Symphony of Vertical and Horizontal

[Kill them! You must kill them, Stark!!!]

Stark picked at his ears in frustration, but to no avail; Lilynette's voice went straight to his heart and couldn't be blocked out.

"Gin Ichimaru, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to interfere so abruptly?" Stark protested slightly at the two's public display of affection, ignoring their surroundings.

"Your opponents are the two of us, so how can you say you're interfering?" Gin Ichimaru said.

Despite being mentally prepared, Stark couldn't help but feel a chill upon hearing Gin Ichimaru's words. Dealing with Rangiku was manageable, but he wasn't so confident about Gin Ichimaru.

[Run away, Stark?] Lilynette knows Stark's thoughts best. In the past, in Las Noches, Gin Ichimaru was the most mysterious guy after Aizen.

I want to give it a try, to do my part.

Stark still wanted to do something for his trusted comrades, and Lilynette fully respected his decision.

[Then let's do our best. If it really doesn't work, I'll run away.]

This was Lilynette's promise to Stark: should Stark be outmatched, Lilynette would take control of the body, suppress her fiery temper, and instead of fighting, she would flee.

"Sorry, some idiot interfered." Rangiku shoved Gin Ichimaru Gin Ichimaru, who simply raised his hands in a gesture of surrender behind Rangiku. "There's one more final piece; please listen."

Suddenly, the soaring music abruptly changed, becoming melodious and ethereal, somewhat like the lullaby before, but even more indifferent—this was the final movement.

Stark didn't even notice that during his exchange of blows with Rangiku, the ash sand scattered by the Cero filled his surroundings. Rangiku reduced the concentration of the ash sand, preventing him from realizing that Stark was actually inside Rangiku's Ash Garden.

A cloud of dust drifted past Stark, and he sensed something was wrong. Without regard for strategy, he swung his Dual Pistols and fired wildly. His hunting instincts told him that if he didn't do this, he might die.

Finale: Requiem for Ashes

The ash and sand surrounding Stark suddenly solidified, and the floating ash piled up together, enveloping Stark. A more Hollowfication, Stark figure, made of ashes, enveloped Stark in the center.

This is the Requiem of Ashes. This model of the Ashes Gundam, which is even taller than Stark, will gradually solidify and eventually fit onto Stark's body like a shell, ultimately becoming a static statue.

This is both the statue that Rangiku prepared for Stark and Stark's grave. The statue will gradually erode Stark's spiritual pressure. When Stark's spiritual pressure can no longer be sustained, the statue will dissipate along with Stark, turning back into ashes.

Stark, of course, wouldn't let Rangiku have her way. He kept firing Cero, Rangiku's Gundam was delayed in taking shape. Not only that, it became riddled with holes, forcing Rangiku to constantly use her spiritual pressure to repair it.

Rangiku pouted, angry with herself. Firstly, she wasn't fully mastering her Bankai abilities, and secondly, her spiritual pressure was still inferior to Stark's.

If these differences were eliminated, she wouldn't need to create a Gundam Stark and slowly compress the statue; she could simply stick the dust onto Stark's body and get it done in one step.

Now that Requiem of Ashes is teetering on the brink of collapse under Stark's attack, there's no point in wasting any more spiritual pressure. Rangiku can only change the melody while she's still angry.

Middle Chapter: A Thousand Layers of Ash Echoes

Rangiku prepared to use the same tactic again and launch an attack on Stark. However, Stark had no intention of repeating the previous operation. One after another, ferocious wolves appeared around Stark, and he wielded two swords, dancing directly in the gray sand.

Whether it was attack, defense, or binding techniques, none of them could do anything to Stark's twin blades. Instead, accompanied by the Wolf Pack ' Cero, Stark gradually approached Rangiku and the others.

Stark did not Rangiku; his gaze remained fixed on Gin Ichimaru. He knew that he could not underestimate Gin Ichimaru's opponent.

Rangiku noticed Stark's gaze, and she was helpless about it. She couldn't possibly defeat the 10th Espada as soon as she mastered a Bankai, could she? Her Bankai wasn't some kind of special mechanism monster.

"Gin, make your move," Rangiku sighed. She had already exhausted all means; if she couldn't defeat Stark, she would have to rely on Gin Ichimaru for help. She couldn't let personal feelings interfere with the Seireitei's mission, could she?

"I understand, Rangiku."

The Shinsō lashed out at Stark's head, but in that critical moment, Stark miraculously blocked Gin Ichimaru's attack with his sword.

"It's fast, but you can still see it."

"Is that so? How about this? Bankai, Shinsō!"

Neither sight nor sound could capture it; in an instant, the Shinsō had swiftly killed the two wolves beside Stark. What if those two blades had been aimed at Stark himself?

Gin Ichimaru seemed somewhat disheartened and said to Rangiku in a very gentlemanly manner, "Rangiku, please play music for me."

Rangiku rolled her eyes at Gin Ichimaru. Ever since he mastered this Bankai, Gin Ichimaru would often trick her into playing music, and of course, she was always the one spoiling him.

Beautiful music began to play. This time, Haiba didn't move, simply playing music for Gin Ichimaru. Gin Ichimaru gracefully Zanpakuto against his chest and said, "Bubble Blade Dance!"

Originally named Muta, but with the support of Rangiku's music, Gin Ichimaru's attacks were perfectly timed, and his attack frequency was like dancing a beautiful melody.

A white light shot towards Stark, but Stark had already recalled the Wolf Pack when the attack occurred; he couldn't afford to waste Wolf Pack strength.

These wolves did not disappear after returning to Stark; instead, they appeared on Stark's cloak as wolf totems. Stark had not been without progress after his battle with Sawada Tsunayoshi; his newly developed power was the Wolf King form, which integrated the pack of Wolf Pack into himself.

A wolf howl resounded through the heavens and earth, and the wolf totems on Stark's body lit up with a deep light. Each of them could use the King's Cero. Stark opened his body to meet Gin Ichimaru's Dance Blade Dance, and a deep blue light rushed towards the blade.

The Infinite Gran Rey Cero.

The dazzling light illuminated the land of Las Noches, causing all those engaged in fierce combat to pause in surprise. Stark, possessing such immense power, was undoubtedly the 10th Espada.

The light lasted for a long time, finally ending with blue piercing through white. It wasn't that Gran Rey Cero defeated the Buta Renjin, but rather that Gin Ichimaru took the initiative to retreat.

Reappearing in another location, clutching Rangiku, Gin Ichimaru sighed, "I'm tired."

If the fight continues, the only way for Gin Ichimaru to win might be to use some means to deliver the deadly poison from the Shinsō into Stark's body. But that's not what Gin Ichimaru wants. He believes that Arrancar like Stark, who cares about his comrades, should be allowed to stay.

Isn't it all about feeling at home? The Gotei 13 are masters at creating that homey atmosphere, and each squad has its own unique characteristics.

"Is that all? Do you think he'll accept it?" Rangiku said with a hint of disappointment. Stark's expression remained serious even after ending the Gran Rey Cero attack, clearly indicating that he still wanted to fight.

"No, I can't take it anymore."

"What should we do then?" Rangiku asked anxiously. At this moment, Stark had already discovered their location and was preparing to turn around and chase after them.

"Let's play together, that way we can control our attacks," Gin Ichimaru said with a smile.

Rangiku knew that this was Gin Ichimaru's true purpose. This scoundrel always deliberately held back just to tease her. With the enemy imminent, Rangiku had no time to think.

"Fine, if you don't do it well, I won't let you off the hook!" Rangiku decided to give up entirely.

"You won't do a bad job. I'm entrusting the Shinsō to you. Please make me a zither and we'll play a piece together." Gin Ichimaru gracefully pressed his hand to his chest and leaned forward, as if inviting Rangiku to perform with him.

Rangiku glared at Gin Ichimaru, then her gaze fell on the Shinsō, Shinsō blade was gradually turning into ash and merging into her gray garden.

Whether it was fate or not, after learning Bankai, Rangiku and Gin Ichimaru realized that their powers shared certain commonalities.

The reason why the Shinsō can achieve extreme speed and extreme length in an instant is that at the moment the blade extends and retracts, the blade turns into ash, and then turns back into a blade when it hits the target.

In other words, the sand is the means by which the Shinsō extends and retracts, and only in this way can it attack the enemy at supersonic speeds.

Coincidentally, the gray sand that Rangiku's Haineko transformed into and the gray sand that appeared at the moment the Shinsō extended were the same substance, meaning that Haiba and Shinsō could be fused together.

As long as Rangiku and Gin Ichimaru are of one mind, they can unleash power beyond their own Bankai. As for being of one mind, ever since Gin Ichimaru helped her find her lost item, the two have become inseparable.

Gin Ichimaru presented Rangiku with the Shinsō, and Rangiku in return prepared a musical instrument for Gin Ichimaru —a violin made of ash sand. A bow appeared on the remaining hilt of the Shinsō, and Gin Ichimaru's task was to play the violin.

Gin Ichimaru originally didn't know how to play such things, until one day he discovered a violin hidden in a secret compartment of the Third Division Captain's office, and driven by interest, he began to play with it.

Geniuses learn things very quickly. After becoming familiar with it, he put the violin back in the hidden compartment untouched. It was originally just a casual thing to do, but he never expected that one day he would actually be able to play with the woman he liked.

The rich piano and melodious violin played together, without the soaring intensity of a fierce battle or the silence of defeating an enemy; instead, it was a gentle, flowing conversation, full of tender, affectionate words.

However, as the best listener of this music, Stark felt no affection whatsoever. After the addition of the Shinsō, Rangiku's territory suddenly expanded.

If Rangiku's use of Haiba was merely a small-scale point, Gin Ichimaru's use of the Shinsō was a line that could kill at any moment.

When these two factors combined, the Grey Court's sphere of influence rapidly expanded, and by the time the Stark sensed something was wrong and tried to break out, it was too late.

Grey Court's territory covered the entire Las Noches and moved with Stark, ensuring he was always the best listener.

Amidst the pervasive grayness, countless dangers repeatedly pierced Stark's back. He brandished his double blades, yet the number of finger-sized holes in his body only increased.

He was completely unable to withstand it. The heavens and earth, and all directions, were filled with Shinsō made of gray sand. Countless sharp blades were stabbing towards Stark. All he could do was protect his head and Hollow Hole.

As for the Cero unleashed by the wolf totems on his body, it couldn't withstand all the blades; there was always a blade that could find an opening to attack Stark.

Lilynette was frantic inside Stark's body; Stark simply wouldn't let her out. It was a dead end—the Grey Court was inescapable, and the God-Slaying Blade was omnipresent. Letting Lilynette out would only hasten her death.

This is a duet between Rangiku and Gin Ichimaru, Requiem: The Concerto of the Shinsō Gray Contract.

Only unspoken bonds and tacit understanding can bring it to life; it is a melody played when the two are completely in sync.

This is an ultimate contract that lasts until death.

(PS: There are many different opinions about Rangiku and Gin Ichimaru's abilities.)

One theory suggests that Gin Ichimaru's Bankai is in a gray sand state when it expands and contracts, because when Aizen took away part of Rangiku's soul, he replenished Rangiku's body with a portion of his own soul.

Therefore, Rangiku's Shikai, Haineko, corresponds to the gray color when Gin Ichimaru's Bankai and contracts.

This explanation was adopted here, and it was used as an extension to develop Rangiku's Bankai, thus creating the vast gray sand world, also known as the Gray Garden.

Furthermore, since it was later discovered that the missing part of Rangiku was the Soul King's Fingertip, Gaara's ability was combined with musical elements to allow Rangiku to change the Sand's fighting style when playing different music.

Furthermore, since the setting adopted is that Rangiku and Gin Ichimaru have similar abilities, a move similar to a martial soul fusion technique was added for the couple.

I really don't know much about piano music, so please forgive me if I'm wrong.

above.)