Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 110 - Ace Wayne VS Kaname Tōsen
"Ace Wayne." Aizen murmured the name softly, as if savoring the Reiatsu of the one who carried it.
"Three Soul Reapers in my territory. What do you want?" Wayne's eyes stayed locked forward, but beneath the surface he was already quietly charging a concealed Cero. His stealth held, Aizen and the others hadn't noticed a thing. Not yet.
"We came looking for a partner."
"A partner?" The eyes behind Wayne's Hollow Mask narrowed. His Reiatsu stirred without thinking. "Your idea of finding a partner is killing half my forces and drawing me out?"
"No. They were experimental material." Aizen rested his hand on the Zanpakuto at his hip. "You, on the other hand, are qualified to stand beside me and help create a new era."
"Experimental material? You used my people as material?" Wayne's Reiatsu erupted. Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen both raised their arms to brace against it. "Do you even hear yourself?" Wayne kept his focus razor-sharp. The Cero's charge built steadily, not a flicker leaking through to give him away.
"Experiments require material. And the results will grant us power of a higher order. Tell me, Wayne, do you hunger for greater strength?"
"Hn."
"Join me. Pledge your loyalty, and I will give you power far beyond what you possess now. I am breaking the absolute boundary between Hollow and Soul Reaper, fusing their strengths into one. That is my work. And you are qualified to share in its fruits."
"Nonsense." Wayne didn't hesitate. In the original story, Aizen had never truly valued the Hollows. No matter how loyal the Arrancar were, all they ever got in return was cold indifference. Wayne knew this. He'd been preparing for it since long before Aizen ever set foot in Hueco Mundo. He'd clawed his way up from the lowest of Hollows all the way to Vasto Lorde. He still wasn't sure he had the strength to beat Aizen, but running wasn't an option. Even if he escaped, Aizen would exterminate every last one of his people. Everything would have to start over from nothing.
"You're different from other Hollows, Wayne. I've seen your domain, the way it mimics a human living environment. You were human once, weren't you? A Hollow born from a human soul." Aizen's grip on his hilt tightened slightly, ready to draw. "A being with human intelligence, I believe you and I could work very well together."
"As a gesture of sincerity, I will offer my blade as — "
HUMMM!
An invisible Cero erupted. The wave of Reiatsu compressed the surrounding air into a low, rolling thunder.
The blast shot straight for Aizen. His eyes contracted, just a flicker, and then he was gone, Shunpo carrying him backward. Gin and Tōsen moved at the same instant. The Reiatsu had burst too fast for any of them to intercept. They'd jumped clear with Shunpo, but Wayne's sudden Cero still left its mark on all three.
The dust settled. The three Soul Reapers stood several dozen meters back.
"What is the meaning of this, Wayne?" Aizen looked down at the scorch marks on his Shihakusho, then at the burns on Gin and Tōsen. His gaze went cold.
"You killed my subordinates and drew your blade on me. I feel not the slightest sincerity." Wayne's tone matched Aizen's chill. But inwardly, he was stunned. His concealed Cero could catch even a Vasto Lorde off guard, yet these three had reacted far too fast. A blow that should have done real damage had only lightly singed Gin and Tōsen. Aizen's Shihakusho was charred, but the man himself was untouched.
"They were only lower Hollows. Why cling to them?" Aizen's left hand settled lightly on his hilt. The warmth had left his eyes. "You gather subordinates to build your power. Cooperating with me serves the same purpose. Why keep me at arm's length?"
"Save your words. Whatever you're after — get out of my territory."
"Insolent!" Tōsen's Reiatsu detonated. He lunged, blade raised. "A mere Hollow beast dares challenge Lord Aizen's authority? Cry, Suzumushi!"
CLANG!
Suzumushi released, the ring-adorned hilt materialized before Wayne's eyes, accompanied by a clear insect chime. Zanpakuto met Sky-Rending Greatsword and sparks scattered in all directions.
Wayne reacted instantly, flooding his Reiatsu outward to suppress the ringing and keep the sound waves from reaching his ears. He summoned his greatsword to parry and turned his full attention to Tōsen, meeting him head-on.
As long as he didn't look at Aizen, Kyokasuigetsu couldn't touch him. Tōsen had charged in and Aizen hadn't stopped it, fine. Wayne would eliminate one of their fighters first. It also gave him the perfect excuse to keep his eyes off Aizen. That said, part of his awareness stayed fixed on Aizen and Gin at all times. Gin's Shinso and Aizen's Kyokasuigetsu were both instant-kill weapons. One moment of inattention meant death.
"Interesting. Even in the middle of combat, he's still watching us." Aizen's satisfaction grew the longer he observed.
"Then we can't exactly strike freely, can we, Lord Aizen." Gin, still young, still boyish, drew his Zanpakuto and leveled the tip toward Wayne. "My Shinso should be able to land a surprise hit, don't you think?"
"No need, Gin." Aizen cut him off. "Your attack won't work on him. Let Tōsen probe a little more first. This Hollow's abilities are considerable. If he won't join us, we'll use the Hōgyoku to absorb his soul force, that alone would be a great benefit to us down the road. Let's see where his limits lie."
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Blade met blade. The force traveling through the steel gave Wayne a read on Tōsen's current Reiatsu. Unlike Aizen, whose true strength remained an absolute unknown from start to finish, Tōsen was legible. He hadn't earned the captain's title yet, but his Reiatsu was already at captain level. Still, Wayne had no reason to lose to him.
"Soul Reapers. Is this all you've got." Wayne blocked with his left arm, greatsword braced, while his right claw gleamed. He raked for Tōsen's heart. Tōsen stepped back, evading.
One Shattering Slash. Then Wayne opened his mouth. Pale-gold Reiatsu gathered, a Cero blasted straight for Tōsen's face.
HUMMM!
No charge time. Tōsen cleaved through it with a single Reiatsu-infused strike. The scattered Cero detonated on all sides, and gave Wayne exactly the opening he needed.
Flash Step. Concealment. Kill strike.
CLANG!
Steel rang out. The sneak attack failed.
"Right. I forgot." Wayne laughed despite himself. Tōsen was blind. Dust and smoke meant nothing to him.
"A sneak attack?" Tōsen's expression didn't shift. He released a burst of Reiatsu and blasted Wayne backward. "I wouldn't lose to one either."
He raised his Zanpakuto upright, hand braced beneath the hilt, and began to chant.
"Bankai!"
Purple Reiatsu surged. The ring on the hilt spun and expanded, and with the shriek of cicadas, it detached, splitting into nine rings of light that scattered in all directions. An instant later, each ring flared with dark purple radiance from its center, swallowing both Wayne and Tōsen whole.
"Suzumushi Tsuishiki — Enma Korogi."
The chant fell. Wayne was plunged into absolute darkness. Inside this domain, four of his five senses were stripped away. Only touch remained.
"Bankai, then." In the perfect silence, Wayne closed his eyes.
Once Enma Korogi was active, no one from outside could enter. He didn't have to worry about Aizen or Gin slipping in through the dark. As for Tōsen alone, Wayne could handle him.
Tōsen had always followed Aizen, but the man had real talent. The same hypnotic ability, used properly, it was no less dangerous than Aizen's. A shame his mastery of Enma Korogi was still underdeveloped. Otherwise he'd never have lost so badly to Zaraki back then.
THUD!
No sound, but Wayne's left shoulder lit up with sharp, undeniable pain. Blood was already seeping out. Beyond the wound and the pain, he could sense nothing else.
A moment later, a blade carved across his back. Even as it cut, Wayne twisted and swung. He felt solid resistance, he'd caught Tōsen's blade. Then silence closed in again.
Fast reaction. Tōsen had retreated and was watching from a distance. That returning greatsword had come straight for his skull as if it had eyes. He'd barely managed to parry. A split second slower and he'd have taken the hit.
I need to end this now. Tōsen made his decision. The next strike would be fatal.
And Wayne was waiting for exactly that.
From the moment he'd entered Enma Korogi and taken his first wound, he'd deliberately held back his High-Speed Regeneration. No healing. The point was to make Tōsen drop his guard, to draw out one completely undefended strike.
He just hadn't expected it to come this fast.
THUD!
A blade punched through Wayne's chest. At the same instant, Wayne's left claw clamped around Tōsen's right hand.
The darkness shattered. Tōsen's silhouette snapped into view. All five senses flooded back at once.
"No, impossible!" Panic flickered across Tōsen's face. His Bankai's greatest weakness, seized so easily. He couldn't believe it.
"What a pity." The words dropped from Wayne like a verdict. Then the blade came down.
The stroke carved from Tōsen's right shoulder straight through, severing the arm entirely. Lungs and right-side organs took catastrophic damage. Nearly a third of Tōsen's body was cleaved away in a single blow. Suzumushi tumbled into Wayne's grip.
"How... can this...!"
BANG!
Tōsen collapsed. The Enma Korogi domain burst like a popped balloon. Aizen and Gin could see it all at once, blood soaking the sand, Tōsen sprawled in a spreading pool of it. A faint, amused smile crept across Aizen's lips.
"Remarkable. To bring Tōsen to this state in so short a time." Aizen and Gin Shunpo'd forward together, without a trace of fear.
Seeing Aizen advance, Wayne instinctively Flash Stepped back and widened the distance. Suzumushi was already in his hand, he tossed it into his pocket dimension without a second thought.
"Oh my, that really is a nasty wound. This Hollow beast doesn't hold back at all." Gin crouched beside Tōsen, both hands glowing green as he began to heal. He showed no fear that Wayne might strike. Aizen was standing right there.
"Wayne. We fought. Wounds were taken on both sides. Shall we consider it even for what was done to your subordinates?" Aizen's tone was unhurried. Tōsen's injuries might as well have been someone else's concern entirely. He kept right on talking.
"So I'll ask you again, Wayne, will you accept my invitation and become my comrade? Your abilities are exceptional. Together, we could create something magnificent. With the results of my experiments, we could overturn the entire balance of Soul Society and Hueco Mundo in a single stroke."
"..." Wayne said nothing. His eyes stayed fixed on Aizen. Joining Aizen's faction was not an option, the moment Kyokasuigetsu took hold, he'd never break free. He had to find a way to kill Aizen, or escape him, after Nel had finished relocating everyone.
"It seems Wayne has no intention of joining us." Aizen's smile faded. "In that case, please die here."
His Reiatsu spiked. The pressure surged past mid-tier Vasto Lorde, to a height where even a high-tier Vasto Lorde would have looked dim beside it.
"This Reiatsu... it's completely absurd." Wayne felt it wash over him and couldn't stop himself from stepping back. Back when he was still an Adjuchas, not even Starrk had ever radiated pressure like this.
Still only a lieutenant, and his Reiatsu already dwarfs a captain's. Is Aizen some kind of training freak? Wayne's thoughts raced. At this point in the timeline, Gin was still the 3rd Seat of the 5th Division. Aizen hadn't even become captain yet. Years should remain before the main story's events, yet Aizen was already this powerful. This fight was not going to be easy.
"Come, Wayne. Show me how strong you are." Aizen's hand moved to his hilt.
Wayne didn't give him the chance to draw. He Flash Stepped in and brought his greatsword crashing down. Aizen retreated instantly, drawing his Zanpakuto mid-Shunpo, but Wayne was already gone.
The instant Aizen moved, Wayne teleported behind him and thrust.
CLANG!
Blade met blade. Wayne Flash Stepped away.
Shadow Step, Frenzied Dance!
He became a streak of pale-gold light, attacking from every angle in rapid succession, giving Aizen no opening to chant.
"Bakudo No. 61 — Rikujokoro."
THUD!
Six golden rods of light locked Wayne in place.
"Damn Kidō!" Wayne snarled and shattered the binding with a burst of Reiatsu. He looked up, Aizen had already raised his Zanpakuto, tip aimed directly at him.
"Shatter, Kyoka Sui — hn?!"
In that hair's-breadth moment, Wayne triggered his spatial ability and teleported directly in front of Aizen. His left hand seized Kyokasuigetsu's blade. His right brought the greatsword down with everything he had.
BOOM!
The Reiatsu-laden strike hammered the sand into a roaring cloud of dust and debris. Aizen was blasted backward. The slash itself hadn't touched him, but the flying grit had. A thin graze opened across his cheek.
The dust settled. Wayne stood in Aizen's field of view. On his right claw, a few scattered drops of blood, from gripping the blade as Aizen wrenched it free.
Aizen's eyes narrowed. The face that had always worn gentleness now carried something cold and dark.
"Just now... was all of that a coincidence?"
➤ Next: Defeat