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Description
Flames engulfed the Soul Society. Above it, black clouds churned and streaks of crimson lightning raged.

From the Rukongai, the green haired member of the Legion stood and watched, placing a thin finger on one of the stitches holding the sides of his mouth shut. The wind blew softly through his furry grass-green collar, which only ran down one side of his knee-length black coat. Beside him stood the smaller man, his face hidden behind a tall collar and, more disturbingly, a metal mask in the shape of a snarling wolf.

"Ooh..." the green haired man said smoothly, looking up at the plumes of smoke. "It didn't take the Soul Society long to tremble, eh, Baal?"

"Ha!" The little man known as Baal laughed, his voice muffled and deepened behind his mask. "Don't act so surprised, Mammon. The Legion have always gone unchallenged! We're the best, after all!"

Mammon reached up and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Now, now...let's not get ahead of ourselves. Bad things happen to those who act too rashly y'know." Mammon said, eyeing the sky worriedly. His eyes fell to the ground where Mayuri was struggling to breathe, the scientist's body in pieces around him. Managing to turn over onto his front, Mayuri squinted to try and find Nemu. The girl's body was disappearing.

Mayuri found himself...shocked. Nemu was dying. The last trace of her blew away into the wind, as was the same with the other officers on the ground. Priding himself on his experiments, the death of his lieutenant was strangely moving. After so long...Nemu had become, just maybe, more than an experiment.

Twisting over, Mayuri aimed his sole hand at Mammon, the man's eyes widening.

"Hado 32, Oukasen!" Mayuri screamed, his eyes illuminated by golden flame as the attack blasted across the Rukongai. Mammon weaved out of the way at the last second, lifting his hand defensively - only to find Mayuri had vanished.

"Are you kidding?" Baal scoffed, folding his arms. "How'd you let a half-dead guy escape? You're a joke!"

Mammon furrowed his brow.

"You see?" He sighed, running a hand through his wayward hair. "We were careless..."

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Byakuya Kuchiki tussled with three enemies, grabbing the first by the throat and tossing him into the second. The two men went flying through the wooden wall of the Kuchiki manor, crashing to the ground in the garden outside. The third summoned a blade and jabbed it towards Byakuya's face, but the black-haired captain ducked beneath it before rising up like a wave. With one motion, he smashed the sword into a thousand pieces with his bare hand.

"W-wha-!?" The man choked before Byakuya cut him down. Sweat rolled down the captain's forehead.

It isn't their strength that's an issue...it's the sheer number of them, Byakuya thought to himself. Looking around, he noticed more and more soldiers forcing their way into the manor. They were coming it waves - it didn't seem to matter how many he killed.

They must know of my Royal training...they've been actively trying to keep me trapped in my manor. He rose from his thoughts as a battle cry signalled the arrival of his enemies, one colossal man stumbling through the wooden doors, tearing them apart. Byakuya vanished, reappearing on the other side of the room. He lifted his arm.

"Hado 4, Byak-" he began, only for four other soldiers to grapple with his arms from behind, bringing him crashing to his knees. Byakuya grimaced, hanging his head. The men, garbed in black, blue and purple, with large sashes around their waists, held him down, sniggering to themselves. The large man stomped over to them, raising a blade above his head.

Suddenly, the windows of the room exploded, pink petals hanging in the air as if suspended in time. In an instant, the blades of Senbonzakura had erupted into a frenzy, shredding everyone in the room except for Byakuya. The four men holding him down crumpled to the floor, allowing the captain to stand gracefully up again.

The big man remained frozen to the spot, warm blood trickling down his skin.

"Why are you still standing?" Byakuya asked. With a gurgle, the man collapsed as blood exploded from his body. It wasn't over of course - tens more soldiers came charging in. Byakuya pulled his sword around him, the blade twisting and changing, becoming hundreds of thousands of gleaming shards. Leaping upwards, Byakuya brought his hilt to his chest before thrusting his arms outwards. The entire manor seemed to bulge as it ripped open with a deafening boom, Senbonzakura's shards spraying out across the battlefield.

Byakuya soared into the air, a trail of pink behind him. Before he could get anywhere though, he saw what looked like a ring of paint being drawn in the sky above him. He tried to come to stop, but the ring pulsed like a ripple in water. Almost immediately, a giant stone fist burst out of the ring and slammed into Byakuya, sending him spiralling back down to the ground. The man disappeared in a burst of dust as a figure emerged in the sky, clapping her hands erratically.

"Okay, okay, okay!" The girl stepped out of the sky, lifting her sleek paintbrush over her shoulder like a sword. She had bountiful curls of blonde hair that rested on her shoulders and fell in spirals down her arched back. She wore the typically black Legion uniform, though hers was customised to show off her long legs. Black boots rose to her knees and she wore silky purple gloves from the elbow down. A large, golden ring sat behind her in the air, two similar rings adorning her wrists.

"Make way you scrubs!" She winked, her glittery velvet eyes twinkling. "Peneme has arrived on the scene! Yo!" From the dust, Byakuya rose, his face shadowed as a bead of blood dropped from his chin.

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Hisagi cut an enemy down before grabbing a nearby Shinigami.

"Oi, get yourselves inside, you can't do anything here!" Hisagi barked, throwing the man aside. The man nodded before charging away, Tetsuzaemon Iba landing with a crash beside the lieutenant.

"Heh, thinkin' about others before yourself again, Hisagi?" The man grinned, his trademark black shades back on his ridged nose. "That's the way it should be!"

"We can't let them the get the same drop on us that the Wandenreich first did," Hisagi bared his teeth, unleashing Kazeshini into a crowd of oncoming foes. It whizzed forwards, cutting twelve men in half. "We may not know where they're coming from or why they're here, but we sure as hell don't have to let them walk all over us!"

Iba grinned broadly, blood splatters running down his face.

"Ah!" He roared in agreement, pulling his sword out in front of him before slicing an oncoming enemy in two.

"Iba," Hisagi said, backing up to the man. "Find the other lieutenants and help to get some of the Seireitei's residents to safety. They're our top priority!" Iba looked on at Hisagi as the man charged back into the fight, whipping his chained blades about his head furiously.

This man...he's seen two captains die before his eyes. What does that mean, I wonder? Is he a poor lieutenant? Or...was he truly meant to be the captain? Either way... Iba thought, turning to leave the scene. He's grown a hell of a lot stronger.

Iba brought his blade in front of him, roaring at the tide of oncoming enemies.

"Claw out!" The man shouted, a bright red light bursting out of the guard of his zanpakuto. The light flashed on his glasses, turning them a brilliant, bloody red for a second. "Takatsume! 鷹爪 (Hawk's Talon)"

Iba disappeared in a pillar of light, Hisagi watching him from over his shoulder. Turning back, he suddenly saw Renji dash across the battlefield, leaping from building to building, skipping along the debris.

"Abarai..." Hisagi mused to himself.

Renji pushed onwards, turning a corner swiftly and speeding across the ruined Seireitei.

Rukia...where the hell have you gone? He thought to himself. Suddenly, without warning, someone crashed into him from the side, sending him spiralling into one of the few intact towers. Renji hit the wall with a thud, sending dirt and rubble flying. Wincing, he emerged slowly with one eye closed shut. Groaning, he cricked his neck, looking up at the culprit.

Standing before him was an elderly looking man, whose thick beard and mutton chops looked almost dirty and ragged as he stood in the air. He was wearing a very heavy looking black coat, with a large, billowing hood with red lining. His eyes were quite animated, despite the amount of wrinkles and creases on his face.

"Tch..." Renji rose from the tower, which split in half with a great crash behind him. The dust rained down around the two fighters as Renji lifted his sword, the blade gleaming in the light of the fires.

"You know...normally I'd say something like, get out of my way or I'll kill you!" Renji said, rubbing his head. The old man watched him with a dark expression, Renji floating upwards to meet him. He gripped Zabimaru tightly in his hand. "Not this time though." Renji lifted his sword above his head, his reiatsu surging. The old man's eyes widened.

"This time, even if you get out of my way, I'll kill you all the same!" Renji cried, his reiatsu exploding around him. Rather than appear scared however, the old man looked elated, his face lighting up.

"Ho?" He said softly, readying himself.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A new chapter of bleachX is here! I am so happy with the response to last week's chapter. You guys are the best! I hope you enjoy this week's!

Description
Flames engulfed the Soul Society. Above it, black clouds churned and streaks of crimson lightning raged.

From the Rukongai, the green haired member of the Legion stood and watched, placing a thin finger on one of the stitches holding the sides of his mouth shut. The wind blew softly through his furry grass-green collar, which only ran down one side of his knee-length black coat. Beside him stood the smaller man, his face hidden behind a tall collar and, more disturbingly, a metal mask in the shape of a snarling wolf.

"Ooh..." the green haired man said smoothly, looking up at the plumes of smoke. "It didn't take the Soul Society long to tremble, eh, Baal?"

"Ha!" The little man known as Baal laughed, his voice muffled and deepened behind his mask. "Don't act so surprised, Mammon. The Legion have always gone unchallenged! We're the best, after all!"

Mammon reached up and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Now, now...let's not get ahead of ourselves. Bad things happen to those who act too rashly y'know." Mammon said, eyeing the sky worriedly. His eyes fell to the ground where Mayuri was struggling to breathe, the scientist's body in pieces around him. Managing to turn over onto his front, Mayuri squinted to try and find Nemu. The girl's body was disappearing.

Mayuri found himself...shocked. Nemu was dying. The last trace of her blew away into the wind, as was the same with the other officers on the ground. Priding himself on his experiments, the death of his lieutenant was strangely moving. After so long...Nemu had become, just maybe, more than an experiment.

Twisting over, Mayuri aimed his sole hand at Mammon, the man's eyes widening.

"Hado 32, Oukasen!" Mayuri screamed, his eyes illuminated by golden flame as the attack blasted across the Rukongai. Mammon weaved out of the way at the last second, lifting his hand defensively - only to find Mayuri had vanished.

"Are you kidding?" Baal scoffed, folding his arms. "How'd you let a half-dead guy escape? You're a joke!"

Mammon furrowed his brow.

"You see?" He sighed, running a hand through his wayward hair. "We were careless..."

_________________________________________________________

Byakuya Kuchiki tussled with three enemies, grabbing the first by the throat and tossing him into the second. The two men went flying through the wooden wall of the Kuchiki manor, crashing to the ground in the garden outside. The third summoned a blade and jabbed it towards Byakuya's face, but the black-haired captain ducked beneath it before rising up like a wave. With one motion, he smashed the sword into a thousand pieces with his bare hand.

"W-wha-!?" The man choked before Byakuya cut him down. Sweat rolled down the captain's forehead.

It isn't their strength that's an issue...it's the sheer number of them, Byakuya thought to himself. Looking around, he noticed more and more soldiers forcing their way into the manor. They were coming it waves - it didn't seem to matter how many he killed.

They must know of my Royal training...they've been actively trying to keep me trapped in my manor. He rose from his thoughts as a battle cry signalled the arrival of his enemies, one colossal man stumbling through the wooden doors, tearing them apart. Byakuya vanished, reappearing on the other side of the room. He lifted his arm.

"Hado 4, Byak-" he began, only for four other soldiers to grapple with his arms from behind, bringing him crashing to his knees. Byakuya grimaced, hanging his head. The men, garbed in black, blue and purple, with large sashes around their waists, held him down, sniggering to themselves. The large man stomped over to them, raising a blade above his head.

Suddenly, the windows of the room exploded, pink petals hanging in the air as if suspended in time. In an instant, the blades of Senbonzakura had erupted into a frenzy, shredding everyone in the room except for Byakuya. The four men holding him down crumpled to the floor, allowing the captain to stand gracefully up again.

The big man remained frozen to the spot, warm blood trickling down his skin.

"Why are you still standing?" Byakuya asked. With a gurgle, the man collapsed as blood exploded from his body. It wasn't over of course - tens more soldiers came charging in. Byakuya pulled his sword around him, the blade twisting and changing, becoming hundreds of thousands of gleaming shards. Leaping upwards, Byakuya brought his hilt to his chest before thrusting his arms outwards. The entire manor seemed to bulge as it ripped open with a deafening boom, Senbonzakura's shards spraying out across the battlefield.

Byakuya soared into the air, a trail of pink behind him. Before he could get anywhere though, he saw what looked like a ring of paint being drawn in the sky above him. He tried to come to stop, but the ring pulsed like a ripple in water. Almost immediately, a giant stone fist burst out of the ring and slammed into Byakuya, sending him spiralling back down to the ground. The man disappeared in a burst of dust as a figure emerged in the sky, clapping her hands erratically.

"Okay, okay, okay!" The girl stepped out of the sky, lifting her sleek paintbrush over her shoulder like a sword. She had bountiful curls of blonde hair that rested on her shoulders and fell in spirals down her arched back. She wore the typically black Legion uniform, though hers was customised to show off her long legs. Black boots rose to her knees and she wore silky purple gloves from the elbow down. A large, golden ring sat behind her in the air, two similar rings adorning her wrists.

"Make way you scrubs!" She winked, her glittery velvet eyes twinkling. "Peneme has arrived on the scene! Yo!" From the dust, Byakuya rose, his face shadowed as a bead of blood dropped from his chin.

______________________________________________________

Hisagi cut an enemy down before grabbing a nearby Shinigami.

"Oi, get yourselves inside, you can't do anything here!" Hisagi barked, throwing the man aside. The man nodded before charging away, Tetsuzaemon Iba landing with a crash beside the lieutenant.

"Heh, thinkin' about others before yourself again, Hisagi?" The man grinned, his trademark black shades back on his ridged nose. "That's the way it should be!"

"We can't let them the get the same drop on us that the Wandenreich first did," Hisagi bared his teeth, unleashing Kazeshini into a crowd of oncoming foes. It whizzed forwards, cutting twelve men in half. "We may not know where they're coming from or why they're here, but we sure as hell don't have to let them walk all over us!"

Iba grinned broadly, blood splatters running down his face.

"Ah!" He roared in agreement, pulling his sword out in front of him before slicing an oncoming enemy in two.

"Iba," Hisagi said, backing up to the man. "Find the other lieutenants and help to get some of the Seireitei's residents to safety. They're our top priority!" Iba looked on at Hisagi as the man charged back into the fight, whipping his chained blades about his head furiously.

This man...he's seen two captains die before his eyes. What does that mean, I wonder? Is he a poor lieutenant? Or...was he truly meant to be the captain? Either way... Iba thought, turning to leave the scene. He's grown a hell of a lot stronger.

Iba brought his blade in front of him, roaring at the tide of oncoming enemies.

"Claw out!" The man shouted, a bright red light bursting out of the guard of his zanpakuto. The light flashed on his glasses, turning them a brilliant, bloody red for a second. "Takatsume! 鷹爪 (Hawk's Talon)"

Iba disappeared in a pillar of light, Hisagi watching him from over his shoulder. Turning back, he suddenly saw Renji dash across the battlefield, leaping from building to building, skipping along the debris.

"Abarai..." Hisagi mused to himself.

Renji pushed onwards, turning a corner swiftly and speeding across the ruined Seireitei.

Rukia...where the hell have you gone? He thought to himself. Suddenly, without warning, someone crashed into him from the side, sending him spiralling into one of the few intact towers. Renji hit the wall with a thud, sending dirt and rubble flying. Wincing, he emerged slowly with one eye closed shut. Groaning, he cricked his neck, looking up at the culprit.

Standing before him was an elderly looking man, whose thick beard and mutton chops looked almost dirty and ragged as he stood in the air. He was wearing a very heavy looking black coat, with a large, billowing hood with red lining. His eyes were quite animated, despite the amount of wrinkles and creases on his face.

"Tch..." Renji rose from the tower, which split in half with a great crash behind him. The dust rained down around the two fighters as Renji lifted his sword, the blade gleaming in the light of the fires.

"You know...normally I'd say something like, get out of my way or I'll kill you!" Renji said, rubbing his head. The old man watched him with a dark expression, Renji floating upwards to meet him. He gripped Zabimaru tightly in his hand. "Not this time though." Renji lifted his sword above his head, his reiatsu surging. The old man's eyes widened.

"This time, even if you get out of my way, I'll kill you all the same!" Renji cried, his reiatsu exploding around him. Rather than appear scared however, the old man looked elated, his face lighting up.

"Ho?" He said softly, readying himself.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A new chapter of bleachX is here! I am so happy with the response to last week's chapter. You guys are the best! I hope you enjoy this week's!