one who cannot enter the Shadow Space.

Shadow Space

This dark place, constructed by the rules of the Katen Kyōkotsu, should have been a sanctuary that Ukitake and Kyōraku knew best, but now it has become an inescapable cage.

Jiku'a stepped out of the shadows, his Blue Coat gleaming faintly in the darkness. He raised his hand, and the gauntlets of Phantom Beowulf shone with a blinding light in the darkness.

"It's just the two of us here now." Jiku'a tilted his head slightly and straightened his collar. "Kyōraku probably won't be able to get in anytime soon. How long do you think you can hold out by yourself?"

Ukitake crossed his Zanpakuto in front of his chest, slightly pulling his right toes back, assuming a defensive stance.

Jiku'a moved like a blue lightning bolt, closing in instantly, his right fist, imbued with the light of the Phantom Beowulf, aimed straight at Ukitake's face.

As Ukitake's left sword met the attack, he slightly turned his body, using a clever technique to deflect the force of the punch to the side. However, Jiku'a's attack did not stop, and his left fist thrust out rapidly.

The swift thrust grazed Ukitake's sleeve, tearing away a small patch of skin from his left arm. Blood seeped out and slid down the slender, fishbone-like blade.

Ukitake retreated in a sorry state. Each collision with the gauntlet was a heavy test for him. As he continued to parry and deflect the force, his breathing became heavier and heavier.

Jiku'a's attacks were relentless, pouring down like a torrential rain. The ghostly blue demonic flames danced on his fists, tearing several slits of varying sizes into Ukitake's robes.

Blood dripped continuously.

"It seems the blade in your left hand primarily absorbs energy-based attacks." Jiku'a looked down at Ukitake, who was already panting heavily. "You still have to bear the physical impact yourself, but with a body like yours, how long can you hold out?"

Ukitake had no strength to respond. He felt as if every breath was scraping his lungs with a file, the taste of blood in his throat grew stronger, and his vision began to darken.

"Hold on a little longer, please don't let it get worse right now."

Ukitake gritted his teeth, maintaining his defense while hoping his body could hold on a little longer.

"Jiku'a, you are indeed a powerful Zanpakuto." He looked at the blue figure before him.

"Neither my Sōgyo no Kotowari nor Kyōraku's Katen Kyōkotsu can compare to you in pure combat ability... yet your strength reveals a sense of loneliness--"

"Wouldn't it be too lonely for a Zanpakuto to fight alone without its wielder?" Ukitake suddenly remarked.

Jiku'a asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

That's exactly what I mean.

Ukitake suddenly smiled; the time was ripe, and the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Jiku'a charged again with a punch, Ukitake did not retreat or defend. Instead, he raised the blade in his right hand, and the tip of the blade suddenly lit up.

"Hadō #88 - Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"

A massive bolt of lightning, powerful enough to engulf everything, burst forth from his hand, instantly igniting the entire Shadow World. The gray, dark space burned into a ghastly white expanse within the lightning.

Jiku'a's fist was already upon him, but he hadn't expected that Ukitake could use such a high- Sequence Hadō at such close range.

Lightning collided with Beowulf's gauntlets.

Boom--!

A deafening explosion blasted Jiku'a out of the Shadow Space!

His body crashed heavily to the ground, cracking the thick stone slab in several places. Before he could recover from the aftershocks of the explosion, a dark shadow fell from the sky.

"Imperfect Rakugo!"

Kyōraku, who had been waiting for a long time, swooped down like a falcon, his twin swords unleashing two whirlwinds that swept up Jiku'a.

The whirlwind, carrying Reiatsu, hurled Jiku'a into the sky, while Kyōraku also leaped up, his body rising even higher with the wind, doing a somersault in the air, his blade plummeting downwards like a demon.

"This is returned to you—the superior prevails, Takaoni!"

Kyōraku's slash, delivered slightly Jiku'a in mid-air, became both heavy and fast thanks to the power of the rules.

The blade flashed straight down, striking Jiku'a in the chest. The two slashes left a deep, bone-revealing "X"-shaped wound on Jiku'a's chest.

Jiku'a crashed into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

As the Kyōraku ended, Ukitake slowly emerged from the shadows.

His clothes were tattered, he was covered in wounds, and his face was so pale it was almost transparent.

"Looks like you had a tough fight." Kyōraku glanced at him.

Ukitake nodded, and was about to speak Jiku'a's voice came from the side.

"I see."

They both turned their heads at the same time.

Jiku'a shakily pushed himself up from the ground. He raised his head, and the light in his cold, icy eyes shone even brighter than before.

"The left sword can absorb energy in all forms, and the right sword can release the absorbed energy in any form." Jiku'a's gaze swept over the two Zanpakuto in Ukitake's hands. "It can even control the form of energy to use as fuel for Kidō that omit incantations."

"How could you still stand up after suffering such a serious injury..." Ukitake's voice suddenly turned cold, his gaze falling on Jiku'a's chest, trying to confirm the injury Kyōraku had just inflicted, but he saw a strange sight instead:

The wound is healing slowly at a rate visible to the naked eye.

"High-speed regeneration?!" Ukitake's pupils contracted sharply. "How can such Menos Grande ability appear in you?!"

"He's a character Amber cares about, after all. I originally planned to go as easy on him as possible." Jiku'a slowly stood up, offering no explanation. The gold embroidery on his blue trench coat gleamed coldly in the moonlight, Beowulf's phantom had dissipated. "But it seems I underestimated him."

He looked at the two of them, and the light in his eyes was much sharper than before.

"Shunsui Kyōraku, Jūshirō Ukitake, you truly deserve to be called captains of the first tier below Captain-Commander Yamamoto."

He slowly raised his sword, its tip gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light in the moonlight. "So in the battle to come, I'll find it difficult to hold back."

Ukitake frowned, feeling like he was listening to a joke, "You mean, up until now, you haven't taken it seriously?"

Kyōraku's joking expression vanished. "Do you have some misunderstanding about the phrase 'showing mercy'?"

"Whether it's true or false—" Jiku'a's Reiatsu began to emanate from her body, forming a pale blue aura, "You'll find out soon enough."

The next instant, he appeared ten paces away, his sword already sheathed.

Iai.

A flash of light.

Even though Jiku'a was extremely far away from the two, this strike still forced them to dodge simultaneously with Shunpo, and that dodge indeed saved their lives.

Where they had stood, two void rifts silently exploded, and several sharp blades of energy burst forth from the dark cracks, cutting the ground in that area into pieces.

"This is--" Just as Ukitake regained his footing, before he could react, Jiku'a's iaido attack struck again.

Two more void rifts exploded around them, this time even faster than before, and the two of them came up with their own countermeasures.

Kyōraku shouted, "Irooni —whoever speaks of beauty and captures its essence wins!"

The rules of the Irooni Game were set in motion: any attack that didn't target the correct color would be ineffective. He thus escaped the range of the blade's aura unscathed, his clothes not even torn. "Once the game begins," he said, "If you can't name the correct color according to the rules, your attacks will have no effect."

Ukitake then held the left sword horizontally. "If it were just pure physical tearing of space, it wouldn't have this kind of destructive power over distance." Relying on the protection of the rules of the Irooni Game, he directly absorbed and neutralized the void-tearing energy that attacked him one by one.

Both of them successfully broke through Jiku'a's Judgment Cut.

Before they could even catch their breath, two massive red slashes came hurtling towards them.

"Hmph." Ukitake snorted lightly, raising his sword to absorb the red slash as well. "No matter how many of these energy attacks come, they're useless."

Just as he was about to raise his sword to absorb the energy, a tiny blue light flashed past him.

Jiku'a's figure appeared, his left hand already clad in the Phantom Beowulf gauntlet, eerie blue light patterns dancing wildly on his fist. "But it can only absorb the left blade, right—Black!"

The red slash was just bait; the real killing move was yet to come.

As Jiku'a uttered the color, he moved with ghostly speed, his right leg sweeping out like a battle axe. "Lunar Phase!"

That kick, carrying terrifying Reiatsu, landed heavily on Ukitake's chest.

Before Ukitake could even react, he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string. He tumbled several times in the air, crashed into a broken wall, and slid several meters along the ground.

"Ukitake!" Kyōraku watched Ukitake fly away and wanted to chase after it immediately, but Jiku'a had already acted first.

He Shunpo behind Kyōraku.

"Why are you surprised?" Jiku'a was almost pressed against his back, his voice seeming to squeeze out from the eerie blue flames, "Does using the Summoned Swords mean I can't use Shunpo anymore? Black!"

He spoke the color of the rule once more, the blade slicing horizontally, grazing Kyōraku's back.

Kyōraku barely managed to dodge by leaning forward, but Jiku'a's speed was simply too fast. He had barely turned around when the next blade of light descended. "Black!"

Another diagonal cut was made across his chest, the two wounds connecting perfectly with the previous one, forming a large cross.

This is to repay you.

Jiku'a was about to sheathe his sword and retreat, the figure that should have fallen suddenly sprang up and seized him!

"What are you surprised about?" Jiku'a grabbed Kyōraku's wrist, Kyōraku voice ringing in his ear, "My Shihakusho are already stained red with my own blood—make sure you see carefully next time you strike!"

As he spoke, he tightened his arms even more, like an iron clamp:

"Attack! Ukitake!"

Jiku'a also subconsciously looked in the direction of Ukitake.

Ukitake coughed up blood, his chest slightly collapsed, and he knelt on one knee in the ruins, but still managed to stand up shakily.

A streak of blood hung from the corner of his mouth, and his usually gentle face was filled with determination and murderous intent.

"Blue!"

Ukitake practically choked the word out of his throat, and at the same time, he abruptly raised the right side of his Sōgyo no Kotowari, the tip pointing straight to the sky.

Blue Reiatsu condensed at the tip of the blade, like a star suddenly illuminating, bursting forth with countless rays of light in the night.

Then, with a speed almost exceeding his limits, he Shunpo in front of Jiku'a.

"Hadō Chapter 78 - Zanka no Tachi!"

The golden Zanka no Tachi detached from the blade tip, like a full moon falling to earth, carrying destructive power, and aimed at Jiku'a's chest.