Chapter Text
Even though Szayelaporro had already taken down the red headed Shinigami and the glasses Quincy, there were still two more Soul Reaper captains he had to deal with. To make matters worse, he could feel heavy spiritual pressures radiating from afar, because Shinigami backups were entering Hueco Mundo and heading straight for his location.
They never play fair, Szayelaporro cursed silently.
Standing before him now were the Captains of the 10th and 12th Divisions, their Zanpakutō drawn and ready for their next strike.
Szayelaporro was already utilizing the full power of his Resurrección, Fornicarás, but he had discovered something deeply unsettling during his clash with the 12th Division Captain. He had already destroyed every single internal organ inside the voodoo doll of that creepy, clown like man. Yet, strangely, his ability had shown absolutely no effect.
Shifting his stance, Szayelaporro desperately tried to hide his growing distress.
The clown captain’s face contorted into a wide smirk. "Hmm... an interesting ability," Mayuri Kurotsuchi mused. "But is that really all you can do?"
Anger flared within the Espada. "What the fuck did you do?!" Szayelaporro snarled, his composure cracking completely.
Mayuri’s smirk grew even wider. "Before I arrived, I replaced all of my internal organs with dummies."
"Impossible..." Szayelaporro muttered, stunned. But how? I only just revealed my ability!
Trying to regain his cool, he adjusted his glasses with the tip of his finger and glanced toward the other captain. Huh? Where did the little one go?
Instinct kicked in. Szayelaporro leaped backward, commanding the two giant Hollows he had summoned to cover his flanks and rear. In the exact same instant, he felt a sudden surge of spiritual pressure manifest directly behind him.
"Don't get in my way."
With a single, effortless swing of a cold, icy Zanpakutō, the giant Hollows were cleanly sliced in half. The petite captain thrust his blade directly toward Szayelaporro’s face. The Espada barely managed to duck out of the way. Fuck! That was too close! Szayelaporro fell into a desperate rhythm of dodging and blocking every strike the 10th Division Captain launched, occasionally attempting to counter.
The wings of his Fornicarás lashed out, trying to impale the boy, but the young captain was simply too fast. He blurred through the air using Flash Step, dodging from every direction and completely evading the wings.
Frustration turned into panic. Szayelaporro was nearing his limit. He realized, with a sinking chest, that he could not win this fight. If he stayed, he would die, and he refused to die like this! He couldn't leave his countless, beautiful experiments unfinished. Just thinking about his research gave him gosebumps, as he loved his work too much to perish here.
I will do whatever it takes to survive and perfect my science, he resolved.
He needed to retreat. Szayelaporro was fully prepared to throw away his dignity as the Octava Espada. Fleeing a battle was an unaceptable sin in Lord Aizen’s eyes, but Szayelaporro was pretty sure Aizen would spare his life. His intellect was far too valuable to waste, and he was the one who consistently provided useful inventions for the espada's use. Survival, however, depended on whether Aizen was in a foul mood. If his luck ran out, he would be executed.
It was a gamble, but Szayelaporro was willing to take the bet.
He continued to block and parry. Assessing the abilities of the two captains, Szayelaporro knew he could easily outrun the clown, but not the little rabbit. The boy was terrifyingly fast. What made it truly outrageous was that neither of them had even released their Bankai yet.
He had to get rid of the kid before the Shinigami reinforcements arrived. But how?
Creating some distance between them, Szayelaporro kept his guard up, searching for an escape route. He growled softly, his eyes flicking up to meet the cold, piercing stare of the white-haired captain.
"Where did that smug look on your face go, huh?" the boy mocked.
This miserable little rabbit! He is going to regret those words!
An idea formed, not his most elegant plan, but it would work. He had a massive, untested spatial project hidden away. Szayelaporro decided right then and there to make the white-haired captain his new lab rat. He would just have to beg for Lord Aizen's forgiveness twice as hard later.
It was still better than dying in this unfair fight.
The 10th Division Captain stepped forward, lunging with his ice Zanpakutō. Szayelaporro could feel the freezing air radiating from the blade. With every clash, a thin layer of frost began to creep across his Fornicarás wings.
Taking a massive leap backward, Szayelaporro slipped his left hand into his pocket. The young Shinigami was sharp, instantly noticing the movement and realizing the Espada was plotting something.
Szayelaporro couldn't help but smirk as his fingers wrapped around a strange device. Predicting his opponent's trajectory, he readied his thumb over the button.
Whatever the Espada was planning, Tōshirō Hitsugaya was ready to end it. Gripping his Zanpakutō tightly, Tōshirō charged forward at maximum speed.
Suddenly, a bizarre, distorted Senkaimon shaped like a massive torii gate materialized directly in his path. A blinding light erupted from it, forcing Tōshirō to instinctively shut his eyes.
It was too late. Tōshirō felt his momentum carry him right through the entrance of the gate.
"See you in another hell, little rabbit!" the pink-haired Espada’s maniacal laughter echoed behind him, followed by the roaring boom of an explosion and distant shouting.
Before Tōshirō could fully open his eyes, his back slammed against the hard ground and a sharp pain shot through his head.
Groaning, as a violent wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him. He knew instantly that he had been forcefully displaced to an unknown location. Shaking his head, he blinked repeatedly, but his vision remained a blurry. The sudden movement only made his headache worse. Rubbing his throbbing temple, Tōshirō knew he needed to stand and assess his surroundings. Grabbing his Zanpakutō, he pushed himself onto his knees, using Hyōrinmaru to support his weight as he slowly stood up.
Tōshirō whipped his head around, desperately searching for the Senkaimon, but it was already gone. All he could see were trees. He was stranded in the middle of forest.
suddenly, a violent wave of headache hit him. His stomach churned, leaning heavily against the trunk of a tree. muttering a curse under his breath. How could crashing into the ground make his entire body feel like it was breaking? This had to be a side effect of that corrupted Senkaimon.
Attempting to walk, he placed both hands over the hilt of Hyōrinmaru, using it like a cane to stabilize his trembling legs. He only managed a couple of steps before the world spun violently out of control. The trees blurred into a chaotic whirl, and everything went black.
The last thing Tōshirō felt was the heavy thud of his body collapsing onto the forest floor.