Bleach: True Power. Chapter 52: Difference

Jaques was surprised to see that his attack had been blocked. But when he saw who was responsible for that action, he felt both happy, as well as angry. Ryutora, the one he had intended to kill, the one he wanted to oppose with this power he now held, had finally come. but when he had come, he had stopped his, Jaques’, attack and survived unscathed. Ryutora looked at his parents, his aunt and his grandmother, before looking at everyone else, ‘hey everyone. Sorry it took so long for me to return.’

Blaze chuckled, ‘well, knowing that grandfather of yours, he kept you training for days.’ Ryutora smiled and nodded, ‘he did indeed. But it was worth it.’ the head captain stepped around Ryutora, seeming slightly surprised. When Ryutora had fought Ōritsu about a week ago, their power, his own and Ryutora’s power, had been equal when Ryutora used all four of his powers. Now he seemed to be only using his soul reaper power and it was greater than his own power.

Ryutora looked at Jaques, slightly tilting his head, ‘Jaques? Is that what you’ve become after the ritual?’ Jaques nodded and grinned, ‘indeed! And I was wiping the floor with these weaklings before you showed up. But I do wonder; what happened to your power? Sure it was great before, but as you entered I didn’t recognize your power at all. From before it has almost completely changed.’ Ryutora nodded, ‘I know. I went through some changes. Similar to you. but what’s different about us is not important now.’

he walked forward and only stopped when he stood two meter in front of Jaques, calm as ever, before saying, ‘I want you to relinquish the hell core within you.’ Jaques’ eyes grew big with surprise, ‘you want me to give up part of my power?!’ Ryutora nodded, ‘I do indeed. It belongs to someone else. By you taking it, you’ve caused him a heart attack, soul collapse and put him in a coma. If it’s returned, he’ll survive. So I’m asking you to give it back.’ Jaques chuckled, ‘now that’s funny! You want me to give up my power to safe a live, while I obtained this power to end a life, yours!’ Ryutora sighed and nodded, ‘I know. And yes, that’s what I want you to do.’

Jaques chuckled again, before bursting out into hysterical laughter, sending out shockwaves of spirit energy. When he stopped laughing, he looked at Ryutora with a twisted grin, ‘okay, let’s say I give it back, than what?’ Ryutora shrugged, ‘I guess you can take over Ōritsu’s position as overlord of hell.’ Jaques shook his head with a smile, ‘and if I decide to keep it for myself, than what?’ Ryutora closed his eyes for a moment, cupped his hands into fists, opened his eyes and looked up at Jaques, ‘in that case I’ll force it out of you.’

Jaques started laughing again, brought up his blades shield and thrust it forward with a flash step. Ryutora spun around on his feet while moving his body to the side, evading the stab, before grabbing the arm, sweeping Jaques’ legs out from under him and tossing him into the sky slightly. Ryutora took a sideways stance in the air and the head captain recognized that stance. And as Jaques came down again, Ryutora unleashed his attack, ‘Ikkotsu!’

Ryutora’s punch hit Jaques right in his abdomen and, being sideways in the sky, the attack launched him upwards, causing him to slam into the barrier around the Seireitei. Ryutora spun around and landed on the ground, before looking at everyone, ‘with his new power and my training at the hands of the royal guards, if we fought in the Seireitei, things would get messy. I’m taking him to a different location.’ Ryutora flash stepped upwards, after Jaques who tried to pull himself out of the cracked shield. Ryutora appeared in front of him, hitting him with another Ikkotsu, knocking him through the shield. Ryutora walked through it, before flash stepping after Jaques, who now had two bleeding wounds on his chest. As he reached Jaques, he took a new stance, before launching two fists at his opponent, ‘Sokotsu!’ the shockwave of Ryutora’s fists hitting Jaques could be felt as a tremor on the ground. And while Jaques’ armor and body was broken to bits, he was also launched far away. Ryutora followed him with a flash step.

Asuna looked at Maria, slightly tilting her head, ‘we’ve both gone through some changes. But I can hardly tell that it’s you Maria.’ The latter chuckled, ‘well stuff happens. And it looks like you’ve gained a boost in power as well. that’s good. Otherwise beating you to a bloody pulp wouldn’t be fun at all!’ Maria flashed forward, taking one of the blade clock hands of her back and slashing at Asuna. The latter side stepped that attack, before letting out the first of her weapons; the wolf, which she formed into a blade, which she used to counter attack.

Maria quickly pulled a second clock hand blade of her back and blocked it, but was surprised by the great strength in Asuna’s attack. Maria took a step back, put the second clock hand back on her back and grabbed one of her guns with that hand, keeping the blade in her other hand. Asuna brought out her second weapon; the crow, which she formed into a bow in her left hand, charging an arrow made of spirit energy on it. the two flashed forward, slashing their blades at each other, both of them clashing. Maria pointed her gun and Asuna he bow, before both of them unleashed a blast of spirit energy.

Eric helped up Katrina, Yumichika carried Ikkaku and Omeada helped up Izuru. Pandora was helped by Ranmaru and Lisa and Rukia helped each other as they took their distance from the battle. It’s not that they didn’t want to help. But if they tried to interfere in a battle with these levels of spirit energy, they’d likely get in the way.

the head captain sheathed his Zanpaktou and turned it back into a cane before leaning on it. captain Unohana went by everyone, healing the injuries they had sustained. Atlas, using his hybrid soul heal ability, assisted her in this. the head captain sat down by Ryutora’s family, ‘tell me, had you ever expected him to turn out like this?’ Revan sighed, ‘I’m not sure sir. Ryutora’s always been strong. But to see him outmaneuver an opponent all of us had trouble with goes beyond all my expectations.’ Alexandra nodded, ‘I barely saw Ryu move. the next moment this Jaques guy’s send flying.’ Ryuuka looked in the direction her nephew had flown of in, ‘in terms of power, before, he was your equal head captain. Now, after his training by dad and the other royal guards, who knows where his full power lies now.’ Saya sighed and smiled, ‘I think Ryutora stands a chance. Where this Jaques already used his Shikai, Ryutora still has to draw his Zanpaktou.’ The head captain nodded.

Blaze had heard the head captain and Ryutora’s family and looked into the direction Ryutora had gone to, ‘good luck kid. That Jaques attacked you in arrogance, not knowing how strong you’ve become. When he gets serious, you might just have a tough fight on your hands, even now.’ He sealed his Bankai and sheathed his blade, before sitting down and letting captain Unohana treat his wounds.

{far away from the Seireitei}

Jaques fell down quickly, crashing into what appeared to be the sea. His body was broken and bleeding, but it was also already regenerating. He lifted himself out of the water and as he stepped into the sky again, his body was fully healed again. Ryutora had delivered two more of those Ikkotsu punches to him and one more Sokotsu. As Jaques shook the water out of his hair, he wondered how that kid had become this strong.

as if on cue, Ryutora appeared in front of him with a flash step. Jaques smiled, ‘you could’ve simply asked me to take the fight elsewhere. I would’ve gladly come here on my own.’ Ryutora grabbed the hilt of his Zanpaktou and drew his weapon, ‘maybe, but I wanted to make sure to get you here. Far away from the Seireitei, at the coast of the sea of the soul society. We have land, sea and sky. I’d say this is a perfect place for us to have an all out battle where no one will get in our way.’

Jaques nodded and saw how Ryutora took a kendo pose with his blade. When he, Jaques, had attacked before, he had underestimated both Ryutora’s strength and speed. but now, having felt those punches, he knew he shouldn’t underestimate this creature before him. Ryutora, whatever had happened to him, was far stronger than ever before. and now that he held his blade, this could be an actual fight. But actually, Jaques grinned again, that had been just the thing he wanted. Both fighters took a fighting stance, before flash stepping at the other.

{Seireitei}

Maria created three more of her spirit forms, all of them armed with a clock hand blade and a gun, slashing at her while also shooting, while the real Maria put the clock hand back on her back, taking her second gun in hand and shooting both at Asuna. The latter saw all the attacks coming from four different sides. She pulled her sword and bow back in, before unleashing the wolf again, this time forming it into armor over her body.

the attacks clashed, creating a powerful explosion. Maria grinned, before sensing Asuna standing behind her. as she looked, Asuna stood there in white wolf like armor. Maria quickly turned around and started rapid firing both her guns. Asuna side stepped all the blasts with ease, without using her pulse step to increase her speed. her wolf armor increased her speed to enormous levels. In a white flash, in which Asuna used her pulse step, she landed twenty meter behind Maria in the same second she had launched herself.

Maria’s right side than exploded, as she had been hit there, both by Asuna’s wolf claw and her bala. Maria turned around and activated IV; Return, winding back the clock on something happening. In this case; her receiving that wound, thus healing herself. Next up she activated one of the three letters Jaques had given her; P, the perfect, as well as two other powers; XII; stop, freezing Asuna in time for a while, before activating X; Gather, bringing out all the spirit forms she had created up to this point, forming a large group of herself, all of them using the same attacks they had used before.

Asuna was slashed and blasted by several powerful attacks while in that frozen field. And before the timer on XII; stop, ran out, Maria blasted Asuna with both her guns up close. As her spiritual forms faded away, Asuna fell to her knees. Maria grinned and tried to kick Asuna to the ground. But as her kick reached the place where Asuna should have bee, it hit only air. Asuna stood fifty meter further. Her wounds were already healing and the cracks in her armor were repairing itself.

Asuna than activated three more of her weapons; crow, snake and dragon. The crow became secondary armor and placed wings on Asuna’s back. The snake became a whip in her left hand and the dragon a spear in her right hand. And through double armor and two weapons, her power had increased quite a lot. In return, Maria pushed her power higher as well. she refused to lose to Asuna!

{far away from the Seireitei}

Jaques took a step back, healed a new slash wound on his chest, before landing on a cliff. He had been attacking Ryutora with powerful slashes, punches and kick, as well as spiritual energy blasts. Ryutora simply blocked his weapon attacks with his own sword, or with his bare hands. He blocked those punches and kicks with the armor he wore and simply flash stepped out of the way of those spiritual blasts.

Ryutora nodded, ‘thanks for showing me what you’re capable of Jaques. Now, since you showed me what your Shikai is capable of; I’ll respond in kind, by showing you what mine is capable of.’ Ryutora pointed his blade to the left. and as he swung it overhead to the right he said, ‘now align; Fuhen-Teki Jittai!’ as his blade pointed right, it had become a golden broad sword, with the Omega sign at the bottom of the hilt, the Alpha sign at the top of the hilt, which was attached to the guard, which held a small spiritual sun, with the infinity mark on it. and down the line of the sword there were eight spheres, resembling the solar system.

Jaques was amazed. When before he had seen Ryutora use his Shikai, it had been a rapier with eight small spheres floating around the blade. Now there was a huge difference. From a rapier to a broad sword. And not only that, with the release of his Shikai, Ryutora’s power had increased as well. Jaques took a battle ready pose again, seeing Ryutora do the same. This battle just got serious!